Hi everyone. I am new to woodworking. I want to learn how to make furniture, and pretty much everything out of wood. I want to learn how to make chairs, beds and tables. I need to learn about everything that is involved in the process. I plan on doing a bit of reading about the trade while doing small projects on the side. I need material on pretty much everything that is involved in the process including but not limited to tools, wood composition, characteristics and attributes, design, techniques.
If someone could provide me with titles of good books or links to online articles that would be great.
Thanks.
Replies
Jfer45,
Step # 1...get a library card.
The attached list is a compilation from several people here and are all highly recommended. I wish I could tell you the best sequence, perhaps others have an opinion. It's a lot of fun, enjoy the ride
Welcome to Knots, jfer45. Woodworking is a life long pursuit. The more you know, the more there is to learn. As a beginner, I'd suggest getting a standard woodworking textbook. I started with J. L. Ferrer, Cabinetmaking and Millwork. Modern Cabinetmaking by W. Umstattd and Charles Davis is more common today. These are expensive books but they cover the fundamentals. Most of us started with some simple projects, done with basic tools. With a textbook, you will see the step by step processes and most importantly, safety issues. There isn't any substitute for hands on experience. I started with a handsaw, a chisel and a low angle block plane. There isn't much you can't do with those basic tools. Start with some basic projects like saw horses or a window box. Learn to make the tools work for you, not work you over, and you can join the rest of us in our quest.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Hi Jfer,
Welcome to Knots. Your user profile doesn't say where you live - such info can be very helpful when formulating replies to questions.
If there are woodworking clubs or schools with woodworking programs in your vicinity, they can be terrific resources for networking, classes, mentoring, shop tours, and, perhaps most importantly, learning to work safely!
In my neck-of-the-woods, for example:
http://www.palomar.edu/woodworking
http://www.sdfwa.org
Good luck,
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
In addition to books, start watching Norm Abrams, David Marks, Roy Underhill, and some of the other woodworking shows. You probably won't want to try any of their projects right away, but you'll see how the tools are set up and used.
Just remember that the most complex woodworking project is really a series of relatively basic operations. It just takes a lifetime to learn them all - and how to do them in the correct sequence - lol.
jfer45,
Some additional info might be helpful from you. Do you want a power tool workshop or handtools or a combination? Do you want to make kitchen cabinets or fine furniture or boxes or what? Your question is almost like I want to be an artist. Is that water color, oil, sculpture, pottery, or what?
As someone has asked, in what neck of the woods do you live?
Also, what is your learning style? If someone will show me first, then the book makes sense. I can read and study, but if someone shows me it speeds the learning process up 10 times.
With that in mind, how close are you to a Woodcraft, Rocklers, Lee Valley or other good woodworking store? Look in the back of Fine Woodworking, other mags, and online to see if there are any woodworking schools or woodworking clubs near you.
You will find Knots Forum (thanks Taunton) a great place for lots of advice, problem solving, and sharing photos of projects and shops.
Alan - planesaw
Thank you all for the responses.<!----><!----><!---->
BG: I do have a library card :). That looks like a great list of books. I plan on checking my local libraries for these titles.<!----><!---->
hammer1: I am picking up Modern Cabinetmaking tomorrow from my downtown library. Thanks for the recommendation.<!----><!---->
jazzdogg: I live in <!----><!----><!---->Portland<!---->, <!---->Oregon<!----><!----> (in the summer that is), and <!----><!---->Corvallis<!---->, <!---->Oregon<!----><!----> (<!----><!---->Oregon<!----> <!---->State<!----> <!---->University<!----><!---->) during the school months.<!----><!---->
dave45: Thanks for the info. I'll look those shows up to see when they're on.<!----><!---->
planesaw: Ah the tough questions :). Well I am on a budget right now because of college. Currently, I could spend about $400-600 on tools. Initially, hand tools would be great because (I am assuming) they are less expensive. I browsed around Home Depot today looking at the tools there; Planes, chisels and files seem inexpensive compared to electrical vertical band saws, miter saws, nail guns and so forth. But again my knowledge is limited when it comes to what I can do with each tool. Your other question about what I want to make has got me thinking about exactly that. Do most carpenters specialize in a certain area? Do most pick an area of specialization (fine furniture, cabinets, etc.) and stick only stick to that area of specialization? Ideally, I would like to learn how to make everything from fine furniture to cabinets, but the more I think about it the more unreasonable it sounds. Is it unreasonable?<!----><!---->
I do have a Woodcraft store in my area, but I doubt I will have time to go to classes. And the people I know who are carpenters, I doubt, will have time this summer to give me adequate instructions (they work mostly in construction and at this time are swamped with work). Currently, I am working with my uncle who is also in construction, and I learn with him, but our jobs and tasks are fairly random (installation, tear down etc.). I am hoping to take a woodworking class at <!----><!---->Oregon<!----> <!---->State<!----> <!---->University<!----><!---->.<!----><!---->
