Essential neander tools

[Kees Heiden]

Today I happened to have some essential neander tools on my bench. I decide to take a picture.


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What you see are mostly meassuring tools, without them, how could I bring my joinery together? The straightedge conforming to DIN 874 to check the boards, nothing less will do. Machinist squares. A calipers to meassure board thickness, tenon offsets and size, dovetail spacing etc. The micrometer to measure shaving thickness, Mitutoyo of course. A diamond plate to make all tools and sharpening supplies dead flat, without which any work at all is impossible.

The other tools are there for decoration only. I never really use them.

This is about sharing and learning. Please post similar essential stuff.

[Patrick Chase]

Wikipedia says (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal_behavior#Tools) that Neander tools include hammered-stone spear-points and axes. No hunting tools -> starving Neander!

Seriously, it's noteworthy that a significant percentage of your measurement/marking tools as well as the diamond plate would not have been available to a historic neander woodworker. While I use all of those, and wouldn't want to part with them, I think that history therefore tells us that they're not truly "essential" to first-rate neander work.

I agree with the two planes you chose. I note the omission of saws and chisels with interest.

[ken hatch]

LMAO,

Thanks,

ken

[Derek Cohen]

Kees, some of your tools are mentioned tongue-in-cheek I reckon. Still, it is interesting to see what might be on someone's bench during an actual build (we do build furniture, don't we?). I could have grabbed any one of several photos of a past build. They would have shown different tools used for different needs. This one - lingerie chest, planing stopped rebates - has a range of commonly used tools ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/MovingForward_html_m639890da.jpg

Moving fillester, plough plane, router plane, paring chisels, mortice chisel, bench chisels, dozuki saw (for detail work), awl, marking knife, double square, hold down, pencil, sliding bevel, mallet, smoother and bench in use.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kurt Owens]

For me, a good square, saw, chisel and mallet, plane, and knife

Measuring tools are quite helpful, but I don't know if I would say essential. I have been skipping exact measurements in favor of just take the fit off the piece.

[Frederick Skelly]

For me, a good square, saw, chisel and mallet, plane, and knife.

+1. Add measuring tools for my list, whether true neander or not - at least one good rule and good marking gauge.

[Patrick Chase]

Wikipedia says (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal_behavior#Tools) that Neander tools include hammered-stone spear-points and axes. No hunting tools -> starving Neander!

Seriously, it's noteworthy that a significant percentage of your measurement/marking tools as well as the diamond plate would not have been available to a historic neander woodworker. While I use all of those, and wouldn't want to part with them, I think that history therefore tells us that they're not truly "essential" to first-rate neander work.

I agree with the two planes you chose. I note the omission of saws and chisels with interest.

EDIT: Err, I appear to have missed the forest for the trees. Well-played and subtle humor, Kees.

But... how can you cut joinery without a BCTW JointMaker Pro?

[Bill Houghton]

What?? No wood-burning laser measurement tools? How can you call yourself a Neanderworker?

[Steve Kang]

I gave this question a lot of thought while building my cabinetmaker's toolchest (Tom Fidgen's design).

Not including measuring and marking tools, I landed on the following:

Dovetail saw
Crosscut saw
Coping saw

Bevel-up jack
No.4 Bevel down plane
Plough plane
Router plane
Apron plane

7 Japanese yama-air oire nomi chisels
2 skew chisels
Gennou hammer

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Additional pictures can be found on my website https://www.wakenedhands.com/blog/2017/4/8/a-cabinetmakers-toolchest

[ken hatch]

Some of the posts are almost as good as the OP's. Not sure they are intentional but.....

ken

[steven c newman]

Depends on the job being done..
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Better view
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Joinery work...
Some of the "Usual Suspects"
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Might need a couple of these...
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Maybe a decent handsaw or two?

Don't forget, you might need a bench to work on, too....

[Kees Heiden]

Don't forget the Iphone! Where would I be without my "shaving thickness app"?

[Patrick Chase]

Don't forget the Iphone! Where would I be without my "shaving thickness app"?

Is that sort of like "Strava for woodworkers"?

Not sure if you're familiar with road-cycling culture, but Strava is an app/community that basically enables people to brag about their exploits and compete virtually. A few "enthusiastic" users have managed to infamously cull themselves from the herd by competing for "fastest descent" titles.

