My son's tools kit

A while back I asked my sons Tim and Matt if they would be interested in having a hand tools woodworking kit.  Since then, with Jean, came one more son, Levy and one daughter Opal.
So, my tool kits requirements has changed somewhat.  Need more tools :-)
Oh and I also picked up 4 grand kids, 3 girls and a boy :-)
Yes, they are keeping me busy :-)

I have been accumulating tools for them all, time to see where I stand with my supply and start (?) figuring out how I am going to fit them all into suitable containers.  Said containers must fit into my car for delivery.  2 in Ontario, 2+ in Nova Scotia.

So during the holiday break I started to gathered the tools I want to put in inside to get some ideas of the size I would required.

It kinda makes a big pile... :-)

Once I had my first pile of tools put together, my first thought was like that Chihuahua from a Taco Bell commercial of long ago "I think I need a bigger box" :-)
Yeah, a tad overwhelming, but the show must go on.

First I checked my list twice, being so close to Christmas and all, it was only natural :-)
Then I reasoned that some of my tool's choices could be changed.  Remove, add, change etc.
If you never tried to come up with a minimalist list of tools, go ahead and try, not so easy, heh?
So many choices, so many wants mixing in with needs.
My starting point was my last Minimalist tool list I made years ago, March 2016.
I stayed pretty true to it, but made some modifications as I went along.  Will update my lists as they are completed, but for now this is were I stand.

The Measurements and Marking section.

I since dropped one marking knife.

Both the trammel bar and pinch stick would be smaller, I just grabbed what I got.

The setup block set and the dial caliper made it.

The plane selection.

Trying both wooden and metal planes selection to gauge the size requirements.

I ditched the block plane, and rethinking the small plow plane

Sawing selection

I am still on the fence WRT the fret saw??

Wondering about the hacksaw?  I still think that it is needed in a well rounded kit.

And it MUST be of a high tension frame, compound lever action.

Bang Bang section 

With maybe one more nail set size and another Vix bit??

The small Warrington hammer (8 Oz)  double as a wooden plane hammer

Chisels and gouge selection

Still on the fence regarding the appropriate size of gouge, but it is representative

The boring pile.

Only one size of Yankee screwdriver will make it.  I got two sizes I'm mulling about.

The brace countersink bit is out, replaced by the hand held countersink with three sizes bits, 

very handy, I used it often.  The Yankee to 1/4 in Hex bit adapter, with a good set of 1/4 in Hex bits , should handle most everything in the fastening department.  The hand drill comes with a set of small brad points bits, 1/16 to 1/4 in in 1/64 increments.  The brace with only a few bits, about 4.  The small push drill has its complement of 8 bits, inside the handle

The scraping section.

Tought about putting in a No 80 Cabinet scraper, but a tad challenged for space 

For my first attempt, I'm trying to see how big of a wall cabinet that would required.  Next I'll see about some sort of tool box storage.   Although they all get similar tool's kit, space will dictate how best, to accommodate them for their requirements.  The next and biggest challenge would be to accommodate a proper bench to use them.  That is where a Morovian  design will undoubtedly shine.
Tim, living in a high rise apartment in a city (Hamilton Ontario) is really crammed for space.  That would be trickier, but I got some ideas.

After some measuring, came out with the following dimensions:

Starting point for sizing cabinets.

I quickly ditched the 30 inch wide cabinet as being too unwieldy for the space, 

and settled on 24 in wide cabinet 7 in deep and doors of 5 in deep. 

The box sizes below are the required real estate to fit the specifics tool sections

First iteration came up as such: The chisels, rasp, files on the RH door 

and all the saws in the LH door.  But no room for any planes?? humm

Top is the RH door, bottom is the LH door with the saws, which don't quite fit, hum...

Unless I stacked them all, but not very practical, so I went back to the drawing board.

Stacking the saws side by side takes up a lot less space

Adding the planes

Then trying the metallic planes, gave me a bit more room,

 can squeeze in the router and No 78

These experiments led me to redesign the space of the cabinet as such:

I shifted the boring tools and bits on the LH door were the saws were to go

That fits pretty well everything with the following exceptions:

- Hacksaw (keep or leave out?)

