Hand Tool Beginner

[mattbrock]

Let me start by saying I am going to start woodworking with hand tools. I am not going to spend hours watching a bunch of YouTube videos at work thinking about how much fun it would be to do some woodworking. I am not effing around and I don't plan on using power tools for now. Now, with that out of the way, what would the hand tool folks have to say about the following ideas as a "getting started" approach. Keep in mind, I haven't bought a single tool yet. Now stop laughing...I am seriously getting started. A simple reply with the number you think is best from below as a starting point will suffice but feel free to elaborate or tell me I am stupid as well. 

 

1) Start with the Anarchist Tool Chest book to aid in deciding what to purchase and building something to hold the tools

 

2) Start with Shannon's Hand-tool School Semester one (I guess just buy the tools as I progress through the series)

 

3) Buy and restore an old #4, a hand saw and some chisels (learning to sharpen first)

 

4) Buy what is needed to build Paul Sellers' workbench and work through that project

 

5) go to hell

 

Thanks!

 

[Tpt life]

This looks like a schooling based approach. As an educator I do not find this lends itself well to woodworking for beginners. A current trend in education and one that is frequently voiced in simpler terms here is the project based learning approach. Find something you want to do and then look for the tooling and skill builders you need to get it done.

[wtnhighlander]

Since you are starting from scratch, I think #4 meets C Shaffer's recommendations reasonabke well. I have discovered that a sturdy workholding device / bench is probably the most inportant tool, especially for hand work. It doesn't have to be fancy, just strong and stable. If you like the english bench, go for it.

[4-Square]

Some feedback on your list...

 

ATC is a great book… No question. Also, get yourself Flexner's finishing book.

 

Yes, you can buy and restore a plane… But you can also buy a plane, start to restore it and become very frustrated… If you have the $$, I’d buy a LN-LA Jack with a couple of irons. It's one plane that's easy to set-up, versatile --- and if you hate it, you can eBay it for just about what you paid for it...

 

Dull tools are frustrating and dangerous. Sharpening frustrates most, if not all, new woodworkers. Get CS’s Sharpening DVD. Start with lapping film on glass/granite until you know enough to buy-into a system.

 

Attend a LN event. Especially one that offers the ½ day sharpening workshop.

 

Realize that any bench you build will be replaced as you gain experience…  So don’t go overboard on your first bench build. For getting started, keep it simple.

 

You might pick one of Marc's projects that's not tool-intensive. His videos are very 'step-by-step' -- hard to go wrong... Don't start your woodworking hobby by attempting a dining room table -- you'll drive yourself crazy trying to get it right.

[mattbrock]

Thanks everyone. 4-Square in looking into CS's Sharpening DVD I see shop woodworking is selling it as with a special that includes his saw bench DVD. In keeping C-Shaffer and wtnhighlander's recommendations in mind I am wondering if building the saw bench may be a good first project. I imagine the saw bench would come in handy in building a workbench.

[mattbrock]

Ahhh! "Out of Stock"! Either Way

 

Thanks everyone. 4-Square in looking into CS's Sharpening DVD I see shop woodworking is selling it as with a special that includes his saw bench DVD. In keeping C-Shaffer and wtnhighlander's recommendations in mind I am wondering if building the saw bench may be a good first project. I imagine the saw bench would come in handy in building a workbench.

 

Ahh! "Out of Stock". Amazon has it though.

[Tony Wilkins]

I started from scratch too.  I probably would be further along if I had had a structured way of learning.  I really like the ATC book but going with CS I'd probably recommend doing his shaker table DVD as a first learning project.

 

I've become a big fan of David Charlesworth but he doesn't have a project based DVD.

 

I've also looked into Shannon's Hand Tool School and Paul Seller's Master Classes.  I can recommend both as good starting points.

 

The one thing I thing I'd stress from my experience is stick with one until you've become proficient with what that person teaches.

[Llama]

The tough part about hand tools is that you need a good flat bench with work holding options.

The problem which has been mentioned, is you don't know what you don't know. Meaning, you may look at one bench and like it, but in practice you don't. Also, there is a good amount of skill needed to work large pieces by hand.

