necessary hand tools...

[Jason Conwell]

I am new to woodworking and only have some carving chisels. I was wondering everyones opinion on different tools that I will need for basic woodworking projects. Please give me any advice on mistakes you made buying tools when you first started woodworking. I live in a small apartment so large power tools are out of the question but I would appreciate anyones advice on basic tool purchases. Thanks. (Quality brands? What tools you enjoy using and have had success with? etc..Thanks again)

[harry strasil]

Rip Saw
Crosscut saw
Back saw
Dovetail saw
set of chisels 1/4 thru 1 inch
Smoothe plane
Jack plane
Block plane low angle
Router plane
Marking knife
Square
Marking gauge
Mallet
PRACTICE

[harry strasil]

And some sort of sturdy bench with a vise to work on.

[David Gendron]

Jr. list is good, I would had some kind of sharpening system! As for the brands, if you go new, I realy like Gramercy saws and rasp. I also like Blue Spruce for chisels(I have some LN but if it was to do it again...) For planes, there is only two Brand IMO LN or Veritas/LV, as for metal plane anyway. You could also go the woodie route and then there is Philly plane out of the UK and Clarck and Williams in the US. The Munjing Fang are an other option for woodies that are realy affordable. Marking gouge I would go with the Tite-Mark from Glen Drake tools. You can also go the used or vintage tool route and then the options are limited only by your budget and/or the time you want to spend tuning up tools!
Good luck

[David Gendron]

Jr., have a bench that is realy compact, I think he call's it coffen maker bench, it would be a great bench for a small working area.

[Tri Hoang]

My biggest lesson learned is that the more skills one attained the less tools he needs to buy. I'd divide tools into a few categories such as work surface/holding, stock prep, joinery, assembly, finishing, and maintenance. Having the skills and equipments keep other tools in good working order is a must, especially hand tools.

Work surface/holding: workbench/vise/holdfast/dogs/clamps...

Stock prep: tape measure, a rip/cross cut saw, a fore plane, jointer plane, and smooth plane are the minimum. One could use just a jack plane but that would require too much fiddling around.

Joinery: a back saw, a few chisels, dividers, try square, marking gauges, mallet, rasps, files, brace/bits, rules

Assembly: clamps and more clamps

Maintenance: sharpening system, saw set/files/vise

Probably a few more tools but I think these are pretty the minimum.

[Matt Evans]

Along with Jr. and Tri Hoangs' posts, I would recommend reading this thread:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=122175

It addresses some of the same issues. I did a breakdown of some of the tools needed for specific tasks, and many others chimed in with useful information.

[Jim Koepke]

Jason,

Welcome to the Creek. Your profile does not mention your location. If you live near one of us Creekers, many of us would be happy to have you over to let you try out some of the different tools to see if that is the direction you want to go.

There is not much that can be added to what the other replies have mentioned without knowing what you are interested in building.

Making jewelry boxes and cigar humidors is a bit different than wardrobes and secretaries.

When it comes to a bench, the thing to remember is a bench is nothing more or less than a tool to hold things while you are working on them.

Hope to hear more of your ideas,

jim

[Adam Cherubini]

My lesson learned is that I bought many many tools to make tools (workbenches, wooden screws) that were all tangential to my ww goals. I think you shoudl throw money or machines at this sort of work. In my opinion, I'm not a better woodworker for having made several work benches and hand cut wooden screw threads. Focus on what you want to do.

The biggest decision you need to make is whether you are going to get involved with antique tools or not. Antique tools can be just as good or better than new tools. They are typically significantly cheaper. But you'll need some skills and tools to restore them. I went this way because I couldn't buy what I wanted new. That's not as true as it was.

As far as what you should buy, think through your next project. What do you need to get started? If you want to work with true hand tools, (as opposed to electric hand tools) you are going to need to learn to saw. You need a really good rip saw or 2, and wooden saw horses. To surface stock, you'll need a good work bench, and bench planes. If you buy new tools, you'll need the equipment to maintain them. If you buy second hand tools, you'll need quite a bit more stuff and a lot more time.

I write for a magazine (Popular Woodworking) and I recommend getting a subscription to all of the ww magazines. They are a cheap education. Attending seminars where you can see people actually doing what you want to do is really helpful (talk can be cheap). There's one in Williamsburg this week.You might see it and say "Whoa, I'm not doing that" or "Hey that doesn't look so bad". I would focus on the basic operations of sizing stock with saws and planes. Forget about chisels and dovetail saws until you can produce sized stock quickly.

Adam

[Sam Takeuchi]

Just buy a few basic tools to get you going. A smooth plane, block plane, a set of chisels, sharpening stones, stainless rulers, caliper, marking guage, protractor, a few clamps. You don't need expensive stuff now. In the course of your woodwork, there are times when some items seem to make things easier, but what you don't have forces you to improvise and make do with what you have. You'll get the idea what you need as you work on stuff.

I still don't have bench vise or holdfast or dog. They are handy and convenient but by no means a necessity. In the future if you have the money or motivation to add that feature to your woodworking environment, go right ahead, but don't get stressed for not having it. You'll find another way to do it without them.

