Woodworking / Carpentry Tools for Non Wood Workers

[oldschoolcraft]

I like woodworking, but only if I had a full outfitted shop with tons of space. I'll likely never have that, but I want to add a few woodworking tools to my collection because in the handyman and (future) homeowner space, it seems useful.

First, is a wood chisel set to install strike plates on doors. Already have that covered and seems like a useful tool for non-woodworkers.

Second, I have an oscillating multitool which helped me make a few cuts into 2x4s to buttress a drywall install. I dont own a circular saw, nor do I want one. The multitool blades are very expensive for what they are, but cheap compared to buying a circular saw to make a few small cuts into wood each year.

That's all I have for woodworking tools at the moment. Here's what I'm considering adding and open to suggestions in the context of handyman / homeowner type work:

1) Wood-specific hacksaw blades to use on hacksaws I already own. I've seen these online in the past but were out of stock and hard to find. Haven't looked recently and not sure if any are good. I am sure a hand saw would be much better but I'd rather store a few hacksaw blades than a whole handsaw. As a backup to the oscillating tool.

2) Spade bits for drills. Never needed to drill a tubular hole in wood, but it seems like something useful. I see some come with 1/4" hex shanks which might make them work in an impact driver, though there's some wobble yawing in those compared to an actual drill. Might be nice to have the option since I always have the driver and only sometimes have the drill.

3) Hand planer could come in handy to trim down a door that's too big. Maybe new carpeting or flooring goes in and the door needs to come down a hair. Maybe I install a new door and it needs to be trimmed.

4) Orbital sander for refinishing wood furniture. I haven't done this before but I think it's within the realm of something I could learn. Already invested in the M12 system, not sure how good their orbital sanders are. I like the idea of the festool with vacuum hose attachment to **** up the dust. I have some heavy hardwood tables and maybe with the festool I could refinish it right in my living room and not need to risk damaging it moving them outside.

Anything I missed? These tools would cover cutting, planing, chiseling, and sanding to a rudimentary level.

Also looking for suggestions on specifics of the tools. Maybe what works best for non-woodworkers is different than what is best for pro woodworkers. For example, I like my wood chisels to have steel end caps for striking. The woodworkers I know prefer wood handled chisels that are super sharp and slice the wood with minimal force. I'm going to be chiseling cheap doors that might have nails or screws embedded that would destroy a high end wood chisel. My context is different so the best chisel for me is different.

 

[Hakeem]

don’t waste your money on the name brand oscillating saw blades, get the no-name blades off amazon for $0.50/blade. Sure, the $15 blades stay sharp longer but that’s not really an advantage when I can just use a cheap new blade for each cut. I’m still working through the 100pack I bought a couple years ago:

https://www.amazon.com/Vtopmart-Oscillating-Multitool-Multimaster-Craftsman/dp/B07F1GD51P?tag=atomicindus08-20

Also, if you need to strike your woodworking chisels with such force that they need a metal striking cap, they are in dire need of sharpening. Especially for the soft MDF from which today’s doors are made. They should be so sharp that you can cut the material with hand pressure. If you’re cutting oak or hickory, then that’s a different story, but for pine or Mdf, you shouldn’t need much striking force at all.

You don’t need to spend big bucks on fancy chisels for carpentry, I’ve been using the same no-name set professionally for a few years now. Sure, I have to resharpen them more often, but a few quick strops over some 1000-grit sandpaper and they are sharp enough to shave with. Good enough for the girls I date.

 

[AEAdam]

Non woodworker home owner type tools should include basic mech hand tools, which you probably have, like sockets, wrenches, Allen keys.

Recommend a set of Klein screwdrivers & pliers for electrical, (cutters, needle nose, strippers). You should have water pump pliers for plumbing. Hack saw for cutting pvc pipe.

You need an impact driver and a drill. 12v is fine or whatever you have. Bits and drills.

Hammer and nails. Thin prybar. I have had this Japanese made shark grip model with a cats paw on one end, and a wide chisel like pry blade on the other for years and years - love it. Add a dead blow hammer. My favorite is the trusty cook S3 (S2 would be fine). You may need a wonderbar/
flat bar some day.

