beginner tool list

[Brandon Speaks]

Hi Guys,

I have always liked the idea of woodworking mainly with hand tools, much of my wood working had been bow making and carving up until now. I never got into furniture partly due to the price of lumber that I would want to use.

Well yesterday I stumbled into an abundant supply of local good affordable lumber so I am ready to make the jump. What I am wresting with is what should my starting tool kit look like and where should I spend more vs go inexpensive to start. I do have a very good selection of draw knifes, axes, spoke shaves, and sharpening stuff along with lots of carving knives and gouges due to the above mentioned hobby. I am expecting a few hundred bucks in woodcraft gift cards as that is mostly what I asked for for Christmas, I could probably come up with a full initial budget of $400-$500 and build from there (this does not include lumber budget.

My initial projects will be a new work bench (I do have 3 and a table in my shop but none are hand tool focused). A few boxes, a book shelf, and a couple end tables. My wife has been begging me to make a new dining room table as well so that will come soon.

Here are my initial (probably misguided thoughts on tools)

For the work bench I will need a vice I assume, something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Eclipse-Quick-Release-Woodworking-Vice/dp/B016DNZDTU

A set of chisels and mortise chisels, I also assume this is a place to go high quality.
A marking gauge, mortise gauge, and maybe a better square than I have today, these seem like a middle of the road area where I can get them on Amazon all together for around $60

A dove tail marker, again this looks like a small Amazon purchase.

Planes, this one I am confused on what to start with. I also assume these should be high quality. My thinking was to get 2 or so most essential ones new and then once understanding them look for ones to restore. This is also a spot that could blow my budget quickly but one place where I might extend the budget a bit if it was worth it. I was thinking maybe a wood river 5 1/2 and a 7 would be the best starter combo, but again this is the area I am most confused.

Next are saws. I was thinking a veritas dovetail saw and some type of crosscut or tenon saw. Not sure if I need a ripping saw yet.

Finally a brace and bit set.

I do have lots of clamps and scrapers as well and figure I will buy those by the project.

Anyway I know this was long, any help appreciated.

[David Eisenhauer]

Hello Brandon and my quick thoughts while the better informed are still drinking coffee. Let me say that this is what works for me and I make no claims as this being THE WAY because there are other answers than mine to your questions. Other folks will have some different thoughts and/or tweak my answers.
For the bench/build - A vise like the Eclipse shown will be very useful (did not pay attention, but hopefully it is of the quick release type), a couple of the Grammercy holdfasts, a decent hand saw (restored vintage such as a Disston or the like) for cutting up your bench material (unless you have power equipment) and the brace with a couple three bits. I also use a leg vise on my bench but that is optional. Planes, chisels to be covered below.
In my opinion, bench chisels do not need to be purchased in full sets and I prefer a few of a better quality rather than many of less quality. For furniture, I tend to use the 1/4" (lots of 1/4" grooves in 3/4" thick material and the 1/4" gets into lots of spots for general cleanup, a 1/2" for general paring/cleanup and a wider chisel such as the 3/4" or 1" for wider paring uses. Dovetails may require the use of a 1/8" and 3/8" grooves are used in thicker material but these can be purchased as you go along. Again, for mortising, the 1/4" may very well be the main mortising chisel used in typical furniture building, however your bench build will use larger ones right off the bat.
Planes. This category may stir up the most answers (besides the ever popular sharpening subject), but a traditional path for plane use is to use three planes to take timber from a rough to finished state: #5 or a jack plane to start, #7/#8 or a joiner/try plane to flatten and a #3/#4 to finish. There are block planes, #6s and bevel up planes to confuse the issue, but, in my opinion, the #5, #4, #7, smaller bevel-up block plane path is a good starting point. If you buy S4S material (already planed/squared), then the #4 (or #3) can do everything you need when first starting out. Again, others will put forth other paths.

