Shop Made

I started this journey thinking the only way to do good work was to buy the biggest and best tools. I imagine I’m not alone in thinking that way. However, I quickly started to realize that it is a bit of a rabbit hole. Now obviously, antique tools can be fixed and made usable again just as cheap tools can be given some TLC and made serviceable. There’s something to be said for shop made tools though.

Once I had some experience and a few small projects under my belt I started to build my confidence. I was slowly becoming accustomed to my tools, how to sharpen them, how to work them, and all the other little intricacies. I was also starting to develop preferences. There were things I was discovering in some tools that I felt didn’t work as well as they could. Or there were tools I felt didn’t fit me very well. Of course, the only way to learn that is to buy the tools and use them, but that can get expensive.

Let’s be honest though, another big reason is money. Woodworking can be an expensive hobby. One reason I’m a minimalist is mostly money and clutter. After a few projects though, something that becomes apparent is that there’s a lot of small pieces of scrap wood and fewer reasons to use them. So, shop made tools fulfill a couple purposes for me. The biggest is preference. I can be picky about things I use a lot so I want them ergonomic and well functioning. Second, it’s a way to relieve myself of some of the wood scrap clutter. Finally, it’s a way to get some new tools in the shop that I don’t have to buy.

There’s also something about shop made tools that isn’t necessarily apparent right away, but becomes obvious eventually…repairs. I don’t always have enough confidence to tinker, alter, or repair tools, especially expensive ones. In some cases it could void a warranty or could destroy the tool. With shop made tools, you generally know the tool so well that you can likely repair it yourself and there’s no warranty to make you pause.

Ultimately, I think shop made tools offer multiple benefits, but they’re also just fun to make. It’s amazing how many small tools you can build in a weekend or two to supplement your arsenal. If you haven’t done so already, I would recommend it.