Basic Beginner Hand Tool Kit? 

Relevant Links: + How to Check a Square for Square and Re-square it - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uUcUwxPtN7E.html + My Beginner Hand Tool Woodworking Tool Kit - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-w9Cfdpy4Ze4.html + Poor Man's Bench Sharpening Setup (sand paper) - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-q7X5VQyZWSc.html + Restore Old Hand Planes with Vinegar - The Quick and Easy Way - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Siruu9bAowo.html + Luban No 4 Handplane Initial Unboxing and Review - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YvQYNUGEAxI.html + Initial Setup - Luban No. 4 Hand Plane - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DotiV6LOl_4.html + Review & Prepare Luban Hand Plane Blade and Chip Breaker - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G4abmgRbmVo.html + Stanley Bailey No. 4 Unboxing and Review - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-H2osEmIl_KE.html + How to prepare new Stanley Bailey hand plane! - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XcppHlkWmXg.html + New Stanley Bailey Hand-plane Improvements - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RxdzB8Um-bI.html + Mastering Free Hand Sharpening: A Beginner's Guide - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3jIWFALNnDs.html

I think Brad point bits are a must in my workshop. Great video.

Thorough as usual.

The vintage tools in the background are a very nice touch, Just looking at them set the mood for me. My career was in construction, and I saved every vintage tool that I ever found left around from the remodels of some very old homes that I worked on over the years( found them in crawl spaces, attics, and even in the walls), and also, like you picked them up at garage sales. They're just beautiful to me. I don't use them because either I don't know how to get them in shape, or l I'm just trained to use my modern equipment, so fall to it instead. Either way they look very handsome on my little hobby workshop wall, and inspire me to be a woodworker that enjoys learning the old ways. Thanks for another great video. I thoroughly enjoy them.

I'm glad you warned new woodworkers about the marking gauges. When I first tried my Veritas wheel marking gauge I thought it was a total waste of money. I finally decided I was going to practice with it on scraps and after a few days it became easier and easier to mark a straight line. Now I love the marking gauge so much I made 2 sizes of Japanese cutting gauges (kebiki) that I can mark with or follow the grain and cut thin stock. I have not cut anything thicker than 6mm but I think I would not have a problem with 10mm stock. BigD in Texas

Hi Mate, My Dad was a carpenter joiner by trade and he would buy an oil stone and immerse it overnight at least in a solution of Kerosene and some singer sewing machine oil. Every time he would use the stone, after this breaking in procedure, he would just use a water spray on the stone and a slurry would come up from the stone for him to sharpen blades in. He swore by it and told me the old tradesmen put him on to it.

Excellent content as always, i always enjoy your great videos, many thanks, regards from pakistan

