In over my head. All new machines.

[Dave Cav]

Welcome. It sounds like you don't have a table saw; if so you'll be using your bandsaw for your crosscutting and ripping. You'll need a couple of different blades for that. I'd recommend a 1/4" or so, 4 to 6 tooth per inch, for general work including cutting curves, and a 1/2" or 5/8" resaw blade for ripping. I don't think your saw will adequately tension anything wider. You'll get pretty good at changing blades; it's not that difficult with a 555. Spectrum Supply seems to have pretty good blade prices.

Unless you're doing some pretty tight curves, a 1/2" blade will probably do 99% of what you need, at least starting out.

[Dave Macy]

Thanks everyone, and yes, some high school students do know punctuation. We just sometimes choose not to use it

Someone asked, yes, I have a table saw. It's an older unisaw that my neighbor has been teaching me on. I don't have any dust collection setup because I wheel everything outside since there's no room in the garage to actually work. It's a lot of work just to get things in there.

I'm considering this as a possible career I think. My grades aren't that great even though I try. I'm an injured athlete so I think I'm taking a gap year and am going to try woodworking as a business during that time. I have a few unique things I want to try but most of them would lead to mass manufacturing not fine woodworking. Other than some furniture for me, I don't want to get into anything too big because I don't have the room. So I'm thinking little tables and other small things. My dad says I may be fooling myself that there's only so much market, but I do want to try and he tells me to try.

Yes, NNJ = north new jersey. Also, thanks for the lead on wood. I'll shoot you an IM. Not looking for handouts but appreciate all guidance. I called Iturra and ordered some new bs blades today. Thx

[Matt Day]

There are a number of threads about turning the hobby into a business. Search around and read through them. Summary: it's a lot of work and it's hard to make a living.

[Gary Cunningham]

Practice safe ww'ing. Always use eye/ear protection, and use a respirator as needed.

[Wes Ramsey]

If you're taking a skip year it may be a good idea to find a local cabinet maker and see if they will maybe give you an apprenticeship or hire you part time. You can learn most anything about woodworking from the www, but you may learn faster with some personal instruction.

If you have to move all your tools to use them then a good first project might be to build mobile bases for them. Just setting up your shop or work area with proper storage and maybe a bench will help you get familiar with your new tools and give you experience that will come in handy when you want to build something a bit nicer.

[Chris Merriam]

Wood unfortunately is expensive. The cheapest route is to find a local sawmill. In my area, I can get rough wood between $2.50 and $4.00 a board foot. For an average 8ft long by 6in wide board, I tend to pay around $12 a board. Full retail would be more like $16 or so. A sheet of cabinet grade 3/4 plywood can be $70-90.

[Andy Pedler]

You might consider taking on an apprenticeship somewhere. Honestly, I have no idea if local shops would take on an apprentice these days, but if so, it would be a great opportunity to learn from pros. You'd have a chance to not only learn the technical skills required but learn about the business side too without it being your own business.

Good luck to you, and be safe.