Necessary tools to do quality work
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Tagged: Beginner woodworking vise irwin
- This topic has 36 replies, 19 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 11 months ago by SharpPencil.
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One question you don’t answer is are you going new or restoring? I went the restore path it was a bit slower, but I can now keep all my handtools at there peak and I did save enough money to get a larger starting collection. If your going new, then there is probably a lot suggestion the group can provide for good startup tools. And just get diamond hones, seriously this the one place you can’t really afford to skimp. Every edge tool you have will see them at some point and a few will get sharpened every time you work, so in the end the saved effort will more than recover the cost.
4 July 2017 at 12:11 pm #313475Can’t add to all the great advice you’ve already been given regarding tools but from my own experience having too just started out, for me the first thing to build just had to be the workbench.
like you I only had a workmate and whilst I managed (just) it was very difficult and cumbersome. I don’t know what your design for your desk is like but I’m guessing you’ll want it to be as nice a piece of furniture as you can make; it won’t be used for chopping, chiselling, sawing etc like a workbench. I think in order to be able to do just that you need to make it using a sturdy workbench. so my only advice for what it’s worth would be to build the workbench first.
Hi Tieran!
Since you sensibly want to save money, I’d advise you to start looking for used tools “in the wild”. The best sources for me have been flea markets (look for muddy fields packed with beatup pickup trucks), low end “antique malls” and estate sales (see estatesales dot net for sales near you). Garage sales sometimes feature spectacular deals but they are usually a waste of time.
PLANES: I’d recommend either a #3 or #4 smoother plus a #5 for rough work. All 3 are dead common and shouldn’t run more than $30 each tops. Good American brands: Stanley Bailey (not Handyman or Defiance or Baileys painted any color but black), Millers Falls (with the company name cast into the lever cap), Union, Ohio, and Wards Master.
12″ COMBINATION SQUARE: Good Brands: Starrett, Brown and Sharpe, Lufkin, Union, Mitutoyo. Pick up a 6″ square too if you see one at a good price.
SAWS: I’d put off learning to sharpen saws for the time being but while you’re out scrounging around the flea markets etc. it wouldn’t hurt to pick up a few. Where I live you can find good ones for $5 and under. For immediate use I’d recommend a hardpoint saw, either Western or Japanese style. It wouldn’t hurt to splurge on one of those Veritas backsaws from Lee Valley that everybody seems to like.
CHISELS: It’s hard to find used ones that don’t need a lot of fettling. You’re probably better off buying new. Forget about the Aldi Chisels. They were available for about a week before Fathers Day in 2015 and 2016 but not this year. Before he discovered these, Paul was recommending the “Faithfull” brand knockoffs of the old Marples Blue Chip chisels. These are still available from various online sellers in the UK.
OILSTONE: A Norton combination stone (Coarse Crystolon and fine India) will get you off to a good start for cheap. Later you can add a hard Arkansas stone or switch to a different system if you prefer.
WORKBENCH: Skip the Workmate and build a proper bench. Check out Paul’s video series on building a bench.
VISE: Look for a used one locally (Try Craigslist.) 7″ woodworking vises are the most common and widely available for under $50. Unless you insist on a Record vice, which are hard to find in the US and priced accordingly, you don’t need the quick release feature. American vises have faster threads than British vices. Any American made woodworking vise, 7′ or larger should be good. The Japanese made Craftsman vises are also good.
Good luck!
Dave
- This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by Dave Ring.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by Dave Ring.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by Dave Ring.
5 July 2017 at 10:37 pm #313544That’s a good list really, nothing jumps out as poorly chosen or an unnecessary expense. I haven’t read all the comments so apologies if I’m going over old ground.
Combination square is v. useful but a used try square will do everything you want in a simple desk project probably for a fraction of the cost. Just make sure it’s square, doesn’t matter how good the brand is if it’s been dropped every day in a lifetime of use.
Ideally skip the workmate, but if you don’t have the space, money or time for a proper workbench yet at least accompany it with a couple of sturdy sawhorses, maybe one as a “sawbench” which is somewhere between a big sawhorse and a very small bench. Alternatively I will try to attach a design for a “portable bench” from The Practical Woodworker, Bernard E. Jones (a fantastic book, it’s well worth getting a copy). Caveat: I have not built this. For fine work a proper bench is essential though.
For sharpening, I would say a coarse oil stone will be best for occasional re-shaping, removing chips etc., but for everyday honing I’d go for diamond stones. They’ll give you less hassle. I’m not talking about dia-sharp £100 stones, google “Faithfull 4-sided diamond stone” to see what I mean, if you can find an equivalent wherever in the world you are I’d go for that.
