Top products from r/handtools

I'm new to hand tools after growing up building rough construction around a farm with power tools. So it's a challenge for me to translate my thoughts over to hand tools as well. I was recently in a hand tool workshop and asked the instructor if I could just go rip something on the table saw real quick then continue with cutting the joinery. I got a dissapointed head shake from the instructor followed by a quick lesson on ripping to the line with a sharp D8 and understanding that the ripped edge didn't need to be perfectly square for what we were doing.

With practice I'm getting better at thinking through how to accomplish tasks with hand tools, but it takes time. Every time I encounter a new mental block I learn a new way to overcome it.

If YouTube is your preferred way of digesting infromation check out Wood by Wright. If you like RWW you'll definitely like James Wright. And of course Paul Sellers and Frank Klaus are must watch material.

For me, my local library and the woodworking guild I'm a member at both have a ton of woodworking books.

There are tons of great detailed plans in them. I've been renting books then scanning the plans I'm most interested in to keep a little archive for myself.

Of the hand tool focused books I've gone through so far all of Christopher Schwarz's books are great (more books from his and his publishing company). I also really love The New Traditional Woodworker by Jim Tolpin. It's fantastic for shop project plans and also succinctly describing what tools are necessary/recommended in a hand tool shop. He simplifies things a bit more than Christopher Schwarz, which is actually kind of nice. His Toolbox Book is pretty fantastic as well for ideas and plans. After how much I've enjoyed these two books I'm definitely going to check out more of his stuff.

I also bought a book on making canoe paddles that describes how to make them with power tools, modern hand tools, or 3 simple hand tools in the Native American tradition. I'm definitely finding that the more specific the subject of the book the more detailed the instructions are.

I've been wanting to check out The Minimalist Woodworker and Tom Fidgen's books ASAP, but I have to wait until someone else returns them. Such is the downfall of relying on libraries.

But even when I'm reading books that seem focused on power tools it seems most of the plans in books basically just describe layouts and cuts and maybe suggest ways of making the cuts. With the detailed drawings and explanations you can really just use them as a guide then follow the steps with whatever tools you have. Ie. It will tell you to dovetail the sides of a box and show you a diagram. But you can cut them with a router, table saw, bandsaw, hand tools, cnc machine, or whatever else you can dream up. Most people that write plans understand that hobbyist woodworkers all own different tools and posses different skills. So they leave it open to making cuts however it works for you.

Honestly, even the hand tool based plans and videos were intimidating to me at first. I thought I would need every special chisel, joinery plane, marking tool, saw in every potential set up, etc. before I even got started. Then I went to a couple hand tool workshops and realized I could accomplish most things reasonably well with just a couple chisels, basic saws, and a plane or three. All the extra tools just increase efficiency, accuracy, and maybe give you the ability to make some shapes and designs that look nice, but aren't completely necessary. So it's up to you to adapt a plan to what tools you have available.

I highly recommend seeing if you have access to a source of free or cheap woodworking books near you. Then just look for books written by writers that have a hand tool focus. That way you'll have to do a little less mental conversion from power tool focused instructions over to hand tool use.

Also, for me it's actually nice to have physical copies of plans in front of me. That way I can really dissect the drawings and think them through at my own pace rather than constantly pausing, rewinding, and fast forwarding a video. This is especially helpful when you're having to think through and convert cuts to the tools and skills you posses.

Used this list for a couple posts, its about $200ish in all to get you started. This list uses chisels in lieu of say a router plane for dados and doesn't have an option for grooves but that's later down the road. I've got a big enthusiast list as well if you'd be interested.


