I am a youtube furniture maker. This saves me considerable money in acquiring tools, and as long as I stick to watching you and Paul Sellers, I always achieve excellent results. The same strategy applies for my crappie fishing. The main issues that I have is that my den is furnished in Ikea and my freezer is never stocked with fish.
You continue to produce outstanding content. There is no one better at being able to communicate the lessons and techniques of woodworking. You have a very smooth delivery filled with methods that make woodworking a much better experience. Thank you for sharing your expertise with us.
Thank you for taking the time to explain tools required for the stages in a project. I also am encouraged to have quality tools for the job. Thank you!
I am a true newbie, always so lost! This video has done wonders for helping me get a grip not only on an organizational flow for tool ownership, but also so much clearer understanding of what these tools are even for! Thank you! You have deconstructed some of my overwhelm.
I simply could not wait anymore. Finally ordered the tools to complete the Rob Cosman dovetail kit! Thank you very much for all these daily FREE valuable teachings. You make it look so easy that it gives us beginners the confidence to try different techniques in the shop.
Seeing all the tools required for Mortise and Tenon makes sense. I built a 4X4 post work bench using entirely mortise and tenon and I only used a circular saw, drill press, jig saw, bastard file and 15" hand saw. It was rough and fitting the joints required much hammering. Seeing all those tools makes me understand why I had such a difficult time of it.
This is a rare video on woodworking! Finding anything showing and explaining basic hand tools is refreshing! I have most of these - some I've had 40 years and still used regularly. My first project was the carpenters tool box with drawer with dovetails. Great in the workshop but too clumsy to take on site. It takes time and much patience to use and sharpen planes and chisels. The sharpening guides you can buy now make it much easier. Not sure if it's taught in schools now but it should be! Hope this inspires young people to learn carpentry, but it definitely helps to be taught by an expert. Great video!
I’d love to see this as a full kit on your website. I’ve been spoiled to have access to a MakerSpace, but I want to create a home workshop of hand tools to give me added flexibility of when and how I work.
I love the idea that you're giving. Great tools get great results. BUT if I'm just starting out and I buy these top of the line expensive tools and I'm getting crappy results because I have no experience, then that's how you kill a drive. You spent all this money and not getting decent results. I love your technique videos but these brand tools are not to start out with. If someone wanted to get into bow hunting, I wouldn't tell them to go out and spend 1.5k on a matthews or hoyt bow. I'd say decent like PSE or Bear. Then they build from there. But I live the idea but I think you start decent tools not top grade.
if you have 0 experience in woodworking but would like to start (never sharpened a chisel, plane knife,..) would you still advice on buying premium tools? As if you are starting out you don't want to destroy your fine chisels/planes by sharpening them wrong...
Thanks Brother for the great content and tutorial! I learned a lot and truly appreciate the effort in sharing Your knowledge and experience! Well done! Enjoy Your weekend!
Great video Rob. One thing you missed (calipers aside!!! and scrapers aside!!! and spokeshaves aside!!!), is the space requirements of these tools (you did mention about carrying them to the course). The great thing about the hand tool work is that you can fit all those things into a small(ish) cabinet or toolbox. I'd love to have seen them all laid out on a board to show how little storage room that they take up. Or perhaps as "essential tools toolbox" series!!! I think that element can not be overstated for the home woodworker, it's really important. I'm guessing that with a few drawers and panels for clamp/handsaw storage added, your cheap bench could happily store all those tools with space to grow too? Like an all in one unit for woodworking! Great for hobbyists, as it has everything in one place, and can be tidied away to get the car in the garage or whatever.
This is by far the best woodworking book I have ever read, t.co/SGIXIPXR0z . My woodworking teacher endorses it to all of his students. I am impressed how authors managed to write very detailed topics. I`m surprised by the material and didn`t have a tough time following the lessons..
What a well structured video. Informative, complete, to the point, easy listening. You should take up teaching some day Lol. Top piece of advice at the end. It's hard to do for first timers but worth doing. I don't know how many times I've paid more in the end by being cheap to start with. And then paid twice.
The first thing I have done after watching your vids was to buy a 5 1/2 Woodriver and build a Shooting Board. And now I'm learning to sharpen my tools. What can I say... Just, thank you for your recommendation n the tools jungle :)
Rob this was a great video, your stuff is always very informative but I think you are listening in on my thoughts. I plan to move over to more hand tool woodworking from the power tools, however as an engineer and former machinist I have set myself the goal to build my set of tools from scratch, this video helped me round out the list of tools I need to make as a basic set. Your video where you walked us through the making of one of your saws is what inspired me to go down this rabbit hole. Thanks for your contribution and inspiration.
Sounds great. I of course use both power and hand tools. I think understanding and knowing how to do hand tools makes you a much better power tool woodworker. So what other videos would you like to see me make?
@@RobCosmanWoodworking agreed, I also feel that when I build something there is an added incentive to use it rather than to shortcut back to a power tool method. Not that I think there's anything wrong with the power tool method but there is a different feel to hand cut woodworking. I would like to see your take on interactions of different woods when used together, i.e. different seasonal movements, interactions of natural oils etc. I am currently working on a Kveik ring project where all 63 pegs are a different species, it is a big learning experience for me, being in Ireland my selection is somewhat limited but a great online community has been sending me samples from all over the world and I am now working with materials I would have never heard of let alone had the opportunity to work.
Great video and just proves that you don’t need a whole host of power tools to build something. My grandfather used to have a small shop and only ever used hand tools, so I was brought up that way and saw power tools as a nice luxury to have. I still use some of his tools today (wont see many 60+ yr old power tools still being used unlike decent hand tools).
Yep - I've never seen any plane blade, chisel or even a knife having a perfect edge when being delivered. When buying a block square I expect it to be square, and it mostly is. When I buy a plane I expect the bed of the plane to be flat - how surprised I am to almost always note this is not the case ...
My grandfather passed away in 2016, he was a professional carpenter and had a shit ton of wood working tools that I now own. Any tips on how to use them?
Oh dang I should have known I could have so simply bought a second blade, grinded a higher angle, changed the pitch, marked the tail of a dove with a gauge that cuts tendons or a frog that has a big throat and a rabbit needs more reference area for shooting at boards but has quarter inch shoulder. If there's a woodworking channel that remembers what it's like to be a "beginner" I haven't found it.