There is a huge difference between being a carpenter and being a woodworker, I can say that, I’ve been both. Furniture is different from cabinets, cabinets from chairs, etc. I have never specialized though, chairs, case goods, a boat, a long bow, I have turned over 2500 bowls, (don’t get me started on how addictive the lathe is!). Part of the fun is trying new stuff.<!----><!----><!---->
<!----> <!---->
Learn with hand tools, and then progress to power, (I still build at least one small piece completely by hand each year to keep my skills up). Good hand tools are not less expensive than power, sometimes just the opposite. Look for good used stuff. The latest issue of “Popular Woodworking” has a great article on getting together a basic kit, (by Frank Klauz, a great professional). Avoid Home Depot for true woodworking tools, great for rough framing, roofing and some trim type work, not ‘fine” woodworking.<!----><!---->
<!----> <!---->
Books? Tage Frid’s are the BEST. I highly recommend them as the place to start. Simon Watt’s “Build a House Full of Furniture”, a great book.<!----><!---->
jfer45,
a message similar to yours was posted recently by TonySiciliano. It is in the General Discussion part of Knots. The title of that discussion is "Beginners Workshop". You might find it useful.Don't get overwhelmed by too much information.
Don't try to learn everything before starting your first project.
The best way to start is to have a friend or acquaintance who is a woodworker and who will take you into their workshop and teach you a few things, and let you use their tools, with supervision. Dont ask to borrow. If you don't have a woodworker friend, then look on the web or in the phone book to see if there is a woodworking club near you. If there isn't, then check to see if there is a Rockler or a Woodcraft or similar woodworking store near you. It is easy to meet other woodworkers at such a place. There is a lot you can do with just a little money. My first workbench was made from 2x4s and plywood which was discarded at a local construction site. I asked for permission. It wasn't pretty but it held my stuff while I was working on it. My first project was a bookcase. I didn't know what a dado was, but I knew I needed to make some. I used a cheap Craftsman circular saw, a piece of straight wood as a fence and two clamps to make the dados, and they were very good: tight and perpendicular to the sides! You don't need an expensive table saw to get started. Buy used tools at garage sales. You can try them before you buy them. I disagree with those who say: Buy the best tools you can afford. I believe your first chisels should be used and the set shouldn't cost more than $5 or $10. Use them to learn how to flatten the backs, and sharpen them. They will need to be sharpened more than a new set of Two Cherries, but you'll profit from the practice. Besides, you can sell them for the price you paid for them, and buy better chisels when you figure out what a better chisel is. No need to buy a Stradavarius if you are just learning to play country fiddle. SAFETY - get ear protection, a face shield and a breathing-mask before you start. Buy these new, and use them. Get advice and demos from an experience woodworker on how to use your tools safely. If you get a router, make your own router table out of a $10 hunk of MDF. Read Pat Warner's website on how to do it. You can find it using a websearch on his name and the word "router". I am not a fan of everything he says, but I like his ideas on a cheap, starter router table. Only buy tools that you need on your current project. Stay away from Radial Arm saws. You can start with handsaws, and then a circular saw. You will find books on how to make cut-off jigs for your circular saw. You can do a lot with one. When you are ready for a table saw, go to your local woodworking store and look in the newspaper, you can get a good one used from a rich person who is "upgrading". I hope this helps. The hardest thing to find is a book on how to evaluate advice, and how to figure out which advice to take.Stay safe and enjoy learning how to do woodwork. Make lots of stuff. As long as you stay safe, the more mistake you make, the faster you will learn. Enjoy,
Mel
PS Here is a shorter answer - Your best course of action is to find someone who will give you a few lessons to get you started.
96,
In another place and time you would have been referred to as "Sage". Unfortunately, this word, and too many others, have fallen from daily usage to near obscurity.Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral. Frank Lloyd Wright
I pretty much agree with all the above, except:* I would not watch Norm Abram. It will give you a cast iron jones and make you frustrated when your stuff is not "perfect every time."* I would join a local woodworking club and attend every meeting and workshop.* For a free e-book designed for beginners and promised to be regularly updated, see http://www.popularwoodworking.com/icandothat/ICDT_Book_Aug06_HI.pdf
Edited 7/10/2006 1:24 pm ET by byhammerandhand
byhammerandhand
Although it was not my advice to watch Norm, I do not disagree with it. I've been an avid fan of NYW since it came on the air 20 some years ago. It has been interesting watching him improve over this time. His techniques have improved and the projects have become more challenging.
