moving to rental: hand tool focus?

Usually when people ask a variation of this question, a few things come to mind for me: What do you want to make? What hand tools do you own? You answered the second question. 

This also comes to mind:

https://thekrenovschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Tool-list.pdf

Life is short, and it’s supposed to be a fun hobby. So it might be nice to have a little bandsaw. Jigsaw is nice. Skillsaw is perfectly fine. You can do without those obviously. 

Most people, myself included, have way too many tools. 

Good luck on your adventure!

Hi Gary,
The first thing that comes to my mind is to locate and join a local wood working club in your new area.  They can be a valuable resource for the questions you ask, plus many more such as recommended lumber sources.  Good luck.
  Ron

I agree that a complete list will depend on what you want to make. But assuming you are after furniture sized work I would add to your beginning list:

A 240 mm Japanese ryouba saw, one of those double sided jobs with replaceable blades. That size is generally useful and has both the rip and crosscut teeth. Any brand is fine.

A 4" combination square. Lee Valley or similar. Mine rarely leaves my hand.

An accurate ruler or two. I most use a 6" and an 18".

I'd add a longer plane, like a #5 or #6, for jointing.

Good luck!

Handtool work, using a sawhorse and plywood?  The first thing to add to the list is a robust work bench.  It'll be difficult to keep your work steady using sawhorses and plywood.

I forgot to mention, don’t discount the good ol Workmate, especially if the work you do is on the small side. Yes, wobbly, but usable.

I have often suggested the Krenov tool list.  One thing to keep in mind is that he had all the basic power tools:  TS, Jointer/planer, Bandsaw/resaw, mortiser, horizontal drill, etc...  Both in his small shop, and at the college.  There was no artificial division between being a neanderthal, or power tool user.

It is also highly logical to ask what you want to make.  But if you don't have such a list, ask whether there is something you could be satisfied with making and that operates at a smaller scale, like making Ukuleles, or even guitars.

For an exclusively hand tool practice, nothing is more important that a fully functional workbench. It is key to productivity, accuracy, and safety.  It also allows you to progress in hand tool work without learning habits that are not the best.  After hundreds of books on benches, there aren't many stones left unturned.  A really good bench does not need to be complicated.  If budget is not the issue, I would get an excellent vise.  A lot of work does not require one, but the more limited one, but everything else does.  I have a Tucker vise on my workbench, and I would estimate that 90% of my work is done in it.  Many complicated workbenches are nothing more than two sawhorses and a beam.  They don't have to take more than an afternoon to make.  If possible use the tools you still have access to, to rough out a kit for one.

Hi Gary

I would be putting together a composite of power- and hand tools.

On the power side, it would start with a track saw and MFT (multifunction table). If solid enough, the MFT can double as a bench for hand tools. Add a track hinge and you will have a great way of ripping and crosscutting. Here is a MFT I built around a 20-year old Festool track saw (cheap), a Makita 800mm long track (much cheaper than a Festool track, and essentially the same), and a shop made aluminium hinge ...


Link for more details: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Powered%20Tools%20and%20Machinery/MFTRailHingeFenceMk2.html

The other power tool I would get is a trim router (inexpensive, easy to use, and oh so useful). Here making sliding dovetails ...



The most used hand tools include ...

1. the three core planes: jack (Stanley #5), smoother (Stanley #4, lots of alternatives), and jointer (Stanley #7 or equivalent, Veritas BU Jointer). The Veritas LA Jack makes for a great all-rounder (short jointer, long smoother, shooting plane).

2. Block plane. My favourite in the full sized versions are the Veritas DX60 or the LN 60 1/2. Alternately, a smaller block plane is the LN 102.

3. Veritas Large Router Plane.

4. Veritas Medium Shoulder Plane (or LN equivalent). This is not really for shoulders of tenons, but especially for tuning or making rebates.

5. Must have a rebate plane (Veritas Skew Rabbet Plane or Stanley #78) and a plough plane for grooving (Veritas Small Plow is the gold standard). 

