Hello,
I am just starting to dabble in woodworking. I am pretty impressed with this website and now with these forums.
I have a few questions for you guys who can now do this with your eyes closed 😉
1. What is the best way to start? Should I buy a book with projects? If so what do you recommand (I would prefer CD-Rom or DVD but a book would do).
2. I live in a small appartment, so I have no room for a workshop. That is going to be a problem I know… So far I have only the strict minimum (Orbital sander, drill, Dremel multitool, jigsaw). Is it still possible to do without a workshop? What would be the best way to go about this?
Well any advice would be appreciated.
Replies
small boxes using box joints and dovetail joints. All you need is a good back saw, bevel gage, marking gage power drill a few drill bits and good sharp chisel hammer. Now if you really want to spend time working on some thing learn how to chip carving on the boxes. That way you don't need a lot of power tools or a lot of room.
I don't recall the name of the books but there are some good ones on making boxes and carving. Twenty years ago I check a few out of the library.
I
If there are woodshops in your area,You might spend a few hours as a helper. You will gain a varied experience that may help you plan the type of woodworking that is of the most interest to you'
Work safely ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬PAT¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Hi. I'm also a beginner, but have a table saw, drill press, sanders, chisels, various and sundry measuring and marking instruments, the list goes on. I currently am trying to learn the craft in a 10'x15' room and find it pretty cramped.
First things first, yes get some books. If you've never used a saw then Woodworking for Dummies is a fun way to get an overview of what you're up against. Wood carving may be a better outlet for your creative energies if space is limited. I can't say for sure because I don't carve. BTW- WW for D is the first book I bought, so don't take the recommendation the wrong way.
I feel obligated to also mention the works of Bruce Hoadley (Understanding Wood) and Bob Flexner (Understanding Wood Finishes) as they are among the first books recommended anyhow. Anything by Tage Frid is also worthwhile, as is the advice of the people here who know what they're talking about. I believe Taunton Press (this site) has a DVD/CDROM set that sells for about $150Cdn. Supposed to be worth its weight in something really really expensive. You know, because CD's are light... they'd have to be worth more than their weight in gold or they wouldn't be worth the $150... HA-HA?
Good Luck and Happy Woodworking
There are many ways to start out, the posts before me give good advice. What I'd like to add is that you remain aware of safety and research this as much as technique, tools, and design.
Even a chisel can cut a very deep slice in you hand requiring stitches and antibiotic. Imagine what a table saw can do!
Seriously. Imagine what a table saw can do. Imagine it every time you use the saw until it's ingrained in your approach to the machine. Picture the contact with the blade and what happens to your hand. Don't get scared off, just remember that anything that can shape wood can shape flesh, usually to your detriment. Keep safety and consequences in mind all the time and take joy in your work and you'll satisfy the urge to make things and remain whole at the same time. Safety is a skill to work at just as much as dovetailing and handplaning.
Enjoy; making things is the most basic thing that separates us from other critters and it's at the heart of our identity as homo saps.
Edited 2/6/2004 12:48:56 AM ET by telemiketoo
Here is a memo I once wrote for a friend of mine just starting out. It addresses some of you qeustions.
thank you for that memo. I wish I would have been lucky enough to have someone give me that when i started!!
Welcome to Knots forum. My only thought on this was to suggest you talk to some folks at the local tool/machinery dealers and find out who the woodworkers are in your area. Get in touch with one who would consider "Mentoring" you. An guy or gal, like many of us, who has a home woodworking shop might really enjoy having the opportunity to share some knowledge with you. He would also be able to offer suggestions about where to find books and other reference material, and help you discover and nurture a particular skill. I.E. carving, turning, etc. Good luck, Ken
Calendyr,
Welcome. Given your constraints you may want to think about a workbench...that you could collapse when not in use. I think the Garrett Wade catalogue still offers an example of one. With a workbench and hand tools everything can be done. You also might enjoy a table top lathe .....
Calendyr,
When I ws living in our 1st aptmt, I had a space about 5'x10' for a "workshop". I managed to build several pieces of furniture in the year and 1/2 we lived there. My tools were: skilsaw, electric drill, jigsaw, router, jackplane, low angle block plane, marking gauge, chisels, screwdrivers, clawhammer, handsaw, dovetail saw, scraper. I was working full time in a furniture shop, so I had access to thicknessed stock.
If you are interested in traditional technology, I recommend a book callled Mechanic Exercises, by Joseph Moxon. It's a reprint of a 1740's era how-to book. It opened my eyes to the tools of the 18th century, and how they were used. It may help you in your situation to ponder that the complete tool set of the typical 18th cent journeyman fit (tightly)into a chest about 3'lx2'dx2'h.