@@RobCosmanWoodworking I'm flattered you ask. I'm just someone slowly getting back into the craft after putting it to one side because I didn't have access to good enough tools when I was a teenager. It was limiting. But I think I can make a suggestion. I will make a jig soon to fashion replacement spindles for my staircase. They need a square cross-section. I'm going to rebate some parallel 3X2s so my No.6 plane can ride along a groove and shape the spindle between these. I think I know how to do this, but I also want to have a jig that can do tapers and can be used to do octagon, triangle and maybe hexagon cross-sections. I've never done this before.I am sure I can pretty much figure it out, but I am even more sure that you could do it better. Basically a straight/tapering jig that supports different cross sections because you can control the work holding. Ideal for home maintenance and more interesting, creative stuff too. Thanks!
I should probably add that I'll do these grooves with a router plane. Making the channel/groove for the plane to ride in is the easy bit. It's the work holding I can't quite see at the moment.
And a lot of hours of practice! Nice overview I was about to order the Veritas shoulder plane but I’m thinking of doing the skew block plane instead. My main use for it right now is rabbets not tenons anyway
While I've found I agree with most of your videos and thinking, I have to say this time, I think you have confused "need" with, "would be nice". I think that Rex Kruger or James Wright have a better idea of what you need vs what would be nice for a beginner.
@@RobCosmanWoodworking HI rob the most important thing I learnt was wait until u can afford to buy good quality tools as it does make a dirrence. also they stay sharper for longer.
Just getting into hand tool woodworking thanks for this video so I don't buy tools I don't need. I have used mainly power tools and want to use hand tools.
Hi Rob. I'm a pro video guy. I enjoyed your video, but I must say I found it lacked examples of you actually doing the work. in the trade, we say "show don't tell". It's great hearing how all your tools work, but most of us here are kinetic learners who need to see it in action for the pennies to drop. For example, the rough lumber with checking would have been great to see cut with the rip saw. Otherwise a great video.
As the title suggests, this was a list of suggested tools, not a tool demo. If you check my channel you will find multiple videos showing tools in use.
Many of these tools you don´t need to buy as a beginner and on a lot of the rest you can save a lot of money. You can build your marking gauges yourself, you can buy cheap old wooden planes, you don´t need a mortise chisel because the bench chisel can be used for that and a router can be a piece of wood with a hole just big enough to hammer a chisel into it. You can also build a fancier one. You can build a mallet out of some fire wood. Your first one doesn´t have to be pretty but you don´t have to spend money on it. You don´t have to buy a large rip cut and cross cut saw. Buy saw blades for frame saws and build your saw from some scrap wood. That way you can spend under 20$ on a really good saw. There are so many tools you can get for cheap or build yourself. There´s no need to spend a ton of money. Buying the best tool the first time sounds good at first glance but as a beginner you don´t know your preferences yet, you don´t know what you´ll really use in the end and for most people money is tight. I got into woodworking because I prefer creating over consuming and using tools you made yourself is very rewarding. That´s how the old masters did it. You need to buy one plane and then you can build your own ones as you need them and you can build them the way you like them. I´ve built a scrub plane with the length of a jointer and it´s one of the most useful tools I have. You can´t buy these but you can make them. If money is tight, only buy the tools you can´t make yourself. Something like a block plane can cost you well over 100$ but if you buy just the plane iron and have a piece of reasonably hard fire wood, you can just make one. It´s a nice project, even for beginners.
Or you can find some extra work on the side, save up a nest egg and buy good tools that will help you develop the skills needed to make your own tools that you no longer need. Put your horse in front of the cart.
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Or even better, find some work on the side and just buy your furniture. Put your horse in front of the cart and eliminate the unnecessary step of building your own furniture. Please tell me, why do we build our own furniture instead of just buying it? For most woodworkers, woodworking is a hobby. A hobby is something you enjoy doing. Something you don´t necessarly do for money but for fun. So if I can build a tool using wood, building it is part of the fun. Restoring an old tool is also fun because that´s woodworking. I´d be pretty stupid if I was spending time doing some extra work on the side to buy tools instead of enjoying building them. I enjoy building stuff out of wood, so why would I do something else instead of building my own tools out of wood? You mentioned developing my skills. What do you think is the better way to do that? Working with wood or finding some other work to buy what you could build? I can assure you, my horse is right in front of the cart but I´m not shure your's is when you promote buying and consuming instead of building and creating, which is what woodworking is all about.
I kind of get the feeling that this video was the answer to my question about “What tools do I need for doing woodworking in my basement this winter”. Thanks Rob! I haven’t got all of that, but I’ve got enough to at least do some boxes if I’m getting some pre-milled lumber to work with.
This video is good for someone that already has some knowledge . I am an absolute beginner so all these names and the fact that you didnt show the actual use of them on the piece of wood made me confused and intimidated... do you think you can break it down a bit more? I live in Sweden and I am trying to learn by watching videos on youtube.
Great video, Rob. That is a lot of tools, and a lot of expense, but I certainly could have benefitted from this when I was starting out. Instead, I was never exactly sure what I needed, so I did a lot of experimenting. I bought a lot of tools that weren't really that helpful, so then would buy something else, and would end up with several tools before getting the one I needed in the first place. Or, I would buy cheap tools, then better ones, and finally the best one. Again, I've ended up with a large collection of cheap and rarely used tools. Buying good quality tools is expensive, but I wasted far more money by chasing cheaper alternatives. But worse than the wasted money, is all the time I've wasted trying to do what I've wanted to do with poor quality tools, or jerry rigged compromises. I'd be far further ahead now, in my knowledge and my skill, if I could have just bought the proper tools from the outset. The haphazard way I went about it, I'm sure is the way everyone goes about it, and is probably impossible to avoid, to a greater or lesser degree. Now, I've committed (over the next year or so) to acquire the quality tools that I need, and to get rid of all the poorer quality, and misguided, tools that I've accumulated over the years, to rid myself of all those distractions, and get more focused.
@@sheslop888 Cheaper tools don´t have to be low quality. You can get old wooden planes for very little money. You can build a frame saw instead of buying a panel saw. You can even build your own planes and marking gauges. There´s just noo need to spend a ton of money on high end stuff.
