Three power tools for your hand-tool shop.

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Tools in this Video (affiliate) || Dewalt Cordless Drill: amzn.to/2m2AXRK
Dewalt Impact Driver: amzn.to/2m4MtvX
Drill and Impact as a Kit: amzn.to/2kApRTG
Bosch Low-Vibration Sander: amzn.to/2m0tfaF
Dayton Bench Grinder: amzn.to/2m9lD5z
Cheap Wen Bench Grinder: amzn.to/2kttpXC
(I do NOT own this grinder, but it looks good for the price.)
Cheap Dewalt Grinder with nice adjustable tool rest: amzn.to/2kXZwyQ
(I do NOT own this grinder, but I've used one at another shop and it worked fine.)
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[@urituchmanpigeon]

Great video! I am 100% behind your approach to hand tools and power tools combination. I used to drill everything by hand (a lot of which was in metal) and aside from large holes in wood (like you mentioned) I gained no extra style points for doing that, only inaccurate holes and lots of fatigue which consequently led to loss of motivation. I love hand tools and I will keep using them for almost all of my work but when something becomes a restriction and a hassle more than a method of work, than its a lose lose for me.

[@jonasdaverio9369]

Nice to see great KZbinrs watching other great KZbinrs' videos!

[@RexKrueger]

Hey Uri! I've been watching your videos for a long time and I'm very impressed with your work. Let me know if you ever want to work together on a build.

[@urituchmanpigeon]

@@RexKrueger Thanks! Yeah, for sure!

[@cjoe5977]

Uri Tuchman I found the comment where the collaboration started lmao

[@dtwistrewind7361]

Hand screwdrivers are why old Carpenters have forearms like a silverback.

[@EricDM88]

D twist Rewind it’s probably also why they’re all assholes.

[@ambercrombie789]

Carpel tunnel, anyone?

[@gregoryv.zimansr4031]

Anyone still use the indestructible Yankee screwdriver?

[@adamwilson4834]

And why we live in pain everyday. Tendonitis, carpal tunnel etc all suck bad

[@dtwistrewind7361]

@@adamwilson4834 also true, but we can still pump out that death grip when called upon, same for mechanics that have fingertips like big toes.

[@davidkendall3907]

"I love hand tools" with a big honkin' drill press in the background. :) But seriously, I like hand tools too, which is why I like your channel. I also like power tools, very much.

[@adamwilson4834]

Unfortunately gloves etc wont save your hands and wrists from vibration damage, or the damage repetitive motion causes. Gloves can also cause your hand to fatigue faster due to having to hold on tighter. As a 20 year veteran carpenter who lives in constant pain and is in danger of losing his livelihood i urge you all to research the effects of using handtools daily and the ways to mitigate or reduce the strain it puts on your joints

[@allenwc]

Adam Wilson I have a pair of vibration reducing gloves from Mechanix. I did have to teach myself to not grip harder. In the end with buying less vibration tools, using more hand tools, and wearing the gloves when needed, I’ve gotten back 90% of what I thought I had lost.

[@jonathantillian6528]

I had a neighbor that was a professional railway man. Poor guy was pensioned early because he lost al the feeling in both hands because of vibration damage.

[@justinwoods240]

He has a sander that doesn't have much vibration at all that Bosch sander is like 300 dollars for the low vibration part of it

[@malcolmsmith5903]

I couldn't be without my bench grinder - it helps keep my workspace clean by collecting dust while I do something else. No matter how spotless other things are little Dusty McGrinder is still collecting.

[@RockyMountainBear]

Come over to the dark side. You will be amazed by the power. *Laughs maniacally*

[@Aleph-Noll]

ironic since over reliance of machinery is a central theme of the dark side of the force in star wars lol. darth vader is "more machine than man now", the droid army of the separatist/ general grievous. empires use of heavy weapons like starships and death stars etc etc

[@theriphraff]

@@Aleph-Noll Touche'. Very good comeback.

[@theriphraff]

@@Aleph-Noll oh and you mean "fitting" not ironic.

[@thunderusnight]

*You've become the very thing you swore to destroy!* *You were supposed to destroy the electric tools not use them!*

[@RockyMountainBear]

@@thunderusnight 😆 thanks for that. At first, I was thinking "who did I piss off this time?"

[@batsinthehead1]

I work in an industry that deals solely composite fiberglass and I can say that the dewalt drill and impact driver is a very good choice. We have hilti brand drills that dont last as long as our dewalt tools.

[@nikburton9264]

Bought a grinder at Bunny Hardware when I was stationed on Guam. I think it was 39.95. Over 20 years now, it still kicks it.

[@Cnightz]

My power tool list with hand tools that I believe are a must. A bandsaw to RIP down boards, so much faster than sawing. Then I agree with the other choices, bench grinder and a sander.

[@walterrider9600]

thank you Rex .. i was a machinists i used grinders to make single point HS tool bits to cut threads acme and ans and others too. using the grinder is easy just take our time and a fresh cool water holder is a big help .

[@SaintFredrocks]

Rex, try the Bosch 12V max brushless drill. You won't believe how much control and sensitivity it has.

[@barrykery1175]

I had an old Craftsman vibrating sander from 40 years ago. A few months ago I purchased a 24 volt cordless orbital sander. WOW ! What a great tool. It puts my old vibrating sander to shame. Needless to say I retired the old Craftsman and now use the orbital sander 100% of the time. Changing sanding disks is so easy since they are stick on. I purchased a huge multi grit pack of disks off of Amazon ranging from 40 grit to I think 800 grit. What a great tool I'll never ever be without. My next great purchase was the 1/4" impact wrench. I only ever used an impact wrench for automotive work, never realizing it had its place in woodworking. Yet another great investment. No more stripping the head of a screw anymore. Good video, thanks for posting it. Barry

[@evinfuilt]

Thanks for the knowledge drop on the random orbital sander, the numbness issue is super annoying to me, and now I know what to do.

