As the amateur mechanic gains experience, he does not need much advice as to what tools to buy. This is determined by the sort of work he is doing, his own special interests, the space available for his workshop, and other individual factors. The beginner, however, is very likely to make the mistake of buying the wrong tools if he does not have some advice at the outset. Yet it is not at all easy to tell the beginner what tools he is likely to find most useful, any more than it is a simple matter to advise the man who has never owned an automobile as to what car will prove the most satisfactory for his own family use.

In order to avoid the prejudices of any one man, six expert craftsmen who contribute to the Home Workshop Department of Popular Science Monthly were asked to act as a jury to select a small household tool assortment, a small home workshop set of tools, and a complete, ideal home workshop outfit.

For the first and smallest assortment they selected tools which they thought best for doing repair jobs about the house and garden and for simple woodworking - a typical handy man's set that no household should be without.

Household Tool Assortment

Nail (or claw) hammer, bell face preferred

Crosscut (or hand) saw, 24 in. or 26 in., 8 points to the inch

Carpenter's chisel, socket firmer, bevel edge, 1 in.

Carpenter's chisel, square edge, ½ in.

Bit brace, 8-in. sweep, ratchet preferred

Auger bits, 3/8, ½, and % in.

Bit-stock drills for metal, 1/8 and ¼ in. (useful also for wood)

Screw drivers, 4 in. and 8 or 10 in.

Combination pliers, 6 or 8 in.

Files - saw files, 6 or 7 in.; flat or mill bastard, 8, 10, or 12 in.; auger bit file

Jack plane

Try-square, 6 or 8 in.

Steel (framing) square

Zigzag folding rule, 4 ft.

Marking gage

Pipe wrench, 10 in.

Monkey wrench, 10 in.

Miter box

Wrecking bar, small

Oilstone, artificial, combination

Nail set, 1/16 in.

Oil can

Half hatchet

Cold chisel, % in.

Putty knife

Several of the same jurymen wished additional tools included in this assortment. Three of them thought that a ripsaw was necessary but disagreed as to the size, one voting for a 22-in., another for a 24-in., and a third for a 26-in. ripsaw. The remaining jurymen, however, felt that whatever ripping had to be done in connection with the average small repair job could be accomplished satisfactorily with a 24- or 26-in. crosscut saw, provided it was sharpened for general work and was not finer than 8 points to the inch. The always useful hand drill, with its assortment of drill points, also received three votes.

The next assortment selected was for the home worker who wishes to do a certain amount of simple bench work and make furniture, toys, household utilities, sporting equipment, and the like. The tools selected and the number of votes cast for each were as follows:

Small Home Workshop Outfit

Nail hammer, bell face preferred (6 votes) Machinist's ball peen hammer, 1¼ lb. (4) Round mallet, hickory or lignum vitae (5) Crosscut saw, 22 or 24 in. or 26 in. (6). See note following this list Ripsaw, 24 or 26 in. (6) Hack saw, 10 or 12 in. (4) Hack saw frame and blades (5)

Coping (fret) saw frame and blades or bracket saw frame and blades (6)

Compass saw (6)

Ratchet brace (6)

Block plane (6)

Smooth plane (5)

Jack plane (5)

Fore plane or jointer (4)

Rabbet plane, 7/8 or 1 in. (3)

Chisels - mortise, ¼ or 3/8 in. (5); socket firmer, ¼, 3/8, ½, ¾, and 1 in. (6)

Gouge, firmer, beveled outside, 3/8 or ½ in. (6)

Auger bits, ¼, 3/8, ½, 5/8, ¾, and 7/8 in. (4 or more votes each)

Expansive bit, 7/8 to 3 in. (4)

Rose countersink (4)

Screw driver bit, 3/8 in. or ½ in. (6)

Bit stock drills for metal, 1/8, 3/16, ¼, and 3/8 in. (4 or more votes each)

Automatic drill with drill points (4)

Hand drill with drill points (4)

Screw drivers, 4 in. and 8 or 10 in. (6)

Pliers - combination, 6 or 8 in. (6); round nose, 5 in. (5)

Files - Saw files, 5 and 6 in. (4); flat or mill bastard, 8, 10 or 12 in. (6); round bastard, 6 or 8 in. (6); half round bastard, 6 or 8 in. (5); cabinet or wood file, 8 or 10 in. (5); cabinet rasp, 8 or 10 in. (5); auger bit file (5)

Try-square, 6 or 8 in. or combination square (6)

Steel (framing) square (4)

Sliding T-bevel, 8 in. (6)

Boxwood folding rule, 2 ft. (5)

Zigzag rule, 4 ft. (5)

Cabinet scraper, 3 by 5 in. (6)

Marking gage, wooden, or mortise gage (6)

Dowel plate (5)

Scriber or divider with pencil point, 6 in. (6)

Bench, Sloyd, or pocket knife (4)

Spokeshave (4)

Drawknife, 8 or 10 in. (4)

Pipe wrench, 10 in. (4), 16 in. (2)

Monkey wrench, 10 in. (5), 12 in. (1)

Tinner's snips (6)

Level and plumb, 24 in. (4)

Miter box, wooden or metal (4)

Glass cutter (6)

Tool grinder (5)

Hand screws, one pair, 10 in. (6)

Cabinetmaker's clamps, one pair 3 ft. or 5 ft. (6)

Burnisher for scraper (4)

