Hand tools and other questions.

[John36]

Hi all,

Just wondered if anyone on the forum could recommend a basic set of needed tools for hand woodwork only? I'm a total beginner at the woodwork so aren't totally sure if i have what most people would consider the basic necessitys.

So far i have accumulated some chisels, some clamps, saws (including a tenon) screwdrivers, glue (titebond II), cordless drill, a ryobi compound mitre saw, and a no.5 plane i bought off ebay ,I haven't used it yet as it's covered in grease from when the previous owner stored it, some other basic things like tapes and a small square etc... will also purchase a workmate next weekend.

I would love to be able to buy some of the machines i see mentioned here like a table saw and planer, but i think this might upset the neighbours (flat). Does anyone know of machines like this i could use in a flat that are quietish? I have quite good insulation in this flat but I'm not sure it could stretch to a table saw.

I have seen some lovely projects on here like Devonwoodys* boxes and and some other really nice furniture and just wondered if these projects are eventually feasible using hand tools?, as it seems everyone appears to use machines. I'd also like to ask a question regarding the wood you guys/gals are using, are you mostly buying offline? the pricing structure seems a bit weird, per cubic foot. Would i be better of trying to locate wood in my home town or is the internet a lot cheaper?.

I have currently started trying to build a fish tank stand using the tools I have, the frame is starting to take shape and while it appears to be square, the 3x2's from B and Q leave a lot to be desired. I will post pictures of the stand when i am finished.

Great forum you have here, thanks for reading.

 

[AndyT]

Hi John, welcome to the forum.

If you've been reading round the posts here, you'll have spotted that there are many different approaches to woodwork - each of them right for those that choose them. Some people love having lots of professional quality machinery and a big workshop which could turn into a business. Others argue that they are working wood as a hobby, for the pleasure of it, and have no need to adopt time-saving methods which only make sense if your time is money.

If I was living in a flat, I'd avoid machinery. It's not just the noise, it's the space and the dust. All machinery needs dust extraction, even if it's just a vacuum cleaner. The main reason to need machinery is to convert your own wood - but you can do great stuff by buying your wood ready planed, and sheet materials ready cut.

Two suggestions:

1 Decide on what you want to make, then ask us what tools you would need to make it and how to go about it.

2 Read some older books on woodwork as a hobby - from the forties and fifties or earlier. They won't assume any power tools and do a good job of describing hand tool methods.

 

[squib]

Hi John, Some of my work is commercial so i use machines and power tools but the most enjoyment for me is using hand tools only as the noise and dust is minimal and it is surprising how fast you can go not having to set up machines.I would reccomend a block plane and with what you have you can make most things.I think if you want to run a saw in a flat then maybe a small bandsaw might fit the bill as they are quiet and very versatile.Regarding timber, i would find a local mechant and use them, as again for me chosing timber is as enjoyable as the construction.

 

[moz]

With the addition of a small, block plane, you probably have enough tools there to complete a lot of projects if you were doing it all by hand. You will also need some marking equipment, square (or selection of), marking knife, Gauge (a couple of these is more convenient), selection of steel rulers, straight edge and a sliding bevel. You can literally spend thousands just on hand tools but, in many ways, it's better to accumulate tools on a job by job basis, i.e. start with what you have and just buy what you need to get the current project done.

The biggest omission from your list, and the one which would have the greatest impact on the quality of what you can do, is a decent workbench with at least one good, strong vice, in my opinion. The workmate was a visionary invention but it's no use for doing quality woodwork on though you may be able to make your own bench with it's help.

Hope that helps.

John

 

[woodbloke]

...a decent workbench with at least one good, strong vice, in my opinion. The workmate was a visionary invention but it's no use for doing quality woodwork on though you may be able to make your own bench with it's help.

Hope that helps.

John

I agree with all that's been said, 'specially about the bench. This should be your first consideration if you intend to make anything of any substance. There are plenty of good threads hereabouts on building one. If machinery is needed, then one of the very small bandsaws from Axminster has to be a strong contender...they work very well and don't take up much room.
Unless it's been said before, don't forget to allocate some 'folding' for a grinding and sharpening regime for your hand tools. Again, plenty of info on the forum - Rob

 

[cjp]

2 Read some older books on woodwork as a hobby - from the forties and fifties or earlier. They won't assume any power tools and do a good job of describing hand tool methods.

