Must haves when just starting out.

[philwjones]

Hi,

I'm Phil, i'm 29 and live near Hereford i was a CNC operator for 9 years before moving away and changing career paths but i miss using wood to make things so am getting into woodworking again.

My question to you is what tools would you guys say were essential to begin with?

Kind regards

Phil

 

[Trafalgar]

The un-sexy reality of it all is that you'll end up with far more money invested in clamps than you will the hand tools themselves. It's important, early on, to find styles you like and not waste money on those you don't or those of poor quality.

A few vintage books from Charles Hayward will provide a list of the common hand tools you'll need.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I don't need anything at all when I'm just staring out ...

 

[Mr_P]

Welcome,

Simples, planes, chisels, saws, sharpening medium and a bit of timber would be good.

If only we had more choice.

If I was you I'd hit the library and decide what I want to make and then the car boot.

 

[philwjones]

haha thanks phil.p i hadnt even noticed, lol.

Thanks for the suggestions, i'm hitting the car boot on sunday to see what i can pick up.

 

[Doris]

The anarchist tool chest is worth a read when it comes to essential hand tools.

 

[Racers]

Simple, at least one of everything

Quality tools are the best ones to get, don't buy cheap you will be frustrated and have to spend more replacing them.

Try car boots for tools you can pick some nice old chisels, planes, saws for next to nothing.

Pete


p.s. Welcome aboard!

 

[deema]

Starting out is very daunting, you see lots of wonderful tools, and then the sobering reality of price tags, and recommendations come into play. Starting out will mean I'm inferring that you have little to no knowledge or experience in wood working, just a strong desire to make shavings.

A very low cost and basic tool kit that will enable you to make a start is as follows, others will add, substitute and make better recommendations I'm sure.

1. Simple 16oz hammer, claw hammer refer ably as it has the advantage of pulling out the nails as well.
2. No 2 Pozi drive screw driver, and a Flat or Stanley screw driver.
3. hard point saw, and a hard point tennon saw.
4. An eBay No 4 Stanley or Record plane. Preferably an old one that does not look too battered.
5. A drill of some kind and a set of drills from about 3mm to 10mm.
6. A 1" or 25mm chisel, and a sharpening stone (6 or preferably 8" by 2" minimum size) and a simple sharpening guide.
7. A combination square, ruler (metal 12") and a tape measure.

Your fairly setup to start and make things with this basic tool set. I have deliberately guided you towards very low cost tools that shouldn't cost more than £30 in total. Once you've made a few simple projects and you have been bitten by the bug, and really want to get into, the usual ethos stands, buy only what you need, when you need it and but the very best tools you can. As you need something ask, and you will get lots of help and advise. ALDI is a good place to start your hunt for good, cheap tools for a basic 'do I really like it set'

 

[Cheshirechappie]

First of all, welcome to the forum, Phil!

The anarchist tool chest is worth a read when it comes to essential hand tools.

+1 to this - it's available here - http://www.classichandtools.com/acatalo ... Press.html - along with another very useful book for those not fully up to speed with hand-tool woodworking, Robert Wearing's 'The Essential Woodworker'. Scroll down the page to find both books near the bottom.

Some good advice above about tools. I'd add to the list a never-ending supply of pencils, a packet of plasters, and a dustpan and brush. I'd also suggest that the first two projects should be a pair of saw-horses and a bench - nothing fancy, just rigid and preferably heavy (to resist planing thrust), with a flat top at comfortable planing height, and vice or vices to taste.

Obtaining tools from car-boot sales is fun (never quite sure what you'll find) but you inevitably have to do a lot of fettling. That will mean a grinder and sharpening stones to recover chisels from the horrors inflicted on them by the uncaring, saw-files, saw sets and saw-vices to rescue saws similarly mangled, and all sorts of files, abrasive papers, corrosion removers etc to rescue planes ditto. You can end up with some wonderful tools, including some real oldies, but be warned - getting them up to standard can take a lot of time and effort.

DON'T buy cheap new tools, especially planes, unless someone's given a good review somewhere. There are a lot of 'tool shaped objects' out there that don't do the business. There are good, reasonably priced tools, but take advice before parting with the hard-earned - remember, we're here to help with opinions, some of which might even be fairly accurate!

Above all - have fun!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

One that's cheap and new is the £8 sets of chisels that Aldi do once in a while. You won't read a bad review of them.
Their F cramps are good value as well.

 

[Mr_P]

If like me you're a bit of a gamble you can always risk a job lot

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CARPENTERS-CA ... 27fdef329b

Oh look a Disston D8 thumbhole saw like the one I took a picture of this morning.

2 big oilstones, could be decent/expensive, could be cheap man made and broken.

Bit expensive so I'll give it a miss, set your radar to collection only lots near you.

