What Tools Would A Total Beginner Need?

[DavidPagi]

Hey guys,

I have 3 quick questions.

1. What tools does a beginner need?
2. Where is the best place to buy?
3. What woodworking projects are best for a beginner?

I have zero experience of woodworking but I fancy giving it a bash. I need to know what tools I will need though and what sort of things are easiest to make as a starter. I fancy making a very basic rectangle coffee table, little key hanger cupboard or a simple jewellery box, are these good things for a novice and what sort of tools will I need for them? My budget is tight so cheaper the better really but I'd prefer to buy decent quality still.

 

[Hardwood66]

Good square, marking gauge, steel rule, dove tail square, tenon saw, block plane, no 4 and a no 5 planes, make a set of winding sticks, set of chisels

 

[DavidPagi]

Wow, that's alot of tools, what sort of price would that lot set me back then?
Can I get away with not buying absolutely everything or are they all essential?

 

[heatherw]

With regard to Hardwood66's list, I think you could get away without a no 4 plane; though possibly not 'correct', the most useful planes I own are the no.5 and the shoulder plane. I wouldn't bother with the block plane, and if you start off with planed wood from the sheds, then you could manage without any plane at all to begin with. The finish is always better if you plane over the planed wood before gluing up,and you'd be very limited later.

3 chisels should do to start with, 1/4", 1/2" and 3/4" or 1". You only want one? I'd buy the 1/2". An oil stone with box (you make the box) for sharpening. Steel rule is good, the 6" is very handy. My most used square is the 4" engineering square.

A dovetail saw or a tenon saw, and a handsaw for cutting to length etc, I have a lovely little Sandvik hardpoint handsaw which I wasn't expecting to be much good and it's amazing, not too big, cuts straight and quickly. YOu need to make yourself a bench hook for cutting stuff to size.

A mallet and a small hammer, not claw. Some kind of screwdriver, also depending on the fixings you buy. Normally pozidrive nowadays but brass screws for hanging little doors (key hanger cupboard) are usually slot headed.

Marking gauge and mortice gauge, but if you've never done anything like this before you could really do with an evening class to figure out how to use all these things.

If you were to branch out into machinery...well, I'd be tempted to start out with either a drill press or a bandsaw, but that depends on the design of what you want to make. Or a router. Or another really useful thing would be a sander. For any of your named projects you would need some type of cramp, size and type depending on project chosen.

The key hanger cupboard would probably be the easiest of your projects, you could make the carcass with butt joints so the most complicated part would be making and hanging the door.

You can buy loads of this stuff second hand, and it's often very good quality.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Look into buying decent books - they'll give you an idea of projects and tools - there's plenty of information here. You'll end up with three or four times that amount of tools. Buy tools as your ability and sense of direction develops (unless you come across good stuff ridiculously cheap!) - if you end up wanting to make chessmen, a dovetail marker and a pair of winding strips aren't going to be much use to you, any more than a micrometer would be if you end up making garden furniture.
Sort your head out before your toolbox! - everybody who voices an opinion will give you a different one.

 

[Ian down london way]

I agree - Choose a project first, and we can advise on the tools for that.
Don't buy into a void.

I think its OK to buy relatively cheap, until you know what you like doing (and if you will continue with it). Don't be afraid to buy second hand though - reconditioning something (like chisels) gives you respect for them, and they are way more personal that way. True for planes too (and the older a plane is - the better - the metal is more stable, and probably stronger).

So, pick your first project.

 

[DavidPagi]

Wow, thanks for all the advice guys. You are right I may have to go for second hand stuff while I learn what I'm doing and in terms of a project, I assume the key hanger cupboard is easiest so I'll do that first.

Where's best to buy second-hand tools, Ebay?
Where's best for brand new tools?
What books or online resources are best for learning the very basics?

 

[morfa]

1 - You just need the tools to make what you want to make

2 - ebay is pretty cheap, especially for second hand planes, chisels and saws. You may have to

3 - Something simple that you're motivated to build. A box would be perfect.

Here are a few websites / videos to give you some inspiration:

http://paulsellers.com/
https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com/ - there is a fee to this, but it's aimed at beginners
http://www.pbs.org/woodwrightsshop/
http://www.renaissancewoodworker.com/ge ... tool-list/

Books:
http://www.axminster.co.uk/the-essentia ... rod866538/ (sadly not in stock at the moment)
http://www.lostartpress.com/product_p/bk-ew.htm - ebook of the above

Here's my rough 'starter' list:

no 4 plane from ebay for £20
combination oilstone (norton, £20)
a couple of cheap 'faithful' chisels - or cheap ones off ebay, 1/4", 1/2" and 1"
saws are tricky, you could either get a couple of cheap hardpoint saws (Bahco or Irwin are a good brand) or some Japanese saws (http://www.woodworkprojects.co.uk/#!/~/ ... id=1342033) or some second hand ones off ebay and sharpen them up.
a combination square / marking/mortice guages
steel ruler
some clamps (only what you need for the project tho).

I'd go for the Japanese ones personally, they're really good and amazingly sharp. If you're happy to fettle saws buying second hand ones off ebay is probably the next best option. Never done it, doubt it's that hard, but the Japanese ones are easier.