The point I'm trying to make is, if you want to badly enough, you can work wood almost anyplace. At the time I was in my apt (1972) one of my buddies was working wood in his apt living room, when he moved, I don't know how (or if) he got all the sawdust out of that shag carpeting!
Best wishes,
Ray
Thank you for all the answers ;) I was not expecting so much support.
From what I can understand so far, the tablesaw is the cornerstone of woodworking... That seems to the one thing it is hard to do without. Problem is that it is big and noisy ;) For the rest I will follow the advice to get the book about 18th century tools... They did manage to make furniture back then even without power tools. Probably took a lot longer tough. The router seems to be an other tool that is very important, at least that is portable.
I will look into taking an introduction class, there must be some around here. I will also get the Wood working for dummies book, I did not know they made one about this... I love those books, they really take you from 0 skill and up, excellent to learn since they don't assume you know anything and thus make it easier to learn.
And thanks for that file about starting, it's very complete and I am use I will use of lot of the advices in there.
My first project is a kitchen table. I decided to make it out of pine for economic reasons, this way if I screw up it won't break my heart ;) I already ran into plenty of problems due to my lack of proper tools... Will remedy this when my next paycheck comes in ;)
Myth number one about working with hand tools is that the work will take a lot longer. If you keep the design of your pieces simple, and use joinery that can be done easily with hand tools, you will probably need at most two days to do the work you could do in one day in a well equipped power tool shop.
As you become proficient and learn the strengths and limitations of your tools, the time difference will narrow even further. A huge advantage for someone in your situation is that hand tools are quiet, almost dust free, and they require far less space to store. Equally important is the working space required will be only a third or a quarter of that needed for passing stock through power tools.
If at all possible try to find a mentor who is capable of building furniture working with hand tools only, but that may be difficult. I'd post an ad here on the Knots site, you just might get lucky.
John W.
Take a class at your local community college. They're really affordable and you get to use great machines (well sometimes) that are difficult to acquire without having a large space or a ton of $$. Just make sure all of the instructor's fingers are intact. Avoid ones with too many "battle scars."
DO read Fine Woodworking magazine. It's the best magazine out there that goes beyond "just making stuff." American Woodworker used to be really great until Rodel Press sold it to Readers Digest and turned it into another pedestrian-like, WOOD magazine. Taunton Press has a huge collection of books and dvds of skilled artisans. I would recommend Tage Frid as a great source for developing your ww skills. He's a no-nonsense, former ww instructor at RISD's furniture program. If you're a fan of Porter Cable or Delta products, watch Norm Abrams change bits on a router, while it's still running! Just kidding.
Anway don't feel like you need to acquire every machine all at onces. Learn basic hand-tool skills, buy what you can, and just have fun. Good luck.
One way I handled this in my early woodworking days was to find an adult ed class at a local school and go there. They had more power tools than I'll ever have in my own shop.
Of course, that was over 20 years ago and I think schools are phasing out woodshops now. But this is a good thing to investigate.
John
Calendyr,
As to living in an apartment: up until recently I had an apartment and felt no restrictions whatever with my wood working. Neither space nor noise was a problem because I use hand tools exclusively (except for an electric drill). I know going completely Neanderthal is not for everyone, but in your present circumstances you might think about it.
I now have one tool that I can't see how I did without for so long. I strongly advise you to get a decent wood workers bench.
I got a Sljbdzgdsx (Pat, I'd like to buy a vowel!) bench for my birthday many moons ago. It's five feet or so long and about twenty inches wide. It has both a shoulder vise and a tail vise, and two rows of dog holes. I made some simple modifications so I could easily break it down and move it where I wanted to work and or get it out of the way. It isn't the greatest bench in the world, but its relatively light weight and compact size were virtues when I was in my apartment. No matter what kind of tools you wind up using, you will find a good bench invaluable.
Alan
Wow, that's about all I started with....good choice in your first tools. Here's a picture frame I made using those same tools. It was my first woodworking project outside of highschool shop class.
My best advise is to start buying woodworking magazines...they are cheap and will give you constantly updated knowledge. Books will follow as you find out the niches that you want to study further.
sorry, here's a smaller pic
That is a great frame! I am mostly interested in furniture making myself, I have no artistic ability ;) Most people's brain have a 50% creativity/artistic and 50% logic and technical... mine is 90% logic and 10% artistic ;) So I will stick with things I can make plans of.
Calendyr, Let me recommend a book that I found in the library recently. It's called The Seven Essentials of Woodworking by Anthony Guidice. You can read it in a few hours. He makes a great case for learning hand tool skills off the bat with high quality tools. I wish I had read and heeded it 30 years ago.
Thanks for the info, I will look for it next time I go to the bookstore.
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