Newbie Tool Epiphany

[George Van Aken]

Oh mylanta. I never knew there were so many tools for working with wood!

I'm going to need a barn...

First I'll need to buy some land. HONEY..........!

[Charles McKinley]

Hi George,

Welcome to the Creek.

In a word, NO.

Don't allow yourself to get caught in the tool trap. Look at the Popular Woodworking "I Can Do That" section. I think they have an introduction set up on their website.

You start with drill, and a jig saw and a few other basic tools and start BUILDING things. Then buy a new tool as the projects get more involved and you have a better idea of what you need and the typee of woodworking you want to do.

If you wait until you have the perfect set of tools you will spend a lot f money on things you will never use.

This goes for hand or power tools. You don't need to start with a seton chest to build a foot stool.

Enjoy,

['Jacques Malan']

And once you have got all the tools, you will learn that you can never have enough clamps.

[Steven Green]

+1 for the clamps. A better mousetrap will make somebody some money but you can't avoid the clamps issue.

[Jim Koepke]

Keep It Simple…

The more tools you have, the more time you will have to use keeping them sharp, oiled and clean.

jtk

[George Van Aken]

Hey all. I don't have the money to buy a band saw, drill press, filter system, (you all know how long this list can be...) ect. So I have no option BUT to aquire as desperately needed. I think that this is a good thing.

For instance, I posses three planes made by Stanley. Ha ha! I don't even know what kind of planes they are, let alone how to use them. But the more I explore, the more fascinated I am. I have no choice but to take it slow, but I feel like it's Christmas and I'm nine years old!

This is going to take years. Seems like a good reason not to die off too easily.

Like I said to my wife, QUESTION: Do you know why husbands usually die before wives? ANSWER: Because they want to! Ha ha ha.

[Lee Ludden]

I started off with an inexpensive contractors table saw, and a drill press I got off Craigslist. Be checking Craigslist for the stuff you want. Be patient. I have gotten almost every big tool I own from cl.

[glenn bradley]

+1 on starting small. Even though I did that I still bought things I thought I HAD to have. This led to me finding them new homes later or worse, keeping them around knowing I'll use them . . . someday.

[Gordon Eyre]

He who dies with the most tools wins! Start young and never give up.

[Jim Matthews]

To start, build your assembly table (which looks like a workbench).

http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/...workbench.aspx

When that's finished, you can build a bench to fit your needs, which is yet another complicated topic.

[Mike Wilkins]

Start with some simple hand or power tools first. Simple, like an electric drill, skill saw, hammer, chisel set, etc. A simple workbench. And if you feel you may get serious, invest in some classes. Your local Woodcraft would be a good source of classes.

[Prashun Patel]

Start with a project. Then acquire what you need to get that done. A lot can be done with the most basic set of portable tools. You can then spend thousands more the rest of your life to add details and make things a little easier as needed.

[Harold Burrell]

Start with a project. Then acquire what you need to get that done.

VERY good advice.

[Myk Rian]

When I retired, Wife wanted a lighthouse. I spent $1k for a TS and router. New project, new tools.

[Denny Rice]

and once you have got all the tools, you will learn that you can never have enough clamps.

amen! Amen!