Hey Rob, Hoping you see this tonight. Do you think I should get a shoulder plane (Veritas medium plane) or a skew rabbet plane next. My order goes in tomorrow. I mainly want to use it for cleaning up rabbets but I know a shoulder plane is pretty versatile. Of course I could use the rabbet plane as you do with the thinning the tails for alignement. What do you think?
Great video! Thanks! It’s frustrating seeing so many different tools available as a beginner, but not really knowing which ones are essential nor how to properly use them. I learned a lot from this short video. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge. I do have one question if you don’t mind. With regards to mallets for chisel work, is there any reason a beginner couldn’t start with a light weight plastic mallet? Not a weighted dead-blow, just something light.
Sure you could. Of course it "All Depends" what are you using it for and in what woods are you chopping in. Are you doing dovetails or mortises. I actually have a couple of different weighted mallets for different situations. I would say the most important thing is that you are able to consistently hit the chisel your are trying to hit with the mallet without thinking about it
@@RobCosmanWoodworking I know that you use a tape measure frequently and even recommend a particular brand. I am going to pick one of those up the next time I need a new one. Thanks.
Hey Rob, just an idea! Would you ever consider putting together a start-up package raffle or giveaway that included bench plans and the top 10 or 15 most important tools?
Haha. I too buy 1 clamp at a time. Buying the really high end Bessey's in large quantities hurts the pocket book. I've accumulated well over 50 (still not enough) clamps using that method.
Yes and no. The 5-1/2 has more weight, has a wider cutting edge, and is made for larger hands. Technically speaking, they are both a Jack planes though, so they can still do the same tasks, length wise.
thanks again rob. next on my list is one of your beautiful tenon saws. cant wait. are the chisels you use for dovetails beveled all the way down or do they have a 'landing' on the sides?
Great video, also decent quality lumber starting out with Knotty softwoods can be a real downer, don't ask me how l know (50 years ago Dad's cabinet making tools but poopy wood) since he died and l got his good tools and can now afford decent wood 😉
Hey Rob, there's a error on the roll-off at the end; the list of dovetail tools lists '1/2" and 1/2" mortise chisels'. S/B '1/4" and 1/2" mortise chisels.'
Unfortunately the answer to both is no. The coping saw couldn’t be used in the fret saw application because the blade is too thick and would mark up the sides of your dovetail cuts. The crosscut shouldn’t be used because it cuts too slow due to the geometry of the teeth. Designed for severing fibres before removing them, whereas a Rip tooth just pushes it out of the way.
It takes about 0.2 seconds longer to saw a dovetail with crosscut. You really need to be in a hurry to buy a rip saw for 200+ dollars just for dovetails.
Can i have a dovtail jig out of card board or something please i can draw round it my bipolar wont slow me down im half way thew level 1 doploma joinery
@@RobCosmanWoodworking you try to make proper tools so we can have the years and less tears :) aber, expensive, but i do understood. maybe either i will win from live videos, or convince my wife that i need it for holidays...
Awesome! I’m an amateur hand tool only woodworker, where’s a good website to buy used hand tools in Canada? I can’t seem to find any (I live near Toronto)
I noticed the tenon saw's teeth seem to be not square like a dovetail saw. What is the difference between the two.? They both work as a rip tooth right?
The “O” ring used to protect the knobs on a vice handle is a great idea. Trying to find just the right size can be frustrating. Here’s a tip: take any size “O” ring (thickness and diameter irrelevant) cut with razor to fit, then glue end to end with super glue. Perfect. Cheap.
Lol; this video was doomed to fail, because for each starting tool Rob talks about, there are possibly 5 additional tools (or more) required to maintain it. Each of those supporting tools will also have the same problem and so on. All Rob has done is advertise some of the tools he sells, so in that respect, Rob hasn't failed at all. If you're starting out, it's a very very long journey. To follow the path, you will pay far far more than you anticipate, or can imagine, so be warned.
I've been woodworking for about 35 years and a professional carpenter for about 23. With just the hand tools that he has shown it would take about 2 hours to get the rough lumber sized and surfaced. I'd then clamp up and let the glue dry for about an hour. A proper finish would take at least an extra two days, (I think he skipped that step).
@@SharpestBulbs Bloody hell, that's quick! Impressive. As an experience DIY'r, it'd take me about 20 minutes per piece I'd think, so realistically a day to size and surface. Which is still something I'd be happy with. At two hours, I'd be questioning the benefits of machine tools at all! If you were to add a single machine tool to the mix to help speed up the process for the hardest elements, what would you go for? For me it'd be a bandsaw, for ripping long pieces and curved cuts.
Well I did it and filmed it all, in 30 minute clips. You can see it in my online workshop. It took 170 (approximately) episode, but I did use both power and hand tools
Re eggbeater drills, I bought a used one in excellent condition. But I have found only 1-2 videos about using an eggbeater drill, and I I don't think they present good technique. Would you please make a video of your technique? For myself, I've found that when drilling vertically, that the arms should form a 45-90-45 triangle with respect to a hypothetical baseline between the shoulders. This allows the cranking hand to move in a straight line without cocking the wrist. The drill bit choice is also important - standard twist bits don't seem to work very well, so I'm still looking for the 'ideal' grinding angle. Incidentally, I found that a four-winged spear-point glass bit is excellent for starting holes at most angles.
Thank you for the advice. Buying all those tools seems daunting but I'm working hard to get the ones I need. I'm interested in the shooting board that you have. Does it work with Lie Nielsen planes?
yes of course. Again you don't need all those tools at once, but I would use that as my list and acquire them over time as I needed them. If you are going with LN planes I would recommend the 5-1/2, and it works great on either of our shooting boards
I assume you mean to rip it with a hand saw. So there are generally two ways. 1) for a rough cut use a traditional saw horse and no clamps are needed, 2) if you are sawing at the workbench hold the wood in the vise. If you could give me some more specific details i can give you a better answer
@@RobCosmanWoodworking for example... If I needed to rip an 8 ft 2x4 into two equal pieces...I try to clamp to the edge of a table.. and it doesn't have much room to clamp on the edge of the wood... The clamping is awkward, plus it makes the cutting angle difficult. I'm also worried about shredding the edge of the table. Just trying to figure out how they did it back in the day. I feel like they must have had a way to do this...and I'm missing it.
Another great video. I am slowly acquiring your suggestions to go with the tools I have inherited from my Father and Grandfather. Do you have a recommendation for a skew block plane? The link to the LN in your earlier videos is broken which I assume is due to them taking it off the site. The only ones that seem to be available at the moment are on eBay.
