Hand tools in Tools & Organizing

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GuideNina Castellan23 Sept 20266 min

The Home Tool Kit Every Woman Should Own and Where to Keep It

Twelve tools, about $350, and a hall closet shelf beats a garage full of stuff you'll never carry upstairs.

Hand Tools Worth Buying Once and Handing Down

Five tools, five projects, and the order to do them in

Three builds with your kids and who does what on each

A cutting board, a birdhouse and a bookshelf, and the exact jobs you can hand a kid on each one without wrecking the project.

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Make Your First Knife From a Blank Without a Forge

Skip the anvil and the coal. A hardened steel blank, a few files and one weekend gets you a knife you'll actually carry.

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Pressure-test my business idea

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GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Rust washes off, but pitting is forever

How to pick the good steel out of a five-dollar box of rusty tools, and have it back at work by Sunday night.

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Woodworking6 min read

Cutting, drilling and filing steel without wrecking the bit

Steel punishes the habits wood forgives. Slow down, clamp harder, add oil, and a $25 file will do work you'll be proud of.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Pocket screws, mortise and tenon, dovetails, in that order

Three joints cover nearly everything you'll build. Pick the wrong one and the table racks by Thanksgiving.

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Start with a cutting board, not a bookshelf

Hard maple, six strips, one bottle of Titebond III, and the mistake that doesn't show up until you oil it.

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GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Bringing a rusty Stanley No. 4 back to work

A car boot plane, a sheet of 80 grit and an evening at the bench will out-cut most of what's sold new in the shops.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Build a sawbench first, then build everything else on it

Two boards, a box of screws, and four tools you'll keep for thirty years. The best first project isn't a birdhouse — it's the thing you'll work on.

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Raise a burr, and the rest of sharpening follows

One skill, one piece of feedback, and about fifteen minutes to learn it. After that your chisels, kitchen knives and axe all get easier.

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GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Build a tool tote first, and buy these five tools

One board, one afternoon, no table saw. The project that teaches you square cuts, glue-ups and finish — and gets used for the next twenty years.

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GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Sharpen a chainsaw chain by hand, in the right order

If your saw is throwing dust instead of chips, ten minutes with a round file will give you back a saw that pulls itself into the wood.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideHomeWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Stop the Squeaky Floor and the Door That Won't Shut

Most squeaks are one loose nail and most sticky doors are one loose hinge. Both are an afternoon's work, and both tell you something if they aren't.

GuideTradesDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

The Tools a First-Year Apprentice Should Actually Buy

Skip the rolling box. Buy the twelve things you'll touch every day, spend where it counts, and let the company pay for the rest.

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GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Sharpen a knife, an axe and a mower blade the same way

Three tools, three angles, one test. Do them in this order and you'll stop guessing whether the edge is actually finished.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Sharpen a knife properly with what's already in your house

No fancy stones, no gadget clamps. A marker pen, something flat, and twenty minutes gets you a knife that slices paper.

That’s everything on Hand tools in Tools & Organizing.

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Hand tools in Tools & Organizing

The Home Tool Kit Every Woman Should Own and Where to Keep It

Hand Tools Worth Buying Once and Handing Down

The workbench your grandkids will still be flattening

Build a cedar sauna bench and a backrest worth leaning on

Cheap tools that work and cheap tools that'll waste your wood

Five tools, five projects, and the order to do them in

Three builds with your kids and who does what on each

Make Your First Knife From a Blank Without a Forge

Rust washes off, but pitting is forever

Cutting, drilling and filing steel without wrecking the bit

Pocket screws, mortise and tenon, dovetails, in that order

Start with a cutting board, not a bookshelf

Bringing a rusty Stanley No. 4 back to work

Build a sawbench first, then build everything else on it

Raise a burr, and the rest of sharpening follows

Build a tool tote first, and buy these five tools

Sharpen a chainsaw chain by hand, in the right order

Stop the Squeaky Floor and the Door That Won't Shut

The Tools a First-Year Apprentice Should Actually Buy

Sharpen a knife, an axe and a mower blade the same way

Sharpen a knife properly with what's already in your house