When starting out in hand tool joinery, you do not need to go out and buy all the tools you are ever likely to use in your woodworking career – you only need a subset of the traditional joiner’s tool kit.
The saying ‘you get what you pay for’ is so true when purchasing woodworking tools. Unless you have a lot of money to fork out, reasonably priced, good quality tools are hard to come by and forget big box DIY stores for quality hand tools. Very few of my hand tools were purchased new and, for the most part, were obtained by scouring flea markets, car boot sales and online auctions. These offer the best hope of finding good quality, older tools at reasonable prices.
One source that I have used for many years is Collectors Weekly a site that aggregates ebay listing in one convenient place.
For the price you pay for a brand new jointer from a company – not to be named – you can purchase all the tools you need to make your first piece of furniture.
Just a word of caution – read the reviews, ask questions – and if you want advice on a tool contact me.
Happy Shopping!!
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