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 The basic tools I use most. 

 My must have boat building book list.

My grandfather passed a on great love of tools to me.  Unfortunately, when he died, he didn't leave me any. But he did leave me two rules for acquiring my own.  I have been applying these rules for the past 35 years and now have a fairly complete shop for both wood and metal working with only a couple of screw ups along the way.

Washington Dessau's Rules for Acquiring Tools.

1. Always buy the best tools you can afford. While it is a poor workman that blames his tools, the best craftsman cannot do his best work with cheap tools. There are some caveats to this rule. The "best" is not necessarily the most expensive. For example a good $18 Crown try square is just as square as a $65 Bridge City try square.  There is also a practical limit.  For example, a $30 set of Marples Blue Chip chisels, properly sharpened will do almost as good a job as a $150 set of Sorby's but a $25 set of Stanley hardware store chisels will be cursed as long as you possess them.

2. Never buy more than one or two tools at a time. Learn to use what you have before buying another tool.  A corollary to this rule is that the minimum time required to aquire a tool should increase as the square of the price of that tool.  In other words, if it takes less than a week  to decide on and purchase a hand power tool like router or three months to purchase a major tool like a table saw, you run a big risk of buying the wrong tool. Unless you have unlimited funds for mistakes, it should take several years to fully equip a woodworking shop.

My list of essential tools

Keeping the above rules in mind, I have assembled the following links to the tool catalog on Amazon.com.   I have tried to compare the prices against other sources including the Home "Despot", Lowe's and my favorite discount mail order tool source Tools On Sale.  Amazon does not carry the hard to find hand tools like Highland Hardware but I have found the prices for power hand tools $10 to $15 lower than the others and shipping is free for orders over $100. In addition, there is no sales tax so far for most states so the savings can be significant.

I am not relieving you of the necessity to comparison shop! But if you do decide on a tool, I would appreciate ordering it here because I get a small commission which helps keep this web site open without tackying it up with advertising banners. Just click the image to go to Amazon. 

These are items that I found Amazon had the lowest price on and are in order by category and the frequency that I use them. This is obviously not every tool you need but these will get you moving in the right direction

The Basic woodworking hand tools:

Record M444/S4 4-Piece Marples Blue Chip...">  (1/4",1/2" 3/4" &1")  chisels.  A good set of chisels at a good price.  You could get a $150 set of Japanese hollow grounds but you are going to get epoxy all over them anyway.

Diamond Sharpening stones"> Sharpening Stones. Good chisels and plane irons become great chisels if you get them sharp and keep them that way.  The DMT diamond stones are a joy to work with unless you have the bucks for a Tormac wet stone grinder.  I have an 8"  600 grit and a 1200 grit DMT stone screwed to the bench at the entrance of the boat shed. A few strokes every now and then will keep all your cutting edges razor sharp. A 220 is good for grinding out nicks in the edge quickly if you have no other equipment

Shark CORP 10-2440 Fine Cut Saw"> Japanese Ryoba saw.  This saw cuts on the pull rather than the push like a Western saw and cuts a much thinner kerf.  It cuts faster and with more control. Once you try a Ryoba, you will forget about other saws.  The one at Amazon is an "imitation".  If you want the real thing, call Highland Hardware (800) 241-6748 and pay the extra $15.

Record 060-1/2 Low Angle Block Plane"> .  The low 12 degree angle makes this plane easy to use especially end grain. If you want to go hog wild, get a Lie Nielsen for $95 form Highland Hardware. OTOH the Stanley version of the 60-1/2 plane works just fine for about $30

The Nicholson #50 Pattern Maker's rasp is a wonderful tool for shaping curves quickly and smoothly.  This is not a link because Amazon does not carry them. You can get one from Highland Hardware for about $50. Expensive for a rasp but well worth it.  You will need a handle for it too. Oddly enough Garrett Wade, the tool dealer to the ego tripper, carries a similar European made rasp for about half the price.

You also need measuring tools squares, bevel guage and some other common tools but you don't save enough at Amazon to make it worth while.  Go to the Home Despot when you need them..

A good wooden bench mallet is also absolutely essential but Amazon does not list a decent one. Call Highland Hardware.

And then there are clamps. A boat builder can never have enough clamps. Leave hints for Christmas, birthday and Fathers day. Clamps beat the heck out of ties and socks.  Buy 'em by the dozen from Tools on Sale (800)328-0457.  4" C clamps are the minimum size I would recommend.  A whole bunch of 2" and 3" spring clamps , a few long pipe clamps , a dozen or so 24" to 36" bar clamps and a few old fashoned hand screws will give you a good selection to start with.

Power Hand Tools

Now we are getting into some money.  Buy these one at a time and lay some hints for Christmas and Father's Day.

