What tools are needed for a beginner woodworker

[Jacob s white]

I have a smoothing plane with Dunlap on the lever cap and Stanley on the blade a Fulton jack plane 2 saws and a set of chisels I also have a bit brace and some antique bits that I can’t get to work any recommendations or information is appreciated

[Dan Hulbert]

Next up should be a sharpening system. Then some layout tools. Start building things. When I started, every project required a new tool.

[Jacob s white]

Sorry forgot to mention I have a sharpening system

[Rob Luter]

You're good to go. Start making stuff. Your kit will allow basic lumber prep, cutting joinery, etc. You don't mention what saws you have. Are they panel saws or joinery saws? Both would be a plus.

[Prashun Patel]

I agree with Rob. Start making something. Pick a project - any project and just get to it. You'll figure out what tools you need next.

[William Fretwell]

Don't know what your saws are but that is relevant, a dovetail saw is very useful along with a tenon saw.
The antique drill bits that won't work are no surprise, the lead screw clogs with wood half an inch in, from then on you are trying to push a metal spike into the wood which gets nowhere.
Marking tools for tenons are useful. It seems you have enough to get started. Some sort of workbench should be on your want list. You will be amazed how much you can do with what you have.

[Frederick Skelly]

You should be able to start building things right now. But I think your next purchase could be some clamps for glue ups. At some point, as William said, a backsaw and tenon saw will be helpful.

[Jim Koepke]

As others have said, you can start on some projects with what you already have. Some chisels might come in handy.

To learn more about using and fixing up different tools look into the Archives, Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?103805 <

If you want to see the images you will need to become a contributor, $6 well spent.

There is an old post of mine on auger bits, A Bit About Augers, there are other posts about chisels and planes.

Your profile doesn't include your location. There may be a member in your area willing to help you with tool choices and other information.

Much of what you may need depends on the projects you are planning to undertake.

Another strong influence on tools needed is the joinery. Mortise & tenon and dovetail joints require similar tools but the best for either will often be different.

jtk

[Barney Markunas]

Good layout is right up there with sharp for improving your odds at making a successful project. A reliable try square or combination square should find its way into your kit promptly as should a tape measure or rule of some sort.

Spend some time in the library and/or on line to pick up some basic info and then get to work. Even better if you can spend some shop time with somebody who already has the skills you seek. A little friendly guidance can flatten your learning curve.

Once you start building things you will develop an idea of what you want tool-wise. I'll also caution you that it can be a slippery slope with tool wants becoming needs pretty easily. Tool acquisition was easier when I was a bachelor. I'll thank my father in law for raising a tool savvy daughter but the unfortunate downside to her having that knowledge is that is is easy for her to say " don't you already have one of those" or "can't you just borrow Joe's".

[Jacob s white]

My two saws are a large general purpose crosscut saw and a two sided Japanese ryoba saw and I plan on building a workbench in the next month or two

[Assaf Oppenheimer]

Isn't often that I feel I can contribute instead of ask, but as a beginner myself I can tell you my approach, take it for what its worth - the blind leading the blind.

anyway I started with
1) A sharpening system (you said that you had that taken care of)
2) Layout and marking - Marking Gauge, Marking Knife, Combination square (if only one - get a 12") and depending on how you get dimensioning done, a pair of winding sticks (which can be made)
3) Dimensioning - You have the basic planes to do it, depending on the size of your project I would also get a straight edge that is longer than your longest plane. I would also include panel saws here for rip and cross cut
4) Clamps - you need to make your nice square lumber into bigger squares - buy what you need based on the project you are about to do
5) Joinery - this is where you start with some joinery saws (crosscut, dovetail and tenon) and chisels. from this point you can go crazy, especially on joinery tools.

My approach was fairly linear by this checklist. I didn't buy any panel saws yet because I am still going to rely on some power tools I have for that.

after your bench I would start building your jigs - shooting board, saw hook, etc...


have fun!

[Jacob s white]

How do I drill holes in a piece of wood I got some antique auger bits but I can’t get them to work whenever I go to drill a hole as soon as the screw on the tip goes fully in the wood it clogs filling the threads with wood and stop going into the wood and I’m going to build my workbench soon and will probably need to drill holes for the mortises

[Jim Koepke]

Jacob, Though you can't view images you may be able to post them. The icon on the right above, the text box, with a little tree in it should let you post images. If you can post images of the auger bits, someone might be able to tell what problems they may have.

