Essential tools to begin woodworking
luisguzman75 | Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
Hello, guys. My name is Luis and I am intersted in doing wookworking projects. I was woondering what tools I should buy to begin building a woodworking shop? I am interested in making bookshelves, a closet organizer, and a table. Will I need a bandsaw and router to start or do I need only a hammer and saw? Any info will be appreciated.
Replies
since you want to make things like bookshelfs the first tool you should get is a tablesaw. a router would be useful but not absolutely necessary. if your table has any curves in it then you'l need a bandsaw or just a jig saw. if your going to buy rough lumber you'll need a jointer and planer as well. what tools do you already have? that would help a lot in deciding what others you'll need to get. hope this helps
andrew
Luis,
For that kind of work you would probably start with dimensioned lumber that is surfaced 4 sides. I would just start with some saw horses, a simple bench (a Workmate would suffice), a good quality hand-held circular saw (be very careful) and a router. You would also need some clamps, marking/measuring tools, and a clamp-on straight edge for guiding the router and saw. You could make a lot of simple pieces with this setup until you decided you wanted to stay with woodworking.
"If you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll keep getting what you've been getting." - Unknown
I concur. The tools Brian suggests can easily produce the projects you listed. From there, simply buy tools as your enthusiasm and projects require. Even if you decide that those basic types of honey-do's is it, the basic tools are the ones everyone needs to have around a house. However, keep one thing in mind, no matter how far your interest takes you always buy good quality tools. Good luck to you and don't hesitate to ask anything.
Len
Hi Luis,
I'm a weekend woodworker, by no means an expert. For the sort of projects you mention, I'd get a table saw (contractor's style, you don't need a full size, $1,000 model). But get a stand so its at a good working height. A bandsaw can do curves, which a tablesaw can't, but you can get straight cuts from the tablesaw much more easily. A router is very useful but I wouldn't spring for real high quality bits right away - you aren't going to get perfect results for a while (I still don't!) and you may well ruin a few bits before you get the hang of it. They might as well be cheap ones (but do get carbide tipped). I made a router table and find I use that more often than not - a lot of routing jobs can be done either handheld or with the table, I find the table mare controllable and less easy to screw up. For sanding, a random orbit sander is probably the best place to start. A belt sander is too agressive and a finishing sander will take forever.
You will want a hand saw, a couple of chisels and an engineer's square for marking at right angles. I like the Japanese style saws - I can cut a straighter line than I can with a Western style saw. For clamps, I most often use handscrews (nearly as convenient as spring clamps and they hold tighter) and pipe clamps (not long enough? - buy another piece of pipe, not another clamp).
Just my 2 cents.,
Graeme
The first thing you should buy is some knowledge. Go to the library and check out some books on woodworking. Make sure your BS meter is working: There's a lot of bad information out there. That said, I'd feel pretty safe recommending just about anything Taunton publishes, that goes for their videos too. Since you're thinking about building a table, why don't you get Kelly Mayrs (I may have spelled his last name wrong) "Build a Shaker Table." The guy is really good and you can't get much simpler than Shaker.
I talked to Kelly a couple of years ago at a woodworking show. He said that he charges about $2,000 for one of his tables like the one in the video. I think if you spent $2,000 on tools you could have a the beginnings of a nice shop.
If it were me and I wanted to build the two things you mentioned, I'd spend half of the $2,000 on a good tablesaw and blade (Forest) and the other half on a portable planer, a couple good hand planes (smoother, joiner, shoulder plane), good chisels (be sure to include an 1 1/4 inch), a plunge router. A joiner and a bandsaw would be nice, but that's another $1,000, at least.
Remember: Trying to save money by buying cheap tools is like trying to save time by stopping the clock. That goes double for hand tools, in my opinion.
The other thing to remember is that you can do it all with hand tools. It'll save you money and shop space, but you'll pay for it in the extra time you spend making something and learning to use the tools.
Brandon
Add my two cents worth. The first tool you need sets between your shoulder blades. Hopefully, it had been blessed with a little cleverness and a LOT of patients!
My first tool was a Stanley Jig Saw given to me by my dad (now called a sabre saw??). 2nd was a Craftsman router given to me by my wife as a christmas present. Don't remember what was 3rd, or even what was last, but, I need them all!
