Sweetheart low-angle block plane
I have found these the best planes for the money and students seem to be able to use them well. They come with a spare blade and are easy to adjust.
Small Pullsaw
This 6.5”, fine-toothed pullsaw is one of the handiest small boatbuilding tools that will end up in your tool box. Fantastic for compound, miter angle cuts and also does flush cuts very well.
1" Chisel
You can do anything and everything with a 1” chisel. For all manner of wood removal, this size is a do-it-all size.
Shinto Rasp
In boatbuilding there is a lot of wood removal and many tools that can be used to do it quickly. But in the hand tools department, a good rasp is the best way and few are as nice to use as the Shinto rasp.
Quick-grips
These clamps are important to have if you work solo - they offer a quick, strong way to pull wood together. While they are strong enough to clamp wood together (300-445 lbs of clamping force), they really most useful as a second and third set of hands in the shop. These are 6” long and we recommend two of them. We ship three different brands that have passed our test, depending on availability.
2" C-clamp
Absolutely indispensable for clamping wood while making parts, installing gunwales, and many other small part uses. C-clamps generate the most clamping force for it’s size. A small skiff project could use a zillion of these, but 6-12 is a good start.
Bessey Medium Duty bar clamp
These are simply the nicest clamps I have used in the shop because of the excellent grip they have on the wood with out the weight of a larger clamp. They are 6” bar clamps with plenty of reach.
Dewalt 3/8" 12V Drill driver with battery and charger
Light, plenty of power for small craft construction and very pleasurable to use! It pairs nicely with the 1/4” driver. Use the 3/8” drill in tandem with the 1/4” driver: the 3/8” drill to pedrill for screws and the 1/4” driver to install the screws. Model #DCD701F2
Dewalt 1/4" 12V Screw Driver kit
Ultra-light and super handy, this is a great tool for driving screws when building small boats and you will end up grabbing it for everything in the house!. Comes with battery and charger. Use the 3/8” drill for the Snappy bit to predrill for screws and the 1/4” driver to put the screws in. Model #DCF601F2
Driver bits
These driver bits are double ended with #2 Phillips or Square drive or #2 Phillips and slotted. These are intended for a regular drill, not an impact driver.
15-in-1 Manual Screwdriver
It’s always good to drive screws by hand when there is a chance of strip out - this one has a great feel and is super versatile. Better yet, it has a ratcheting feature. May be a Lutz driver, equivalent to the Dewalt.
The Little Vicky by Victorinox
A great knife for utility purposes and cutting line when rigging. Be careful, it is sharp!!!!
6" Combination Square
The only square you need in the shop. We ship a couple brands, both have etched in graduations so they do not wear away with use.
12' tape measure, Imperial/metric
This one is one of the nicest we’ve used and very affordable! It has graduations to the 1/16” on the imperial side and cm/mm on the metric side.
Stainless 6" Rule with fractional and metric
You will be surprised how often you reach for this tool! This one is nice because it has inch and metric, which is handy. Vivier plans are in metric; ours are imperial.
Snappy gold-screw countersink drill bits
These 2-in-1 drill bits are a standard in our shop, so much so that we require them in our classes. The sizes are 5/64”, 3/32”, 7/64”, 1/8” and 9/64”. We ship 2-3 of them in the kit depending on the fasteners and woods being used. Typical size is 3/32”, 7/64” and 1/8”. Hex “allen” key included.
Snappy quick change adapter
This adapter allows you to switch quickly from predrill bit to driver bit and back, if you only have one drill.
Carbide scraper
Why settle for anything less? This scraper lasts forever with its carbide, 2-sided blade. For removing cured epoxy before sanding. A must have.
Putty knife
We ship either a 1”, 1.25” or 1.5” putty knife for epoxy work. Blade is flexible.
Sanding block (medium)
These 3M blocks will last many projects if taken care of and are designed to take strips of typical sandpaper (we include 80-120 grit). We can also send you a high grade 3M sanding block that comes in soft or hard and takes 2-3/4” Stick-it sandpaper.
Awl for woodworked
Indispensable for all things marking, poking, digging out cured epoxy from a screw hear, you know fun stuff.
HD super ratchet caulk gun
We really, really suggest these for dispensing epoxy from the epoxy tube adhesives. They require more pressure and these guns deliver.
Retractable Utility knife
Handy for everything in a shop.