Wood working

[wolfsburged]

I've never done much wood working aside from rough cut 2x4 type construction.

Just recently I have acquired a decent 12" compound miter saw and have a decent circular saw. Also an assortment of squares, levels, etc. A cheapo set of files and a cheapo set of chisels.

I would like to get more into "fine" wood working, making some furniture and decorative stuff. My first project I would like to do is a custom spice rack for the wife in our new kitchen. Eventually I would like to work up to building a nice china cabinet as we have just been given our late Grandmother-in-law's china set.

What would you recommend as far as books, resources, websites, etc for learning? Decent project books, techniques, etc.

 

[rsanter]

look for a book that shows the different types of jointery
making the joints and connectiones between the pieces will make the difference in looks and in durability. master that and you have alot.....
I would recomend that you work to make some boxes, dividers, spice racks and such that will not use too much wood but give you practice in how to make brecision cuts, measurments and joints.
in the process you can create some gifts that you can give away and gain the knowledge to move to bigger stuff

bob

 

[Bigfeet]

http://www.finewoodworking.com/Community/CommunityHome.aspx You will find a wealth of information over there.

 

[kbs2244]

A strong second on the Fine Woodworking site.
My only complaint is that some of the writers seem to make a religion out of some procedures and cannot stand modern ones.
But you will, for sure, learn a lot.
And, like anything, it gets easier the more you do it.
Keep yourself busy.
(BTW Fine Woodworking has a sister site (and mag) called Fine Homebuilding.
IMHO the best construction info site on the internet.)

 

[thooks]

http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?Cat=

 

[machine_punk]

+1 on anything 'Fine Woodworking.' They also have their own publisher, Taunton Press...and their books are good (be careful, though some of their books just re-hash the same stuff from the magazines.) Their 'tools and shops' annual edition is well worth it (I think that is on the shelf right now).

I like Lie Nielsen for tools, if you can afford them.

I didn't see a table saw in the list of tools you have, but that is next, if you don't have one. You don't have to go new. There are lotsa older/solid cast iron models available on CL, for approx $150.

A person who builds fine furniture is technically called a 'joiner,' instead of a carpenter, because 'joining' wood is primarily what he does (although it doesn't necessarily follow that a carpenter 'carpents' wood!)

All the TV shows only show you the final cut on any saw...they don't show you the 15-20 minutes of setup and 3 test cuts that went into getting that perfect cut. Always buy more material than you need and don't be afraid to test cut several times, until the joints fit perfectly...then cut your actual material.

Good luck! Looking forward to seeing pictures of your projects.

 

[Bigfeet]

My only complaint is that some of the writers seem to make a religion out of some procedures and cannot stand modern ones.

I'll grant you that one. I love the old ways of doing things but they aren't the only way.

 

[mrbreezeet1]

I think woodsmith is a better one in some ways. Esp. if you can get a bunch of back issues somewhere.
They might have a project you think you can't do,but they will walk you through every step of it.
Another magazine will say,"Assemble The Sides With Box joints", and that's the end of that, where woodsmith will have an article on box joints, and show you how to build a box joint jig.

Oh, and there Forum
http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?Cat=&C=1

 

[kb2tha]

Try to find an adult education woodworking class either through your local high school or your local vocational center. I taught them for many years and would get repeat students on a regular basis. They loved the class an many got a start on their own shops after taking the classes. It will also give you the opportunity to research some of the equipment that you might not ordinarily get to see or use.

I would always recommend good used, USA equipment to much of the import equipment that is so prevelant today.

I would also suggest that a Kreg jig should be one of your early purchases. Do a search if you are unsure of what this tool is or does.

PM me if you have further questions.
Ken

 

[Voi]

Not sure if Sawmill Creek has been posted but I visit almost all of their subforums. Seem to be a lot of hobbyists on that site vs. some of the other sites that have a higher percentage of pros.

 

[Toolfool]

Practice making simple things out of cheap, or even recycled, material. "Practice makes perfect".

 

[mrbreezeet1]

Try to find an adult education woodworking class either through your local high school or your local vocational center. I taught them for many years and would get repeat students on a regular basis. They loved the class an many got a start on their own shops after taking the classes. It will also give you the opportunity to research some of the equipment that you might not ordinarily get to see or use.

I would always recommend good used, USA equipment to much of the import equipment that is so prevelant today.

