Beginner Tools

[MikeJhn]

........you don't have to be accurate down to 1/2mm......

Hang on a sec.....

And your point is?

Mike

I couldn't countenance having the shoulders of a joint out by 1/2 a mm, or 1/2mm gaps between tails and pins in a dovetail. I agree with the broad thrust of your comment about it not being engineering, but joints have to be tight.[/quote]

It was a throw away comment on accuracy, but I agree that joints need to be tight, but not to the point of engineering obsession.

Mike

 

[Akwoody2402]

Sounds like a mine field buying used there are literally hundreds of listings and they all look very similar to me

A. I don't know what a ok/good condition looks like
B. I don't know a fair price

Makes me lean towards a new set

 

[MikeJhn]

To be honest I would never buy second hand if just starting out, you will not know if the tool or you are doing something wrong, as has been suggested before, take a trip to Axminster they can't afford to steer you wrong, they want you as a customer for life.

Mike

 

[Akwoody2402]

What kind of plane is that I have ? Trying to looknupba restoration video that has that style

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It's a block plane. It probably wouldn't be worth making a video about them they're so simple. Just a bit of oil, a piece of wet and dry a possibly a small wire brush for the threads. Just clean it, sharpen or possibly grind the iron and away you go.

For a bench plane watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYyV6IUpsYk

 

[Akwoody2402]

Will that one plane do everything I need for now?

For now just building a bench and a taĺl chair for my son. To be honest of all the videos I've seen the bit if anything I will struggle to master is flattening squaring and thicknessing the wood before building with it.

As I don't intend to buy machines for that for some time

 

[Phil Pascoe]

In a word, no. You need a bench plane.

 

[John15]

In a word, no. You need a bench plane.

A No.4 and a No.5 will suit you well.

John

 

[deema]

The best solution is to find someone who has experience and has actually built stuff and knows what they are doing to help guide you initially. This will not only save you a lot of money by helping you to both buy well and also know when it’s the man or the tool that’s at fault. One of the places t find such a person is at a Men’s Shed, there is one in Hartford that for instance Sidewinder a contributor on this forum is an active member of. There are others around Chesahire depending on where in Chester you live. The sheds depending on what they specialise in often have machines such as bandsaws and Planner Thicknesser you can use.

 

[Akwoody2402]

I've had a look online the mens shed seems to be an over 50's retiree thing have i got that wrong?

 

[deema]

I’m not a member myself of a men’s shed at the moment however I understand that they try to attract people of any age range. The person to help you is likely to be retired and have time in their hands with a lifetime of experience to share.

 

[Nikolaj33]

Sounds like a mine field buying used there are literally hundreds of listings and they all look very similar to me

A. I don't know what a ok/good condition looks like
B. I don't know a fair price

Makes me lean towards a new set

Hi,

I am a beginner just like you. Someone already recommended checking out Paul Sellers videos on YouTube. He also has a website aimed at beginners commonwoodworking.com which I find excellent. It has great overview of the most basic tools one needs as well as buying guides which should point you to the right direction. For example I also used to think that I will only buy new tools because I had similar uncertainty as you. But after spending some time with Paul Sellers content I heard him say that he still hasn't bought a bench plane on eBay that he hasn't managed to get to working order. Since then I have bought some vintage tools on eBay and I can't be happier.

 

[ED65]

Akwoody, I would also highly recommend getting some of your kit from the secondhand market. There's a huge abundance of quality secondhand tools of all ages in Blighty and it would be a shame not to take advantage. Arguably the best places to search for said tools are car boots; see numerous past threads here and a couple of vids on YouTube to get a flavour of the unbelievable bargains that can sometimes be had!

You can't expect to find everything you want at car boot sales and certainly not immediately, so you will probably have to make a couple of key purchases online. Do be sure you check out Gumtree, prices tend to be lower than on eBay and because you're buying in person you get the chance to give things a once-over rather than having to rely on photos alone before handing over your money. This can be invaluable as no photo can show a wobbly chisel handle or tell you if a plane's adjustment wheel is stuck, while both of those are fixable it's nice to know that's what you're getting rather than discover it when the thing arrives in the post and leave you feeling a little short-changed.

 

[Akwoody2402]

Sounds like a good idea ED65. I've decided it's not worth me spending big money on nicer tools until I learn the basics and stick with it...once I get an idea in my head I can get carried away?

Which tools down you pick up 2nd hand ? Chisels and planers I imagine.

 

[ED65]

Chisels and planes yes, but as many other members did before me I've actually picked up most of my kit secondhand.

Of the stuff that I think you might want initially that you may see most commonly are wooden jacks and coffin smoothers; metal planes (mostly 4s along with cheaper block planes IME, I see 5s and larger very very seldom but they are more numerous in the UK than here, and usually cost much less); chisels of all types; marking gauges, frequently a bit far gone sadly; saws of course, lots of those but condition can be a big issue; loads of files, less often rasps.

Oh and not to forget drills, hand drills ('eggbeater' type with the side wheel) and braces are fairly abundant, in fact I'm sure I see more of those than anything else... which may, er, account for me having picked up more of them than any one person needs But they do make good projects to pick up restoration skills as they're not too big or complex, feature a mix of bare metal, painted surfaces and wood, and can usually be tested for function before buying unlike a plane.

 

[LancsRick]

Sideways has given you a good list. The only thing I would add to start with is a reasonable drill of some description.

Early projects can be making a drill guide for doing vertical holes, and making a marking gauge. You'll practice the techniques you need to and get something useful at the end.

Being able to saw straight is a skill that needs practice, and being able to use a hand plane will turn an average looking project into a really nice one.

Also, learn about wood. Skills with tools is obly part of woodworking, you also need to understand about grain, warping, types of joints.

 

[custard]

Woodworking is not a cheap hobby.

A reasonably comprehensive set of hand tools, including items like sash cramps and bench hardware, that would allow you to tackle most basic to intermediate furniture projects, can easily end up costing you £2,000 or more.

Have a read of this thread,

how-much-does-woodworking-cost-t106958.html