Bonsa Tool Kit

[Luke Dupont]

You think quite like me

As absurd as it sounds, I have thought that it would be cool to have a multi-tool covering all the basics: Saw, File, Chisel, Awl, Knife, and see what kind of projects one could turn out with just that tool, however inefficient it might be.

I also like to travel and have tools with me to work on projects.

My kit would probably consist of:

Work holding:
1) A bench hook or two
2) A few clamps
3) a little lightweight portable woodworking vise I have that mounts on top of any table with a lip
4) A Japanese style Planing board, if I want to actually plane the surface of any boards, or have a surface to work on

All purpose tools, covering both dimensioned wood and/or green wood:
1) Saw. Maybe a general purpose bow-saw, about 9TPI. This would be okay for green wood, whilst still useful for dry wood. If you want, you could carry two blades; a finer rip blade for dry wood, and a coarser crosscut blade with more set for green wood.
2) Chisels. Don't get too specific here. A 1/4" and a 3/4" or 1" bench chisel would be a great all purpose set. I wouldn't hesitate to include a four-piece set, if you have room, though. Chisels are one of the most handy tools for almost any work that you can do, so no reason to skimp really.
3) A plane. You could go with a block plane - I've used a little Japanese plane on the go before. But, such a small plane is hard to grip if you need to do any surface planing. No need to have more than one. Just go with a nice medium size. A standard size Japanese plane, or a western smoothing plane should be fine. You might possibly want a scrub plane if you're dealing with green wood (if you use a plane at all, in that context).
4) File/Rasp
5) A small hatchet. I'd go for a double bevel, as it's more flexible.
6) A drawknife, and/or spokeshave. I've got a little swedish drawknife/"wood splitter" that is inexpensive, and fills the role pretty well.
7) Some gimlets! These are the smallest, lightest, and most useful drilling package you can get. If you want to make large things like chairs, a few auger bits and a wooden T-handle (just mortise a tapered hole for the end of the auger bit) will work just fine. Or, if you really have the space and weight is no concern, just bring a brace as well.
8) Carving knife, and/or hook knife, if you want to do spoons or bowls. Alternatively, a gouge.
9) I'd put a card scraper in there as well for smoothing surfaces and fine detail work.

Measuring/Other:
1) Basic Sharpening Equipment. Maybe a stone and a strop.
2) Knife
3) Try Square (if working with dimensioned boards)
4) Marking Gauge (if working with dimensioned boards)
5) Nails
6) Glue (if working with dry wood?)
7) Mallet


Alternatively, if you want a *really* minimal kit for dry woodworking, you could definitely consider something like:
1. Mini Douzuki
2. Japanese Block Plane
3. A few Chisels
4. Mallet
5. Gimlets
6. A half-round file
And maybe a card scraper, plus any measuring, marking, sharpening, and really basic work-holding devices you might want. Put them all in a tool roll, and you're good to go.

Likewise, for greenwoodworking, something akin to what people who practice bushcraft would be excellent:
1. Knife,
2. Bow Saw,
3. Axe,
4. Awl, Gimlets, or Auger Bits
5. Drawknife
6. Hook-knife or Gouge (if you want to do spoons or bowls, for instance)

Try to go for multipurpose tools, and pick one tool in each category that is large enough to fill its role, without being too heavy, or taking up too much space. For chisels, auger bits, or gimlets, I'd bring as many as I feel the need for and just put them all in a tool roll.