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woodworking basics

tkonetzke

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During a conversation with my girlfriend about christmas gifts, a comment was made about me not having a hobby, other than tools. So I decided wood working should become my hobby (because it uses tools, tools that I dont have yet). I work metal day in and out at work, but not so much wood. My question for you guys is what do I need and what order should I get things? I have drill/drivers, squares, and a Us made black and decker compound miter saw that dad gave me. I know I wanta table saw and various sanders, clamps and a kreg pocket jig. I know I will need arouter a some point. Am I missing anything big? Suggestions on which of the above items to get first? Brands to get/ avoid?
 
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carterbeauford

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don't focus so much on power tools, hone your skills with hand tools using some of the masters as mentors and you'll be a much better woodworker.

first thing you need is a good bench. what is it you'd like to make?
 

Lkdelta

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I have drill/drivers, squares, and a Us made black and decker compound miter saw that dad gave me.

I know I want a table saw and various sanders, clamps and a kreg pocket jig. I know I will need arouter a some point. Am I missing anything big? Suggestions on which of the above items to get first? Brands to get/ avoid?

A steel ruler, 18" to set your tablesaw fence measurements...
and something longer for your straight lines

A 15amp circular saw. I Found a few for about $40 on Ebay, and at pawn shops.
Good enough to get started, should last a few years at least

My cheap table saw works awesome and I probably use it once a week. Might not need an expensive model, but see if you can get this outfeed table built. A lot easier when you are working by yourself
http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Woodworking/Workbenches/diy-table-saw-table That'a pic of it, below



I only use the router a few times a year, but if you happen to find one, get it with a light down in the work area. Lot easier to see your layout lines.
 

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RivennHewn

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Buy tools as you need them.

Come up with projects first, and buy what you need to complete them.
 

plinker

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Check out Leevalley.com, they have a ton of stuff. A decent set of chisels and something to sharpen them with as well are must have's.

There's alot of different tools available depending on what kind of woodworking you plan on doing, So having a project(s) in mind will aid in what you will need.
 

woody 73

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The heartbeat of a woodworking shop is the tablesaw, Start by saving your money for a good tablesaw look at the sawstop (it will set you back a ton of cash but your fingers are worth it) so start saving your money.

Check out CL for good deals on used power tools and keep your eyes open for old woodworking hand tools.

When you want a wood lathe send me a pm and I can give you some good names to look for.
 

PowerGenGuy

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If I were too start building a woodshop over again I would invest in the Festool line of woodworking and dust extraction equipment. Check out the videos on the web site! Someone already noted Lee Valley, great source for top quality woodworking stuff! Find videos of Norm Abram, New Yankee workshop, inspiring! Start your journey as a purist, learn with hand tools!
 

Voi

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For the beginning wood worker I think the most important thing to learn is how to joint/plane rough sawn wood and do basic glue ups. This means taking a piece of wood that isn't perfectly flat or square and making it so. Unless you're building cabinet boxes and buying doors and face frame stock this is where almost all woodworking starts.

The big five power tools for a woodworking shop are 1) tablesaw 2) planer 3) jointer 4) bandsaw and 5) drill press.

To me, the tablesaw and planer are most important. You can face joint on a planer with a planer sled and you can edge joint on the table saw with a ripping sled. But a jointer is still nice to have.

At any rate, with the ability to prepare wood and do glue ups you can build the smallest jewelry box or the largest armoire. That does not encompass all wood working but it's a good start.

Now, if you're talking all hand tools, then that's a much different story. That might be my next foray into wood working but I haven't done it yet.
 
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Steevo

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A good set of chisels, a good set of Forstner bits, a good set of brad-point wood bits, a set of countersink bits, lots of clamps, a lot of patience, an acceptance that wood is not metal and tolerances are looser, lots of patience, strong hands/arms for sanding and more sanding, an account at www.woodcraft.com and at www.garrettwade.com
And membership in the forum at owwm.org, in case you get into refurbishing and using older wood working machines.
 

dale500

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Before you head off to the tool store spend some time thinking about what you want to make and how much space you have to for your shop. I have made small projects with a handsaw, coping saw, sanding block and a hammer. I have made other items that required much more equipment. I know one local artist that only uses a scroll saw and make some fantastic pieces.

Things I use all the time include a table saw, router, bench size belt sander, orbital sander, miter saw, workbench, wood vise, and a black & decker workmate.

Dale
 

cheechi

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Don't buy a Sawstop. If you're going to spend that money, Powermatic, Jet, maybe even Delta is within reach depending on which model you're looking at. Do some research, the guy who makes Sawstop is a jackass and not deserving of your money.

