We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations.
Reader James Carpenter is trying to put together a list of tools to purchase as a gift for his 6-year-old nephew. Man I wish I’d had an uncle like him. The best present I got from an uncle was a “Men at Work” LP.
In any case, James has been doing a lot of research and come up with this preliminary list. What do you think of his choices?
– 6″ or 8″ sweep Millers Falls 30 series brace with improved Barber chuck without ratchet.
– A nice complete set of auger bits appropriate to the bit brace.
– An auger bit file appropriate for sharpening the auger bits.
– Miller Falls No 2A Hand drill. (Maybe a new $20 Schroeder Hand Drill with Ã?¼” chuck)
– Better quality small woodworker’s vise (mounted into a child-sized workbench)
– Coping saw
– Well-made Ryoba or Dozuki Japanese pull saw.
– Appropriate small hammer (likely a 225g Japanese Octagonal hammer)
– Small crow-foot for removing small nails. (I’ll skip this is if the hammer has crow-foot)
– combination square
– tape measure
– Surform tool
– Assortment of slotted and Phillips screwdrivers
– Assortment of small pliers
– possibly a few books
– child safety glasses
– Nice set of appropriate portable toolboxes. This will either be a smaller suitcase style toolbox(s) with wheels, or a few small hand carried toolboxes small enough for my nephew to carry.
– wood glue
– rubber bands for clamps
Roughly speaking, the items higher on the list are better candidates for a used purchase than a new purchase.
If you want to help James spend some money, leave a comment below. Also, check out this article on Charles Hayward’s basic list.
– Christopher Schwarz
