New to Woodworking

[Steve Hsu]

My house is decently furnished at this point but I am missing 2 coffee tables and 2 side tables mainly because we can't really find what we both loved at first sight. I am a 37 years old middle class that works hard and continues to improve my daily life. After browsing around big box store like Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, or Restoration Hardware, it's really not the fact that I can't afford the furniture from there but it's more of the fact that I can't bring myself to pay what they want being in the factory side of things. Purchasing is my job and I deal and visit factories overseas on a monthly or yearly basis. It really ruined me in a few ways lol

I am not looking to start building a coffee table that's elaborate. In fact, I can live with a plywood tabletop and 4 legs. i think the important thing to me is that, it's something that's made by me and it can be improved and will be improved as I improve.

[marlin adams]

Steve, Keith Weber hit the nail on the head. As a fellow woodworker I just got back into it after a a long time and I am doing wood working on my deck since I dont have space to setup inside my shop/family storage . Buy some cheap funiture and just replace it with stuff you want to build, that is what I am doing and I am working on a few book cases then I am doing my wife and I kingsize bed frame to replace the one I got plus I am going to build me another computer desk. So far I have a black and decker plunge router, Rigid R4516 contractors saw (I build my own base to get the height I wanted), porter cable fix base router and a older craftsman fix base router in which I am planning on using for the portable router table I am building. Workbench well I have to use the 2'x4' Centipede I can collapse and store but misc other tools including dowl jigs and dovetail jigs.

But as you mention you are new to this so like the others said check out the woodworking clubs in the area and you will get alot of info on tools and stuff you might want to get and help on anything you need to know. And home depot got a 72 inch folding bench for around 80 bucks.

[Dan Hulbert]

When my wife and I cruise furniture stores, one of us always has a tape measure. A few key dimensions and some phone pictures can provide enough information to make the item (and make it better) when we get home.

[Ray Newman]

Since you live in the Dallas area, the local Woodcraft offers a two day, "9 to 5", "Basic Woodworking" class. Class size is limited to 6 participants. Might be worth your while to look into it.

Also agree with Keith Weber that getting started in woodworking will take time and money, and then throw in frustration from the inevitable mistakes and errors.

As for the two construction site saws you mentioned, think again. From looking at the on-line owner's manuals, apparently that there is no way to correct any error if the saw blade is not parallel to the miter gauge slots. The De Walt made no mention of dado blade capability. While the Delta claims it will spin an 8" dado blade, I have my doubts.

Get a working knowledge about the various aspects, qualities, etc., of a table saw, then start looking for a good used contractor's saw on the local craigs list. I would avoid the older Sears saws as the miter gauge slots were a non-standard size, plus parts are [U]unobtainium[U].

[Scott Bernstein]

I was in a similar position about 2-3 years ago:


We had been in our first home for a few years with two smallchildren and a house full of furniture my wife and I had in our apartments beforewe were a couple. We had also acquiredsome hand-me-down items from family members, and some pieces from friends andcoworkers (reduced, reuse, recycles, etc…).Some of it was good quality older furniture, but of course none of itreally matched.But it was functionaland with two kids and both working full time it was fine.Then 2-3 years ago the kids were gettingolder and more independent (they are elementary and middle-school aged now) andtaking care of them started to get a little easier.Around that time we decided to install awood stove fireplace insert (which has been fantastic) but it needed a newsurround and mantle.We could not findanything off-the-shelf that we liked.Iwas online looking for ideas and I came across an episode of “Ask This OldHouse” in which the carpenter built a fireplace mantle for a young couple witha new wood stove insert.I watched thatepisode about a dozen times, then went out to the Big Box store and came homewith a sliding compound mitre saw, a pocket hole jig, and a bunch of poplarlumber.I got that together in a coupleweekends and it turned out great – it’s the first thing you see when you walkinto our house.It’s not complicated byany stretch – just a simple design that will never go out of style.So from there, I had some leftover materialand I decided to build a small bedside table for my daughter.Well, this was the incentive I needed to buya table saw – I ended up with a Bosch benchtop portable table saw.It got the job done but after that one littlefurniture project I could tell I had already outgrown it.Nothing wrong with the saw at all – it’s justtotally inadequate for good furniture projects.Well now my son wanted me to build something for him, so I decided tomake him a bookshelf – you know, one that would not sag if you put actual booksin it.That project led me to the bestwoodworking investment I could make: a real table saw.I spent more than I ever thought I would forany kind of tool – but boy was it worth it.A real cabinet saw really took things to the next level for me andwoodworking became super fun.With eachsubsequent project I purchased another big stationary tool for the woodshop(aka: our garage) until I had: table saw, 6” jointer, 13” lunchbox planer,bandsaw, disc/belt sanding station, and a drill press.Along the way came a few different types ofsanders, routers, drills, drivers, tracksaw, Festool Domino, lots of clamps, avariety of measuring and marking tools, and various purchased and home-builtjigs.I have supplemented the hand-heldpower tools and stationary power tools with what I consider some “middling”tools – not quite hand-held and not-quite large stationary tools.Things like a dovetail jig, a HybridPantorouter, and a Router Boss.The lastpiece of the puzzle for me is to acquire a real dust collector – which I planto do in the next few months.


