Getting into wood working (kinda)

[DARKSCOPE001]

Hello all, I have taken a recent fancy of woodworking. Mostly because my girlfriend and mom find things that they like and tell me how cool it would be to have them and I look at the pix think that I could easily do that And could knock it out in a weekend.

Only one problem I have verry few woodworking tools. So I have to ask a few questions to those who know a bit more than I do.

Firstly Saws. I want a saw well suited for nice square cuts in many different matereals. 2x4 plywood, hardwoods, what have you. So I was thinking about getting a circular saw. But im not sure If a circular saw or a table saw would be a better option. Circular saw would be able to cut anwhere in a matereal because its not restricted to how far the fence can be put out. But the table saw will be more steady and will probably make more square cuts.

I have a jig saw and thats about it, Its an old tired out black and decker that I mannaged to build some shelves with but I want a new one, I was thinking about a new black and decker but I dont want to buy cheep and have to buy again.

Lastly can anyone give me any other tools that are must haves or real nice to have? I know I want some quick clamps, long bar clamps, and probably a pocket hole jig, But anything else?

Thanks
Sean Scott

 

[cashishift]

I'd want a circular saw just have in general, i don't know if you would use it a whole lot in woodworking.

But having a nice table saw is worth its weight in gold. Especially one that has a real nice fence system on it.

Then you'll probably want a miter saw, just depends how much you are gonna spend what features you get.

You can never have too many clamps.. thats for sure. The Kreg jig is nice, but they are pretty pricey.

 

[DARKSCOPE001]

well I want a router thats for sure, and i think a circ saw would be nice to have just for whatever because I like to build other stuff to. I am not talking about real nice wood working, Not yet anyways.

My mom wants me to build a toychest for her grandson (my older stepbrothers son) And my girlfriend wants me to build her this thing called a book nook (found it while reading a woodworking mag and picked it up to save the plans) Both are easy weekend builds but still cool.

But Eventualy I want to do other stuff (would not mind learning how to build cabnets) But I think a circ saw would be nice because I want to build a dog house and a outdoor storage building.

Thanks guys
Sean Scott

 

[carap]

To do any real wood working you need a miter saw and a table saw. I circular saw can do both of those cuts, but not very well. A circular saw is more of a framing tool.

 

[Concrete B]

I slightly disagree with what you are saying, lol. A circular saw can do practically anything. You can use a straight 2x4 as a guide and make any straight cut, in any material. A Router is a good investment. A router and circular saw and make anything you do NICE. You need a good fastener system. I like a cordless drill and an assortment of bits, and screws with square or torx heads. Use good glue, lots of it (but not too much), and a pockethole jig will make your fastening better. A good RO sander will finish up the job.

Table saws, mitre saws, etc are purely convenient variations of the classic circular saw. Bandsaw is just a big jigsaw.

I will say to buy decent stuff the first time and never buy another. You don't need the best if you are not a daily shop. Most of my stuff is Delta or Craftsman and suits me just fine, but for starting out on a budget of some type: circular saw, router, sander, drill will get you going. I'm not saying dont get fancier stuff if you can afford it, but it is not necessary at all.

 

[rsanter]

miter saw
small tablesaw
router and router table

bob

 

[woody 73]

This is you lucky day I sent you a pm about a table saw...

 

[rcayot]

go visit woodnet.net

Roger

 

[Mighty Favog]

Im a very mechanical person when it comes to building cars to home repairs. But when it comes to building stuff with wood for some reason I just ****. I have all the tools mentioned above except a band saw.

I swear I can measure a two by four for a cut three times and still cut it too long (which gives me another chance lol) or too short. I have a ton of little stubby two by fours in a pile to prove it.

My wife loves to constantly change trim and stuff around the house. It was very frustrating work for me. Finally I just took the time to show her how each tool works. She can lay out miter joints with the best of em now ... thank God I don't have to do it anymore LOL.

 

[Falcon67]

My dad and grandad did both house remodeling - for fun - and also wood working. My dad used a Shop Smith Mark V and did very well with it. If you plan to produce half decent furniture, you will need - generally as a minimum - a high grade table saw with an accurate fence and a good size table, lathe, drill press, quality miter saw, planer, router and a variety of sanders.

If you are building a shop, you can get by with a low end 10" table saw, circular saw and a power screwdriver. I built a 20x24 shop with that - the "power screwdriver" was a 9.2V B&D house grade drill.