[@RexKrueger]

That Bosch sander is a lot of money, but the numbness is gone.

[@allenwc]

You can also add vibration reduction gloves

[@BensWorkshop]

If you keep a random orbital sander in your back pocket, you must have really big back pockets....

[@mikecurtin9831]

My thought exactly.

[@RexKrueger]

Metaphor (noun): a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

[@BensWorkshop]

@@RexKrueger 😉

[@octaviusthecrafter]

I can keep a sander in my back pocket too. And the drills and also a table saw if I really want to.

[@DanielJAudette]

I love my dewalt drive drill set. I got it for Christmas. Looks like i have the same set as you

[@akirak1871]

Good video, and yea, if you fine-tune the work with hand tools, most of the time there's no difference! I recently acquired a Dewalt handheld planer, and that thing saves massive time and effort in dimensioning stock. I can take off large amounts of material with it, then come in with the hand planes and finish the job, and it still looks identical to work done with all hand planes. Win win.

[@johnkelley9877]

Great tutorial. I like combining power and hands too. Thanks for sharing this.

[@chasegilley1906]

I think a very good argument can also be made for the band saw. It can be used for rip, cross, and curved cuts, and can even handle larger dimensions than a power miter or table saw. It's also nice to not have to worry about kickback

[@TomBuskey]

That's the power tool I have as well. Safer than a table saw, cuts thicker wood, great for milling wood before planing. A substitute for the bandsaw is a jig saw. You probably can't cut > 5" thick wood or resaw, but it will do everything else.

[@chasegilley1906]

@@TomBuskey Great point about the jigsaw. I probably don't even think to use my jigsaw as often as I should, I'll have to stop neglecting it

[@RexKrueger]

I use my bandsaw A LOT, but this video was just about a few little tools for the die-hards.

[@TheRedhawke]

I have owned a Dewalt bench grinder for many years and it's worked great. I sharpen everything from chisels to lawnmower blades on one end and have the wire brush on the other end for clean up jobs. I'm not wild about the tool rest on it but have been able to make it work.

[@RexKrueger]

Man, my dad can do a lawnmower blade that would slice tomatoes on his Dewalt. If you really hate the rests, you can make GREAT ones out of some scrap ply. Google it. Quick project.

[@BensWorkshop]

I use both mains powered and cordless drills. I find cordless drills with the gear setting are fine for driving screws.

[@jdcrtchfld]

I have a Makita cordless drill, which I like a lot, and was sorely tempted to get a hammer drill (impact driver), too, but had decided I didn't need both. Thanks for the confirmation.

[@deckdriver]

Another place to look for reasonably priced tools is a pawn shop. I bought a bench grinder for $25 and it is still going 10 years later!

[@dalanwanbdiska6542]

I have a grinder and it has 2 grinding wheels. I checked it out its a 1/2hp chicago tool and company. Must be good one, it says industrial . I made a razor sharp chisel lastnight and i showed my nephew how this morning and he was cutting slivers on wood just before he went to school. Cool videos man.

[@robertlunsford1350]

I am a big fan of CBN wheels on my grinder. The aluminum pulls heat off the work, it is insanely balanced, it won't blow up like a stone, you can use the sides, and the diameter never changes.

[@RexKrueger]

I'll eventually get those for my turning tools, but for this down-and-dirty grinder, I think good old aluminum oxide is okay.

[@1pcfred]

I never seen a grinding wheel blow up. I imagine to perform that fool move you've got to be pretty goofy. When I feel the need I'll use the side of a grinding wheel too. For what one CBN wheel costs I can buy a half a dozen aluminum oxide wheels. Which will grind more than I'm likely to need for the rest of my life.

[@1pcfred]

​@@RexKrueger get a tool room wheel. Like a Norton white wheel. And dress the wheel. Get a diamond point wheel dresser and some Carborundum sticks. You'll still be ahead of what a CBN wheel costs. The wheel you have is good for sharpening garden tools. Like the kind you use to dig in the dirt.

[@jerryjohnsonii4181]

Great video an thanks for the knowledge Rex.

[@anonimushbosh]

Can't put my finger on it but there's something about this guy that reminds me of Anthony Bourdain.

[@RexKrueger]

You're not the first one to say it, but I take it as a HUGE compliment.

[@mikemartinez9239]

I see and hear Ryan Reynolds' older brother. The cadence of his voice has a van wilder vibe to it.

[@JOSEPH-vs2gc]

blue-man group extra. works nights, and does videos by day. why do you think he has those dark circles around his eyes?

[@mikecurtin9831]

Harbor Freight grinders work fine. You just have to remove the wheels they come with, hit them hard with a hammer and deposit them in the circular file. Put on a Norton (or equivalent) wheel. They're a little pricey, but MUCH safer, quieter, smoother, and last a long time. For the other side, instead of a wire wheel I would suggest buying a box of red (soft) Scotchgard pads. Stack 4-6 of them, put a hole in the center of them, and mount them on the motor. Within a minute's use you will have a round wheel that is much easier on both you and your part, does a spectacular job of cutting rust and paint, doesn't leave steel deposits in/on your part to rust later, and doesn't throw steel whiskers. Thumbs up to crush a troll.