I just bought a multi tool and it’s helpful, but not a great “multi tool” in my opinion. For you, a better choice might be a small battery jig saw. I have Bosch, but I have other Bosch tools. Skip the planer. Don’t buy it now, but a sawzall could be in your future. Random orbital sander, mine is Bosch and corded. I think a cordless model would be fine. Shop vac.

For round the house, a zeta saw is nice. I have 2, one with super fine teeth and a back, one with bigger teeth no back. I use them both but the backless one more. Western saws in big box stores **** and shop be avoided. You will probably need a drywall saw at some point.

Chisels or chisel, carpenters knife, sharpening gear (for kitchen knives as well) I use very fine diamond plates, finish with a spyderco UF ceramic stone. These are very low maintenance methods. But not cheap. Dull chisels cease to be chisels and simply become wedges. Hitting it harder than you need to us how you hurt yourself or ruin projects. My chisels and carpenters knives are lime scalpels. They will cleanly slice paper edge on. That’s what you should shoot for. Kitchen knives the same.

Set of 6” and 12” speed squares and/or a combination square. Tape measure. Cheap aluminum straight edge/ruler. Small level. Don’t need a fancy one. I have electronic ones that beep and I don’t much turn them on anymore. (But I use the hell out of my laser levels).

Get a plastic toolbox to hold your stuff cause it will get lost. I desperately wanted to have separate tool boxes for plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and automotive/mechanical, but my kits are just a little too big, don't fit or I’m a little too disorganized. (Needed screwdrivers in every kit and didn’t want 4 sets of screwdrivers just to make the kits “standalone”.

 

[lardy1]

Much like mechanics tools, woodworking tools can be habit forming and quitev often unnecessary. If you don't already have skills I would only buy the tools needed for basic home/property maintenance and buy the tools you need for a project as you need them. I know I'm not necessarily representative of the entire membership but I often regret tools I bought and don't use.

If you do get involved very heavily in woodworking you will often abandon the tools you bought when you were uninformed/uneducated. It gets expensive.

 

[rust in the eye]

A thin flexible pull saw and sharp chisels. Auger bits with a lead-in screw. Good hand saw, why burn up oscillating blades cutting 2x lumber???

 

[Copymutt]

X2 on the pull saw. Sharp & accurate.

 

[jar944]

Skip the wood hacksaw blade and just buy a handsaw

A power plane has a learning curve and a hand plane needs to be sharp to work. Neither are great for trimming any significant amount off a door.

Chisels need to be sharp to not crush the wood fibers, hitting a nail will require grinding and re-sharpening regardless of the chistle quality.

 

[Max]

3x on the pull saw.

You need to sharpen your chisels too. Use this system to get them sharp cheaply and effectively:

Sharpening: The Scary Sharp Method - FineWoodworking

A lesson in an effective, inexpensive way to put an edge on chisels and plane irons, in part one of this 8-part series answering your questions about sharpening.

www.finewoodworking.com

 

[Toolfool]

Sounds like you're not really talking about "woodworking", but more about home maintenance work. Buy some basic tools and purchase others as needed.
(and I would not recommend a pull saw to a novice)

 

[niget2002]

I would add a decent hand miter saw and miter saw box. There may be times where you need to cut something at a perfect angle. The miter saw is perfect for this. Hacksaws do 'ok' with cross cuts, but the miter saw will do better.

 

[snickers muncher]

I would add a decent hand miter saw and miter saw box. There may be times where you need to cut something at a perfect angle. The miter saw is perfect for this. Hacksaws do 'ok' with cross cuts, but the miter saw will do better.

Yup. What he said. I bought a cheap plastic Stanley one ages ago and it has seen a ton of use. You can use it for cutting trim to PVC pipe.

 

[Renegade1LI]

If you do plan on working around the house start with a set of battery tools, ryobi is a good start. Saw, drll, sawzall, impact driver, sander and add from there. Cutting by hand is nostalgic but time consuming, you want tools to make your life better. Get a tool belt, carpenters tool box and start with basics, hammer, tape, screwdrivers set, chisel set, 24" level, chalk line, 6" rafter square, small adjustable square, a good pry bar, razor knife,pliers set and some adjustable wrenches. This to me would be a good starting point and not break the bank. I would add a power miter saw, 10"& look to get a portable table saw, then as a you need them. With these basics you can pretty much tackle any project.

