Beginner hobby woodworker, tools and questions.

[Rich Riddle]

The best idea I have been able to come up with, is using a shed with open sides. and then putting up some “walls” made of either plywood or the like, just to keep the rain and such out.

My thoughts was to start out with a limited selection of power tools *Drill, Router, Jigsaw, Orbital grinder (or a grinder in general) and then either a Circular saw, or a Mitresaw.
and then a selection of hand tools, clamps etc.


Now for my questions (I am sorry for the long post by the way)

• Can it be done at all in those conditions (not thinking about major power tools like band saw etc.)
• What kind of tools would you suggest, for that kind of hobby use.
• What to look for when going for “cheap” power tools (Some circular saws are a lot cheaper based mostly on lower wattage
• And lastly, what would be a better fit, a circular saw, or a Mitre saw, if you would have to choose one.

Once again sorry for the long post, but I have so far failed in finding this information

The shed idea works great with the side walls doubling as a roof when you have them in the "up" position. You can do more than adequate woodworking with the tools you selected. I would purchase a "track saw" in addition to replace the circular saw you mention. A track saw is primarily a circular saw that rides on a track so you get straight cuts. It's also invaluable for cutting down large items such as plywood. That said, I would own both a track saw and a miter saw.

Since your budget is tight, you might consider purchasing used tools. Many of us do that.

[Flemming Kaergaard]

I am apreciative of all the good advice and ideas.

On the subject of taking a class, I understand why that would be a good choice for most, but for me, the project is more about talking your time, and learning by doing.
As stated before, I am not neccesarily looking to become a master of the craft, I am more looking for a project to grow on.

A good couple of people have suggested to me to start out with hand tools, not only due to my budget, but also for the simple reason of "touching the wood".

After giving the idea a bit of thought to the idea with a good nights rest, I have concluded that to be my starting point

Then I am able to buy power tools as time and need arises, and with a better quality, than i would be able to afford with my current budget.


Once again, thank you all very much for the very good advice, and I hope that you will hear more from me, when I have some projects finished

[Jim Becker]

Welcome aboard!

The best advise I can give you is that for whatever you buy, buy quality. Quality is less expensive in the long run. "Cheap" costs you more in the long run...

[Phil Barrett]

Somewhat late to this thread but...

You might look for woodworking clubs. I don't know about Denmark but that would give you access to more tools and experienced woodworkers.

[Phil Mueller]

This may be a bit of a long post, but I can relate to your question. I just started in woodworking about 3 years ago (if you don't count woodshop class in High School). Like many beginners, I began with bird houses. A circular saw and drill, plus the basic hand tools and a few clamps was all I owned. The first were simple butt joints, then played with miter joints and rabbets. After about a dozen or so, I got a router and started making inlays. Then I moved to cutting boards and purchased a relatively inexpensive contractor table saw...still use it today.

I then moved to tables and picture frames and small boxes. Along the way, I purchased tools to help do the job...chisels, router, router table, hand planes, power planer, drill press, jigs, etc.

The advice on buying the highest quality tool you can afford is sound. For example, I purchased a very inexpensive router table (Craftsman from Sears). Ok, it worked, but adjustments were frustrating and accuracy was sacrificed. Made it work until it literally lost grip of the router...fortunately no injury. Replaced it recently with a mid-range table and router lift...what a joy...and opened up a lot of possibilities and new projects.

So, like others have suggested, pick a simple project, grab what tools you have or can afford at the time, and start in. I've really enjoyed it.
Bird houses - Copy.JPG
(The last few bird houses I made)

[Wes Ramsey]

I will put in one more vote for woodturning as a start to your hobby. Wood lathes can be had for as little or as much as you want to spend. With a basic set of chisels and a few accessories you can turn some really nice bowls, vases, etc - anything round. Turning seems to be more accessory-intensive, however, than working with flat wood. In turning you only have one power tool for all your work (plus a grinder if you want to keep your tools sharp). All the accessories - the chisels, faceplates, chucks, tool rests, etc - take up little room and can be stored in a tote or tool box/cabinet in your garage and taken out when you need them. Turning also requires less space, again because there is only the one power tool. Someone else mentioned the instant gratification of turning, and they are correct. With turning you don't have to process the wood and get it flat to work with it first - at it's basest element you are taking a raw chunk of wood and chiseling away everything that isn't a bowl/plate/vase/hollow form/pepper mill/bottle stopper/pen/tool handle and so on. After you have the finished form you can choose to leave it as raw wood or you can finish it any number of ways. After you learn to turn a form you can advance into carving, piercing, pyrography and the like.

Wood blanks can be had anywhere you can find wood, and often the nicest pieces can be found as lumber yard scrap or even in the wood pile. Cracks can be filled with CA glue and coffee grounds to turn a defect into a feature. If you choose to use pre-cut blank you can probably have them cut from dimensional lumber at any sawmill or buy online. If you choose to use raw wood you will need a chainsaw. I would also recommend investing in a grinder and jig set for keeping your tools sharp. There are many tools you can add over time, but woodturning will get you into the sport more quickly. It is what I recommend anyway, but here in Arkansas I have more wood than I know what to do with and just enough accessories to turn and finish some pretty nice pieces. They sell easily and I reinvest that money into tools. This spring I'm going to be able to set my shop up for working with flat wood again, but for the last year my lathe filled that void for me and kept me working with wood.