Beginning wood working advice

[BetterDays]

Beyond watching youtube and just "fiddling in the shop", what do you recommend on learning how to best use the tools that you have?
I have avoided "fiddling" as practice makes permanent, not perfect... so if I am getting really good at doing something wrong, what have I gained?

I ask since I have some tools that sit covered in dust (and not sawdust) due to time, energy (tired), and effort (what to do, where to begin).

Looking forward to some learning in this new forum!

 

[PirateTurner]

Pick a niche. Take a class.

 

[My Old Tools]

There are tons of good books and videos. Do you want to make kitchen cabinets, fine furniture, jewelry boxes? Hand tools or power tools or both? The articles in older Fine Woodworking magazines are a gold mine.

 

[jar944]

Youtube is ok, but there is a lot of bad mixed a bit of acceptable and a little good info.

Forums used to be great, but are all but dead

Instagram had a fantastic community of professionals and semi professionals sharing all sorts of tips and methods that really could help take things to the next level (until they went full tictoc) now it's just clickbait 10 second dancing cat reels. The stories still have interesting content but it's one and done never to be seen again.

Imho reference as much as you can and then just build a few things. You will get a more out of the reference material (whatever it may be) if you are also trying to apply it on a project.

 

[txvwnut]

Check with your local woodworker supply store see if they have beginner type classes you can take, or they may even offer a class for making a certain project which will show you techniques and tool usage which will transfer over to other projects.

 

[jar944]

What tools do you have and what are your goals (or what do you want to build)

 

[LeeG]

Think of something you'd like to have around the house, and make it. For a friend of mine, that thing was a Murphy Bed. My neighbor's first project was shelves for his garage. Shop cabinets are surprisingly easy to make with just a basic pocket hole jig and a circular saw. If there are some woodworking shops nearby, they might offer cutting and milling services, which would allow you to make nicer stuff from real hardwoods. My first project was a book stand for a recipe book for my grandmother to use while baking.

Lee

 

[BetterDays]

My short term interests are more simple - learn to best use the tools I have. Not sure I am worried about fine furniture, but potentially something that has decent aesthetics and function. Potential crafty 'resale' stuff as a stress relief for shows, marketplace, etc. (not an income stream)

 

[rsanter]

What kind of wood worker do you want to be?
what do you want to make?
big stuff? Small stuff? What?

answer those questions then pick a project.
research that project and how it it to be made
make a plan and start building.

my dad is 86 and he still get up and does stuff, he never really stopped.
i believe that one reason he is 86 and still does stuff is because he still does stuff.
working on projects is a bit like excersize, you can do it because you do it.
if you get off you by and do stuff you will be able to do more stuff

 

[el_chupo_]

Beyond watching youtube and just "fiddling in the shop", what do you recommend on learning how to best use the tools that you have?
I have avoided "fiddling" as practice makes permanent, not perfect... so if I am getting really good at doing something wrong, what have I gained?

I ask since I have some tools that sit covered in dust (and not sawdust) due to time, energy (tired), and effort (what to do, where to begin).

Looking forward to some learning in this new forum!

Which tools? If someone recommends wood turning pens, and you dont have a lathe, then thats pointless.
If someone says bandsaw boxes, and you dont have a bandsaw, again, pointless.
If someone says CNC cutting flat pack or hobby/collector items (bottle caps, spoons, baseballs, etc) and you dont have a CNC, waste of time.

If we knew what tools you have, what you are interested in making or learning, and your current basic skill set, it would be a lot easier than "tell me what to learn in this hobby that has dozens, if not hundreds of different niche's"

 

[gmcgeo]

Beyond watching youtube and just "fiddling in the shop", what do you recommend on learning how to best use the tools that you have?
I have avoided "fiddling" as practice makes permanent, not perfect... so if I am getting really good at doing something wrong, what have I gained?

I ask since I have some tools that sit covered in dust (and not sawdust) due to time, energy (tired), and effort (what to do, where to begin).

