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Tool List

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The Hand Tool SchoolI get a lot of questions about what tools are needed to get started in The Hand Tool School.  I tried very hard to keep the list short as I want to teach fundamental skills and wean away the reliance on specialty planes and such to only do one job.  That is not to say that these tools do not have a place in our shops, but learning to cut a joint with saw and chisels forces you to improve your fundamental tool skills.  That being said here is my recommended list for the first semester:

PlanesLee Valley Bevel Up Smoother

  • Scrub Plane: this is your thickness planer.  The English Fore plane would also suffice, or even a Jack plane, but the smaller footprint of the scrub can be double to quickly plane a board to width as well as thickness.
  • Jointer Plane: this is used to flatten and true your boards.  For most furniture projects the 22-24″ sole length is a must.  Shorter versions could be used but I think you will get the best results with a longer plane unless you are only building small projects.
  • Smoothing Plane: this is your sandpaper.  The smoother should be set to take a very thin shaving and have a dead flat sole with a tight mouth.  I frequently use my Veritas Bevel up smoother because I can change blades to handle figured wood or straight grained woods without tearout.  At the same time I often use a small wooden coffin shaped smoother as a general usage plane.  Because of it’s small size it can almost replace a block plane.
  • Router Plane: this is the only joinery plane in the list, but I recommend it because it is so versatile.  The jobs that the router does could be accomplished with only a saw and chisel but the router plane will add consistency and repeatability to your rabbets, dados, tenons, and half laps.

Panel Saw, CrosscutSaws

  • Rip Hand Saw: a 26″ 5 ppi hand saw will make quick work of all your ripping chores.  The pitch is set low enough that the saw will cut fast but not leave the cleanest of cuts.  You will be cleaning and trying those edges with a plane anyway.
  • Crosscut Hand Saw: a 26″ 8 ppi saw that will allow you to quickly cut your rough stock down to size.  Finalized lengths will be achieved with a hand plane.
  • Tenon Saw: I prefer a larger saw for greater depth of cut as well as greater balance. I recommend an 18″ saw with a depth of cut at least 3.5″ or more. The filing should be around 10 ppi.
  • Carcass Saw: this will do all of your final dimensioning and bench top cutting for joinery.  A 12-14″ saw with 12 ppi crosscut filed teeth will suffice.
  • Dovetail Saw: this is your fine work saw.  Primarily used for dovetails but also high efficient for small notches  and any smaller cuts.  Rip filed teeth at 14-18 ppi is great but move towards the lower end for a more general usage saw.

Lie Nielsen Bevel Edge ChiselChisels

  • 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, & 1/2 Bench Chisels:  These are the shop workhorses and the sizes I reach for time and again.  They should be sharpened for general use in the 30 degree bevel area.
  • 1.5 to 2″ wide Paring Chisel:  A wide chisel is so useful for defining edges of joints, paring away waste from the saw, or general chamfering work.  This chisel rarely leaves my hand while at the bench.
  • Mallet: I prefer the round carving style mallet, but the typical square faced cabinetmaker’s mallet will work well too.
Brace and Bits, woodworking

Brace and Bits

Drilling

  • 10″ Swing Brace: this will handle just about all your drilling chores from 1/4 up to and exceeding 2″ wide bits.  The majority of drilling done in the first semester will be for peg holes and mortises
  • 1/4 & 3/8″ Jennings Pattern Bits: these two sizes will take care of 90% of the mortise work as well as pegs and drawbore holes.

Woodworking Marking Tools

Marking

  • Wheel Marking Gauge: I recommend having two of these as most joinery tasks require several settings and being able to set your gauge and leave it for consistency throughout the process
  • Bevel Gauge: used for anything other than a 90 degree angle.  We will layout our dovetails with this.
  • Square: a top quality square is a must for proper layout and trying of lumber
  • Marking Knife: use this instead of a pencil for air tight joints.  I like the spear point knives with one flat face.
  • Dividers: a useful tool for laying out equal distances or spacing elements evenly across a board.