 

[Steve_P]

I'm not a woodworker, but things I have that I can recall:
DeWalt 10" 120V miter saw with stand
120V Makita circular saw and 3" belt sander
Kreg pocket hole jig
DeWalt 20V router, impact driver, sawzall, jig saw, and 5" RO sander (I bought the router for one specific project and doubt I'll use it even once a year)
spade bits, hole saws and extensions
pull saw, hand saws
Craftsman wood chisels with striking caps
wood clamps, bar clamps, jawhorse
hammers, pry bars, nail pullers, chalk line, measuring tapes, squares, levels, files, rasps...

And multi-use stuff like cordless drills.

 

[Iron Horse]

Not much I can add here, but since you did mention a hand plane for doors I'm going to go with that. I hung 100's of doors in my time, and yes I do use a hand plane to finalize the fit. Doors actually need a 2-3 degree taper along the edge to allow it to fit nice with a minimal gap when closed yet still close nice without rubbing the jam, and that's where the plane comes in, to relieve the leading edge. The lateral lever adjustment allows you to slightly angle the blade. You hold the plane flat to the surface and the angled blade does the work. A lot of people don't know about the 2-3 degree taper, and that's why you see a lot of crappy fit doors. If I'm starting from scratch with a door I'll make my own jambs since I want full control over the materials, like nice 3/4 clear pine, not 5/8 veneered ****. I'll build the jambs with the right size for the door I'm using and then add the 2-3 degree taper after. If Its an existing jamb chances are the new door will be as much as a 1/4" too wide, and you can't use a plane to remove all that, so that's where a circular saw with a clamped straight edge comes in, or a good table saw so it can be cut to size. A good pull saw also does real nice if you got the patience. After that hit it with the plane for the final fit and finish. Forget using a plane to add clearance over a rug, that's also saw territory. The upside of the plane is that no tool on the planet will leave the smooth surface that a well tuned edge tool does. The down side to the plane is that it has a serious learning curve, you can't just pick it up and go to town. Many adjustments have to be right. The frog adjustment, the lateral lever adjustment, the cap iron, and the cutting depth have to be right along with a super sharp blade. I can't tell you how many vintage planes I bought that had full blades, and paint specks, because home owners bought them, didn't really know how to use them, and used it a few times just enough to screw up the original sharpening, and then the poor thing served out the remainder of its years as a weight to weigh down corners of drop cloths during painting. The plane geeks here will probably relate. Anyway, if you definitely...definitely want a hand plane, get a #5 jack plane, its the right size, and for the love of god don't buy some ************* at horror freight. Those are best for slicing potatoes. Try to find a vintage bailey plane, preferably nothing newer than type 16 (1930's). You'll have it for life. There are also many great videos on you tube dealing with using planes and setting them up. That's if i haven't scared you into giving up on the idea, lol.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

definitely want a hand plane, get a #5 jack plane, its the right size, and for the love of god don't buy some ************* at horror freight. Those are best for slicing potatoes. Try to find a vintage bailey plane, preferably nothing newer than type 16 (1930's). You'll have it for life. There are also many great videos on you tube dealing with using planes and setting them up. That's if i haven't scared you into giving up on the idea, lol.

So I have to find a "#5 jack plane" that is 100+ years old to get a good one, is your recommendation? I'm open to it, sounds like an adventure to find one though!

I am a bit of a tool hipster. In that I like to have tools that exceed my need for a particular job. I like the idea that I only own 5 woodworking tools total, and one of them is some 100 year old vintage amazing tool that a professional woodworker would look at my toolset and be impressed. With the planer that I only use a few times per decade.

 

[Iron Horse]

Those #5 planes are all over ebay and you see them for sale from vintage tool sellers. You have to be careful though, some dudes try to pass off turds for stupid money. The price range can be from $40- $125, with the $40 ones needed a good cleaning, and the higher price ones can be ready to go. But...but sometimes you see these outliers, real nice ones going under the radar cheap. I bought many that way. there are new modern ones, but they are pricey, like $300. Not for a part time thing. The baileys were great planes, USA made, and old world craftsmen built the ******** world with them. You want the older ones because by the time the 60's came around they were being made less than stellar. I usually stop at the 1930's era, because the ones made during wwII suffered from all the rationing, like no rosewood handles, no brass screws, no brass adjusting wheel, etc. After WWII it took awhile for them to get normal, but they were never as nice as the pre war versions. I do have some later ones, but thats really just to complete the collection. These can be found in so many places, so just keep your eyes open, and the internet is loaded with info on them. I will warn you though, its a serious rabbit hole. These things are like a gateway drug to hand tool woodworking. It can be addicting. Just look up stanley bailey plane identification. This site has good info too. All the types, and when they were made, what years, etc.