What do you want to do? Most of the 'hobby' woodwork stuff is turning bowls, pens, whittling, etc. These don't need a router, or a table saw. Maybe you want to make furniture? case goods or cabinetry? Small boxes or toys? You can do all these with hand tools, but having table saw, router table, scroll or bandsaw (or both) is probably going to be a good idea.
 

5lima30

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The heartbeat of a woodworking shop is the tablesaw, Start by saving your money for a good tablesaw look at the sawstop (it will set you back a ton of cash but your fingers are worth it) so start saving your money.

Check out CL for good deals on used power tools and keep your eyes open for old woodworking hand tools.

When you want a wood lathe send me a pm and I can give you some good names to look for.

^^^This!^^^ Your would be amazed at what you can build with a good tablesaw, router, and drill. Skip all the gimmick tools you see advertised on TV! :D:D
 

demographic

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Decent block plane (mines a Veritas low angle one) is one of the tools that I find myself using a lot. Plus a No 5 1/2 jackplane is a very useful tool to have.
Not blown away by the narrower no 5 jackplane nor the No 4 smoothers.

I have a power plane but it will never get as good a surface as a decent bench plane.
Good chisels
Combination square
Tape measure


I have a big list kicking about somewhere but I'm a carpenter subcontractor so I have more than most folk.
 

dandan111

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Saw horses,skill saw,jig saw. You will want a circular sander and a block to hold sand paper. Depends on how fine of craftsman you want to be. A biscuit jointer and whatever else you want can come later. It never ends...
 

bad_idea

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Forget wood! Stick with steel. Melting steel is awesome. I find woodworking to be too delicate. When steel doesn't fit you can whack it with a hammer.
 

Gary S

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Buy tools as you need them.

Come up with projects first, and buy what you need to complete them.

I agree. Come up with a project first, and buy the tools you need to complete it. As you learn the ropes, you will know what you need. Don't overthink this and do it the internet way where you post for years and get nothing done. Do it the old fashioned way and start working today.
 
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Outlawmws

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don't focus so much on power tools, hone your skills with hand tools using some of the masters as mentors and you'll be a much better woodworker.

first thing you need is a good bench. what is it you'd like to make?

A good set of chisels, a good set of Forstner bits, a good set of brad-point wood bits, a set of countersink bits, lots of clamps, a lot of patience, an acceptance that wood is not metal and tolerances are looser, lots of patience, strong hands/arms for sanding and more sanding, an account at www.woodcraft.com and at www.garrettwade.com
And membership in the forum at owwm.org, in case you get into refurbishing and using older wood working machines.

:+1: Quoted for truth!

I'd recommend starting small, don't go for big furniture jobs start with small boxes, holders for your other tolls and the like. as you develop some skills and knowledge of what you like doing and the tools toy need make a woodworking toolbox one of your projects.

Oh yeah, my addition to needed tools:

A couple of GOOD planes, good squares, and a Japanese pull saw or two.
 

d.mcfarland

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Vintage Craftsman tools will only set you back $300 for a good assortment like a table saw, jointer, drill press, etc. A good price to pay to see if you really like the hobby or not.
 

fsdogwood

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A good set of chisels, a good set of Forstner bits, a good set of brad-point wood bits, a set of countersink bits, lots of clamps, a lot of patience, an acceptance that wood is not metal and tolerances are looser, lots of patience, strong hands/arms for sanding and more sanding, an account at www.woodcraft.com and at www.garrettwade.com
And membership in the forum at owwm.org, in case you get into refurbishing and using older wood working machines.

Yeah, the mentality needs to get adjusted for ww, as wood will move even
when sitting in your shop. And the precision for ww is different from that of
metal, I think it should be more "put it together", rather than work the piece
to a dimension with 0.0005" precision then put together.

What you want to build will determine what tools you may need. What raw
material (i.e., rough cut wood or dimensioned ones from the BORG) will
also change a bit what tools you need. Do you want to "have a hobby" to
enjoy or you want to make something fast? Some did mention about the
hand tools, which could easily become another hobby ;) Just for chisels,
you can have a set of stubby, a set of firm, set of bevel-edged, set of
mortise; note that each of them could be 1/8" - 1" or even bigger, with 1/8"
incremental.

But if you just want to make something first, what you have might be
enough for building some shelf in garage.
 

fsdogwood

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I agree. Come up with a project first, and buy the tools you need to complete it. As you learn the ropes, you will know what you need. Don't overthink this and do it the internet way where you post for years and get nothing done. Do it the old fashioned way and start working today.