LN is the one I like. The original Stanley doesn’t have a fence so that is a non starter. LN will have them once they get back up and running full capacity.
@@quinnsmith4490 I had to wait for several weeks, just kept watching their website, but finally got one a few weeks ago. But I can't find a link to it on the website at this point. Searching their website also doesn't show in the suggested searches, only the blades. So not sure what is going on. It's not just "out of stock" as it was much of the summer.
Me watching this video like damn I just wanna build a tv stand to save money on $1000 dollar store bought. Although it would be nice to own these tools for later projects I don’t think I’ll use them enough to justify to my wife lol
Let me tell you something - a blunt chisel is the 10th circle of Hell. Not even kidding. I was making a birthday gift, a decorative plaque with some lettering, out of old hard oak. I had no money and was able to afford two cheap chisels and only had a regular metal hammer. It took me probably five times longer and my hands looked like trucks ran over them 24/7, especially when doing stuff I couldn't use a hammer for and had to push in with my palms. Never buy cheap tools - it takes longer to build stuff, it's more difficult to do it, more frustrating, you're probably going to get worse results AND you're gonna have to pay for a quality tool eventually. Not worth it.
Sorry, was busier earlier, but yep, I think Woody is still giving away his woodworking book, but I'm not so sure. I managed to get it go'ogling Woody Hyezmar, and was surprised to see his "Woodworking Bible" up for grabs, hope this helps.
This is off point. What happened to notifications?. I just thought that people were on vacation or something. But now, I finally found out that they did it on purpose because their research showed people didn't open the notification e-mails. Am I the only one that relies on the notifications to consider what I want to watch? What is the purpose of subscriptions if not to get notifications? I missed a bunch of things because I wasn't getting notice. What do you think?
Nicholas, we have been trying to figure that out too. The notification bell is still there. It seems I have not been getting all the notifications on my TH-cam subscriptions. Did you find out for sure they did that or is that just an educated guess?
@@RobCosmanWoodworking I saw that U Tube had sent an official message to their U tube authors that explained their research showed that there was virtually no response to the e-mail notifications, so they concluded they were unnecessary. Since you are so active, you should have received that message.
Depends on what level you want to start. I prefer to buy tools once and have them serve me for life. Junk is not only cheap, if it doesn’t discourage you into quitting, you will eventually want to replace it. My grandmother called that penny wise/dollar foolish.
Hey I've seen a lot of projects and tutorials, and I have to say if you want a collection of decent projects and you're just beginning, start by go'ogling Woody Hyezmar's Woodworking Bible.
Rob does, all the time. But the audience here are probably hobbyists rather than professionals. As a hobbyist, I don't make production pieces, so the amount of time that a power tool saves me isn't worth the investment, alongside the noise, dust and garage space. Using the handsaw gives me a far better workout and is a good bit more satisfying than using a tracksaw. I still keep a tracksaw and jigsaw handy for when I'm struggling with long rip cuts.
Hey, just one remark, before he decides to publish it, you might want to take a peek at Woody Hyezmar's Woodworking Bible, maybe just try go'ogling it even though it's not complete.
I am a youtube furniture maker. This saves me considerable money in acquiring tools, and as long as I stick to watching you and Paul Sellers, I always achieve excellent results. The same strategy applies for my crappie fishing. The main issues that I have is that my den is furnished in Ikea and my freezer is never stocked with fish.
You continue to produce outstanding content. There is no one better at being able to communicate the lessons and techniques of woodworking. You have a very smooth delivery filled with methods that make woodworking a much better experience. Thank you for sharing your expertise with us.
I like the way you laid this out. Gives you a place to start and what to work towards. Greatly appreciated and great job!
Thank you for taking the time to explain tools required for the stages in a project. I also am encouraged to have quality tools for the job. Thank you!
I am a true newbie, always so lost! This video has done wonders for helping me get a grip not only on an organizational flow for tool ownership, but also so much clearer understanding of what these tools are even for! Thank you! You have deconstructed some of my overwhelm.
Thank you wonderful explanation of how to get started in hand tool wood working
Really enjoying your videos. I admire the passion you have for what you do and how well you communicate.
Excellent video. Great pace and perfectly informative.
I simply could not wait anymore. Finally ordered the tools to complete the Rob Cosman dovetail kit! Thank you very much for all these daily FREE valuable teachings. You make it look so easy that it gives us beginners the confidence to try different techniques in the shop.
Thanks so much. You can do it. Just takes a bit of practice and patients. Good luck, let me know how you get along
Seeing all the tools required for Mortise and Tenon makes sense. I built a 4X4 post work bench using entirely mortise and tenon and I only used a circular saw, drill press, jig saw, bastard file and 15" hand saw. It was rough and fitting the joints required much hammering. Seeing all those tools makes me understand why I had such a difficult time of it.
Omg!! That tenon saw is so beautiful!!!
And we have one waiting for you
@@RobCosmanWoodworking if I had the money..... id done had one! I love your saws.... maybe one day.....
This is a rare video on woodworking! Finding anything showing and explaining basic hand tools is refreshing! I have most of these - some I've had 40 years and still used regularly. My first project was the carpenters tool box with drawer with dovetails. Great in the workshop but too clumsy to take on site. It takes time and much patience to use and sharpen planes and chisels. The sharpening guides you can buy now make it much easier. Not sure if it's taught in schools now but it should be! Hope this inspires young people to learn carpentry, but it definitely helps to be taught by an expert. Great video!
I, too, loved your presentation and the knowledge imparted in your presentation. Well done!
Excellent, thank you!
What tools you NEED----Everything!!!!!! LOL. Love it.
Thanks for watching
I’d love to see this as a full kit on your website. I’ve been spoiled to have access to a MakerSpace, but I want to create a home workshop of hand tools to give me added flexibility of when and how I work.
Every time you post a video I watch, honny do list is now late. Thank you for taking the time.
No worries! Tell her that the magnetic pull of the Earth became to strong and you will do it tomorrow (Warning that never works for me)
Awesome content as usual! Thank you!
