Thread: Minimalist Hand Tool Kit

Have you thought about sharpening kit? That's about all I could think of other than layout tools and they'll probably be available over there.

Thanks Bueller.

I had considered that. In fact the son has a couple of sharpening stones I got for him a while back. I have his tradies trailer so they might be in there. I will have to have a look.

In fact the Simonds saws are his, but I don't think he has ever used them. He left them in my safe keeping.

Regards
Paul

Mortising gauge.

Swap the HNT Gordon for a Stanley #5 plus two blades (one for roughing out and one for smoothing). The Gordon is not a true jack plane.

10" Brace and bits (sizes? 1/4 - 1").

10" (folding?) drawknife and a Stanley #51 spokeshave.

Robin Hood carving axe (cheapest high quality available).

Mora sloyd knife for spoon carving.

Gomboy 300mm Folding Hand Saw Medium Teeth

Regards from Perth

Derek

Paul - he's close enough to pop over to Narex & ask 'em if they have any factory seconds, isn't he?

For a rustic furniture toolbox, I'd suggest:

A knife that can be used for shaping & whittling.
A RASP! A mid-sized 12 grain would be my choice if I could only have one.
As Stewie suggested, some sort of marking gauge. One of those older mortise gauges that has a single point on one side would be the most versatile.

I've been caught out with socket chisels, too, mistaking one brand for another, particuarly when handles have been swapped or replaced as they frequently are. However, Titans never had that roll or ridge on the top of the socket that Berg & some others had...

Cheers,

Thanks Stewie and Derek.

A heap of very constructive suggestions there. I think the mortice gauge and the draw knife are definite possibilities as I have spares of both those.

The brace and bits are a good suggestion but weight is the killer there. The brace is 1.48Kg. 6 x bits are .66Kg.

As far as possible I am using tools for which I have duplicates. I don't have a No.5 plane at all let alone a duplicate (but I did have two Gordon jack planes). In fact with the jack plane I was going to suggest he might want to open up the mouth a little with a file for coarser work.

I do have a Stanley No.4 plane (1.48Kg) and a No.3 plane (1.25Kg) so I am thinking that the No.5 would be quite a bit heavier as I think it has extra width, but I know nothing about such beasts. It is only a wild guess. I don't use these planes much and they may need some work done on them. Other than that all good

I think the Gordon plane may be a better bet for now as I have rebuilt it following an indiscretion with it. It has a new side plate and a repaired rear handle.

I do have a spare draw knife (437g) and the mortice gauge (152g)

Other ideas that sprung to mind are a small tape measure (2m), a lightweight combination square (I know they tend to be inaccurate, but probably sufficient for the work he will be doing) at 174g and a saw set at 310g.

Anything else?

Regards
Paul

Hi Ian

Yep. Narex are Czech republic I think, so only across the border, but he is a little light on the readies for the moment even for "seconds." I might mention to him that when he is financial again he could look at that brand for more chisels.

Of course I didn't mind that the Titans turned out to be Bergs.

I have what I think is a mortice gauge (It has two beams) and I am just cleaning it up and gluing some cracks with two part epoxy (to fill the space). I will post some pix later. I know the sort of mortice gauge you mean and I had one somewhere but it has disappeared and he is not getting the Wilkie mortice gauge!

I am a little too mean spirited to let him have any of my Liogier rasps, but I do have a number of cheaper rasps, which I have not been pleased with; So I am not sure of the benefit in sending any of them.

There is a balance between what he will not be able to afford in Slovakia, what he may be able to source at little or no cost (think beg, borrow or oops......) and what I can send up to the 5Kg weight limit to supplement his acquisitions ( about which I have no knowledge) and tools for which I have spares.

As you might imagine I could supply an arsenal of hand saws, but the weight beats me there!

Anyhow I am just off to rummage through the tradies trailer to see if I can find his sharpening stones.

Regards
Paul

Paul, I suggest that he does some planning beforehand and take the tools he will need, rather than something for all eventualities. For example, he and you do a little reading about Green Woodworking (cheaper and easier as the wood is usually free). The tools below focus on that.

Green woodworking usually focuses on chairs and spoons. The wood is newish, that is, not dry - which makes it easier to use. Basic preparation is done with a carving axe and drawknife.

You have the drawknife. The axe is small and he can modify a cheapie from Bunnings (the one I mentioned in my post is not expensive but specialist and would require importing from the UK). The Sloyd knife for whittling/carving is cheap. Hook knives are available on eBay.

The Gomboy saw is excellent for ripping both green and dry wood, and folds up to take little space. It will replace the large rip saw you set aside. To save space further, take along the Stanley #3 (in place of the Gordon) and get an extra blade for this (strongly cambered for scrub work).

Regards from Perth

Derek

If the freight component is going to be $128.08 would you perhaps be better to send him the cash, then he can source the tools he needs locally?
Cheers,
Geoff.

Thanks Derek for the suggestions. Under different circumstances they would be excellent I'm sure.

However......

Simon has never planned for anything in his life and at 34 years old I suspect it might be another 34 years before he does. Actually he did plan his "Siipod" walking trip though Europe, although arguably not quite well enough .

Secondly, he is already in Slovakia and has been in either the UK or continental Europe for coming on two years (post #1, sentence 1 ).

Thirdly I am desperately attempting to limit my expenditure because of the huge cost of postage, so no new tools preferably. I could find an alternative method of shipping which would allow more weight and probably be cheaper, but it is effectively sea mail and mindbogglingly slow.

I went looking for his sharpening stones ( two Sigma Power stones) but couldn't find them. I had purchased them a while back for his JP kitchen knives. I have the knives, but not the stones. I use all my water stones so I'll see if I have an oil stone in good nick (lots of boomerang shaped all stones ).

Regards
Paul

Geoff

I have considered that. In fact just before Xmas we sent him $100 by direct transfer from the sale of some French doors to a friend. He ended up with $65 after currency conversion and bank fees . We won't be doing that again. having said that I should have used Paypal.

The trouble is, even $128 won't go very far. I think I can still offer more value and a greater number of tools by posting. I agree that it is worth considering.

Regards
Paul

Interesting challenge. I like Derek's idea of a plane with multiple blades but I suspect a wooden plane would be lighter. However, I'm not sure that is the case with a gidgee plane!
And I think Derek was referring to a Robin Wood carving axe not something from Nottingham Forest.
A Mora 106 knife might double as a marking knife but it might be cheaper to purchase it locally than send it from here.
There is a pretty cool website for Slovak craft: Home - ÚĽUV - Ústredie ľudovej umeleckej výroby

Originally Posted by hiroller

And I think Derek was referring to a Robin Wood carving axe not something from Nottingham Forest.

"Feared by the rich; Loved by the poor, Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood."

Thanks Gavin.

I will pass on the link to Simon. He has a Slovakian girlfriend so he might get more out of it than us, although it looked like there was ample translation into English.

Almost any sharp knife can be a marking knife even though it may not work as well as the dedicated tool so I have not worried too much in that direction. Even a chisel can be a marking knife at a pinch.

I have concentrated on tools he cannot afford or cannot improvise, particularly if I already have them.

Regards
Paul

One more thing I forgot to mention earlier is that Simon was hoping to use pallet wood as he thought he might have free access to some. However, I have no idea whether it will be hardwood or softwood.

Regards
Paul