Fine woodworking is like fine metalworking - you can produce high grade work on low grade tools, but it's more work and more skill is required. Starting with a better tool always saves time and trouble.

 

[e-tek]

If you're gonna be joining any of that cut wood together you'll want a planer and biscuit joiner. I struggled to make things look properly put together for a long time until I learned to get straight edges then joining them with biscuits and dowels. Have fun!

 

[oldgoat]

I've use pocket screws a lot to join pieces to gether. Biscuits are good also if you have a bisquit joiner. The main power tools I use are my compound sliding miter saw, benchtop table saw and the router. The router is on a table that I mounted my dual housing router on. It has the adjustable collar on the table and then if I need the router I can easily remove it and use the other collar. I have a older 10" B&D miter saw and a H/F 12" compound slider. Makes it nice that I can have one set up for one cut and the other for a different cut. I also have my 10" Craftsman radial arm saw that I use only for makig 90deg. cross cuts. Otherwise cordless drills and screwdrivers I use the heck out of. Try for the lithium drills though. A guy I know has been happy with his Ryobi 18V drill. I have a little B&D that I like since it is small and light for drilling the pilot holes and then use the cordless 7.6 Craftsman screwdriver for the screws.

 

[jwillis]

I usually watch the Woodsmith Shop/This Old House/New Yankee Workshop/American Woodshop/woodworking shows on a weekly basis and I have been a carpenter/woodworking type for well mostly all of my 60+ years. I suggest you start doing the same. Every once in a while a show like this will ask what are the top three most important important shop tools and it usually comes down to a table saw, router /router table, joiner and a band saw. Out of those four they usually have three. It is like asking what are the top three tools in a car repair shop. You get the picture. You absolutely need a compound miter saw, so that you have a portable saw to take around with you for cutting angles and doing trim work. A planer and a bisquit cutter are great. A drill press and a belt sander can really help. You just have to figure out what you need and which you like using. Some lumber yards and technical schools offer woodworking classes, so you might think about checking into that. Watch "The New Yankee Workshop" with Norm Abrams some time and pick up a few magazines at your local Home Depot or Lowes. They usually have a magazine section and a magazine for any job you want to do. Sears sells great tools. Good luck.

 

[jwillis]

Oh, and another thing........start going to auctions. You can pick up some real steals at auctions. Know what you are buying and the new prices before you go. Good luck.

 

[copterdoctor]

all really good advice so far. If you ever get into cabinets I recommend getting a 12-14 volt cordless impact gun. Can't tell you how much easier my life got when I finally bought one. (did cabinet installs in the summer during college)

compound mitre saw is a MUST. a good cordless drill, belt sander, 5 ft level, etc... and you can always make a jerry rigged table saw using a circular saw. the guy who built the custom cabinets I installed ever now and again had a setup like that. He didn't use it all the time, but he did use it. and I was installing $30K+ kitchens at times....

 

[DARKSCOPE001]

Thanks everyone. It looks like everyone is recomending me a drill, dont worry I have that department covered. I have a 18v milwaukee drill driver and impact combo. I want some 12v stuff for lighter work and tighter spaces but it will have to wait.

Thanks again everyone i will continue to shop around and see what I can find.

Thanks
Sean Scott

 

[Slick50]

Do you have access to a local woodworkers guild?
If so, you might want to join that.

Ours costs $75/year and we have a fully equipped shop. They offer mentoring classes on building many different things, tool training, and they do a HUGE amount of charity work for local orginizations, shelters, and folks in need.
http://www.greenvillewoodworkers.com/

After you spend some time there, honing your skills, you will get a feel for which tools you want for your home shop.

Be careful though as it's as addicting as all these other hobbies.

 

[cashishift]

a jointer might be worth getting too, depending on what you are making.

 

[gabedad]

Here is a site with forums that are really good.

http://www.bt3central.com/forum.php

They have a bargain alert section that is really helpful too.

This site would be great with that catagory..- admins???

