Woodworking on a budget

[Jerry Olexa]

Brian, you are correct in my opinion:

(it seems like everyone has caught on to antique/used tools and they aren’t cheap any

More difficult to find the good "values"...Good observation..

[Bill Houghton]

Yay! You understand: start simple and inexpensive, go from there.

One budget suggestion: scrounge a piece of decent-quality 3/4" or so plywood, 4" or so wide and with a length about, or a little less than, your bench. Mount two hanger bolts in the end of your bench - 1/4" is fine - at the end you plane toward, and get two washers and wing or knurled nuts for the hanger bolts (these are all hardware store items). You'll understand how they should be spaced when you've finished reading here. Cut two slots in the plywood for those bolts that will allow you to raise it up above the benchtop or lower it below. Extra option: glue some fine-grit sandpaper on the side facing the bench. Install, put on washers and wing nuts, and bingo! You've now got a full-width bench stop.

I've been frightening innocent pieces of wood for better than 45 years, and I only just got around to adding this to my bench a year or so ago, and have been wondering ever since why it took me so long.

[Brian Eaton]

Bill,

Great idea! I’ve just been screwing a half inch thick piece of scrap into my bench top wherever I need it so far. Haven’t really cared because I build the bench before I got into woodworking and eventually I’ll find a new top for it or make a new one all together. Thanks for the tip!

[Matt Lau]

I would point you towards Derek's Website for shopmade tools.

As for other good cheapies:
- ebay for Japanese chisels- before I got spoilt with Stan's chisels, I mostly bought from ebay. I find they hold an edge better than most western chisels.
That, and the Japanese have a weird tendency to devalue older tools that still have life in them (unlike Yanks that pay $300 for a used set of Stanley sweetheart chisels)
- Disposable Japanese saws- since they cut in tension, they track straighter with less need to sharpen. Much cheaper than a comparable quality western saw
- Yard sales- I got a Disston back saw for $10...I could have gotten a rip saw for another $10, but no space on my bicycle.

[Matt Lau]

Here's a link to Derek's excellent tutorial:
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMad...uterPlane.html