DeWalt DW995K-2 18-Volt 1/2'..."> DeWalt 18V cordless drill set. This puppy is an absolute necessity if you are building anything bigger than a canoe. I am constantly using it to assemble molds, jigs and scaffolding, mixing big batches of epoxy and occasionally even drilling a hole or driving a screw in the boat.,

Bosch 1587AVSP Progressor Top-Handle..."> Bosch Jig Saw. I am not absolutely sold on the Bosch brand but I have one and it has worked well for many years.  You do need a heavy duty jig saw though because you will use it to cut 3/4 particle board molds and a whole bunch of plywood.  A cheap one will die an early and painful death.

Dewalt DW824 5' High Power Small Angle..."> DeWalt 5" angle grinder. If you are working with fiberglass, this item will make trimming the edges and removing goof ups. The smaller ones will work but the 5" holds up better.

Porter-Cable 693PKE 1-1/2 HP Router..."> Routers. A woodworker can never have enough routers.  Ideally you want one for every router bit. The Porter cable 690 with an extra plunge base is the starting point for your collection.  The down side is that it will not swing anything bigger than a 3/4" round over bit. 

I am partial to Jessada bits but have had good luck with Oldham Vipers.  Use 1/2" shank bits where possible as they produce less chatter on heavy cuts.

DeWalt DW625 3 HP Variable Speed..."> For the really heavy stuff when you need that extra power and control the DeWalt 3 HP plunge router is the winner. This baby is a real power horse.  It will swing a 1" round over or a big panel raising bit.  With soft start and variable speed it is a joy to use. It also works wonderfully mounted in a router table.  The poor mans shaper. I have the ELU which is the European version of the same machine and I love it!

Belt Sander"> Belt Sanders.  The purist will say that a belt sander has no place in boat building but I find it the best tool for bringing down the edge of a piece of plywood, fine tuning a part, doing rough fairing and a host of other duties.  I have a Porter Cable 352VS 3"x21" but it is far from ideal. When it dies I am going to a Bosch 1274DVS but here are the results of an Amazon search

Bosch 3725DVS 5' Random Orbit Variable..."> Random Orbital Sander. I have a Bosch 5" ROS and like it a lot. I also have a couple of pneumatic dual actions that I use for rough work because they are more powerful but they are not good for finish work. The  Bosch ROS is what I use for finer work.

The Big Stuff

OK, now we get to the tools that you don't want your SHMBO to find out how much you paid for them.  You definitely do not need most of these machines to build a medium size boat but they will make the job easier and the results more professional. In some ways they can save some money on materials too.

If you plan to build more than one boat or are really hooked on woodworking, you will eventually need some of these. If you are building a boat just to get on the water.  stop here.

I am a fan of Grizzly Industrial for major tools.  The Griz' sells a line of Chinese imports that are good value for the money.  I have a Grizzly bench belt sander, 8" joiner and 2HP dust collector and an very satisfied with them. However, if you want to stick with the major brands, Amazon has the best prices I have found so far.

Dewalt DW705S 12' Heavy Duty Compound..."> Once you start on the interior, the compound miter saw will be set up right close to the transom.  It willbe in constant use trimming every thing to those wierd angles.

Thickness planer"> Thickness Planer.  When I first got my Delta 12" planer, I was not sure how often it would be used but it soon became the most popular machine in the shop. It has more than paid for itself in finishing rough stock, getting exact thickness and preparing plys for laminating.  I could not work without mine.

I include this bench type belt/disk sander because it is the one Amazon sells.  Grizzly sells a much nicer one with a 12" disk shown at the right  for about $100 more.  You want the low speed 1725 RPM model # G1183. The 3450 RPM model will burn exotic hardwoods wood to easily.

Jet 708115GK / JWBS-14CSW 14' Bandsaw..."> Jet 14" Bandsaw. If you are building using a traditional method, you will find this bandsaw a necessity. If you are building with composites or S&G, the jig saw will do it all at 1/4 the price.  The 14" band saw is the smallest size I would recommend.

For resawing thin stock, the Woodslicer blades from Highland Hardware are my first choice.  If you want to upgrade the blade guides, forget Cool Blocks.  Go ahead and take the bite for a set of Carter or Bandroller steel bearing guides.  You won't regret it. If you are contemplating buying a band saw, I strongly recommend that you get Mark Band Saw Handbook">Duginske's Band Saw Handbook first.

Table saws"> Table Saw. If the lathe is the queen of the metal shop, the table saw is the king of the wood shop. For interior cabinetry, the table saw is essential. DO NOT BUY an cheap table top or portable model. At a minimum you want a good contractors saw. as found in this search.  If you are really serious, a Delta or Jet cabinet saw will reward you for the pain you go through buying it. If you can, buy an used cabinet saw. It takes the deliberate effort of a real idiot to screw one up. You have to look at a table saw as a long term investment you will pay from $800 to $1,600 for a good one. I have a Powermatic 66 that I bought 10 years ago for $1,200 when a cabinet shop closed. It is my pride and joy and I could probably get a lot more for it now but I plan to take it with me when I die.

Site last modified:04/12/04