building a core sound 17-the one tool you couldn't have done without

[bill1111]

how about giving me some ideas on tools to buy while I am waiting for the weather to change up here - looking at a mid to late april or early may start on a kit.

sanders / routers / saws / brands / big or small / power or hand

Why and how it helped you

most of us 1st time boat builders could profit from your exp.

Pass on that tool wisdom

thanksBbill

[John Turpin]

I use my Japanese combo saw every day. Mine has rip teeth on one side and cross-cut teeth on the other.  This is about the most used tool I have.

[Noklin]

I am a first time builder with very little wood working experience prior to starting the CS20. The most used tool has been the variable speed 6" RO sander. I have spend more hours using it that I like to think about. It is used for almost anything short of leveling a surface. One thing that it took me a long time to figure out is that sandpaper is a lot less expensive than my limited building time. I used to try to get as much use from a disk of sandpaper as possible. I ending up polishing the surface instead of sanding it. I now change the paper as soon as I notice a drop in it cutting. I now get the job done in half the time. A carbide cabinet scraper is a another great tool, cutting the epoxy off is a lot faster than sanding it.

[PAR]

A very understanding and cooperative, possibly helpful other half. It can be the difference between finishing and divorce.

[DaveZ]

I've got to second all of the opinions above, but especially the Japanese saw and scraper.

I had never used a Japanese saw before I started building a boat and now I use it for everything.  I now wonder what "genius" thought that the entire Western world should be cutting on the push stroke.  The Japanese way allows for amazing control and a very thin kerf.

The cabinet scraper was another revelation for me.  With a little practice it can be incredibly versatile (especially removing those "few" epoxy runs that show up) , but for it to work best I would add another tool -- the Veritas variable burnisher -- so that you can keep a nice edge.  http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32633&cat=1,310,41070&ap=1

[Ken_Potts]

Very sharp (and cheap) chisels are good for lots of stuff.  One well tuned bench plane is worth whatever price you pay.  A hand held jig saw.

If you have aforementioned plane a hand held jigsaw is more useful than a hand held circular saw.  You can cut outside the line and plane back to it on long sweeping curves - And cutting notches etc. is easier with a jigsaw than with a circular saw.

I'm very partial to my table saw - I would have built the boat differenty if I didn't have one but I still would have been able to build the boat just fine (I ripped my own lumber from larger stock instead of buying dimensioned lumber).

[hokeyhydro]

Yep, all the tools mentioned above are sweet, especially "tuned" hand planes.  If you have a table saw (mine is a Bosch 10") you can rip up lumber to specific sizes which is cool.  The one tool a dearly like is my planer. It is an old - I'm talking decades here - Ryobi AP-10 planer.

[Ken_Potts]

  I forgot to mention several thousand clamps 

  You can never have too many clamps.

[paul_stewart]

I agree with the above comments.   Specific to building B&B boats,  the tool set I have liked ...  

power tools:

shop vac, portable jig saw, band saw, RO sander, stationary belt sander with disk sander, cordless drill and bits,  good lighting.

hand tools:

planes, japanese saws, sharp chisels, scrapers, hammers, screwdrivers, stapler, scissors, box cutter, etc.  

measurements:

tape measure, calipers, compasses, level, rulers (12', 48', 60')  

epoxy & paint:

4' foam rollers for epoxy work and painting, chip brushes, foam brushes, bamboo skewer sticks for stirring epoxy,  dust/fume mask,  22" fan + 22" furnace filter for use when stirring fillers into epoxy, disposable vinyl gloves, masking tape,  roll of 6 mil clear plastic sheet,  roll of paper towels

clamping:

Right, Ken!  Can't have enough clamps.  Among them, cutting up PVC pipe to make cheap C-clamps really does work well for clamping on an inwale, for example.

Other (e.g., table saw, planar, drill press, router):

      Some means of ripping long lumber is essential.  My table saw is an inexpensive Delta that is just adequately accurate if I fiddle with it enough and it spews out a tremendous amount of dust  --not designed for dust collection systems.  Recently I've found that the local hardware/lumber co. where I find straight doug fir has a full service woodworking shop that will accurately rip lumber for a few pennies while I wait  --takes 5 minutes.  

     They also have planars of various kinds.  Same great deal.  Having a planar at home would be a nice luxury, but....

     So,  a full-service woodworking shop such as this can sometimes be an alternative to owning a table saw, planar, etc.  

     I have an old router that I mounted under a cheap router table. It is occasionally very helpful, but perhaps not freqently enough to be put in the category of 'essential' for B&B boat building.

     One Christmas my son gave me a massive 1950's standing drill press (Craig's list $150) that is loads of fun.  I love it.  I can't say it is essential, but it is a joy to use.