Belated Report on Tool Inventory

Guys, inventory is boring, and I just couldn't bring myself to want to write much about it. It's pretty easy if you only have a small stash of tools, and even my medium stash wasn't too bad as it's all neatly tucked away in tool boxes. I ended up doing it in front of the tv (I was watching season one of Psych, which is hilarious and easy enough to do other things during). I'd haul out a tool box, type up everything in it, print out a list to tape inside the lid, and move on. It still took two weeks. Why? Well, it also got cold here, cold enough to break out the winter clothes, which all needed to be washed and fold and put away. The other reason, there are lots of little parts to hand tools, and you need them all. A plane is an excellent thing to have, but if it's missing it's screw or iron, it's not going to do you much good. Extra saw blades are always a good idea, don't just count a saw, know if you have extra blades and what kind they are, a rip saw and a crosscut saw don't do the same job and you'll be upset if you mix up the two.

Once you know what you have, then you can think about what you need. I focus on hand tools, as you never know when the electricity will fail you. I'm not saying I don't have power tools, I love my Makita drill, but I also have a brace, just in case :). What I do have are a few specialty hand tools that I love and that you might not have thought about investing in. I have a whole array of planes. My most beloved is a tiny bull nosed rabbet plane. While I usually prefer wooden bodied planes, this little guy is metal, and can get anywhere. I also have a a set of Japanese saws (they work opposite of American saws) and a bevy of back up blades. Blades snap, go dull, and rust, and the saw is vitally important to almost any work working project. And speaking of dull, no matter how excellent your chisels are (and mine are some of my favorite tools, a beautiful set of Lie-Nielsens) they'll need to be sharpened. Sharpening is one area where I'm still electricity dependent. My bench grinder has to be plugged in. Another area to work on.