Oh yeah! 3rd was a Black & Decker circular saw. I still have it, as well as #1 & #2.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy
PlaneWood
Bandaids and tweezers are very handy too.
luis- as far as knowledge goes there are two books that compliment and even overlap each other. repition i think in the beginner mode is not a bad thing, anyhow try these books 1) nick englers woodworking wisdom 2) woodworking -the right technique by bob moran both published by rodale this is a good publisher second only to are host here taunton (gratutious butt smooch) have fun, break thing's down in steps, take your time and to coin a phrase safety first , and after a short while push your self. build on your handtools first . learn to sharpen a chisel, plane blade. cheers bear
I believe the first tool to invest in is a quality combination square such as a Starrett. The price may seem a bit steep but it will pay for itself time and again. If you make a mistake it did not come from the square.
Rick, Fayetteville, GA
Luis,
If you dont know what tools you'll need then I suggest you take some corses at a community college to get your feet wet. There you'll be able to use many different brands of tools. Also you'll learn the most important thing..SAFETY. Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
Rick,
My first tool was a starrett combination square. My father gave it to me, when he went from being a tool and die maker into engineering. Still have it today although somewhere along the lines I broke the glass vial for the level. One thing I remember was I always knew what a junk square was.
Let me give you some hardnose advice that can save you a lot of time, heartache and especially money -- from someone who's been there, done that.
Woodwording is not a casual hobby; it is expensive and very time consuming and nothing is ever as easy as it looks. I would suggest that you decide whether you're really serious about it before you buy anything.
It is impossible to make anything that you'd be proud of or would want sitting inside your house unless you can make stock absolutely square; to make stock perfectly square, you have to have good tools and good tools are expensive. Years ago, I tried making do with cheap tools and all I ended up with were less than third rate results. Then I got serious about it and ended up replacing all my cheap tools with good ones, but I ended up buying everything twice. Now my home is full of stuff that I have made and am proud of it (or at least not embarrassed by any of it).
I would have been years and thousands of dollars ahead of the game had I only decided to get serious about woodworking at the outset.
Dave of Fla.
and there it is, simple, and to the point, as the truth always is. kudos to none. it is more of a life style, because of its all consuming nature. design, layout ,problem solving. and like dave said where not even talking $$$$$. BUT.....there is know other satisfying...... well at least one of the most satisfying experiance's you'll have. i'm no sensei by any stretch , you'll find alot about your self . start with a dull chisel, work it till it will shave the hair off your forearm, or paper thin shavings off the end grain of a piece of hardwood. this will give you a preview what your in for. cheers bear
Someone above, I think Dave, mentioned the importance of square. I think there is a division in the kind of work you might do based on square. To make really good stuff, the wood has to square and straight, meaning either you buy it surfaced on 4 sides or get tools like a table saw, jointer, and planer. I think it might be a good idea to begin with the circular saw, router, and other hand held tools, and use dimentional lumber, like 1x's, and plywood, and see how you like it. If you own your home, hand held power tools will not go to waste if your interest in furniture wanes. If you get frustrated with the relative lack of precision in dimensional lumber, and are still very interested, then consider going to the stationary tools and more precise stock. It would be a shame to make a big initial investment in bigger stationary power tools and then find you wish you hadn't.
I appreciate all the replies- I think my next step will be to take a woodworking class. My last one was in High School- over 10 years ago! But I still have and use all the projects I made. Anyone know where I can learn woodworking in the Southeast Houston (TX) area?
There's a Wood Craft store on the Northwest Fwy. I think it is about 10 miles from the 610 loop and about three exits south of beltway 8. They have classes and are very knowledgeable about the woodworking community in Houston. Your making a very good plan - hope you enjoy woodworking.
Regards,
Bob
How about starting with a good Crosscut saw (ie. Disston), a decent contractor saw (Jet or Delta equally fair), a couple planes (Stanley #4,5,7), a few nice marking devices (square, rule, and marking knife), a quality set of Chisels (Two Cherries) and a ton of clamps. Planes are always reasonable and easy to find at garage sales and flea markets. The chisels are only $80 from Dieter, and the sawis your highest ticketed item. Good luck.
Mad Hunky Workshop
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