Hasn't been mentioned yet. Get this book - http://lostartpress.com/collections/books/products/the-essential-woodworker

Also recommend the coarse medium fine DVD by C Schwarz.

[G S Haydon]

The more I reflect on this the tougher I find advising someone. You know it might be worth giving an on-line a go, even for just 12 months. Perhaps it would be a useful compass. That said I've never tried a paid for so I don't know. I'm not sure who is the "best" but most folks mentioned have blogs and free bits you could look at to get a feel for the person who's teaching you. One phrase you might find helpful to start with no matter is "keep it simple" and "keep it fun". 

[TerryMcK]

2

[Byrdie]

While I'm definitely a "hybrid woodworker" (would rather use the tool that helps me get the job done efficiently than buy into a romantic notion), I can say with certainty that *all* my tool purchases have been project driven with the exception of my lathe.  That was more a tool that went searching for projects (and several have been found).

 

I'm firmly in the camp that says pick a project and then get the tools that you need as you discover you need them.  It can be something quite simple, like a shop cabinet.  First thing you'll find you need is a saw to dimension the lumber.  Then you'll need roughing tools like planes and chisels to bring the lumber to a workable state and to size it to your needs.  You can build your own list from there.

 

You'll find that a plane and some chisels and sharpening skills won't get you very far unless you can make the wood workable in size.  Get a saw (or two - saws are purpose built) first.  Then get some lumber.  Then find out what the next tool you need is to progress to the next step.

[Jim DaddyO]

I am a relative newbie at hand work too.  I built the saw bench from Billy's Little Bench (blog) and it was a great learning experience, and I have used it on every project since I built it.  If you just start out by getting the tools for the project, then build from there.  Do not discount yard sales and flea markets from your search, I bought 4 hand saws for $2 at a yard sale.  I converted 2 to rip saws (furthering the education, I even built the saw vise) and have yet to tackle sharpening the cross cuts.  Previous to getting these saws, I used a Ryoba (about $30, gives both cross cut and rip teeth) and one of those "disposable" Stanley saws with the induction hardened teeth (about $25, and I am still using it)  A set of inexpensive chisels (like a set of 3 or 4) and learning how to sharpen them is in order.  Of course you need a sharpening system.  There are a lot out there, pick one and try it for a while (scary sharp is cheap to start with).  As far as planes, you can spend thousands on them if you go down that rabbit hole, but I have to agree with Paul Sellers in that a good #4 will take you a lot of places.  If you have to start with one plane, on a budget, that is what I would get.  If the budget allows, a low angle jack is really handy and some folks would go that way for a "multi purpose" plane.  You need something to measure with and some way to mark angles (back to school sales are on, get a geometry set for the shop).  There is a world of experience and skill building to be had just making things for the shop.  You can start with dimensional lumber from the build it center (what I used for the saw bench) to get rolling on a few things and grow from there.

[Llama]

#5

[sdesocio]

Hey Matt - Ive been seriously woodworking for about 2 years now, with a 8 years of home repair work before that.  

 

I think the Paul Sellers workbench method is a great idea. You really can't do much without a bench, and Paul does a great job with his video series.  There are a lot of things to think about when you setup a shop. Here is a post that I wrote a few months ago about things I wish I knew. Four Steps in Setting up Your New Shop

Before you buy a years worth of videos or a ton of tools, Id get a subscription to http://shopclass.popularwoodworking.com/ - It includes many beginner and tune up DVDs. And it also includes the first 20 seasons of the Woodwright shop!

 

If you need advice on which version of a tool to buy, ask folks on here, over at the Modern Woodworks Google + page, or on Twitter.  I'd be more than happy to give some advice. 

@revswoodshop

[mattbrock]

Thanks everyone for the great advice!

[cellardoor]

I'm still a newb for sure, but I have a few successful projects under my belt and may soon feel like I've graduated to "just woodworking." So with my beginnings still fresh in my mind I can list a few bullet points that, as I either mastered the skill or solved the issue, my frustration melted away and my work progressed exponentially:

 

1. Sharpness - like honest to goodness sharp-enough-to-shave-with tools almost seem like magic when you finally get the hang of it. Don't be afraid to spend lavishly on sharpening media. 

