Free Woodworking Hand Tools For Under-Represented Woodworkers

“The Chairmaker’s Toolbox” is a charity that just reached out to me to ask my readers to apply to receive one of a couple nice collections of woodworking hand tools that were donated to them, as part of their Living Tools project. These woodworking hand tools will be donated to underrepresented craftspeople, who have a strong drive to make a living with furniture making.

The organization “equips historically-excluded makers to engage in the field of chairmaking [and other areas of hand tool woodworking] and advance their personal woodworking practice. Specifically…the Living Tools Project… facilitates the donation of hand tools from a maker who no longer needs them to an aspiring maker who may not otherwise have access to them.”

They currently have two woodworking hand tools collections that will be donated, which are available on their website:

The Willowbrook Collection

The first woodworking hand tools collection (above) is the Willowbrook collection, and is a “tidy collection of hand tools is a great foundational set of tools for joinery and general craft. The donor hopes to support an aspiring craftsperson in a traditionally underrepresented population.” You can see the Willowbrook collection here.

You can visit our woodworking hand tools guide to learn more about fundamental tools for woodworking.

The Wade Lowe Violin Collection

The second collection of woodworking hand tools was donated by master luthier / violin maker Wade Lowe, and includes a large collection of tools for that trade.

You can see the Wade Low collection here.

About the Living Tools Project

The Chairmaker’s Toolbox asked us to pass this information to our students, followers, and anyone we know who might benefit as a recipient of one of these tool collections, so please visit this link to learn more about the available tools, the application process, past recipients, and even donating your tool collection.

Available tool collections are posted and reviewed on a quarterly basis. Priority is given to recipients who demonstrate that they plan to make regular use of the tools and consider themselves underrepresented in the field.