[@cmdrsocks]

Agree 110% - buy a cheaper grinder and put the money into abrasives. Better stones and wheels will make a massive difference to the ease and quality of the work compared to the cheap crap that comes with most machines. You can buy variety of Scotch Brite wheels and discs that fit bench grinders it is worth getting a few for different tasks. Again once you have picked a wire or two out of your face or hands, you appreciate that it is worth a little money for extra safety. If you want something for grinding tool steels that will last most hobbyists a lifetime look at Cubic Boron Nitride wheels - not cheap but less chance of damaging tools.

[@RexKrueger]

Now, I never would have thought of that. Might be worth a video...

[@mikecurtin9831]

@@cmdrsocks Exactly right regarding wire wheels. Thanks for the correction to Scotch Brite. (It was late...)

[@1pcfred]

@@cmdrsocks you big baby. What's shooting a couple of little wires into you? Actually that's just cheap wheels that do that. Which is all you can get today. I picked up an old wire wheel at the flea market made in Cincinnati. It ain't shot a wire out of it yet. Best dollar I ever spent. All that foreign stuff is garbage! Higher speed rated wheels do hold together a bit longer though. I run the 6000 RPM ones as opposed to the 3450s A 3450 wheel on a bench grinder will start shooting wires immediately. A 6000 won't shoot any wires for a few months. You have to get 5/8s arbor wheels and run a bush in them. Scotch Brite is not going to do what a wire wheel can either. So suck them wires up buttercup.

[@cmdrsocks]

@@1pcfred That's the problem these days - finding good quality at a reasonable price. Too much Chinesium.

[@livewiya]

I'd argue folk consider a jig saw (instead or a sander): the fact that the blades are easily replaceable allows you to break down sheet goods if you don't have a circ saw. Even if you have a circ, jigsaws allow you to cut inset from the edges (that may be too far in for a coping/fret saw), as well as curved cuts. Although they don't leave the cleanest edges, you can use it just to hog waste and sneak up to your line w/ hand tools. They're also great for every other material from foam to metal.

[@daometh]

yeah, i would be very careful with any vibration tool. My father has permanent damage to his hand after working decade with jack hammer in the mine. his hand's feel cold all the time and do not envy this kind of struggle at all.

[@magicdaveable]

Great Video Rex.

[@jimhester2004]

That's sage advice about vibration, Rex. I can no longer play guitar because of the nerve damage in my hands from using sanders at work. Also, a happy medium between random orbit sanding and card scraping is to tilt a steel rule up on it's edge and scrape lightly with it. It will get most of the rough stuff and long fibers off, and that makes the finish sanding take less number of grit changes.

[@jonasdaverio9369]

Are those damages irreversible? 😰

[@jimhester2004]

@@jonasdaverio9369 Yes, unfortunately.

[@adamwilson4834]

Im in the same boat, years of being a carpenter have ruined my wrists and hands

[@RexKrueger]

Man, I feel for you ( and all the people who replied) I've had bad tendonitis in the past and there was a stretch where I didn't play guitar for a year. Losing it forever? Terrible.

[@allenwc]

You can try vibration reduction gloves. The nerve damage does heal somewhat over time, a long time sadly. But if you can stop the ongoing pressures by mitigation the vibration it will help a lot.

[@allenwhittenbury5800]

I'll use hand tools as much as I can but having developed early arthritis in my hands, power tools are a must sometimes

[@Aubreykun]

A bonus for the bench grinder is that you can use polishing compound on a cloth wheel to give a high shine to smaller pieces. Wortheffort has a video where he sets his lathe up to do it if you want to see the results of buffing. A hand crank grinder is also an option for someone who is allergic to electricity. If you do hobby woodworking in a shop then you can get by with a corded drill. An extension cord is cheaper than batteries and if it's used infrequently then you don't need to worry about the thing being charged or where to leave the charger. And if someone wants to be a "hand tool purist" then a yankee driver can be an option for faster screwdriving. Eazypower still makes some cheaper (20-30$) ones that accepts standard hex bits, but you can also get adapters for the old ones. As a bonus it'll also take hex shank drill bits. For vibration, a cheap option is anti-vibration gloves. Not just sanders vibrate, and not every tool comes in a low-vibe option - I have a die grinder which get cranky. You can also do a really bodgey version by gluing pieces of foam onto some cotton gloves in an urgent situation, if you already are having issues and your gloves go missing. get ruined, or you're out and need to use someone else's sander. Unfortunately for power sanding and some other tasks like routing, you really need a way to get the fine particles out of the air. Either a whole dust filtration system, home-made box fan filter, or a blower fan. Or do it outside.

[@Aubreykun]

Oh and one more thing: I think a router or dremel are seriously-underestimated and under-reccomended for this sort of "what could a hand tool person get." They open extra capability for carving, cutting dadoes, and doing smaller intricate work for both decoration and shop projects. Plus you can also cut metal with them! Additional capability, not just more-efficient.

[@RexKrueger]

I'm with you on the dremel, but I think routers are dangerous and take a lot of the fun out of work. (And I own three, so it's not like I'm against them. But once you're using a router, you're firmly in the realm of power-tool work.)

