Your top 10 hand tools for a beginner

[Squibb]

I'm brand new to woodworking and I'm currently spending many hours watching how-to youtube videos and walking around in Axminster like a lost child. I don't have the space to create any kind of workshop as I live in a small terraced house in the city, but next summer we will probably be moving, so having a workspace is high on the list of 'must haves'.

So my question really is, what would you say, in order of priority, are the top hand tools you would recommend for a beginner? At the moment I'm making small things, but at some point I want to make our new dining room table.

I suspect there may be a thread somewhere that covers this, so apologies if I've missed it.

Thanks for you help, I really appreciate it.

Squibb

 

[Rorschach]

All hand tool woodwork?

Chisels are the obvious, a few saws, drill, couple of planes. A lot though is going to depend on what you want to make and what materials you are starting with.

 

[marcros]

a combination square

 

[John15]

A few for starters but beware, the list can be endless!!

Chisels - 6 ,10, 12, 15, 20mm.
12tpi tenon saw.
Marking guage.
Square.
Marking knife.
Planes - No.4 and 5(?).
Rule.
Level.
Drill.
Pozi and straight screwdrivers.

John

 

[MrTeroo]

A few for starters but beware, the list can be endless!!

Chisels - 6 ,10, 12, 15, 20mm.
12tpi tenon saw.
Marking guage.
Square.
Marking knife.
Planes - No.4 and 5(?).
Rule.
Level.
Drill.
Pozi and straight screwdrivers.

John

Plus:

Mallet
Sharpening system of your choice
Larger saw https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0043YN9BQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Mortice Gauge
Winding sticks

Oh and don't forget a nice sturdy workbench and vice - no, a workmate won't do (hammer)
We need to see a build thread with plenty of pics when you make your bench.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Mr_P]

Don't forget those chisels and plane irons will need sharpening, any suggestions for a cheap sharpening stone guys ?

If you are only doing small stuff, maybe a 3 would be a better choice than a 4 ? I mainly do small stuff and I could probably surive with just one decent block plane, a 60 1/2 perhaps but I'm a bit plane crazy and have far too many ranging from 4" - 22".

Avoid 2nd hand saws on ebay, sharpeing saws is one head ache that you don't need YET.

Biggest problem with beig a newbie is lack of workbench, workmates are ok and stability can be vastily improved if you can attach it to a wall.

 

[AndyT]

It's an obvious question but most of the answers start "it depends..." - on what you plan to make, from what, whether you want only new tools, how much you are willing to spend, which tools you will make for yourself, etc.

Despite the surfeit of online advice, videos etc, I recommend you get a good beginner's book and follow it.

For a very minimal kit, this is roughly what each of us had when I did woodwork at school:

Back saw
1/2" chisel
T square
Ruler
Pencil
Marking knife
Marking gauge
Wooden jack plane
Mallet
Bench hook
Bench
Vice

You will also need a way to sharpen chisels and planes - there are many options here - look at the recent thread on a budget set up for an ok intro.

 

[woodbrains]

It's an obvious question but most of the answers start "it depends..." - on what you plan to make, from what, whether you want only new tools, how much you are willing to spend, which tools you will make for yourself, etc.

Despite the surfeit of online advice, videos etc, I recommend you get a good beginner's book and follow it.

For a very minimal kit, this is roughly what each of us had when I did woodwork at school:

Back saw
1/2" chisel
T square
Ruler
Pencil
Marking knife
Marking gauge
Wooden jack plane
Mallet
Bench hook
Bench
Vice

You will also need a way to sharpen chisels and planes - there are many options here - look at the recent thread on a budget set up for an ok intro.

Hello,

That list is about spot on, but we might cheat a bit to keep the list at 10 and add some necessities.

I would drop the marking knife and add some sort of drill, we can't make much without being able drill holes. A properly sharpened pencil will do most jobs encounterd and a knife added much later if super precision is needed when you get the bug.

I would suggest substituting the wooden plane for a reasonable iron one. Ease of use is going to be beneficial for a starting woodworker and old wooden planes are not easy to come by in good nick and not easy to learn to adjust for newbies.

The bench and vice I would count as one item to leave a space for another tool, is something to sharpen with. A Norton India combination stone for a start and I would add a finer one myself, too and still count it as one item!

I think Andy means try square, I would make that a combination square if possible.

Could we lose the bench hook and make that something to make as a first project to leave room for some drills?

I do woodwork in school and design projects for the students to make with mostly those tools.

Mike.

 

[AndyT]

Mike, you're right about the try square. I agree about the knife too - but surely, everyone already has a Stanley knife, a little penknife or a kitchen knife that could be adapted!

Yes too on the plane front - a beginner only needs one, and my first one was a Stanley no 4.

And by including the bench hook, I definitely meant it as something to make - three bits of scrap and four nails would do, if I had included a hammer... :?

