# Minimalist Tools



## BigDumbAnimal (Jun 15, 2013)

Looking for some advice. I'm about to get orders to spend a couple years overseas and I would like to be able to continue woodworking. I'm not strictly a hand tool guy but have a basic assortment and am comfortable using them. Due to weight restrictions and power considerations, my power tools will be staying here. Weight is the biggest consideration and whatever tools I decide to bring will have to be under about 70 lbs total. Size is the next consideration and by that I mean that smaller is better.

My future duty station is "arid" so I imagine that most of my wood will be reclaimed so I will need to have the ability to dimension whatever wood I can find.

I'm a far cry from a fine furniture maker. Most of my projects are small and consist of boxes and toys for the kids as well as small household solutions for my wife. I'd like to have the ability to experiment with hand cut joinery as well as make curved and irregular shaped projects. I don't know what access to expendables like sandpaper, screws, and nails I'll have so suggestions on methods of finishing and joinery would be appreciated.

Getting to the root of my question, if you were me what would your list of tools look like. Please be as wild and specific with your suggestions as you would like as I think that this could be an interesting discussion. Thanks in advance for your help.

Semper Fi
BDA


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## derekcohen (Jul 15, 2007)

Jack plane (Stanley #5) with 2 blades: 8-9" radius for thicknessing, and straight blade for short jointer and shooting board.

LV LA Block plane - with handle and knob (accessory for this particular plane). Get 2 blades: use block plane with 25 degree blade as a block plane for small tuning/chamfering, and another with a 40 degree secondary bevel plus the handle/knob as a smoother.

4 bevel edge chisels. I would choose a 1/8" (dovetails), 1/4", 1/2" and 3/4".

Dovetail saw (joinery) and rip and crosscut panel saws (breaking down boards). Perhaps include a tenon saw as well, although you may get away with the other two.

A router plane can double for rebates, grooves and dados.

Veritas LA spokeshave (can adjust for straight and curved cuts).

Mallet/hammer/combination square/marking knife.

Sharpening gear.

You're in business!

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## bobasaurus (Sep 6, 2009)

Derek, that sounds like the perfect list. All of that could fit in a fairly small custom tool box. I might add some kind of bow/frame/coping saw for curved cuts. Here are some non-tool things to consider bringing:

Maybe include something for simple finishing, like a tin of paste wax (doubles for keeping tools clean/slippery) or some shellac flakes to mix while there?

I would want to bring parts for building a workbench, maybe just some vise screws for a leg and/or tail vise to convert an existing table.

Eye and hearing protection would be good, too (mostly for intense chiseling).


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## wood2woodknot (Dec 30, 2012)

Thinking minimalist, basic and lightweight? Maybe:

small panel saw (or an even a smaller saw like a Fat Maxx Shark) - combination toothing for your basic dimensioning
coping saw and blades - for detail cutting
drawknife - for shaping curved pieces

#5 plane - for both truing and smoothing
4-way combination file/rasp - flat/rounded
6" rat-tail rasp
6" narrow file
set of card scrapers instead of sandpaper
short piece of carbide rod - for a burnisher to give a hooked edge to your scrapers
6" or 9" plastic drafting triangle 
10' tape measure or 6' folding rule 
4-way screwdriver
carpenter's hammer
1/4" and 3/4" chisels
good pocket knife - for marking cuts and for detail carving, etc.
set of hard & soft Arkansas (or ceramic) stones - to keep all your edge tools sharp

With these you can perform most of your needs, and make some of your other needs when you get there, like a mallet, story stick, straight edge, wedges for clamping, cord to make tourniquet-type clamps for glueing, etc. Some of the other things you can probably get when you're there - like pencils, paper, nails & screws, glue, string/cord, etc. Have to stop here before being tempted to add "just one more thing."

With the exception of the panel saw, most of this should fit in a small tool box.

Good luck and happy woodworking.

PS - What branch of the service are you in?


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## ToyMakingDad (Nov 22, 2012)

I think others have nailed it (no pun intended.)
Just to reinforce - If I had to go bare minimum I'd definitely do:
Jack and block planes
Coping saw with several packs of blades.
Card scrapers with burnisher.
Set of chisels and sharpening stones
Carving knife.
Combination square.
A rasp and files
An awl
An old school "egg beater" hand drill with bits.
If you have room, a miter-box and saw means you can cut dowels into wheels as well as anything that needs to be square cut to size.

I was shopless for a few years and had basically just what was listed above handy (except power drill and sandpaper.) I was able to make a few toys. It made me be more precise and tailor the toy more to the material at hand.