Saws (of the joinery type as opposed to the "carpentry" type used for timber sizing). The Veritas saws (which I have not used) are often mentioned as being the best value for the cost and you will need a rip saw (tennons are mostly rip cuts) more so than a crosscut saw. A dovetail saw is mostly a smaller rip saw as well. I do have one of each, but added the dovetail saw later on. There are several good brands of saws out there, but you can spend lots of money there. As with all of these tools I have described above, you may not know what you will prefer (due to inexperience) in the long run so I would go slow on the tool purchases and buy as you go rather than try to buy all right now, Start with what you need for the bench build and then go slow from there by buying what you need for each project as it comes up.

[Phil Mueller]

Hi Brandon,
I agree with David, from my way of working with wood. A couple of random thoughts:
The #7 plane can also be used very effectively as a shooting plane...so it can serve that need as well.
I do use a crosscut backsaw a lot. So I would consider the LV crosscut and rip saws. I have both, and they perform very well. Excellent value for the money.
I’m afraid I’m limited with time on this post...will get back if other thoughts come up.

[Al Launier]

Although not the best quality Harbor Freight may be a source for some of your tooling to start off with and will save you money. Example https://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-portable-carpenters-vise-95203.html. Many on this WW site have found HF to be a reasonable source, including me. Regardless where you decide to buy the woodworking vice I would strongly suggest you apply a soft facing to each jaw to prevent marring your project. I use leather for this. Also, i think you may very well need a conventional bench vise (swivel or fixed).

[Nathan Johnson]

I'm in the new to hand tool camp also. Started down the rusty restoration path awhile back and it's been a lot of fun and a valuable education.
Earlier this year I finished my bench, and I installed the 10 inch version of that eclipse vise. Slapped mahogany jaws on it and I am very pleased. It holds the work rock solid.

For a quicker, easier, cheaper get started now suggestion on saws, my recommendation would be to go Japanese to start. I went with a Ryoba (cross and rip combined) and a Dozuki. I also have a cheap Stanley panel saw from HD that sees quite a bit of use since I have not yet taken the time to learn saw restoration and sharpening. Essentially, I bought 3 saws thst do the work of 5 and I'm under $100. I have the Veritas dovetail saw and two vintage backsaws from the classifieds here, but I honestly prefer the Japanese ones.

I have so far found my LV router plane to be pretty invaluable.

I'll let others with more knowledge and experience make plane recommendations. Though through my experience, I would be inclined to find a #5 as a restoration since they are so plentiful and low cost. Having said that, I did restore a Stanley 7c that might just be the highest functioning, most pleasing to use plane that I currently have. ::shrugsmiley::

[Brandon Speaks]

Thanks for the replies so far. All of it seems to make sense. As an FYI sense it was mentioned I do have a decent but not great selection of power tools small table saw, band saw, scroll saw, miter saw, lathe, disc / belt sander combo.

For the planes I found a somewhat local guy on craigslist who refurbs planes. It looks like I could get a 4, 5 and 7 for a bit under $200 which would really help my budget. Would this make more sense than buying new. Only reason it makes me nervous is that I dont know much about what to look for or how to tune them yet.

[Chet R Parks]

I'll give a big +1 for the Japanese saws. Not hard to learn to use.

[ken hatch]

Hi Guys,

I have always liked the idea of woodworking mainly with hand tools, much of my wood working had been bow making and carving up until now. I never got into furniture partly due to the price of lumber that I would want to use.

Well yesterday I stumbled into an abundant supply of local good affordable lumber so I am ready to make the jump. What I am wresting with is what should my starting tool kit look like and where should I spend more vs go inexpensive to start. I do have a very good selection of draw knifes, axes, spoke shaves, and sharpening stuff along with lots of carving knives and gouges due to the above mentioned hobby. I am expecting a few hundred bucks in woodcraft gift cards as that is mostly what I asked for for Christmas, I could probably come up with a full initial budget of $400-$500 and build from there (this does not include lumber budget.

My initial projects will be a new work bench (I do have 3 and a table in my shop but none are hand tool focused). A few boxes, a book shelf, and a couple end tables. My wife has been begging me to make a new dining room table as well so that will come soon.

Here are my initial (probably misguided thoughts on tools)

For the work bench I will need a vice I assume, something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Eclipse-Quick-Release-Woodworking-Vice/dp/B016DNZDTU

A set of chisels and mortise chisels, I also assume this is a place to go high quality.
A marking gauge, mortise gauge, and maybe a better square than I have today, these seem like a middle of the road area where I can get them on Amazon all together for around $60

A dove tail marker, again this looks like a small Amazon purchase.