- Coping saw (should be able to hang it up somewhere)

- Fret saw (leave out)

- Router plane (must fit)

- Duplex Rabbet plane No 78 (must fit)

- Small plow plane (would like to fit it in)

That is a lot better than my first iteration were I was going to store the three amigo's planes (Jointer, Jack, Smoother) on top of cabinet, for lack of space.

What is not apparent from these trials is that the cabinet depth allowed for the stacking of some tools.
The long narrow tools (Winding stick, Pinch stick and Trammel bar) all are set on the inside of the cabinets vertical sides.  So based on my experiments, I think it is doable to fit the projected 24 wide X 30 in tall,  7 in deep cabinet with 5 in deep doors.

Now time to muck up some holders and see how my bright ideas shakes out.

Happy New Year everyone

Bob, with limited shop time but using the dining room table for his experiments.
Yap, all cleared now, apparently it is needed to eat, go figured :-)

Yes, birdhouses...

Jean and I are part of the Glooscap First Nation Elders society.  Jean is the vice president and I, do whatever she asks me to do :-)
We meet once a month and are trying to revive interest in the group by showcasing various crafts as part of our gatherings.  Last month, Jean did candle making, then she volunteered me to do bird houses today.  Next month she will be making wreath.  Hopefully someone else will pick up after that, or my turn will come back fast :-)

But jokes asides, I don't mind and it is fun.
The challenge was how to pull it off in a relatively short time, while using basically very simple instruments.  Just something up my alley :-)

The nite before, I gathered my tools and supplies, read up on birdhouse, downloaded and printed some materials to pass around, etc

My original bright plan was to round up some of the decorative bird houses around my yard as example, then build one like I will be demonstrating and build it all from one board 1X6X6 ft with no power.

That's where my brilliant plan started to unraveled fast.  I got stuck in a struggle to keep my tool kit light and minimalist.  Those that knows me will understand why I struggled with minimalist intentions, so many choices :-)

The scene last night on my kitchen floor, trying to decide on what to bring

Oh, by the way, me and Rudy are left without adult supervision for two days, Jean is gone to a retreat with the grand kids.  Will try to keep out of trouble :-)  Yes Dear, I cleaned up my mess :-)

After a few (too many) iterations, this is what I got before calling it quit at 2130.

I did not build one that nite, need a longer board than I was willing to sacrifice

Part of my bright plan was to showcase a few different tools to do the job.  But not knowing my audience genders make up and interest, I had a few back up plans and parts to skip ahead :-)

Sure enough, it turns out that I had an all female audience today, so I concentrated on the technical details, read going over some of the critical features of a good bird house.  Stressing the why and no-no's.

I made some last minutes changes to my tool kit, of course, but still managed to forget to bring some stuff like screws, nails, drivers bits, square, pencil... So much for last minutes preparations.
OH, and I forgot to bring some example of decorative birdhouses with me.

No biggie, had to make a stop on my way to buy a 1X6X6 ft long Eastern white pine board and a box of Hot Dipped Galvanized (HDG) finish nails.

Thankfully I had my tape measure, which I temporarily misplaced last nite in between two beers.
At one point I even text her asking if she has seen my tape lately?  I'll abbreviate the answer to just NO :-)

So armed with my trusty Disston D7 cross cut saw I proceed to cut my board into 6 pieces.  I was going to bring my saw horse, but nixed that quickly last nite, it would had entailed moving around too much stuff.  I made do using two foot rest from one of the couch.  That worked well until my board became too short and was impossible to keep straight on the upholstered saw horse.  Switched to a regular chair to finish my last cuts.

This is where I got my dimensions and most of my data on bird houses
http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/making-bird-houses.html

After going over the requirements of a proper bird house, explaining the dimensions and hole size and location etc, etc. Came time to drill a  1-1/2 inch hole.

Shown the options: Brought a corded electric drill, mounted in a small portable drill press attachment.  That was because of one choice option for the bits, the Forstner.  By hand you risk to mess up or break your wrist, especially with the larger sizes with saw tooth edges.
Then shown the cordless drill with two types of paddle bits (skipped the lecture on bits geometry) and the brace.  I of course choose the brace, a Spofford brace with a big center bit.  I tried it last nite and it was more chewing than cutting, so I gave it a quick touch up sharpening and big difference.