Looking forward to some learning in this new forum!

https://www.youtube.com/@BlacktailStudio watch him. He offers classes on his website too.

 

[Aaron_W]

Wood is just a material, woodworking covers a huge range, furniture, toys, jewelry, knickknacks, wood carving etc.

Project types and available tools would help with advice.

There are lots of books available based on what you want to do.

 

[eejack]

Just make something.

Pick a project that you likely have tools for and make it.

Have to second taking classes - lots of community schools have wood shop.

Be fearless, and if it comes out like ****, so what. It is far better than anything you haven't made.

 

[johnre]

Check with your local community college - they often have pretty good classes at a very low cost.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

See if you have a local wood workers guild. I joined and to be quite honest many of the guys are very specialized in theI wood working interests. I don’t know if that is due to space, expense or simply interest or a personal preference.
What is your woodworking interest/focus?
Cabinetry
Carving
Furniture
Luthier
Restoration
Scroll Saw
Small Objects
Woodturning
Wood burning
Discounts at specific retailers, social interaction, knowledge, and ours has a vast library.
I joined for the discounts and library since joining I’m finding a myriad of pluses and met some great fellow wood workers.

 

[BetterDays]

Thank you for all of the feedback.
I am going to check out my local woodcraft store (about 30 min away) as I know they offer classes / sessions.
As far as tools, I do have a shopsmith (mark5) and then router/table, table saw, hand sanders, drill press, band saw, scroll saw, and not sure what else. The drill press / band saw / drill press are all HF models (either on sale items or new on marketplace).

There are some crafts I would live to build just for fun / stress relief.
I don't see fine furniture, wood turning (at least not right now), or the like in my future, but perhaps other sellable/giftable builds.
My grandfather (RIP) was into wood working craft toys and then some intricate craft builds as his hobby. Not sure if he built furniture, but I just remember being allowed to play with the power tools and scrap wood in his basement as a kid. I wish I still had them, but homemade Lincoln Logs were some of our favorite since we could custom build pieces

 

[ez-duzit]

Offer to help someone who works with wood, in exchange for being shown the basics.

 

[RoninB4]

-Whatever you decide to build, better make it small items because you'll need to make several before you're satisfied with your build/finish methods. Making furniture is great but end table and dressers fill up the house/garage real quick. Enjoy the new hobby.

 

[BetterDays]

-Whatever you decide to build, better make it small items because you'll need to make several before you're satisfied with your build/finish methods. Making furniture is great but end table and dressers fill up the house/garage real quick. Enjoy the new hobby.

That is my exact plan... turning purchased wood into sawdust or kindling until I get better...

 

[micromind]

A bit of paranoia is good with woodworking tools.......adopt the basic attitude that every tool will do its best to hurt you and it's up to you to prevent it.

 

[BetterDays]

A bit of paranoia is good with woodworking tools.......adopt the basic attitude that every tool will do its best to hurt you and it's up to you to prevent it.

100%... too many times someone isn't paying attention, takes a shortcut, just this once --- and something happens.
Trying to be slow, steady, and focused instead of in a rush to get it done.

 

[NUTTSGT]

100%... too many times someone isn't paying attention, takes a shortcut, just this once --- and something happens.
Trying to be slow, steady, and focused instead of in a rush to get it done.

Respect the tool, pay attention to where your fingers are and don't get complacent.

 

[jives]

Just make something.

Pick a project that you likely have tools for and make it.

Have to second taking classes - lots of community schools have wood shop.

Be fearless, and if it comes out like ****, so what. It is far better than anything you haven't made.

This

Back in junior high and then high school, the projects first started off with how to use the tools and what they could do. Handtools such as planes, sanders, squares, saws, etc. After that we moved on to basic projects that we would could use. The ubiquitous pump lamp (I made one growing up in San Diego, my wife made one growing up in the Boston area). Moved on to a small stool. Still have mine, son has his he made in high school. Started my niece off with woodworking with the stool. The stools are all in use. So, pick a project you would want, and go for it.

