The Shaker Cupboard Project: The Tools

When I first started working with only human-powered hand tools, I faced two challenges in my way of thinking. First was the "But I'll NEED the tablesaw (or bandsaw, jointer, planer, router etc.) to do that job" mindset. The second was "Okay, I CAN do it with only hand tools, but I'll NEED A LOT of them!" Neither of course was true, although you might not be sure about the second one if you looked at the picture of the tools I used when I made my Shaker cupboard.

I thought it might be interesting to take a closer look at the set of tools I used on the cupboard project. In particular, I wanted to compare the set of tools used to build the existing cupboard with the theoretical smallest set of tools required to build a duplicate cupboard. Then, just to make it more interesting, I thought I should create the absolute smallest tool set required to build a cupboard that was essentially the same, but not identical.

The Full Tool Set

The design phase of the project was very basic - overall dimensions, rough sketches etc. Most of the construction details, and techniques were worked out as they came up. Frequently, I experimented with various ideas or features before finalizing my plan. This type of "adjust as you go" building meant that I used a much bigger set of tools than would be required if I were to duplicate the same cupboard.

The first picture and list show all the tools I used during the Shaker cupboard project. (You can click on the picture for a closer look.)

Top Row – left to right:

Auger bits, shop-made hole gauge, Miller’s Falls #2 hand drill, drill index with twist bits, Stanley (Yankee clone) 12” brace, hex bit adapter for brace, hex bit Phillips driver, counter sinking bit, Yankee 8” brace, Miller’s Falls 6” brace, Worth drawknife, card scraper, Veritas spokeshaves ( flat sole and convex), Veritas shoulder planes (large and small), shop-made mallet, claw hammer, needle nose pliers, punch, nail set, rubber mallet, Phillips head and flat screwdrivers, mortising gauge, panel gauge, marking gauge (cutting), marking gauge (pin), Stanley #95 butt gauge, outside calipers, framing square with Veritas Square Fence, 12” square, 6” square, 6” combination square, awl, pencils, marking knife and Lufkin 6’ folding rule.

Bottom Row – left to right:

¼” side bead plane, 3/8” cove plane, 1” ovolo plane, Stanley #71 router plane, Lie-Nielsen #98&99 side rabbet planes, Stanley #40 scrub plane, Stanley #48 match plane, Record # 778 rebate plane, Stanley #3 smoother, Stanley #4 ½ smoother, Stanley # 5 jack plane, Stanley #7 jointer, Stanley #18 block plane, Stanley #65 low angle block plane, Narex 16mm chisel, triangular file, half-round bastard cut file, half-round single cut file, ¾” Stanley chisel.

Saw Bench top row – left to right:

Disston D8 20” cross-cut panel saw (12 tpi), Unknown “Warranted Superior” 18” cross-cut panel saw (9 tpi), shop-made turning saw, Bishop combination cabinet saw with depth stop.

Saw Bench bottom row – left to right:

Disston D8 26” rip saw (5 ½ tpi), late model Disston No. 4 cross-cut back saw (12 tpi), “Glouster”? rip back saw (8 tpi).

Ground:

main assembly of treadle lathe, sticking board.

Not pictured:

Miterbox and saw, turning tools (skew, gouge, parting)

The Minimum "Duplicate" Tool Set

The second picture and list show the set of tools that would be required to create a duplicate cupboard. This set is significantly smaller for two main reasons. Some tools were eliminated because the design feature or construction technique requiring them had been eliminated. An example of this is the 1/4" side beading plane - once I had decided to forgo the beading on the inner face of the door panels, the plane became unnecessary. Other tools were eliminated because they were not strictly required. For example, the 12" and 6" braces, although they make specific tasks easier (boring larger holes and driving screws respectively), they are not required as the 8" brace can also handle these jobs.

In the following list, the names of tools that have been removed from the set (and photograph) have been reduced in size and turned gray.

Top Row – left to right:

Auger bits, shop-made hole gauge, Miller’s Falls #2 hand drill, drill index with twist bits, Stanley (Yankee clone) 12” brace, hex bit adapter for brace, hex bit Phillips driver, counter sinking bit, Yankee 8” brace, Miller’s Falls 6” brace, Worth drawknife, card scraper, Veritas spokeshaves ( flat sole and convex), Veritas shoulder planes (large and small), shop-made mallet, claw hammer, needle nose pliers, punch, nail set, rubber mallet, Phillips head and flat screwdrivers, mortising gauge, panel gauge, marking gauge (cutting), marking gauge (pin), Stanley #95 butt gauge, outside calipers, framing square with Veritas Square Fence, 12” square, 6” square, 6” combination square, awl, pencils, marking knife and Lufkin 6’ folding rule.

