The Anarchist's Tool Chest, Christopher Schwarz

[GazPal]

Minimal essential kit is what we thought we got in 1982 tops-course-basic-kit-1982-t54291.html
To be realistic you'd only be able to do about 90% of all woodwork with the tops list. No mouldings the most obvious omission - but then bevels are often an easy substitute

At the last count the list was as follows:

1 toolbox - made week 5.
5 1/2 Record jack plane (#04, #05 bench planes & #09.1/5 block plane)
26" hand saw 6tpi (26" rip, 24" cross-cut & 22" panel saw Spear & Jackson Spearior 88)
22" panel saw 10tpi
14" tenon saw 14tpi (12" tenon saw S&J Professional)
3 Marples firmer chisels 1" 3/4" 1/2" (Four bevel edge & four firmer chisels)
Rabone Combination square
16oz claw hammer (Stanley 20oz Claw hammer & 16oz pein hammer)
Nail pullers (Carpenter's pincers)
sliding bevel
double sided oil stone - box made week 6
big screwdriver (Set of screwdrivers slot and Phillips)
little ratchet screwdriver (Small Yankee screwdriver)
2 ft boxwood rule (39" box rule)
nail punch
brace & bit (Set of bits incl 1/8" - 1")
countersink
one 32mm bit for yale locks.
mallet
S&J carpenters axe (Stanley Half hatchet)
marking guage
bradawl
String line & pins
2' spirit level
Hand drill & set of bits
Bow saw

I've added the differences between my initial kit and the TOPS kit, but highlighted them (In brackets where alongside your list). The initial kit was enough to get you off to a good start with 1st and 2nd fix, but added to on a weekly basis (Every pay day for me) and kept expanding as you met with fresh tooling requirements. We made saw horses, trestles/hop-ups and nail boxes whenever necessary.

 

[Jacob]

Forgot the spirit level. 10" brass faced cheapo.
And the saw horses - 2 made according to these instructions http://www.owdman.co.uk/howto/howto2.htm as a prelude to roof geometry. This was the crux of the course and a lot of faking went on at this point! The roofing was easier.
And the plumbob - the steel bob made by the metal work class. A trad board made by us with a line down the middle and a hole for the bob to bob in.

 

[GazPal]

Forgot the spirit level. 10" brass faced cheapo.
And the saw horses - 2 made according to these instructions http://www.owdman.co.uk/howto/howto2.htm as a prelude to roof geometry. This was the crux of the course and a lot of faking went on at this point! The roofing was easier.
And the plumbob - the steel bob made by the metal work class. A trad board made by us with a line down the middle and a hole for the bob to bob in.

Ye olde worlde plumb level :wink: I still have my Rabone 12" boat level kicking around somewhere.

We also managed too find ourselves roped into making smaller tool boxes for the lads attending the bricklaying course, but our roofing element took on a new slant when we were volunteered to re-make a new domed roof for a local windmill.

 

[Jacob]

....
And the plumbob - the steel bob made by the metal work class. A trad board made by us with a line down the middle and a hole for the bob to bob in.

Ye olde worlde plumb level :wink: I still have my Rabone 12" boat level kicking around somewhere......

I used to have a plumb-bob square kicking about but it got disappeared. As I recall - a nicely made hardwood large set-square 30º/60º ish with the long side curly with a thumb hole like an artists palette, and another hole near the rt angle corner for the plumb bob which could be hung along a line on either edge. So it would work as a level too. Inherited from a stone mason's kit.

 

[GazPal]

I used to have a plumb-bob square kicking about but it got disappeared. As I recall - a nicely made hardwood large set-square 30º/60º ish with the long side curly with a thumb hole like an artists palette, and another hole near the rt angle corner for the plumb bob which could be hung along a line on either edge. So it would work as a level too. Inherited from a stone mason's kit.

I recall my grandfather having a plumb level among his kit and they're not too dis-similar to the levels used by McAlpine during the building of the pyramids, parthenon, etc. when Adam was a lad. They're as cheap as chips and quick to make too, but - perhaps more importantly - also a piece of equipment found inside both carpenter's and stonemason's tool chests.

 

[Fromey]

Speaking of plumbs, I found this site

The International Plumb Bob Collectors Association

Amazing what people will obsess about. :shock:

 

[bugbear]

Speaking of plumbs, I found this site

The International Plumb Bob Collectors Association

Amazing what people will obsess about. :shock:

I think virtually everything on the planet gets collected.

I recently ran across cutlery rests, which are pretty obscure items.

Enough people collect the things that there's a club with a magazine!

BugBear

 

[Jacob]

.....
I think virtually everything on the planet gets collected......

I used to collect rubber gloves.

 

[clk230]

i collect sawdust

 

[Toolemera]

Interesting reading what people overseas (from me at least, residing south of Boston, MA, USA) think of the book. If nothing else, it's served to create an incredible amount of self-promotion through conflict, something book publishers try for but don't always succeed at. Chris wasn't trying for that, but it happened by chance. Houghton Miflin and Amazon could learn a thing or two.

Gary