I’m very new to woodworking and I’m focusing on learning how to use hand tools. I’m slowly acquiring more tools and setting up my workshop, but I just know that there will be something super useful that I haven’t thought about, and won’t realise that I need it until I actually need it.

What items can you just not live without in your shop?

  • Polarsailor@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    I find myself using a chunk of beeswax way more than I expected. It’s handy for little spots where you need some quick lubrication, in addition to its usefulness as a finish.

  • gizmonicus@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago
    • there’s no such thing as too many clamps
    • a good rasp will pay for itself in sandpaper
    • make or buy a marking gauge, and keep a sharp marking knife handy
    • do you have enough clamps yet? no you don’t
    • Sausage@kbin.socialOP
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      1 year ago

      I definitely need more clamps! I think just work holding in general (and a decent bench to hold the work to) is something that I need to invest in.

      A rasp is definitely on my list. Are there any particular types you recommend? I’ve got a shinto rasp on my wishlist, but I suspect that’s not quite what you’re talking about.

      • ReclamationCrafts@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        A sturdy bench is a good call. Hard to do much without a good bench.

        For rasps the Shinto comes highly recommended. Otherwise hand stitched rasps are supposedly the best but also cost the most.

  • ReclamationCrafts@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Diamond stones for me. I tried the sandpaper on glass method for quite a while and had no idea what I was missing until I got a set of quality diamond stones. Along with it I strop using a strip of denim with green compound.

      • ReclamationCrafts@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        To be honest I’ve never used a leather strop. I discovered this site when I was learning to sharpen knives. The guy behind the site had access to an electron microscope and used it to test different methods. He found that a loose strip of denim (fixed on one end and held in the hand with the other) with stropping compound worked better than a leather strop. I think for straight razors he added a step after with either dry denim or diamond spray. I figured if it was good enough for this guy it’s good enough for me.

        I can say the denim works better than stropping compound on a flat wood board.

        • holycrapwtfatheism@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          I use denim to keep disposable razors sharper longer based on some random thing I read… never even thought to bring some out to the shop for stropping. Good tip.

  • pinkraisons@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    If you are focusing on hand tools then I would say the following items are not always thought about, but indispensable once you use them.

    • Shooting board
    • Plane stop for your bench
    • Cheap white candles (for your plane soles)
    • Binding tape (better than masking tape for taping joints)
    • Accu-Burr burnishing rod
    • Sausage@kbin.socialOP
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      1 year ago

      This is a reassuring list as I’ve already got the first three. First thing I made was a shooting board, and for a plane stop, well, I just screwed a thin strip of wood into my worktop. It’s not great, but it does the job for now. Thanks for the input!

  • Loki@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    @Sausage good marking and layout tools. Not hand tool specific, but knowing that square is square (etc) is a prerequisite for a lot of precision work.