> Crosscut/Ripsaw: Irwin Double Sided Pullsaw https://www.amazon.com/IRWIN-Tools-Double-Edge-9-5-Inch-213103/dp/B0001GLEZ8
> Joinery Saw - I think this is the one Japanese saw I own? works okay https://www.amazon.com/Z-saw-Dozuki-Z-Saw/dp/B001DSY7G6/ref=pd_sbs_469_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B001DSY7G6&pd_rd_r=RBVEGF6TKKCZHVCH7WSH&pd_rd_w=16INj&pd_rd_wg=gFI50&psc=1&refRID=RBVEGF6TKKCZHVCH7WSH
> Chisels https://www.amazon.com/Narex-Republic-Woodworking-Chisels-863010/dp/B00GPC74ZQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1499302108&sr=1-1&keywords=narex+chisels
> Marking Gauge https://www.amazon.com/Crown-135-Marking-Gauge-Beech/dp/B00EC9AOZQ/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_469_lp_t_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ZBYMV8TF850C6M5JDGDG
> Bevel Gauge https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XC2NYKS?psc=1
> Mallet - I'd personally make one or buy a used one (of heavier wood, good grain and quality construction.) Amazon has some though. https://www.amazon.com/Narex-gram-Beech-Carving-Mallet/dp/B00L7BQL54/ref=sr_1_11?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1499302341&sr=1-11&keywords=mallet
> Combination square -does the work of several sizes of squares for the price of one - https://www.amazon.com/IRWIN-Combination-Square-Metal-Body-1794469/dp/B005XUHIBG/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1499302407&sr=1-2&keywords=square
> A No 4 or 5 sized plane - I buy old Stanley's/Bailey's because they're great, and usually cheap for bench planes - Flea Market/Antique stores/ebay -$20 ish --- Amazon also sells new (I give no guarantee on quality however) - https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-12-404-Adjustable-2-Inch-Cutter/dp/B000FK3WI2/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1499302507&sr=1-1&keywords=stanley+plane
> "Workbench" - temporary thing to hold pieces while you make dovetails - https://www.amazon.com/WM125-Workmate-350-Pound-Capacity-Portable/dp/B000077CQ0/ref=pd_cart_vw_2_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CA9X21QD5D7QAXKMGE6S
> Woodscrew clamp, used to clamp peice to workbench while chiseling waste - https://www.amazon.com/ATE-Pro-USA-30143-Handscrew/dp/B0006A4A5U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499303583&sr=8-1&keywords=wood+screw+clamp
>
> Other than clamps, glue, mortice gauge, etc, this is good enough to get you started making carcass (dovetailed) pieces of furniture, like a shoe cubby or bookshelf. (Currently making a chimney bookshelf for myself)
>
> Thats around $200 for getting you started. Add a mortise chisel and mortise gauge and you can start mortise and tenon work. Invest in pipe clamps when you reach a glue up point.

I can't comment on the ones in your pic, but I bought the ones above it (you can just barely see the bottom of them) and it was not worth the $10 or whatever I spent. They are softer metal and now essentially garbage for me. I next bought the Stanley Sweetheart 4 piece set for $75 and they are outstanding. (If that's too much for you FWW says these are really good for like $40.) So like I said, can't comment on these but in general, with tools, you pay for what you get. I'd rather spend $75 on something that will last my lifetime than $1 on something that will cost me time to replace, will fail when I need it, doesn't do the job quite as well.

There are definitely some workbenches that are easier to build than others.

With that in mind, Paul Sellers workbench is popular because it’s free on YouTube but it is one of the harder ones to build. I would not start with this bench.

The Naked Woodworker is a solid bench that is much easier.

Chris Schwarz’s workbench book (the blue one is a must read too.

If you decide to do a roubo bench, the top is the hardest part since most of us don’t have access to lumber that big and wide and most laminate lumber together. Instead, look into starting with a glulam beam (not LVL) found in a lumberyard. You can glue 2 @ 2x12 laminated beams to make a 24” wide top. It’ll save some effort for a little more cost.

I got this set (though, I got mine from Lowes - most hardware stores should have them. Heck, even Walmart probably has 'em). They're not great, but they're really impressive for the price. If you use them a lot, you'll probably want better chisels (i.e. the Narex ones everybody has mentioned. Those have been on my shopping list for a while now).

Also make sure you get something to sharpen them with. Chromium oxide paste/bar and a strop is also really helpful for quick touchups (My strop is a scrap of denim glued to a scrap of wood - doesn't have to be fancy). This isn't necessary to start, but it's inexpensive and something to keep in mind.

Stanley Sweethearts - https://smile.amazon.com/Stanley-16-791-Sweetheart-Socket-Chisel/dp/B004TK0IG8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488082816&sr=8-1&keywords=stanley+sweetheart

$82 any day of the week. . . best bang for your buck.

That being said, I use Lie Nielsen chisels and I wouldn't trade them for anything. . . a good set of Japanese chisels would be tempting but they run upwards of $900. . . and they're typically metric.

I own a set of Narex mortising chisels and I've see some of their bench chisels. They are ok. . . but pretty brittle. . . and when I held a Lie-Nielsen mortising chisel I immediately wanted to sell my Narex set for just that one chisel. . . however, they're not very easy to sell since they are so cheap to begin with. . . so I'll just save up.

These are solid: https://www.amazon.com/Bessey-KR3-550-50-Inch-Parallel-2-Pack/dp/B001HSO6TU/ref=sr_1_50?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1519866448&sr=1-50&keywords=bar+clamps

You've probably heard the first law of clamps is that you can never have too many clamps.

The corollary to that is you can never have too many bar clamps of exactly the same model and dimensions because it is a massive pain to try to get panels aligned for glue-up when you you have two or more different sizes of clamps sitting at different heights from the workbench.