[@Aubreykun]

​@@RexKrueger It entirely depends on a lot of factors. From the perspective of "why would I get this if I want to use hand tools?" I can think of 2 major reasons: - It can let you do some shop-projects much easier - like if you need pretty exact circles for wheels without a bandsaw, or if you need to make a significant amount of french cleats, or racks/carts with a lot of drawers, shelves, etc. Which is similar to your reasons for an impact driver, no one is going to complement you on the hand-cut dadoes, and frankly without having a dedicated plane for them they're a huge pain to learn to get even, square, and flat. And those can be done with some simple jigs and a basic straight bit. - As well, if someone can't afford the cost, space, or finicky dedication to sharpen moulding planes (and that's one other thing you can do with a dremel or die grinder, sharpen moulding planes using the stones!), it can be an option to do that if they still like the look of mouldings. Or if they plain can't _find_ any in a style they like. Because they're not exactly common to begin with. The only other solution to add them to a project is pre-cut from the big box store and that's very limiting if you aren't going to paint your project. Personally I was given a semi-old late 80s/early 90s craftsman router (with fairly cheap aluminum table) by someone who didn't need it, and I intended to sell it because of the same thinking of what you said - they're a little more dangerous and they kick up a LOT of debris and dust. But I keep finding reasons to use it, and would rather not spend the money to get another. Especially because I learned you can use one to cut metal, and I don't think I'll have the space for a milling machine any time soon.

[@whomadethatsaltysoup]

Allergic to electricity…love it Often these inflexible attitudes to how we approach tasks are rooted in dogma rather than common sense. Personally, I have not used a bit and brace since I left school. The absolute take away from this tutorial has to be extending the life of our most valuable hand tools: our hands. I’m no spring chicken, and, like Rex, also bit the bullet and spent almost £400 on the Bosch orbital sander. Trust me, I’ve got a couple of cheap sanders that I use for small jobs, but for larger projects, the Bosch is worth every penny. That tingling sensation does go away, but if you regularly sand for hours at a time, it will cause accumulated and irreversible damage.

[@craigmouldey2339]

I pretty much guessed the three tools except I figured it would be a drill press rather than a cordless. I have a 6" Delta bench grinder which sat unused for years. I have since put it back into service and pulled off the fine wheel, replaced with a wire wheel instead.

[@garethbaus5471]

I find that a 1 by 30 belt sander is easier and faster to use for making tools than any bench grinder I have used, it seems to be easier to avoid overheating, and the flexibility of the belt allows for a larger variety of bevel shapes to be created with more precision. In addition to the aforementioned differences a 1 by 30 has higher grit options than any bench grinders wheel allowing for you to get closer to a finished edge before resorting to stones.

[@frozenwalkway]

You can also get felt send leather belts for stropping and polishing on the 1x30

[@garethbaus5471]

@@frozenwalkway I use a leather belt fairly frequently, it gets a decent finish.

[@alejandrocantu4652]

Good basic power tool, I would add a circular saw using a shop track for cutting plywood or ripping an on long boards

[@quimblyjones9767]

My 3 power tools are kind of different lol, one great thing about wood working!

[@theurbanforge3129]

Solid video Rex.

[@Z0mb13ta11ahase]

The secret to long thin shavings for me was to get some Japanese planes. Something about pulling rather than pushing helps me.

[@livewiya]

Yeah, I'm definitely one of those people that'll fuss about the ROS. It was among the first WW tools I purchased but I can't remember the last time I used it. While I always used the shop vac with the sander b/c it improves performance, I still felt the need to haul them outside outside as dust is inevitable. I'm more of the mind to use a card scraper: ROS's can leave pig tails, and over-round corners.

[@cameronl62]

I bought an ultra-cheap grinder at a Homier traveling tool show. I can confirm that you CAN burn out SOME cheap grinders.

[@1pcfred]

Was it a "Cummins" brand grinder? I got one of them used that I think came from one of them tool shows. At $5 I still feel like I got ripped off. What a POS! After the one I got burnt out I took it apart and cut a groove in the rotor with a round file. Then I made a frame to hold that with another motor on it and drive it with a belt. Inside the "motor" housing there's a little laminated plate shaded pole fan motor. The whole outside was just a faux shell. It was basically a fake prop bench grinder.

[@cbauer72]

For what it's worth, I've seen several different KZbin reviews of that WEN bench grinder recently and it's received high marks all around. Never used it myself. I have one of those vintage Craftsman models mentioned.

[@1pcfred]

I have four Craftsman bench grinders that I can think of right now. I might have more. I have a thing for bench grinders. Or an aversion to changing the wheels on them maybe? Whenever I want to run a new wheel I just get another grinder. New as in different. OK sometimes I'll actually change a wheel on a bench grinder. It's rare though.

[@sourcererseven3858]

@@1pcfred "James, the car is dirty, get me a new one, chop-chop!"

[@1pcfred]

@@sourcererseven3858 you have to dress wheels true every time you mount them on grinders. Dressing wheels is messy, uses the wheel itself up and is generally a pain to do.

[@AutotechWoodworking]

A good pair of vibration absorbing gloves like I use in auto repair will save a lot of money over purchasing an expensive low or no vibration random orbital sander. They last a good while for me in the harsh auto repair environment, removing, handling, and reinstalling lug nuts and other fasteners all day. I imagine they'll last a lot longer with the less intense use of a R/O sander.

[@adamwilson4834]

They wont prevent the damage it does to your wrists. They just cover it up

[@RexKrueger]

Very interesting...

[@AutotechWoodworking]

@@adamwilson4834 String trimmers and other OPE cause the same issues as R/O sanders, in fact they warn you to wear gloves if you start feeling tingling in your hands/fingers. I had carpal tunnel syndrome because of my job and from doing lawn work every weekend. Because I started wearing the padded mechanics gloves at work and especially for doing yard work, I no longer have CTS. Therefore in my case, they actually reversed the damage to my wrists.

[@allenwc]

The gloves not only prevent new damage, they allow your body to heal . I have completely reversed the damage to my tendons and nerves.

[@AutotechWoodworking]

@@allenwc That's exactly what I was telling Adam Wilson. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@johnford7847]

Very nice. I was expecting a circular saw, a jointer and a planer. I like your selection better. Much more u$er friendly. Thanks.

