I have very little experience with power tools other than those I need to maintain things around the house = namely a drill. I do have a bunch of Japanese hand saws, but no power saws. I have a random orbital sander and a whack of different kinds of sandpaper and micro mesh pads, but no belt, disc or drum sander. I use a fret saw and do not own a jig saw or power scroll saw. I do have and often use a Dremel, but don’t own a buffer.

All of that was said in public to convince myself to try to make some scales using only hand tools. I saw a video of Charlie Lewis doing just that on YouTube and have been tossing that idea around for quite a while. While I have nowhere near the expertise and experience of Mr. Lewis, he certainly has motivated me to try.

Are all the precautions mentioned above as necessary when using only hand tools?