 

[RoninB4]

That is my exact plan... turning purchased wood into sawdust or kindling until I get better...

-In the magazine Fine Woodworking I've read interviews with very good carvers stating that they keep a wood stove nearby when a project doesn't go as planned. Sure keeps down on the clutter, and the evidence.

 

[Ohio Andy]

@BetterDays I am in the middle of Ohio; Worthington.

Are you close?

What types of tools do you have? Are you thinking hand tools or power tools?


Did you say that you want to turn? I have a friend with of Columbus that does lots of turning...I didn't do turning, but if you want to learn hand cut dovetails

 

[LeonardY]

My advice is head to the library and look at woodworking magazines and books. Find a project you would like to do. They have plans and provide basic instruction. Norm Abrams (This old house.) Wrote a series of books. They were well done and had good instructions. I think you may be able to find the shows on Youtube as well.

You can also join a local woodworking club. They will have everyone from novices to experts. They will do demos and teach techniques.

@kaymccampbell is the president of NWA.

Northeastern Woodworkers Association – NWA Woodworking Education

woodworker.org

Good luck on your journey.

 

[Aaron_W]

Thank you for all of the feedback.
I am going to check out my local woodcraft store (about 30 min away) as I know they offer classes / sessions.
As far as tools, I do have a shopsmith (mark5) and then router/table, table saw, hand sanders, drill press, band saw, scroll saw, and not sure what else. The drill press / band saw / drill press are all HF models (either on sale items or new on marketplace).

There are some crafts I would live to build just for fun / stress relief.
I don't see fine furniture, wood turning (at least not right now), or the like in my future, but perhaps other sellable/giftable builds.
My grandfather (RIP) was into wood working craft toys and then some intricate craft builds as his hobby. Not sure if he built furniture, but I just remember being allowed to play with the power tools and scrap wood in his basement as a kid. I wish I still had them, but homemade Lincoln Logs were some of our favorite since we could custom build pieces

Scroll saw and bandsaw are good for making toys.

There are tons of books with plans for wooden toys, you can often find them used for not much money. Check used book stores, amazon, ebay, abebooks etc.

A lot of the woodworking magazines include plans for projects, and offer plans on their websites either free or for sale. Some are focused on specific topics, but Popular Woodworking, Wood, and Woodsmith are kind of general purpose woodworking magazines that offer a variety of projects.

Popular Mechanics and similar old magazines used to offer lots of DIY project ideas when you get to the 1970s or earlier. Many are available free online, there is a Popular Mechanics archive going back to 1900 hosted by Google books.

 

[kaymccampbell]

My advice is head to the library and look at woodworking magazines and books. Find a project you would like to do. They have plans and provide basic instruction. Norm Abrams (This old house.) Wrote a series of books. They were well done and had good instructions. I think you may be able to find the shows on Youtube as well.

You can also join a local woodworking club. They will have everyone from novices to experts. They will do demos and teach techniques.

@kaymccampbell is the president of NWA.

Northeastern Woodworkers Association – NWA Woodworking Education

woodworker.org

Good luck on your journey.

@BetterDays , You can also look around the website for safety manuals and whatnot. If there's one thing we have, it's a robust training and machine qualifications system. Other organizations pattern theirs after ours. There's lots of good stuff under

Shop Safety Manual – Northeastern Woodworkers Association

woodworker.org

And

Links – Northeastern Woodworkers Association

woodworker.org

 

[Notgrownup]

Patience, patience, safety, patience and a bit more safety. Protect your eyes, lungs, ears and limbs. If you’re not sure if you need the safety device or not, use it.

 

[man-a-fre]

Only let the wood hit the blade.

 

[BombShelter]

Small projects are the best, one of my first was a glass frame for a signed Tony Hawk Skateboard. Try to learn the safe way to handle to tools without juggling large boards. I've moved on to kitchen cabinets and they can be very satisfying when done.