For light duty, I love these: https://www.amazon.com/IRWINQUICK-GRIPOne-Handed-Mini-Clamp-Pack-1964745/dp/B001NP9S7M/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1519866799&sr=1-4&keywords=irwin+quick+grip. Super fast and easy to apply even one-handed.

I made the mistake of buying a lot of this style clamp when I was starting out: https://www.amazon.com/Bessey-GSCC2-524-2-5-Inch-24-Inch-Economy/dp/B000FA0BMC/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1519866845&sr=1-4&keywords=bar+clamp

When you use them to span more than a couple of feet, they bow and that throws the jaws out of square with the work-piece. I eventually just threw them away.

Oh - I have never used these, but I've fiddled with them at the store and they seem solid and a bit better than pipe clamps: http://www.rockler.com/surefoot-aluminum-bar-clamps

theyre OK but not great. I still use one of the larger ones (2") since I haven't found a decent old one yet.

at 9-10 bucks each; you are better getting a set like these. https://www.amazon.com/Narex-Republic-Woodworking-Chisels-863010/dp/B00GPC74ZQ

I got mine by picking up 1-2 vintage ones at a time from ebay

I actually don't really care of the finer dmt diamond stones or the ez lap stones. I gave my ezlaps to a friend and bought the combo dmts.

I use the course on the duo sharp course/extra course dmt

And a 1000 grit shapton

Finally a strop with the green compound

Blade is razer sharp in < 30s if there's no major nicks in the blade. Major nicks mean going to the extra course and grinding it out for a few minutes first.

Every other system I tried just didn't work as well or as fast. The shapton just seems so much faster than the finer diamond stones.

Yep—that's the one. I use the same one and love it.

You are orders of magnitude better off with the 4 piece Narex set for the same money. Irwin cheapened up those marples. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GPC74ZQ/ref=psdc_553148_t1_B000RG2Y56

> These are solid: https://www.amazon.com/Bessey-KR3-550-50-Inch-Parallel-2-Pack/dp/B001HSO6TU/ref=sr_1_50?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1519866448&sr=1-50&keywords=bar+clamps

$130!?!!

I'll stick with my $20 pipe clamps.

Diamond Machining Technology (DMT) makes 8" x 3" plates (example). Other companies do also (example). These are just wide enough for a #7 and #8 blade, I believe. But they are not cheap.

There are a couple of books on making your own tools.

I'd advise against using the regular 3D printing materials (I'm thinking ABS and PLA) for this. I simply wouldn't trust them to withstand the abuse these tools are made to deal with.

The books I mentioned go into detail about how to make your own tools out of wood. Tools such as handplanes. Also, Matthias Wandel has a couple of machines made DIY style, but very professionally done. He sells the plans for these on his website.

Books:


Tool Making Projects for Joinery & Woodworking: A Yankee Craftsman's Practical Methods

Making Hand Tools

Maby get a machine shop/machinest to creat a tapered adapter? 1/2 straight with a flat spot and a common chuck male taper such as J6 or JT33. Potentally you could reach out to another youtuber that does metalwork? Edit these exist already
Adapter

Chuck

Okay... Yeah, they each have their place. I've got lots of F clamps too... Got most of them from Amazon. I have several sizes of these (be sure to get Heavy Duty): Jorgensen 3724-HD 24-Inch Heavy-Duty Steel Bar Clamp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005R1HY ... Search the same name as that... Seems that listing is old.

HD sells these same clamps under the Bessey brand. Lowes has them too. Woodcraft and Rockler will also have them (is start at one of those if you have one in your city). Just be sure to get the thicker heavy duty ones. When you look at specs, the clamp pressure is listed. If there are multiple, get the higher one. Small sizes are all lower pressure but the larger ones come in light and heavy duty styles.

All the brands are exactly the same at the heavy duty higher price point. The only difference will be color. The only differentiator will be handle quality (sometimes) but those are replaceable.

You may.

This Stanley or because I'm left-handed this bad boy which also comes in a right hand variant.

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-12-313-Bench-Plane-Replacement/dp/B00002X1ZE here's a brand new Stanley brand one for a no 5. Or if you wanted to upgrade your plane I'd look at these http://www.hocktools.com/products/bp.html

All the crappy farm tables and diy projects on r/woodworking a your post gets removed, wtf.

I have a rikon half speed 1850 rpm 8" grinder with a 80 grit CBN cubic boron nitride wheel and a veritas tool rest. Shapton ceramic 320, 1000, 5000, 12000 stones. A 36"x6" 3 cm thick piece of granite and use adhesive backed sandpaper rolls. I wax the granite to allow the paper to come off the granite easily.

grinder

cbn wheel


tool rest

stones

320 g

1000 g

5000 g

12000

sand paper