It sounds like for the kind of woodworking you do, most horizontal surfaces could double for a work bench for you with a few good clamps. You might want to look into something like a Maxon vise that you could build on site and temporarily anchor as needed into whatever ends up being handy as your workbench (assuming you don't build your own.)

Good luck with everything. Oh yeah…Pallets are mostly hardwood. A hammer and pry bar may be in order. Or just saw off the usable bits. Just saying.


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## HornedWoodwork (Jan 28, 2015)

If you are going minimal that means you are going to have to have versatile tools, the more tasks each can perform, the higher on your must have list it becomes. If you get to a point where you have to cut weight, think about each tool individually and how it acts as a (to borrow a familiar term) force multiplier. The obvious answers when it comes to versatility are (in this order) Chisels, Saws, general purpose planes, clamps, mark/measuring. From there you get into special purpose planes, finishing and sharpening gear. Now you could argue that if you are unable to keep your gear sharp and in tune, you have basically brought 70 pounds of metal into a desert for no reason, I would agree, but when it comes to cutting weight, flat rocks are a pretty easy thing to find in a dessert…

For what it's worth there is a guy out there that built an entire bedroom set using his pocket knife. It was a really nice pocket knife, but still. In the end you need a sharp blade and good saw and the right level of insanity to make you believe you can do it.


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

Not sure where you are going.
I would consider looking for everything when you get there. Trying to take what you think is tough. I have move 3000 miles 4 times in 9 years. First time I thought I would take everything. When I got there I realized I could buy what I already had ! No moving cost !
I know it is tough to leave favorites behind.


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## mtenterprises (Jan 10, 2011)

I too was going to mention a good quality miter box and saw even though it's weighty it could be a workhorse. Now this is something I thought was a great idea, a bit pricey, but what you can do with it - http://www.bridgecitytools.com/default/jmpv2-jointmaker-pro.html - with no electricity. Check out all the videos on youtube.


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## BigDumbAnimal (Jun 15, 2013)

Thanks to everyone for your input. I will definitely be bringing my block and jack planes and thanks Derek, I hadn't thought of just bringing multiple blades.

Saws get a little more complicated for me though, I grew up using Grandpa's old western style push cut saws but have since found that I have more control with a pull cut japanese styly saw. I'm leaning towards a combination rip/cc japanese style saw but since this is a tool that I will have to buy I'll have to do a little research. I learned years ago that it's worth it to buy higher quality up front vs. buying it later when I break the cheap one.

For a joinery saw I'm thinking along the same lines with a japanese style saw. If anyone has any input on brands or styles of saws, please share. I value the input of folks who I believe to have used a tool aver the random interwebs search results.

Chisels are in, so are the spokeshave, coping saw, and carving knives. The ability to drill has had me thinking for awhile. I've been going back and forth between egg beater and the old brace and bit style. I think I'll take toymakingdad's advice and try the egg beater.

For sharpening, I've tried it all and have water stones, ceramic stones, Arkansas stones, and a couple diamond plates. The ceramic and water stones will probably make the move. Although water stones in the desert kind of makes me chuckle.

I hadn't thought of bringing my own wax or schellac flakes so thanks Allen, if theres room they'll make the list too.

Once I've assembled everything here my plan is to make a combination toolbox and floor style workbench to store everything and to actually make the move with. On the plus side I'm trading an American desert for another foreign desert so if I make it out of wood I shouldn't have to worry about it shrinking and warping too much on me. Mtenterprises, thats an awesome tool, but definitely a little outside of my price range.

For wood2woodknot, I've been a Marine Artilleryman for almost 10 years and foe Allen, that means that I am definitely set on eye and ear protection for when the shavings start flying.

Thanks again for everyone's input and if you see anything that I'm overlooking or if you have further brand/style suggestions, specifically for the saws please keep it coming.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Smitty has a blog about the Stanley tool boxes of the 1920s….complete with a tool list. Go to his blog about the No.888 and look at what all went into that tool box. Then, you can "adjust" a size, here and there, to fit what you are going to do.

BTW: the stanley No. 888 style box I built a little bit ago? It is almost full now, and is right at 50 pounds…

Retired, 37 yrs Army…..


