I’m interested to know how people get into woodworking as a hobby. I have done a lot of home improvement work such as crown molding and building a deck, so I have some tools like a circular saw and miter saw. This has increased my interest in making furniture and other things.
I don’t have any friends or family members who are into woodworking, but I have learned a lot from magazines and books. I didn’t see any beginner threads in the archives.
What got you started as a woodworker? Any advice you could share about how you got started or resources that I could check out would be appreciated. Also, what is a good first project?
Replies
Short story - I started when I was a college student whose taste in furniture FAR exceeded his budget. Had an uncle who was a finish carpenter who would give me some pointers. Most of the early stuff was OK (particularly since I paid very little for it!). Got real serious when I needed a large coffee table (nearly 5' square) and couldn't find anything close to what I wanted - so I built it myself.
I realize this doesn't give you many pointers on how to start. But from my experience, pick something you'd really like to have and give it a shot!
Bob
Wow, great question! I'm not sure how I got into it, but I think it was when my folks took me to Colonial Williamsburg when I was 12. For the first few years, (after the Navy), all I had were hand tools, that was great, I leaned to dimension lumber, cut M&T and DT joints by hand, (all from books too, thanks to FWW and Tage Frid). My sholders loved the new contractors tablesaw and planer! Now with a shop full of top end power tools, I still build at least one small piece a year totally by hand just to keep sharp at it.
Be careful, it's addictive.
I hate to admit it but... back in the late 1940s, my older cousin carefully instructed me in the fine art of salvaging wooden orange crates (I havent seen them in years) for making toys. After the crates were taken apart and the nails slowly and carefully straightened, we would make all sorts of toys and games with them. An orange crate, a piece of 2x4 or a wooden fence slat and a single roller skate and we had a scooter. 3 long slats plus one short end piece and we had a rifle. Anything that could be made of wood with nails to hold it together was built. Small boxes, book racks, and some crude attempts to build a cattipult were all part of my instruction. After that, Wood Shop in Junior High School and High School and I've never looked back. I've been an Arts & Crafts counsellor in summer camp where there was a lot of wood work, and then a Woodshop teacher in the public schools. Getting young kids interested in building things out of wood is the best fun a guy (or gal) can have. Watching young minds come alive makes all the headaches worth it.
SawdustSteve
I'm interested to know how people get into woodworking as a hobby.
I did mine as a well.. out of the Army guy with time to kill..
I built a Cabin Cruser from plans I found in Popular Mechanics? I forget... A LONG TIME AGO.. It still floats!
Fitz--
Great question...here's my story.
In 1999 my wife and I had a custom entertainment center put in our home-- it was very nice. There were some off-cuts of the moulding and my wife asked if I could build a shelf from them. Of course I said yes. Then I realized that I would need a miter saw whitch I purchased. After getting more involved in the project, I determined that it would be great to have small table saw to rip accurately. Then I needed a brad nailer to hold the moulding in place. Well, after many mistakes and alot of wood putty ( to fill up the gaps in the miters) I completed the shelf. Overall it looked great---just don't look to close at the miters.
I had a blast building the shelf and it matched the entertainment very well. From there I built some kid furniture-- table and chairs from 2x4s. I kept buying tools/machinery and watched Norm alot. I also read every wood magazine out there.
I continued to craft items for our home and it felt so rewarding to create a beautiful, function furniture that was of high quality.
And voila--- I had a hobby that I am absolutely addicted to.
Thank you,
Cheatah
Fitzg,
I fortunatly was lucky enough to have a grandfather who was a carpenter/finish carpenter so I think if saw dust can run in your veins then thats where I got my interest at. If I had to say anything about someone who's just starting to build projects it would be to create what you feel comfortable building. Don't take on a project at first thats way above your skil level becouse you'll lose interest and just want to hurry to get it finished and more than likly it never will get completly done becouse most people lose interest becouse it does take so long to finish a large project. Start with somthing that doesn't take very long so you can see some self gratification on a job thats well done and completly finished then move on to more complicated projects as your skil level increases and then you'll be hooked becouse woodworking if you really enjoy it is like a drug you'll get hooked and it's so habit forming to accomplish somthing that only you and you alone created that it will be a good habit and then you'll be hooked. Good luck and most importantly have fun......
Sincerely Jim C
Hi Fitz,
You don't have any personal info in your profile so i don't know where your from. But I may suggest that you check with your local colleges or if a Woodcraft store is close check out the classes there. That might be a good place to start.
As for me, my father carved wood as a hobby, I spent many hours watching and helping him in the 60s as a kid, so started my adventure in woodworking.
MikeK
Hey Fitz,
Sounds like you are in the exact place I was in about a year ago. I had done some general home improvement projects, had a decent plywood workbench and a few tools. Then, one day while visiting family in Dayton, OH I saw this big green sign that said "WOODCRAFT". I think that store got me hooked more than anything.
Since then I converted half my two car carage into a shop. I purchased a table saw, jointer, band saw, drill press and planer (all Delta products, in that order). I've also set up a router table, and I recently purchased a used WoodRat that I've only made a few cuts with.