I love the idea that you're giving. Great tools get great results. BUT if I'm just starting out and I buy these top of the line expensive tools and I'm getting crappy results because I have no experience, then that's how you kill a drive. You spent all this money and not getting decent results. I love your technique videos but these brand tools are not to start out with. If someone wanted to get into bow hunting, I wouldn't tell them to go out and spend 1.5k on a matthews or hoyt bow. I'd say decent like PSE or Bear. Then they build from there. But I live the idea but I think you start decent tools not top grade.
if you have 0 experience in woodworking but would like to start (never sharpened a chisel, plane knife,..) would you still advice on buying premium tools? As if you are starting out you don't want to destroy your fine chisels/planes by sharpening them wrong...
Thanks Brother for the great content and tutorial!
I learned a lot and truly appreciate the effort in sharing Your knowledge and experience!
Well done!
Enjoy Your weekend!
You have beautiful woodworking tools.nice video.
Thank you very much!
Thank you for doing this video.
I appreciate your woodworking and your community service.
🙏
Our pleasure!
Great video Rob. One thing you missed (calipers aside!!! and scrapers aside!!! and spokeshaves aside!!!), is the space requirements of these tools (you did mention about carrying them to the course). The great thing about the hand tool work is that you can fit all those things into a small(ish) cabinet or toolbox. I'd love to have seen them all laid out on a board to show how little storage room that they take up. Or perhaps as "essential tools toolbox" series!!! I think that element can not be overstated for the home woodworker, it's really important. I'm guessing that with a few drawers and panels for clamp/handsaw storage added, your cheap bench could happily store all those tools with space to grow too? Like an all in one unit for woodworking! Great for hobbyists, as it has everything in one place, and can be tidied away to get the car in the garage or whatever.
Actually COL Luther and I have been working on exactly that....and essential tool tool box! great minds think alike
That'll be awesome. Can't wait!
This is by far the best woodworking book I have ever read, t.co/SGIXIPXR0z . My woodworking teacher endorses it to all of his students. I am impressed how authors managed to write very detailed topics. I`m surprised by the material and didn`t have a tough time following the lessons..
Excellent presentation, thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Give this man a cookie
Excellent video as always. But with these tools, if you are a beginner woodworking will set you back 1.5K or more easy
What a well structured video. Informative, complete, to the point, easy listening. You should take up teaching some day Lol. Top piece of advice at the end. It's hard to do for first timers but worth doing. I don't know how many times I've paid more in the end by being cheap to start with. And then paid twice.
Amen!
The first thing I have done after watching your vids was to buy a 5 1/2 Woodriver and build a Shooting Board. And now I'm learning to sharpen my tools. What can I say... Just, thank you for your recommendation n the tools jungle :)
Sounds like you are doing a great job
Rob this was a great video, your stuff is always very informative but I think you are listening in on my thoughts. I plan to move over to more hand tool woodworking from the power tools, however as an engineer and former machinist I have set myself the goal to build my set of tools from scratch, this video helped me round out the list of tools I need to make as a basic set. Your video where you walked us through the making of one of your saws is what inspired me to go down this rabbit hole. Thanks for your contribution and inspiration.
Sounds great. I of course use both power and hand tools. I think understanding and knowing how to do hand tools makes you a much better power tool woodworker. So what other videos would you like to see me make?
@@RobCosmanWoodworking agreed, I also feel that when I build something there is an added incentive to use it rather than to shortcut back to a power tool method. Not that I think there's anything wrong with the power tool method but there is a different feel to hand cut woodworking. I would like to see your take on interactions of different woods when used together, i.e. different seasonal movements, interactions of natural oils etc. I am currently working on a Kveik ring project where all 63 pegs are a different species, it is a big learning experience for me, being in Ireland my selection is somewhat limited but a great online community has been sending me samples from all over the world and I am now working with materials I would have never heard of let alone had the opportunity to work.
Great video and just proves that you don’t need a whole host of power tools to build something. My grandfather used to have a small shop and only ever used hand tools, so I was brought up that way and saw power tools as a nice luxury to have. I still use some of his tools today (wont see many 60+ yr old power tools still being used unlike decent hand tools).
Very true! And for a hobbyist, hand tools area great option.
4:00 "Do not scrimp when it comes to sharpening" So true. You can't do much at all with blunt chisels and blunt planes.
You and I agree....so many folks want to argue this advice
Yep - I've never seen any plane blade, chisel or even a knife having a perfect edge when being delivered. When buying a block square I expect it to be square, and it mostly is. When I buy a plane I expect the bed of the plane to be flat - how surprised I am to almost always note this is not the case ...
I thought it was beginners guide but it looks like pro master guide 😁
My grandfather passed away in 2016, he was a professional carpenter and had a shit ton of wood working tools that I now own. Any tips on how to use them?
Thanks for sharing that, well said!
My pleasure!
Great show and tool recomendations. Could point me to a video that shows how to properly sharpen a cutter in a router plane? Thanks
Oh dang I should have known I could have so simply bought a second blade, grinded a higher angle, changed the pitch, marked the tail of a dove with a gauge that cuts tendons or a frog that has a big throat and a rabbit needs more reference area for shooting at boards but has quarter inch shoulder.
If there's a woodworking channel that remembers what it's like to be a "beginner" I haven't found it.
Another great video. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it. what should be our next video?
@@RobCosmanWoodworking I'm flattered you ask. I'm just someone slowly getting back into the craft after putting it to one side because I didn't have access to good enough tools when I was a teenager. It was limiting.
But I think I can make a suggestion.
I will make a jig soon to fashion replacement spindles for my staircase. They need a square cross-section. I'm going to rebate some parallel 3X2s so my No.6 plane can ride along a groove and shape the spindle between these. I think I know how to do this, but I also want to have a jig that can do tapers and can be used to do octagon, triangle and maybe hexagon cross-sections.
I've never done this before.I am sure I can pretty much figure it out, but I am even more sure that you could do it better. Basically a straight/tapering jig that supports different cross sections because you can control the work holding. Ideal for home maintenance and more interesting, creative stuff too.
Thanks!
I should probably add that I'll do these grooves with a router plane. Making the channel/groove for the plane to ride in is the easy bit. It's the work holding I can't quite see at the moment.
And a lot of hours of practice! Nice overview I was about to order the Veritas shoulder plane but I’m thinking of doing the skew block plane instead. My main use for it right now is rabbets not tenons anyway
Great stuff.