As others have said if you include the initial investmentsin tooling, this is probably not a money-saving investment compared tolow-to-medium quality purchased from a store. However, if you were planning on purchasing only the highest quality and/orcustom furniture and a full set of custom kitchen cabinets…I suppose you couldbreak even in the long run – assuming you consider your time to be “free ofcharge”.

I am pretty mechanically minded and so using all thesedifferent machines is the easy part for me. Other woodworkers have a great talent for (unpowered) hand tools; someare experts at turning on a lathe.Some guysare strapped for cash but have lots of time; others are super busy but have theluxury of some disposable income to purchase all the time-saving machinery theyneed.I suppose if you have neither anytime nor any money you’re in a difficult spot and probably making furniture isn’ta priority…You have to find whichaspect of the hobby you enjoy the most and best suits you. Ipretty much learned on my own and by watching old episodes of Norm Abram’s show“New Yankee Workshop”.

I try to get the whole family involved. My wife is usually the source of the nextitem on the list to be built, and we design together.Our tastes our relatively easy to make,fortunately for me – best described as shaker, scandanavian, and mid-century modern.The kids help with some hand-sanding, gluing(which they enjoy), painting, etc…Justenough to hopefully develop an interest for it one day.

Some of the items I have built in the past 2-3 yearsinclude:
Fireplace mantle (poplar)
Bedside tables (poplar)
Coffee table (sapele)
Kitchen work table (poplar with cherry top)
Computer desk (Ash)

Single size bed (poplar)
Queen size bed and matching pair of bedside tables (hickory)
Bookshelf (maple)
Bookshelf (maple with purpleheart inlay – yes I do thinkthey look good together even over time)

Things I plan to build:
Full size bed
Basement cabinets and shelving
Garage cabinets and shelving
Kitchen cabinets
Dining room table and chairs
Entry way sideboard
Nesting tables
Drop-leaf “handkerchief” corner table
Various cutting boards, checkerboard, game table, othersmall items

Good luck!!

[Hoang N Nguyen]

I'm no master carpenter and don't claim to be one but I will say I've come a long way in just under 5 years. 5 years is all I've been doing woodworking and I can build nearly anything the wife wants me to build. It all started when we built our last home and my next door neighbor was out in his garage building furniture for his house. He had nothing but a 20 year old job site saw that's no more than 20" square, a 12" craftsman miter saw, a kreg pocket hole jig and a power drill. He made due with what he had and was able to build nightstands and dressers just like how his wife wanted.

I got to talking with him and next thing you know, I'm coming home from Sears with a 10" miter saw, table saw, 18ga brad nail, a pancake air compressor and dewalt impact driver. I made due with that for over a year and was able to build my own work bench, built-ins for our family room, a stand for our washer and drier and a few other things around the house. This made the wife really happy, more importantly it made me happy. I found something I really enjoyed doing and I wasn't too bad at it.