Came from both sides as soon as the center pin goes thru, to minimize splinters.
At this point realized that I forgot both sand papers and rasp,  but discussed the importance of a smooth entrance hole and some of the way to guard against predators or other bully bird species.
Putting a double layer of wood around the hole or putting a metal ring, piece of flat metal stock etc.  All to prevent them from chewing the hole bigger

Then one more important detail, we need to makes some sort of scratches with saw blade or a small gouge, on the inside surface of the entrance hole board to give the bird a way to climb his way out.

For assembly I used no glue (unnecessary) but if I was using one, it would need to be outdoor rated.
Shown them the differences between regular shiny finish  nails and HDG ones.  The irregular surface texture helps them grip better.  For added strength I shown them how to dovetailed the nails.

One side panel is not nailed in but is held only by the two top nails acting as a pivot hinge.  For cleaning and inspection.

The intended recipient of my bird house

I was purposely wearing a Toronto Blue Jays T-shirt, asking them to guess what type of birdhouse I will be building?  Apparently, not many of these ladies, if any, follows much Major League Baseball, Toronto MLB team are the Blue Jays :-)

After about 1/2 hour, I had this rough but serviceable bird house to show.

I changed the plans on the fly, I angled down the roof instead of straight across.

Yes, the bird house is resting on top of my upholstered saw bench :-)

The left side opened up for inspection and cleaning.

The bottom floor has its four corners cut off.  That is for drainage and air ventilation.

Yes, sandpapers would had been nice, oh well.

I ended up with a 19 inches piece left over from my 6 ft board.
5 straight crosscuts cuts with the D7
One angled cut (yielding two match angled sides) with the D7
One hole with a brace and center bit
Cut the corners on floor piece (4 cuts) and made a few saw cuts inside the front piece with a tenon saw, crosscut
Assembled with regular claw hammer and HDG finish nails 1-1/2 in long and voila!

Of course having forgotten my screws, it is missing a small crucial detail.  You must secure the side against predators opening it.  That's why the side opening is a better option than a top opening.  Also makes its easier to clean.  Important in between residents to not transmit diseases among them.

I would add one screw at the bottom to secure it down.  Yes, you need to open it with a screwdriver, but it is very secure.
Small inconvenience for us, peace of mind for the residents.

Then a clean up and make ready for a special birthday girl, Patty Smith, who is or is one of the older elder on the reservation.

The birthday girl is blowing her candles.

It was successful :-)

We had some special visitors dropping in to wish her happy birthday.

L-R Chief Sidney Peters of the Glooscap reserve, Patty Smith and Canadian Senator Dan Christmas

And Rudy during all of this, you ask? I left him with his doggy girl friend at Jean's Mom place, whom I picked up for the gathering.  The two of them, Rudy and Eva, gets along very well and keep each other company.

Back home later had a nap then supper.

Rudy photo bombing my latest pick at my recent chocolate run (Tm)

Long day but an interesting one, we both learned a lot more about bird houses.

Bob, and Rudy still unsupervised for one more nite :-)

Sharpening equipment

Continuing our series on my minimalist tool list.
All the tools you have been busy acquiring since I started this series would be quickly rendered useless unless you have a meant to keep them sharp.

SHARPENING EDGE TOOLS, CHISEL, PLANE IRONS ETC.

First understand that it DOES NOT MATTER which system you use, oil stones, waterstones, diamond plates, scary sharp (sand papers) etc THEY  ALL WORKS.

If you already have some money invested into one of these system, keep it.
If you are starting from scratch, pick one any one and stick with it.

Understand also that there are three steps required to bring a tool cutting edge to be sharp.
1- Grinding
Could be done on your coarsest stones or sand paper or with a grinder, handcrank or power.
2- Honing
Must be done UNTIL a burr is formed on the other side. Most people stop before they achieve that burr across the WHOLE edge and as a result, will never achieve sharp.
That step is accomplished using your medium stone (roughly 1200 in waterstone, Black Arkansas in oil stone or roughly 320 to 600 in sandpaper)
3- Polishing
Were we cut the burr and refine the edge. Use your finest stone.  I stop at 6000 on my waterstones with a Nagura stone then I strop it.

