Thread: Minimalist Hand Tool Kit

Paul; the lads a qualified Carpenter. Surely he can tell you the lists of tools he needs.

regards Stewie;

Absolutely Stewie,

184mm circular saw, 235mm circular saw, 84mm Makita planer, 18V cordless drill and impact driver nail-gun and a compressor plus a few measuring tools .

Really the kit I'm putting together are supplementary tools untill he can afford power tools, although he says he is going to go with hand tools for a while. Personally I don't think that will last long.

We have to remember he is doing this to supplement an income, not because he wants to boast about the jewelry box he as made to his Forum peers. His aspirations and ours are separated by a chasm that makes the Grand canyon look like a creek.

My own take is that he will be unable to make any money out of the enterprise until he can afford a "lunch box " thicknesser. Some sort of improvised table saw may also become essential. However, he may be able to work away at a prototype range of product until he can afford a basic workshop. I say this because somebody I know did exactly this making "rustic" furniture on a commercial basis using recycled timber including pallets. His operation boasted a "lunch box" thicknesser and a Triton saw bench. I think there was a nail gun too.

Regards
Paul

Matt

If I don't have to put in the water stone I may throw in a ruler. At the moment I am just a tad overweight (that's the package not me: If I put on any weight I won't be able to get in my shed ).

Not essential though as I am sure he can source a ruler .

Regards
Paul

I should have added a dust collector to the list of powered tools. A DC is pretty much mandatory with a thicknesser.

Regards
Paul

Sharpening: The Sandpaper Man in OZ has it all = 3M fine automotive finishing sandpapers.
They work very, very well on a flat surface for sharpening. A few sheets of each 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 should do for now.

Paul,

I don't know about prices in Slovakia but in Poland hand tools are remarkably inexpensive, ~25 - 50% of US pricing. Imported power tools are about the same prices as the US. A train or intercity bus ride to Krakow probably wouldn't be very expensive either.

Regards,
Rob

RV

You are a genius and in fact I have a set of those 3M microfinishing papers, which I have never ever used!!

However, a quick update on Simon's water stones: Apparently he did return them to Australia and they did come to us, but his Mum put them away somewhere safe. In fact I didn't see the parcel at all. She is going to have a look for them. However, the 3M paper is a very real alternative and of course a fraction of the weight. We'll see.

Regards
Paul

Rob

That's interesting that Poland has cheap tools. Is that because they are made in Poland? Australian tools whether made locally or imported seem to be quite expensive and consequently I expect them to be the same everywhere.

I'll contact Simon and pass this information on. It will be for the future as zero dollars or zero euros still buy very little.

Regards
Paul

Also I am rethinking the handsaw issue. Don't necessarily expect a rationalisation. I would describe it more as a nostalgic, sentimental touch, but totally in keeping with what is a festive season present . Stay posted.

Regards
Paul

"Genius?" Bushmiller, you can put my money, not in the mail but, towards kit for your kid.

I carve a lot with the crooked knives common to the Pacific Northwest native carvers.
Stones are useless with the curved blades, 3M papers are the only way to go.
Always fresh, always flat and economical.
So I can wrap pieces around mandrels and sharpen my kit over my knee.

Valid parallel here, I think. Look into his access to Narex (CZ) tools.
If he's got a source, I have a sneaking suspicion that Narex steel is a quality buy.

I bought a pair of 1/2" Narex (CZ) skews simply as a gamble.
Next, scrubbed them down from 25 to 20 degrees as carving tools.
I concluded that the steel was so good that I bought another pair, a week later.
I have ground those down and made other carving tools form those skews.
I am not disappointed in the performance.

Thanks RV.

In fact IanW has already suggested that the Czech made Narex are good value and only a short trip away. I can see a trip coming up for him to Prague, Krakow and back to Bratislava.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Rob

That's interesting that Poland has cheap tools. Is that because they are made in Poland? Australian tools whether made locally or imported seem to be quite expensive and consequently I expect them to be the same everywhere.

I'll contact Simon and pass this information on. It will be for the future as zero dollars or zero euros still buy very little.

Regards
Paul

It's a relative wage thing.

some time ago someone posted, either here or on another forum, that around 80% of the "cost" of a retail item is incurred between a store's loading dock and cash register. Wages in Poland, and I'd also guess the Slovak Republic, are much lower than they are in Australia, which translates to lower prices when expressed in terms of the buying power of an Australian salary. For a local, the item may still be expensive but when viewed with an Australian lens, the cost is often a bargain.

Not tools, but useful as an example.
Two years ago, I bought two espresso coffees and two pastries in NW Italy (near the base of Mt Blanc) for 4.50 Euro (about $6.00 AUD). A similar purchase in Sydney would be around $20 AUD, maybe a bit more. And in a Swiss ski village the equivalent purchase would be around $15 AUD.


If you can get cash to Simon without incurring inter-bank fees, you might be surprised how far it can go with local purchases.

I was looking at tools in Poland 12-18 mths ago -typically Festool, Pfeil and similar, and noted that the prices were a little below the prices in Australia. Whilst I could carry them personally (read free), it was just not cost effective to bring back to Australia.

The relativities of earnings and cost are a very valid point. In Simon's case he has Australian memories, but Slovakian wages.

We found the water stones. The 6000g was just over 1Kg and the 1000g about .75Kg. So I think the micro finishing film gets a tick there. I have not weighed them (or looked at exactly what I have yet) but think sandpaper and you are on the money.

Regards
Paul