Forum Members Ultimate Handtool Kit

[ByronBlack]

Ok

In view of fantasy football league, it got me thinking, if you had an unlimited budget, what would be your choice for the ultimate hand-tool kit. The only proviso is that you can only choose 15 (EDITL OK, seems thats too small, lets say 25 instead!) tools and they all must be purely hand tools.

The tool kit must be a general kit for all types of wood work.

So, who wants to go first?

 

[Philly]

Ahh, um.......No, it's no good. I can't break it down to 15 items. :roll: :lol:
Travelling light,
Philly

 

[engineer one]

gee byron no fair, my diy repair kit is not 15 pieces, so how in the hell
can anyone cut it down so much. :twisted:

lets see, 2 saws, 2 planes, a hammer and a mallet, so only 9 left.
3 chisels, a rule, a knife, a square, leaves 3.

ice bear sharpening kit.

i guess i can make sawdust with that, but can i join anything together
or make a piece of furniture??

mind you some doubt whether i can make any furniture with
all i have now. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

and what about the tuit tools we ALL need.?

paul :wink:

 

[ByronBlack]

With the revised 25 items, here's my dream kit:

1. Lie Nielsen Dovetail Saw
2. Japanese Ryoba Crosscut/Rip Saw

3, 4 & 5. LN 6, 12 and 25mm Bevel Edge Chisels

6. Record No. 405 Combination Plane
7. LN No.5 Plane
8. Veritas BU Jointer
9 & 10. Ice bear Sharpening Kit (two stones)
11. Veritas Low Angle Block Plane

12. Tite Mark marking Gauge
13. Axminster superior Mortice Guage

14, 15 & 16. Japanase 6, 12 & 18mm Mortice Chisels

17. Wooden mallet
18. 12" Stainless Steel Rule
19. Pein Hammer

20. 12" Enginners Square
21. Stanley Yankee 2 Speed Hand Drill

22 & 23. 2x Bessy K Clamps

24. Japanese Marking Knife

25. Selection of small Drill Bits

 

[engineer one]

see how quickly you had to expand your dream team byron??? :twisted: :twisted:

paul :wink:

 

[ByronBlack]

Aye, but I would be confident of putting a 15 piece kit together, but thought 25 would be more interesting to see others idea's.

 

[engineer one]

so show us your 15 then :twisted:

paul :wink:

 

[ByronBlack]

revised 15 Kit:

1. LN Dovetail Saw
2. Ryoba
3. LN no.5
4. Record Combo Plane
5. 12" Rule
6. Mallet
7. Axminster Superior Mortice Gauge
8. 12" Engineers Square
9. Jap marking knife
10 & 11 Icebear Kit (Edit: 1 combination stone)
12 & 13 6 & 20mm LN Bevel Edge Chisels
14 6mm Jap Mortice Chisel
15. Collins Woodworking Encyclopdia (Edit: 2x Bessy Clamps)

That should be adequate to prepar, size and joint with

 

[engineer one]

no 15 is interesting, how about swapping it for a honing
guide?? :?

paul :wink:

 

[ByronBlack]

a honing what?? I do all my sharpening by hand, no need for such a device ! :twisted:

 

[engineer one]

yea, but you asked about our ideas :lol: :twisted:

paul :wink:

 

[engineer one]

also no clamps in the 15, so where is the string and sealing wax? :twisted: :roll:

paul :wink:

 

[ByronBlack]

Hmm, good point about the clamps... i'll have to just work out my biceps so they are strong enough to clamp wood with my bare arms!

OR, remove the collins book and replace with a single bessy K clamp. Would have to use ingenious ways of complementing the one clamp...

Thinking about it, the Icebear kit could be replaced with a single combination stone, and that would allow me to include 2 Bessy's - that should do the trick.

I think a honing guide is more of a luxury than a requirement, and I suppose if desperate, it could be relatively simple to make up a jig..

 

[Alf]

You could confine yourself to projects that had mechanically locking joints and didn't need clamps... :wink: Hmm, this is tricky. Do things like chisels have to be seperate items...?

• 1) Pencil
  2) 12" combination square set
  3) 3-in-1 gauge
  4) Knife, for marking, pencil-sharpening etc
  5) Birdcage awl
  6) Ratchetting screwdriver with assorted bits
  7) 10" or 12" x-cut back saw
  8 ) 10" or 12" rip cut back saw
  9) 22" panel saw
  10) Coping saw
  11) Washita oilstone
  12) Set of bevel-edged chisels
  13) 10" sweep brace and roll of assorted bits
  14) Low angle jack plane and extra irons
  15) Card scrapers

I've skipped the hammer 'cos I avoid nails like the plague, and any old piece of wood can be used as a mallet if necessary. With the brace and B/E chisels you can pare mortises to size rather than chop them and chisels will do a multitude of tweaking of joints, made into simple router or rebate plane etc. However, if it's 25 I'd add:

• 16) 3" or 4" square
  17) Mortise gauge
  18 ) Mallet
  19) Leather strop and honing paste, or better still felt wheel and hand grinder
  20) 5/16" mortise chisel
  21) Half round file
  22) Low angle block plane with adjustable mouth and spare iron or two.
  23) #778-a-like rebate plane
  24) #71-a-like router plane
  25) Spokeshave

A tape would be nice, but I think you could cope without one using a rod and use the rule from the square for the small measurements.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Anonymous]

Ultiamte hadn tool kit for me?

Easy

The entire LN catalogue (except their screwdrivers, spokeshaves and shoulder planes). Their saws, planes and chisels are second to none in my opinion.

I would have the LV shoulder planes and spokeshaves though

 

[Alf]

Hmm, you'd have trouble making any holes though...

And I see I missed the "Ultimate" handtool bit. #-o Although I don't think that's possible with a limited number, because what you might choose as being an all-rounder to get within limit you might not choose if you're just going for the tools you desire most. But you may assume the chisels would be the LNs and the low angle jack, router, and probably the block, would be the LV. Not to say I wouldn't be putting a LN plane or two in there if numbers weren't an issue...

Cheers, Alf

 

[ByronBlack]

Thanks for posting Alf - a different take on things

However, strictly a chisel should count as one tool, so you wouldn't be able to inclue a whole set in your 15 :twisted:

With your fifteen and lack of clamps, would you have a method of joining panels?

 

[Alf]

Erm... :-k ah! :idea: Hide glue and a rubbed joint, natch... :wink: 'Course you might ask how I'm holding the wood to plane it and so forth, too...

Now why can't a chisel be one tool when I can apparently get away with a brace and a whole roll of bits as one? [-( :lol:

Cheers, Alf

 

[woodbloke]

Whats everyone going to work on? Knees, floor or from sky hooks? No 1 for me would be a top quality bench with all mod cons - everything else can fight it out behind
Edit - wouln't mind one or four of them Holtey planes tho' :roll: :wink: - Rob

 

[Clinton1]

Now....
With my saw, plane and chisels I'll make a benchhook, saw horse, bench and some clamps.
Is that 7 or 3 tools?

:roll: