Tools, Requirements, Workshop Safety & Course Guidance

The online course features projects that can be made exclusively using hand tools, and in a small home workshop, but there is a basic requirement for tooling and equipment.

Recommended Tools & Equipment for getting started on the early hand tool projects are shown below in orange

Hand Tools

• A block plane
• A bench plane – No.5 or 5 1/2 jack plane would be ideal
• A set of chisels – A great set set from Workshop Heaven
• Dovetail saw or Japanese Fine saw (>12tpi)
• Router plane (required for the Wall Hanging Cabinet if hand cutting the door tenons)
• Spokeshave with a curved sole
• Fret saw (5” Jewellers saw by Workshop Heaven is an excellent choice)

NOTE – Axminster Rider Series are great quality on a budget. Quangsheng for mid budget, and Lie Nielsen / Clifton / Veritas for higher end budgets. Great results can be achieved from all these brands when prepared and set up correctly, which we will show you how to do in our Tool Preparation video tutorials.

Carving Chisels & Equipment

Chisels used in the relief carving tutorial videos are by Pfeil, from Classic Hand Tools: Click Here

• Chisel Reference Numbers: D7/14, D5/12, D8/4, D12/4, 5a Spoon Gouge 20-25
• Carving Chisel Sharpening Stones by Workshop Heaven Click Here
• Carving Chisel Sharpening Stones by Classic Hand Tools Click Here
• Leather Strop by Workshop Heaven Click Here

Workshop Equipment

• Workbench
• Shooting board
• Bench hook
• Bench lamp – highly recommended

Sharpening Equipment

This is what we use at the furniture school, but if you have a set up that works for you, that’s totally fine.

• Float glass (10–15mm, not toughened)
• 3M sharpening film (100–3 micron)
• Rubber roller
• Veritas honing guide
• GT85 spray
• Scraper and thinners

Measuring & Marking Tools

• Steel rules (150mm & 300mm)
• Mini engineer’s square
• Combination square (300mm)
• Marking gauge
• Marking knife or scalpel
• Callipers or Digital callipers
• Feeler gauges — recommended
• Veritas dovetail saddle marker 1:8

Woodworking Clamps

• F-clamps — 4x (400-500 mm, 100mm+ throat) recommended
• Sash or bar clamps — 4x 500-1000mm for cabinet and board jointing
• 4x Quick release clamps — 300-600mm — recommended for temporary holding
• 4x Small Ratchet clamps — more strength than a quick clamp for glue ups and temporary holding
• 4x Parallel Jaw Clamps (600-1000mm x 80mm) handy to have
• Bench dogs — very handy
• Bench hold-down (optional)

Power Tools

• Router and router table (recommended, but not essential)
• Domino or biscuit jointer (recommended, but not essential)
• Jigsaw (helpful for rough cutting)

Oils & Finishing

• Rustins Original Danish Oil
• Liberon Boiled Linseed Oil
• OSMO (e.g., Clear Satin 3032, Raw 3044)
• Sandpaper (80–300 grit)

Never leave oily rags in your workshop — they are combustible.

Glues

• Evo Stik Wood Glue (highly recommended)
• TiteBond II or III
• Cascamite (requires precise mixing)
• Glue brushes — highly recommmended

Timber

Here is a list of timber suppliers – we’ve highlighted ones we use and approve. Others have been recommended by other online members. Click Here

Recommended Tool Suppliers

• Workshop Heaven
• Classic Hand Tools
• Axminster Tools

Safety, Tools & Personal Responsibility

Our courses, tutorials, projects, and support materials are provided for educational and informational purposes only. We demonstrate a range of woodworking techniques using both hand tools and power tools, but all demonstrations are general guidance and not a substitute for personalised instruction, manufacturer guidance, or qualified in-person professional training.

Use all tools safely and at your own risk. Wear appropriate PPE, follow manufacturer guidance, and seek qualified in-person professional instruction before proceeding if you are inexperienced or unsure.

When using chisels or other edged hand tools, keep your hands and body behind the cutting edge at all times, secure your workpiece properly, and always cut away from yourself.

When using routers or other high-speed power tools, take extra caution. Secure all workpieces properly, maintain full control of the tool at all times, and follow all manufacturer safety instructions before, during, and after operation.

Woodworking involves inherent risks, and every workshop, tool setup, and skill level is different. By choosing to use our content, you accept full responsibility for:

• Assessing your own skill level and physical capability
• Choosing techniques and projects appropriate to your experience
• Using tools, machinery, and materials safely and as intended
• Following manufacturer guidance, safety advice, and local regulations
• Wearing and maintaining appropriate personal protective equipment

We make every reasonable effort to demonstrate safe working practices, but we cannot assess your individual circumstances, workspace, equipment condition, or technique. Any application of our content is undertaken entirely at your own discretion and risk.

While our goal is to help you build skills, confidence, and safe habits over time, we cannot guarantee outcomes or accept responsibility for injuries, damage, or losses arising from the use or misuse of our content.

Woodworking is a lifelong learning process, so always work at your own pace, prioritise safety above speed, and seek additional guidance whenever needed.

Are The Projects & Online Course Right for You?

The projects, tutorials and complete online course are designed for people who are comfortable building skills gradually and working within the realities of a small home workshop. While many projects can be made using hand tools only, there is an expectation that you already have, or are prepared to build up over time, a basic but capable tool kit.

If you are completely new to woodworking, have very limited tools, or are not yet able to dimension timber yourself, you may find some projects challenging at first. In some cases, projects assume access to timber suppliers, machining services for thicknessing stock, or the ability to work from pre-prepared timber. We are not able to supply timber.

Project dimensions shown in the tutorials are intended as guides rather than fixed requirements. Adapting designs to suit available timber and tooling is encouraged and is part of the learning process.

Tool lists provided for each project are recommendations rather than strict minimum requirements, and many projects can be simplified. That said, some basic hand tools, workholding, and clamps are required to complete projects safely and accurately.

If you’re unsure whether the tooling, workshop setup, or learning style required is right for you, we strongly recommend starting with our free project tutorials before purchasing the Complete Online Course.