I have often been asked about the tools required to make a chair, and since I travel so much these days, it's become evident, and imperative that I figure out the necessities in my shop. One of the joys of chairmaking is the limited tool list, and in the cauldron of the classroom, I've refined this list and thought you might like to see it. There are a few things that are specific to my personal techniques, but in general, this list could get you sitting pretty after a shipwreck (on an island with ring porous hardwoods!)
EDIT: Obviously, this isn't a real survivor list, which would be just a few tools, but a list of the tools that come into use in my everyday shop experience, although, all of these tools do basically fit in a toolbag. Now if I could just get Hoadley to publish a version of his book that doubles as a floatation device!
| Turning | |||||
| Roughing Gouge | |||||
| 1 in gouge | |||||
| Skew | |||||
| Parting tool | |||||
| Tenoners ½, 7/16, 3/8,5/8 | |||||
| Tenon jig that sits on lathe bed for sighting tenon angle | |||||
| Galbert Caliper | |||||
| Sizing Tool | |||||
| Spindle gouge | |||||
| 2MT jacobs chuck and key | |||||
| steady rest | |||||
| cclamps | |||||
| Shaving | |||||
| Drawknives | |||||
| Spokeshaves | |||||
| marking guage | |||||
| Bead Scraper | |||||
| Books | |||||
| Hoadley | |||||
| Alexander | |||||
| Sloane | |||||
| Langsner | |||||
| Underhill | |||||
| Santori | |||||
| Carving | |||||
| Adze | |||||
| Travisher | |||||
| Inshave | |||||
| Gutter carver | |||||
| Tenon trimming gouges | |||||
| Flush cut saws | |||||
| Depth drill | |||||
| Painting | |||||
| Filters | |||||
| Paint | |||||
| Extra Bond | |||||
| Brush | |||||
| Anti Foaming | |||||
| Scotchbrite | |||||
| Steel wool | |||||
| Oil | |||||
| Gloves | |||||
| Splitting | |||||
| Maul | |||||
| Froe | |||||
| Wedges | |||||
| Brake | |||||
| Hatchet | |||||
| Sledges | |||||
| Chainsaw | |||||
| Gas | |||||
| Oil | |||||
| Wrench | |||||
| Spark plugs | |||||
| Sharpening | |||||
| Stones | |||||
| Grinders | |||||
| Buffer | |||||
| Holders | |||||
| bear tex | |||||
| auger file | |||||
| Nagura | |||||
| Drywall screen | |||||
| Plate glass | |||||
| Wood Stone Holder with wedge | |||||
| Strop | |||||
| Small grinding bits | |||||
| Green rouge | |||||
| diamond hones | |||||
| wheel dresser | |||||
| pin jig for drawknife grinding | |||||
| magnet jig for drawknife grinding | |||||
| diamond paste | |||||
| Planes | |||||
| Scrub | |||||
| #4 | |||||
| #5 | |||||
| #7 | |||||
| Drilling | |||||
| Drill and charger | |||||
| Bits | |||||
| bit and brace | |||||
| irwin extension bit | |||||
| Measuring and Marking | |||||
| Clear Rulers | |||||
| Protractors | |||||
| Black rules | |||||
| Extension rule | |||||
| Bevel boss | |||||
| Spindle blocks | |||||
| Aluminum straight edges | |||||
| Carpenter pencils | |||||
| Accuscribe | |||||
| Assembly | |||||
| String | |||||
| Irwin quick grip clamp | |||||
| Tenon chamferer (carpenter pencil sharpener) | |||||
| Rubberbands | |||||
| Reamers | |||||
| Holding Jigs with v notches for drilling undercarraige | |||||
| Mirrors | |||||
| Dead Blow | |||||
| Hammer | |||||
| Bevel Squares | |||||
| Steel plate with holes for sizing tenons | |||||
| square | |||||
| target for sighting mortise drilling | |||||
| tenon taperer | |||||
| plumber reamer | |||||
| extra bends | |||||
| Misc | |||||
| Wax | |||||
| Pencils | |||||
| Cyanoacrylate | |||||
| Foil | |||||
| Gluepot | |||||
| Measuring spoons | |||||
| Chip brushes | |||||
| Spring clamps | |||||
| Shavehorses | |||||
| Heat gun | |||||
| iron | |||||
| Steamer, pot, reservoir | |||||
| 5/8 dowels | |||||
| Tape | |||||
| Scraping | |||||
| scraper jig | |||||
| Scrapers | |||||
| Burnisher | |||||
| Oil | |||||
| Files | |||||
I'm sure you will have a couple of questions which I can answer in the comments page, plus you can tell me which tools you can't live with out. Cheers!
Add under misc.
ReplyDeleteBackhoe
Loader with forks
drywall screen?
ReplyDeleteThe drywall screen is used with the plate glass to flatten stones, and finish up any drywall mudding you may have undone.
ReplyDeletePeter- I think you need to channel your inner John Brown and simplify your tool kit.-John
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteI thought I was!!!
250 grit diamond plate for flattening my stones. Can't live without it. Flat stones= faster more accurate sharpening= back to work sooner.
ReplyDeleteI want that fancy 50 compartment tool chest too. Are you going to have that in the next blog? CAD Plans and all? :P
Caleb,
ReplyDeleteI was using the shapton flattening plate last week and loved it, but the price is choking me! What kind of plate do you have?
Mine is the 3x8 DMT dia-sharp extra coarse. I believe it was $53. Great value compared to the other choices and it has done just fine. I take a couple of passes over my water stones ever time I go to use them and that seems to maintain them well. I don't even bother doing the pencil marks anymore since so far a few swipes seems to keep it flat.
ReplyDeleteHa, Peter, this is your shipwreck kit? Your going to sink the boat! Of course with this many tools at your disposal, you can probably build a boat as well as the captains chair!
ReplyDeleteKeith,
ReplyDeleteI was just kidding about the survivor bit, it's actually every tool I use in my shop! The survivor kit would be an ax, a drawknife, a froe and a bit and brace, maybe a saw if I can use the lifeboat! Oh yeah, and a radio.
Well considering Pete is surviving as a chairmaker in the real world I would say the list should be a list of every tool in his shop being a real "survivor kit".
ReplyDeleteHeck maybe that would be a good title to your memoirs... Chairmakers Survival Guide by Peter Galbert. :) Well, its better than "Chairmaking for Dumbies" though I could use that one too.
No Kassay in the book list? I use it much more than Santori. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteScott,
ReplyDeleteI do like the Kassay book and have referenced it a bunch, it would be a fine addition to the list