Hand Saws

Check out Bad Axe Tool Works. This guy will custom build you a saw. You just tell him what you need. You pick the TPI, plate width and length, handle and back material. I have a couple and they are very nice. Check out the web site. I am very happy with the saws.

Scott

Thanks for your advice. For now – I’ve just ordered Stanley‘s 20-500 – I’l see if it works for me.

If your wallet is healthy enough for you to invest in brand new high end hand tools by all means invest and enjoy, but there’s no real need to invest a lot of money in tooling up. Especially during the initial stages, as buying wisely tends to play a larger part than buying in any quantity.

The majority of us (Speaking in terms of craftsmen and craftswomen) tend to accrue most of our tools over an extended period of time and often put a surprising amount of thought into which tools are truly necessary for us to carry out certain tasks. This helps avoid potentially expensive errors, as feel and fit are just as important as function. In fairness to others, it’s often why many time served craftsmen own and use the brands and types of tools preferred by our mentors – Because we became familiar with their kit as we trained – but personal choice also plays a massive part in the equation as technique and personal preferences come into play.

Keep it simple and you can always expand your toolkit as both knowledge and skills grow and become extensions of yourselves. Work from tool lists Paul suggests/recommends and you’ll not regret your decisions. 🙂

@dave I haven’t used Wenzloff saws but I’ve heard a lot of good things about them. Chris Schwarz recommends them so if you like other stuff he suggests, they must be pretty decent.

George.

Christopher Schwarz has covered the topics of hand tools, workbenches and tool chests in much detail for Popular Woodworking Magazine for many years.
He is still a contributing editor for the magazine while he devotes a lot of his time to his Lost Art Press project.

For more info see:
Chris Schwarz Blog at Popular Woodworking Magazine
and
Blog at Lost Art Press

I would call him Mr Workbench and Mr Tool Chest 🙂

Hi Dave,

Tool chest/box choice depends on utility, i.e. whether tool storage is to be mobile (Taken site to site) or static within your working area. You’ve many options ranging from traditional European, North American and Far Eastern styles/types. I sense Paul may offer details on the tool box build he has as part of his course curriculum, but it may prove beneficial to shoot him a line and ask.

My preferred choices involve using an elevated tool chest, with additional draw and upright cupboard storage, plus mobile tool storage revolving around a traditional joiner’s tool box with drop front and two integral full length internal drawers. I still work from a joiners box I made during my apprenticeship 40yrs ago, but also have several others in use depending on the task in hand.

Re tool chests and tool boxes. I do have views on this as i think that they must be both practical and portable too of you travel to do repairs or work as I did in people’s homes, offices and businesses. We hope to follow up the rocking chair with a tool box or two. I have two from my month-long and we made both types last week here in the UK month-long. Here are my US ones: