Hand tools
Although power tools undoubtedly make life much easier for the woodworker, there is very little that cannot be done with hand tools. Messrs Sheraton and Chippendale, amongst others, managed quite well without power tools, although I imagine they would have embraced the labour-saving aspects of technology.
Saws
You cannot work in wood without at least one saw, although most woodworkers have several. Even those with a fully equipped workshop with a full range of floor-standing power saws will still use hand saws as well.
If you insist on sticking with Western-style saws, you will almost certainly need at least 2 types of saw: a large coarse saw for fast cutting, and a smaller tenon saw for detail work. These are pictured on the left.
There is, however, a better solution in my opinion. Japanese saws are called pullsaws, because they cut on the pull stroke, and since the act of cutting actually keeps the saw tensioned the blade can be thinner and leave a much smoother cut even when using a fast, coarse-cut saw.
I have a broad range of pullsaws like these in my shop with blade lengths from 150 mm to 333 mm and ranging from 9 TPI to 21 TPI. Every one of these saws leaves a much neater and smoother edge than an equivalent Western-style saw. What is more, they are all Topman z-saws, the best-selling saws in Japan and made to the highest technical specifications by the Okada Manufacturing Company. Topman have also produced videos demonstrating how to use their saw guides and some of their saws, and links to these videos can also be found in my shop.
Mitre box or saw guide
However well-equipped your workshop, there will come a time when you need to cut a piece of timber by hand to exactly 45 or 90 degrees, and this is when a mitre box or saw guide will be invaluable to ensure your cut is accurate.
Mitre boxes like the photograph on the left are available reasonably cheaply in plastic or wood. After some use, however, the slots which guide the saw blade tend to get wider and accuracy suffers as a result. Topman, my Japanese supplier, makes 3 different saw guides, all of which I sell in the UK. Two of the guides allow cuts at 45 and 90 degrees and are therefore direct replacements for the traditional mitre box, while the third type of guide allows adjustment between 45 degrees left and 45 degrees right in both the horizontal and vertical planes. All 3 saw guides can be seen and purchased in my shop, where you can also find links to videos demonstrating how useful these great tools can be. Their design means that they will remain accurate for years, making them a much more economical purchase in the long term.
Workbench
It probably is possible do do your woodwork without a bench, but the dining table and kitchen table are not really suitable alternatives. I have seen a large cardboard box used as a workbench, but this is pretty unsuitable too!
If you are lucky enough to have a workshop or garage in which to work, then a proper woodworking bench like the one on the left is an extremely worthwhile investment. If you do not have a working area which you can leave set up for your woodworking (for example if you can only work in the garage when the car is not there), then the next best thing is a lightweight folding bench like the one shown in the right-hand picture.
If you do find that you do have room for a permanent workbench then I recommend that you build your own
after looking at what is available commercially. The ideal bench is:
# the correct height for you to work comfortably,
# very sturdy, and
# large enough to store your current tools and workpieces.
Not all commercially available benches fill all of these criteria, unfortunately.
If you are looking for tools , you can pop down to your local DIY store or try the following websites:
online auctions: eBay
online retailers: Screwfix, Tool Station, Axminster
Alternatively you can use your favourite search engine.
small hand tools
There are quite a few other tools that you will undoubtedly need at some point, although if you are just starting out you do not need to buy everything at once. Different projects require different tools, so you can just buy things as you need them, if you want.
(Images not to scale !)
The tools you will need include the following: hammer(s), chisels, bradawl, knife, pencil, square, clamps and cramps, countersink,screwdrivers, mallet, mortice gauge, plane, and drill. Some of these have powered versions listed in the next section so you may not need both.
If you are looking for tools , you can pop down to your local DIY store or try the following websites:
online auctions: eBay
online retailers: Screwfix, Tool Station, Axminster
Alternatively you can use your favourite search engine.
Power tools
A trip to your local toolshop or DIY store should demonstrate that there is a bewildering variety of power tools on the market today. Those by the leading brands tend to be more expensive than the others, but will probably last longer. You will have to decide your budget and get the best value you can within this, even if this means buying a second-hand or discontinued model.
Router
Routers have been described as "An electric version of the Swiss Army Knife", and in truth they are incredibly versatile tools. Cutters are available to create almost any profile in wood, and indeed to cut and shape other materials such as glass, ceramics and laminate.
Most routers available today are graded by the size of their chucks, i.e. by the size of the cutters that can be used with them. It is also true that routers with a larger chuck can normally accept the smaller cutters as well, so if you can afford it you will find that a router with a 1/2" chuck will take many more types of cutter than one with a 1/4" or 8 mm chuck.
Cutters are available individually or in sets: while the sets may seem better value, the cutters contained in them are rarely such good quality as those sold individually. The choice is yours, but remember to keep your cutters lightly oiled to keep rust away.
Some router manufacturers also make router tables, and if you are considering buying a router table at some time, then the fact that routers and tables by the same manufacturer are more likely to work well together may influence your selection.
If you are looking for routers or cutters, you can pop down to your local DIY store or try the following websites:
online auctions: eBay
online retailers: Screwfix, Tool Station, Axminster
Alternatively you can use your favourite search engine, although most results will probably be about the routers (pronounced "rooters") used to network computers !
Drill
You will definitely need a drill at some point: I have about 4 normally, 2 or 3 corded and 1 cordless. Why so many, apart from the fact that I am a tool freak?
Drills come in many different shapes and sizes: cordless or corded, with or without hammer action, fixed speed or variable speed, etc.. If you ever need to drill holes in concrete then a drill with hammer action (or an SDS drill) will make life much easier. A cordless drill is much more portable, but can be a lot less powerful. If you do buy a cordless drill I strongly recommend you get at least 1 spare battery at the same time, so that you always have a fully-charged battery available.
If your project involves a lot of parts which need to be screwed together, you may well wish you had more drills so that you can have one each for drilling pilot holes, countersinking and screwdriving.
If you are looking for tools , you can pop down to your local DIY store or try the following websites:
online auctions: eBay
online retailers: Screwfix, Tool Station, Axminster
Alternatively you can use your favourite search engine.
Jigsaw
For fast rough cutting and fancy curves, you can't beat a jigsaw.
I discovered early in my woodworking that a jigsaw was an essential. Blades are available for fine or coarse cutting of wood, and also for cutting ferrous and non-ferrous metals. I have always had a corded jigsaw, but I believe some of the modern cordless models are very good, too. If you are using a corded jigsaw please make sure that you always keep the blade away from the cable.
If you are looking for tools , you can pop down to your local DIY store or try the following websites:
online auctions: eBay
online retailers: Screwfix, Tool Station, Axminster
Alternatively you can use your favourite search engine.
Mitre Saw
These are very popular nowadays, largely as a result of their ability to cut compound mitres.
I have to say I am not a fan of the so-called "chop saw", probably because early models within my price range had very flimsy guards and stories of terrible injuries were circulating widely in woodworking circles.
I am sure that current models are much safer, but I would advise you to get a well-known brand (such as Bosch, Makita or deWalt for example) and ensure that it has a good guard on the blade if you are considering a purchase.
Never, ever, forget that these are very powerful and potentially dangerous tools.
If you are looking for tools , you can pop down to your local DIY store or try the following websites:
online auctions: eBay
online retailers: Screwfix, Tool Station, Axminster
Alternatively you can use your favourite search engine.
Sander
You will always need to do some final smoothing to your finished workpiece, and a sander can make your life a lot easier.
Once again the choice can be bewildering:
Belt sander?
Disc sander?
Orbital sander?
Palm sander?
Detail sander?
All of them?
None of them?
My own advice would be to start off with the orbital sander and buy the others as and when you need them.
Hand-held planer
A plane or planer is needed for smoothing and straightening timber.
I know some people swear by hand-held electric planers, but I am not a great fan. I find it very difficult to achieve the degree of smoothness that I would like, and am not convinced I bought wisely when I bought my planer. Still, there is no point in crying over spilt milk, and in any case you may find that this is a very useful tool for you.
Planers by all the major manufacturers (and a lot of less well-known ones) are readily available. Your friendly local DIY superstore will almost certainly have a choice, as will the usual online retailers such as Screwfix, Tool Station, MachineMart or Axminster.
You might even be able to pick one up second-hand from somewhere like eBay but be sure to check on the availability of replacement cutter blades before committing yourself.
Static power tools
Maybe you have just moved house and now have a large shed or garage for your woodworking, so you're thinking of buying some woodworking machinery, or perhaps your new car won't fit your garage so you have more room for your hobby..........
Bandsaw
Seems like a worthwhile investment if you have the space, doesn't it?
Bandsaws are great tools, but there are a few things you need to bear in mind if you decide to buy one:
# those with narrow blades are better for intricate cuts in thin timber.
# broad blades make straight cuts much easier.
# the size of timber with which you can comfortably work is limited by the distance between the blade and the upright to its left.
# for many people a good jigsaw is a more practical (and cheaper) choice.
If you are looking for tools , you can pop down to your local DIY store or try the following websites:
online auctions: eBay
online retailers: Screwfix, Tool Station, Axminster, MachineMart.
Alternatively you can use your favourite search engine.
Planer
Getting timber smooth and straight can be very difficult without a planer.
So much choice ! A surface planer, a thicknesser or a combined planer/thicknesser?
When working out how much room these machines need, don't forget that to plane or thickness a 2 metre length of timber you will need a total length of more than 4 metres. If you do have the room, however,a planer/thicknesser is a very good investment if you are doing a lot of woodworking. As before, try your local DIY superstore or search online to find the best choice at the best price.
Table saw
An ideal tool if you are doing a lot of sawing, and if you have the space for the machine itself and also enough room to feed your timber in and out.
As mentioned above, an excellent tool if you have the room to use it safely. Traditional machines used to have cast iron tables, which were extremely sturdy but made the machine very heavy. Modern machines tend to have aluminium tables making them much lighter.
A roofing square is a very useful tool to buy along with a table saw, as this will let you ensure that the blade is correctly aligned at 90 degrees to the workpiece.
If you find yourself regularly cutting sheet materials you might prefer a vertical panel saw, like those seen in the timber cutting area of your local DIY superstore. If you do fancy one, then I'm afraid you'll need a very extensive bank account as well.
Other machinery
Other available woodworking machinery includes spindle moulders, morticers, tenoners, tools for grinding your own cutters and various computer-controlled cutting machines.
Do you need any of these? Unless you are thinking of turning your hobby into a business, I doubt it.
Spindle moulders are possibly more versatile than routers, in that you can shape your own cutters to the exact profile you want. They are much more expensive and the ability to shape your own cutters also entails the purchase of grinding equipment, however.
Tenoners are not really part of an amateur woodworking workshop, since tenons can quite easily be cut by hand, with a bandsaw, or using a router.
Morticers are probably slightly more useful, although most mortices can be cut with a drill or router and finished off with a chisel.
Computer-controlled machinery is out of the price range of most amateur woodworkers, unfortunately, and may also require a dedicated workshop.
Dust extraction
It doesn't do anything like helping shape your wood in any way, but it is essential if you have any serious woodworking kit.
All woodworking machines create dust, and your own health and safety demand that you make an effort to keep this under control.
You may not be aware of this but some timbers are poisonous or toxic, and sawdust from these woods can be really harmful. Even sawdust from ordinary everyday timbers such as pine and oak can cause respiratory problems.
Although spending money on dust extraction will probably reduce your budget for other machinery it is money well spent, believe me. Even with extraction, you will soon find that your work area fills with dust: and that is only the particles big enough to see. The killers are the really fine particles invisible to the naked eye.
You have been warned.
Combination machine
Last, but very definitely not least, is the combination machine: to some the Holy Grail of woodworking machinery.
All woodworking machines can be very useful, but you need a very large workshop, not to mention a lot of money to buy them all. The cheaper space-saving option is the combination machine although this too needs more space than you would imagine. It also needs the user to plan ahead as the saw may need retracted to use the planer, and both may need to be disconnected to use the spindle moulder.A good combination machine allows you to do many different operations. Many, for example, replace the following: table saw, surface planer, thicknesser, spindle moulder and morticer.
You should also bear in mind that some machines (often the more expensive ones) have separate motors for each of the constituent parts of the machine, while others just have one motor and a set of interchangeable drive belts to power the saw blade, planer, spindle moulder, etc.. Machines like this are just a little more fiddly to adjust.
Please bear in mind that for a large job it is worth cutting all your timber, then squaring it, then thicknessing it all, before moulding or morticing. The alternative is constant setting up of the table as the spindle needs to be retracted for the saw to work properly, etc.