Maybe start out with a few simple hand tools to get the feel of the tools. Also make small projects like things for the house, complete them through the finish process. If you like what you are doing, start adding some power tools if you have the space to place them.
Eric - the "Loft" replied about 2 hours ago Maybe start out with a few simple hand tools to get the feel of the tools. Also make small projects like things for the house, complete them through the finish process. If you like what you are doing, start adding some power tools if you have the space to place them.
I disagree move near me go spend 80k on tools then when you don't like it sell them to me very cheap 🤣👍🤣👍😎
My advise, Buy a jointer, planer, table saw, router and chop saw first. Then discover how cheap and satisfying hand tool work. After developing ODO (order dis-order) start collect any plane, drill, miter box and hand saw you can. It worked for me, except the cheap part.
I’m pretty new to woodworking, so this is a great topic I think. I’ve only been doing it about 10-12 years, so it’s all still fresh. I’d say try to find a mentor. Find a guild, go to some classes, something. I made so many mistakes setting up my shop because I didn’t know or understand how a shop was supposed to flow, or how projects moved through phases. I just wanted to ‘do it’, ya know? I’m kind of a tool collector, and I don’t mind that. Buying tools you’ll use is fine…of course buy once, cry once applies. Which is another reason to find a mentor…someone to help you understand quality vs gimmicky before you’ve figured it out on your own. Lastly, don’t skimp on shop infrastructure. Good lighting, climate controls (if needed), electrical capacity and layout, and DUST COLLECTION cannot be overstated. Setting the shop up in such a way to make what you’re doing safer, cleaner and more comfortable will ALWAYS pay dividends in my book. Some of my biggest mistakes were in this area, and it’s taken years and a lot of work to rectify that! If I’d found a mentor or a guild, so much of that would have been avoided simply by seeing how things ‘could be’ before I built my own shop…
Next I’d say don’t limit yourself. I started doing mostly construction projects, before I moved into furniture, then into more artsy stuff, then back into furniture-ish things, etc… I never felt like ‘well, I’m making furniture now, so that’s what I do, make furniture…”. Especially as a hobbiest, making shop furniture and fixtures and jigs is one of the things I like most. But then I got some interest in turning and eased into that. And you know what? One compliments the other. Having a lathe means I can turn parts for other projects, no matter what the project type is. That list goes on…
I also take notes, especially on finishing. Pretty detailed notes too. What I sanded to, what finish materials were used, how much, how many coats, at what interval. Finishing is an art and a science, and it really makes or breaks almost any type project you do. I’ve got pages and pages of notes about finishes in general, their strong points and weaknesses, that I’ve gathered over the years. Standing on the shoulders of others helps me choose the right product and finish style for the project I’m working on…you can cover yourself in sanding dust three times over making things perfect, but a botched finish, or just the wrong finish, can make it all for not. For me, there is no ‘one’ finish…although it would be easier if there were! Matching proper finish materials to project style and wood species can make a good project GR8! as Tony would say…
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
Primary power tool would be a good table saw. From there acquire tools needed to work on your chosen projects. Don't buy "cheap" tools but good quality used tools are OK. Cheap tools either don't last or are often inadequate for the work. Expect new tool acquisition to be a lifetime experience.
Learn about various types of wood starting from construction plywood to exotic hard woods and veneers. Visit your local hardwood store(s) to get familiar with what is available. Finally follow wood working web sites like this one to learn from other peoples questions and mistakes. I have a lot of experience but lack design creativity so I like to look for new ideas here.
I started woodworking in the summer of 2018 so I've only got about 4-1/2 years experience under me.
My advice is ask yourself what you want to make. Small boxes, cutting boards, furniture, cabinetry? The answer to that will help determine your starting path. If you want to start small there is no reason you can't pick up some hand tools and some S4S lumber and get to work. Those tools and skills are going to be transferable if/when you decide you want to make larger pieces. And its not like you cant make larger pieces with hand tools if that's the route you choose. Machines just make making things faster.