[Robert Rozaieski]

You can spend years figuring out what tools you "need" and acquiring and tuning those tools if you don't actually have a project in mind. This is because you end up focusing on what tools you might need at some point because you might want to build X, Y or Z. The probelm is, you may never build X, Y or Z and instead you decide you like building Q and you end up with a pile of tools you don't need and another list of tools that you have to get in order to build what you really want to build. Trust me, far too many of us have been there (more than will admit to it :D). I could give you a long list of tools, but if you don't want to work like I do and build the things I build, 80% of the tools on that list might be useless to you.

Here's my suggestion. Pick a project and make it specific. Don't just tell yourself "I want to build furniture" or "I want to carve", but pick a single specific piece that you want to build or carve. Here's an example of a simple one I'm doing for my podcast that doesn't require a lot of tools but provides an opportunity to learn some basic skills. (http://logancabinetshoppe.weebly.com/podcast-tea-table-series.html) If this isn't your style, pick something else, but make it specific and focused. Then figure out what tools you need for that specific project and focus on getting and tuning only those tools (tell us exactly what you want to build and how you'd like to build it and we'll help you figure it out ;)). This way, you'll have some money left over for wood, you'll have time left over for working that wood since you won't be spending all you time doing nothing but buying and tuning tools, and you'll develop skills that you will use on all of your future projects. You'll also be better able to figure out your personal tool needs based on the work that you want to do.

[John Powers]

take a look at what people are selling. not so you can buy so much as you can see what people bought and don't use. I see a lot of Router Planes for sale. Also the Stanley 45 and related planes. Don't buy one of those till you need it. If I could buy something from someone here I'd do it. Lots of pitted chisels and bent saws on Ebay. I bought more than a few. Don't restore a rust bucket Stanley #5. There are too many nice ones around.

[Steve Hamlin]

John's post highlights why it really does depend on what you hope to make and how you want to do it. My routers (yes, plural) get used on almost every project, as do my ploughs.
If we had a sample project, we could itemise different approaches and their tool requirement.
In many cases, one tool can serve multiple functions (such as a rip saw for cross cut dimensioning (provided the result will be cleaned up in another step) or using a router for limited grooving. So considering a full project rather than a series of questions about individual joints, would let folks highlight where a tool might serve double duty.
Cheers
Steve

[Sean Hughto]

"In my opinion, I'm not a better woodworker for having made several work benches and hand cut wooden screw threads."

That statement kind of shocks me. Most every woodworking task or project I do makes me better and givens me insights and practice.

I see your point as one on a continuum. Drywalling my shop or running the electrical take times and only make me a better woodworker to the extent that a woodworker benefits from an insulated white walled electrified work space. I could pay someone to do those things. Building a workbench on the other hand, actually involves the same skills one uses in furniture building with the same material. I'd liken it to the use of liberal arts courses for someone looking to get a science or engineering degree - a broader perspective is often helpful.

[Kent A Bathurst]

...sharpening system.........

Be sure to include these with your sharpening system - their usefulness increased in direct proportion to my sharpenng skills.:D

[Joe Cunningham]

Welcome to the Creek and Neander-ville! I started with a very small tool kit and followed Robert's advice on buying for each subsequent project:

Purchased:
Workmate
Dozuki
a single 1/4" chisel
marking gauge
X-acto knife

Borrowed (from my dad's tool chest):
block plane
square
oilstones
screwdriver

From there I made several hand-cut dovetailed boxes using 4S4 wood. I graduated to getting a few used hand planes (#4, 5, 6), a basic chisel set and higher quality sharpening equipment. I built a basic workbench and started hand planing rough stock. I use a small bandsaw my dad had for his shop smith. I still use everything in my initial purchase, though the workmate is more of an aid now rather than a work surface.

I find my borrowed bandsaw to be the only 'tailed' machine in the shop I use, with the rest of my projects done by hand. I do rip with a hand saw, but not that often. My sharpening stones are probably my most used items after the bench.

Since then I've added numerous planes (new and antique), saws, bits, braces, mortise chisels, mortise gauges, sharpening jigs, as projects required. My interest lately has included inlay work, so I am researching classes on that and tools for a future project, but I didn't have that interest when I started.

Oh and clamps. Lots of clamps.

Only 1 tool sits unused in my shop--a bent disston backsaw I bought off that auction site. Never again will I buy saws without seeing them in person.

[Jason Conwell]

Thanks for everyones input. I am located in the Delaware area right now but will be relocating back in Indiana in the April/May time frame. (military enlistment over) But hopefully I can attend some classes at Marc Adams School of Woodworking when I go back to Indiana. It is a little pricey but my current work schedule does not allow me to use classes at the local Woodcraft store. Thanks again. I will pick a project and ask for some input about the tools and etc. that I will need.

[James Taglienti]

if i remember correctly Indiana is the auction capital of the united states. You should have NO trouble finding oodles of vintage tools at mouthwatering prices there. check delaware too. auctions are where i find 90% of my tools and i can't think of a cheaper way to get them. i have seen entire carpenter's chests full of EVERY tool harry listed earlier sell for 30 dollars and less. most of them went home with me :D ... if you can make do with a "Skeleton crew" for now, when you go back to Indiana i promise you that you will wind up with more tools than you know what to do with.

[harry strasil]

Here is a getting started Tutoral, there are 4 parts, you can access the others with a search. Its also something you will use over and over many times.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=39660&highlight=bench

[Mark Roderick]

A checkbook and a pen.