You are using a brace and not an electric drill for using these, right? Auger bits often do not work with an electric drill motor.

jtk


How do I drill holes in a piece of wood I got some antique auger bits but I can’t get them to work whenever I go to drill a hole as soon as the screw on the tip goes fully in the wood it clogs filling the threads with wood and stop going into the wood and I’m going to build my workbench soon and will probably need to drill holes for the mortises

[steven c newman]

IF you can find a set of hex shanked twist drill bits....use them instead of the dull auger bits....until you can find a file to sharpen the auger bits back up....Note: a bit of candle wax on the snail's threads, will help prevent them from getting "clogged up"......

[Joe A Faulkner]

It is hard to dimension lumber by hand without a suitable work surface. So if you do not have a bench or assembly table that might be your next project\tool. You could go with something crude like an old door on saw horses with a sheet of MDF, or slap together something out of of construction lumber, but eventually you will want something solid with good work holding options. Before building my bench, I bought a couple of 4x4’s and six 2x6s. I had an old 1.25” Formica desk top that was 30x60”. I used mortise and tenon joinery to make the base. I bought an old Wilton quick release 7” vise off of CraigÂ’s list. The build was quick and crude, but in the end I had a stout assembly table/work surface, experience using a chisel to chop tenons and saws to make some tenons. The quality did not need to be at the fine furniture level which took the pressure off. Having a large sturdy, relatively flat work surface with a vise made my real bench build go so much better than working on saw horses or the floor. I still use the assembly table quite often.

Another option is to buy a black and decker workmate. Once you have a real bench this will only be used to work outdoors or on a job site, but IMHO these little workmates are a good value.

It is hard to chop tenons without a mallet, so you might want to buy or make a mallet. This final point illustrates that your next project will dictate what tools you need. So if your next project is a make-shift workbench or assembly table, you made need a mallet if it involves mortise and tenon joinery. You can draw bore mortise and tenon so you can get by without clamps. Eventually though you will need clamps, lots of clamps, and then a few more .... clamps. But take it one project at a time. Good luck, be careful and have fun!

[Louis Lampe]

I have a smoothing plane with Dunlap on the lever cap and Stanley on the blade a Fulton jack plane 2 saws and a set of chisels I also have a bit brace and some antique bits that I can’t get to work any recommendations or information is appreciated


I, too, asked the question
What tools should a beginner start with in the woodworking shop?
The answer is ¨It Depends................
I made some notes to share:

First there are basically three categories of tools
There are hand tools only (no electrical power),
There are floor model power tools, and there are bench top power tools.
It seems to me that the list of tools for beginners should focus on the unpowered hand tools.
In fact with those tools you can do practically anything you could with the power tools. Furthermore, the skill set that you learn in using them will always be useful.
In fact some people (actually a large subgroup of woodworkers) use no power tools whatsoever.
There are other books but to me this book is necessary: The New Traditional Woodworker, subtitle: from tool set to skillset to mindset, by Jim Tolpin.
Sixteen fully described projects take you from the simplest to the slightly more ambitious and in the process you get to use the tools one by one. The projects are all about making shop tools and accessories.
You won't be a master but you will know how it should be done.
A summary of the tools Jim recommends follows with the understanding that his focus is on furniture making.
Woodworking offers many specialties and not every one is going to need all the tools on the list and some folks will need a few that are not on the list. Also this list focuses on Western style tools, not meaning to diminish in any way Japanese or other styles.
STARTING LIST
In this book Jim describes each of the various tools that he considers to be essential and how to care for and use them and he helps you learn to use them.
Sixteen fully described projects take you from the simplest to the slightly more ambitious and in the process you get to use the tools one by one.
You won't be a master but you will know what should be done.
A summary of the tools Jim recommends follows with the understanding that his focus is on furniture making.
Woodworking offers many specialties and not every one is going to need all the tools on the list and some folks will need a few that are not on the list. Also this list focuses on Western style tools, not meaning to diminish in any way Japanese or other styles.
STARTING LIST
Marking gauges:
You need just one at first with one cutter pin on it. Two pins is better and knives instead of pins make better lines for your chisel.

