Some thoughts on my tool purchasing policy
Woodworkers are generally known to be tool addicts, compulsive tool buyers. Fortunes are spent on tools, often much to the dismay of their spouses.
There's this insider's joke in the woodworking community: never tell your spouse you're planning to buy a new tool, never mention the price, and if the tool is too big to hide, claim you absolutely needed it to tackle one of those maintenance jobs that's been on the household to-do list for years.
Some woodworkers build insanely large collections over time, particularly of old tools. They take pride in keeping and maintaining them for future generations.
Take Eugene Landon's workshop, for example – look at those shelves stacked with planes. When I look at photos like this, a question inevitably comes to mind: how many planes does a woodworker actually need? Though I suspect this is a question you're not supposed to ask, of course!
Some other woodworkers buy fewer tools but spend their money on the very best they can find. I've seen reports and vlogs from woodworkers who only own a very few planes of one specific brand.
For example, Bridge City Tools produces these fancy, futuristic-looking planes that came right out of outer space. According to these collectors, the performance of these planes is insane. But I've also seen reviews where these same planes were judged as merely average.
And some do both – collecting extensively while buying premium. But that's reserved for the happy few with deep pockets, ample workshop space and – presumably – very understanding spouses.
No matter what – whether hoarding tools from the distant past or collecting tools from the future – woodworkers will always find ways to justify their purchases.
In this blog, I want to reflect on the reasons – or excuses – why I buy and keep purchasing tools.
Let me start with a general observation. In the woodworking community there's this universal advice to "buy the best tool you can afford", and I can fully endorse that.
Why? Well, as another saying goes, "buy cheap, buy twice." I've learned this lesson the hard way more than once.
Many cheap tools I bought eventually got replaced with better, more expensive ones because they broke or failed to deliver – some even after their very first use. It always feels like a waste of money, and I curse myself for not buying the better, more expensive tool right from the beginning.
So, over the years I've developed what I like to call my 'Tool Purchase Policy' – here are seven reasons that justify my acquisitions, some cheap, some not so cheap...
(1) To work more efficiently
For maintenance jobs on my listed house, I'm always short on time. I only have weekends and holidays to tackle these projects, and often one of the biggest constraints is the weather. Even if I have the time, poor weather conditions might make outdoor work impossible. This means the window for doing important maintenance work is actually very small.
I do these maintenance jobs myself for two reasons: I genuinely enjoy them, but also because reliable and qualified contractors are increasingly hard to find these days. So I handle almost every maintenance job myself – repairing fences, fixing wood rot in window frames, the perpetual painting jobs that need to happen, etc.
Because I do this work myself, I save money that would otherwise go to hiring someone. I then reinvest those savings in buying tools that help me work more quickly and efficiently.
(2) To do things I cannot do with my existing tools
Tools help me overcome my limited capabilities – but all tools have their limitations too. At some point, when I reach the limit of what I can do with a tool, I'll look for alternatives to overcome that constraint.
In an earlier blog, I wrote about the extra-powerful drill I bought, despite already owning two almost identical drills. But these existing drills simply weren't fit for the task when I needed to drill a hole through a 30 cm thick timber beam. It became painfully obvious when my drill started producing smoke – a clear sign I was pushing it beyond its limits.
So I invested in a more powerful drill. I must confess it doesn't get used as often as my other two, because it is a lot heavier. But when I'm wrestling with a seized screw or boring through hardwood with a Forstner bit, that extra power is worth every penny.
(3) To work more safely
Two years ago, I became concerned about the amount of dust produced by both my hand tools and power tools. In a small workshop like mine, a little dust quickly becomes a lot. So I started looking for a proper shop vacuum cleaner. And let me be clear: you cannot use a regular domestic vacuum cleaner for collecting the dust produced by a circular saw cutting through a 2-inch board of MDF – don't ask me how I know.
(4) To improve my accuracy and finish quality
This pursuit of perfection probably stems from my art training, where I learned the principle of 'reduce to the maximum' – spending hours, days, or even weeks creating designs where in the end I have nothing to add and nothing to remove, perfectly thought out and perfectly executed. In my day job, however, perfection is the enemy of progress. So 'good enough' is usually the mantra to deliver at scale and speed. But in my little shed, where I control the universe, no one questions why I spent two weeks on a single cabinet door. Here, it's pure me-time and the joy of making something exactly right.
So I doubted whether I needed one, but I noticed many woodworkers were using them. I bought a cheap one to try it out – and in this case, interestingly, the adage 'buy cheap, buy twice' didn't apply.
Once I learned how to use it, I found myself reaching for it constantly. It's incredibly versatile: measuring screw sizes, checking drill bit diameters, gauging hole depths, checking the thickness of a piece of timber. Sure, I can measure these things with a ruler, but when precision matters, a calliper takes the guesswork out of woodworking.
(5) To have a backup
So, over the past few years, after a couple of frustrating moments, I've developed a simple principle: for critical tools, always buy the spare upfront (when it's affordable). The frustration of my flow getting interrupted or work being delayed isn't worth it. So, for my most critical tools I make sure to keep one or two or even more spares on hand. The logic is simple: if I have two or more, the chances of losing both – or all of them – at once are very slim. It's basic risk management.
(6) To have it just in case
These are the tools I buy when I see them and think: this might come in handy one day. There is no immediate need, but I envisage a possible future need – where I am sure it will help me complete a very tedious or impossible task.
Since then, it's proven invaluable for removing wood rot. I can make very precise cuts straight into damaged timber, excising only what needs to go while preserving the good wood around it. It has become my preferred tool for "fine demolition work".
(7) To experience and understand its design
Some tools I buy, because I am curious how they feel when using them. It's the designer in me, I guess.
Once I started using them, I never looked back. They're remarkably easier to use and require less force. What also fascinates me is how the Japanese saw is an embodiment of deep knowledge and craftsmanship. I don't know how many generations have worked on this tool to refine it, but when I use a Japanese saw, I can almost feel that deep knowledge. And given how simple it is: why did no one in Europe or North America ever develop pull-stroke saws? That just puzzles me.
To conclude...
Looking back at these seven principles, I should confess that it's rarely just one reason driving a purchase. More often, it's a combination – a tool might improve my efficiency and let me work more safely, or satisfy my curiosity while filling a gap in my capabilities.
As a framework, the justifications add up: the more reasons I have to buy a tool, the more likely I am going to actually buy it, and thus the more tools I buy.
Could I still use more tools? Absolutely. A thickness planer and band saw are on my wish list, but I simply don't have the space for them. That said, the tools I currently own allow me to do about 99% of my projects efficiently – which is a pretty good place to be.
I know this has been an unusually long blog, but I haven't written one in about a year, so consider this compensation for my slacking. This blog is also long, because I wanted to take the time to explain a few things in more depth. In the coming months, I hope to find the time and headspace to further build on this blog and write more about tools – discussing specific ones I'm very enthusiastic about, both very new and very old.