EDIT: And then there was this (http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/09/did-a-cycling-app-contribute-to-bike-death.html) charming incident. It makes you long for the days when cyclists were famous for doing stuff (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_doping_cases_in_cycling) that mostly hurt themselves.

[Kees Heiden]

There was a Dutch woodworker lately who wrote on the UK forum with pictures from other Dutch woodworkers which he got from the Dutch forum.

That's a model I could use.

[Graham Haydon]

:D Very funny post, Kees. I personally value my planeometer app (shaving thickness app is soooo last week), it lets me know when I've passed the minimum amount of plane strokes for the day.

[Patrick Chase]

:D Very funny post, Kees. I personally value my planeometer app (shaving thickness app is soooo last week), it lets me know when I've passed the minimum amount of plane strokes for the day.

Really you should use both.

After all, we know from planing competitions that the person who takes the most strokes while removing the least wood is the best and most efficient woodworker.

[Jim Koepke]

Silly me, time was taken to photograph what would comprise an essential set of tools for someone to do woodworking. Didn't realize it was a joke. Oh well...

First came the basics:

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This includes stones to sharpen the plane blades and chisels. A combination plane is shown for use in box and drawer building. It can also be used as a rabbet plane. The other planes are a smoother, jack and jointer. I forgot to include a block plane.

Saws are represented by a saw that cut many of my dovetails and other joinery. Other sizes/styles would be helpful.

Squares, a bevel gauge and a marking gauge help with prep and laying out joinery.

Pencil and knife are obvious.

Brush for cleaning the planes.

The chisels are 1/4, 3/8 & 1/2" which can do a lot of the dovetail and M&T duties, with a little help from the mallet. These three are from my set of beaters.

Next:

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Mostly drilling essentials with a couple of clamps to represent something of which it is difficult to have too many. A screwdriver or a turnscrew as they were once known.

Last but not least is a pair of dividers.

jtk

[Kees Heiden]

I still apreciate it Jim. Looks like a sensible set.

[Derek Cohen]

Silly me, time was taken to photograph what would comprise an essential set of tools for someone to do woodworking. Didn't realize it was a joke. Oh well...

Well Jim, then I was also taken in, although I did think that the inclusion of some of those tools was strange.

Kees, I do wonder what the purpose of "the joke" was, particularly when it now comes across as a curmudgeon's poking fun at others? Are you bored? :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kees Heiden]

Never bored. A bit of sarcasm will always be part of my humour, I am afraid.

I am working on a cabinet, along the lines of the English Renaissance. Yesterday I was working on the bottom boards, tongue and groove on the edges, bevelling the front edge with a jackplane so it fits in the groove on the inside of the lower rails. This is probably the most imprecise, rough and ready, kind of woodworking I have ever done, so I was thinking a bit about all the precision tools I have aquired over my life. A lot of these are from the days when I was doing a lot of restauration work on motorcycles and making engine parts and all that. But the precision straight edge was bought especially for woodworking! So I was poking fun at myself too.

[Derek Cohen]

Kees, what about photos of the build? Whatever - and how imprecise, it will be interesting. I'm hoping I'll have something to post later as well. :)

I have tools from working on cars. Spent 12 years restoring a car, panel beating and working on the motor. What vintage motorcycles?

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kees Heiden]

I still have a BMW R69 from 1958 and all the parts that should become a 1951 BMW R25 some day. I remember you have been writing about a Porsche? I did a ground up restoration on a Volvo Duett from 1960. Lots of panel beating and Mig welding too! I sold the car two years ago.

[Kees Heiden]

This is where I am, more or less, at the moment. All M@T work has been done. All the panels are ready. I go to the lumberyard tomorrow for some nice boards for the top.

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And this is the result of my work yesterday. This is what you will see when looking under the cabinet. I had a bunch of left over wallnut, mostly sap. Had to resaw it and plane and then tongue and groove and finally the bevel on the front so it fits in the groove in the rails like you can see in this pic. The sides will have to be cut to shape later.
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And as usual, I am moving at a snail's pace.

[Graham Haydon]

Really you should use both.

After all, we know from planing competitions that the person who takes the most strokes while removing the least wood is the best and most efficient woodworker.

