Tools of the trade

One of things that initially appealed to me about green oak timber framing was the relatively small number tools needed to build, well anything really. With a framing square and adjustable bevel, a plumb bob, level and string line, a couple of chisels and saws, a drill and some augers, and good leather-faced mallet, you had all the equipment with which the medieval carpenters built the masterpieces of timber construction, many of which still stand today.
Times have changed, and we now have access to all manner of power tools which increase efficiency and reduce sweat, and enable construction carpentry to compete with other styles of building as economically viable. A fair investment is needed to set up even a small workshop like mine, I like the fact that you can still do an awful lot with very little!