I would also suggest that a Kreg jig should be one of your early purchases. Do a search if you are unsure of what this tool is or does.

PM me if you have further questions.
Ken

Wish there was one (adult education woodworking class) around here.

Not sure if Sawmill Creek has been posted but I visit almost all of their subforums. Seem to be a lot of hobbyists on that site vs. some of the other sites that have a higher percentage of pros.

Don't think it was mentioned. That's a good forum too, as is the one I posted. I used to hang there all the time till I came over here.
They're a pretty good group of guys over there.
The "pros" at woodnet will help you out too, there not just pro's that only want to kick stuff around with other pros.

 

[hunter1151]

Words of advice..........take them or leave them. When building furniture, go with a style of furniture, Duncan Phyfe, Mission, Traditional, Queen Anne, Early American, because while your wife, you and the kids will think what you made looks really nifty, it will always look homemade..........we have all seen homemade furniture.

 

[lilredex]

Would second that Woodsmith Suggestion, and their sister pub. Shop Notes.
A large variety of projects have been covered over the years, and all issues are available. Check their website for more info.

http://www.woodsmith.com/

Some of my projects..



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Bench was made from a stair tread left behind by the previous ownwer of our house.



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And a copy of a larger bookcase we have.



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[geologist]

I have ShopNotes #1-86, 89 in PDF format (scanned) if you have any specific plans you'd like to see.

 

[Tom Hintz]

I have been building my site for folks just like you for over 11 years now. Check out the link below. It doesn't have everything you need but I am still working on it!

http://www.newwoodworker.com/

 

[thooks]

 

[lodemia]

I tend to like the taunton sites, but as was said before, they rehash the same things, and some make it religious. I also got tired of paying the taunton tax, they are quite expensive for the amount of ads you have to endure.

You can do an enormous amount of woodworking with the tools that you already have, just learning different techniques. You might hang out at a couple woodworking websites to learn a thing or two (a creek comes to mind).

Old woodworkers pass their magazines along quite a bit, and very frequently, it ends up on ebay. Now and again you can catch a good deal on a good amount of magazines. My preferences (in order):

Fine woodworking
Wordsmith
Shop Notes
Wood
everything else.

 

[Chipmunk]

Just do it, try something once or twice, learn from your mistakes, Subscribe to Fine Woodworking and/or Popular Woodworking. Read books by Roy Underhill and James Krenov at your library.

Remember always...wood moves forever and the quickest way to go bankrupt is to buy cheap tools, if you can't afford the best...wait and make do with what you have. (and never, ever buy anything from Harbor Freight that has moving parts)

 

[mrbreezeet1]

What the hell's that all about?

 

[porphyre]

What the hell's that all about?

That's the "Aw, not this **** again" picture.

I HOPE it was not in reference Tom Hintz mentioning his site, http://www.newwoodworker.com. Because it's actually a really good site.

Tom's got a funny accent but his website is exactly what it says... a good resource for new woodworkers. He's got basic use and safety information for all the major machines, there are articles about jigs, joints, techniques. Many of the pages also have videos (that's how I know he's got a funny accent! ). Visual learner or not, sometimes you just don't "get" something until you watch someone do it.


Anyway, if OP really is new at woodworking, I'd suggest buying some books and certainly going over to NewWoodworker.com to get his feet wet.

 

[BWS]

Probably shouldn't reply....oh well,F*** it.


Somewhere around 1830-40.WW'ing ceased to be "fine".Its when machines took over.The "problem" is not about machines vs doing somthing by hand.........Its how furniture design changed,to accommodate this new phenom of sorts.

FFwd a 150 years or so.......we see it now changing again to allow CNC machines to work at their full potential.

So,if you're truly interested in "fine" WW'ing,you'd be miles ahead studying design first.As one poster already wrote....pick a "style" first.Then I'd add....do some research on where or what led up that.IOWs....what were the reasons that previous stlyes or designs "changed" leading to the "new".You'll find that there are certain....mouldings for instance.....that span ION's of time.Why is that?How does,say the height of a chair change with time?

You can study joinery and techniques "till its runnin out your ears........but if the pce you're building looks like chit,who cares if its got handcut M&T's?To put it into an automotive perspective......why does a '32 Ford look like it does?Why do Harleys make the best basis for custom's?Or for the gun nuts,why does a Colt model P ="cowboy revolver"?Well its the same with furniture.......Only,MORESO!!!!!

