. . . what else do you need?
Now that the hammer and saw are taken care of, let us suggest that the minimum tool chest will also contain a screwdriver or two, a trysquare, a smoothing plane, a chisel (several sizes if you can manage it), a folding rule, a steel tape rule, and a pair of pliers. Probably a brace and bit set of good quality might be added, together with a level 24 to 28 inches in length, and a ripsaw if you plan to do any great amount of sawing with the grain of boards.

Screwdrivers come in a great variety of sizes, from about 3 inches long to 18 inches or more, with the width of the blade varying considerably, too. For general use, one about 8 to 10 inches long is best, along with a stubby one about 3 inches long having a medium width blade, which is useful where long-handled regular screwdrivers will not have room to operate. Where many screws must be set, a spiral ratchet screwdriver is a good investment. It will speed the work tremendously. Most of these have a chuck which permits the use of interchangeable blades of various sizes to fit different kinds of screws without injuring the slots and without marring the surrounding wood. Also, it is possible to buy replacements if a blade becomes damaged or is lost. A reversible ratchet makes it possible to remove screws quickly, too, when this is necessary. With this type of screwdriver, once the screw is started, only one hand is needed for setting it.

With the standard type of screwdriver either wood or plastic handles are satisfactory, so long as one doesn't use a hammer to pound them. Handles thus treated will splinter or shatter.

The try-square has a thin steel blade set into a wooden or metal handle, the blade being marked off in fractions of an inch and usually 6 inches or more in length. Handle and blade are set at right angles (90° exactly) so that the try-square may be used for marking either across lumber or on the edge for true cuts. It may also be used to test and true up cuts and for smoothing boards when they are planed. An adjustable try-square, although more expensive than the fixed-blade types, will prove a useful tool, for it has a 45° angle as well as a right angle.