[@charlesbrackeen730]

Put a bit driver in a hand brace. Tends to give a good amount of torxe

[@just-dl]

I’ve standardized in Ryobi for cordless tools (drill, driver, circ saw, brad nailer, sander) and I’m switching to wen for corded gear (Thickness planet, grinder). Next up: bandsaw, then replace my 20 year old drill press and my miter saw which isn’t quite that young...) both brands have a hit-or-miss reputation but, it’s been all good for me. I love hand tools more, but haven’t the time to do it all by hand.

[@Cadwaladr]

Don't remember how much it was, but I got a Delta 6" grinder from Home Depot about 18 years ago and that's been great. The problem with cordless drills, of course, is that the batteries crap out after a while. I don't mean they just discharge, but the cells inside start to fail. Fortunately, if you have a tool with Ni-Cd batteries, you can get replacement cells on Amazon, and it's not too hard to solder them together and rejuvenate your drill. Those older tools are much simpler on the inside, so as long as you can keep replacing the cells in the battery packs, they'll keep running for you.

[@Cyanide300]

Newer battery packs use 18650 or 21700 li-ion cells, and you can buy those too.

[@BradsWorkbench]

Great choices. I lost signal right when the premire started

[@RexKrueger]

I'm still glad you showed up. Content creators supporting each other!!

[@adrianabshire]

As Luigi from the Cars movie says ‘I only follow the Milwaukees!’ Lol - great video as always

[@jimbo2629]

I couldn’t do without my edge sander, table saw and band saw. The hand tool stuff comes after.

[@RexKrueger]

Well, maybe you should learn to do without them. There's a lot of skills waiting to be discovered.

[@nightcatarts]

That's an excellent tip on the Bosch sander; thanks. I have massive problems with my joints (genetic, not woodworking causes) & can't use my sanders for very long at a time so it's good to know that model is kinder to the hands. I also don't have a random orbit sander because I couldn't afford one & went for a palm sander instead, so it's going to be my next purchase.

[@RexKrueger]

I think you'll be pleased. Joint issues are the worst and I should know!

[@nightcatarts]

@@RexKrueger I'm sure I will; got a couple of ther Bosch tools & they've been excellent. I hope your joints at least don't get any worse (not a grand sentiment, but mine won't get better & I get tired of people saying they hope I'll recover).

[@PaleRider559]

Modern cordless drills have a habit of stripping screws. Impacts have a "hammering" mechanic, that helps keep the bit in the groove of the screw head. I highly recommend getting a drill/impact set, for less headaches... if you compare prices, you're not paying much more for a set, than just a drill.

[@gregsarsons1221]

I’m ready for some backlash.... but I would add a thicknesser. Yes they are noisy, take up space and make lots of sawdust but they save lots of time. I can flatten and dimension by hand but I’ve found that flattening one side of a board with a hand plane and then running the board through the thicknesser really saves time.

[@EngineerMikeF]

I agree with your selection Rex, nice job. For the bench grinder, a cheap grinder will work fine, but you will want to immediately toss the cheap chinesium abrasive wheels which are likely out of balance, out of square, not planar so they'll wobble side to side, and poorly built so they'll blow up if you misuse them. A good quality fine wheel and a good quality wire wheel (Forney is my go to choice and I buy up from their base level (# 72896 wheel was about $24 but the result is miles ahead of cheaper wheels)) will run about as much as a cheap grinder. However the wire wheel (which is IMO the more important side as it gets the most use by at least 5x) & grinding wheel are where the work takes place, and the light duty is on the motor & bearings. IMO- put your money in the consumables for best work value out of the tool. Same w/cheap drill bits, cheap driver bits, cheap saw blades... Next after the tools mentioned would be battery powered saw but if you are into hand tools for all finish the saw type is subject to much debate.

[@mikecurtin9831]

I get to add "chinesium" to my vocabulary. :-) I completely agree with you.

[@CelestialLites]

Unboxed HF 8" bench grinder, put on ground and powered up. Watched it walk around ground even whilst spinning down after cutting power. Changed provided grinding wheels with better balanced Norton wheels, much better vibration wise, and after bolting to the bench had no problems. Perhaps original grinding wheels would have worked bolted down, but I had the Norton's so used them.

[@RexKrueger]

Norton is a quality name. I've got a lot of their stuff.

[@1pcfred]

After you mount a grinding wheel you always have to dress it in order to true it up. When wheels get dull they need to be dressed then too. But no one ever dresses grinding wheels.

[@DerekWoolverton]

I'll also recommend Craigslist or eBay for used power tools. Stick with good brands like Bosch, and you almost never can go wrong.

[@hassanal-mosawi6049]

Thanks for sharing that

[@whittysworkshop982]

Drill press, thickness planer and router are my choice of 3....if I had 4 power tools I would have a bandsaw too. The only power tool I own is a router, everything else is done by hand :)

[@ricardomagnificent]

Ditto preserving your hands and wrists. After 45+ years as an Electrician and 5 years of Aikido I'm officially disabled. I still manage to do some wood-working and stock removal knife making, but I just can't do some things. Turning screws by hand is not fun... Enjoying your videos is!

[@purpleom9649]

3 power tools you really should buy for woodworking are 1) a table saw 2) a drill press 3) a lathe

[@nightcatarts]

I'd say those would be classed as machines rather than power tools.