Glad you enjoyed it
While I've found I agree with most of your videos and thinking, I have to say this time, I think you have confused "need" with, "would be nice". I think that Rex Kruger or James Wright have a better idea of what you need vs what would be nice for a beginner.
Thank u rob. cool advice.
I hope it was helpful. What did you find the most useful?
@@RobCosmanWoodworking HI rob the most important thing I learnt was wait until u can afford to buy good quality tools as it does make a dirrence. also they stay sharper for longer.
Just getting into hand tool woodworking thanks for this video so I don't buy tools I don't need. I have used mainly power tools and want to use hand tools.
I hope the video helped. Let me know if you have any questions about tools we can help with
Hi Rob. I'm a pro video guy. I enjoyed your video, but I must say I found it lacked examples of you actually doing the work. in the trade, we say "show don't tell". It's great hearing how all your tools work, but most of us here are kinetic learners who need to see it in action for the pennies to drop. For example, the rough lumber with checking would have been great to see cut with the rip saw. Otherwise a great video.
As the title suggests, this was a list of suggested tools, not a tool demo. If you check my channel you will find multiple videos showing tools in use.
"If you buy cheap tools, you cry every time you use."
"If you buy expensive tools, you cry only once".
EPIC and so true at the same time!!!
Many of these tools you don´t need to buy as a beginner and on a lot of the rest you can save a lot of money. You can build your marking gauges yourself, you can buy cheap old wooden planes, you don´t need a mortise chisel because the bench chisel can be used for that and a router can be a piece of wood with a hole just big enough to hammer a chisel into it. You can also build a fancier one. You can build a mallet out of some fire wood. Your first one doesn´t have to be pretty but you don´t have to spend money on it. You don´t have to buy a large rip cut and cross cut saw. Buy saw blades for frame saws and build your saw from some scrap wood. That way you can spend under 20$ on a really good saw. There are so many tools you can get for cheap or build yourself. There´s no need to spend a ton of money. Buying the best tool the first time sounds good at first glance but as a beginner you don´t know your preferences yet, you don´t know what you´ll really use in the end and for most people money is tight. I got into woodworking because I prefer creating over consuming and using tools you made yourself is very rewarding. That´s how the old masters did it. You need to buy one plane and then you can build your own ones as you need them and you can build them the way you like them. I´ve built a scrub plane with the length of a jointer and it´s one of the most useful tools I have. You can´t buy these but you can make them. If money is tight, only buy the tools you can´t make yourself. Something like a block plane can cost you well over 100$ but if you buy just the plane iron and have a piece of reasonably hard fire wood, you can just make one. It´s a nice project, even for beginners.
Or you can find some extra work on the side, save up a nest egg and buy good tools that will help you develop the skills needed to make your own tools that you no longer need. Put your horse in front of the cart.
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Or even better, find some work on the side and just buy your furniture. Put your horse in front of the cart and eliminate the unnecessary step of building your own furniture.
Please tell me, why do we build our own furniture instead of just buying it? For most woodworkers, woodworking is a hobby. A hobby is something you enjoy doing. Something you don´t necessarly do for money but for fun. So if I can build a tool using wood, building it is part of the fun. Restoring an old tool is also fun because that´s woodworking.
I´d be pretty stupid if I was spending time doing some extra work on the side to buy tools instead of enjoying building them. I enjoy building stuff out of wood, so why would I do something else instead of building my own tools out of wood?
You mentioned developing my skills. What do you think is the better way to do that? Working with wood or finding some other work to buy what you could build?
I can assure you, my horse is right in front of the cart but I´m not shure your's is when you promote buying and consuming instead of building and creating, which is what woodworking is all about.
I kind of get the feeling that this video was the answer to my question about “What tools do I need for doing woodworking in my basement this winter”.
Thanks Rob! I haven’t got all of that, but I’ve got enough to at least do some boxes if I’m getting some pre-milled lumber to work with.
OF course it was to answer your question!!!!!
This video is good for someone that already has some knowledge . I am an absolute beginner so all these names and the fact that you didnt show the actual use of them on the piece of wood made me confused and intimidated... do you think you can break it down a bit more? I live in Sweden and I am trying to learn by watching videos on youtube.
Go watch Paul Sellers videos start with the early ones and he also a has a beginners website
Great video, Rob. That is a lot of tools, and a lot of expense, but I certainly could have benefitted from this when I was starting out. Instead, I was never exactly sure what I needed, so I did a lot of experimenting. I bought a lot of tools that weren't really that helpful, so then would buy something else, and would end up with several tools before getting the one I needed in the first place. Or, I would buy cheap tools, then better ones, and finally the best one. Again, I've ended up with a large collection of cheap and rarely used tools. Buying good quality tools is expensive, but I wasted far more money by chasing cheaper alternatives. But worse than the wasted money, is all the time I've wasted trying to do what I've wanted to do with poor quality tools, or jerry rigged compromises. I'd be far further ahead now, in my knowledge and my skill, if I could have just bought the proper tools from the outset. The haphazard way I went about it, I'm sure is the way everyone goes about it, and is probably impossible to avoid, to a greater or lesser degree. Now, I've committed (over the next year or so) to acquire the quality tools that I need, and to get rid of all the poorer quality, and misguided, tools that I've accumulated over the years, to rid myself of all those distractions, and get more focused.
I suppose, buying the proper, good quality tool, is expensive; buying the cheaper, poor quality tool, is a waste of money.
@@sheslop888 Cheaper tools don´t have to be low quality. You can get old wooden planes for very little money. You can build a frame saw instead of buying a panel saw. You can even build your own planes and marking gauges. There´s just noo need to spend a ton of money on high end stuff.
Hey Rob, Hoping you see this tonight. Do you think I should get a shoulder plane (Veritas medium plane) or a skew rabbet plane next. My order goes in tomorrow. I mainly want to use it for cleaning up rabbets but I know a shoulder plane is pretty versatile. Of course I could use the rabbet plane as you do with the thinning the tails for alignement. What do you think?
Tough call, pretty much a 50/50. Some over lap and some unique functions . Easy decision, both!!
RobCosman.com If only I wasn’t a broke college student. I’m gonna do the skew rabbet plane since I like how you use it for the dovetails too
Great video! Thanks! It’s frustrating seeing so many different tools available as a beginner, but not really knowing which ones are essential nor how to properly use them. I learned a lot from this short video. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge.