Try sharpening 'freehand' first. I'm about as practical as a chocolate teapot and I can sharpen fine without a jig. If you really can't get a sharp edge after a few hours, either find someone to show you how or buy a jig.

Costwise, you could really cut corners and probably get it all quite cheaply, under £100. But then you'll struggle with the tools and it might be quite disheartening. You might find that you'll end up spending a bit more than that and you'll get better tools and it'll all work a bit better.

The other big hidden cost, is a decent workshop. If you're using handtools, you need a good workbench, which isn't cheap or small. If you've got a big shed or a garage, you're sorted. Otherwise you'll have to spend quite a bit on one of them.

 

[Jacob]

newcomer-to-woodwork-questions-on-projects-and-tools-t68266.html

 

[DavidPagi]

OK, to make things as simple as possible, what are the minimum tools I need to create a simple key cupboard?

 

[Mr_P]

Saw , tape measure , glue or screws.

Best bet is a trip to the library and find a simple project book and then decide what you need.

If you need quite a few things a car boot is a good idea or do what I've just done and buy a job lot. Keep some and sell some thats what I'm doing. Ebay has almost everything but all that postage really adds up.

 

[deserter]

OK, to make things as simple as possible, what are the minimum tools I need to create a simple key cupboard?

Not wanting to go against what's been said already, but you'll get by just fine making a key cupboard with a sharp tennon saw, a chisel (size depending on your timber) an oil stone, a screwdriver, a pencil, square and marking guage.

Buy your timber planed all round, make you joints using dado's/lap joints, which you can cut with the saw and clean up with your chisel. Float the back of the cupboard into rebates cut the same way. The door could be a simple single panel made from butt jointed boards hung onto a piano hinge or pair of butt hinges, again chisel to fit them.

As its a small cabinet you don't have to worry with dimensions from a rule or tape and once you have the sides, top and bottom cut you can size the back and door from the frame.

As for a workbench you'll work quite happily on the kitchen side using a clamp to hold your timber when necessary and an off cut of timber to protect the work top from your chisel.

C&G level 1 you make a small frame and panel door, and frame using just the same tools as one of the set pieces. Admittedly you also have a workbench, but for what your doing here its not worth spending on one, until your certain your going to enjoy it.

It's very easy to get bogged down spending money buying all the tools you think/ are advised to buy, and never actually get round to making anything.


~Nil carborundum illegitemi~

 

[deserter]

Saw , tape measure , glue or screws.

Best bet is a trip to the library and find a simple project book and then decide what you need.

If you need quite a few things a car boot is a good idea or do what I've just done and buy a job lot. Keep some and sell some thats what I'm doing. Ebay has almost everything but all that postage really adds up.

Best me too it, same sentiment though.


~Nil carborundum illegitemi~

 

[Muswell]

As for a workbench you'll work quite happily on the kitchen side using a clamp to hold your timber when necessary and an off cut of timber to protect the work top from your chisel.


~Nil carborundum illegitemi~

This may not be something which brings great joy to anyone who shares your life. :roll:

 

[cjc101]

I may have missed it elsewhere but my best tool is a sharp pencil. Makes a HUGE difference to marking correctly.
+1 for a set of squares, clamps and a good workbench/vice.

 

[Jelly]

With the following, most simple projects are do-able:

Chisel(s), Mallet, Small saw, Big saw, mortice/marking gauge, try square, Dovetail square, 2 f-clamps, craft knife, cheap oilstone & Patience!

A No. 4 or No.5 plane would be a great addition to that, as would a block plane and some sort of paring chisel.

Planes are awkward to reccomend, as to get one that will work really well out of the box needs either a little luck or a big wodge of cash. If you have the patience to listen to the advice of the hand tools forum and search a decent one out on ebay or at a car boot sale, you can save masses of money and frustration.

You may, or may not take to sharpening chisels and plane irons by hand... I would reccomend trying it (again, patience is needed untill you get a feel for it) before buying a honing guide.

*All That Said*
Much better to get a book or simmilar and either do a project from a plan or come up with your own project (don't be too ambitious) once you've learned about some simple joints and techniques.

 

[Ian down london way]

One of the things that got me motivated in my earlier woodwork days, was making stuff for my young kids - that and hiding out in my man-cave 9garage), due to having - um - young kids

Anyway, there are some really good books with plans for kids toys. I remember making a rocking llama, really easy, really liked, and when kids had grown up, I passed it onto a charity shop, and it sold for £20.

Looked like this one, although mine had a (clean) white head of a mop, mounted on the top of the llama's head, so it had hair.
http://worcester-ma.americanlisted.com/baby-carriages/rocking-llama-40-sterling_21475587.html

I got the plans from a book by a chap who did a series on TV - called Blizzard. He did a number of books, some very intricate stuff, some simple stuff.

Anyway, if you have any younger extended family members ....

 

[garibaldi]

I would have a look at the videos on the website
startwoodworking (sorry being a newb I can't post links)
they pretty much rely on power tools but they have some simple plans for you to follow......including a small box which they make with handtools