I've made a few small projects, but I've spent most of my time, energy and money setting up shop. I have several projects lined up I want to build starting this spring, just as soon as it warms up a little.
My next big addition will be a detached, dedicated shop. I still don't know how I'm going to approach this, but I'm leaning towards purchasing a pre-fabricated barn/shed, approx. 14" x 18", and wiring that for what I need. I hope to make that purchase in 2006, but it might be this time next year before I can pull that off.
So my suggestion would be go to a local Woodcraft store, or go to their website and request their catalog. Also, go to leevalley.com and request their woodworking catalog as well.
Good luck, have fun and be careful!
Jeff
pre-fabricated barn/shed, approx. 14" x 18"
A quick rule of thumb I have found useful when contemplating shop size, is to figure out what you think you need, then increase the size by 50% and you MAY have one that will fit the bill for a couple of years longer than otherwise.1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go 4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
Heres my dilemma.... Not sure that we will stay in our current house for more than two or three years. So I am afraid to break ground and build the kind of shop I'd really like to have. So, I can buy a smaller building to use temporarily, and take it with me if we move, or continue to work in 1/4 of a two car garage.
?? Where is it written that cars must be housed in garages. Just increases undercarriage rust.
Yeah, apparently it is written in my marriage license.... "Wife will park vehicle in garage or divorce will follow..."
I started out as a DIYer around the house out of necessity and started watching alot of the DIY and wwing shows. My first experience with a borrowed router for a front porch project pretty much got me hooked on the aspect of shaping wood. The rest just steamrolled from there. Love every minute of it!
I more or less got hooked out of necessity. I had a few projects to build and then decided I lked doing this sort of thing. DIYing is a natural starting point I think. After all, once the deck is built, you need furniture for it don't you? And that norm guy can put a chase lounge together in no time whycan't I?
I've built 4 pieces of furniture so far, and some smaller projects. My first piece of furniture was a printer stand. Used 1x from old fence panels and scrap plywood.
Next was a corner table then an outdoor Morris Chair from Pop. WWking plans and the last and best, a TV stand of my own design.
Each project gets better as I, and my tools get better. I'd say start with whatever you need around the house and go from there. Just keep it simple. My joinery started with nails and has progressed to Mortise and tenon in the TV Stand. Pick a design you can accomplish with the skills and tools you have plus one. I mean each new tool you buy should produce a project that gets you familiar with the new tool and a new or stretched skill. That's how you grow as a woodworker. My way less than humble opinion.
I started out many years ago, as the helper in the basement for my father. He created built-in furniture, a dining room set, and a variety of items, with an old Craftsman table saw, hand planes, brace and bit. I still have the planes.
I built my first piece of furniture, with the same tools, to hold a stereo set for my older brother as a house warming gift. Since then, it's been build this, fix that etc.
My dad always puttered around as a woodworker and did some really fantastic work on really horrible tools. I guess I got interested mostly because my wife and I could never find any furniture that we liked so I started building it myself.
If you want to learn to do woodworking, you just have to do it. All the books in the world aren't going to help you until you've got wood in your hands. It'll give you tips and ideas, but it won't hone your skills.
Pick a simple first project, do some research on what you need and just make it. Learn from your mistakes, you'll make plenty. Don't get discouraged. Don't give up. And don't be surprised when you get hooked like the rest of us. ;)
I started when we moved to Martinsville, VA, and had our first child. Since this part of VA was full of furniture companies, I learned that the local high school had a super shop where they trained students to go to work in the furniture business. Since I needed a bed for my daughter, I enrolled in their evening program where they allowed the locals to pay a fee and use the shop under the instruction of a professional woodworker. Built a great bed from cherry that she used for more than 25 years. I learned more about tools, shop safety and furniture construction in that program (over a 2 year period) than I ever thought possible.
Unfortunately, that was over 35 years ago. The lawyers would probably close that program down in a minute under risk a litigation we have today. However, I would check with the local technical schools to see if they have a community outreach evening program in woodworking. Most high schools have eliminated woodworking shops but the technical schools are still in that business.
Frank
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Welcome to the woodshed.
I started in high school woodshop classes. Didn't start until my senior year. Second semester I had three classes. Then worked at several mills while in college. Plywood, laminating and saw mills. Some of the finish work at the lam plant rekindled the bug. Where I live in Florida the local community colleges have good shops and classes. That's where I'd start. I'd also join a local woodworking club and talk to old timers. You'll get to see a number of shops that way and maybe try out some machines before you buy them.
Have fun.
Ken
Regards,
Ken
"Do as you would be done by." C.S. Lewis
Fitz: Thirty years ago while recovering from a bad bicycle crash I filled in some of the time making a couple of toys for my six month old son. No lessons or family members to show me, I just bought some 1x4 pine and a el-chepo miter box and played around till I had something reasonable for the boy. Didn't do any other woodworking till I retired and needed something to do. Started buying tools, books, lumber; set up my garage as a shop and started having fun! Be careful, start off with safety lessons and go for it! Project books are great to give you ideas how things go together and a project to start with. Good luck, Duke
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Man.....Got me thinking.....I've been doing this as long as I can remember. I used to help Dad with projects around the house. When I was around 10 or 11 I sharpened up an old screwdriver to do some "carving". The next Christmas my folks bought me my first set of chisels. I was fortunate to have great junior high and high school shop teachers. I attended a 2 year professional craft studies program for furniture design and have been working wood for a living ever since.