I think this is a good point - I'm just starting out and (along with some newer books) I am reading "Handwork in Wood" by William Noyes. I believe this was actually written in 1910 - but so much still applies, it really talks about the more finer parts of technique that new books seem to forget to mention. Of course this book is now out of copyright - so you can read it for free here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/20846

Cheers,

Charlie

 

[barkwindjammer]

And whats the best format to download this in?, oh and thanks for the link cjp

 

[cjp]

barkwindjammer - depends what you plan to read it on?

 

[barkwindjammer]

would just like to save it somewhere on lap-top

 

[xy mosian]

If you like pictures, use the HTML variety. I used the zipped archive and it worked well. The Text files had no pictures.
xy

edit -- just for information, sorry if it is obvious , after unzipping the HTML files open in your browser.

 

[John36]

Thanks very much for all your reply's, very much appreciated

Thanks for the suggestion of a bandsaw. I had never even considered this option. I looked on axminister after the reply's here and seen this: http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ax ... rod804528/

If this is a relatively quiet machine, then i really fancy purchasing this at the end of the month. The only reason i suppose I never considered a bandsaw, is size and I thought they ended up running off and then needed a lot of time planing, and where very inaccurate. I take it a lot has changed since my vauge memory of my school days.

Thanks for the recommendation of the older books mainly dealing with hand tools, and the link to the free book, will definitely check that out.

Will take the advice of purchasing a block plane. I have also ordered extra chisels, sliding bevel, coping saw, marking gauge and a marking knife. I have seen a few tutorials on you tube for practising dovetails. I really fancy trying to master that skill.

I will have a look around the forum for some easy workbench plans and see if i can manage to build one of them, as one of my beginner projects. This has also caught my eye: http://thewoodwhisperer.com/episode-7-a ... ve-part-1/

Absolutely gorgeous! Wife would love it.

I have another question regarding the wood. Does it work out cheaper to buy wood that is already planed, or is it cheaper buying rough wood and trying to trim it down yourself? I am in Dundee, Scotland. If anyone knows of a good place that's fair and helpful, I would really appreciate it.



Sorry if i haven't managed to cover all reply's, very grateful for all the responses, and I'm sure I have forgot a few things i wanted to mention too.

Thanks again.

 

[moz]

It's cheaper to buy 'sawn' wood, i.e. as it comes off the tree, but depending on the size of your project, that may not be a sensible option if the only way you have of flattening boards is your No.5 hand plane. The procedure for each component will be to flatten one side, plane one edge square to that side, use a gauge to mark the thickness, then plane the opposite side to the gauge lines, finally gauging to width and planing to those marks. The board will then need marking to length, sawing then planing to the lines. I hope I'm not stating the obvious with the above, just trying to give you an idea of the work necessary for each part. It makes me tired thinking about it. No wonder woodworkers of old had big muscles. As I say, it depends on how big the job is and/or how patient you are about seeing it through. Buying planed timber will be less likely to dent your enthusiasm I would say.

A bandsaw is a great tool but, as with all machinery, don't forget to budget for some dust extraction or you'll soon be up to your knees in the stuff.

John.

 

[AndyT]

You asked:

I have another question regarding the wood. Does it work out cheaper to buy wood that is already planed, or is it cheaper buying rough wood and trying to trim it down yourself? I am in Dundee, Scotland. If anyone knows of a good place that's fair and helpful, I would really appreciate it.

Sawn timber is cheaper than planed, but I'd say that if you spend several hundred pounds on a planer/thicknesser and the extraction, it would take you a very long time as a hobby woodworker to recoup the cost in savings. You can always saw and plane by hand - which is not as slow or hard as you might think.

I'd recommend buying timber from somewhere which will plane to size and machine a variety of profiles, especially when you are just starting out. Another good tip is to start with projects that don't need a lot of wood!

 

[John36]

Thanks for both them reply's Andy and Moz.

I suppose I suspected but didn't realise the enormity of planeing your own timber to consistent sizes. I sort of hoped that buying a bandsaw might cut out 95 % of the work. I think i'll just buy pre-planed timber then.

Thanks again.