[@purpleom9649]

@@nightcatarts I would tend to agree but after using hand tools for years the only power tools I would say you need is a table saw for ripping, ripping with a hand saw is just soul destroying especially when you have large amounts or tough wood to do. A drill press is a must for when you need to drill holes at exact right angles ect and a lathe is essential for producing round items. Anything else can easily be done with hand tools (normally better and faster) I like watching Rex's videos but I'm sure he would agree he is quite new to this and doesn't have decades of experience. The above tools / machines can be bought for less money second hand than it cost to buy the impact driver and drill he mentioned and in my opinion a bit and brace does a better job. I'm saying this but I'm sure I remember Rex saying almost everything I've said in previous videos.

[@RexKrueger]

I'm not sure I'm "quite" new to this. I've got over a decade in and several years of full-time work. I've worked in 4 furniture shops and own my own business. I'm not as experienced as some, but I didn't just fall off the turnip truck either.

[@purpleom9649]

@@RexKrueger Sorry didn't mean to offend. I wonder were the above businesses dependent on hand tool use or power tool use? The reason for me asking its very rare these days to find a profitable woodworking business only using hand tools.

[@timothyplumley6004]

Whence you started sawing with that games as, I really thought that a circular saw would be mentioned, but alas you've foiled my stupid assumption again.... great video and by next year I will definitely be a patreon to you rex.... keep up the great work pal.

[@timothyplumley6004]

HandSaw not games by the way.

[@RexKrueger]

I'm really glad you like it. I actually think everyone should learn hand-sawing. There's a lot of knowledge waiting there.

[@loganc4233]

Thanks!

[@bladen0869]

I couldn’t be without a shop vac, I’m to OCD and have to vac and clean as I work.

[@brunsy1990]

Brass wire wheels if you are concerned with putting marks on your tools with the standard wheel, been using those as part of cleanup on the inside of cast iron pans for years, which is somewhere marring the surface is a major mistake.

[@bumstudios8817]

Good stuff

[@matthewwright57]

The one last tool every hand tool woodworker needs is a bandsaw. Long rips, and rough dimensioning of rough lumber is awful with hand saws. You can make boards, resaw etc and move on with your live.

[@horseblinderson4747]

Anything that'll cut curves, but a bandsaw is best all around and the only thing that resaw

[@ragnkja]

Except the ones who don’t have space for one.

[@howva]

I studied furniture design didnt do much with timber used metal instead but did find that I really didn't like using the power tools because of the virbration. We didn't learn much about using hand tools so I'm teaching myself now trying to find a way to do everything with hand tools. Losing sensation in my hands in my worst nightmare fr

[@RexKrueger]

Where did you study furniture design?

[@howva]

@@RexKrueger In Australia, not a trades course but a higher ed one a bit all over the place in terms of curriculum

[@DeeegerD]

Watching you work on that hammer one thought came to mind ;) You're no ScoutCrafter lol.

[@afa5673]

So a little tip, even on a drill you can get the impact driver function. Behind the chuck tightener there's a rotating ring (even on my cheap Ryobi). On the Ryobi it scales up to 20 and then has a drill bit symbol. This is your impact driver setting and lower numbers make it give under lower torque. For rebuilding my deck i had it set between 12 and 18 depending on the hardness of the piece of pressure treated lumber i was fastening and it worked great. Never twisted my arm once.

[@RexKrueger]

So, that's a clutch. It keeps the driver from over-torquing the screw and camming out. If all drills had impact function, there would be no reason to make impact drivers.

[@afa5673]

@@RexKrueger my main point was that for a budget buy it fulfills a very similar purpose and would allow someone who needs a drill to also avoid stripping out and over-torque, but good to know thanks! Edit: So after doing a little bit of learning real fast i've realized i hadn't fully understood the impact driver at all, so my previous statement is actually truly completely inaccurate.

[@contessa.adella]

If I had to choose between drill driver and impact….I go Drill driver, not just because of the clutch, but because with hammer action you can drill concrete and hard brick for non-joinery purposes. To prevent drill driver cam out you just need to press the drill in firmly.

[@jamesmcbriarty2079]

I think it should be pointed out that battery technology changes quickly, and you may not be able to find a replacement for your cordless drill five to ten years from now when the battery finally gives up the ghost. For the occasional job or repair, with lots of idle time in between, the corded drill may well be the better choice.

[@chrisnorton2837]

They make all kinds of battery adapters now, so this is less of an issue and cordless tools are very, very handy. You can take them where there are no outlets handy.

[@benjaminfrayser4392]

Huh...surprised you did not talk about that drill press behind you. I think I'm going to look for one soon

[@RexKrueger]

I love mine, but I was focusing on tools that I think a hand-tool person might find less intimidating.

[@allenwc]

Hand powered drill press for the win, lol.

[@1pcfred]

Now you're starting to make sense. Horses for courses. There's a place for using hand tools and there's a place for using power tools. I like chisels and hand planes as much as anyone does but I like power tools too.

[@scottm9605]

I'm totally with you on the bench grinder. I don't actually understand what you mean about a power drill though. I find an eggbeater drill to be almost as fast, way more precise and almost never break bits. I think the biggest time and frustration savers of all are a thickness planer, followed by a bandsaw with a decent fence for ripping and resawing.

[@1pcfred]

You're funny. I'd like to see you try to turn an eggbeater drill 2,000 RPM. Which is how fast cordless drills typically go. I've shot precise holes on my milling machine that no one is ever going to do by hand too. You're no match against a half a ton of metal.

[@scottm9605]

@@1pcfred did you just compare a milling machine to a hand drill? Orders of magnitude of difference there, more difference between a mill and a power drill than there is between an eggbeater and a power drill. Trust me, the wood doesn't care about the RPM of your drill bit. Each hole takes about the same amount of time to cut right, without blow out or breaking a bit whether you use power equipment or not. What really helps you get a cleaner hole is a sharp bit.

