{"id":6748,"date":"2020-08-31T20:19:35","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T00:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/?p=6748"},"modified":"2020-08-31T20:19:35","modified_gmt":"2020-09-01T00:19:35","slug":"utility-hand-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/2020\/08\/31\/utility-hand-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Utility hand tools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"570\" height=\"341\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_5566_edited-2.jpg\" alt=\"DIY tools\" class=\"wp-image-6750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_5566_edited-2.jpg 570w, https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_5566_edited-2-150x90.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 570px) 100vw, 570px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I do not like to use my high-end edge tools for rough and tumble DIY projects where a sharp edge has a good chance of meeting up with a nail. Similarly, precision hand tools such as a Starrett square have no business sliding about in mystery debris.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, even though my classy hand tools are fully capable of handling rough jobs, I prefer to use my set of <strong>utility tools<\/strong> for most repair work on the Magic House. (&#8220;Magic,&#8221; you know, because it makes my time and money disappear.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are a couple of ways for a serious woodworker to accumulate these DIY tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You might buy them <strong>specifically<\/strong> for such work. Good examples are above. The little Rali block plane has replaceable blades. It does not seem to be available any more but most any cheap pocket\/block plane will do. That cheapo square is actually decently made and pretty accurate. The DeWalt tape is also the one that comes with me on wood buying trips.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sometimes,<\/strong> especially early on in learning woodworking, we try to save a few bucks by buying a tool that seems good enough, but later proves to be a poor call for fine work. That is how this old Stanley chisel has survived all these years. It easily sharpens to a decent edge that I don&#8217;t mind abusing for DIY work. I replaced the round rasp with a hand-cut version but the cheap one is just fine for enlarging a rough hole in plywood. The screwdriver makes a great paint mixer and general hacking\/prying tool.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"570\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_5567_edited-2.jpg\" alt=\"more DIY tools\" class=\"wp-image-6751\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_5567_edited-2.jpg 570w, https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_5567_edited-2-150x98.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 570px) 100vw, 570px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe you did not recognize the value of quality tools, or maybe you just did not know how deeply you were going into woodworking. Either way, an <strong>upgrade<\/strong> does not always mean waste.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The take home point:<\/strong> Do not buy tools for their own sake. A tool has a purpose. Match the tool to the job \u2013 the one at hand or even the one to which you aspire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I do not like to use my high-end edge tools for rough and tumble DIY projects where a sharp edge has a good chance of meeting up with a nail. Similarly, precision hand tools such as a Starrett square have no business sliding about in mystery debris.&nbsp;&nbsp; So, even though my classy hand tools are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tools-and-shop"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6748"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6754,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6748\/revisions\/6754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}