alternate starter set for someone that needs a one toolbox solution like i did when i needed to move around with my tools. i've used this basic set to build book cases, display cases and plenty of other tools including hand planes and frame saws over the years. this is not intended to be the most budget friendly option but it can be modified to be pretty budget friendly: Saws: - 1 Japanese ryoba saw should be between $15-30USD or $50 for the folding version if space is a real concern this will handle rips and cross cuts but is impulse hardened. i replace the blades on mine about once a year with heavy use. pull saws take a bit of getting used to but a dozuki having two blades on one saw is a huge win for space. the rip side of a dozuki can be resharpened but the crosscut side is impulse hardened. blades are really cheap once you have a good handle. - 1 Japanese dozuki saw for joinery, basically a dovetail saw. should be less than $30usd for a good brand like Suizan, Z-saw, Kakuri or Gyokucho. there are Chinese knockoffs that are reasonable quality like KYRYE. There are also folding dozuki saws for a bit more money if space is really at a premium. - combo blade hardpoint hardware store saw: if you are going to be breaking down a lot of plywood, get a hardpoint contractor's saw. some plywood will wreck the teeth on the Japanese pull saws. Chisels: - 1 set of GREBSTK 4 chisel set off amazon(1/4", 1/2", 3/4", 1") ~$15 Planes: - new: Stanley 1-12-137 62-Low Angle Sweetheart Jack Plane. with the adjustable mouth it can be set for smoothing or moderate roughing work. get an extra blade and set the bevel for a higher angle and you can do smoothing work on very difficult figured wood with a quick blade change. if you have a little extra budget though, get the Veritas low angle jack. it is by far the best low angle jack i've used and you can get blades with different angles preground for it. the Stanley is perfectly fine but the Veritas is worth every extra dollar if you are going to be using it a lot. both planes are excellent shooting planes as well. - used: any vintage 4 through 5-1/2 that you can get and restore to working order. it isn't uncommon in the US to see a usable vintage #4 for under $70, but be careful that you aren't buying something with a cracked mouth. that is hard to see on a listing or sometimes even in person. - optional: any dedicated smoother that you like. or you could go with a veritas custom smoother-sized plane instead of the jack and get blades for that as your one plane option. Layout: always check any squares you get to ensure they are square and then square them or return them. - 10' tape measure that is small enough to pocket. i keep a Stanley Powerlock 10' in the watch pocket of my jeans most of the time. super helpful when you're at the big box store and need to what the actual dimensions of the wood you are looking at is. - IRWIN Combination Square, 12” and 6" will run around $25 - other options: - if you have the money: iGuaging 6" and 12" set for ~$70 is much better quality and easier to resquare than the Irwin. it also comes in a protective hardshell which I appreciate because i can just toss it in my toolbox without worrying about it. - take a look at taytools and see what they have in their blemished tools. they often have very nice thick rules that can be used to make shopmade double squares fairly easily. - shop made squares, double squares and depth guages Marking: - i started with an OLFA snap blade utility knife and that works great. i used that knife for bookbinding for ages as well. goes for $10 and blades are dirt cheap. - i prefer the arrow pointed marking knife with a flat. for the type of work i do, it is very helpful. i made mine very thin out of an old hacksaw blade after seeing Jim Kingshot's marking knife on one of his DVDs. - i use 0.7 Bic mechanical pencils that i buy in 40 packs and use all around the house. for detailed work i use a Pentel Graphgear 1000 0.5mm which fits into some of my layout tools with tiny holes. pencils are mostly for rough marking and knives are for finer work so the pencil doesn't matter too much to me. - regular blackboard chalk for whitening the ends of dark wood to mark pins when dove tailing. - lumber crayon for marking rough stock where my pencil leads break or aren't very visible. Drilling and Boring: - brace and bits with swappable 1/2" 3-jaw chuck on a square socket drive. got mine from garret wade for around $50. super useful tool - i don't carry it with me, but I have a corded drill and a set of ryobi drill and impact driver that do the job. they fit in the toolbox but aren't part of my normal kit. - i use dewalt drill bits and bosch driver bits because they are usually on sale and easily replaced like for like. dewalt, bosch and makita all make servicable stuff. - for brad point drill bits, which i think are necessary, i use Fisch brand bits in the three main sizes that i use regularly for dowels and pilot holes. they are accurate, well balanced, excellent durability and only cost around $5 per bit. Finishing: - card scraper or make a handheld scraper that holds snapblade utility knife blades and roll a bur on them with a fine sharpening stone. - a couple pieces of sand paper of various grits for those times when the grain just won't play nice - small container of shopmade pastewax (beeswax, carnuba wax, solvent) - small, well protected container of tung oil. - #0000 steel wool - couple of different scotch-brite pads my entire setup fits into a 22" toolbox that fits on a shelf and i can easily carry. i have the nicer version of everything in my toolbox and it would cost me a bit under $650 to replace the whole thing, $750 if you include the Ryobi drill/driver set, not counting the toolbox itself. almost $400 of that is in my Veritas low angle jack and two extra blades with different grinds. i can build pretty much anything i need with this toolbox, the only thing i am limited on is resawing wood more than 8" wide. i would need to switch to a frame saw or a larger rip saw for that type of operation.