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

> The ability to drill has had me thinking for awhile. I ve been going back and forth between egg beater and the old brace and bit style. I think I ll take toymakingdad s advice and try the egg beater.
> - BigDumbAnimal


Looks like you're getting good advice. The eggbeater is good for small holes, but the problem is it really can't do larger holes. Limited to less than a 1/4" in most of mine. A brace on the other hand is better for larger holes (up to 3" in soft wood with an expansive bit), but it can't do the smaller holes. You can chuck hex shank drill bits in a good quality brace, but if you go too small you risk snapping the bit, plus it's much slower obviously. If It were me and I were very limited I'd take the brace and auger bits and an electric drill. Because really to do everything by hand efficiently you need a breast drill for the in between sizes in addition to the eggbeater for pilot hole sizes and a brace for larger holes. Depends on what size holes you plan on boring of course.


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## derekcohen (Jul 15, 2007)

A small brace (8" throw) could do both auger bits from 1/4" through 1/2" with some ease, and 3/4" with a little more effort. It could also hold a good number of small drill bits and would work about as well as an eggbeater. I think that Lee Valley sell an adapter for drill bits. Check out their website.

I have and use braces from a small 5" throw (used for hinge screws) through a large-ish 12" throw (that will bore a 3/4" hole through a 4" oak bench top with ease). The most common size you will find is a 10". That would do if you cannot find an 8".

Both ratchet and non-rachet braces will work equally well.

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## sikrap (Mar 15, 2009)

One thing that I would is a set of pinch dogs. They are small and weigh very little. A set of 8-10 will weigh almost nothing and they make excellent clamps for glue ups.


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## Boatman53 (May 21, 2012)

I would try and find a 'Zyliss Vise' or its clone they are very versatile and when ever I'm working out of the shop I have one with me. Made out of aluminum they don't add much weight.
Jim


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## WirelessWoodworker (Dec 17, 2014)

> I would try and find a Zyliss Vise or its clone they are very versatile and when ever I m working out of the shop I have one with me. Made out of aluminum they don t add much weight.
> Jim
> 
> - Boatman53


The vise is a good point - workholding/workbench options may also need to be considered I guess. You may be able to find clamps locally, or make some possibly. Shannon, over at the Renaissance Woodworker, made a mobile workbench that doubles as a tool box which may be of interest.


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## BigDumbAnimal (Jun 15, 2013)

Thanks again to everyone for the advice and thoughts. I'm looking at eggbeater drills, I'm leaning towards the schroeder, I've got some older stanley tools but have heard their quality isn't what it was so for now I'm ruling them out. Also considering a 10" brace and bit but that is less of a priority. Out of curiosity though if I did get a brace would I need auger bits or do standard twist bits still work. I know better than to even consider bring my forstner bits.

Work holding solutions is also something that I've been thinking through. I will definitely be building a new toolbox to hold everything. Thanks Tim for sending me the link to Renaissance Woodworker, I actually stumbled across his mobile workbench video on youtube over the weekend.

What I am leaning towards is a heavy (I know it's counter to my original post) toolbox with a flat work top that I can add a vice to the front or side of. I also have a small clamp to the tavletop vice that I bought for my 4 year old so that she could work in the shop with me so that will get packed as a last resort.

We weren't supposed to move until next summer but they bumped it up a year and now I'm at the point where I'm looking and realizing exacly how many half finished projects I've got out in the shop and how little time I have. Then there's the fact that all of my power tool will be heading to storage for the next 2 years completely unsupervised and unused and I'm not super excited about that prospect either.


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## derekcohen (Jul 15, 2007)

By all means take an eggbeater. However, if you are trying to keep the number of tools down, take a brace instead, or as well. Lee Valley sell accessories for the brace that enable it to be used as a driver (VERY handy), and more …

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32300&cat=1,180,42337,32300

The brace is fantastic for countersinks.

A brace will also work with twist drill bits (more in a while). If you are concerned about sharpening auger bits, consider a few Wood Owl augers (the Ultra Smooth ones). They go up from 3/8".

http://www.timberwolftools.com/tools/woodowl/woodowl.html

For long lasting twist drill bits (since you may not be able to sharpen them), look at the Colt brad point bits. These will last years ..

http://www.fine-tools.com/first-clean-exit-drills.html

To add a basic twist bit to an auger, you can also use a spring-loaded accessory, such as for the brace I built (specifically for hinges and small screws - so I know a brace works here) ..




























You can use this for driver bits as well.

Link: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/EntryforAustralianWoodReview2009.html

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## bridgerberdel (Dec 31, 2014)

I think I'd set up a #4 plane with a variety of blade/chipbreaker sets and leave the #5 at home.


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

Have a look at this blog: http://mulesaw.blogspot.dk/
The author works on a ship and mannages to do quite fine woodwork with a small box of selected tools in the ships tiny workshop.
Here he discuss thew tools he brings: http://mulesaw.blogspot.dk/2014/12/maritime-woodworking-tools.html


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

I've never had luck with very small bits and a brace, but if Derek has, I certainly don't dispute that. I have done it with larger bits and it works well, just a little slow. Regular twist bits will work fine in an eggbeater drill but the brad points like Derek mentioned are much better.