This commercial strop has a shaped edge to handle my carving gouges

Shop made with a peel & stick micron sandpaper.

A good source is from Fiber optic technician, they never reuses their paper and there is a lot of life left in them after they just polish the end of the fiber.

Or... you can buy them :-)

In the above pic the polished ceramic tile is for using sandpaper, and setting the bevel flat on the plate.

The super flat surface (more than flat enough for our needs) is also great to set flat the bevel on our tools in the side clamping jig, if you do not have a setting jig or want to duplicate an existing odd ball angle. Spritz water put on a piece of sandpaper and go to town. I don't use spray glue.

The hand grinder is but one example and then there are my two most used waterstones, 1200 and 6000, which BTW you must use with a Nagura stone to achieve best results..

There is a lot of controversy and strong opinions when it comes to sharpening.
All I have to say about using a jig for holding your chisels and plane irons is that it will get your sharper, faster. Why? Because repeat ability and consistency wins the race...every time.
I don't see it as a crutch, and yes, I am proficient with free hand sharpening without training wheels, but I still used it to get me there faster, period!

And talking of sharpening jig, I much prefer the side clamping jigs like the Eclipse over any that clamp from the top of the blade such as the Veritas jigs.
The Lie-Nielsen appears very nice and etc. but it is way too pricey for my taste and needs, so save your money and get a cheap clone of the Eclipse, they are everywhere and all seems to come out of the same factory (?)
They are not perfect, what do you expect at that price point, but they are very serviceable and easy to tweak, see how I do it here

Such a side clamping guide benefit greatly from the use of a simple setting jig to get consistent angle set

 

Finally you NEED a place set up to be able to sharpen without having to clear everything to make room. The easier it is to stop and sharpen, the more often you will do it and your tools will stay sharper and your sanity will benefit also :-)
You do not need a full blown dedicated sharpening bench but make yourself as a minimum a board of some sort to hold your stones and etc.

My temporary set up on a re-purposed bedside table using 

my sharpening board on it

SHARPENING SCRAPERS

You need a mill file and a burnisher. DO NOT skimp on the burnisher and forget stupid ideas about using a router bit shank, screwdriver shaft and whatever.
You NEED a proper burnisher. They come in various shape and profile, I use my Veritas ones, work great.

From T to B

Veritas small carbide burnisher

Veritas Tri-Burnisher

Home made burnisher made from an hardened rod inside a Xerox photocopier

Requirement of a good burnisher, a smooth and hard surface, harder than the steel used on the scrapers.

There are a few special holders to help you get a consistent burr angle, but I never used one, so cannot comment on their efficiency.

The mill file, about 8 in, is used to remove the old burr and dress the edge smooth and flat. A small guide either commercial or shop made (a chunk of 2X4 with a slot to hold the file) in order to hold the file at 90 degrees is a good help, but not necessarily required. You can use the same guide you use for jointing the teeth of your saws

If shop made (chunk of 2X4) you can also easily use your jig to help you hold the scraper straight while honing the edge at 90 degrees on your stones


SHARPENING SAWS

You need a saw vice, either commercial or shop made, to hold your saw plate steady while filing, a good set of triangular files to sharpen them and a suitable saw set.

A few of my antique saw vises From L-R

Sargent No 103, Unmarked, Disston No 1

Some of my sawsets, as you can see they comes in a wide variety. 

I would recommend a pistol type such as 

the Stanley 42 or Eclipse (second from Left top)

A good set of triangular files, sized to your saws tooth line.

You want the file to be twice as big as the tooth depth in order to get to use both sides of the file, which would give you 6 sides versus only three.  

You can add, a black marker (much easier than the old timey method of using a candle smoke to darken the teeth) and a good light source, a magnifier glass is also very handy.

MISCELLANEOUS

Other useful things to add would be some sort of angle checker, strong magnification and light (think those lighted magnifier bench lamp)

If you are starting with sand paper, and I highly recommend it before settling on a stones system, keep in mind that in the long run, it is not inexpensive since you are gonna go through lots of paper. Do the math and you will realize that it adds up quickly... But it is very convenient, portable and accessible anywhere you are, handy.
When rehabbing old cutters I always start with sandpapers before I finish with my stones, to avoid unnecessary wear and tear on my precious stones.