Collection only is where the bargains are vices , planes, job lots etc....

 

[Trigs]

I'd say.... Jack plane (heaps on ebay)
Block plane (ebay again)
chisels (personally id get a new set)
Stanley knife
tape measure
try square or combination square
hand saw
pencil
hammer
something to sharpen with (i prefer water stones)
wood

 

[tobytools]

Hi phil,
If your starting out Id say avoid car boots, unless you want to spend most you time restoring tools or using ones that are tool shaped objects..
You will needs a few basic tools to get into woodworking,
.saw- hard point saws are good for the beginner as you don't have to flaff about with sharpening, a tenon and jack saw would be a good start.
Chisels- 1/8,1/4, 3/8, 1/2" bevel edge, mortice chisel 6mm
Plane- block plane and a jack plane no5
Sharpening method (you decide) there are lots out there.
Marking tools, tape, square, rule, knife, sliding bevel ect
Others- mallet, screwdriver, card scraper, finishing brushes

A few good books and away you go.
hope this helps
Thanks
TT

 

[philwjones]

Wow thanks guys, I can see this weekend being spent hunting for tools, i have been given a new set of clarke chisels with a sharpening stone, does anyone have any idea if they are any good?

Thanks again

Phil

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The usual rule of thumb is "don't buy anything with Clarke written on it".

 

[Mr_P]

Like these ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Clarke-Wood-C ... 3cf7cb93ca

Well they do look good but hard to judge quality and steel in pictures. Can't argue at the price FREE and its a chisel at the end of the day not rocket science but having said that I bought some silverline cheap sandpaper recently thinking they can't get that wrong but yes they can, NEVER AGAIN.

AndyT tests out the pound shops finest here

chisels-how-low-can-you-go-t74547.html

 

[Andy Kev.]

Hello Phil,

I was in the same position as you two years ago so here's my twopennerth:

I second (or third) the notion aboutreading The Anarchist's Toolchest and The Essential Woodworker. They've become my two main references to which I repeatedly return. I'd also recommend a book of simple projects to get you going like Woodworking From Offcuts by Derek Jones. He mentions the use of power tools quite a bit but half the fun is working out how to do those steps with hand tools.

There are two DVDs I'd also recommend: Christopher Schwarz's DVD on making a Shaker side table as it covers just about every technique you need to master and David Charlesworth's Chisel Techniques For Precision Joinery. The latter DVD enabled me to make the biggest single leap in quality of work so far. I'm still not up to Charlesworthian standards but I do now have a definite idea of what I'm aiming for. You can get both from Classic Hand Tools.

Then decide whether you're going to be imperial or metric. This is important because old tools and modern ones from the USA and Canada are imperial. I personally find imperial more instinctive to understand. The only thing I need metric for is drilling so I have a set of metric and imperial drill bits.

As for tools:

Low angle jack plane (low angle planes are simpler mechanically than "normal" planes and so are in my opinion easier for beginners).
Low angle block plane
Two marking gauges e.g. the simplest models from Veritas
A set of chisels although I seem to use the 3/8" chisel most of the time.
A 1 1/2" or 2" butt chisel for marking the sides of mortices.
Two two foot bits of aluminium anything (as long as it is straight) to use as winding sticks
A straight edge
A 12" Engineer's square
A 4" Engineer's square
An egg beater drill for the drill bits
Pencil and pencil sharperner
A disposable saw for cutting up boards
A good dovetail saw for joints
A two foot sheet of half inch glass for standing planed boards on next to an engineer's square to check for 90°
Some sort of sharpening set up (but treat it as if you've got piles i.e. best not discussed in public)

That's the gear I find myself using all the time. The only thing I would add to that is a No 7 jointing plane if you are going to work on anything over 3 feet long. Both it and the jack also work as smoothers.

 

[Trafalgar]

This book by Robert Wearing is worth buying:

http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Tools-For-Wo ... 0806995785

 

[Fat ferret]

Silverline, faithful, amtech, these would all be brands to avoid. Aldi chisels are good as are old record planes and spear and Jackson handsaws although you might be best getting new ones and then by the time you need to sharpen them you will hopefully have the confidence to do so.

Half the battle is getting your tools sharp. You will need sharpening stuff, an oilstone and something to grind with.

No need to spend much on hammers just look out for broken heads and shaft them yourself :shock: . Make yourself a bloody great mallet from beech or oak for walloping chisels with.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It's horses for courses. Buy anything of quality that comes cheap enough (I've one hell of a collection of good chisels, and I've not paid more than £4 for one), other than that let your needs dictate your purchases. A hundred people will give you a hundred lists - no disrespect to Andy (above) but I've managed for forty years without five or six off his list - it depends what you wish to do. I've seen "must haves" on people's lists that I've not used once in nearly fifty years.