With this kit of tools, the woodworker can build just about anything with straight lines.  Curves add another style of saws and a selection of rasps and files or shaves, but for the first semester we will stick to the straigth lined stuff.  For that matter, not all of these tools will be needed at the outset so the beginner can add to their kit as they go along.  We start with sawing and milling so one could start easily with the 3 bench planes and the 2 larger handsaws.

Throughout the semester I will highlight different ways to approach operations using tools not on the list but will always demonstrate the fundamental way to do it using only these tools.

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Mario

I am really thinking of joining your school. Like most woodworkers, I like lists. I think this list is a great. I kind of wish you had links to some of the tools. I wouldn’t mind if they were affiliate links. But, I understand your decision. Best of luck to you.

    Shannon

    I can understand Mario, but with so many great tools available as well as so many of the good hand tools being vintage models it is hard to provide any consistency. In the school I try to get people past the tools as fast as possible and on to techniques. NIce tools are great, but you can cut tight joinery with cheap stuff too. I have been recommending lately that those who do not have a bunch of tools already sign up and watch some of the lessons before making any purchases because there are too many options to consider when buying tools if you don’t have some concept of what to look for as it relates to actual furniture making. I would hate for someone to spend a bunch on tools only to figure out later that they don’t enjoy milling by hand and only want to cut joinery by hand.

      Mario

      Hey, Shannon,
      Thank you so much for responding. I understand.

      I am having trouble sourcing 26″ hand saws. Bad Axe doesn’t sell them and Lie-Nielson sells a 20″ model. What companies make them?

        Shannon

        First Bad Axe will be making them very soon. So will Lie Nielsen. In the meantime, Wenzloff, Medallion Toolworks, Pax, and Adria all make hand saws (24″ and greater). I have often bought used refurbished saws from Bad Axe too. You have to be quick on these and it is a good idea to follow their Facebook page to get the early announcements.

Oscar

What do you think about japanese saws? for a newbie it seems like a good deal not breaking the bank.

    Shannon

    Personally I don’t use them but there are several members who do. The principles of sawing are still the same. Sure that is a valid way to start. You may even decide to stay with Japanese saws.

Chris

What do you recommend as a bench to start Semester 1? I have a Workmate as per the I Can Do That folks from PWW but it sucks for handtools. Thoughts?

C

    Shannon

    Chris, any flat surface will do as long as you are allowed to use it and possibly beat it up. I won’t lie, having a massive Roubo or Nicholson style bench is great but don’t let that slow your entry to hand tools. The Workmate could be an option but it is a bit light weight and maybe too small for any sizable project. However if you screw it down to a sheet of 4×8 ply then stand on the ply while working you will add your own body weight to the stability and it will go a long way to firming it up. Employ some handy working aids like bench hooks, project #3 in Semester 1, and build a sawbench (project #2 in Semester 1) for work like chopping mortises and boring holes and you will be set. I did a video on this topic here and it should help put things in perspective a bit. There is nothing wrong with building a bench and it can be a nice project to learn on, but don’t let it get in the way of other projects if that is what excites you.

Bob

Do you have a ball park figure of what it would cost to assemble your ‘starter tool kit’ assuming all new items?
Thanks

    Shannon

    That’s not easy to answer Bob because not all of it can be found new. The full size saws just aren’t available from new makers in a quality that I would recommend. However I think you could get the whole kit between 1000 and 2000. Much less if you buy more vintage tools and refurb them. All of this is a moot point though as I do NOT recommend that anyone buy these tools all at once. In fact several of these can be cut from the list while others serve double and triple duty. Most importantly though, I would rather someone buy only the tools needed per lesson and work through that way because invariably one will discover they like one aspect more than another and may choose to only use hand tools for the joinery aspect instead of milling. Then you end up with a bunch of tools you may never use. In the end it is always better to buy a tool when you need it instead for a time in the future when you think you will need it.