If you are like me and the answer to the question above is "D. All of the above" well that is going to get pricey...QUICK! My advice for going down that road is DO NOT start with a jobsite saw unless that is your only option. A used saw with any amount of cast iron on it is going to be a better choice. I've seen people make some awesome things with jobsite saws but in my opinion they aren't worth the hassle if you can shop used. If used isn't an option or prices are a nightmare, like where I live, then save up a tad more and get something like the Delta 36-725.
A few other random thoughts:
Be patient and buy tools as you need them for each new project
Don't skimp on dust collection...I did at first and it was a very dumb mistake
If you are going to shop used tools keep a small amount of a slush fund available and always be on the lookout for a tool you may need. There is no such thing as a used tool factory so you need to be able to buy when the deal is right.
There is nothing wrong with having a hybrid shop. In fact machines and hand tools are not mutually exclusive. A good hand plane or 3 or 4 or how many ever you want will come in handy even if you primarily use machines. I still joint every board by hand.
Become a student of the craft. Research and absorb information as if you need it to survive.
I’ve never really thought about the starting. I’ve always been handy with a shed full of tools to do home and vehicle maintenance. I didn’t like woodworking at school preferring metalwork; thus engineering trades through the Navy. Then found out office work in procurement was more rewarding. The woodwork came as an outlet distraction for pain management and better mental health. Being an impatient sort of bloke I just wanted to make and finish something; so with the handyman tools I had the journey started. Somehow I settled on toymaking and with the support, encouragement of many folk found out I’m creative and not too bad at doing it. It was a matter of just starting, but saying that, I’ve always appreciated good quality tools as I could afford them. Older secondhand tools have saved me a bucket of money.
I remember a woodworker was making a box and he made dozens of mistakes on it. He marked all the errors and kept that on his workbench to remind him of the lessons that he learned.
It’s not a “tool” per de but definitely a helpful resource
I have yet to take this advice, but I think one of the first things to do is buy a plan. Everything I've made was without plans. To this day I really don't know very much about how things are made correctly. It's hard to admit because after making so many small projects, I'm embarrassed to ask questions I should know the answers to. I've gotten away with it for years, but I struggle on every project. My memory isn't what it used to be, so even after I get a project completed, If I want to make it again, I just about have to figure it out all over again. I think I am now at the point if I don't buy a plan, I'm not sure how much longer I can play this game. I think a plan might teach you the thought process of how to accomplish what you have in your mind.
Unless Dad or an Uncle, Friend, has a full shop, most people start out with a few tools that I call utility players. A jigsaw, which can do work like a scroll saw, bandsaw, and even a TS. Cost is less than any of them. I think for many it's a progression like that. Hand drill, probably corded, unless your needs are remote, then batteries can do it. When I first got married, adding tools was a hardship financially, we were buying a house, and I didn't have yard tools, and other necessary essentials. I had worked construction for several years before that, and had a good start on a a pretty good kit, but in a pinch I had to go to Dads, or my Uncles to really do anything large, or well done.
Patience, is a virtue. They say Rome wasn't built in a day, and I think this means you may have to wait to accumulate, and even do some of the things you want to do.
So my suggestion is look around the community, is there education, and or access to tools and equipment. Public library has books of plans, usually magazines, and a lot of other resources you may not know about unless you ask. Today it isn't unheard of to hear about shared shop space, community shops, things like that. Many of them offer education for free, or low cost, take that offer up.
Seeing a lot of younger people start out doing DIY stuff so many want to just start doing stuff. Practice does improve your capabilities, often at the expense of a lot of burned up wood resources. Wood generally costs $$$$$$ Some people find wood, doing that can increase the number of projects you can start, and decrease the cost to do them.
Ask questions. Plenty of places like this one, You tube has weeks of video on just woodworking. Problem there is figuring out the good info from the BAD.
Make mistakes, just try to make sure they aren't the cut your finger off type. Make something that becomes trash, it's the best teacher as long as before trying again, you do your best to figure out what went wrong.