Planes, this one I am confused on what to start with. I also assume these should be high quality. My thinking was to get 2 or so most essential ones new and then once understanding them look for ones to restore. This is also a spot that could blow my budget quickly but one place where I might extend the budget a bit if it was worth it. I was thinking maybe a wood river 5 1/2 and a 7 would be the best starter combo, but again this is the area I am most confused.

Next are saws. I was thinking a veritas dovetail saw and some type of crosscut or tenon saw. Not sure if I need a ripping saw yet.

Finally a brace and bit set.

I do have lots of clamps and scrapers as well and figure I will buy those by the project.

Anyway I know this was long, any help appreciated.

Brandon,

Spend your money on a good back saw filed 12-14 tip rip, it will do everything from dovetails to small to medium tenons. A place to save is with the planes, most folks unless they are working timber instead of semi-finished lumber can get by with just a #5 and a couple or three cutters. Chisels get good quality, mid price like Ashley Iles or Swiss Made. Usually four will do at first, ¼ and/or ⅜, ½, ¾ and/or 1”. Stanley makes a very good marking knife, cheap. A block plane, a plow if you feel rich, a cordless drill and some twist bits, a Titemark is another place to go good as is a good square. If you stay with AI or SM chisels a couple of Ark stones and a strop are also cheap and are all you need to keep All but the saws sharp.

Almost everything else is just nice to have.

ken

[Phil Mueller]

The craigslist price seems pretty reasonable for 3 refurbished planes (are they Stanley?). For reference, a Stanley #7 from a reputable vintage tool seller in reasonable working condition could run upwards of $185 alone. Yes, you could probably get all 3 for less on the auction sites, but how long do you really want to wait for the right deal - and you really don’t know what you’re getting until it’s in your hands. I enjoy refurbishing planes, and it does teach you a lot, but if you want to get started sooner than later, I’d seriously consider the craigslist planes.

If possible, I’d see if the seller was willing to demo them. They might be frankenplanes (rehabbed with parts from various planes), but if they work, who cares? Just look them over carefully for cracks (both wood and metal parts), make sure the adjuster works (advances and retracts the iron), check the blade/iron for excessive pitting (particularly at the bevel end), and maybe even check to see if the chip breaker seats to the back of the iron well (hold up to a light and see if you see any light between the two...this can be fixed, but adds a little work before use) - a lot of light between them could mean a warped iron or chip breaker and that is a pain to deal with. Check the flatness of the sole...take a straight edge and make sure there isn’t serious warp. It’s important that the toe/heal/front of mouth are aligned. Also check the mouth of the plane for cracks, chips, etc.

Your selection of power tools will work well for many tasks. One power tool you may want to consider in the future is a lunch box thickness planer. My typical MO is to surface on side flat with hand planes, and then flaten the other side and thickness with the power planer...as long as it’s within the 12-13” width capability.

[michael langman]

I have researched wood vises for 3 years or so and bought the Yost quick release 9" wood vise fom Amazon for 66.00 on sale about a month ago.
I am very impressed with it , as most who have bought it.

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks for the replies so far. All of it seems to make sense. As an FYI sense it was mentioned I do have a decent but not great selection of power tools small table saw, band saw, scroll saw, miter saw, lathe, disc / belt sander combo.

For the planes I found a somewhat local guy on craigslist who refurbs planes. It looks like I could get a 4, 5 and 7 for a bit under $200 which would really help my budget. Would this make more sense than buying new. Only reason it makes me nervous is that I dont know much about what to look for or how to tune them yet.

This sounds like a decent price, especially if the seller is willing to take a bit of time to show you how to set them up and use them. Also follow all the caveats mentioned above about cracks and fit. In my own situation it took a bit of time to hunt down those planes to purchase at lower prices.

You may also try to acquire an extra blade for the #5 from the seller. if he is a regular refurber, he will have some spares. He may also have some chisels.