 

[Fitzroy]

Not long into woodwork myself, but I've found a knife priceless, I just couldn't get the accuracy with a pencil line, rightly or wrongly I use 99p disposable craft knives to mark with. Not really about pencil v knife, but a point that some extra tools may not impact your budget much. I would also say though that the tools you own have to go hand in hand with the way you work. I expect if I was formally taught I'd use different tools, for example I don't own a bench hook or a proper bench or a vice, I've learnt to make do with clamps on/in/around/through the worktop in my old shed. It's hideous and not to be recommended, but that's where a make do attitude will take you.

F.

Ps I bang my chisels with a claw hammer...... runs for cover.

 

[woodbrains]

Mike, you're right about the try square. I agree about the knife too - but surely, everyone already has a Stanley knife, a little penknife or a kitchen knife that could be adapted!

Yes too on the plane front - a beginner only needs one, and my first one was a Stanley no 4.

And by including the bench hook, I definitely meant it as something to make - three bits of scrap and four nails would do, if I had included a hammer... :?

Hello,

OK keep the knife but still keep it off the list if you just happen to have one in the drawer. Does that make room on the list for another tool then?

Mike.

 

[Jacob]

This is the tried and tested C&G Tops kit list given at end of course:

Toolbox - made week 5
5 1/2 Record jack plane
Good quality Sanderson & Kayser saws:
26" hand saw 6tpi
22" panel saw 10tpi
14" tenon saw 14tpi
3no Marples firmer chisels 1" 3/4" 1/2"
Rabone Combination square
Whitehill 16oz claw hammer
Nail pullers (Footprint?)
sliding bevel (poor quality)
double sided oil stone - box made week 6
big screwdriver
small screwdriver
2 ft boxwood rule
nail punch
brace & bit (one 32mm bit for yale locks
mallet
S&J carpenters axe
marking gauge
bradawl
brass face marples spirit level
plumb bob

Youy'd omit the boxwood rule and add a tape measure

you'd need to add two bench hooks

 

[morfa]

I'm brand new to woodworking and I'm currently spending many hours watching how-to youtube videos and walking around in Axminster like a lost child. I don't have the space to create any kind of workshop as I live in a small terraced house in the city, but next summer we will probably be moving, so having a workspace is high on the list of 'must haves'.

So my question really is, what would you say, in order of priority, are the top hand tools you would recommend for a beginner? At the moment I'm making small things, but at some point I want to make our new dining room table.

I suspect there may be a thread somewhere that covers this, so apologies if I've missed it.

Thanks for you help, I really appreciate it.

Squibb

Firstly, I live in Bridgend, if you want to come over to mine one evening and I'll talk you through all my hand tools. I don't have any machines at all.

Secondly, here's my list of ideas:

This 'what tools should I buy question' comes up a lot, so I'm just going to copy and paste my list from before:

Second hand tools are the way to go. For hand tools, they're a fraction of the price and equivalent quality to the fancy stuff. You will have to learn to fettle & sharpen your hand tools anyway, so you might as well start with second hand stuff. Doesn't matter if you make mistakes.

As an example a 2nd hand Record or Stanley no4 can be had for £20 off ebay, a Quangsheng (chinese rip-off) will cost you £120 and a Lie Nielsen will cost you £270. You could get most of the planes you need for the cost of one Lie Nielsen plane. So far all the second hand planes I've bought have been working out of the box. Ditto saws. A couple of sensible ebay purchases will net you some decent saws, while new saws will cost you £100s.

Chisels are a bit more hit and miss second hand, there's a lot of heavily abused chisels out there. But modern chisels are generally ok and there's no need to spend a fortune. A decent new oilstone isn't expensive either. Second hand marking tools are all fine as well, you can buy what you need for small amounts of money compared to spending huge amounts for new stuff.

I will second the recommendations to buy:

The Essential Woodworker by Robert Wearing & The Anarchists Toolchest by Chris Schwartz - https://www.classichandtools.com/acatal ... Press.html

I could give you a rough list, but those two books say it all and much better than I will. Buy them, you don't be disappointed.

As you don't say if you have a workbench, I'm going to assume you don't and say that it's a very important tool to have. Here are a couple of guides on building a standard 'British' workbench.

GS Haydon (of this parish) - http://gshaydon.co.uk/blog/the-workbench-build-begins - posts start there but you'll have to hunt the rest of them down...