I know your question was about woodworking as a hobby. Fact is if I wasn't earning a living doing this I would still probably be at it all the time. It is something that gets into your blood and stays with you forever. I am really fortunate that I am able to do something that I love everyday.
As far as projects go, I think anything that would help you develop hand tool skills really should be first. Learn to sharpen, to use chisels, planes, and hand saws. Don't get discouraged it'll take some time. Developing this foundation translates into all future work. Above all, work smart, work safely and enjoy!
-Paul
I wonder if you expected as many responses as you have received! There is a lot of love out there for the smell of fresh cut wood.
I've always had a love of woodworking but it was always confined to sheetgoods projects around the house. Then - I went to a Woodworking Shows seminar, this one taught by Marc Adams. WoW! I came home and made a pretty good dovetail joint. I was on my way.
For me, the professional instruction at Marc's school has been the key to increasing my skills. I've been to seven 5 day sessions (20 miles south of Indianapolis) and now tackle tasks I would never have dreamed of: veneering, turning, steam bending, chair making, furniture design, etc. Check out his website: "marcadams.com".
Welcome to the fraternity.
Jerry
I come from a long line of woodworkers, but am relatively new to the craft. My father, grandfather, and great grandfather were all carpenters, woodworkers, etc. I can remember going down into my grandpa's shop. We all knew where the scrap box was and we could pound nails into wood as long as we wanted. We were never allowed to touch any of the power tools, but he had everything. When he passed away I was too young to get any of his tools so many of them went to other relatives, but I still have an old Stanley marking gauge and a steel tape measure that belonged to my great grandpa that I keep on a shelf in the house.
When I started to get interested about two years ago, I took a trip to where my grandfather's family ran a sawmill in Boonville, California. That inspired me and I decided to find a project I could start with. My wife wanted some planter boxes, so I went to Lowe's to buy a miter box. Then I found a small tabletop saw on sale for $5 less than the miter box, so I picked it up!
That $40 table top saw has now built a queen size bed, t.v./dvd player stand in the family room, three large workbenches, numerous picture frames, four shadow boxes, a coffee table, and the planks for my wood flooring in my kitchen. And the saw totally sucks!
I've only ever worked with real hardwood once or twice too. Most of my wood supply comes from leftover scraps at construction sites. My bed was built from the redwood ripped off an old deck (not ideal, but the bed looks beautiful AND it's weather resistant!).
I'm still in school so I can't afford to make all the upgrades I'd like, but this year I finally got to upgrade my table saw. I've also invested in a jointer, planer, miter saw, router, and drill press along with numerous hand tools. It just comes little by little. The library is my friend, my parents renew my subscription to FWW every year for my birthday, and I love watching Norm!
After a lifetime of thinking I wanted to get into woodworking but never finding a way to start, I am thrilled to be able to say that I am now immersed in the work/craft and love it as much as I thought I would.
Don't know why I thought woodworking was something I would enjoy. Never did it before. Well actually - tried a night school course and dropped out quickly because I was unimpressed by the instructor. Tried a 5 day intensive course at a high-end fine woodworking studio, but found that every other student there was already an experienced and dedicated woodworker - most with their own shops,while I had never even held a handsaw before. I left on day 3 - disappointed that the program was not geared to my needs (even though the program director had assured me that a beginner would learn basic skills in this program).
Finally found a full-time (5 day/week), 45 week program at a local community college. Fortunately for me, I had just retired (actually had to stop working for health reasons). I started the program on January 9th of this year and I am loving every minute of it.
Four things make this program ideal ifrom my perspective:
- the program coordinator / lead instructor is a fabulous educator. in addition to being a fine cabinetmaker himself. He has designed a curriculum that is carefully sequenced so that new skills are built upon old skills and there is plenty of time for practice.
- since the program is five days a week I am immersed in the activity and seeing myself make progress each week, and that contributes to my motivation.
- the facility is fantastic - providing easy access to every conceivable kind of tool - hand, portable and stationary.
- I get to see other students making progress. I am inspired by those who are ahead of me on this journey, and my confidence increases every time I have a chance to help one or two students who sometimes know less than I do.
Three groups of students, from three different entry dates, are in the workshop at the same - 45 in total. Forty-one of the forty-five are male; forty-three of the forty-five are young late teens to mid-twenties). I enjoy being the only old lady (mid fifties) in the room!
My concern now is figuring out how I will manage to keep up this activity once I finish the program. I have neither workshop space nor power tools of my own. I'm hoping to be able to find something like a "woodworking cooperative" - where interested people can share space and tools. Has anyone out there ever heard of such a set up?
Not sure how old this post is but if I were you.. I'd go ask that instructor you liked.. He/she may know of some good local clubs near you..You may also want to check out your local woodworking stores.. Google in you area for woodworking clubs..Just me..
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