Practice time for amateurs is the problem when it comes to perfecting hand tool techniques. There is no quick and easy method to make hand tool mortise & tenon joints, for instance. And once got wrong they’re near impossible to put right. One must begin again; and perhaps waste valuable wood.
There is a case for a half-way hoose. To make through wedged tenons as required in many A&C styles, I forego the mortise chisel in favour of downcut spiral router bit or a Domino XL. The tenons are easier to make by hand, with handsaws and a router plane.
Hand cut DTs are satisfying and, once the techniques are learnt, can be made surprisingly quickly. The right tools help - good quality saws and chisels, as well as accurate marking with a fine marking knife. Many chisels are poor at chopping out the waste, especially in small and closely-spaced DTs. A cheap & nasty saw just won’t cut a neat kerf to the marked line; and will leave a rough cut surface.
Nice DTs can be made with a machine. These were made with a woodrat and some of it’s teeny-weeny fine DT HSS cutters.