I do have one question if you don’t mind. With regards to mallets for chisel work, is there any reason a beginner couldn’t start with a light weight plastic mallet? Not a weighted dead-blow, just something light.
Sure you could. Of course it "All Depends" what are you using it for and in what woods are you chopping in. Are you doing dovetails or mortises. I actually have a couple of different weighted mallets for different situations. I would say the most important thing is that you are able to consistently hit the chisel your are trying to hit with the mallet without thinking about it
RobCosman.com thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.
Did you not mention a tape measure on purpose Rob? Great video, lots of information, thanks for sharing it.
Only because i mention a steel rule and I was trying to give the minimum tools. I personally use a tape measure and several sizes of rulers
@@RobCosmanWoodworking I know that you use a tape measure frequently and even recommend a particular brand. I am going to pick one of those up the next time I need a new one. Thanks.
Hey Rob, just an idea! Would you ever consider putting together a start-up package raffle or giveaway that included bench plans and the top 10 or 15 most important tools?
We cannot do online raffles, illegal up here. We do tool give aways in everyone of our live sessions
@@RobCosmanWoodworking What are the participation requirements?
Haha. I too buy 1 clamp at a time. Buying the really high end Bessey's in large quantities hurts the pocket book. I've accumulated well over 50 (still not enough) clamps using that method.
Wow that's a lot, about what I have. I figured out I have been collecting Bessey clamps for about 20 yesr now
I've done the same for years!!
I see you recommend a 5 1/2 bench plane, would a 5 serve the same purpose?
Yes and no. The 5-1/2 has more weight, has a wider cutting edge, and is made for larger hands. Technically speaking, they are both a Jack planes though, so they can still do the same tasks, length wise.
Quite helpful. What combination squares are those? I don't see a link.
PEC, on our site robCosman.com
thanks again rob. next on my list is one of your beautiful tenon saws. cant wait. are the chisels you use for dovetails beveled all the way down or do they have a 'landing' on the sides?
Landing on the sides. DO NOT get ones that are beveled into a sharp edge. You will cut the dickens out of your fingers
@@RobCosmanWoodworking would u recommend woodcraft dovtail chisels
Another very helpful video, I better pickup a Dovetail saw!!!
In that case you should call Luther, he has been trying to get a hold of you
I know I forgot to call him back. Was cutting tons of wood today!!! I’ll call him in the morning.
Great video, also decent quality lumber starting out with Knotty softwoods can be a real downer, don't ask me how l know (50 years ago Dad's cabinet making tools but poopy wood) since he died and l got his good tools and can now afford decent wood 😉
Yes, the three variables are tools, wood, and skill
@@RobCosmanWoodworking yep l think l got 2 out of 3 🤭
Hey Rob, there's a error on the roll-off at the end; the list of dovetail tools lists '1/2" and 1/2" mortise chisels'. S/B '1/4" and 1/2" mortise chisels.'
Well yes that should read 1/2 ans 1/4 inch mortise chisels
Very informative...
What is exact spelling of the drill which looks alike hole punching tool?
Yankee Drill....check out Garret Wade's webstie
what brand/style auger bits are those?
Question, could the joinery crosscut saw be used to cut dovetails and could the coping and fret saws do the same thing?
Unfortunately the answer to both is no. The coping saw couldn’t be used in the fret saw application because the blade is too thick and would mark up the sides of your dovetail cuts. The crosscut shouldn’t be used because it cuts too slow due to the geometry of the teeth. Designed for severing fibres before removing them, whereas a Rip tooth just pushes it out of the way.
It takes about 0.2 seconds longer to saw a dovetail with crosscut. You really need to be in a hurry to buy a rip saw for 200+ dollars just for dovetails.
Can i have a dovtail jig out of card board or something please i can draw round it my bipolar wont slow me down im half way thew level 1 doploma joinery
what is missing is the experience of ~50 years from rob :)
Well believe me I have spent so much money learning all this stuff, that I am trying to save you that monetary pain.
Well believe me I have spent so much money learning all this stuff, that I am trying to save you that monetary pain.
@@RobCosmanWoodworking you try to make proper tools so we can have the years and less tears :)
aber, expensive, but i do understood. maybe either i will win from live videos, or convince my wife that i need it for holidays...
Awesome! I’m an amateur hand tool only woodworker, where’s a good website to buy used hand tools in Canada? I can’t seem to find any (I live near Toronto)
I bought a bunch off ebay from Canadian sellers. You just have to watch for the items you want.
I noticed the tenon saw's teeth seem to be not square like a dovetail saw. What is the difference between the two.? They both work as a rip tooth right?
Yes both are ripped toothed, the only difference is TPI and thickness of the saw plate
The tooth cutting face doesn't look like its 0° on the tenon saw.
true it is eased back about 5 degrees to make it a little less aggressive. Good for folks that dont use it every week, keeps it from catching.
The “O” ring used to protect the knobs on a vice handle is a great idea. Trying to find just the right size can be frustrating. Here’s a tip: take any size “O” ring (thickness and diameter irrelevant) cut with razor to fit, then glue end to end with super glue. Perfect. Cheap.
U didn’t finish explaining what the router was good for?
👍🏻
Why does the video stop a short way in? No audio or video??
Lol; this video was doomed to fail, because for each starting tool Rob talks about, there are possibly 5 additional tools (or more) required to maintain it. Each of those supporting tools will also have the same problem and so on.
All Rob has done is advertise some of the tools he sells, so in that respect, Rob hasn't failed at all. If you're starting out, it's a very very long journey. To follow the path, you will pay far far more than you anticipate, or can imagine, so be warned.
What's a rough estimate on how long it would take to make that table with only hand tools?
I've been woodworking for about 35 years and a professional carpenter for about 23. With just the hand tools that he has shown it would take about 2 hours to get the rough lumber sized and surfaced. I'd then clamp up and let the glue dry for about an hour. A proper finish would take at least an extra two days, (I think he skipped that step).
@@SharpestBulbs Bloody hell, that's quick! Impressive. As an experience DIY'r, it'd take me about 20 minutes per piece I'd think, so realistically a day to size and surface. Which is still something I'd be happy with. At two hours, I'd be questioning the benefits of machine tools at all! If you were to add a single machine tool to the mix to help speed up the process for the hardest elements, what would you go for? For me it'd be a bandsaw, for ripping long pieces and curved cuts.