 

2. Work Holding - Every time I hear someone say that a door on two saw-horses will do the trick I want to throw a pie at them. A solid bench with a sturdy vise is a must. Without it everything becomes so much harder or in some cases impossible. You'll ruin your work piece and want to quit the craft before your first project is complete. Build a cheap joinery bench out of home 250 pounds of center crud. You can always use it for a rustic buffet when you build your for-real bench. 

 

3. Premium Tools - This may seem controversial - and this is only my personal experience - but I started off with second hand tools that needed a great deal of tuning up and restoration. I watched the Schwarz's DVD and plenty of blogs and YouTube videos and wasted dozens of pounds of sandpaper. Frankly I'm surprised I didn't give up and turn to ethnomusicology. After buying a few Lie-Nielsens I was able to leave plane restoration behind for a while and focus on woodworking. After feeling what a perfectly tuned tool felt like I was able to go back and restore 4 old planes that perform almost as well as my LNs. So I agree that a flea-market find can go toe to toe with a LN or LV, but not for someone who's simultaneously trying to learn the craft. Not everyone has the budget to do this, but at least try and attend a hand tool event and really spend some time with these tools to try and establish a familiarity. 

 

4. Lumber Yards - I foolishly saved going to the lumber yard for when I felt my work deserved it. Totally backwards. By sticking to home center lumber I continuously dealt with problematic wood and totally skipped some of the milling stages that helped me to develop the muscle memory to really use my tools. Now I buy in the rough whenever possible and always have the option to get ahold of the cuts I want that will yield the best furniture. 

 

As far as tool choices and all that I think that tooling up for the project at hand is good advice. Aside from a real basic compliment of tools that's an excellent approach. The thrust of my points above is not to get hung up on a lot of obstacles that needlessly confront the new woodworker. Especially in the hand-tool realm. 

[Tony Wilkins]

Another bonus on doing Shannon's hand tool school is that the projects you do produce useful shop tools/appliances - winding sticks, saw bench, etc

[Doomwolf]

I second the getting premium hand tools, atleast for planes and chisels - those are essential for handtool work, and you won't know what a good one feels like until you feel it. Lie-Nielsen and Veritas are both good brands of hand planes, if you can afford the cash. Narex-brand chisels are excellent as well, and really only cost $11-14/tool, so you can have a set for ~$80, which is really not bad. 

If there is a local school or store that offers sharpening classes, I would recommend taking one, it's a fairly essential skill and Youtube is no match for an experienced person looking at your work telling you where you need to make corrections.

[CStanford]

Take a class or buy some vintage books on the craft.

 

Don't buy tools in need of anything more than a light cleaning and honing if you go the 'vintage' route.  Definitely don't buy saws in need of restoration.  That's way, way over your head at this point.  

 

It's easy to be more of a tool restorer and collector than a woodworker.  You DON'T have to be the former to be the latter.  If woodworking is what you want to do, don't get sidetracked trying to get basket case tools in usable condition.  What others may assert that you'll learn in the process isn't really worth all that much.  If you  have time on your hands, take a drawing/drafting/art class instead of dinking around with tools in lousy shape.

 

You need the book Junior Woodworker by Charles Hayward.  Don't be put off by the title.  You'll find a tool list for a starter kit and some beginner projects.

[RenaissanceWW]

Well obviously you want to join The Hand Tool School!  Wait maybe I'm biased.  However believe it or not there is method to the lesson order in semester 1 and LOTS  of applied work that if you actually go through it and build everything will set you up to build anything.  But that's not what I'm here to say. 

 

I'm a big proponent of finding a project you want to build and going from there.  Spend some time on the design: learn how it goes together and why.  Figure out what tools you will need to accomplish that and what techniques you will need to learn to use them in the planned way for that project.  There is a lot of learning going on with this process and just the act of finding the answers will help you immensely. 

