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!