 

[Jgaz]

@BetterDays. Since you are both learning, and own a ShopSmith I believe that you would benefit from this book.
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/power...0aArHMEALw_wcB#edition=60027102&idiq=58956966

IMO the edition really doesn’t matter. I know you have other machines and that’s a good thing but this book will open your eyes to some of the unique jobs that can be done with the Shopsmith.
It will also suggest some projects that are useful around the shop

The machine has its limitations no doubt.
However, in my experience, it was a very long time before I could honestly blame the machine and not myself.

 

[Boatman62]

My advice is to learn and be proficient with basic tools first. Take a class or 2 in basic joinery and hand tool use. This will go a long way to helping you understand woodworking. So many times I see people getting into the hobby buy a table saw and a pocket hole jig and have no basic knowledge of wood working. A starting kit should include and set of chisels, combination square, block plane, jack plane and a hand saw. Build from there as needed. As for power tools, the foundation of any shop is a table saw and good blades. And there is no need to spend big bucks on the "boutique" tooling like Woodpecker and such. There are plenty of budget minded tools that are more that accurate enough. And lastly learn how to sharpen the edge tools.

 

[daytonworktrucks]

@BetterDays I am in the middle of Ohio; Worthington.

Are you close?

What types of tools do you have? Are you thinking hand tools or power tools?


Did you say that you want to turn? I have a friend with of Columbus that does lots of turning...I didn't do turning, but if you want to learn hand cut dovetails

I am in Ohio and looking to learn more.

I want to know how to use power and hand tools. Is there a rough percentage I could mark up a piece for using only hand tools to build it?

I am interested in turning as well and very open to learning.

 

[Ohio Andy]

I am in Ohio and looking to learn more.

I want to know how to use power and hand tools. Is there a rough percentage I could mark up a piece for using only hand tools to build it?

I am interested in turning as well and very open to learning.

If you are close to the Middle of Ohio and you want to get together? Let me know. I'm on the Northern end of Columbus city is Worthington.

When I first started. I was going to do everything by hand so I bought some hand planes and then I tried to flatten a board.

So decide how much time and space you have.

Do you want to start entirely by hand? Some places will mill the wood for you, which is difficult

I want to build a case that is 27 in by 18 1/2 in tall by 24 in deep. I have done this with real wood and hand cut dovetails
Took a long time. Yesterday I bought a sheet of plywood, milled my own banding from oak, attached it, then assembled the case using Pocket hole screws. Not as sturdy as hand cut dovetails doesn't look as nice as hand cut dovetails, but much much faster.

How will I make the drawers?

Microjig

FITFINDER Lock Miter Router Bit

Very fast setup and easy.

How did I make a special cabinet for my father? In his fancy wood and hand cut dovetails.

Honestly, I'm a little frightened of wood turning but a good friend of mine does a ton of it. I'm having dinner with him on Monday. Very nice guy. You want to meet him? You should join us first time out. I'll treat you

 

[HoosierBuddy]

Small, Crafty, doesn't take a lot of material, and can make it with a scroll saw and a band saw?

This reminds me of one of my first projects I made over 30 years ago from some plans in a woodworking magazine. Back then we didn't have youtube. We had AOL and dial up internet at best.

I don't see the exact project online, but this one is very similar. It'll give you a good feel for your band saw and your scroll saw. You'll also learn that every woodworking project turns into a sanding project at some point. In the end you'll end up with an heirloom. Mine is still on display as we speak.

 

[fozzy]

Pick a project and jump into it like a deep pool. You can learn a lot online, but you learn more by doing yourself. Like others have said, learn and understand the tools you have and most importantly how to operate them safely. This is really first and foremost, as an injury sustained from a woodworking tool can set you back months or years on a good day, for life on a bad day. I grew up watching "The New Yankee Workshop" and often mimicked what I saw on TV (now the internet) when I was just a teenager. Back then I paid $29.99 for a DVD and measured "drawerings" for a project but it taught me a lot of basic skills that carry over into everything.