 

The caveat to this is to pick something relatively small at first because having to stop and examine the why and how at every stage can take a really long time and without something finished to show off it can be tedious and frustrating.  That by the way is why I chose simple shop projects for Semester 1.  They focus on 1 skill to build and then are really useful every time you go into the shop.  It's like having a Pep square cheering you on every time you walk in there. 

 

This is why I DO NOT recommend a bench being your first project.  A table and a bench hook and a clamp or two is all you really need to get started.  Yes, a workbench makes things easier but deciding on what style to build and what accessories you need is a decision best made after some woodworking has happened.  Check out my video "No workbench Needed" for an idea on work holding options with no bench.

 

As far as tools, my Semester 1 tool list should be viewed as luxury.  You will use every tool on that list if you continue to work entirely by hand.  Do you need them all to get started?  Hell no.  A very simple tool kit will accomplish just about everything you need when starting out:

 The Basics:

Jack plane

1/4, 3/8, 1/2" chisels

1-2" wide paring chisel

Carcass Saw

Crosscut hand saw ~8 ppi

Brace

1/4, 3/8 auger bits

Mallet

Square, knife, maybe a marking gauge

 

Some luxury items:

Router plane

Block plane

 

If you want to do any curves:

Turning saw or coping saw

Cabinetmaker's rasp

Spokeshave

 

I promise that's all you need.  I spent more than a year working just out of a tool tote using the basics above to see how it would work and I didn't find myself really needing a lot of the other stuff...and it strengthened my fundamental skills in the process.

[CStanford]

The list above is a good one but you're going to feel the need for something to run grooves pretty early on.  You can work these with a chisel, it would be good for the soul, but after you've done that bit of penance you will want a plane that can work them.

[DaveT]

The list above is a good one but you're going to feel the need for something to run grooves pretty early on.  You can work these with a chisel, it would be good for the soul, but after you've done that bit of penance you will want a plane that can work them.

If you've got a chisel then a 'Poor Man's Router' will do it.

[derekcohen]

Take a class or buy some vintage books on the craft.

 

Don't buy tools in need of anything more than a light cleaning and honing if you go the 'vintage' route.  Definitely don't buy saws in need of restoration.  That's way, way over your head at this point.  

 

It's easy to be more of a tool restorer and collector than a woodworker.  You DON'T have to be the former to be the latter.  If woodworking is what you want to do, don't get sidetracked trying to get basket case tools in usable condition.  What others may assert that you'll learn in the process isn't really worth all that much.  If you  have time on your hands, take a drawing/drafting/art class instead of dinking around with tools in lousy shape.

 

You need the book Junior Woodworker by Charles Hayward.  Don't be put off by the title.  You'll find a tool list for a starter kit and some beginner projects.

 

Good points Charles (good grief, did I say that?!   )

 

Let me start by saying I am going to start woodworking with hand tools. I am not going to spend hours watching a bunch of YouTube videos at work thinking about how much fun it would be to do some woodworking. I am not effing around and I don't plan on using power tools for now.

 

 

Matt

 

I sense that you are itching to go. That's good and bad. It's good that you are keen and want to get your hands working - at the end of the day that is what pulls it all together. It's bad if you don't know what and why you are doing what you need to do. Blundering in blindly will leave you frustrated and demotivated. 

 

I would say that you should watch videos. See what is done. It matters not whether it is power or hand tool work if you have little experience to date. The aim is to see the preparations that start the process, what parts are needed, and the joinery that brings them together.

 

Learn to sharpen - you cannot work with blunt tools. Learn what sharp is from others. Practice paring, chopping and planing. You cannot build something without a feel for tools. 

 

Only then build a few simple projects. Boxes and simple benches are good.

