Getting started

[mjsaand]

Hi all,

I am really interested in getting starting in wood working. I am having some trouble with confusion and inexperience in regards to getting the right tools to start in the hobby and was wondering if anyone here might be able to offer a little guidance?

My question is essentially this, what would be the a minimum list of tools that I could start with and still be able to do a reasonable range of things? I have a very limited budget and the only tools I have at the moment are not really woodworking tools - pliers, hammer, screwdrivers, spanners, etc - so I really am starting from scratch. I've done a bit of reading and research and the array of tools out there is dizzying. What I'm finding particularly confusing is choosing a good all-round purchase within one category of tool (hand planes for example!). I simply don't know enough to choose a hand plane that will be 'good enough' for most applications (or if such a plane exists). Likewise for other tools - saws, clamps, etc.

A further consideration is that I would like to do a lot of things by hand, if possible. From the little experience I have so far, I simply seem to get more pleasure that way. I also lack the budget and space for most power tools (I would have no second thoughts about buying something like a router though - it seems to have the most 'bang for the buck' of any power tool purchase). I therefore need as flexible a set of hand tools as possible.

To give you an idea of the kind of things I am thinking of doing I am planning on starting by working on some small boxes, chopping boards, etc. I was going to work through a book on boxes like the one by Doug Stowe (he does list tools in his book, but many are free-standing power tools like jointers). Am I naive to think this kind of thing can be done with a minimum of (hand) tools?

From the bit of research I've done I've come up with the following list, does this look reasonable? Would you add or subtract anything? In terms of the items listed, could anyone offer some good specific all-round recommendations (e.g. what planer/saws would you get)?

workbench

combination square

hand planer

chisels

clamps

router

saws

Thanks for anyone who take the time to read this.

Matt

[dryhter]

Hey Matt,

You should be getting plenty of responses to your Question, it is a popular topic. Buy the best you can afford and look at buying used tools with regards to stationary power equipment.

A quality circular saw, a miter box and a belt sander. Planes and chisels need to be sharpened, so some sharpening stones( I prefer oil stones).

Dave

[Beechwood Chip]

My first project came out quite nicely, and was done with:

• hand drill (mine was cordless, It was a Craftsman 18V rated "Best Buy" by Consumer Reports. Craftsman tools are like Harbor Freight - some are a waste of money, some are great deals)
• circular saw (Skil, relatively inexpensive)
• circular saw blades for plywood, cross cut, rip (the blade that comes with the saw is made fo hacking through 2x4s when framing a house, you want blades that will make a cleaner cut in specific situations)
• ShopMate work table (or any table that you can clamp things to that is flat and won't flex. You can buy 3/4" plywood, cut it in half, and clamp it double thick over sawhorses)
• router (I used a porter cable 690)
• roundover bit and straight bit for dados
• shop-vac (the more powerful the better)
• router table (I don't think I really used this, and besides. making a router table is easy)
• clamps (I got inexpensive "quick clamps" and liked them)
• glue
• combination square
• wood for project
• additional wood for mistakes, test runs, etc
• additional wood and MDF for jigs, guides, and cauls
• straight edge (or piece of MDF or plywood with a clean, straight edge)
• some place you can work and get sawdust everywhere (I didn't have this, and I really regretted it)

I bought everything except the router at the local Home Depot. If it's a short drive to the Home Depot or Lowes, then you can buy clamps, etc, as you need them. I buy Home Depot/Lowes router bits as I need them, and buy good quality replacements for any router bit I use enough to get dull.)

[mjsaand]

Hi dryhter & beechwood chip,

Thanks for the replies - both very helpful! I'm looking forward to starting my first serious project =)

Cheers,

Matt

[PaulMarcel]

For the projects you list and the desire to go more the hand-tool route, I'd suggest the following:

• A decent Jack plane; Lie-Nielsen has one, so does Veritas. I have the Veritas and it is definitely the plane I grab most from the pile (well, I don't pile them...) This is good for flattening stock, thicknessing stock (though that's never fun), smoothing and it makes a great plane on a shooting board for cleaning up crosscuts. Smaller smoothers lack the heft IMHO for shooting and certainly won't help you flatten. Hey, maybe that's why the #5 is named a Jack (...of all trades).
• A good block plane. Essential for trimming and finessing. I have the Lie-Nielsen rabbet block plane (blade goes all the way to edges) as it works great as a block plane but also can act as a shoulder plane for trimming up joints.