Cannot agree more!

PopularWoodworking magazine has a series called "I can do that" http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/icandothat that gives you
some basic projects which could be made with simple tools
 

McFarmer

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I built a lot of stuff with an 8 inch bench top table saw, it was years before I got the cabinet saw I have today. Bar clamps are most likely the cheapest and will serve the purpose. Four corner picture frame clamp if you think you will make frames. Get a really good square and a forty five, the ones Woodpeckers sell are my favorites.

Decide if you are going the hand tool or power tool route, I would suggest power tools if you are looking to turn out some projects for the family, toys etc.
 

Glacial_Speed

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Well, how much space do you have for a shop? And what do you want to make for a project? Maybe a couple adirondack chairs for the back yard (that always seems to impress....good justification for a few tool purchases :lol: ).

And not to be too personal but is this a permanent shop or are you going to be moving in a few years?

I think if you want to keep woodworking as a long time hobby the first order of business is dust collection from your yet to be purchased tools and machines. Many have had to give up woodworking because they unintentionally permanently damaging themselves breathing in fine sawdust particles. And if you work with sheet metal you can probably make yourself a nice dust particle separator cyclone.


Then a bench........which also kind of depends on what you want to make.

Do NOT get a trivial bandsaw. Most anything less than 14 inches is a toy to be avoided.

And a table saw. Do not buy anything that doesn't have a good fence or something you can't mount a biesemeyer fence to. Or you could get some tracksaw kind of system like EZsmart at eurekazone and avoid a table saw.

The odd thing about a saw is that some of the more industrial machines are 3 phase motors and so heavy and cumbersome to move they can be had for far less money than what they should go for. Like a Tannewitz for less than $500 or an old Oliver (not the new ****), or maybe an altendorf or martin sliding table type if you've got the space (and $$$$).

Of course, there are a whole bunch of people out there who restore old machines and pretend to be woodworkers (you know who you are unisaw people :lol_hitti ) and there are others who buy everything under the sun brand new and then sell it on craigslist 3 years later when they find out they would rather do something else.

Woodworking is a wonderful hobby for tool collecting, but you do have to actually make something once in a while.....maybe a toolbox. :beer:
 

compyello

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I am not much of a wood worker but my grandfather gave me his fathers old craftsman wood lathe, I really enjoy playing with that. There are many videos for project ideas.
 

camarotoolman

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As usual buy good used amserican tools and machines. I have found some killer wood working machines off CL. Feebay is loaded with woodworking tools. Check into nite of weekend classes. I wouldn't go crasy buying big stuff till you know you like woodwork. Its noisy, dusty, slow going, wood and tools are not cheap. But alot cleaner, lighter weight, then metal work. "Fine Woodworking is a good sourse. I am a 40 year wood guy, retired wood shop teacher. call me 321 460 3256 and I will be happy to ans.your guestions. I goto bed @8pm eastern
 

cgv69

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Hand tools are great and you should learn how to use them but I doubt you will have the time or patience to be very productive hand tools alone? Not that it can't be done but most modern "Neanderthals" (The term used to refer to modern WW'ers who focus on hand tools) that I've seen spend more time making, tweaking and tuning their tools then they do actually making anything.

Nothing wrong with that if that's your thing but if you actually want to make stuff but have a full time and job and other commitments like the rest of us then you will want some power tools

IMO, without a doubt the tablesaw is the #1 tool to get. Do not get a portable job site saw unless you really need to. You really want something with a good induction motor and quality fence. A quality "contractor" saw by Delta, Jet or Powermatic is a good place to start. Craigslist is your friend here because if you are patient and check often, there are some really good deals to be found on used WW'ing equipment on CL. Especially for contractor saws as it's very common for people to start with one of those and later upgrade to a full on cabinet saw.

Beyond that is starts to depend on what type of projects you want to do? for instance, for box making, a router table and bandsaw will be a lot more useful then a jointer and planer. Sure a jointer and planer are needed to dimension rough lumber, there are other options. Box making will not require large quantities of lumber so while more expensive, you can buy lumber that is already thicknessed. You can also do some dimensioning with hand planes. Again, if you are only working on smaller projects, some of those alternative become more practical.

if you don't have anything specific in mind are just looking for a fun way to spend some time in the shop, you may want to consider wood turning? Turning is a lot of fun and not overly expensive. You would need a lathe, a chuck, some good chisels and then later you willl probably want to get a bandsaw and even a chainsaw. Another cool thing about turning, it's amazing how productive you can be in front of a lathe with only 30 minutes to spend. That's important if you have limited shop time like most of us.
 

bmcdowell40

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Buy tools as you need them.