Saw set (4)

Wrecking bar, small (4)

File card or cleaner (5)

Oilstone, artificial combination (4), Arkansas (a natural stone) (3)

Nail sets, 1/16 and 1/8 in. (6)

Oil can (6)

Half hatchet (5)

Cold chisel, % in. (6)

Saw vise (4)

Soldering copper, 1 ½ lb. (4), ½ lb. (3)

Putty knife (6)

Glue pot and brush (4)

Bench with quick-acting woodworker's vise (6)

One point of interest in regard to this list is the fact that a wide difference of opinion developed as to the best lengths of saws. Two of the jurors thought that both a 22-in. and a 24-in. crosscut saw should be included in the list; two of the jurors held out for a 26-in. crosscut saw, and the remaining two gave a vote apiece for a 22- and a 24-in. saw.

In the ripsaw classification one vote was cast for a 22-in. saw, two for a 24-in. saw, and three for a 26-in. saw. The difference of opinion, of course, was due to the belief of some of our jurors that the amateur mechanic should follow the example of the professional woodworker and select a large saw so as to get the benefit of a long stroke, and if he wishes to do fine and delicate work, obtain a saw specially designed for fine cutting and sharpen it accordingly. The opposing view was that in doing small work, which comprises the majority of home workshop jobs, the amateur usually finds it easier to control a shorter saw. Boiled down, it is largely a matter of personal preference, provided the time element does not enter into consideration; for fast work a large saw should be used.

Finally the jury was asked to name the ideal home workshop outfit - a complete equipment, such as will take care of the needs of the amateur mechanic interested alike in house repairs, general woodwork, and all the many varieties of cabinetmaking.

The Ideal Home Workshop Outfit

All the tools mentioned in the preceding list and -

Tack hammer (4 votes)

Light bell-faced nail hammer, about 13 oz. This is in addition to a hammer weighing a pound or a little more for ordinary work (3)

Riveting hammer, 8 oz. (2) Upholsterer's hammer, 3/8-in. face (3) Soft mallet, rawhide or rubber (3) Croeecul saws, 22 and 26 in. in place of the single crosscut saw mentioned in the preceding

Dovetail saw, 8 in. (2)

Turning saw, 18 in. (3)

Combination plane (6)

Rabbet and filletster plane (3)

Router (3)

Chisels - socket firmer, 7/8 in. (3); beveled edge butt, 1 ¼ in. (3)

Gouges - firmer beveled outside, 3/8, ½, and ¾ in. (4); beveled inside, ½ in. (5)

Auger bits - complete set up to 7/8 in.

Bits - gimlet, Nos. 2 to 8 (3)

Square reamer (3)

Screw driver bit, ½ in. (3)

Automatic (spiral) screw driver (4)

Jeweler's screw driver (5)

Pliers - flat nose, 6 in. (4)

Files - saw, 4 in. (3); flat or mill bastard. 8 and 12 in. (6); hand file, smooth, 10 in. (3); square, 6, 8, or 10 in. (3)

Combination square (5) (as well as try-square)

Mortise marking gage (2)

Bit depth gage (4)

Pincers, carpenter's, 6 or 8 in. (4)

Bradawl (4)

Pipe wrenches, 10 in. (5), 16 in. (3)

Adjustable iron miter box (4)

Cabinetmaker's miter block (2)

Doweling jig (5)

Bench duster (3)

Plumb bob and line (3)

Hand screws, at least a pair each, 4 and 10 in. (6)

Cabinetmaker's clamps, one pair 3 ft. (5), one pair 5 ft. (4)

Inside calipers, 6 or 8 in. (3)

Outside calipers, 6 or 8 in. (3)

Oilstones - Arkansas (4), India combination (4), assorted slipstones (4)

Caning chisels - set of 6 or 12 (3)

Prick punch (4)

Scratch awl (3)

Center punch (5)

Machinist's vise, 3½-in. jaws (6)

Cabinetmaker's bench with two wooden vises and bench stops, or bench mentioned in the preceding list (6)

Blowtorch (5)

Pipe vise, if machinist's vise does not have pipe jaws (3)

Taps and dies, small set (6)

Sandpaper block, cork or rubber faced, homemade or purchased (6)

Many other woodworking tools, of course, were given consideration. It was conceded by the jurors that additional tools often came in useful for special work, but the consensus of opinion was that the wisest plan for the average home worker is to purchase such tools as the need for them arises, so that they will not merely lie around in his tool-chest, but will be of service from the outset.

Tools in this classification are:

Edge trimming plane, scraper plane, dado plane, curve rabbet plane, dovetail plane, tongue-and-groove plane, shooting board and plane, various special cabinetmaker's planes, corner chisel, many types of files and bits, butt gage, bolt clipper, special duty pliers, picture frame and other special types of vises, bench brackets and bench dogs, panel and cutting gages, beam compass, bit and square level, cornering tool, plug cutting bit, dowel sharpener, extension bit holder, circular glass cutter.

The tools listed are mainly for woodworking; for what might be called a "home machine shop" the assortments would be altogether different.

It is becoming generally believed, of course, that no home workshop can be regarded as complete without a bench lathe and several motorized machines or a combination electric workshop such as those illustrated in Chapter V (Small Woodworking Machinery). A lathe, a circular saw, a grinding and polishing head, and an electric drill are now almost as much a part of a well-equipped shop as chisels and planes.