A spare blade will allow you to change the function of the #5 from a smoothing/jointing function to a scrub plane function for rough milled wood. Over time you may be want to pick up a second #5 to keep set up as a scrub plane.

As you already have and use carving tools, spoke shaves and such you are likely aware of the importance of quality and the feel of a tool in your hand. To me the feel in hand is important enough that my most used chisels have had their handles replaced if they didn't feel good in hand.

There are some inexpensive tools available that may suit your needs. For mortise chisels a few of the Narex mortise chisels may be all you need. It is not a stretch to use a bench chisel for cutting a mortise. For most of the wood used in my work 1/4" & 1/2" mortise chisels are all that is needed. Most of my wood comes at 3/4" or 1-1/2". If you are working with hardwoods you may find a 5/16" chisel helpful. For making Mallets my chisel of choice is a refurbished 1" framing chisel.

For cutting dovetails, my preference is a thin bevel edged chisel. Harbor freight has chisels cheap. To me they are rather heavy in the blade and the handles are not finished well. They keep tempting me to purchase a set. Then the little voice in my heads asks, "how many chisels do you really need?" My beater chisel drawer doesn't have much room for any more chisels.

For saws a good tenon saw is able to cut dovetails. A good dovetail saw might be challenged at cutting more than very short tenons. Some folks love their pull saws. My luck has been better with the western push saws. My pull saws do have their tasks around the shop. When it comes to accurate joinery, my western saws are preferred. The Veritas saws offer good value. My dovetail saw was a kit bought from Ron Bontz. It came with the teeth cut but not filed and hardware. It was up to me to make a handle and finish the teeth. It is beyond expression, the joy derived from using this saw.

jtk

[Joe A Faulkner]

$200 for a set of nicely tuned Stanelys (4, 5 and 7) is a great value, and this would set you up with what some consider the essential set of bench planes. Add to that a small block plane, Stanley 60 1/2 and you can go along way without any other planes. I'd suggest you spend a little time on Patrick Leach's Blood and Gore web site and acquaint your self with the various plane types.
http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan0a.html

Regarding the Used Planes: Take your time to look over each plane carefully. You should be able to easily remove the lever cap, and cap iron. Look at frog and make sure it isn't chipped or damaged. Make sure the yoke and adjuster nut are functioining. Examine the body of the plane for cracks. Look carefully at the bottom, the sides, and sides around the mouth of the plane. Take a decent straight edge and test the soles for flatness. Examine the blades and look for chips. Examine the knobs and the tote for cracks. Are they nice and tight? Can the seller demonstrate the planes in action for you? You might even bring a few scraps of hardwood for this purpose.

Even if the planes aren't tuned, $200 is not necessarily a bad price for this set if the planes are in fairly solid condition. If your next project is going to be a work bench geared towards hand tools, the next question is which type of bench are you going to build? If you are going to build a thick top out of laminated 8/4 lumber, the plane set you are contemplating will come in handy.

For a beginner on a budget, I think you could hold off on mortise chisels. You can always drill out your mortises and use a bench or paring chisel to square things up. A small machinist square is nice to check your edges for squareness.

Garret Hack's "The Handplane Book" is a good reference for someone just getting started in handplanes. Check with your library to see if they have a copy. While there, see what books they have on workbenches as well. You might let your workbench build guide your tool acquisition priorities.

[Normand Leblanc]

You may want to listen to the following video from Mike Siemsen where he demonstrate how to use and hold pieces on a workbench without a vise. At the same time you can watch which tools he is using and for what kind of work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvhn-PAfEW4

[Dave Parkis]

The planes sound like a decent deal if they are in good shape. I buy/sell planes and that's about what I would charge for those 3 planes all tuned, sharpened and ready to work. As suggested, I would also strongly recommend a Stanley 60 1/2 for your first block plane. I would recommend against buying a set of mortise chisels because you will probably only use 1 or 2. Get a few good chisels for mallet work and a couple more for paring work. I agree with starting with a couple of Japanese saws since you'll probably only need them for joinery. Good luck and have fun.

[William Fretwell]

A good older Stanley 5 or 5 1/2. Narex bevel edge chisels and a Narex mortising chisel in the size you need. A Japanese pull saw and an old panel saw will get you started. A low angle block plane would be next on my list.