Thanks for putting me right Patrick! :D

[Frederick Skelly]

And this is the result of my work yesterday. This is what you will see when looking under the cabinet. I had a bunch of left over wallnut, mostly sap. Had to resaw it and plane and then tongue and groove and finally the bevel on the front so it fits in the groove in the rails like you can see in this pic. The sides will have to be cut to shape later.361813.

Kees, how wide are those individual walnut boards? The one on the right looks 12 or 14 inches wide, like old growth timber!

It's a very nice cabinet. I hope you'll post more pictures of the completed build.

Fred

[Pat Barry]

This is where I am, more or less, at the moment. All M@T work has been done. All the panels are ready. I go to the lumberyard tomorrow for some nice boards for the top.

361812

And this is the result of my work yesterday. This is what you will see when looking under the cabinet. I had a bunch of left over wallnut, mostly sap. Had to resaw it and plane and then tongue and groove and finally the bevel on the front so it fits in the groove in the rails like you can see in this pic. The sides will have to be cut to shape later.
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And as usual, I am moving at a snail's pace.
How much allowance are you giving for seasonal movement of the walnut? I hope quite a bit in the configuration you have chosen.

[Kees Heiden]

That's a good one Pat. Peter Follansbee makes reproductions of chests like this. He puts the bottom boards in quite tight. I guess he starts with rather wet lumber. For sure I am going to leave some room in all the T&G joints.

Those boards are indeed almost 14" wide.

[Frederick Skelly]

That's a good one Pat. Peter Follansbee makes reproductions of chests like this. He puts the bottom boards in quite tight. I guess he starts with rather wet lumber. For sure I am going to leave some room in all the T&G joints.

Those boards are indeed almost 14" wide.

Kees, I seldom find material that wide. I'm surprised to see you use it for something like a cabinet bottom. I realize it is sapwood, but it's still sort of rare.

Are wide boards like these pretty common in the Netherlands? Or did you just not see another use for it because it's sapwood?

Fred

[steven c newman]

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Almost forgot the "REAL" Neanderthal Tools.....

[michael langman]

Dense as a block of wood my wife says!

[Kees Heiden]

Fred, I made a mistake, the bottom boards are only 10". It's the boards I used for the back that are 14"!

I bought an entire tree and used all the premium stuff for my dining room table. These were just sitting in my woodstack and I am happy to have found a purpose for them. There is one huge board with a lot of heartwood left which is probably going to a good friend for his table.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks Kees!

[steven c newman]

And she would know. :eek:

Does one of these count as a Neanderthal tool?
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Maybe too fancy? :rolleyes:

[Patrick Chase]

And she would know. :eek:

Does one of these count as a Neanderthal tool?
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Maybe too fancy? :rolleyes:

Isn't neander more a description of the user than the tool? Brow ridges, dragging knuckles, hirsute appearance, that sort of thing...

[Bill Houghton]

I just realized that there's an essential Neander accessory missing: a spray can of Wood Fixative, which will keep the wood from changing width/thickness/shape once you've carefully laid out, shaped, and measured it to precise tolerances.

[Patrick Chase]

I just realized that there's an essential Neander accessory missing: a spray can of Wood Fixative, which will keep the wood from changing width/thickness/shape once you've carefully laid out, shaped, and measured it to precise tolerances.

Nah, we just use Traditional Neander MDF to avoid that.

[Phil Mueller]

Three essential tools I haven't seen mentioned yet; Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

[Christopher Charles]

I still haven't seen a bottle opener in any of the lists/photos...

[Jim Koepke]

I still haven't seen a bottle opener in any of the lists/photos...

Who needs one of those, just catch the cap on the edge of your anvil and give it a slap, comes right off.

jtk

[David Eisenhauer]

Good one Phil. Definitely a must.

[michael langman]

I was referring to the fact that a lot of us neanders missed Kees suttle joke, Stephen.
I did chuckle when I saw your neander hatchet though.:)

[Kees Heiden]

I like that neander hatchet too! Does it work? Is it sharp?

[steven c newman]

Another name for the town I live in is BlueJacket's Town. There were a LOT of Shawnees in the area, at one time. Hatchet may have worked for them.....before the English sold them those iron ones...

Blue Jacket was a Shawnee War Chief. (1744-1810).