Carpentry tools for a teenager

..board.. wrote: »

That Japanese saw looked like something out of a horror movie, so I went with a more conventional looking hand saw.

Calahonda52 wrote: »

Op, wishing you a very happy xmas with your wonderfully ambitious son.:)

Embrace it!

For the Corbyintes here:

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JayZeus wrote: »

If he doesn't have his own plane, chisels and saws, lathes and routers should really be waaaay down the list of things to be spending money on by way of equipping a youngster possessed of enthusiasm and talent for woodworking in general. No doubt about it, there's a lot of knowledge here amongst the posters who have replied, but our own enthusiasm for a particular interest within woodworking can lend undue influence to the advice we might offer.

Trying to leave aside my own desire to tell you he needs a Bedrock 604 and a Roubo bench (hand tool woodworking overkill), here's a suggested shopping list and links for some good quality tools (some top-tier marking/layout stuff, others great usable tools that will last him) coming in at €227 plus about €13 for delivery. That leaves €60 in budget, so see a few optional extra from other sources at the end.

Fine-Tools in Germany have those items in stock and as a supplier they more often than not have the best price, especially when looking at the comparative 'cart' price. Items ordered from them will usually leave within one working day and their service has proven to be excellent over the years. I've no vested interest in any retailer who sells tools online or otherwise (although I can't say anything good either about Axminster direct sales, based on recent poor service experience), just giving a personal recommendation buying the exact tools I'm recommending from the supplier I'm happy to recommend also. I'm sure others have enjoyed similar experience with them over the years and may wish to chime in.

#1 - Low angle block plane - Juuma - produced for Fine-Tools, 'lower cost' but an excellent quality tool at €75 - Will last a lifetime:

https://www.fine-tools.com/cgi-bin/shop/fronten/shop_main.cgi?func=direkt&artnr=300050&order=1

#2 - A set of good quality chisels, fine for general use and will serve him for many years - Narex, in 6mm/12mm/18mm/26mm sizes - €29 in total for the 4 sizes I recommend:

https://www.fine-tools.com/cgi-bin/shop/fronten/shop_main.cgi?func=direkt&artnr=331103&order=1
https://www.fine-tools.com/cgi-bin/shop/fronten/shop_main.cgi?func=direkt&artnr=331106&order=1
https://www.fine-tools.com/cgi-bin/shop/fronten/shop_main.cgi?func=direkt&artnr=331109&order=1
https://www.fine-tools.com/cgi-bin/shop/fronten/shop_main.cgi?func=direkt&artnr=331112&order=1

More sizes available, but those will get him started and birthdays can add sizes for him down the line.

#3 - King 1000/6000 Grit Japanese sharpening combination stone in plastic case, good value, much better than cheap oilstones - €33

https://www.fine-tools.com/cgi-bin/shop/fronten/shop_main.cgi?func=direkt&artnr=309366&order=1

There is a larger version, costing about €44 - It's up to you if you went for that or not, but the one above will get him going. The larger one is better value longer term, so grab it if you're not holding firm overall on the spend.

#4 - Veritas Metric Micro-Adjust marking gauge, super accurate, easy to bring to school and will definitely benefit him - don't underestimate its worth! - €34

https://www.fine-tools.com/cgi-bin/shop/fronten/shop_main.cgi?func=direkt&artnr=307981&order=1

#5 - Shinwa Stainless combination square - Tough tool, accurate, very useful for all the projects he's likely to want to do. Again, ideal to take to school also and it's another lifetime tool - €19

https://www.fine-tools.com/cgi-bin/shop/fronten/shop_main.cgi?func=direkt&artnr=309601&order=1

#6 - William Greaves 10" gent saw, good for furniture making and finer project work, the kind of things he'll be doing in school. He can also resharpen it (his teacher will show him if he shows interest in learning how), will last decades, but cheap enough it won't cause any upset if it gets damaged or 'abused' along the way. €16

https://www.fine-tools.com/cgi-bin/shop/fronten/shop_main.cgi?func=direkt&artnr=303029&order=1

#7 - Ryoba type Japanese saw, suitable for general purpose project work, cutting boards and getting pieces ready for doing the finer joinery etc. For the money, the best type of handsaw you could get him without specific types of work in mind. I'd usually prefer traditional western type hand/panel saws, but there's nothing comes close to the quality/price balance as this one at €32

https://www.fine-tools.com/cgi-bin/shop/fronten/shop_main.cgi?func=direkt&artnr=313780&order=1

Options:

#8 Thor 712 Chisel/Assembly mallet - A fantastic tool to have. Worth every cent. €23 including postage from a good seller in the UK - I've bought a couple from this listing and recommend it as a great addition to the chisels I recommended above:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Thor-712R-Soft-Hard-Faced-Hammer-Wood-Handle-38mm-650g-THO712R/332667430833?epid=2254507869&hash=item4d748627b1:g:TrcAAOSwZvFbDWpB

#9 A honing guide for chisels/plane blades - Very useful to add to the items recommended earlier, even if there's one at home already. A new one should be bought and exclusively used with the japanese stones, to give them a longer life. Fine-Tools don't seem to have this 'clone' of a very popular type (copied and sold in their millions), so I'm pointing you to the Carpentry Store in Naas as they stock one. €14 plus postage.

https://www.thecarpentrystore.com/p/rider-honing-guide/340147

That should give your son a cracking good starter set of tools, at around the €300 total. As I've said, this set will help him enjoy all sorts of projects and areas of interest in woodworking, will absolutely help with the school project work in terms of the quality/accuracy he will be able to produce (at least as far as the tools have influence!) and if he ended up enjoying woodworking as a hobby or as a trade he'll still be using some of them by the time he'll be thinking about tools for his own kids, (hopefully!!) far down the line.

You're a good Mammy. Fair play to you.