Which 'old' hand tools are indispensable in your shop?

[Andrew Schofield]

This is a question I've wanted to ask a few times but never got around to it. I have a good mix (I think) of old and new tools (I own a few Veritas planes, Stanley planes, mainly old Disston saws, some old and newer chisels and recently a nice Spiers panel plane etc).

i would say that every hand tool I buy, I buy to use, although I must admit to buying some that I don't really 'need' like my Preston spokeshave. However I do love buying a tool, tuning it up, using it and then making a decision if I want to keep it or resell to someone who will use it - I might lose a few bucks and some time but I get the experience of using a different tool.

So I just wanted to open up the floor for people as to which tools do you really feel that you wouldn't want to live without? Might be for functional reasons (a plain and simple no.4) of for other reasons (I imagine a Norris smoother would be amazing to own). What do you not own that you would like to own? Pictures would be great to see as well. i find that my wish list is growing so would love to hear some of yours as well!

thanks!

[Frederick Skelly]

I wouldn't part with my Grandfather's MF#9 smoothing plane. Both for sentimental reasons and because it takes such lovely, thin shavings.

Like to own? Large MF miter box. Despite what Chris Schwartz says, they aren't just lying around in every oldtimer's garage and they are fairly expensive to have shipped. But one day....

[Jim Koepke]

It is a long list of tools frequently used.

Try squares may be the most indispensable. If it doesn't start square, it likely won't end square without some way to check for square.

A few good saws always get used.

I do not need each and everyone of my hand planes but it sure is nice being able to pick what at the moment seems the perfect one for the job at hand.

Chisels are another abundant tool in my shop. Likely way more than I really need.

There are other ways to drill holes than a brace and auger bits, but I like mine a lot.

My spokeshaves make a world of difference on some projects.

Is sharpening equipment considered a tool? It is indispensable in my shop.

Then there are the marking tools, gimlets, measuring devices etc...

jtk

[Ray Selinger]

Oddly enough in this day and age of the powerful lightweight 18volt lithium-ion cordless drills , a good egg-beater drill. Precision for small holes is easy.

[Mike Henderson]

I have a Stanley 65 knuckle joint low angle block plane with a LV PM-V11 blade that I use on just about every project. Haven't found a better block plane yet.

Don't remember the age but it's a sweetheart or earlier, not recent.

Mike

[Sean Hughto]

The ones seen throughout these photos. Sorry I didn't feel up to pasting a bunch in this message individually. https://www.flickr.com/photos/chevy_...57607001006126

well maybe one. 3354647916_7d5c6e017a_z.jpg

[phil harold]

hatchet
got split the kindling for the fire
;o)

[Joe A Faulkner]

I have some old, cheap beater chisels that are perfect. They aren't nice enough that anyone would steal them or buy them. I've used them to scrape paint, rust, glue, gunk and on occasion to mortise or clean up shoulders or tenons. I'd give the egg beater drill a nod as well. On more than one occasion I've fitted hinges in the house instead of out in the shop. Using the egg beater to drill the pilot holes allows me to sometimes go undetected by those who don't appreciate sawdust being made in the house.

[Stew Denton]

Hi Andrew,

There are quite a few tools that I don't have....yet....but consider those essential, and hope to have most of them in the next year or two. That said, the ones I have now, use a lot and consider absolutely essential include:

1. handsaws: 8 pt CC, 12 pt CC, 7 pt rip,
2. chisels: butt firmers: 1/4" to 1&1/4" (I wouldn't need all of the sizes),
3. squares: try square, combination square, framing square,
4. my grandfathers old mallet,
5. 4' straight edge,
6. bench planes: Stanley sizes 7,5, & 4 (I have others I use quite a bit too but those thee are the minimum I would want to get by with),
7. block planes,
8. chalk line,
9. brace, bits, and special file for sharpening same,
10. Stanley 45, which I don't use a lot....yet...but hope to much more and would use it a lot more if we had no electricity,
11. gents saw and coping saw,
12. MF miter box,
13. utility knife,
14. various files and rasps,
15. router plane,
16. sanding blocks,
17. various hammers, tape measures, screwdrivers, a few tailed drills, a portaline drilling guide, and bits,

Almost all of the tools are quite old, but in good shape, many I have restored. I didn't include my dads old table saw and my saw sled, but would hate to be without it. I tried to concentrate on the hand tools as after all this is the Neander forum, and I use these more than the power tools, but will likely add a few power tools later.

I may add more later.

Stew

[Brent Cutshall]

Saws,SAWS! BUY SAWS,.(Disston and Atkins)(oh and Simonds)

[Mike Cherry]

It's strange that I was just thinking to myself that I'd like to come up with a sort of minimalist list of tools. I enjoy all my tools and don't actually want to get rid of any, but I have been toying with the idea of a traveling toolkit. Deciding what tools to put in there is a real challenge!

That said, the first plane I bought was a number 5 Stanley and I wouldn't be without it. I also found a 3/4" Stanley 750 socket chisel and it absolutely lives on my bench. My last but not least submission would be my Dads number 4 Stanley for sentimental and performance reasons. I swapped in a Hock blade but it is the plane I always grab when I need a great finish. The funny thing about all three tools, is that I have a LV LAJ, a LN 3/4" chisel, and a LN number 4 bronze smoothing plane. While they are all incredible tools, I find myself gravitating towards the vintage ones time and again. Hence the reason I started thinking about a minimalist kit!

One tool I would like to add is a couple gouges. I recently started peering into the world of carving and I am quite intrigued! So glad I freehand sharpen, otherwise I'd be scared to take the plunge into curved tools.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

A big, long, huge Marples paring chisel. It gets used on *everything*!

[Rob Luter]

With only a couple exceptions, all my tools are "old". Of the vintage variety, my set of Sweetheart era bench planes (#3, #4, #4 1/2, #5, #5 1/2, #6, #7) are the newest and get frequent use. My old knuckle joint block planes (#65 and #18) are my "go to" tools for small work. I have three Stanley #18 sliding bevels that get used all the time too. The one tool I consider indispensable is my #80 cabinet scraper. I actually have four so I don't have to stop and sharpen.

[James Waldron]

[snip]

Try squares may be the most indispensable. If it doesn't start square, it likely won't end square without some way to check for square.

[snip]jtk

Lots of good thoughts in your post, but I just couldn't let this one pass. It is easy to check a try square for accuracy.

Take a flat surface with a straight edge. Draw a pencil line square to the edge with the try square. Then flip the try square over and registering on the same edge at the first line at the edge, draw the pencil line again. Then look at the result. If the lines are "the same" (i.e., overlapping), the tool is dead-on square. If the lines diverge at the far end, the tool is out of square by 1/2 the resulting divergence angle. If the tool is adjustable, make the indicated adjustment and repeat. If the tool is not adjustable, you may be out of luck and out the price you paid, but many old try squares can be adjusted. If you build one yourself, you should make it adjustable as a "future feature" of your tool, too.

Edit: Do make sure you draw both the lines from the same edge of the blade of the try square. If one line is drawn with the inside of the blade and the other with the outside, the information content is zero. Each blade edge must be done individually. Now that I've said it, it may seem obvious, but I've seen a couple of guys get this part wrong and then curse the procedure (and me) for bad results. In both cases, the lighting was better on the right hand side of the work, so they "naturally" drew the line on the right hand side of the blade where they could see better.

[Shawn Pixley]

I have a 3, 4, & 5 Baileys (type 11 & 13) that see a lot of use. Additionally, two old Disstons (X-cut & Rip). Most of my older tools are my granfather's smithing tools.

I hardly use my breast drill.