R.A. Salaman's definitive text the Dictionary of Wood Working Tools lists tools used in excess of 80 wood working trades as diverse as coffin maker, wheelwright, cooper and  turner.  Many of these more exotic trades, whether still being praticed or dying or long dead, employ highly specialised tools which will not be found in a listing of the first general purpose tools to procure, however the tools listed below will be in frequent use for the great majority of woodworking trades.  This list is therefore a useful guide to getting started in general woodworking.

In this data sheet:

In this data sheet the tools appropriate to 8 stages of work are suggested.  The highlighted links will take you directly to a suggested product at the detail level in our site.  Use this as a navigational short cut to the product groups. For example there are over 25 options listed for block planes.  We suggest the Veritas standard angle block however there is often, as in this example of block planes, a wide range of prices, features and quality levels across the range.

In the example illustrated below from the detail level of the Veritas Standard Angle Block Plane plane you can navigate up a level to the group level of all Veritas planes.

A note on quality

Unless you have a short term use for a hand tool it is suggested that you purchase the best quality you can afford and to spread the purchases over time. If you are a tool nut like us the satisfaction to be had from using a high quality tool which performs well is worth the initial outlay and offers a lifetime of pleasure.

Remember he who dies with the most tools wins!

1. MEASURING, MARKING & LAYOUT

• Measure, Tape - Steel, say 8m capacity
• Rules, Steel - a selection - eventually a 150, 300, 600 and 1 metre
• Gauge, Mortice & Marking
• Bevel, Sliding
• Square, Try
• Awl, Reaming
• Knife, Marking
• Caliper,  Verniers
• Protractor

2. PLANING, DRESSING & SHAPING

• Scraper, Cabinet
• Burnisher
• Plane, Block
• Plane, Smoothing
• Plane, Jack
• Plane, Fore or Try
• Rasp - fine & coarse

3. CUTTING & CHOPPING

• Chisels, Set of bevel edge bench

4. SAWING

• Saw, Dovetail
• Saw, Tenon - either Japanese or Western design
• Saw, Panel - either Japanese Kataba or Western design
• Saw, Coping - if you are doing dovetails, otherwise can be deferred

5. STRIKING

• Mallet, Wooden
• Hammer, Claw
• Hammer, Cross Pein (aka Warrington or pin hammer)

6. DRILLING & SCREWING & PLUGGING

• Drill / screwdriver, Battery powered - a Hand Eggbeater drill is still an option
• Drills, Brad point drills optimised for wood - set of 6 or 8
• Countersink/bores with detent shanks - set of 5
• Screwdrivers - #2 philips and three sizes of straight hand screwdriver
• Plug Cutters

7. CLAMPING

• Clamp, F
• Clamp, Pipe
• Clamps, Hand Spring

8 . MAINTENANCE

• Stone, Sharpening, Japanese combination stone
• Guide, Honing
• Rust Protection, Renaissance Wax and G15 Spray