As much as possible, I use the list of tools that Chris Scwartz outlined in his book The Anarchist Tool Chest.
Handplanes
- Jack plane
- Plow plane
- Rabbet/shoulder plane
- Block plane
- Router plane
Marking & Measuring
- Cutting gauge(s)
- Panel gauge*
- 6″ Combination square, which has a removable 6″ rule
- 24″ folding rule or 24″ steel rule
- 12′ tape measure
- Marking knife
- Wooden winding sticks*
- 36″ wooden straightedge*
- Wooden try square, 12″ blade*
- Sliding bevel
- Dividers, two to four pair
Essential Cutting Tools
- Bevel-edge chisels: 1/8″, 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″, 3/4″ and 1-1/4″
- Mortise chisels: 1/4″ or 5/16″
- Spokeshave
- Cabinet, modeling and rattail rasps
- Card scrapers
Striking & Fastening Tools
- Chisel mallet*
- Cross-peen hammer
- 13 oz. to 16 oz. claw hammer
- Dead-blow mallet
- Nailsets*
- Nail pincers
- Set of slotted screwdrivers
- Screw tips for drill/drivers
- Sawnut drivers (if you have split sawnuts)
- Countersinks; counterbores
- 10″ brace
- Hand drill
- Set of 13 auger bits
- Brad points: 1/8″, 3/16″, 1/4″, 5/16″, 3/8″, 7/16″ and 1/2″
- Birdcage awl
- Dowel plate*
Saws
- Dovetail saw
- Carcase saw
- Tenon saw
- Panel saws (rip saw, crosscut saw, fine crosscut saw)
- Flush cut saw
- Coping saw
Sharpening
- Sharpening stones (honing and polishing)
- Strop* (if you use oilstones)
- Grinder
- Oilcan or plant mister
- Burnisher
Appliances
- Bench hook*
- Sawbenches*
- Miter box
- End-grain shooting board*
- Long-grain shooting board*
- Miter shooting board* – Evenfalls – Picture Frame Shooter
- Cork-backed sanding block*
- Workbench*
- Cabinet clamps (at least four)
Good-to-have Tools
- Dial caliper
- 12″ combination square
- Dovetail marker*
- Jointer plane/Foreplane
- Smooth plane
- Large shoulder plane
- Carpenter’s hatchet
- Drawknife
- No. 80 cabinet scraper
- Beading plane
- Small complex moulder, such as an ogee or square ovolo
Half-set ofhollows and rounds- 1-1/2″-wide paring chisel
- Fishtail chisel*
Drawer-lock chiselMortise float- Drawbore pins
- 12″ bowsaw
- Sawfiles
- Mill file
- Saw vise
- Saw set
- Side-clamp honing guide
- Trammel points*
* Tools that can easily be made or should be made by the woodworker.
word – not made or purchased yet.
Just found your site via a lead in Furniture and Cabinetmaking (a UK~England~publication). Wow, looks great. Can’t wait to fully explore it. I have a small workshop in Cheshire, England where I make boxes and small furniture items. Currently still finalising plans for a tv/media cabinet commission to be made in American Cherry and Sycamore; wood in w/shop acclimatising. I retrained as a cabinet maker after retiring as an Airline Pilot a few years ago. I have a few basic power tools, planer/thicknesser, ( I believe you call it a jointer?), band saw, small pillar drill, but really do most of my work using hand tools.
I shall look forward to reading your blogs.
Kind regards
Chris