Layout tools:
You will need a 6 inch compass. A 12-inch combination square and a 6 inch bevel gauge.
Marking tools:
you need a good sharp knife for marking lines and he says that in the beginning you could make do with a common utility knife.
A pair of dividers: 6 inch dividers.
He recommends a carpenter's axe, a tool that I don't actually use.
Hand saws: two 26-30 inch hand saws, a 5 teeth per inch rip saw and an 8 TPI crosscut saw. Notice the use of TPI not PPI.

Planes: a jack plane number 5, a smoothing plane number 4, a try plane number 8, and a low-angle jack plane like a number 62.
The discussion of planes is a bit longer than that. I shortened it a lot here. You can start with a small 5 or 6 inch single-handed block plane and the smoothing plane, the others as required.
Chisels:
a big issue for woodworkers and you will own many before you are done.
There are many, many kinds of chisels but for the beginner the most useful set is called bevel edge bench chisels. Cheap chisels are pretty useless and really good chisels are very expensive. You need a set of chisels covering the range from about 1/8 to 1 inch. My recommendation for cost/functionality would be that the Narex chisels at about $10 each are keepers and a very good bargain. Some kind of wooden mallet is also required because one never strikes a wood chisel with a hammer. Add a mortising chisel when and as required.

Be aware that the Narex can be had in metric or imperial (inch). Lee Valley and ToolsForWorkingWood currently have imperial sizes for sale.

Back saws:
One or two are needed for joinery. For general use a 14 to 16 TPI but for dovetails on smaller boxes finer backsaws go up to as much as 22 TPI.
A coping saw with 15 TPI.
There are many specialty joinery planes, rabbit plane, router plane, fillister plane, plow plane, shoulder plane, all of which can wait until the need arises.
Smoothing plane:

about a number 4 bench plane . #3 is similar but lighter, your choice.

Scrapers:
A scraper with a handle and an assortment of blades is very useful.
Files:
You might start with just a triangular file, a rat tail or round file, and one very coarse perhaps bastard cut file and one finer perhaps a mill cut file, and one half round file. You will no doubt get more files later.
Brace and bits:
definitely at least one brace for now, one of the large ones, and perhaps another small one later. A set of auger bits from 1/8 to 1 inch. Irwin style is most useful especially for shallower holes.
In addition to the aforementioned wooden mallet you also need a ball peen hammer, a claw hammer, and possibly a cross peen hammer.
Clamps for glue ups and fixturing:
You will need an assortment of clamps running from the wooden hand clamps to pipe clamps to other styles of clamps but probably best bought as the need arises.
Tolpin admits that he finds a 3/8 inch battery powereddrill motor to be extremely useful with of course the set of bits to go with it: one set of fractional size machinist bits and one shot set of Brad Point wood bits.
I have another book titled Choosing and using hand tools by Andy Rae. This book has more detail on the tools and their uses but does not have a section on projects.
For the hardcore user of hand tools without power I must recommend the following book:
The Unplugged Workshop by Tom Fidgen. Subtitle, handcrafted projects for the home and workshop. The projects in this book are much more advanced than those in the above book.
============================
For other viewpoints go to youtube and search -

Basic Tools For a Hand Tool Woodworking Shop
- Starter Tool Set for the workshop
.
James Wright does an excellent video. He would actually start with sharpening with sandpaper, then four tools, a rip saw, a #5 plane, a 1/2 inch chisel and a mallet. The mallet could have been made with the first three. Then the order in which you would add the rest of the tools: a #4 plane, a try square. 1/4, 3/4. and 1 inch chisels, a marking knife with double bevel, a marking gauge, a two foot flat folding rule (like Stanley #68). He goes further to tools which are less basic.
ONLINE:Joshua Farnsworth has an excellent website with great detail on the subject, includes guides to read and videos,, see Joshua Farnsworth

https://woodandshop.com/which-hand-tools-do-you-need-for-traditional-woodworking/

There are, naturally, many schools teaching how to use hand tools. however if you aren't able to spend the time away from home consider the six semester on-line school at $125/semesterwith Shannon Rogers here: https://www.handtoolschool.net/ .
Shannon Rogers has extensive advice online:

browse his minimal tool list: https://www.renaissancewoodworker.com/a-real-world-list-of-hand-tools-for-getting-started/

[Assaf Oppenheimer]

I second Joshua Farnsworth as a resource

[Jim Matthews]

Before you start filling a toolbox, consider taking some introductory course. The tools that always stay on your bench should make the initial list.

https://wwotsv.com/

[steven c newman]

Lost in all of this....Paul Sellers has a Video Blog about what a beginner should buy, and how to use them in a project.Might want to look into it?