Realizing I didn't suck at woodworking,I slowly started to upgrade some of my tools. I got rid of my 10" craftsman miter saw for a 12" dual bevel dewalt saw. I picked up a small 1hp jet dust collector and somehow a SawStop cabinet table saw followed me home. A few months after that I outfitted my shop with a Powermatic 8" jointer and dewalt lunchbox planer.

Fast forward a few years, we built our 2nd home and I now have a 1600 sq. ft. basement workshop. My tool collection has continued to grow and my pockets continue to empty but I now have life long tools and a shop outfitted with powermatic jointer, planer, mortiser, SS tablesaw and a bunch of green Festool systainers everywhere.

The last house was a wash money saving wise since I spent so much money on tools but my current home isn't. I've saved at least $20k within the last year alone building things for my house and I'm not where near done with my wife's list.

I've never taken a woodworking class in my life, but I do watch a ton of youtube videos and have learned a lot of them. I learned a great deal from a guys on youtube called "the wood whisperer". I've also learned a great deal from all the wonderful members here on SMC. If I ever had a question on anything, people here are always willing to help.

If you're dedicated enough, you can go a long way in a short amount of time. Look through my profile and check out some of the build threads I've posted to give you an idea. I can also show you the first thing I've ever build. It's a work of shame but I still have it just as a reminder of how far I've come.

[Marshall Harrison]

Welcome Steve,

I too am just starting out though for the 3rd time. Moves and health lead to the demise of my first two shops. The process can be confusing and aggravating as you research and try to decide what to buy. Take advice from here or elsewhere then make decisions that make you feel happy. We will all gladly spend your money for you but ultimately if you have your heart set on a piece of equipment then you may not be happy if you let someone talk you into something else just because it works for them.

Good luck.

[Mel Fulks]

Hoang, congratulations on your progress. You have a good story of optimistic determination. Some of us are thinking ....
"there's got to be an easier way!" But you know there isn't. Enjoy!

[Mike Cary]

Hey Steve, I’ve been lurking on the forum for some time, but registered just to talk to you. Congrats, you are my inaugural post.

First, count your fingers, barring an earlier “incident”, most of us have ten. You should try to avoid subtracting from that number. Learn safety. Not just for you, your wife, kids, and friends.

Next, despite a lot of good advice, I think you got the cart ahead of the horse a little. This happens when your dreams start with the destination instead of the journey.

First, I would ask you, how do you react to the phrase, “Some assembly required”? If it grates a little, then chopping up wood and slapping it together with pocket screws is not for you. But maybe you like getting something accomplished in the little time off you have and collecting those kudos. Or do you like a challenge, the look of fine wood, grain patterns, intricate joinery, oh yeah, that’s the stuff. If you figure some of this out early it will guide your choices. Buying the right stuff now is much cheaper than buying after a garage full of wrong stuff later.

Some suggested the first thing you should do is buy table saw, I disagree, I thing you should get a firm handle on your expectations. If you are going to do this as a hobby the most important thing is that you enjoy it. I was where you are 15 years ago and it has soured. But I absolutely love working wood, not so much “building stuff”, so my entire approach is changing, I’m doing it right this time and really enjoying it. You need to relish the journey.

Amen, sermon is over

Mike

[Steve Hsu]

Hello Mike,

Thanks for the reply. I fix my own car from building engines to a simple brake job. I detail cars as a hobby and I have no problem spending 20-40 hrs on a show car that I can see myself in. Every project I have done is something that I am proud of and always remember.

The story goes like this... We were shopping for a coffee table and we would find tables are the styles we like but the colors are off or the opposite. Next thing you know, I am on Craigslist browsing through coffee table just to see what's out there and what's available. I noticed there are some people that are posting their work unfinished and said that it can be finished in any color of our choice. I told my wife about it and she started looking as well. One thing led to another we found a site Ana-White.com and from the videos. A compound miter saw, kreg jig, and a drill are pretty much what it takes to make what we saw on Craigslist. I went ahead and bought the miter and the kreg jig for pocket holes and that's when I realized that I like to keep all my fingers. I wanted to learn more before I make my first attempt on the coffee table. The more I read the more I realized I need to learn. From one site to another here I am.
Every trade has its own set of tools. Just like everyone have replied so far, I do need to buy all the tools slowly. Learned some hard lessons from stripping bolts to paint work, quality tools are worth every penny. Thank everyone for your advises so far!!