Big thanks to @jimcater4929 for pointing out I missed hammers & Mallets - Definitely include either a nylon faced hammer or make a wooden mallet in this beginner kit (you need something to hit the joinery together and for chisel work.

Got to have a mallet too.

Getting your first bench is one of the biggest challenges when starting out. Buying a decent ready made joiner's bench is expensive and probably won't be as good as something you can make yourself as your skills improve. I've just finished making my own new bench, which is again maybe too expensive for a starter (around £600 so far, with a few more bits to add to it yet) - as well as being a pretty involved project in itself (depending on the style/design). Over the years, I have made many benches for myself and others but the cheapest 'makeshift bench' was a pair of simple trestles with a thick (40mm) kitchen worktop resting across them, which I used onsite and outdoors because it breaks down for transportation and storage easily. It's a bit springy in the middle but it can be stiffened with battens on edge running underneath the length of the worktop and will get you by until something more permanent comes along. Some inventive clamping practises will make it more versatile - I recommend F-clamps, a couple each of two or three sizes (I now get them at Aldi/Lidl when they have them in the middle aisle, they are good enough). A bonus of my 'makeshift bench' is that you can also add a 'makeshift shelf' to drop in underneath for tools and stuff - another salvaged worktop or planks will do. Collapsible steel A-frame trestles are great because they resist movement in all directions and are height adjustable with cross beams to hold two shelves underneath - I've seen them in sales from about £30 a pair. Used scaffolding boards held together with battens width-wise underneath also act as makeshift benchtops. Hope it helps!

Could you maybe expand on why (or when) you recommend using a double to a single bevel marking knife in a future video? I feel that a double bevel marker would provide more consistency when transitioning from using pencil lines, but using a single bevel knife marker reinforces where you're looking for a higher level of attention to detail in this particular measurement.

Controversial opinion, a block plane is a great starter tool. As well as planing end grain, they can do light smoothing too. They are cheap, small, and one of those tools that is always on the bench when doing projects. Also needed is an understanding partner and family, who will see you less, put with your endless nattering about tools, timber and projects, and the gullibility to think tools cost what you said you bought it for.

Great project for beginners is to build your own workbench from construction lumber.

Long comment incoming, people with short attention span, beware: I tried using mechanical pencils, tends to be too rough with the surface of wood, softer ones work somewhat but I still don't like 'em. And my opinion on the chisels (when starting), if your budget can take it, buy good ones, like in the video. I bought myself some cheap ones, from a general store :D I mean they're good after you spent huge amount of time to sharpen them, I learned/started my freehand sharpening skills with those. After that, they do the same that expensive chisel does, you may have to strop and/or sharpen them more than expensive ones, but for ~5euros per chisel, it was a good deal. Same opinion on planes, I got my grandpa's old ones, Stanley 5 (corrugated sole, probably from 50-60's), Stanley Handyman (same size as four, but not that good, decent). Restored 'em, made a new tote for handyman, learned to sharpen them etc. And one very old Stanley 220 block plane, which is awesome plane for smaller work (lately I've been doing small boxes and stuff), it's missing lateral adjuster but tapping it with something works. Every other woodworker hates block planes, I find them nice to have. BUT what I've noticed about block plane "haters", they tend to have big hands, block planes can be awkward to use then. Luckily I'm a hobbit. And if you're pretty poor who wants to start woodworking, those clamps are a lifesaver. I still use them cause I don't have proper bench and vise yet. Protip for using them, make two small wood scrap blocks that you cover with some old leather from jacket, handbag, or sofa, so you don't bruise your pieces (at least that badly). AAAAND my final advice for budget beginners, especially those without proper bench: Make two Paul Sellers style sawhorses, they are a must have and very easy to make. I did make them from a basic construction lumber, works great, been using them for over 2 years. Oh yeah, and build some simple planing stop for the other one, helps a lot.