[Jim Koepke]

Jacob, Came across this page > https://archive.org/details/HowToSelectUseAndCareForBits/page/n7/mode/2up < it has a manual on auger bits. It can also be downloaded from that page.

It has a lot of information on using auger bits and how to care for and sharpen them.

jtk

[Louis Lampe]

I should have added:
Paul Sellers. You can find his ultimate tool lists here:



https://paulsellers.com/?s=myminimalist+toollist

and here:

https://paulsellers.com/2011/12/my-essential-tools




Paul sellers has a sister site commonwoodworking.com

more related to beginners with a starters tool list:

https://commonwoodworking.com/get-started-in-woodworking-for-under-100/

[Ben Ellenberger]

I’ll third the Paul Sellers recommendation. I also got a lot out of subscribing to his paid site for several months. He has a bunch of projects of various levels of complexity and really well done videos for each project walking through each step. It’s a really good way to learn the basics.

https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com/

[lowell holmes]

I have used Paul Sellers and have found him to be very helpful.

I attended classes that Paul conducted in Texas at Homestead Heritage in Elm Mott Texas.

[Stew Denton]

Hi Jacob,

I would also consider a low angle block plane. I use a block plane a lot. A Stanley 60 1/2 is pretty common, and a good one. Look it over good, however, to make sure it is all there, and there are no cracks.

Patrick's Superior Works, Blood and Gore Stanley Planes is a good place to go to find out common problems that you find in old Stanley planes. Look up the particular block plane number on that site, and he will tell about common problems to look for before buying an old Stanley plane.

A couple of thoughts on his site, however. It is an entertaining site to read. He is, however, a tiny bit opinionated. He has a main gripe about Stanley Block Planes, which has nothing to do with the planes themselves, it is more about Stanley. His gripe is that Stanley made way too many types of block planes, in his opinion.

He is not afraid to offer his opinion, and you will quickly learn about things he does not like. He does not like BedRock planes because he views them as overpriced, and he mostly does not like combination planes as being too complex and slow to set up, but there are exceptions.

That said, it is a great site.

Stew

[Matthew Hills]

I'd recommend getting "The Naked Woodworker" video -- he walks through getting a 5 gallon bucket, an initial set of used tools and then making sawhorses and an english-style bench.
https://lostartpress.com/products/the-naked-woodworker

Paul Sellers is also a pretty good introduction to getting started with a basic set of hand tools:
https://paulsellers.com/paul-sellers-workbench-plans/#tools-and-equipment
and he has a video series on building the type of workbench he uses:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9W9xQS-EdQ
(he has a bunch of other videos on everything from sharpening to using a chisel with a holder as a substitue for a router plane)

The website for plans for the Moravian workbench has a more elaborate set of tools listed at the bottom of the page:
https://store.woodandshop.com/product/moravian-workbench-plans/


Matt

[Tobias Jones]

Hey together,
I have read a little with and also have 1-2 experience values, which I would like to share with you,
Basically, I'm also always the friend of starting first and watch what equipment you need at all. I think, but also that a certain basic equipment can never hurt. In the end, it always depends on what you need it for. Different hammers, hand saws or screwdrivers are always needed in most cases. A tip from me: I use a mobile workplace. I always have the tools at hand and can create a clear and neat structure quite easily I have had good experiences with Sortimo. https://www.mysortimo.us/en_US/products/mobile-workplace-workmo
But you are also welcome to share your experiences.
In addition to the various hand tools, I think it's important to have a good and sufficient assortment of consumables. For example, I do a lot of work in our house myself and repair things myself when they break. That's why I always have enough screws, nails in the house.
I hope that my tips will help you. :)

[Robert Eiffert]

Here's a really simple project that'll give some storage. Lots of good tips
https://youtu.be/VM0QHCpwPrQ