6. Bench chisels. My travel set runs from 1/8" through to 1".  

7. Two backsaws: 10" dovetail and 14" tenon.

8. Squares: 12" combination square (general marking) and 4" double square (joinery). Starrett is the best.

9. Marking knife

10 Two cutting/wheel gauges (Tite Mark or Veritas).

11. 3m tape measure (rough laying out).

12. Sharpening gear. This can be as simple as a couple of stones, oil or water. May include a guide. Bench grinder if you hollow grind (my preference) - if so, 6" for cost saving, 8" better. Get one 180 grit CBN wheel. 

Regards from Perth

Derek

A bench is your biggest aid. I was shocked by the cost of living in the South vs. NW where I am. so you could sketch out a bench and have someone bolt one together for you. The key for hand tool work is solid and heavy. Really heavy. A Roubo design is ideal but make it a break-down portable so you can move the thing. Recycled lumber is your friend. I paid $20 for a 6-foot 6" x 13" glulam top. 

Finding wood is an adventure. Craig's List was my source, as well as for the boutique stores at about 4x the cost. 

You might consider buying tools based on individual project needs. I rework/redesign joints to suit my equipment. Moving more tools depends on space. Pack the clamps and take them with you.

@Bruce McCrory, the system sent you an email using the address it has on record for you. If you don't receive it, use the Contact Us link at the bottom of any page to let me know your current email address. I can then update things on this side where you will be able to reset the passphrase for the H Bruce McCrory username you used on the old forums and login here.  Thanks.

The forums are MUCH easier to use when logged in, as it gives nice visual cues as to what you have read, enables you to send private messages to other users, and much more.

@Bruce McCrory, the system sent you an email using the address it has on record for you. If you don't receive it, use the Contact Us link at the bottom of any page to let me know your current email address. I can then update things on this side where you will be able to reset the passphrase for the H Bruce McCrory username you used on the old forums and login here.  Thanks.

At the moment I am OK as is. At least I can read and post regularly.

Gary......tomorrow night, the 23rd, on YouTube from 7:00 to 8:00 PM Eastern, Rob Cosman will be hosting a live event from his shop in Canada......and you can ask him this question.......he and Paul Sellers are the two gurus of hand tool woodworking on the net.......and you'll get a fairly reasoned answer......and you'll have found a good woodworking teacher of hand tools with hundreds of videos you can watch free when you need a little instruction......

Here are some recommendations for starting a basic hand tool woodworking set when space is limited:
Hand Saws - Get a quality crosscut saw, rip saw, and coping saw to start. Japanese style pull saws are great.
Planes - A block plane, smoothing plane, and jack plane handle most basic tasks. Stanley, Woodriver, etc make affordable options.
Measuring - At least a 6" ruler, folding rule, combination square, and basic marking gauge. Pencil, marking knife.
Work Holding - A small quick-release vise can mount to a bench or sawhorse. F-clamps, carriage clamps, trigger clamps.
Miscellaneous - Hammer, chisels, files, sandpaper, brush, putty knife.
Power Tools - A good cordless drill/driver and possibly palm sander could supplement the hand tools.
For portable workholding, sawhorses, bench hooks, and chair-side workbenches can be highly functional without taking up much space.
Focus on versatile tools that give you good capability across fundamental woodworking tasks like surface prep, joinery, fitting, smoothing, layout, and assembly. Quality doesn't have to mean expensive - vintage tools or value-priced new brands can be great options.
Let me know if you need any other suggestions for core tool purchases or need help prioritizing as you build up your portable kit!

I know this thread id a little dated but the first thing to come mind is to forget any ideas of chopping mortises in an apartment if that's what you are going to. A router is quicker and not nearly as loud. I work in my basement which is below my bedroom. I usually am doing my work before she wakes up and I always ask if I disturbed her and power tools never have. Take a couple of whacks on a chisel and she'll be at the door.

You could take some classes at the Ploughshare, a Mennonite community near Waco, just a few miles south of the DFW metroplex

https://www.sustainlife.org/heritage-school-of-woodworking/