Here’s a recipe for dirt-cheap clamps. 3×2(ish) timber, two blocks of wood screwed to said timber about 1″ further apart than what you want to clamp, folding wedges matched to the gap provide the clamping force. They don’t give you a huge amount of pressure but I have used them to great effect before, and they cost about a tenth of the cheapest clamps I’ve seen.
Smaller chisels as others have said – 1/4″, 3/8″ and a big one (1″-2″) probably if you go into the desk first, 3/4″, 1/2″ and a big one if you decide to build a workbench first. But a full set is indispensable so all five ideally.
Furniture tops are usually fixed to their frames with screws (indirectly), so some method of screwing and drilling (bought or borrowed) will be needed at some point. A cordless drill would be a good first power tool buy, you will see Paul using them in plenty of videos, but not an essential starting tool.
Here’s the rub, you need a mallet to make a mallet. If you can borrow one, great.
The rip panel saw is probably unnecessary. A rip tenon saw will do short cuts, and long rip cuts will be too much for a panel saw which will usually have similar teeth to a tenon saw. I use a 4tpi rip saw for boards right down to 3/4″ thick, I would recommend the same. If you can’t find one that’s suitable, either stick more or less to the dimensions of the wood you buy, or get someone else to dimension it, or get ready for a lot of huffing and puffing because ripping with the wrong saw is very hard and slow work.
Good luck, I hope you catch the bug!
Matt
- This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by chemical_cake.
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.Combination square vs. Tri-square: You can do so much more with the combination square that it is worth getting rather than a tri-square. The combination square can be used to measure depth into a mortise and confirm the bottom is uniformly deep enough, you can use it to pull a line with your pencil which is needed when your gauge doesn’t reach far enough, you can pull the rule out and use it as such, you can use the handle alone as a gauge for square (shoulders), you can use it to transfer a dimension without measuring. Most combination squares are a full foot, but most tri-squares are smaller (or are expensive and heavier/clunkier)
You don’t need a Starrett, but you do need it to be square. Look online for how to test for square. Make sure to loosen the blade, move it around, maybe even remove it and replace it, and then test for square a couple times.
6 July 2017 at 11:27 am #313551Without wanting to get into an argument, a square is essential, a combination square is useful. In my neck of the woods, at any one boot-sale you will find several try squares that can be had for a couple of pounds, whereas good combination squares are much rarer. It took me years to find a good combination square, during which time I did stacks of work with fixed squares.
For me the most useful features of the combi square are the mitre, and its ability to square in restricted spaces.
Get what you can get.
6 July 2017 at 1:47 pm #313552If the Budget is really tight then id agree an ordinary Trisquare will work. However I gotta agree with Ed a combination square makes life alot easier and is far more versatile.
For a complete beginner id rather recommend buying a new Square though of which you can be sure it actually is square instead of hoping to find one on flee markets or having to fiddle around trying to square it up, be that a Tri- or Combinationsquare.
For Beginners its important to have something that works out of the box and allows you to focus on your work instead of having to second guess your tools.
As has been said you can skip saw sharpening for now and use the money you save on files and a sawset to get a proper square for example, though your budget is reasonably high so whatever you decide on you may be able to afford both anyways.
Tool prices can vary wildly between different places. Here in SE Michigan USA, thanks to the decline of automobile manufacturing, used machinist tools are shockingly cheap. Good, professional grade combination squares can be had for $10 or less. Decent fixed blade try squares, on the other hand, rarely show up at all.
My advice to Tieran or anyone just starting out with a limited budget would be to get out there “in the wild”, be flexible, be prepared to get your hands dirty, and take small bills (notes), a magnifier, a small measuring tool and a flashlight. Happy hunting!
Dave
If one needs to start with a try-square rather than combi, you can make it work. I agree- get what you can get. Either way, learn how to test the square for squareness, and do the test before buying, even if it is a brand new Starrett (which you don’t need). If you have small hands, make sure the handle isn’t too big to hold with your finger tips while your thumb grips the work as you pull a knife or pencil (some squares can be clunky).
If you get a try-square, you can easily make a “marking gauge” that you can use to pull a pencil line and transfer dimensions ( block of wood, an arm of some kind, and a wedge).
As far as squares go, learn how to test for square: mark a line that is square with the edge of a square surface, like a sheet of paper, you may need to put a book or plywood underneath. Flip the square, and mark another square line on the same spot. The square is square if and only if the lines do not diverge. Try to be as accurate as you can, make sure the stock of the square is fully registered against the edge of the paper. If you mark one line a bit off from the other, they should be parallel if the square is square). For more accuracy, use a knife instead of pencil. It may be hard to see though.
Knowing that, take your piece of paper and support surface (book/plywood) to a hardware store and try the squares there. I’d definitely consider the IRWIN 12-inch square. It has been recommended by various people who are not as picky as “us woodworkers”, and, to be honest, the one I bought is perfectly square as far as I can verify it with paper and knife or sharp pencil. And it cost me $13. You can always keep it in the car later for trips to the lumber yard or situations where you don’t want to take your nice tools.