Paul Sellers video guide - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD39949332C7FB168

and his blog posts - http://paulsellers.com/2012/06/making-your-workbench/

And this guide as well - http://picnicpark.org/keith/woodworking ... nch-ne.pdf

And this post of mine has lots of useful links in it:

post736527.html#p736527

 

[AndyT]

This is the tried and tested C&G Tops kit list given at end of course:

Toolbox - made week 5
5 1/2 Record jack plane
Good quality Sanderson & Kayser saws:
26" hand saw 6tpi
22" panel saw 10tpi
14" tenon saw 14tpi
3no Marples firmer chisels 1" 3/4" 1/2"
Rabone Combination square
Whitehill 16oz claw hammer
Nail pullers (Footprint?)
sliding bevel (poor quality)
double sided oil stone - box made week 6
big screwdriver
small screwdriver
2 ft boxwood rule
nail punch
brace & bit (one 32mm bit for yale locks
mallet
S&J carpenters axe
marking gauge
bradawl
brass face marples spirit level
plumb bob

Youy'd omit the boxwood rule and add a tape measure

you'd need to add two bench hooks

That's another good list but it does rather prove the point that the work you do influences the tools you need - if you don't need to fit Yale locks you won't need a bit to make holes for them. Many joiners manage without an axe - which is no doubt useful for those who do use them. Same thing with the nail pullers - I spent yesterday helping a friend lift a floor, but somehow we managed the job without a special nail puller. (We did have two crowbars, two claw hammers and some 12" pincers, which all helped...)

 

[Squibb]

Wow - what a response. I went to lay some tiles and hoped someone might have chipped in, but you guys have gone to town! Thank you so much.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Welcome to the forum, Squibb; and welcome to woodworking! It can be a slow skill to learn, and frustrating at times, but with a bit of stickability it can also be very rewarding.

I won't give a list of tools, but I will offer a couple of thoughts. Firstly, if you can take up Morfa's generous offer of a chat, I think you'll find it very well worthwhile. I also agree wholeheartedly with his suggestion to buy copies of 'The Anarchist's Tool Chest' (don't worry - it has absolutely nothing to do with extreme politics!) and 'The Essential Woodworker'.

The second thought is to relate a mistake I made in my early years - buying tools because I thought I'd need them at some point. I have a reasonable set of tools I use frequently, a few I use occasionally - and quite a number I've barely ever used, including a couple I've never used at all. I suspect I'm not the only one! From bitter experience - buy tools when you find you need them, not because you think you might. The fewer you have, the easier they are to store, the less you have to maintain, and the more familiar you become with each tool you DO use. Unless, of course, you feel like starting a collection!

 

[Andy Kev.]

6" combination square
marking knife
Veritas marking gauge
longish straight edge
low angle jack or No 5 jack plane
low angle block plane
crosscut and rip cut back saws
sharpening guide (splash out on the Lie Neilsen if you can afford it)
chisels (3/8, 1/2, 3/4)
plough plane (because you can do small rebates with it as well as grooves)

You might also want to consider whether you will be principally imperial or metric. Imperial is good because you are immediately in harmony with the vast second hand market and I personally find it more sensible because it seems natural to think in halves, quarters and eighths. I'd second Cheshire Chappie's book recommendations. Chris Schwarz's DVD on building a Shaker side table covers a lot of very useful ground too.

 

[knockknock]

Limiting to ten:

1) knife
2) 14 tpi back saw
3) 8 tpi panel saw
4) 1/4" chisel
5) 1/2" chisel
6) 1" chisel
7) smoothing plane (pick one: #3, #4, or #5)
8) sharpening stone
9) honing compound
10) combination square

Borrow a pencil from somewhere else in the house (so it doesn't count).

You can make or improvise most other things, for example:

strop
mallet
bench
wedge clamps
straight edge
rabbet/groove plane with chisel as blade

 

[Jacob]

I see marking knife features a lot in these suggestions. Personally I think that's a mistake.

They aren't really for marking they are for cutting those few marks which need cutting - particularly the shoulder line of DTs and sometimes the shoulders of tenons. If you haven't got one the corner of a chisel will do.

For marking you need pencils; 2B for use on rough timber, HB in general, 2H for precise marking. Real pencils are best, not clutch pencils. If you buy a different brand for each size you can have them colour coded too!

Trying to use a knife for general marking is really problematic, not least because you can't rub out or alter the marks.
The exception of course is if you actually want an indelible mark - I've got a theory that in some shops a senior worker would put on marks from the rod, with a knife or a scribe, so that the bench hand could then follow these with pencil without being responsible for the accuracy. I've seen old stuff marked up like this; knife on one face, pencil on the other three, and thats the only explanation I could come up with!
NB a scribe is much easier to use than a knife.

 

[AndyT]

I included it for the purpose we were taught at school - making a cross grain cut which was then deepened (with a chisel) to make a little groove where the saw can run, kept in place by the cut edge. An old technique much used by Paul Sellers in his YouTube videos. It's useful, as you say, for precise cuts such as tenon shoulders. Also for housings, but for a beginner, useful for accurate cutting to length in general.

Only the top surface needs the knifed line. The front and back verticals are a visual guide to check that the saw is cutting straight. The underneath line is a check that your marking lines all join up.