[@1pcfred]

@@scottm9605 in the end it is all hole boring. I don't need to trust you. I know more about drilling than you ever will. I was in the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union with a mill and drill classification. So I drilled more holes in a week than you'll drill in your whole life. Ain't nobody alive gonna tell me jack shit about drilling that I don't already know. Wood is inanimate so it cares about nothing. Surface finish depends on tool surface speed though. A higher speed will net a finer finish. Whether you realize it, or not.

[@scottm9605]

@@1pcfred cool story bro.

[@sallehjaklah]

a cheap mfc 12" table fan cover all type work from drilling work or time traveling.

[@treeman5590]

The dewalt bench grinder is a great choice and i think its only 100 dollars us.

[@QlueDuPlessis]

Rewinding to watch again...

[@onogrirwin]

For a similar, out of date, and a bit more in depth look at power tools for woodworking, read Harold Payson's book "Instant Boats". Same sort of thing Rex has to say, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he has also read the book or it's two newer versions.

[@kyvguinto]

DAMMIT REX! I just got a random orbital sander like two months ago! Now you're telling me about amazing features in orbital sanders and making me want to buy another more expensive sander?! LOW VIBRATION?! I don't have to have that buzzy itchy feeling every time I break that thing out?! DAMMIT REX! (also thanks for showing that this exists. I'm sure future me will thank you but for now I have to figure out how to hide another purchase from the wife...)

[@falconeer99]

Sounds like you could make a case that you need it for medical reasons

[@RexKrueger]

I do have a video about hiding purchases. I've got you covered!

[@RexKrueger]

You're not kidding!

[@allenwc]

You can buy gloves that reduce vibration. I own a pair from Mechanix, they work fantastic and I use them all the time.

[@tonylenge424]

Good common sense, thanks

[@contessa.adella]

Noooooooo! Fallen from grace!😂 I like this channel despite Dewalting everything I can, so no personal axe to grind on manual labour from me, but if you are going to profess “Hand tool made” then deliberate diversion to any power tool has to be cheating on yourself huh! I think you are on a slippery slope Rex, next it will be the power planer with a couple of strokes of the bench plane to finish😜. For me, I cheat on my power tools by slipping to a Ryoba for a quick cut off or sanding block for a few seconds of finishing and I found a heavily rusted cheapo block plane in my shed that might make an intriguing restoration project. Keep up the great videos👍

[@TokyoScarab]

Rex, did the pain in your hands go away after you took steps to decrease your vibration exposure or is it something you have to live with? I also value my hands and was curious about if exposure can be healed. Love your videos btw!

[@mypony891]

Do you ever end up with pigtails from the random orbital sander? If so, how do you get rid of them?

[@RexKrueger]

Yes; move the tool more slowly and be sure you're not pressing down. Be sure it's rotating at full speed.

[@jamesharris7868]

Oh my tennis elbow 😂😂😂👍

[@RexKrueger]

Had it for a whole year. Man, that sucked.

[@jamesharris7868]

It sure does the constant rattle of a screw gun does that😂😂

[@zachperry177]

Bandsaw, thickness planer, bench grinder. They all take drudgery out of handtool woodworking. The band saw allows long rips, resawing and curve cutting. Thicknessing by hand just generally sucks, but jointing by hand is relatively simple, hence the thicknesser of a jointer. The bench grinder for the reasons listed. If you want to add a tool, the lathe. Hard to replicate with hand tools, also very fast at its job. Also, if you like more than chamfers and round overs, a router is pretty cheap and fast to add details without a lot of special molding planes

[@petermichaelgreen]

The issue I have with bench power tools is the space requirements, both for the tool itself and for having space to feed work into it.

[@fishingpervert]

You mention cabinet scrapers ... but I don't see any videos on your site concerning them. Am I missing one or more? Or have you not covered this tool?

[@anusficker-hw2xe]

Power Tool No. 1: CNC Mill

[@evan2640]

I know this isn’t a power tool channel and I’m a huge fan but you can get much better tools than the money for the price of that dewalt id recommend a kobalt and if you wanna save some money the brushless Bauer stuff is great

[@joshalvarado739]

"A hole is a hole" - Rex Krueger

[@moonwolf7135]

Black and Decker makes a good drill and impact driver set at great price

[@nightcatarts]

How are those on longevity? B&D used to make really good tools back in the '90s, but it seems like their quality has degraded sharply since then. Are they on the way back up?

[@moonwolf7135]

@@nightcatarts I have an 18v drill I bought in 2001 and I've only replaced the batteries once since I own it a d its still going strong.

[@moonwolf7135]

A friend has the impact driver and they really like it for the woodworking that we do.

[@nightcatarts]

@@moonwolf7135 Yea I think that's probably old enough to still be good. I bought a couple of their things maybe 3 years back (a Mouse sander & I forget the other thing) and they both just fell apart from normal use. Ah well, maybe I got some bad luck.

[@moonwolf7135]

@@nightcatarts you might gotten one that had a slight defect in it and it took awhile for it to show. Had that with a detail sander that had the warranty on a the switch died the day the warranty ended.

[@gregmislick1117]

Rex - BMT wheels ? The diamond grits are supposed to keep temps down on the tool as you sharpen, I don't have any myself, but this is what I have heard. ...I wonder if Dad would notice if his Classic Craftsman Bench Grinder were to "relocate" ? lol

[@BradsWorkbench]

I think you mean CBN and yea they are supposed the be awesome but crazy expensive

[@nightcatarts]

CBN (for cubic boron nitride or nitrate or.. something). It's not the grit, it's the fact that it's embedded directly into this big metal wheel which can wick away all that heat immediately. They really are impressive & well worth the money if you do a lot of grinding/shaping.