As far as your list goes- it looks good, and I will agree with most of the suggestions made. Some smaller chisels, clamps, router plane, (not going to touch the saw debate). The advise that I would offer is to take your time finding your tools. When I transitioned to hand tools from power tools I placed a couple large orders with LV, LN,etc… My LV order was so large that for customs reasons it had to be broken into several smaller orders. Now 8 years on- several of those tools are still in the box and have never been used. So consider what tools you need now based upon the project you are doing. If your not doing a furniture project, make some tools. You can never have to many marking gauges! Yard sales, estate auctions, Boot sales(UK) etc are your friend. If your a high school age person talk to every old person you see about woodworking. We are suckers and will often give you stuff!!!
Take time to learn your tools. With each tool there is a new skill set to be developed. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR SHARP so your sharpening gear should be good quality and one of your early acquisitions.
Start with what you got and think about how you can make them work. Build your tool set as you go.Other things to watch for out “in the wild”.
EGGBEATER DRILL: Better for precise drilling than power drills. Make sure that it has all 3 jaws and jaw springs in the chuck. Check for obviously worn gears (which should be cast iron.). Good brands: Millers Falls, Goodell Pratt, Pexto/PS&W, Craftsman. $5-$15.
TWIST DRILLS: Look for a set in a metal drill index. (I picked up an almost complete set–1/16″-1/2″ at an estate sale last weekend for $5.)
BRACE: Very common on the second hand market so you can be fussy about condition. Be sure that the jaws open and close properly. $5-$10.
AUGER BITS: These are tricky to buy but used ones tend to go cheap–Typically a dollar each around here.
BACKSAWS (TENON SAWS, DOVETAIL SAWS, MITRE SAWS…whatever): If you spot a decent one with a comfortable handle, a heavy back and a straight plate (blade) without excessive pitting for $10 or less go for it. Used ones don’t turn up too often and you can learn to sharpen it later. Don’t bother with the big heavy saws that were made for use in miter boxes.
HANDSAWS/PANEL SAWS: It wouldn’t hurt to pick up a few if they are priced at a dollar or two. They are almost always covered with rust which may or may not matter. Cleaning them up will help you learn to judge rust (and remove it). Look for comfortable, well rounded handles (which indicate quality) and a straight, tooth line with evenly spaced teeth. Learn to sharpen them later. 5 1/2 PPI rip saws are the most common and the easiest to learn on when you get started sharpening.
DIVIDERS/COMPASS: Either wing or spring type. $1-$5
RABBET and FILLISTER PLANE: Stanley #78 and copies made by Sargent, Millers Falls and others. Don’t buy one unless it has both the fence and the depth stop. $30 tops.
PLOW PLANE/COMBINATION PLANE: Straight ahead plow planes are uncommon in the wild around here. Wooden ones show up occasionally, with one iron if you are lucky. Stanley #45 combination planes and the Sargent equivalent appear sometimes–typically $100-$150. depending on how many parts are missing. Don’t buy one unless it has a full set of straight cutters and the main depth stop at least, no matter how cheap it is. Learn what parts it’s supposed to come with and use the missing parts to negotiate the price downward. These planes were also sold under the Wards Master, Craftsman and Fulton names.
PENCILS: Bazik brand pencils–twelve for a buck at fine dollar stores everywhere. These are as good as any I’ve used.
Dave
- This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by Dave Ring.
A couple more items:
GROOVE PLANE: This is a moulding type plane that was usually sold with a matching tongue plane for making tongue and groove joints. They are easly recognized by a metal “skate” ahead of and behind the iron. This is a good cheap substitute for a plow plane and can be used to cut grooves for drawer bottoms and raised panels. This tool only does one thing (cutting a particular sized groove a set distance fom the edge) but it does it very well. $10-$15.
HEMOSTAT/KELLY FORCEPS: Great for extracting splinters from your hands. They have other uses too. $1-$3.
PENCIL SHARPENERS: Pick up a 12 pack of Bazik brand sharpeners at the same dollar store where you buy the Bazik pencils. (They are easy to lose}.
Dave
4 March 2018 at 8:37 pm #490179Hello Tieran,
I just happened to have stumbled upon your request searching the forums for bench hooks. I was utterly impressed with the amazingly detailed and well thought responses you received…all who, I am sure want to see you succeed. A testament to this community.
While I do not have any additional advice to provide, I was wondering how your quest has been going over the past few months and if you have been able to start your desk.
Maybe one bit of advice that helped me…Paul’s recent book, “Essential Woodworking Handtools”- This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by Kurt Schultz.
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