Category: The Anarchist’s Tool Chest

This last entry in this series will focus on the remainder of tools I have in my chest today. Most of them have to do with making holes and filling them.

Boring Tools
While I had great affection for my Spofford brace, I found that a ratcheting brace is really helpful for reaming mortises, particularly when correcting a reaming gone wrong (boy, that sounds salacious). So I gave my Spofford brace to a student and now have one of the Stanley versions of the North Bros. famous brace.

The other big change in the world of hole-making is I use WoodOwl augers instead of Irwins. The WoodOwls cut faster than any vintage auger I’ve tried. And they work in my electric drills, too. I store my augers in a tool roll from Texas Heritage Woodworks. Normally I wouldn’t single out a tool roll for praise, but this is the best one I’ve ever owned. It’s bulletproof, rolls up tight and holds a lot of bits.

I’m a big fan of hand drills, and when I wrote “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” I had a Millers Falls No. 2A or 5 (I forget). Five years later I have a Millers Falls No. 2A or 5 (I forget). In the intervening years I had a Goodell-Pratt, but a friend fell in love with it, so I gave it to him.

As far as bits for the hand drill go, I have the little plastic boxed set from Rockler (best $20 I’ve spent in boring) and a set of Snappy countersink bits. The Snappys are made in the U.S. and are much cheaper than the Fullers (also made in the U.S.). Get the Snappys, they are 11.4 times better.

The Wonderful World of Screwdriving
I had to become a better person who drives screws to write “Campaign Furniture,”  which involved installing hundreds of pieces of inlaid brass hardware. I have the Grace USA set of screwdrivers, which is what I have in my chest’s tool rack. They have held up really well.

I also have the two Elemen’tary screwdrivers that take replaceable bits. And I use gunsmith bits from Brownell’s (I have the standard set No. 2). One caution: If you order from Brownell’s, be ready to receive lots of gun literature, which may be welcome or unwelcome in your house. The NRA sent my wife a tote bag as a result. Weird.

Also new to my chest is a Starrett centerpunch, which makes installing hinges easy. I still use (and love) my Czeck Edge birdcage awl.

I also have some junky hardware store screwdrivers and an eyeglass screwdriver for odd jobs (or to loan to people).

Sharpening
I don’t keep my sharpening gear in my chest – I keep it in a boot tray under my bench. I use Shapton Pro stones (#1,000, #5,000 and #8,000) and a Lie-Nielsen Honing Guide. I have been switching back and forth between oilstones and waterstones and landed on Shaptons because they will sharpen everything, even D2.

Rasps
I still have three Auriou rasps: The cabinet rasp, modeller’s and a rattail. All are protected in a  tool roll. I also have a brush for cleaning them.

Odds & Sods
The second till of my chest has become a repository for spares – spare TiteMark blades, a lifetime of Pegas blades, a toothing iron for my block plane, a whole box of pencil leads.

My Cabinet Scraper
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my Sandvik cabinet scraper, which I’ve had since day 1. They don’t make it anymore (the story is that the machine that ground them broke and Sandvik decided not to replace it). It’s protected in its original plastic holder and is sharpened with an Arno carbide burnisher.
— Christopher Schwarz

I have a terrible weakness for marking and measuring tools. Even though most of my work eschews hitting a particular number, I am a sucker for squares, knives and marking gauges. Let’s start with squares.

Squares
I have three Starrett combination squares. Two have been with me for 20 years. The third is a new acquisition. My 12” Starrett square was probably the first quality tool I bought when I was hired by Popular Woodworking Magazine. I was terrified by the price at the time – about $65 – but I was hooked after using a fellow employee’s Starrett square.

I also have a 6” Starrett combination square I bought at a flea market for $20 (Cincinnati is awash in machinist tools).

This year I bought a 24” Starrett combination square with the oversized H8 head. It was my reward to myself for finishing “The Anarchist’s Design Book.” With this square and its 24”-long blade I was able to retire my framing square and trade up in accuracy. I would never call this a “must-have” tool. But I’ve always wanted one.

Despite the above, I’m not much of a spokeman for Starrett. The quality of the new stuff seems to be falling lately. I hope it’s temporary.

I also have two squares from Chris Vesper. I have his 7” try square and his fantastic double square (with all the accessory blades). The 7” try square is the ultimate arbiter of squareness in the shop. The double square measures things in places that no other square can go.

Marking Knives
I have two marking knives. A Blue Spruce Toolworks knife that is the only tool in my chest that I did not purchase. It was a gift from a reader in Arkansas who was dying and asked me to have it. The handle is some fantastic burl and the blade is, of course, the high quality you expect from Dave Jeske at Blue Spruce.

My other marking knife is a Veritas with a black plastic handle. Despite the plastic handle, it’s an excellent knife and is the tool I use when I am working out of town. I love how it won’t roll off my bench.