I'm not sayin build it to some "spec" or go home......vernacular architecture is a wonderful thing.Its just that the student of fine WW'ing would be out of their league just wingin an expensive build......without some form of research or study.Irrespective of how many pcs of equip there is sittin in your shop....just sayin.BW

 

[smschriefer]

BWS, I agree and disagree. Yes, fine woodworking is not being able to make a tight fitting mortice and tenon joint; it is about proportion of scale and the fundamental design of the item that has been built. I do however feel that you can turn out fine woodworking using modern machinery.

Personally, I like nice craftsman, mission, and prairie style furniture (I try to focus on Stickley's craftsman interpretations) and that is what I build. I like the simplicity of the design, but I also realize that it is all about scale and attention to detail. If I build a chest of drawers and don't have the proper scale, it will look odd, regardless of how well constructed it is, the wood selected, and/or the finish that has been applied.

I enjoy studying Stickley and other companies products and try to emulate what they produced. Not copy, buy get an understanding and see why they did things as they did and truly become familiar with how they scaled things. It does make a huge difference. I'll even admit that I built a great Morris chair from a plan purchased from one of the sites mentioned in this thread. The chair turned out exactly the way the plan intended it to. I hated the chair as they had taken liberties with the design to allow for easier construction. From that point on, no more store bought plans.

 

[NUTTSGT]

You might want to start searching CL for an older table saw, something that is well made. If you're making furniture or the like, you'll need one. While you're at it, keep you eyes open for a band saw and drill press.

 

[porphyre]

Wow, this conversation got deep all of a sudden.

My take on "fine" vs "modern" woodworking is this: Modern woodworking blossomed w/ mass production and the middle class. I'd put it later than BWS. 1900-10's.

You see, the first generation of machines (1830's) were built to replicate hand tools. Also, assembly lines hadn't really been perfected yet. The new furniture factories (the only folks who could afford the machines and the STEAM to power them) were still setup like traditional woodshops... their owners had not yet started making a scientific process of paring down construction techniques and making sacrifices in tradition, style, and construction in order to increase speed.

Secondly, I don't think modern people can really appreciate the way the world was before the middle class boomed. I mean, before that, there was only a market for "cheap ****" and "fine woodworking." There wasn't really a middle ground. Cheap **** of 150 years ago was the same as cheap **** of today. It didn't last. So the only furniture we still have from that period was the good stuff. All the stuff that was ****-joined, face nailed, w/ glue applied faux-raised panel mouldings is gone.

It seems my point is wandering....machines allow increased reproducibility between parts, easy squaring and thicknessing of stock, and, most importantly in MY mind, easy dadoes. As far as construction techniques go, dadoes have been the one quality improvement in the past 150 years. Production carpenters rant and rave about pocket screws and Dominos and all that ****.... no thanks. It's all weaker than M+T, even if it's faster and easier to be accurate. If I'm buying Fine Woodworking, it's going to be a $6,000 solid wood desk and the only place a pocket screw is acceptable is the corner gussets.

 

[BWS]

Oh,I didn't mean you can't build fine/overthetop coolchit with modern equip....its more about how,"because" of powered equip that the methods generally associated with fine WW....changed.A deep subject to be sure.....you can also trace the declining wood quality and how the furn biz works that into design.....and also how that affected finishing materials/techniques.


Want to read somthing neat,google Neoclassicism and how it relates to furniture,household stuff,evryday things.It was a demarcation period of sorts on how we view "old vs new".Kind of the start of anitiques.....at least how we look at'm now.

And to keep it in the garage....google Joseph Binks timeline.Can you say HVLP?.....uhh,what goes around comes around.BW

 

[brianh]

Learning wood movement is really important to woodworking allowing for movement will be the difference of a piece that looks nice the day you made it to a piece that 20 years later is still together.

I think the debate on what is fine woodworking is really not about the tools used but about proper design and construction.

I started out as a kid in the basement with only hand tools now I have a lot of tools and CNC but proper design still holds true.

Just my opinion.

Sharp tools are essential you should be able to shave with your chisels.

 

[mrbreezeet1]

Some woodsmith magazines at a pretty good price.
http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbth...&Number=5762935&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=