Find the missing function

The tool shelves

Choose the work first, then compare the shape, working contact and complete setup.

Planes & spokeshaves ↗

Choose a plane by the surface it must register on and where its cutting edge needs to reach. A longer sole, an open corner, a narrow shoulder and a cutter below the sole solve different problems; they are not simply larger or smaller versions of one tool.

02 / 9 tools

Joinery chisels ↗

Choose the cutting shape and working access before deciding how many chisels to buy. Mortising, long-reach paring, skew cuts and squaring a corner call for different tool formats, and a complete set is useful only when its actual sizes match your work.

03 / 19 tools

Carving tools ↗

Compare the edge shape, direction of use and handle format for the cut you want to make. A sloyd knife, hook knife, scorp, bent gouge and mallet V-tool add different functions. More blades do not remove the need to check handedness, sweep and supplied handles.

04 / 18 tools

Wood hand saws ↗

Start with the cut, the required clearance and how the blade is supported. Rip and crosscut teeth, a backed blade, a no-set flush-cut format and a tensioned frame each affect the choice. Blade length, frame throat and tooth pitch are different specifications.

05 / 6 tools

Rasps & cabinet scrapers ↗

Choose how you want to remove material and which surface the tool must follow. Open-grid saw rasps, shaped steel rasps, flexible card scrapers and a supported No.80-style scraper offer different contact, control and preparation requirements.

06 / 11 tools

Marking & layout ↗

Choose the mark you need to repeat: a single offset line, two mortise lines, a transferred dovetail slope, a center or equally divided positions. Wheels, blades, pins, squares and expanding dividers provide different references.

07 / 10 tools

Bench workholding ↗

Start with your bench and the way the workpiece will be restrained. A holdfast, dog fence, face vise and file clamp need different mounting or support arrangements. Jaw opening is only one of the measurements that determines the fit.

08 / 4 tools

Hand boring ↗

Choose the hole-making method, then check the complete drive and bit arrangement. A ratcheting brace, small gimlet and tapered kiri are different tools. An auger set supplies cutting bits, not the brace or a guarantee that every chuck accepts the shank.

09 / 9 tools

Sharpening & tool care ↗

Choose equipment for the edge you own and the stage of preparation you need. A flat-blade honing guide, profiled polishing block, abrasive-paper hook hone, scraper burnisher and saw-tooth setter perform different jobs.