I am of the mind that just a few basic hand tools and a good workbench are all you need to begin making things in wood.
I'm far from a minimalist. But I am an advocate of using what is on hand, at least to start. You have to determine what you "need" based on "you". How you work, what your skill set is (yes you have a skill set, even if you don't know it yet) and what your projects are. Your list is a good starting point. You have to start somewhere!
Don, I agree with you and Ryan. An essential tool kit definitely depends on what one needs to build a certain thing. Perhaps before amassing tools, we should determine what we want to build, based on the skills we possess.
Knowing how to use a tool is more important than the tool in and of itself. - Ron Aylor