Plane Feature Timeline

also, I guess they have a way of private messaging here. If you happen to see something on ebay or the internet just send me a message and I'll check it out so you don't get screwed. Some can have hidden damage that sellers are all too happy to hide with crappy pictures. You really need to know what you're looking at, or at least have somebody who knows check it out.

 

[Renegade1LI]

If you do go for a set of cordless tools add a belt sander. Ryobi makes a decent one and it's cheap, you'll use it wsy more than a hand plane. Tools like handsaws and planes look cool but really aren't practical anymore. I can't remember the last time I hand a carpenter that used a hand plane or hand saw.

 

[AEAdam]

So I have to find a "#5 jack plane" that is 100+ years old to get a good one, is your recommendation? I'm open to it, sounds like an adventure to find one though!

I am a bit of a tool hipster. In that I like to have tools that exceed my need for a particular job. I like the idea that I only own 5 woodworking tools total, and one of them is some 100 year old vintage amazing tool that a professional woodworker would look at my toolset and be impressed. With the planer that I only use a few times per decade.

Try to prioritize. You absolutely do not need a hand plane until you need one, know how to sharpen and use one. There's a lot of things to buy and learn before you need to plane a door. I'd say the same about a lot of the stuff you are asking about (e.g. scrapers etc). You could end up with a lot of stuff you don't know why you have that just slows your life down.

And a S#5 is great. I plane all sorts of stuff with mine, including Azek. I use it almost every weekend. I have a 5C, which is desirable. But it shouldn't be your first plane. A Stanley block plane #9-1/2 or a #60-1/2 should be. Put it on the back burner and keep your eyes peeled at garage sales and flea markets.

 

[AEAdam]

If you do go for a set of cordless tools add a belt sander. Ryobi makes a decent one and it's cheap, you'll use it wsy more than a hand plane. Tools like handsaws and planes look cool but really aren't practical anymore. I can't remember the last time I hand a carpenter that used a hand plane or hand saw.

You might be surprised. That said, most carpenters I know do **** work. Honestly, they are pretty rubbish. This reality is one of the reasons I got sucked into the woodworking vortex 30 yrs ago.

 

[niget2002]

I've been really happy with my Veritas hand planes. But they're not cheap.

 

[tyyost]

I read the op yesterday and had some thoughts, and then came back to the responses and Im still struggling to wrap my head around what kind of kit this would be?

My initial thoughts were something along the lines of a cheap tracksaw kit and a palm router in addition to the list from the op. While the planer is a good tool, it’s not a “I don’t work wood tool” as the potential to make hard to recover mistakes is real. Most the work outlined is basic house work, not remodeling. A tracksaw like a wen or Kreg could trim doors to fit, cut the occasional shelf, plywood project, or 2x and happily sit on a shelf until needed. The router is versatile, and work with a Ryobi hinge jig to get the mortises in the door, and a bunch of other basic router work buying bits as needed.

After reading a few posts I’d be inclined to offer the advice of buy or borrow what you need as you need it, and only buy if you see a job repeating itself or a positive value vs cost in the project. I bought a tile saw in my bathroom remodel, the cost was less than hiring out the work and I now have a tile saw for the future projects.

 

[jar944]

If you do go for a set of cordless tools add a belt sander. Ryobi makes a decent one and it's cheap, you'll use it wsy more than a hand plane. Tools like handsaws and planes look cool but really aren't practical anymore. I can't remember the last time I hand a carpenter that used a hand plane or hand saw.

Not hand saws, but most decent trim carpenters I know have a block plane, and I wouldn't trust a framing crew without a power plane.

 

[Robinson1]

Not hand saws, but most decent trim carpenters I know have a block plane, and I wouldn't trust a framing crew without a power plane.

It would be a challenge to find a carpenter under 40 who even knows how to use a hand plane much less sharpen and maintain one.

