This appendix tells you where to obtain tools and supplies, and summarizes the requirements for each project in the book.

Tools

The tools that I am recommending for the projects in this book can be divided into three groups:

Essential tools. A handsaw is the most obvious example, as almost every project requires you to cut materials with a saw. But a plastic-cutting knife is also essential if you want to score and snap acrylic plastic. The table in Figure A-1 shows which tools are essential for each of the projects. See page 250.

Optional, not essential. These tools will make your task easier, but if you’re on a tight budget, you can omit them. An electric screwdriver is a good example. You can use a manual screwdriver, so long as you don’t mind taking a little more time and expending a bit more effort. See Figure A-2 on page 252.

Tools for future use. Chapter 20 suggests additional tools that you can buy if you become more serious about making things in the future. Fact sheets scattered through the book also include some ideas.

Supplies

Supplies are divided into two categories: buy-what-you-need, shown on page 253 in Figure A-3, and single-purchase supplies, shown on page 254 in Figure A-4.

If you don’t intend to build some of the projects, there’s no point in buying supplies for them. For instance, the one-by-two wood for the bookcase in Chapter 11 is not used in any other project, so you can skip it if you’re not interested in the bookcase.

Some types of supplies are sufficient for any number of projects in the book. Carpenter’s glue is an example. One bottle will be enough, and you’ll still have most of it left over at the end. Figure A-4 shows where each supply is used in a particular project, but you can be confident that a single purchase of each of the items listed will be sufficient for all the projects.

What I Hope You Have

I’m assuming that you already have letter-sized white paper, pencils, a pencil sharpener, an eraser, a fine-point black water-based roller-ball pen such as the ones made by Uniball, and a couple of other colors of any kind of pen or pencil. You should also have paper towels, and some clean rags. If you choose to use oil-based polyurethane or stain, and you make a mess, you’ll need some mineral spirits or paint thinner to clean it up.

All other tools and supplies should be itemized in the tables on the following pages.

Where to Buy

I like to shop online as much as possible, but when I’m looking for tools and materials, I go to a store where I can examine the merchandise in person. This is especially true when shopping for large pieces of wood.

Wood

Many times I have sorted through a stack of two-by-fours, rejecting 80 percent of them because of their poor quality. You’ll need to perform this kind of inspection of the two-by-fours and one-by-sixes that you purchase for projects in this book.

In the United States, you can shop for lumber at nationwide chains such as The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, or True Value, but you may find better quality if you’re lucky enough to live within reach of a smaller, independent lumber yard. The only way to find out is to go and take a look.

For good-quality plywood and for the dowels that I have used extensively in this book, big-box stores and chains may have an incomplete stock of sizes, and the dowels that they sell may be made from pine. This is frustrating, because you’ll get better results with dowels made from hardwood such as oak, maple, or poplar. Usually a sticker with a bar code will tell you what kind of wood you are dealing with, but pine is easily recognized by the clearly defined brown-and-cream colored stripes of its grain.

Crafts stores such as Michael’s or Hobby Lobby usually stock square and round dowels, and will also have small pieces of high-quality plywood, such as the ¹/₈" birch required for the parquetry project in Chapter 7. The prices in crafts stores tend to be relatively high, though.

Adding it up, your best option for relatively small pieces of quality wood may be to shop online. A wide range of hardwood dowels and hardwood-veneered plywood can be found from suppliers selling through Amazon. You can also buy from carpentry supply sites such as www.woodcraft.com. A search engine will turn up more options.

Other Materials

For plastic supplies, I like to use TAP Plastics at www.tapplastics.com or United States Plastic Corp at www.usplastic.com. TAP has useful videos on its site, and both companies employ knowledgeable telephone help. Don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and ask questions. But if you just want pieces of ABS or acrylic that are 12" x 12" or 12" x 24", eBay may be less expensive.

In fact, eBay is often my starting point for almost any crafts-related browsing.

Fasteners

All the nails, bolts, and screws for projects in this book should be stocked in any hardware store, except for the very small #2 size screws that I specified in a couple of projects, and the partially-threaded bolts that I suggested for the pantograph in Chapter 14.