Bottom Row – left to right:

¼” side bead plane, 3/8” cove plane, 1” ovolo plane, Stanley #71 router plane, Lie-Nielsen #98&99 side rabbet planes, Stanley #40 scrub plane, Stanley #48 match plane, Record # 778 rebate plane, Stanley #3 smoother, Stanley #4 ½ smoother, Stanley # 5 jack plane, Stanley #7 jointer, Stanley #18 block plane, Stanley #65 low angle block plane, Narex 16mm chisel, triangular file, half-round bastard cut file, half-round single cut file, ¾” Stanley chisel.

Saw Bench top row – left to right:

Disston D8 20” cross-cut panel saw (12 tpi), Unknown “Warranted Superior” 18” cross-cut panel saw (9 tpi), shop-made turning saw, Bishop combination cabinet saw with depth stop.

Saw Bench bottom row – left to right:

Disston D8 26” rip saw (5 ½ tpi), late model Disston No. 4 cross-cut back saw (12 tpi), “Glouster”? rip back saw (8 tpi).

Ground:

main assembly of treadle lathe, sticking board.

Not pictured:

Miterbox and saw, turning tools (skew, gouge, parting)

The Absolute Minimum Tool Set

The final picture is the absolute minimum set of tools required to build a very similar, but not identical cupboard. To create this set I tried to imagine how I could slightly modify the features and techniques use on the actual cupboard. If I could think of an alternative, I eliminated the tools that would not be required. My goal was to make this set as small as possible.

Here's the photo and list:

Top Row – left to right:

Auger bits, shop-made hole gauge, Miller’s Falls #2 hand drill, drill index with twist bits, Stanley (Yankee clone) 12” brace, hex bit adapter for brace, hex bit Phillips driver, counter sinking bit, Yankee 8” brace, Miller’s Falls 6” brace, Worth drawknife, card scraper, Veritas spokeshaves ( flat sole and convex), Veritas shoulder planes (large and small), shop-made mallet, claw hammer, needle nose pliers, punch, nail set, rubber mallet, Phillips head and flat screwdrivers, mortising gauge, panel gauge, marking gauge (cutting), marking gauge (pin), Stanley #95 butt gauge, outside calipers, framing square with Veritas Square Fence, 12” square, 6” square, 6” combination square, awl, pencils, marking knife and Lufkin 6’ folding rule.

Bottom Row – left to right:

¼” side bead plane, 3/8” cove plane, 1” ovolo plane, Stanley #71 router plane, Lie-Nielsen #98&99 side rabbet planes, Stanley #40 scrub plane, Stanley #48 match plane, Record # 778 rebate plane, Stanley #3 smoother, Stanley #4 ½ smoother, Stanley # 5 jack plane, Stanley #7 jointer, Stanley #18 block plane, Stanley #65 low angle block plane, Narex 16mm chisel, triangular file, half-round bastard cut file, half-round single cut file, ¾” Stanley chisel.

Saw Bench top row – left to right:

Disston D8 20” cross-cut panel saw (12 tpi), Unknown “Warranted Superior” 18” cross-cut panel saw (9 tpi), shop-made turning saw, Bishop combination cabinet saw with depth stop.

Saw Bench bottom row – left to right:

Disston D8 26” rip saw (5 ½ tpi), late model Disston No. 4 cross-cut back saw (12 tpi), “Glouster”? rip back saw (8 tpi).

Ground:

main assembly of treadle lathe, sticking board.

Not pictured:

Miterbox and saw, turning tools (skew, gouge, parting),1/4" chisel

The original set of 70 tools has been reduced to 25. Here are some examples of the ideas I used to generated this list of tools.

• By changing the back to ship lap rather than tongue & groove, I could eliminate the #48 match plane (I also used the #48 to create the grooves in the frame to hold the panel, so I fudged a little and added a 1/4" chisel to cover that job).
• By further changing the back to simple beveled laps, I could also eliminate the #778 rabbet plane (The rabbets that make the tongues on the panel can be cut with a knife and chisel).
• The #5 jack plane can work as a smoother and a jointer in a pinch, so the #3 and the #7 are not absolutely required.
• The turning saw, which was used to create the curved elements of the cupboard base, was eliminated by switching that task to the drawknife. This would definitely be a more awkward technique, but quite doable. Alternatively, I could forgo the curves and create a more angular base using only straight cuts with the panel saws.
• The #71 router plane, which made creating the dadoes and hinge mortises easy, could be effectively replaced by using the chisel alone.
• A correctly sized twist bit, turned counter clock-wise, will make rough, but usable countersinks for screws.
• Although not as convenient as the hand drill, the brace can be used with twist bits.
• The cross-cut back saw can be used to rip (not ideal) thus making the rip back saw unnecessary.
• The cove moulding could be replaced by a simple bevel moulding allowing the jack plane to substitute for the cove moulding plane.

I think it would be interesting to make a second cupboard to test my theoretical minimal tool set. But that isn't going to happen anytime soon. I might be able to find the time to make two versions of a somewhat smaller project. If I do, I'll post about my experience.