There are all kinds of jigs you can build such as Ralph's Molding iron jig

There are all kinds of specially shaped files, hones and etc to help you get into the nooks and cranny's of various moulding profile irons or carving tools.
Buy them as you have a need for them.

You can easily cut the profile of the cutters, using the actual tool, on a piece of wood then rub some honing compound into it to strop your profiled cutters.

Do not dred sharpening, it may be a necessary evil, but it is a crucial skill you need to develop early on in order to enjoy your woodworking. There is nothing more frustrating, and often dangerous, than using a dull tool! So buckle up and learn to sharpen your tools...

Bob, sharpening his mind with cold beverages :-)

Drilling and fastening selection

Tools used to put stuff together, and sometimes to take it apart.

MALLET

There are a variety of choices as far as mallet used to strike chisels are concerned, but they should be kind to your chisels. That is why my favorite chisel basher is a traditional wooden carpenter mallet. 16-20 Oz is big enough to drive your biggest mortise chisel.

They come in a variety of sizes, 

use one appropriate to your work

Another one I like is the Veritas brass carpenter mallet. I like the heft of it and the fact that it has replaceable wood striking faces

Veritas Cabinet makers mallet

Another good choice would be the traditional wooden carving mallet, which you could turn if you have access to a lathe, or know someone with one.

From L-R 

The newer polyurethane lined carving mallet, 

and the traditional turned wood mallet

HAMMERS

Claw hammer

Typical Claw hammer

Not so typical Ripping hammer

A good old claw hammer 16 oz would serve you right and you probably have one of these already. Wood , metal or fiberglass handle? Totally up to you.
These three variations on the handles are all for the same reasons: How to prevent the handle from breaking and how best to absorb vibrations.
I prefer a wooden handle follow by a good fiberglass one. Word of caution, not all hammers in these three styles are created equal. Get a good one.

If you already have one, use it until you are ready to upgrade to a 21st century magnesium one with built in laser so you know exactly where you are about to strike :-)  But on second thoughts, keep the one you have until you break it.

Warrington Hammer

Feature a wide tapered peen. Also makes a good plane's hammer.

This design allow you to sneak the peen between your fingers when you hold something small like a pin or small brad. When I first read that, I thought, yeah right, I'm going to smash my fingers. But lo and behold it does not take long to get accustomed to it and it works as advertised. Perhaps not necessary, but very handy.

Ball Peen hammer

Ball peen and Warrington patterns both comes in a variety of head weight.

Start with one in 8-12 oz range and add as your needs dictate.

Also called a mechanic hammer. Even if we are woodworkers and not metal bashers, there is a multitude of tasks around the shop where it comes handy.
Eventually, you will need to perform the odd metal working jobs as you start to make your own tools and it is the right kind of hammer to drive pins in and out on tools and machinery.

NAIL SETS

Stanley nail set

I shown two types, the regular set most of us a familiar with and a new comer on our scene, the Japanese type. It is very handy as a small anvil to straighten nails and etc. Also take a look at the head, it allows you to reach inside assemblies such as carcass. Very clever simple design and oh, it also work great to countersink nails :-)

Inexpensive but very handy Japanese nail set

Next I would add a small anvil unless you happen to have already a mechanic vise with a built in anvil surface.

Small portable anvil, very handy.

My Record No 100 does not have an anvil surface. 

DO NOT use the rear movable piece as an anvil

My Record Autovise No 74 has a small anvil in the back

NAIL PINCERS

Technically a end cutter as opposed to the common side cutters.
These are used to pull nails or to cut them almost flush with the wood surface.
Easily modified on a bench grinder into a flush cutter or tapering one side for easier reach on the nail head.

A pair of cheap (Cheep for Ken) end cutter used as a nail pincer.

You want a rounded head to be able to rock the nails out

Typical side cutters

SCREWDRIVERS

The majority of us probably own various sizes and types of screwdrivers so why specify this type? Because in woodworking, the common screw still reign supreme and to be able to drive it down below the surface, without damaging the surrounding surface, you need parallel edge and a non taper end will seat better in the screw slot and prevent cam out. So regardless of how big your collection of screwdrivers is, I urge you to get a proper set of screwdrivers for woodworkers.