 

[GarageEnvy]

If you are like me you'll find that you want to do ever-increasingly difficult projects. A circular saw will work fine for a toy box and a book nook. Later you'll probably want a good straight edge clamp. Eventually though you'll want/need a tablesaw. If I was loaded I'd buy the new Delta Unisaw, an older Powermatic or Sawstop. Realistically you can find an older Delta Unisaw that somebody has tricked out with a big fence and outfeed table pretty cheap. Use the extension table for your router. I love my Delta miter saw because of the twin laser setup. If I already had a tablesaw, router and miter saw I'd get a bandsaw. I have a 20" grizzly but their 14" is a nice unit and a lot cheaper. As far as jigsaws go I've yet to try one better than my Bosch. It's a real nice unit. As others have said, watch, read and join a woodworking group. If nothing else, you learn about all the different types of jigs you can make to make your life easier and your work more accurate.

 

[Zeke]

Table saw, miter saw, small drill press (makes a great drum sander), power hand held planer, a good jig saw (can do anything a bandsaw can do, cheaper and more portable), circular saw and 8' guide (for initial cuts on 4 x 8 ply), pocket screw kit, orbital sander, router (don't buy junk here), belt sander, a plug in drill motor. No particular order; you need them all.

Some hand tools: framing square, drywall square, speed square, compass, hand plane, electric pencil sharpener (no kidding), chisels, scratch awl, bevel gauge, rubber mallet (I have a white one, no marks), doweling jig, some clamps and the usual tool box stuff like nail sets, utility knife, hammer, etc.

More advanced shop tools would include the bandsaw, disc/belt sander combo, a lathe (never had one myself and I'm a pro), router table with 3HP router or a shaper, air compressor (this opens up a whole new world of nailers, spray guns, etc.), more and bigger clamps.

I've fallen out of love with the biscuit system. I use joints made on the table saw or splines made on the TS if not using pocket screws.

I'm sure there's more I've forgotten, but that'll empty your wallet for some time to come.

 

[mdr]

Hi, I'm an occasional visitor, lurker.

Currently rehabbing my 1938 stand alone garage, intending to use it primarily for woodworking.

Depending on what you'll be working with, you could use a tracksaw/circular saw setup instead of a cabinet saw. A number of people have successfully gone that way. The granddaddy is Festool, but it's way expensive. DeWalt and Makita have recently released tracksaws. There is also a smaller company, Eurekazone, which offers a setup that can be adapted to almost any circular saw. I've got it and it's great for sheet goods (plywood) - basic cabinetry. You can't really do dadoes/rabbets with it, but it works great for other things.

Murray

 

[ar2stp48]

Welcome to the world of sawdust. I have enjoyed wood work since earliest teen years.

Lot of good advice given. A good circular saw is handy; but if I can, I go to the table saw or radial arm saw. To me those are the most useful in the shop. Belt sander and router are nice to have. A floor model drill press is a good addition to any shop. Wood lathe, and band saw---have not used either of those in a long time. If you were closer, I would make you a deal on a band saw so I would have more room.

Regardless of what order you decide to buy tools, the best thing to remember is: buy quality tools. Craftsman --the older stuff is better and Rockwell Delta are good tools. They will last many years longer and are more accurate. Watch C/List, local papers, auctions, and pawn shops (they bargain on price).

Best of luck and enjoy

 

[ddawg16]

I was where you were 30 years ago.....

Circular saw? Good for framing and riping long sheet of plywood if you don't have a large table saw.

If you want square cutes and proper angles....hands down would be the sliding compound miter saw. I have a compound miter AND radial arm saw....the new sliders does both just as well if not better.

A good belt sander....th longer, the better.

I have 4 routers....2 with 1/2 collets...one is mounted in the router table....other 3 for misc tasks...one is a plunge router....

I use both a biscut cutter and pocket hole drill (Kreg). Both have advantages...biscut for joining boards...pocket hole for face frames.

At some point...you will need a table saw...I have the Ryobi....works well...if I had the room, I think I would like a Delta.

Clamps....lots of wood clamps...including pipe clamps....

Drills....I only recently got a drill press...I did fine for years using a hand drill (have 4 of them)

A good sqare....and lots of other misc tools.

Woodworking Journal is also a good reference...

 

[mastiff0]

I recently started doing some minor woodworking. I had very few tools, and did a variety of projects just to see what type of tools are typically required, and I bought the tools needed to complete these projects. Heres what I see are essential

Basics:
circular saw- its just so versatile. a recommendation is to avoid the expensive ones but buy a good blade. The blades that come on them are ****, but you usually won't need the power of the $200 professional ones

Miter saw- small and great for quick 2x4 projects. I think the sliding feature is a little overrated- makes them take up more room, and if you don't buy a real expensive miter saw, you will find some slop in the bearings.

straight edge- I never do any circular saw cuts without a clamping straight edge. I've been using a HF one that is starting to wear, but was really cheap.

clamps- an assortment of short quick clamps, short, mid and long bar clamps, and angle/corner clamps (hard to make frames or boxes without 'em)

counterbore- otherwise you will be splitting wood trying to get the screw flush.