Also come to think of it I have enough extra 10" braces that I could send you one. PM me if you want one. I'll try to see if I have one with a good enough chuck to hold hex shank accessories directly. Then you can just put in hex shank drill bits, a hex shank socket adapter, and a hex shank bit holder for screw driving and such without having to buy a special brace adapter. I agree, a brace is an excellent screw driver. Much more torque.z



> Then there s the fact that all of my power tools will be heading to storage for the next 2 years completely unsupervised and unused and I m not super excited about that prospect either.
> - BigDumbAnimal


That's a bummer, can you get a hold of some cosmoline to protect them while you're gone?


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## Anselth (Apr 19, 2012)

I don't know how long you have to get ready, but the idea of needing some workholding capability got me thinking about Tom Fidgen's "Cabinetmaker's Toolchest" from his book "Made By Hand." It's fairly compact, though I'm sure you could expand its dimensions if you wanted to fit something specific. It's got a build in shooting board I believe, as well as a few features designed to aid in cutting and workholding. He has a blog detailing a build of one here: http://www.theunpluggedwoodshop.com/a-cabinetmakers-toolchest-2.html


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

A.S.P., Pick out a decent 105mm or 155mm ammo box. You can pile as much as you want inside these crates. They are lockable, they have two rope handle to carry them with. You can set them about anywhere and work from them and on them. Paint the outside, and you are ready to go.

DAMHIKT…....11c20….13F20…...we had connections…


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## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

A way to hold your work is going to be pretty important…some holdfasts will go a long way towards making your life easier when you get there, and the weight should not be too considerable. The tooling suggestions already given are solid. I could offer my slant on them, but I don't think I could improve them other than to take the time to consider work-holding a bit.


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## BigDumbAnimal (Jun 15, 2013)

Derek, that's a beautiful brace and the way you put it together seem simple enough that I might have to try it when I get there. Although I doubt I'd be able to turn out something of that quality with just hand tools. The more I think about it the more I think I'll probably add a brace as well, it makes sense and gives me more options with a minimal weight increase.

I've seen some of Tim Fidgen's videos on YouTube before but hadn't stumbled across the cabinet maker's tool chest yet. Thanks for the link Adam, I'm working my way through that playlist now. The more I think about this, the more excited I'm getting about it.

Still don't know what my official timeline looks like but I'm starting to consolidat the tools that I've already got and looking at the tools that I might want to purchase. Again, I really appreciate the input that everyone is giving me on this and look forward to sharing the experience.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

About those ammo cases….They were to hold two or three rounds….they are long enough, that you can sit one on a pair of saw horses…..instant bench. need a tool or three? open the lid, grab what you need, close it up, and back to work.

Now…IF you just knew someone, who knows someone, and can get an EMPTY case…...Be sure to paint it, to cover over all the stencils on there. Get a good padlock, too.


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## TheTurtleCarpenter (Jun 25, 2015)

Send me a blank check and your address.! Eastern (Japanese) saws are smaller and break down to store. First thing to build when you get ther would be a sawing bench that could be used as a work table and go into your hut to sit on also. Vise (Zylyiss) would be a great lightweight bonus and you can rig up clamps with boards and wedges. Here's a good video and he also has one on the saw bench.


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## BigDumbAnimal (Jun 15, 2013)

Bandit, I've been on the gunline side of artillery for the last 8 years or so. I've seen the boxes that you're talking about but only for the 105mm. The Marine Corps consolidated all of our howitzers to 155mm awhile ago. I've had grenade boxes in the past which have worked but aren't quite what I'm looking for.

Turtle not sure how SWMBO aka my financial planner would feel about the blank check idea. I do have a small assortment of japanese saws that will make their way into the toolbox. Where in japan are you, I was on Okinawa for about 6 months last sumer. Wish I would have axplored more but we were off island for a lot of my time there.

I've got a couple little projects to work through then I'll start planning and building my toolbox/traveling workbench. I'm going to have to see how much of my scrap bin I can use up and still have something worth showing off as I'm realizing right now that I won't be able to bring any of that with me either.


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## TheTurtleCarpenter (Jun 25, 2015)

BDA, I had the opportunity of going to Japan 6 times for a layover flight to and from Korea in the early eighties. 62nd ADA air defense artillery, M113 Vulcan Tank. U.S. Army. I now live in Kentucky


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