[Mike Cary]

Hint: there are quality tools and there are good enough tools. You don’t need a $20,000 Felder combo machine to make nice stuff. If you have a budget, you may sacrifice something because you blew it all on the best wizbang when just a good whiz bang works fine. Just avoid crap and tools with limits which your interest and skill may over take. Also, a lot of woodworkers, me included fall into the tool collection trap. That’s bad m’kay.

[Mike Cary]

Sorry to be so chatty, but as a post script I would add to what Ray said about your saw choices, you said dust collection was a must, these saw types were designed to run outside, I doubt that they have much in the way of dust collection. They are light weight and usually sound like a jet taking off and shake like Michael J Fox. Much of the utility of a table saw is because of jigs and sleds, these saws have small tables limiting those items. It will rip a board, outside, but so will a skill saw bolted upside down on plywood.

[Marc Jeske]

Steve - Ana White stuff is a great place to start.

Simplified construction, inexpensive materials, not requiring lotta tools.

Confidence and experience building.

Start with a few of the more basic pieces and build your skills from there.

As many have said, mistakes will happen, and you will learn from them.

Don't be overly self critical.. the next project will turn out better !

Having worked on cars you have already developed alot of skills that you will use in woodworking... like even the most basic like watching where your knuckles will get bloody when the ratchet slips kinda stuff.

And not having your thumb on workpiece next to a screw you are driving.

As time goes on you will see where your interest goes.

Ten years from now you may be restoring a vintage vehicle, or.. maybe building a complex piece of furniture.

Start w a Ana style coffee table w the tools you have and go from there.

Have fun, and accept non perfection in projects is reality.... but you already also know that from the car experiences !!

If you don't have a sander yet here's a great one for the $ -

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Marc

[Terry Hatfield]

Steve,

18 years ago I was in a very similar situation as you find yourself in. My wife wanted a big dining room table. She is the quintessential hostess. After searching out tables and chairs that fit the bill, we were dismayed at either the quality or the price or both. I made a rash statement, "I bet I could build a table and buy some unfinished chairs." The rest is proverbial history. I already had a nice shop space where I was doing automotive work. I was in the body shop business and did some show car work at my home shop. I converted 2/3 of my home shop to woodworking and began to build. Couple of end tables to start with. I still have them. I look at the occasionally to remind myself of what I though was good work. lol...

Bottom line is that all these years later I have built virtually every piece of furniture in our house that is feasible for me to build. I milled every piece of trim. I build many cabinets and all the interior doors. I am very proud of the furniture. I believe that it will last for generations. It was/is a learning process. Start with your coffee and end tables. Learn from the connections that you have already made. You are already off to a good start. I look forward to watching your progress.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Step 1: Decide what you will make for your first project.

Step 2: Decide how to make it and identify what you need (skills and equipment) to make it.

Step 3: Buy what you need to make it.

When I first started, my goal was to make some boxes. I never did make those boxes. I was not sure how to join the boxes so I started cutting dovetails by hand. That took time to learn

I took a class at the local wood craft where we built a book case. We used a Kreg Jig. After only using hand cut dovetails, it was eye opening.... fast ans strong. That is now how I build cabinets. The Kreg jig is easy to use, not that expensive, and, where appropriate, fast and reliable.

Ideally, you could find someone local who could mentor you. I found that I received really good advice from people working at my local wood craft, your mileage may vary on that.

I do not know if you are able to create your own plans, or, if you need to buy plans, but as part of Step 2 and Step 3 above, you may need to figure out how to best build (plans, for example) what you want. Do you need to cut a mortise? Can you avoid a mortise?

I bought a work bench because I was not even sure that I could build one of those at the time. Pretty sure I could do that now, but, if I had just thrown one together, it would not have had a wood working vice on it..... but do you need one of those yet?