 

[jar944]

It would be a challenge to find a carpenter under 40 who even knows how to use a hand plane much less sharpen and maintain one.

I don't disagree, but they are out there.

 

[Renegade1LI]

I don't disagree, but they are out there.

They're are still some good carpenters out there, but the average home builder doesn't have them. I built alot of homes, 1k over 10 years and had alot of carpenters work for me, I think their tapes were graduated in 1/2" increments. I was happy when they had a square and level, let alone a block plane. Sadly craftsmanship in construction has really gone downhill, to the op if you have a block plane good for you, practice with it, it's a nice tool to use.

 

[Robinson1]

They're are still some good carpenters out there, but the average home builder doesn't have them. I built alot of homes, 1k over 10 years and had alot of carpenters work for me, I think their tapes were graduated in 1/2" increments. I was happy when they had a square and level, let alone a block plane. Sadly craftsmanship in construction has really gone downhill, to the op if you have a block plane good for you, practice with it, it's a nice tool to use.

I know all about it. I went out on my own in 2011. Overall quality was bad then but it’s totally ridiculous now. Most the carpenters in this area wouldn’t know a good job if they saw it. And the customers are worse, cheaper the better. I got lucky for the last 4 years I’ve worked almost exclusively for a real estate investor doing air bnb rentals. Every house and cabin is themed and totally custom and he knows quality. Name your price jobs

 

[MovingAlong]

I like woodworking, but only if I had a full outfitted shop with tons of space. I'll likely never have that, but I want to add a few woodworking tools to my collection because in the handyman and (future) homeowner space, it seems useful.

First, is a wood chisel set to install strike plates on doors. Already have that covered and seems like a useful tool for non-woodworkers.

Second, I have an oscillating multitool which helped me make a few cuts into 2x4s to buttress a drywall install. I dont own a circular saw, nor do I want one. The multitool blades are very expensive for what they are, but cheap compared to buying a circular saw to make a few small cuts into wood each year.

That's all I have for woodworking tools at the moment. Here's what I'm considering adding and open to suggestions in the context of handyman / homeowner type work:

1) Wood-specific hacksaw blades to use on hacksaws I already own. I've seen these online in the past but were out of stock and hard to find. Haven't looked recently and not sure if any are good. I am sure a hand saw would be much better but I'd rather store a few hacksaw blades than a whole handsaw. As a backup to the oscillating tool.

2) Spade bits for drills. Never needed to drill a tubular hole in wood, but it seems like something useful. I see some come with 1/4" hex shanks which might make them work in an impact driver, though there's some wobble yawing in those compared to an actual drill. Might be nice to have the option since I always have the driver and only sometimes have the drill.

3) Hand planer could come in handy to trim down a door that's too big. Maybe new carpeting or flooring goes in and the door needs to come down a hair. Maybe I install a new door and it needs to be trimmed.

4) Orbital sander for refinishing wood furniture. I haven't done this before but I think it's within the realm of something I could learn. Already invested in the M12 system, not sure how good their orbital sanders are. I like the idea of the festool with vacuum hose attachment to **** up the dust. I have some heavy hardwood tables and maybe with the festool I could refinish it right in my living room and not need to risk damaging it moving them outside.

Anything I missed? These tools would cover cutting, planing, chiseling, and sanding to a rudimentary level.

Also looking for suggestions on specifics of the tools. Maybe what works best for non-woodworkers is different than what is best for pro woodworkers. For example, I like my wood chisels to have steel end caps for striking. The woodworkers I know prefer wood handled chisels that are super sharp and slice the wood with minimal force. I'm going to be chiseling cheap doors that might have nails or screws embedded that would destroy a high end wood chisel. My context is different so the best chisel for me is different.

Build your kit as you need it. Working on a drain? Now you need a large pair of Channellock's. Working on an outlet? Now you need a volt meter. Working on ____, now you need ____.

Otherwise you're going to end up purchasing things that sound good but you'll never use...

 

[dhally]

I got some tools for a wedding gift - a small jigsaw and a 1/4" drill, both corded. I built some pine furniture with these 2 tools that we used for 20 years. Working in a carport. You don't need much.

 

[jar944]

They're are still some good carpenters out there, but the average home builder doesn't have them.

For sure, and they aren't usually working for production builders.