Isaac's Student Resources

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1	Start Here:	I buy many of my tools second hand and then fix them up, this is a time consuming process that takes some practice but older tools are often made quite well and can be fixed up to work beautifully. It takes some work and you have to know what you're looking for but I've bought many of my tools at antique tool meetups, vintage tool shops, or I've been gifted them by friends cleaning out their basements etc. Facebook marketplace can also be a great place, feel free to send me a listing if you're considering it! Additionally, whether you buy new or old tools, you will have to care and sharpen them. Buying old tools makes you figure out how to do this from the outset in a low stakes way. If you fixed it up in the first place, you’ll know how to fix it up again!	That being said, there are many wonderful tools out there that you can buy new. Below is a list of some of the tools I use in my classes and in my shop. There are many stores out there that sell some of these tools; some can be obtained at Woodcraft in Woburn or Walpool. I buy tools either directly from the manufacturer or from Lee Valley, Woodcraft, and Taylor Tool Works. If you google the name of the tool, you'll be able to find several options for where to buy it! If you're looking for more tool recommendations, I look to the substack "never sponsored" made by Chris Schwartz and Megan Fitzpatrick, who run Lost Art Press. Lost Art Press is a wonderful resource for hand tool woodworking.
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3	Tool	Brand(s)	Notes	Link
4	Carving knife	Morakniv 120 Knife	I recommend laminated steel, not stainless steel. The carbon steel is a bit easier to sharpen but dulls faster while the laminated steel is harder to sharpen but holds and edge longer.
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6	Low angle block plane	Lie Neilson, Veritas, Melbourne tool co.
7	Chisels	Zen wu, Narex Richter
8	Gouges	Pfiel, Hirsch, or Henry Taylor	I prefer the Pfiel but all of these companies make great gouges. The size you need depends on what you're planning to carve. Two numbers denote the size, the first is the depth of swoop with #1 being flat and #9 being a half circle. The second is the width, often in mm. I find myself reaching most often for a #7, 20mm for most of my work, a #4-20mm for smoothing, and a #8-10mm for details.
9	Mallet	Wood is good	Round rubber carving mallets are my favorite
10	Palm gouges	Pfiel	I use these for most of my detail carving.
11	Sharpening machine	Tormek	I use the tormek to sharpen in class because it's fast and easy
12	Draw knife	Pfiel, Veritas, Narex
13	Bench Vice
14	Pull saw (double sided)	Suizan
15	Joinery pull saw
16	Saw rasp	Shinto Rasp
17	Cabinet rasp
18	Detail rasp	Corradi
19	Glue	Titebond
20	Bar clamps	Bessy, Jorgenson, Harbor Freight
21	Hand Screw Clamp
22	Universal Vice
23	4-in-1 Rasp	Nicholson
24	Safety glasses	Stoggles
25	Ear Protectoon
26	Sandpaper	3M or Norton, 80, 120, 180, 220
27	Spoke shaves	Melbourne tool, Veritas, Lie Neilson, Taytools
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