Drill and driver- for basic stuff, a basic drill will do. I'll talk about this more later.

random orbital sander- I have a cheap B&D that can either work as a round orbital sander or with an attachment for detailed corner work. Good small project sander

jig saw- basic.

Router- I was advised to get a Porter Cable fixed based router because they are the standards and the base no frills models are a good value. Couldn't agree more after using them. A cheap 10-20 piece router set from HF or elsewhere will work for a period but be prepared to start buying individual bits one at a time from places like MLCS. Also, you can get away without a router table for a while.

Table- you need some place to do all this work. HF has a cheap ($150?) woodworking table that isn't very wide but is perfect for novice woodworking stuff. I would use it to hold my miter saw, to hold plywood for cutting, or just general assemlby. Later on I get a Jawhorse with the plywood attachment so I had some other place to cut plywood.

screw/fasteners- take the time to buy in bulk from websites like mcfeely's or elsewhere where you can get 500 screws at a time or more. You will be eaten alive buying them 50/100 at a time from the big box stores. deck screws and coarse thread drywall screws for the rough stuff, #8 and #10 wood screws between 1-3" for nicer stuff.

Wow, I just realized that's a lot of basics. But from doing 3 months of woodworking, I used all of this and more. you will find, like I did, after 3-4 projects that these basic tools will allow you to finish most projects.

2nd level items
I'm just getting here, but here are the next items that you will want to get:

table saw- so much easier to make precise cuts. I was recommended to just get a portable table saw, but get one that was high enough quality so that you could adjust it to be accurate. The portable dewalts fit the bill.

Drill press- you can get around it but its so nice knowing that your holes are dead perpendicular to the surface of the wood.

belt sander- for bigger projects

Drill and driver- you will find that the process of making a pilot hole, then a shank hole, then a counterbore, then drive the screw is tedious if you are using only one cordless drill. Get a cheap corded drill (or several) from a place like HF that you use for pilot holes/shank holes so you aren't wasting time always switching bits. I've started to become a big fan of corded drills over cordless models because they are cheaper, have more power, and you don't have to worry about the battery dieing on you. The exception is the driver- one of those nice 12V impact drivers or drill/driver combo kits are perfect for driving all the wood/deck screws.

shop vac- this might be essential. Your going to start generating a lot of saw dust . . .

 

[trainer]

I recently bought a 12 inch portable thickness planer. It's not really a necessity for a small shop, mine has paid for itself in a few projects.

I recently made a deal for 300 bf of rough seasoned oak and nearly as much cedar for about 1/10 what a box store would have charged me.

Right now, my cars are parked outside and i'm ankle deep in sawdust building another canoe.

 

[Berserker]

Im a very mechanical person when it comes to building cars to home repairs. But when it comes to building stuff with wood for some reason I just ****. .

Metal is true, wood lies. You put an engine together, it better fit just right.

Wood has been kicking my *** too, but I am trying.

I really like clamps, they really help.

 

[rpmwwe]

A circular saw is a must have tool. It is great for building dog houses, picnic tables, and decks but when you get into cabinets and furniture you will need machines that will get you more precise cuts.

Put the table saw at the top of your list. I would suggest a contractor model or a cabinet model for their capacity and stability. You will need the table saw for rip cuts and dado cuts. A multitude of jigs can be bought or made to accomplish many other tasks as well. I have a router table mounted on the side of mine so I have two machines in one space.

A radial arm saw is another machine that can perform many tasks with the right jigs and attachments. I found an old Montgomery Ward Powr Kraft TPC-2610C. It has two additional power shafts (3450 rpm and 10000rpm) that I can use for overarm routing, shaping, sanding, buffing, etc.

A compound bevel miter saw for the smaller/finer miter cuts.

This may seem to be an expensive list but not if you buy used. Check craigslist and you will find some deals. Try to get the older stuff. A little rust and dust is not a problem and bearings are usually replacable with a trip to the hardware store. Restoring older machines is actually a hobby in its own...check out http://www.owwm.com