Tools for Woodwork What hand and power tools does the serious beginner need? Here’s our best list. When setting up shop, probably the the last plane to touch the work before last place you should search for the scrapers or sandpaper. A 10"-long plane tools you need is in a tool catalog. The is a typical size. 1 3 catalogs and supply stores are clogged 15. Firmer chisels, ⁄4" and ⁄4": with an array of tools, jigs and other These were once common tools with- equipment that all look absolutely out the beveled edges that are common essential. in catalogs today. Truth is, most of those tools are 18. Warrington hammer: These essential, but just not for every shop small hammers have a cross-pane on and every woodworker. The core list one end for starting brad nails. Very of tools you need to build furniture is handy and still available. actually pretty small. 21. Mallet, 5" head. For driving We set out to develop our own list of chisels. Beech is the preferred wood. “must-have” tools for a shop that blends 20. Nail punch, fine: A small tool hand and power tools, but we quickly for setting nail heads below the wood’s discovered that someone had already surface with a few short blows. done the job for us – and done it well. What’s inside your tool cabinet? And what should 22. Pincers: A handy tool for pull- The late Charles H. Hayward was a be? Here’s our list of what belongs in a beginning ing errant nails. 20th-century woodworking writer who had been woodworker’s tool kit. 23. and 24. Screwdrivers, 8" and 3": Tradition- traditionally trained in professional English shops ally, these would be straight drivers. You’ll also when both hand and power tools were common. need Phillips, square-drive and others. Hayward wrote many classics, including “Wood- that book is a “suggested kit for the man taking 25. Cutting gauge: A marking tool with a knife work Joints,” “Cabinetmaking for Beginners” and up woodwork seriously.” We’ve decided to print for making its mark (instead of a pin). “English Period Furniture.” He also was the editor his basic list and illustration (at right) with our 28. Ratcheting brace, 8": Still useful, even in of England’s Woodworker Magazine. commentary following each entry. Plus, we’ve a power-tool shop. 3 All of his books are out of print, though they included a list of what we consider to be the essen- 29. Auger bit, ⁄8". 3 are easy to find used on the Internet. tial and recommended power tools. 30. Twist or brad-point bit, ⁄16". One of Hayward’s best books, “Tools for 31. Countersink bit. 3 Woodwork,” explains how to use most basic hand The Preliminary Tool Kit 32. Center bit, ⁄4": A bit for making flat-bot- tools and hand-held power tools. At the back of These are the hand tools Hayward says you should tomed holes. Now Forstners are the standard. purchase before you cut your first stick of wood. 33. Brad awl: Designed to start holes for nails The numbers before each entry correspond with and small screws. the numbers in the illustration. 34. Try square, 6". The Necessary 1. Crosscut handsaw, 22": This is technically 41. Card scraper: This tool cleans up tear-out Power Equipment a panel saw. It is useful for breaking down large left by the smoothing plane. In addition to that list of hand tools, we planks you before flatten them. 42. Oilstone: Buy one with coarse and fine think the well-equipped shop should start 2. Backsaw, 10": Presumably a carcase saw and grits. Waterstones are now common. with these pieces of power equipment. filed crosscut, this tool will make your finishing 43. Folding rule: Or a tape measure. ■ 10" table saw cuts and is typically used with the bench hook. ■ 8" jointer 3. Dovetail saw, 8": We prefer a 15-point saw Useful Additional Tools ■ 12" benchtop planer that is filed for ripping cuts. The following tools should be added to your kit 1 7. Jack plane: Hayward seems to prefer this as you encounter a need for them when building ■ ⁄2" drill ■ Random-orbit sander plane for processing rough lumber. A 14"-long individual projects. ■ Drill press or hollow-chisel mortiser plane is typical. 4. Bow saw, 12": This saw is useful for deep ■ Jigsaw or band saw 8. Fore plane: Hayward seems to prefer this and curved cuts. ■ Two-base router kit (2hp) size plane (about 18") for shooting the edges of 53. Keyhole saw: Used for fine work, particu- ■ 10" miter saw boards instead of a jointer plane. larly keyholes. These days one with a Japanese 9. Smoothing plane: The smoothing plane is tooth pattern are more common and useful. 28 ■ woodworking magazine Autumn 2008 ayward H. H H. harles C by ” oodwork W for ools “T from 54: Coping saw: Useful for clearing out waste between dovetails and shallow curved cuts. llustration 11. Bullnose plane: A now-uncommon tool I 1 1 for cleaning up rabbets. 29. Auger bits, ⁄4" and ⁄2". 56. Shoulder plane: A useful tool for trimming 32. Center bits, 1" or as required: Again, sub- He called them “appliances”; we call them “very the cheeks and shoulders of tenons. stitute Forstners. Buy them as you need them. useful.” 55. Compass plane: If you do circular work, 47. Sash clamps, 36": Begin with one pair and 5. Miter block: A sawing device used to help this plane is helpful. Others never need it. purchase as needed. cut small miters. 12. Rabbet plane: For the woodworker who 49. C-clamps: A modern equivalent would 6. Miter box: A more complex and accurate prefers to cut rabbets by hand. also be F-style clamps. device for cutting miters in mouldings. 13. Toothing plane: A useful plane for rough- 48. Handscrews: Useful for all sorts of tapered 14. Shooting board, 36" long: An appliance ing up surfaces prior to veneering. and odd workholding needs. used to plane the long edges of boards true. 10. Plow plane: A useful hand tool for making 35. Try square or combination square, 12". 39. Straightedge: Make as many as you need; grooves and small rabbets. Not found in a typical 37. Miter square: Useful for laying out and they’re wood. power-tool shop. checking mitered work. 36. Square, 24": Useful for laying out joinery 1 1 15. Firmer chisels, ⁄8" and ⁄2". 38. Sliding bevel, 8": For marking and mea- full-scale on cabinet sides. 1 16. Paring chisel, 1 ⁄2": Useful for a wide vari- suring angles other than 90°. 40. Winding sticks: Two identically sized, ety of fine cuts. Beveled edges are typical. 45. Gouge: A large tool for removing large straight sticks used to check boards for twisting 5 17. Mortise chisels, ⁄16": If you work with amounts of wood quickly – not a carving tool. and cupping. machine-processed stock, you’ll probably want 58. Surform tool: It looks like a cheese grater 42. Oilstone case. 1 a ⁄4" tool instead. and is used for shaping curved and compound 50. Veneering hammer: This tool presses 19. Patternmaker’s hammer: Like the War- work, such as cabriole legs. veneer against its substrate. rington next to it, but smaller. 57. Router plane: Used to trim tenon cheeks, 46. Bench hook: An essential appliance for 26. Marking gauge: A gauge with a pin used deepen grooves and to cut hinge mortises. accurate crosscuts with a handsaw. for marking across and with the grain. 61. Dividers: Basic tools that step off dovetails 59. Scratch stock: A small tool with homemade 27. Mortise gauge: A marking gauge with or other joinery. cutters filed to cut small shapes, such as beads. two cutters to mark the two walls of a mortise 60. Miter template: An appliance clamped simultaneously. Homemade Tools and Jigs to your work that allows you to chisel accurate 44. Spokeshave, wood body: Useful for curved Hayward also showed several homemade devices miters. WM shapes in easy-to-cut woods. that make your hand tools work more accurately. — Christopher Schwarz woodworking-magazine.com ■ 29.