One source can always be guaranteed to have these and any other fasteners that you want: www.mcmaster.com, the web site for McMaster-Carr, which probably stocks a wider range of hardware than any other supplier in the world. They aren’t the cheapest, but I believe they are the best, not only in terms of their inventory but in their speed of delivery, their customer service, and the general information on their web site.

Tools

For low prices, Harbor Freight Tools is widely recognized as a bargain-basement source. They have more than 700 retail outlets, or you can order from www.harborfreight.com. Buying multiple tools and supplies from a single source can save time, but inevitably, cheap products are not always the best. Regular customers of Harbor Freight claim that it’s a great place for some things, but not others. I can’t advise you on that, but if you search online for “harbor freight reviews,” you’ll find a lot of useful information.

Sears is still a viable retail source for moderately priced tools (at the time of writing), while Northern Tool sells name brands affordably at www.northerntool.com.

Sorry, No Kits!

If you were hoping that I could offer you a kit of tools and supplies ready-made for this book, I have to disappoint you. Stocking and shipping a collection of heavy items such as clamps and saws, and 8-foot lengths of two-by-fours, was obviously not practical.

When I started writing the book, I knew that you would have to do your own shopping, so I tried to minimize the requirements. I am hoping that you should be able to get what you need without too much trouble. As a general rule, I suggest you search Amazon and eBay first, to get an idea of what’s available and how much it costs. Then go shopping for the tools and supplies that you prefer to examine in person, and buy the remaining things online.

Notes Regarding Essential Tools

These notes are keyed to the line numbers in the table in Figure A-1.

1. 1. Tenon saws, also known as back saws or miter saws, often don’t have hardened teeth, but I consider this feature essential to minimize your effort. Stanley FatMax 17-202 is my preferred choice. Other options are Pro-Grade 31968, the Irwin Plus 955, or the Silverline Tri-Cut model 456935, although this last one is shorter than I would prefer.
2. 2. I doubt you gain any advantage from spending more than the minimum on this type of saw.
3. 3. You will need a miter box that has a 67.5-degree slot in addition to the usual 45-degree and 90-degree slots. The 67.5 slot may be referred to as a 22.5 slot, as explained on page 65.
4. 4. If you buy clamps that are significantly longer or shorter than the recommended 12" size, they may not fit some of the projects. The 12" dimension refers to the maximum distance between the jaws of the clamp.
5. 5. The ruler should have square ends with no margin at each end. It must be graduated in inches in ¹/₂", ¹/₄", ¹/₈", and ¹/₁₆" fractions, with a separate scale for millimeters. It must be 18" long (a 12" ruler will be too short).
6. 11. Buy the weight of hammer that feels comfortable to you.
7. 14. This may be listed as an “acrylic knife.” It will be cheapest on eBay or at an online store selling plastics.
8. 15. The set of drill bits listed on page 93 is optimal for this book. Several manufacturers sell this range of sizes as 14-bit sets. Because none of my projects entails drilling materials harder than wood, low-cost bits are acceptable.
9. 16. The countersink must have only one flute and must be ½" diameter. Very low-cost options are available on eBay.
10. 19. The miniature screwdrivers must include a Phillips size 1. The Stanley 6-piece set, product number 66-052, is my choice.
11. 21. The files will only be used on wood and plastic in this book, so you don’t need to pay a lot for quality. A set must include one flat file, one round file, and one half-round file. They should be at least 8" long, not including the handle. Don’t buy miniature files or needle files. Sears product 22015HNN is an example, but cheaper sets are on eBay.
12. 23. You don’t need a large heat gun, so search for a 350W model. The HG-300D from NTE Electronics is my choice. Cheaper options are available, but I haven’t tried them.
13. 24. Buy the solvent applicator from the same source where you buy the plastic solvent cement (see item 26 in Figure A-4).
14. 25. Goggles provide more side protection than safety glasses. This is important. Check on Amazon or eBay.

Notes Regarding Optional Tools

These notes are keyed to the line numbers in the table in Figure A-2.

1. 1. For protection against sawdust, a low-cost dust mask is adequate.
2. 2. Because you will not be doing metal work, I think low-cost safety glasses are probably adequate.
3. 3. Oven mitts or the type of pure-cotton gloves used in hair salons will work.
4. 4. Stanley model 20-221 is a good option. Just make sure that any saw you buy has hardened teeth.
5. 6. Several types of deburring tool are available. The type you want should look like the photograph in Figure 15-1 on page 184. You won’t be using it on metal, so it does not have to be of high quality.
6. 7, 8. These plastic drawing aids are available from stationery suppliers.

