beginner hand tool woodworking

or, huh huh huh, "wood"

beavis and butt-head saying 'wood'

you will need:

  • a hand saw (hardware store saw is fine)
  • a hand plane (I started with a low-angle jack plane and this is a good all-purpose plane)
  • some chisels (1", 3/4", 1/4" to start)
  • a combo square
  • a brace and a couple of bits, ideally (1", 3/4", 1/4" bits - you can get by with a cordless drill for a lot of things, but some of the larger holes you'll be boring will not work very well with your run-of-the-mill cordless drill)
  • a pocket knife or marking knife
  • a pencil
  • some kind of sharpening system (cheap diamond stones from amazon and a leather strop with the green stropping compound will work fine and is pretty cheap)
  • something to work on

if you have the cash, handtoolschool.net is a great place to start and has a guided curriculum and forums that are invaluable in learning your way around. this is how I started and it has been worth the money. if you don't have a lot of cash to throw around, Rex Krueger (youtubeoffsite link, web siteoffsite link) is a great resource. honestly, he's a great resource anyway, and will help you cut through the bullshit around what you actually need and what you don't.

tips:

  • you do not have to spend a ton of money to get started, but you will have to spend at least one (probably two) of these three things: 1) money 2) time 3) energy