Come up with projects first, and buy what you need to complete them.

I couldn't agree more. Dont go out and spend pile of money right away. Decide on what you want to build first. You may need to do some research to figure out how to build it and what you'll need. Woodworkingtalk.com is a great resource. YouTube may have some good videos or you could pick up book or 2 from Amazon.

You really don't need much to get started. I started building cabinets with a small table saw, circular saw, sander, kreg jig, cordless drill and some clamps, all of which my dad had except for the Kreg jig, which I bought.
 

Stuey

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I'd say first find a project and then think about tools. That should also give you time to start saving $$.

Check out Lee Valley - one of my favorite sources for woodworking hand tools.
 

darkk

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If you really get into the woodworking thing, start looking for good quality old table saw, drill press, etc. You can buy vintage solid cast iron equipment cheaper than a mid priced newer tin/plastic tool. My .02's worth...oh, and enjoy your new hobby!
 

pfctblu

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During a conversation with my girlfriend about christmas gifts, a comment was made about me not having a hobby, other than tools. So I decided wood working should become my hobby (because it uses tools, tools that I dont have yet). I work metal day in and out at work, but not so much wood. My question for you guys is what do I need and what order should I get things? I have drill/drivers, squares, and a Us made black and decker compound miter saw that dad gave me. I know I wanta table saw and various sanders, clamps and a kreg pocket jig. I know I will need arouter a some point. Am I missing anything big? Suggestions on which of the above items to get first? Brands to get/ avoid?

I would suggest you check out "woodworking for mere mortals" on youtube. That guy does a fair amount with minimal tools and seems pretty practical.

I started with a crappy table saw, and little else. Once I caved in and spent the cash on a good table saw (Im a unifence fan) things started improving dramatically. The equipment order will depend on what type of projects you are interested in building.

One thing I don't see mentioned is sourcing good stock (shouldn't be a problem up there in NE WI but prices - and quality- vary widely).

There is some pretty solid advice given here for you.
 

carterbeauford

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Check out Lee Valley - one of my favorite sources for woodworking hand tools.

I started out with cheaper tools and would reward myself with something from Lee Valley when I advanced in skill, it's pretty expensive for someone just starting out. their tools are second to none though, my Veritas cabinet scraper is my favorite tool.

you can still find decent quality hand woodworking tools at Lowes and Sears, Bessey clamps, Craftsman chisels, block plane, hand saws, and so on.
 

Stuey

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I started out with cheaper tools and would reward myself with something from Lee Valley when I advanced in skill, it's pretty expensive for someone just starting out. their tools are second to none though, my Veritas cabinet scraper is my favorite tool.

you can still find decent quality hand woodworking tools at Lowes and Sears, Bessey clamps, Craftsman chisels, block plane, hand saws, and so on.
True their hand tools can be quite pricey, but they carry some nice non-Veritas tools too, such as Narex-branded chisels.
 

BrokewrenchLS1

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This thread actually came up at a good time for me, because I've been poking around with the idea of playing with wood.

The first thing I want to build is a great heavy farm table; I've seen some examples I liked at a couple local "repurposed furniture" sales, so I have an idea of how I want to build it.

Biggest question is, if I'm buying from a sawmill, is it worth seeing if they can plane all of the wood for me, or am I better off investing in a decent planer to start with? I don't imagine a table will require much in the way of tools - I'd like to get a biscuit joiner to make things a bit cleaner, and a good table saw. Most of the other stuff I'd imagine I would need (hand tools, drills, and the like) I already have.
 

toolfanatic

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I'd definitely suggest focusing on a basic but decent quality set of hand tools to start off with. Power tools are great but work on building up your hand skills with the handtools first- there's very little to beat the satisfaction of cutting or paring to the line with a sharp handsaw, chisel or plane. With inexpensive sheet materials and construction grade softwood you can build many useful projects for your home and work shop. Like a lot of amateur wood workers I started out thinking "I need power tools" and spent a lot of money on these before I realizing that I got more satisfaction from using hand tools and I learned more valuable skills this way.
 

demographic

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Considering how many people consider a table say to be essential I just can't work out how I've been a carpenter subcontractor without one for the last twelve years...

Hand held circular ripsaw and set of sawstools goes a long way in my opinion.

Plus with a table saw you need infeed space and then table space plus outfeed space. For ripping an eight foot long bit of ply that works out at over seventeen foot.

Thats a lot of space used up. Fine if you plan on setting up a full workshop but a bit much for most.
 
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