Expensive or Cheap

[Johnny Kleso]

I worked for Keystone Camera and the president always was correcting me " We sell inexpensive cameras not cheap"
I assume your taking about inexpensive tools not junk even though the junk I bet is better than nothing at all..

I have dozens of HF clamps in smaller sizes and a dozen or more Bessy clamps... The HF clamps work just fine for me but dont have near the clamping pressure as the Bessy's but for what I use them they work just fine.. Some day if Bessy has another huge sale where there clamps are 50% off I might replace the HF clamps but till then they work just fine..

Hand Planes are maybe the only tool you want a high quality or at least a high quality blade..

For sharpening IMHO everyone should own a bench grinder, even if its a low budget unit.. That and two bench stones and you can sharpen most annything..

[Andrew Yang]

Coincidentally Schwarz's latest book addresses this topic in part. Despite the title implying it's about a tool chest a guerrilla fighter might consider building. The preview chapter posted on the blog gives a good overview of his philosophy on things.

Buy quality tools once but keep the list of tools short (ish).

[Derek Gilmer]

I'm in a similiar boat, only a year or so down the road. Here are the conclusions I came to.

Planes- buy used good planes that are relatively tuned up from trusted people. Not as cheap as big box stores but at least half of LN/LV prices
Saws - LV dovetail saw = great value. Other panel and tenon saws I"m picking up used older disston/atkins (good saws) and learning to sharpen them.
Chisels - LV chisels are great I bought an assortment of sizes I needed new and think they are well worth it. Looking at the Narex chisels for mortise work.

In general older tools are going to be better and possibly cheaper than what you find in Lowes/HD/Rockler/Woodcraft bargain price ranges.

[john brenton]

Mark,

I think that as long as you're making stuff it doesn't matter. It's too easy to get into the tool buying hobby..and it's kind of a pathetic realization to see that you're only buying tools and not making anything with them. If you have the money I say go for the gold and never worry about it again...but damn that's a lot of money.

Here's my little cabinet. It isn't anywhere near ALL my tools, just the ones I wanted to protect but still use everyday. I am 100% satisfied. I don't fawn over tools anymore, I fawn over lumber. If I need a tool I buy it, but I'm not dissatisfied at all, and if I were to look at the net cost after buying and selling I've definitely won. I've spent none of my income on buying tools, just buying and selling on the side to have what I want. In fact, I actually love my tools. I love all those little tools in there.

At the same time, if that cabinet were to fall off the wall and every tool be chipped it would barely even ruin my day. I brought them back to life and I can do it again....but if even one lie-nielson plane fell off the wall I'd be crushed for a week.

Hi.
I started woodworking a few months ago and need some new tools, but I'm wondering whether, at this stage, to buy a few cheaper tools to get up and running, or do you think it's a better idea to go for something a bit more expensive and usually of higher quality.
Thanks.

[John Coloccia]

My opinion, worth exactly what you paid for it (less if you contribute):

The better you are at woodworking and fixing tools, the easier it is to work with cheap tools. It's like playing an instrument. Back when I was first learning to play guitar, the difference in my playing between a well setup guitar and a junky guitar was rather dramatic. Now, I can pick up pretty much anything and make it sound good, and come back later and say "Boy, that was difficult to play"....no one would ever be the wiser. When you get to the point that you're pretty good and you feel like you "deserve" the better tools is right about when you get to the point that you find yourself making due with what you have and getting pretty good results regardless. It kind of works backwards, in my opinion.

I always tell people to buy at least one good example of each tool so that you at least know what you're shooting for. Then you have a baseline so that you know what to look for in cheaper tools, AND you know what to look for as you're tuning them up. Personally, I tend towards higher end tools just because I really hate tuning up my tools. I just want to work.

[Jim Koepke]

Hi.

I started woodworking a few months ago and need some new tools, but I'm wondering whether, at this stage, to buy a few cheaper tools to get up and running, or do you think it's a better idea to go for something a bit more expensive and usually of higher quality.

I know if I buy cheaper tools I'll probably need to replace them, which would be the time I would go for a higher quality tool. But would it be a better idea to buy the more expensive tools, which should, in theory, last me a lifetime?

I know that say a Lie Nielsen chisel is a lot higher quality than one from a local DIY store, but with things like saws, does it really make a difference if I spend £150 or £30?

Along the same vein, if I did go the cheaper route, would antique tools be a better option than a cheap new tool?

Any help would be very appreciated.

Thanks.

Mark,

Welcome to the Creek and the slippery slope of tool acquisition.

Your profile does not show your location. As some one else noticed, there are some clues that lead me to guess the United Kingdom.

You may find some quality used tools at www.oldtools.co.uk/

I have come across many other purveyors of fine tools in the UK, but often do not save the information since the shipping makes most of the items cost prohibitive for me.

The latest Fine WoodWorking has an evaluation on hand planes that may be of interest to you or anyone wanting to learn a bit more about hand planes.

There are many theories on tool purchasing and most of them have valid reasoning behind them. Many are also based on personal opinions that have been formed from experience and different work needs and styles.

In my situation, the needs and styles are different from others in some cases.

All but a few of my tools were acquired as used. Many of the tools that can be found on the shelf of the average DIY store today are not near the quality of those made in the early 20th century.

Since some of my work is done out in the rain, there is a different set of tools that can be used in that environment. You can bet they are not the highest quality that money can buy. They are of good quality because I want something that will get me out of the rain quickly.

I have very few qualms about having more than one of the same tool. Though there are some limits to that. Anything that is excess is being saved to be sold the next time a chunk of money is needed for another purchase.

One tool I would suggest for any one who wants to be a woodworker is a lathe. Even a small one if for nothing else than to make handles for your tools. An alternative is to make your own treadle lathe for this kind of work.

Some folks like to not have more tools cluttering their shop than is needed to do the work at hand.

On the other end of the spectrum there are those like me who feel there is always a place for one more tool.

I even buy some junk tools in case one of my neighbors wants to borrow one. I have a couple of old chisels and planes that if they came back broken in half it would not bother me a bit. My better chisels and planes do not get loaned.

On another aspect of this, my only new hand tool purchases were some chisels when first starting in woodworking and recently some items from Lie-Nielsen that were easier to buy than searching the used market.

There was a lot of what John Brenton suggests in that. I fixed up a lot of rust hunt finds and sold them to earn the money to buy the tools from Lie-Nielsen.

If you are interested in what may be thought of as the minimalist approach to tools, then going with quality from the start and paying a bit extra may be the best approach.

What is important in taking this path is to try and handle the tools before you purchase. The feel of a tool in your hand can make a lot of difference in the enjoyment of using the tool. The more your tool feels a part of you the more you will accomplish and the more you will enjoy accomplishing you work.

If you are in the camp with others like me, then pay attention to what you buy and know that even a tool that turns out to be less than stellar can still have a purpose. Even if that purpose turns out to be an education in what not to buy.

You can do a lot yourself in learning to tune up old discarded tools. Sharpening the blades of planes, chisels and saws is fundamental in making woodworking enjoyable. The knowledge gained in fixing old tools is helpful when something is not working.

So, without giving you a direct answer, my hope is that you have some food for thought to help you make your decision.

jtk

[Mark L Tucker]

This is great - thanks to everyone that contributed. I've got a lot of food for thought and it all seems like sound advice.

Thanks again.

[Jim Matthews]

An alternative, take a shop course from a school that can supply tools for your use.
Make a list of each tool used. Keep the list through the week, and put a tick mark next to each one as it is used.

That should help you determine utility, versus your desire for something as an object.

If you want to make sawdust, every minute spent fixing a tool is subtracted from shop time.