• You already have a combo square on your list; make it a good one (no sharp edges, easy to read, holds the lock, oh and square!) My first couldn't hold its position regardless how I clamped down on it. My temper got to it; it won't lock on anything anymore makes machinist-quality combination squares and many people like them though I don't have one. See if you can get different length blades for the combination head; I have a 12" and 18" for mine and switch them out pretty often depending on the project. Just a thought.
• For hand tools, a . While a pencil will do, changing to a marking knife will make so many things more precise. You need more precision for small boxes than cabinet bases. The Veritas one is inexpensive and nice.
• Similarly a marking gauge. has a nice one. I got the one without the micro-adjust; doing it again, I'd get the microadjust.
• Good chisels. I have the Narex chisels. I can imagine better, but these are very good for their price. Originally available at , the Canadians have the larger set at for marginally more (and they are black!). They hold an edge well, nice balance, made for striking with a collared handle.
• A good mallet for the chisels. I like the ones shaped like a turned wooden mallet versus the ones that look like a hammer with a plastic head. I find that the strike is more inline with the chisel body; with the hammer type, it is easy to give lateral pressure. Could be my technique. I have this , but want this for larger chopping/convincing. Either way, that's the shape I prefer.
• When I use hand saws, I use . Wilbur's blog at GiantCypress.net will have way more information on choosing Japanese saws. The ones I liked to are the ones I use and they work well.
• For dovetails -- and this is a religious topic for some -- I like a fret saw for the waste, others prefer chopping it (in reality, though, I use a and bit to hog out most of it then use the fret saw or chop it; at that point, it is easier).
• You mentioned a router and I agree that you can do a lot with it. You can still have a Zen-like woodworking hand-tool experience even if you break out the router from time to time, at 2 am, with all its decibel glory. That said, though, on a small box, I'd use this . Another profiling possibility is the ; I like that they redesigned an old idea and brought something new to the table. For dozens of reasons, I think it is better than the Lie-Nielsen Stanley clone (wait, they are all Stanley clones...)

That brings up power tools. Neanderthals can go pedal the generator during the rest of this post.

If I did a piece mostly by hand, I would still want a power planer to thickness boards. Use the Jack plane to level one side then the planer to get the next sweaty 20 minutes of your life back (although I admit it was fun the couple times I did it...). A lunchbox planer is fantastic for small box boards, besides larger stuff.

I'd also consider a good bandsaw for a couple reasons: 1) you can rip with it like the table saw then clean up the kerf marks with hand planes, 2) you can resaw; this lets you make thin bookmatched boards for boxes and other small projects (Toshio Odate splits 3/4" boards accurately with a hand saw... few people are Toshio Odate), 3) you could do nice curved/scroll work reasonably quickly, 4) there are a lot of small cuts you can easily and safely make on the bandsaw that would just be hell on a tablesaw, like drawer handles.

Sorry for the length... it was fun thinking about your project goals and tool preferences for it. Plus, I didn't eat enough before this red wine

[Beechwood Chip]

Oh, Paul-Marcel mentioned decibels and that reminded me. I forgot to mention hearing protection, goggles, and dust protection if you are going the powered route.

[DeanJackson]

Matt;

Pick a fairly simple project or three. Figure out what tools they'd definitely take. Take the simplest project of the three - tool wise - and start there.

I started with a miter saw that was donated to me, a handheld power drill I used for repairs, a hammer, and a stack of screwdrivers. I added a router a few months later (and built myself a table for it), and then added a circular saw. I bought clamps when they were on sale and absolutely necessary. That set of tools - plus a sanding block - made an incredibly nice bookcase, and many other smaller projects.

I've since gotten going on hand tools - chisels, spokeshaves, planes, card scrapers. I also added a table saw at some point, as that really opens up a *lot* of things. There are three planes that come in handy, and one is the "most situations"; the #5 jack plane is the jack of all trades, literally. The #7 or #8 is very useful if you want to flatten stock. A block plane is very useful if you want to plane end grain (the end of a board). Find instructions on how to refurbish an old plane, and get a #5 on eBay for $20. In the same category, watch Marc's video on card scrapers, and pick one up for $3.

[minorhero]

I am not particularly good with hand tools so I am going to skip that part and go to power tools.

If you plan to be making boxes and cutting boards then your in the same boat as I was in when I started not too long ago.

The first tool I purchased was a table saw, the second was a jointer and the third was a planer.

This is probably the most effective order of purchasing tools.

With a table saw you can make boxes and cuttingboards quite easily so long as you are using finished lumber. Once you add a planer and a jointer you can start finishing your own lumber and the cost of your projects will drop dramatically.

You will also want to buy a random orbit sander. For fancier boxes you are going to need a router.

And before you can do any project at all you are going to need clamps. Eventually you will need lots of clamps, but as a bare minimum you are going to need 4 clamps. The best bang for your buck will be pipe clamps, buy 1/2" clamps and 36" or 48" pipes.

Here would be my suggestion, buy a table saw, buy 4 pipe clamps, buy a random orbit sander, some course and fine sand paper, and buy some wood glue (tightbond 3 for cuttingboards). Then make a cutting board or two using finished lumber (don't make it out of oak - oak does not make good cuttingboards - cherry, hard/rock maple, walnut, mahogany, purple heart are all good cuttingboard woods). If after you make a few cuttingboards you still like woodworking and want to make some more, then go out and buy the jointer and planer. I paid 400 for my table saw which was a discontinued ridgid model (you can get a similar deal today), 200 for my jointer which was used, and there are lots of planers out there used for 150 to 200. A random orbit sander should cost around 70 dollars. and you can buy a 1/2 pipe clamp for $12 each and pipe for another 20 dollars or around abouts.