Well I did it and filmed it all, in 30 minute clips. You can see it in my online workshop. It took 170 (approximately) episode, but I did use both power and hand tools
@@ricos1497 nah once you do it a few times youd get it done just as fast. With power tools things like this can be done in minutes.
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Thanks Rob 👍
Re eggbeater drills, I bought a used one in excellent condition. But I have found only 1-2 videos about using an eggbeater drill, and I I don't think they present good technique. Would you please make a video of your technique?
For myself, I've found that when drilling vertically, that the arms should form a 45-90-45 triangle with respect to a hypothetical baseline between the shoulders. This allows the cranking hand to move in a straight line without cocking the wrist. The drill bit choice is also important - standard twist bits don't seem to work very well, so I'm still looking for the 'ideal' grinding angle. Incidentally, I found that a four-winged spear-point glass bit is excellent for starting holes at most angles.
I like your tool kit, man after my own heart. You are right, buy junk tools and you only live to regret it.
Rob are there any vets from your classes with there own TH-cam channels
Mine! 😉
well I was going to say Danny and hardwood grove but he beat me to it
Thank you for the advice. Buying all those tools seems daunting but I'm working hard to get the ones I need. I'm interested in the shooting board that you have. Does it work with Lie Nielsen planes?
yes of course. Again you don't need all those tools at once, but I would use that as my list and acquire them over time as I needed them. If you are going with LN planes I would recommend the 5-1/2, and it works great on either of our shooting boards
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Thanks again. I have a LN no. 62 jack plane
Any tips for how to clamp the piece of wood to rip cut it?
I assume you mean to rip it with a hand saw. So there are generally two ways. 1) for a rough cut use a traditional saw horse and no clamps are needed, 2) if you are sawing at the workbench hold the wood in the vise. If you could give me some more specific details i can give you a better answer
@@RobCosmanWoodworking for example... If I needed to rip an 8 ft 2x4 into two equal pieces...I try to clamp to the edge of a table.. and it doesn't have much room to clamp on the edge of the wood... The clamping is awkward, plus it makes the cutting angle difficult. I'm also worried about shredding the edge of the table. Just trying to figure out how they did it back in the day. I feel like they must have had a way to do this...and I'm missing it.
@@SkyForgeVideos th-cam.com/video/AiFUMrY23M8/w-d-xo.html
No rasp of any type?
Another great video. I am slowly acquiring your suggestions to go with the tools I have inherited from my Father and Grandfather. Do you have a recommendation for a skew block plane? The link to the LN in your earlier videos is broken which I assume is due to them taking it off the site. The only ones that seem to be available at the moment are on eBay.
LN is the one I like. The original Stanley doesn’t have a fence so that is a non starter. LN will have them once they get back up and running full capacity.
RobCosman.com Thank you. I was not sure if it was discontinued or just out due to ongoing production limitations.
@@quinnsmith4490 I had to wait for several weeks, just kept watching their website, but finally got one a few weeks ago. But I can't find a link to it on the website at this point. Searching their website also doesn't show in the suggested searches, only the blades. So not sure what is going on. It's not just "out of stock" as it was much of the summer.
It's called a wheel brace 😉
Ah yes, aboot
Me watching this video like damn I just wanna build a tv stand to save money on $1000 dollar store bought. Although it would be nice to own these tools for later projects I don’t think I’ll use them enough to justify to my wife lol
The hockey grips on the clamp handles😂
Let me tell you something - a blunt chisel is the 10th circle of Hell. Not even kidding. I was making a birthday gift, a decorative plaque with some lettering, out of old hard oak. I had no money and was able to afford two cheap chisels and only had a regular metal hammer. It took me probably five times longer and my hands looked like trucks ran over them 24/7, especially when doing stuff I couldn't use a hammer for and had to push in with my palms.
Never buy cheap tools - it takes longer to build stuff, it's more difficult to do it, more frustrating, you're probably going to get worse results AND you're gonna have to pay for a quality tool eventually. Not worth it.
Sorry, was busier earlier, but yep, I think Woody is still giving away his woodworking book, but I'm not so sure. I managed to get it go'ogling Woody Hyezmar, and was surprised to see his "Woodworking Bible" up for grabs, hope this helps.
This is off point. What happened to notifications?. I just thought that people were on vacation or something. But now, I finally found out that they did it on purpose because their research showed people didn't open the notification e-mails. Am I the only one that relies on the notifications to consider what I want to watch? What is the purpose of subscriptions if not to get notifications? I missed a bunch of things because I wasn't getting notice. What do you think?
Nicholas, we have been trying to figure that out too. The notification bell is still there. It seems I have not been getting all the notifications on my TH-cam subscriptions. Did you find out for sure they did that or is that just an educated guess?
@@RobCosmanWoodworking I saw that U Tube had sent an official message to their U tube authors that explained their research showed that there was virtually no response to the e-mail notifications, so they concluded they were unnecessary. Since you are so active, you should have received that message.
So I just need about 4000 dollars to start woodworking!
Depends on what level you want to start. I prefer to buy tools once and have them serve me for life. Junk is not only cheap, if it doesn’t discourage you into quitting, you will eventually want to replace it. My grandmother called that penny wise/dollar foolish.
Hey I've seen a lot of projects and tutorials, and I have to say if you want a collection of decent projects and you're just beginning, start by go'ogling Woody Hyezmar's Woodworking Bible.
why don't you use power tools?
Rob does, all the time. But the audience here are probably hobbyists rather than professionals. As a hobbyist, I don't make production pieces, so the amount of time that a power tool saves me isn't worth the investment, alongside the noise, dust and garage space. Using the handsaw gives me a far better workout and is a good bit more satisfying than using a tracksaw. I still keep a tracksaw and jigsaw handy for when I'm struggling with long rip cuts.
Do it yourself, visit the Stodoys website and find out how.
AATW
Steve Ramsey says 7; Rex Kruger says 5.
Hey, just one remark, before he decides to publish it, you might want to take a peek at Woody Hyezmar's Woodworking Bible, maybe just try go'ogling it even though it's not complete.
This video is great, but it called me poor in so many languages. Overwhelming.
I really like it. Also check out Stodoys and plans.
I'm sorry... I passed out when I saw you use your little square as a hammer.
gasp *faints*
Too much.
The most important are chisel, saw, plane and hammer. With just those you can make anything.