Marking Gauges
I have four Tite-Mark gauges. I wish had four more. Don’t buy imitators or from people who ripped off Kevin Drake’s work. Your gauge lines will go astray and you’ll get a gypsy curse to boot (and then Marta will have to remove it).

Dividers and Compasses
I have two pairs of small dividers from Starrett. One is vintage; one is new. The new one is not in the same league as the vintage one. I also own two Starrett compasses – one new and one vintage. The quality hasn’t slipped on these. These compasses allow you to swap the pencil for a second point, and so they serve me well for large layout chores.

Sliding Bevel Gauges
I have two of them, a 7” and 4”, both from Chris Vesper. Before I could afford Vesper’s work, I was a sucker for the Stanley No. 18 butt-locking gauge.

Pencils
I use a variety of mechanical pencils and lead holders for rough marking of the material. I also use the fine-lead pencils to accentuate knife lines so I can see them.

Trammels & Odd Bits
I finally gave up my grandfather’s Japanese trammels and picked up the Veritas ones. I have wooden shop-made winding sticks, a straightedge and pinch rods stashed in the front chamber of my chest next to my saws. Somewhere in there is also a plastic protractor.

For marking dovetails, I have the Sterling Saddle-Tail. Love it.

And Tape Measures
I can’t imagine working without a tape measure on my belt. And I get the funniest looks when I walk into the local hardware store with it. It’s a 12’ Stanley Powerlock – the kind with the metal case. Contractors look at me like I’m wearing a dress or a dominatrix outfit. In our hardware store it’s 50’ or go home.

I also have a few Lufkins floating around that I use when I go to the lumberyard or need to get a rough measurement. But for measuring anything “for keeps,” I use the Stanley. Every tape measure is a little different and a little off from its brothers and sisters.

Next up: Chisels and such.

— Christopher Schwarz

Part 1 of this series on handplanes can be found here.
Part 2 on saws is here.
Part 2-1/2 on frame saws is here.

Though my days of teaching woodworking might be over, the process has left its mark on the tools I use. During the last 10 years, I made changes to my tool set to make it less intimidating to my students.

I gave my Eccentric Toolworks saws to a friend. I mothballed my Seaton saws from Mike Wenzloff. They were all fantastic tools that were made by people who I am proud to support. But they are unobtainable today. And I don’t want students to think there is anything magic about tools. The magic is in your fingers.

So here are the tools I use now. Only one is exotic. So let’s get that one out of the way immediately.

My tenon saw is a Wenzloff & Sons tool that was copied from the Benjamin Seaton tool chest. This saw was one of the first saws that Mike Wenzloff ever made – before he really decided to become a full-time sawmaker. It’s unsigned. It’s handle is polished and worn to fit my hands. I can no sooner get rid of this saw than sell a child. It’s sharpened rip at 10 ppi with just a bit of fleam.

My carcase saw is a vintage Wheeler, Madden & Clemson that I’ve owned forever. It’s sharpened crosscut at 14 ppi.

My dovetail saw is a Lie-Nielsen with an apple handle. Thomas Lie-Nielsen got his hands on a few chunks of apple and made this handle for me in exchange for a piece of furniture. While there are lots of good dovetail saws out there, it’s hard to beat the Lie-Nielsen. When I started woodworking they were made by Independence Tools (run by Pete Taran and Patrick Leach) and seemed exorbitantly priced at $125. Now the $125 seems the best bargain out there in saws (and I can’t believe it’s still $125).

The flush-cut saw in my chest is the Veritas one with the black plastic handle. I used to have the Veritas one with the bubinga handle, but after kinking its blade I went to order a new one and Lee Valley was out of stock of the bubinga saw. Hence the plastic one.

The saws I use for breaking down stock are vintage panel saws that Matt Cianci restored. I have a Disston panel saw that is sharpened crosscut at 8 ppi and a Spear & Jackson panel saw that is sharpened rip at 7 ppi.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my Stanley Sharptooth saw that I use for breaking down rough stock. It lives in my truck, not my tool chest, but has been an important part of every project during the last five years. I want to hate the $10, plastic-handled (but made in the USA) thing. But that would be disingenuous.

Speaking of saws that don’t live in the chest, I have a vintage Langdon miter box below my bench that I use for precision crosscuts and miters. The original sawblade was trashed, so I replaced it with a Lie-Nielsen miter box saw.

A lot of people ask me about the Veritas saws with composite spines and wooden handles. Why don’t I use those? They are excellent saws. I’ve used many of them that were owned by students and I regularly recommend them to beginners. When I assembled my kit of tools, Veritas didn’t make joinery saws. If Veritas had made joinery saws back in 1999 I’m sure would have stocked my chest with those.

Next up: marking and measuring tools.

— Christopher Schwarz

Part 1 of this series on handplanes can be found here.