[@BradsWorkbench]

@@nightcatarts interesting. Thanks for the info. It does make sense for it to act as a heat sink

[@MxReese]

I've heard that you shouldn't use a bench grinder on high carbon steel tools because the high RPMs could cause the harder but more brittle metal to shatter. Is that not true (or exaggerated) or are most woodworking blades just not high carbon steel?

[@otter2206]

Handheld power tools do rough things hand tools for all else

[@DragonGateDesign]

Numb hands is a big issue with tattoo artists to

[@bumstudios8817]

And i thought all the solo porn stars retired because of age... lol

[@RexKrueger]

I bet it is!

[@VinlandAlchemist]

This was great! I've been wondering about getting a bench grinder for my workshop, recently - so I finally picked one up a few days ago... what a koinkydink! lol By the way... you gonna be doin' any more wooden Medieval weapons? No, I ain't gonna keep buggin' ya about the rock maple viking sword (lol), but I've been thinkin' that a gi-hugic battle axe might be a kickass idea to go with the shield and mace! Muahahahahaaaaa! lol

[@RexKrueger]

I'm not doing any more Viking stuff. The viking nerds killed that for me on the shield. I am thinking about a Polynesian war club...

[@VinlandAlchemist]

@@RexKrueger Ooh! That sounds interesting! Too bad about those nerds... I'm guessing they were bent out of shape on some "accuracy" issue - they really oughtta relax. Some want too much to appear they have museum/archeology cred... they'll probably never have fun with woodworking art and creativity. But yeah, I can hardly wait to see the war club thing when you post it! :)

[@iamrocketray]

No electric screwdriver? Use a Yankee Screwdriver, its not as quick as an electric Screwdriver, but its not far off, They come in 3 basic sizes, but the small one is a waste of time BUT the Larger one that I own has been used to hang thousands of doors(yes thousands), I'm a retired Carpenter who specialised in 2nd fixing. A Hand turned grinder can be bought on Ebay for not much money, Does the same thing as a High speed grinder, slightly slower but no risk of overheating your blade edges. Orbital sander? Yes i use one, well its a palm sander, a Makita, and i've had it for over 30 years, as you said great for timbers like sapele which is notorious for the grain going in stripes of different directions on even a narrow piece of timber. When I worked, you used what was fastest, so yes I have a cordless drill/screwdriver, I have a sander and I have a wet Grinder(Tormek clone). BUT I rarely use them nowadays because time isn't important anymore and i can afford to take my time, now that i work in wood for my pleasure and not to make money to feed my family, It makes a huge difference.

[@montanawhite5699]

I’d vote electric palm nailer, electric hand plane and electric sawsall for any fine woodworking.

[@markharris5771]

It all made sense to me, I use a mixture of power tools and hand tools. Without the power tools I wouldn’t be able to do any woodwork because of my disabilities. I only make small projects and cheaper power tools are great for me, but I always make sure what I buy has a robust guarantee. So far though I've only sent two tools back, one of them was a fairly expensive Bosch router and the other was an Aldi table saw. Aldi was much quicker refunding than Bosch who took about two weeks compared to two days. I always read reviews, especially the negative ones, it’s amazing how often it’s a case of someone buying something like a £20 plane and expecting the same quality as a Lie-Nelson. Cheaper hand tools usually means you have to flatten and sharpen the tool. Then you also get a lot of negative comments where people haven’t set up the tool properly and they’ll blame the tool. I look for things like parts breaking on first use or a tool being properly set up and they lose the sharpness after 5 minutes. Those sort of views I feel are usually more accurate. I’m far from an expert on tools, but thanks to you and James Wright I do now have an idea what to look for when buying tools. You’ve also shown me the work I should expect to do with cheaper hand tools and how to set up those tools. Thank you. A really good video, thank you.

[@1pcfred]

I usually have good luck with Bosch tools. Reviews are funny. Happy people are less likely to rant than unhappy people are. What I call squeaky wheel syndrome. So I have to read reviews with bias in mind.

[@markharris5771]

Paul Frederick When I was a chef we used to say if a customer had a good meal they will tell ten people, if they have a bad one they will tell a hundred.

[@RexKrueger]

I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I'm a disabled person myself (although not physically). You do what you have to to get your work done.

[@1pcfred]

@@markharris5771 crowds do not enhance my eating experience.

[@windhelmguard5295]

if there is one tool that should be in a woodworking shop it's a decent table saw. sure they're good for cutting wood down to size, especially if you buy large pieces of stock, but even if you don't want to use power tools in your projects at all, it speeds up the busy work you need to do between projects a LOT. sometimes you just need to cut stuff down into fire wood to make space or for other reasons and that is busy work, no honest woodworker enjoys cutting fire wood by hand, so get a table saw.

[@josepharchuleta9809]

I prefer using a cheap belt sander to sharpen

[@nicolastousignant9160]

I would be curious about trying cushy palmed bike gloves with vibrating tools

[@gregmislick1117]

it would all depend on the dexterity of the particular gloves and how they feel between your hand and the tool... how in control you feel ( as both cyclist and tool user...spent many hours wearing them...)

[@iamrocketray]

As the actress said to the Bishop!

[@nicolastousignant9160]

Ha! I wrote it and i didn't even see it, ashamed, am I

[@nightcatarts]

I've not tried bike gloves but have tried different kinds of padded, leather, & that weird gel stuff gloves and I would not recommend buying a pair to test it. The problem with sanders is that the whole thing vibrates so, even if you stop it vibrating against your skin, it's still going to be vibrating your entire hand & you'll still get numbness.

[@nicolastousignant9160]

@@nightcatarts makes sense, thanks.