First, you may have a natural talent for woodwork, or you may be like me - still learning over fifty years in. And, if like me, it's okay to screw up. Wood burns. So you can hide the evidence.
I graduated from high school in 69. My high school wood project was on display in the school woodshop decades after I left. The sign on it said, "If you did this, you flunked."
Comically, my shop pales that old school workshop, and the teacher who left me to strike out on my own looks like a novice, compared to me, and I was invited to a Paris art show for my work. So, I've made some things that people thought were pretty okay. That aside, I still build the occasional project that would get me flunked again.
Everything I have in the way of shop and tools, today, came out of a ugly greenish-yellow Black and Decker drill and saber saw that produced a few things other people bought and that decorated my meager home. That in spite of that the saber saw's ninety degree cuts fluctuated between eighty and one hundred degrees. And, the only router work I was able to do, initially, was via a gimmick bit that went in my drill.
These days, even Harbor Freight equipment would pale the tools I had, and there is far better, if it can be afforded. These facts, along with a better variety of materials (wood, finishes, etc.), and the Net, will make it possible to move ahead in the world of woodwork far quicker than a lot of us old farts did.
When you add the kind of desire that gets us through our first job and so on, you'll be well on your way to whatever it is you want to accomplish.
Kelly, you flunked out of woodshop, that's funny. Nice little story.
I have had my share of failures over the years also, who hasn't. Started with a few hand tools and mainly did stuff for the house and the kids. Then inherited some from my father, some of which were sold by the Ex, *#&@%. Since then, I have accumulated more floor tools by searching CL, a few good deals, brought them home and tuned them up, yes most of them are prior to 1985. I don't have any of that high-speed stuff in the shop. I do manage well, and my projects have come a long way over the years, still learning new technics.
I used to get really pissed off (and break shit) when I couldn't pull off what I just saw on You Tube. I have learned much since then but much more to go. I find my self looking at a cut, a board, a joint fit and grain now before I act. Just got done making a skewed panel raising plane at one of the last Woodwright's shop classes, its not perfect but damn good. Glad I didn't flunk Geometry in high school. I enjoy old hand tools and saws and the journey I have embarked upon. I must admit it will get easier when my Mini Split gets here. The wife doesn't get distracted until the afternoon and by then its just too hot.
Oh Tips, If you like hand tools Ebay is a mess lately but in some areas estate sales can get some nice finds. Many think nobody uses those hand tools anymore and you can get on the cheap if you don't mind de-rusting and tuning. Power tools, I had a cheap table saw that I hated, it worked but I hated it (Kobalt). I sold it for $200. I bought a Saw Stop after an employee lost part of three fingers, out of work five months and $80.000 for medical. I then fell in love with hand tool work and only used it about six times in the last year. Pick your path, which may change, and slowly get started. A sharp tool can often do as much as a premium tool. Paul Sellars is a great resource for a starting hand tool woodworker.
Back in high school, I avoided trig, calculus, chemistry, physics, biology and, especially, quantum physics. I even avoided algebra, and the wits at the top waited until the last quarter of my senior year to tell me I had to have it to graduate. Subsequently, I had to complete it in that quarter to graduate.
Years down the road, when I did a LOT of work with engineers (Keyport (NTS/NUWES) and Bangor, Washington) and might have got exposed to a bit of it while playing with electron transport and manipulation systems, I figured out it could be fun to play with, in some applications.
Later, I found out a bit more about the whole "Horton Hears a Who" thing and was sad I had thought such things were only for the Brainiacs. What a fascinating direction, while everyone else was trying to look farther and farther out into space.
Back to that geometry thing. Two professors lived next door to me. The wife version would bring over muffins and things so the kid bachelor wouldn't starve eating his own cooking (it might really have been a thing). One day, she remarked, "[y]ou sure do a lot of geometry." I was, sincerely, clueless. She pointed at different things I had going on around my shop and explained it to me.
Gads I've spent a lot of time honing that "dumb" thing.
