Beginner Tooling Advice

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albaPhenom

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I'm soon moving out of a flat into a house with a good size shed, so I finally have the opportunity to try my hand at some carpentry as a hobbyist. You can blame Robin Clevett Youtube video marathons for that.

But since I have a never ending list of things which will need to done around this old house for the foreseeable future, I've a feeling it would be handy to learn some new skills.

So first things first, I'm going to have to start building my tool collection.

Looking for some advice on essential tools and particularly brand, supplier or specific model recommendations.
 
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I'm sure you have some ideas on what tools you need to start with but my suggestions are as follows, firstly what to buy new ?
Hand tools, 20/22 inch saw, 10TPI (a.k.a 2nd fix),
Hammer, 16 or 20 oz claw,
Square, - a Combination Square is a good start - buy the best you can afford,
Drill 'index' (a set of twist drills) 1/16" to 3/8" (1.5-10mm).
Countersink.
Screwdrivers, 8"'x 5/16", & No 2 Posidrive (or Phillips) (the very best you can afford to ensure it will last a long time.
Honing Guide and Sharpening stone initially 300 or 400 grit.
Buy second hand - try garage sales or Car boots markets,
Hand plane - 'Bailey pattern No4 or No5' almost any make earlier than 1980?s. Don't worry about the state of the 'Iron' (blade) new ones are easily available - best are Lei Neilson...
Chisels ? 1/2'', 3/4'' and 1'' - anything from Stanley, Marples or Footprint makes.
Mortise gauge.
Hand Drill - 1/16 to 3/8
Jennings pattern 'Bits' (wood twist drills) 3/8", 1/2", 3/4" and 1" initially.
Hand Brace.
'Workmate' - with a suitable height saw horse and length of kitchen worktop will make a useable bench to start with.
Cramps - 'G' (or 'C') clamps, Sash Cramps, a pair of 48" or 50" will start you off. As many Squeezy clamps as you can find/afford.

Lastly a new tool - a rechargeable 1/2" drill/driver, you have 2 choices/decisions; battery voltage, and is the battery common across a range of power tools.

Once you are used to those tools you should then start to widen your selection.
 
Probably going to catch some flak for this but buy an affordable track saw.

The ERB690CSW will be a very handy addition and serve you well for a multitude of projects.
 
Yep. Really useful if you need to install skirtings or repair joists :sneaky:
 
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I just think it's a massive bang for your buck tool, fully agree with the above hand tools though.

Another one would be a 1/4" cordless palm router. These modern tools are a marvel!
 
albaPhenom said:
I'm soon moving out of a flat into a house with a good size shed, so I finally have the opportunity to try my hand at some carpentry as a hobbyist. You can blame Robin Clevett Youtube video marathons for that.


But since I have a never ending list of things which will need to done around this old house for the foreseeable future, I've a feeling it would be handy to learn some new skills.

So first things first, I'm going to have to start building my tool collection.

Looking for some advice on essential tools and particularly brand, supplier or specific model recommendations.
Click to expand...
Don’t buy any tools till you have a list of jobs then buy tools to suit the job rather than just build a collection of tools some of which you may never use.
 
wgt52 said:
I'm sure you have some ideas on what tools you need to start with but my suggestions are as follows, firstly what to buy new ?
Hand tools, 20/22 inch saw, 10TPI (a.k.a 2nd fix),
Hammer, 16 or 20 oz claw,
Square, - a Combination Square is a good start - buy the best you can afford,
Drill 'index' (a set of twist drills) 1/16" to 3/8" (1.5-10mm).
Countersink.
Screwdrivers, 8"'x 5/16", & No 2 Posidrive (or Phillips) (the very best you can afford to ensure it will last a long time.
Honing Guide and Sharpening stone initially 300 or 400 grit.
Buy second hand - try garage sales or Car boots markets,
Hand plane - 'Bailey pattern No4 or No5' almost any make earlier than 1980?s. Don't worry about the state of the 'Iron' (blade) new ones are easily available - best are Lei Neilson...
Chisels ? 1/2'', 3/4'' and 1'' - anything from Stanley, Marples or Footprint makes.
Mortise gauge.
Hand Drill - 1/16 to 3/8
Jennings pattern 'Bits' (wood twist drills) 3/8", 1/2", 3/4" and 1" initially.
Hand Brace.
'Workmate' - with a suitable height saw horse and length of kitchen worktop will make a useable bench to start with.
Cramps - 'G' (or 'C') clamps, Sash Cramps, a pair of 48" or 50" will start you off. As many Squeezy clamps as you can find/afford.

Lastly a new tool - a rechargeable 1/2" drill/driver, you have 2 choices/decisions; battery voltage, and is the battery common across a range of power tools.

Once you are used to those tools you should then start to widen your selection.
Click to expand...

Wow, that is a wealth of information there @wgt52 ... I’ll be listing all of this out and working on it.

And thanks to all the other lads who have posted suggestions too. Can’t wait to get stuck in to this.
 
Define what carpentry you will be doing. I've seen chippies turn up with a hammer and a saw to put roofs on.

And don't fall for the hype that you need a particular brand tool as it is "better" than others, and don't waste money on tools that you may not even be able to use or appreciate - a sharpened £5 chisel will chisel just the same as a £50 until you get to know what the difference is ... if any.
 
Swwils said:
I just think it's a massive bang for your buck tool, fully agree with the above tools though.
Click to expand...
It's only bang for your buck if you happen to be dealing with lots of flat sheet materials. Pretty damned useless for a lot of other sawing tasks like the sort of things you'll find in general DIY. But the same goes for the router

The advice given above to define your needs then buy tools accordingly is the best bit of advice here - and is the sort of thing we tend to tell apprentices to do as well.
 
Your first job will be to secure your shed, before you put £000 worth of tools in it.
 
Oh yeah the shed will be well secured, that's for sure.

Work I'll be doing at first will most likely be stud work / building frames, possibly fitting doors, linings, architraves and skirtings, insulate and board out the loft and tidy that up.

Then later I may try my hand at some decking and build a new shed / man-cave.

It's just the general stuff you would expect from a circa 1950's gaff.
 
you may find this youtube video interesting,

This is pretty much the sort of things i purchased in the late 70's when i first got my flat and started general DIY

BUT having recently bought into cordless power tools, I wish i had purchased a Cordless Drill & Impact driver a long while ago.

You may find a few come up on offer at screwfix/toolstation for easter, although not seen many deals yet. I would advise you get an impact driver with adjustable settings , i have a 3 setting Dewalt driver and use the different settings all the time.

I have also recently been watching Peter Millard on yourtube, and found his 10min videos easy watching and no hype. More carpentry , cabinet making etc

Note , i'm NOT trade, just a DIYer
 
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