What you probably don't want to do is buy a lot of expensive tools, then after a couple of projects decide that you like woodworking but you don't have time for it, or you don't like it enough. Then your sitting on a lot of money that is just devaluing in your garage.

[mjsaand]

Hi all,

The responses have all been really helpful, thank you. I've got a good idea of where to go now in terms of tools and a pretty good idea of order in which to get them too.

The only bone I have to pick is with Paul-Marcel for linking to the bridge city tools website... Ignorance of what truly beautiful tools looked like (and how much they cost!) was bliss... =)

Thanks again everyone,

Matt

[Vic]

Great write-up, Paul! Have another glass, it makes you eloquent ;o)!!

For the projects you list and the desire to go more the hand-tool route, I'd suggest the following:

• A decent Jack plane; Lie-Nielsen has one, so does Veritas. I have the Veritas and it is definitely the plane I grab most from the pile (well, I don't pile them...) This is good for flattening stock, thicknessing stock (though that's never fun), smoothing and it makes a great plane on a shooting board for cleaning up crosscuts. Smaller smoothers lack the heft IMHO for shooting and certainly won't help you flatten. Hey, maybe that's why the #5 is named a Jack (...of all trades).
• A good block plane. Essential for trimming and finessing. I have the Lie-Nielsen rabbet block plane (blade goes all the way to edges) as it works great as a block plane but also can act as a shoulder plane for trimming up joints.

• You already have a combo square on your list; make it a good one (no sharp edges, easy to read, holds the lock, oh and square!) My first couldn't hold its position regardless how I clamped down on it. My temper got to it; it won't lock on anything anymore makes machinist-quality combination squares and many people like them though I don't have one. See if you can get different length blades for the combination head; I have a 12" and 18" for mine and switch them out pretty often depending on the project. Just a thought.
• For hand tools, a . While a pencil will do, changing to a marking knife will make so many things more precise. You need more precision for small boxes than cabinet bases. The Veritas one is inexpensive and nice.
• Similarly a marking gauge. has a nice one. I got the one without the micro-adjust; doing it again, I'd get the microadjust.
• Good chisels. I have the Narex chisels. I can imagine better, but these are very good for their price. Originally available at , the Canadians have the larger set at for marginally more (and they are black!). They hold an edge well, nice balance, made for striking with a collared handle.
• A good mallet for the chisels. I like the ones shaped like a turned wooden mallet versus the ones that look like a hammer with a plastic head. I find that the strike is more inline with the chisel body; with the hammer type, it is easy to give lateral pressure. Could be my technique. I have this , but want this for larger chopping/convincing. Either way, that's the shape I prefer.
• When I use hand saws, I use . Wilbur's blog at GiantCypress.net will have way more information on choosing Japanese saws. The ones I liked to are the ones I use and they work well.
• For dovetails -- and this is a religious topic for some -- I like a fret saw for the waste, others prefer chopping it (in reality, though, I use a and bit to hog out most of it then use the fret saw or chop it; at that point, it is easier).
• You mentioned a router and I agree that you can do a lot with it. You can still have a Zen-like woodworking hand-tool experience even if you break out the router from time to time, at 2 am, with all its decibel glory. That said, though, on a small box, I'd use this . Another profiling possibility is the ; I like that they redesigned an old idea and brought something new to the table. For dozens of reasons, I think it is better than the Lie-Nielsen Stanley clone (wait, they are all Stanley clones...)

That brings up power tools. Neanderthals can go pedal the generator during the rest of this post.

If I did a piece mostly by hand, I would still want a power planer to thickness boards. Use the Jack plane to level one side then the planer to get the next sweaty 20 minutes of your life back (although I admit it was fun the couple times I did it...). A lunchbox planer is fantastic for small box boards, besides larger stuff.

I'd also consider a good bandsaw for a couple reasons: 1) you can rip with it like the table saw then clean up the kerf marks with hand planes, 2) you can resaw; this lets you make thin bookmatched boards for boxes and other small projects (Toshio Odate splits 3/4" boards accurately with a hand saw... few people are Toshio Odate), 3) you could do nice curved/scroll work reasonably quickly, 4) there are a lot of small cuts you can easily and safely make on the bandsaw that would just be hell on a tablesaw, like drawer handles.

Sorry for the length... it was fun thinking about your project goals and tool preferences for it. Plus, I didn't eat enough before this red wine

[PaulMarcel]

Great write-up, Paul! Have another glass, it makes you eloquent ;o)!!

Great, now I wonder what I sound like without the glass...

[Onboard]

Matt said: “I have a very limited budget….”

Matt said: “I also lack the budget and space for most power tools…”

Please forgive me for saying so, but I’m having a hard time putting Lie Nielsen and Veritas in the same sentence with “…very limited budget…”. Maybe it’s just me. With the second statement I’m wondering if Matt would have the space (not to mention budget) for a table saw, jointer and planer. I guess Matt will have to determine that. Perhaps if Matt would suggest a possible budget amount we could suggest how he might get the most for his money and still have some quality tools. Just a thought.