Hard to imagine a piece of furniture you will use more as a family than a dining room table. It will cement the idea that woodwork adds to the home, which it does. It will also encourage you. What type of wood are you using?

If you add drawers to the table (a really good idea!) then dovetails may be required for the drawers. Dovetail guides are inexpensive and can be made also.

You don't need a vise for most of it. A clamped stop on a work top is fine. You can make an L shape from 2x4, clamp the short end to the table and clamp drawer sides to the upright to cut dovetails. You will need a work surface, again structural lumber and a sheet of MDF can suffice but make it longer than your table.

[Andrew Seemann]

Hi Brandon,
If you don't mind driving to the far side of Lake Minnetonka, I have a #5 that I would let go at a very reasonable price. Possibly a 9 1/2 and a brace and set of bits also. I can show you how to sharpen and tune up the planes and bits as well. You can PM me if interested (I haven't figured out how to send those yet).

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Brandon,
If you don't mind driving to the far side of Lake Minnetonka, I have a #5 that I would let go at a very reasonable price. Possibly a 9 1/2 and a brace and set of bits also. I can show you how to sharpen and tune up the planes and bits as well. You can PM me if interested (I haven't figured out how to send those yet).

Sending a PM is fairly easy. At the top of the page there is a "Private Message" area to click on:

374599

Clicking on this will take you to a page where you can send or read messages. If you have set up your account to do so, you will receive an email on your computer mail reader telling you there is a private message for you.


jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Brandon,
If you don't mind driving to the far side of Lake Minnetonka, I have a #5 that I would let go at a very reasonable price. Possibly a 9 1/2 and a brace and set of bits also. I can show you how to sharpen and tune up the planes and bits as well. You can PM me if interested (I haven't figured out how to send those yet).

One of my New Year's wishes is especially for new members to include their location in their profile. Like Andrew there are some planes and other tools in my shop that would be let go for " a very reasonable price." The real problem is some of them are fine tools but for some reason or another may not even be worth the cost of shipping.

jtk

[Bruce Haugen]

If you can wait until February to buy tools, you will find a very good selection of vintage hand tools at the MWTCA Cabin Fever tool meet at Medina, MN. You will need to join the MWTCA to gain entry, but it's money well spent. The selection of tools is very good. A big plus is that Mike Siemsen usually demonstrates some hand tool technique at this meet. Normand already mentioned him, and I will second that recommendation. Plus, he lives in Chisago City, not too far from you. If you go to the Medina meet, take a look at the bench he uses. That's the type I will recommend to you.

[Brandon Speaks]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Andrew, I will for sure take you up on the help. I will also plan to go to that vintage tool meet. I also did look up Mike Siemsen and I actually know the place where he runs classes and live about 5 miles from there so that may be a great resource as well.

[Ruperto Mendiones]

Since we are talking planes and chisels... a good sharpening kit is essential. Scary sharp, oilstones, waterstones..which matters less than having a good set and learning to use it.

[lowell holmes]

I agree with Ruperto, a sharpening kit is probably as important as all else. I use diamond stones. I keep them out on the bench and touch up the edges frequently.
My chisels are razor sharp and they will produce translucent shavings. They are seldom struck, but when they are, I use a wooden mallet.

[Brandon Speaks]

Speaking of sharpening I do suppose it is worth seeing if I need to add anything there.

I have a set of DMT bench stones in 325, 600 and 1200. A king water stone in 6000. I also have several strops and use white gold compound. Additionally I have a granite block and wet/dry paper in various grits up to 2,000.

I do also have a rikon slow speed grinder and belt sander which I use for lathe tools although I dont see either having much of an application here unless a tool gets really messed up.

I know a need to add a file for sharpening saws and maybe one for brace and bit but is there anything else I am missing or should plan to add?

[Jim Koepke]

[edited]

I know a need to add a file for sharpening saws and maybe one for brace and bit but is there anything else I am missing or should plan to add?

When it comes to sharpening saws you will find you need more than one file, even if all your saws use the same tooth count. Saw filing can wear out a file.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

I find that you also need 4" and 6" files.