Notes Regarding Buy-What-You-Need Supplies

These notes are keyed to the line numbers in the table in Figure A-3. Items 17 and 18 in parentheses are optional.

1. 1, 2, 3, 4. To obtain clear (knot-free) two-by-four and one-by-six pine, buy common pine and saw pieces out of it between the knots. If you buy three eight-footers of two-by-four and three eight-footers of one-by-six, you should have enough for all the projects in the book.
2. 5. If you can’t buy 40", buy two pieces measuring 18" or 24" each.
3. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Go to your big-box store first, where you can select dowels that aren’t warped. Try to avoid pine, especially for the thinner dowels. Look for dowels made of maple, poplar, or oak. If necessary, try a crafts store (which will be more expensive) or shop online. Amazon sells many types of dowels.

1. 11. Same advice as for the dowels, above.
2. 12. You need plywood with a birch veneer (the outermost layer), because the project requires the pale color to contrast with darker tints created with stains. Try a crafts store, or buy online.
3. 14. I specified a 12" width for ABS, because this is a common size. Check plastic suppliers, or try eBay. You want the type of ABS which is textured on one side.
4. 15. Clear polycarbonate, also sold as Lexan, is at your local hardware store, sold as window glazing. It may be cheaper online.
5. 16. You need a minimum of 4" x 4" of dark transparent red acrylic, ¹/₈" thick, and the same size of dark transparent blue, and of transparent magenta (also sold as pink). In addition, you need a piece of any other ¹/₈" acrylic for scoring-and-snapping practice. Currently, TAP Plastics sells 4" x 4" samples that are ideal.
6. 17. A source of 3D printing supplies will sell you a bundle of PVC rods, ³/₁₆" diameter, for a modest price.
7. 18. PVC plumbing caps for ½" pipe are much less expensive if you buy in bulk. Search online.

Notes Regarding Single-Purchase Supplies

These notes are keyed to the line numbers in the table in Figure A-4. Items 11 and 22 in parentheses are optional.

1. 1. Your big-box hardware store should have precut pieces this size.
2. 6. The cheapest disposable gloves seem to be those that are sold for food preparation. They’re good for when you’re painting, but may dissolve in plastic solvent. Nitrile gloves are a safer bet. Latex gloves can eventually cause a latex allergy, and should be avoided.
3. 11. If you choose to apply paint and polyurethane using rags or paper towels, brushes will not be necessary.
4. 13. You should find that four ounces of epoxy (and four ounces of hardener) cost very little more than two ounces. Epoxy glue has an indefinite shelf life.
5. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. Quantities specified for these items are exact. No allowance has been made in case you lose a screw or washer. I suggest that you should add some extras, just in case.
6. 15. Your easiest source for these little screws is www.mcmaster.com.
7. 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24. You can probably find small quantities of these items in little bags on hooks at your local hardware store, but they are much cheaper per-piece in quantities of 50 or 100, usually sold in boxes.
8. 20. Deck screws are sold by the box, like nails.
9. 22. For partially-threaded bolts, I would go to www.mcmaster.com.
10. 25. Search for “grooved dowels” on eBay or Amazon.
11. 26. You need solvent cement that will work on ABS, polycarbonate, and acrylic, and it should be water-thin in consistency. SciGrip 3 works on all three plastics. It contains dichloromethane (also known as methylene chloride), and smaller amounts of trichloroethylene and methyl methacrylate monomer. Many suppliers sell it currently online. If it becomes unavailable, call a plastics vendor and ask their recommendation. A can of four fluid ounces will be sufficient. Wherever you buy it, you should also buy the squeeze-bottle dispenser with syringe needle. Don’t try to use this solvent in an unapproved dispenser, because it may dissolve the dispenser.
12. 29. The size of the marbles must match the spacing of the nails in Chapter 4. You should be able to find marbles ⁹/₁₆" diameter on eBay at a moderate price. If you buy marbles of a different size, you will have to change the nail spacing in this project.