 

Regards from Perth

 

Derek

[tim0625]

2

[BerBer5985]

TOOLS: I will agree a lot with other people are saying.  When I first got into hand tool woodworking, I think I bought 2-3 of every number stanley on ebay, flea markets, etc.  I restored a few of them for use and that's what helped me learn how to sharpen.  In the end I sold every one of them except for the stanley 4 1/2.  I use 2 hand planes mostly (Lee Valley BU Jack and Smoothing Planes and occasionally the BU jointer on longer stock).  I have multiple blades (roughly 25 degrees, 38 degrees and 50 degrees).  Those two do everything I ask of them from smoothing to jointing to shooting.  I also have an old stanley 5 that I coverted to a scrub plane with a cambered blade for dimensioning stock.  I did go through a lot of unecessary tools and crap though.  I probably have 25 hands saws, I use probably 4 of them (All filed rip cut with a progressive rake, yes, even for crosscuts).  I have a couple really nice new expensive saws from Bad Axe and Lie Neilsen, but I tend to use my sharpened older atkins and diston saws the most.  So just remember it's easy to get caught in the web of buying hand tools and finding deals when i reality, I wasted tons of money and time that I could have been spending woodworking and learning how to use a few tools efficiently.

 

Sharpening: I've have powered sharpeners and sharpening jigs and sandpaper and granite plates and japanese water stones and everything because someone told me in magazines and forums that I needed to have those things. I now use Paul Sellers method.  I dropped $150 on three diamond plates and a homemade strop with green honing compound and I hand sharpen everything.  I never really knew what sharp was until I started freehand sharpening on diamond plates.  I can sharpen a tool in about a minutes time to 15000 grit on the strop and shave better than than my feather DE saftey razor in my bathroom.  So check that out before you start buying all this unecessary crap.  I can't tell you what the exact bevel angle on my chisels is.  They are most likely anywhere from 30-35*, but the wood just knows they are razor sharp.  Same goes for the plane blades.  A lot of confusion goes out the window when you start worrying less about precision sharpening to ane exact bevel and start worrying more about just SHARP.  Once you can get over that mindset of exact bevel degrees, you'll find yourself spending more time working wood with sharp tools and less time worrying about the sharpening process.

 

Process of working:  Coming from power tools when I first started in hand tools was a change for me.  There's a process with machines that's completely different from hand tools.  For one, most of the pieces I make with hand tools require very few actual measurements and more fitting piece to piece.  You mark pieces off one another.  I only measure to get rough sizes of the piece I want to be, but I don't particularly care whether the wood thickness is 3/4" or 5/8" or somewhere in between.  I thickness one piece, and then I thickness the rest to match it.  I dont ever measure it.  Hand tools seem like they liberate me to actually work on the pieces instead of having to build jigs upon jigs for table saws and router tables, etc.  Need a taper, mark it, cut it with a hand saw, finish it with a plane.  Done.  The biggest eye opener for me when I started woodworking was watching Paul Sellers at a woodworing convention.  I was there very early and he wasn't presenting until afternoon.  I saw him putting his workspace together that morning.  He literally built a workbench from start to finish with lumber from the home center in like an hour.  Then he made his shooting board on the spot.  Then when he presented, he made an inlaid picture frame with perfect splined miters in like 10 mins while presenting.  I have to admit I was completely hooked.  No loud machines, no dust masks or safety gear.  A couple saws, and 4 1/2 hand plane, a couple chisels, and that's about it.  I bought his books and DVD set and immensed myself into his work and lifestyle.  So efficient and so skilled.  From there, I've watched Rob Cosman work and been to one of his dovetailing classes (still like Paul Sellers better), but learned quite a bit from Rob.  I've read Chris Schwarz and Jim Tolpin's books.  I would say that I take a little from each person and learn learn learn.  I follow Paul Sellers on woodworkingmasterclasses.com and for $15 a month, I don't believe there's a better place to start or a better value for learning than that.  I look forward to every Wednesday when the new videos come out on the current project we are working on.

 

Now, this might sound like I'm a salesperson or something for Paul Sellers, but I have much respect for the way he works, his skill, his method of teaching, and his simplistic way of woodworking.  He is the definition of the KISS method (Keep it simple, stupid).  He doesn't frown upon machines and uses them for rough dimensioning in most cases and even uses a bandsaw from time to time.  But his hand tool methods, IMHO, are the easiest and least confusing to learn from sharpening (chisels, planes blades,and saws) to dovetails to dado joints, etc.