I didn't have a workshop outfitted with a hundred thousand dollars of machines but quickly learned that you don't need that if you apply some basic reasoning, and have the time for set-up. Norm used to get a lot of grief for using a "TimeSaver" belt sander well beyond the reach of your basic garage woodworker, but in the end it is just a tool that he was lucky to have access to to. You can do the same thing after gaining experience with what you have or can get for a reasonable price.

I had a friend send me a memory stick with years and years of a woodworking magazine issues that was an amazing library of projects and techniques. Awesome if you have the time to read and absorb them all. These days, if you wanted to create a carved mahogany cat newel post on top of Peruvian walnut railing and baluster that accents as ipe deck, there is likely a YouTube video that will help you get there. But you still can't replace reading and watching without getting in the garage and gaining experience. And you will make mistakes- just learn from them and move on.

 

[BetterDays]

My first task has been a larger workbench and organization (what do I have and where is it!). Realizing I had more than I thought, but it was scattered in different places since it did not have a home. Buying a Workbench shows what I have now, as my plan was to buy something and assemble, but the universe worked in a different direction.

Workbench is 80% but I need to coat the top (not sure with what yet) and some other clean-up where things just do not align correctly. Flooring mats come this week and I will clear the area to install next week after the shirt tuggers (nieces) leave. And since clutter will be OUT of the space, I then determine what comes back and what does not.

More to time coming with that to allow the physical space to work (clutter) and mental clarity (I can see clearly now the clutter's gone... please sing this verse) of being in the small shop. Planning 5Sish with items having a home and being labeled (primarily totes), but no outlines, etc. After the clean-up, it needs to stay cleaned up and not create new piles / put it down / where tf did it go... Clamp storage will be something for me to investigate, as they do not all fit in totes (and I can only fit some many totes everywhere)

Non Project time focus is on "put it away, not down". Put items back and find them again next time (random visits to the garage, not projects in the garage). At the end of the day, allow clean-up time to put things away and tidy up (sweep up dust, wipe things down, etc).

During projects, I plan to have a "put it here" spot (either a kanban tote OR a cheap baking sheet used for the garage and not the kitchen) to eliminate losing things while working. This could be used when projects go multiple days and I don't necessarily want to put everything away (pencils, tape measures, etc) but contained to a single point of reference.

After cleansing, I am going to look at the spare wood in the garage and delve into some small things for the house.

I recently learned that my trustee mitre saw (from the mid 2000s) was not straight and both sides (not just one) bent inward., short cuts were be at an angle and long cuts were OK. Not sure how I never noticed it, but also blamed myself when things were not right.

 

[Prospecter]

If you can visualize it, you can build it. Start by building stuff for your shop. A work bench, stand for your drill press, tool storage, shelves, etc. And small stuff like trays, cutting boards, bird houses. You will get a lot of experience in a hurry. Most of those projects will use less expensive or free wood. Over time, you will learn better ways of doing things, and will want to redo your projects. Redoing shops is what most of us do. Few of us remain happy with our first efforts.

Wood Gears, Wood Working for Mere Mortals, I Build It, and Jay's Custom Creations all have pages and videos with fun projects. All four makers began with simple shops and simple tools, and moved forward from there. (Check their early videos and pages.)

Of all your tools, I would be most cautious about the ShopSmith Table saw. You'll want aftermarket attachments to guard the blade and reduce kickback.

Don't let perfection be the enemy of good enough and a work in progress.

 

[Bessy]

If you're tired, don't turn on a tool at all, and never rush a job. If you are tired or crunched for time, use that time for cleanup, for sharpening/tool maintenance (as long as you can pay attention to what you're doing - I've been bit far more often by non powered tools than powered), or for material planning your next build. Tools and materials are expensive so it pays to limit screw-ups any way that you can.

In practice, I wasn't tired or necessarily pressed for time, but even over lunch I managed to screw up a build that I'm trying to get finished for my wife. I am hopeful, but not completely confident that I will be able to still use the piece I cut without considerably more rework so, lesson learned.

Curious