Need help with startup tools

[Peter Choi]

Hey guys I need help with some tool decisions. I wanted to start a small woodshed in my apartment and was planning on buying a planer. Since I couldn't afford both a planer and a jointer but I realized that a planer will be too loud for my apartment. I was wondering if a jointer is as loud or will be quieter? Most of the wood i'm buying will probably be s4s because rough lumber is hard to come by in nyc and difficult to get without a car since everything so far away.

Would I be able to get away with hand planes, a router, and a jointer? And if the jointer is too loud, possible to get away without a jointer?

Ill mainly be making furniture, cheese boards, circular plates, benches, and chef tables.

[Mike Henderson]

If you're working with S4S lumber, you could very well do without a powered jointer and planer. For lumber that needs to be straightened, you can use hand planes and winding sticks. Replacing a planer is tougher (more work) but you can do thicknessing by hand with a scrub plane and a couple of bench planes. You don't need to purchase Lie Nielsen planes to do that. You can get used Stanley planes which will work fine.

Mike

[Julie Moriarty]

Run a power planer or jointer in your apartment and you may find your neighbors giving you the evil stare, or just sending a posse after you. Take Mike's advice. You'll get more satisfaction from using hand tools and your neighbors won't hate you.

[Peter Choi]

ok thanks for the tips guys! What planes do you recommend for straightening? I don't think i'll need that much planing if i do, I'll probably use the router with the jig. Also using the plane method for straightening, will it be straight enough where I can glue and joint a few 2x4's together to create a table top for a work bench or tables?

Also, the only tools I have is a square sander and a drill. I plan on buying a router, a circular saw, a few planes, some clamps, a ruler, and a biscuit joiner. Is there anything else that are needed?

And I wanted to make some winding sticks but how do you know if its true without the winding sticks to make them. Should I just buy the first pair?

[Ellen Benkin]

Check with your lumber source and see it they will joint and plane it for you. Most retail lumber sales places will -- Home Depot and Lowes won't. You will pay for the service but you will get home with wood you can use without further preparation. That's what I did before I had the tools to joint and plane at home.

[Nick Stokes]

I am a new WWer. I have a couple hand planes... good luck. I couldn't flatten a board to save my life with one of those...

The DW735 I got for $300 is easy, fast, and worth every cent. All I gotta do is remember to catch the board before it falls on ground.

[Marc Seguin]

For working lumber to final dimension a #5 is a good start. A #7 is handy for jointing, but you can do it with a #5 if that's all you have.

Running a router in your apartment will likely not make you popular with your neighbours either. Or a circular saw. To be honest, I can't think of any power tools that will make you friends if you're using them on any regular basis. Also, I'm curious why a biscuit joiner is on your short list ?

[John TenEyck]

Apartment dweller = hand tools, so forget about the router - it's just as loud as a jointer, etc. Buy a few hand tools and learn to sharpen and use them. When you eventually move some place where you can have power tools you'll be ahead of the game.

John

[Peter Choi]

unfortunately none of the lumber sources near my place don't joint or plane.

is a router that loud? Maybe I should just get a jointer since ill be doing most of the work during the day when people are at work. Living in NYC i Probably won't be able to move out of apartments. I use a 18v drill from ryobi and people haven't complained.

would planing and jointing be difficult with a hand plane? Im willing to learn and would love to do it but just trying to figure out how difficult it is to make furniture with all hand tools.

i also chose biscuit for jointing 2x6's together to for like a table top or bench top. Unless you guys know a more affordable or stronger joint option.

[Mike Henderson]

i also chose biscuit for jointing 2x6's together to for like a table top or bench top. Unless you guys know a more affordable or stronger joint option.

Just glue the boards together with a good wood glue - like Titebond - and skip the biscuits. That will be another tool you won't have to buy. Biscuits don't add anything.

There are books and DVD's that tell you how to prepare stock with hand tools. I don't remember the names right now, unfortunately. Hopefully someone else will chime in with some suggestions.

Mike

[Cary Falk]

Your router and circular saw will be worse then a jointer. It's the high pitch whine of a universal motor that is the problem. The jointer will have a induction motor which will be a low hum. I wouldn't want to be in the apartment next to either.

[Jeffrey Martel]

In an apartment, you shouldn't consider using power tools of any kind. Even then, using a hand saw will still transfer the noise through the floor to the neighbors below (trust me, I got yelled at for that in my apartment a few years ago).

Find a workshop space to rent out, or you may have to find a different hobby.

Perhaps take up woodburning or maybe scrollsawing if you can put it on some rubber mats so the sound doesn't get transferred. The scroll saw is the one power tool I can think of that might not be that noisy. Even a sander will probably make too much noise for the neighbors.

[Peter Choi]

So a jointer will be quieter than a router and circular saw? There is the option to ask my neighbors when they'll be at work and use it during that time. I only have 3 other apartments and everyone seems to be a little young professional. Which then would be more ideal since I can use more tools. I mean I still wouldn't use a planer but maybe jointer and then use hand joints.
Or there is also the option to have everything pre cut to a certain length at the lumber yard since they do have a table saw. Get my edges straight and then hand plane everything else which will avoid all power tools except a drill. And since no ones live below me cuz they are renovating the whole first floor. Probably watch a video or 10 on how to stock wood with hand tools.

I know its a lot of work and is just a hobby but if I can change it into a profession I would rent a studio. And I pretty much don't want to find another hobby especially since I love woodworking. Ever since middle school.

[matt stott]

As a lifelong inner city and apartment dweller I will bow down in awe if you can set up a full power shop in an NYC apartment! I use mostly hand tools now, and have even stopped using my cordless drill for an egg-beater type. I find I can do most things faster with just hand tools at this point, although the things that are harder are MUCH harder. I just adjust my designs accordingly, get the long rip cuts done at the lumber shop when I can and work to my shop's limits (and my own). Of the tools you mentioned, the jointer is probably the quietest (relatively), and would be the one power tool I would choose if I could ever convince the family. You will have saw dust all over your living space running power tools- one of the advantages of using hand planes is the lack of sawdust in your Wheaties, so plan for some serious dust collection, too.

The best upgrade I ever got for my shop/living room was a solid work surface. A real workbench, even if just a heavy board clamped to a solid table, makes everything much easier. It's all about secure clamping of the parts you are working- everything gets easier when the wood stops moving around on you.

Good luck- I love stories of small shops in cities- photos are always appreciated, too!

Matt

[Peter Choi]

Thanks for the tip! The first thing I do plan on building is a work bench but the problem is how do I get everything perfectly true without a true surface to work on. Which is going to be kind of a headache or to be able to put everything together. Definitely will post some pictures once I get it up and running!

also I've watched a video on how to prepare stock but once I stock everything and glue it up for say a tabletop would you use the same method as preparing just one piece of wood vs like 3-4 planks glued together?