The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction - WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

60 Getting Started
and it is important that we cut down on labor. From
the discussion of tools and their uses which follows,
you should be able to decide what you will need for
your project.
Bear several things in mind as you assess your tool
requirements. Most pieces of equipment are sold
in various qualities for professionals and hobbyists.
Heavy-duty power tools are substantially more expensive
than home shop models, but break down less
frequently and last longer. Hand tools, too, come in
different grades. <strong>The</strong> best way to find out what tools
and what grade equipment you need is to get into
your job. Check tool company catalogs for the best
prices and invest your dollars wisely.
As professional builders, we can amortize large power
tool expenditures over many projects. Tool reliability is
a major consideration in our selection process because
downtime due to malfunctions can be expensive. We
are therefore willing to pay a premium for equipment
that will hold up through a lot of abuse.
Most amateurs have different criteria for choosing their
inventories. You will put less wear and tear on your
power equipment if you only use it to build one boat
a year. If your electric drill breaks down, you can
probably move on to another job until it’s fixed. Given
the relative costs of different tool grades, the possibility
of slight inconvenience doesn’t really justify your
buying top quality industrial tools. Less expensive
models will serve you well.
Hand tools are a slightly different matter. We suggest
that you do as we do and buy the best chisels and
planes that you can find.
Keep your tools sharp and let yourself enjoy handling
them. Cured epoxy is harder than the wood for which
good edge tools were intended, so you may occasionally
want to protect your investment by using a few
lower-quality, disposable pieces. Purchase good clamps
because they will save you a great deal of frustration.
A small boatbuilding project can go smoothly with a
small inventory of hand tools and some basic safety
equipment. Figure 8-1 shows a minimal, economical
collection of tools. It would be impractical to do
without these even on an 8' (2.4m) pram.
Figure 8-2 illustrates a broader inventory, which will get
you through a project more comfortably. You might
consider beginning with the tools in Figure 8-1
and buying more as you need them. All of these
tools are available at hardware stores.
Figure 8-1 Minimal small tool inventory: (1) combination
square; (2) 24-inch level; (3) scissors; (4) sliding bevel or bevel
square; (5) basic drill bit assortment; (6) spade drill bits as
needed; (7) electric drill motor; (8) block plane; (9) compass;
(10) 25-foot tape measure; (11) chalk line; (12) hammer; (13)
screwdrivers; (14) rasp; (15) utility knife; (16) keyhole saw;
(17) chisel; (18) staple removing tool; (19) staple gun.
Figure 8-2 Broader small tool inventory: (A) crosscut saw;
(B) back saw; (C) coping saw; (D) large set spade bits;
(E) large drill bit assortment; (F) electric saber saw; (G) awl;
(H) spokeshave; (I) plumb bob; (J) jack plane; (K) bench
or smoothing plane; (L) Surform tool; (M) offset chisel;
(N) chisel assortment; (O) file and rasp assortment;
(P) protractor; (Q) calipers; (R) dividers; (S) whetstone.