For some reasons I could never figured out, the classic British pattern has always been expensive, even more so on the vintage market.

Marples set in 4, 6, 8, and 10 in. There is also a 3 and 5 in 

 But there are lots of alternatives, even as a set of 1/4 in hex drive replaceable tip sets. What you want is a parallel tip, not flared out

Moores & Wright ratchet screwdriver, parallel tip 

The type to avoid, the common variety with flared end tips

BORING TOOLS

Making holes in the fabric of time... Huh? Well Yah, you try to make a hole without these tools and see how long it takes you :-)

A good brace, a handrill and a reaming awl, will handles the majority of your holes making needs. Again size is everything, if you are into making post and beam construction, then a post beam drill should be a priority, if not, you will probably never use one.

BRACE

Your typical ratchet brace with a Barber chuck, Millers-Falls

Most braces will be found with a 2 jaws chuck, just what 

you need to hold securely the tapered shank bits.

Not so good with round shanks.

Some braces have a three or four jaws chuck, 

which hold regular round shanks much better

Even a non-ratchet brace would be a good buy.

When you start using brace and bits, you quickly realize that there were no standard for the tapering shanks, as a results some brace hold their bits better than some others. The Spofford or Fray brace excel at holding them all due to its unique construction. Pretty well bomb proof construction also...

Stanley Spofford (yes, Stanley bought them) brace

The unique split case held by a large thumbscrew 

can hold every tapered bits I can throw at it

And of course how good is a brace without the bits...

The most common and popular bits are the IRWIN and the JENNINGS types.

Although I very much like my center bits, Irwins are a lot much easier to come across.

Irwin bits, solid core. More sturdy than Jennings

Jennings bit, bit is twisted around its axis to form the flutes.

Because the flutes are closer together than on Jennings, they tend to bore truer

Which ones you get is strictly a personal preference and depends on what is available to you. Brace bits are normally sized in 16th of an inch. Thus a bit stamped No 4 is 4/16 or 1/4 in, up to 16/16 = 1 inch.

What you want then is preferably a complete set of 13 bits, No 4 to 16.

HANDRILL

For smaller holes, a hand drill or a push drill is what you need.

Of both types, the handrill is much more plentiful owning to the fact that practically every household in North America had one in the days prior to the advent of the electric drill.

The iconic No 5 from Millers-Falls is probably the most plentiful out there followed by the No 2.

Typical No 5 as found in the wild. Not so typical is the fact that 

the often missing side knob is present on that one.

Not having a side knob is no deal breaker but should be reflected in the price.

These takes your every days round shank's bits. Their chucks usually take up to a 1/4 in or 3/8 in for the bigger models. 

I keep on hand a small set of LV brad point bits, 12 bits from 5/64 to 1/4. Not cheap about $60 but well worth the price. Of course regular twist bits will work just fine.

PUSH DRILL, GIMLETS AND SQUARE AWLS

For smaller holes, these three types of tools are what it is called for.

I did not listed the push drill but it is a very handy tool to add to your arsenal.

My favs are the Millers-Falls Buck Rogers No 100 and the Stanley No 41 variety. They both came with a set of 8 bits. Note that they are both also using proprietary bit shanks design, you cannot interchanges them. Keep that in mind as you look for a vintage one.

GIMLETS

Although the Square awls make small holes effortlessly, I was surprise at the small size of the Veritas chisel point awl  Work great for those small screws for some hardware, but so small I'm almost scare to break it.

I would then recommend a small set of gimlets in addition or instead of  that square awl.

Note that they do make bigger stronger square awls.

Gimlets comes in slightly different forms but all works the same

My Veritas small drilling awl

 Later additions

A good depth stop is handy, although at the speed we are drilling by hands, the piece of tape trick work great and is in no danger of being damaged by drilling too fast :-) 

There are various patented design to work on brace bits, 

this is the one I used.

 A good set of cordless drill and impact driver is very handy... and they are still a cordless tools :-)

Stay away from NiCad battery technology go with Li-Ion and go with a 18-20 Volt range. Compact and more than powerful enough. If money is still plentiful try the new Brush less technology.

Bob, making holes in people theory since 1956