One must remember the constraints of a 25 minute program and remember that everything is built twice. There are fewer errors the second time you build something. As for time constraints, why show something that is done wrong when you're trying to condense 20 or more hours of work into one program? You just have to understand that NO ONE gets everything right the first time.
Norm may be looked down upon by some, but I believe him to be a reasonably good craftsman and, without a doubt, an inspiration to thousands. We have much to thank him (and the other TV DIY people) for because I doubt the tool industry would be moving as fast and with as much innovation without people like Norm fueling the fires. We are a capitalist society - were there no demand there would be no supply. We all benefit from Norm's popularity in this way.
So, Norm's OK in my book. We just need to remember that there are many skill levels out there and not everyone has the capacity to become another Krenov. Many of us would be very happy indeed to reach Norm's level. I do not believe he scares newbies away, nor do I think that anyone with a lick of intelligence truly believes everything goes together that easily the first time you try it.Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral. Frank Lloyd Wright
I just believe it would be more instructive if once in a while he had to correct a bad joint, or square up an out-of-square carcase, etc. One of my favorite books ends each chapter with a sidebar "Confessions" - that describe common things that can go wrong with procedures in that chapter and how to correct them.Or had to improvise because you didn't have a $20K machine, but you do have a $5 tool that you bought at a yard sale. I was surprised when I read one of his books (not NYW) a few years ago and discovered he does know how to use hand tools.Poor Norm has been beat to death and supported stauchly over the years. Let's not start it up here again.I decided to quit watching when I started yelling at the TV screen. Putting half-blind dovetails in a base molding just because you happen to have a half-blind dovetail jig and a dedicated router set up does not make sense to me.I do applaud Norm for creating a whole generation of woodworkers, and like you say, moving the machine industry forward. I think he's a nice guy, too, but I'd rather learn from someone else.
Edited 7/10/2006 3:14 pm ET by byhammerandhand
Handled as a diplomat and a gentleman. Well said.Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral. Frank Lloyd Wright
Maybe part of the fault is "a project every 23 minutes" format of the show. I know some of my friends who have spouses that don't understand why it takes more than 30 minutes to make a Windsor chair. I think it would be just as instructive to spend a whole show on how to do a single task -- crown molding*, cutting M&T joints (with options), brushing on varnish, building a jig, etc.* My neighbor just confessed to a 200% waste factor doing some crown molding recently. The last I bought was $4 l.f., I couldn't afford to make that many mistakes.
Those 30 minute shows are a real PITA but that's what gets the ratings which attracts sponsors. My wife is addicted to HGTV and I just want to scream when they wrap up a project that took two weeks and had several people working on it then claim that it only cost $800.
Thirty minutes of cutting dovetails or M&T joints would probably have folks clicking to the Weather Channel to watch the satellite pictures - lol
Not only did it only cost $800, but they did it in one day too!
One of their design shows did a special one hour version that showed what really happens - all the bodies they have, and the real effort (that one, as I recall, took 5 months).
Oh well, I guess we're just not good enough to do a dining table and eight chairs over the weekend <G>
Bob
One of my all time favorites on one of the DIY shows was when they replaced a window with a patio door. No header changes or anything overly complicated, but when they did the demo on the wall under the window, there was some romex in it.
Nothing was said about it and when they came back "the next day" it had disappeared. Again, nothing was said about the romex and what had happened to it.
When I mentioned it to SWMBO, she got pretty huffy and said I was being "picky" - lol
Yeah, that's exactly the king of thing that happens. A view apparently 10 minutes later seems to have LOTS of changes in it. Of course, it only takes a few minutes to re-route romex, right?
Bob
I recommended Norm's show because it has been an inspiration to me for many years now. At first, I thought of Norm as a semi-godlike figure and dreamed of the day when I would be worthy to dust off his tools - lol.
As my skills and shop tools have improved, I usually find myself anticipating his next step - or often thinking.........."That will work, but I would do it differently."
Thank you much for the advice. I agree with what you have to say. I do hope my university offers a woodworking class so I get the basics down. What is your suggestion for a work bench if one doesn't have space? I'm living in an apartment next year and this concerns me some.
And as always thanks again to everyone (I am taking notes!).
jfer,thanks for the nice words. You asked about a workbench for a person living in an apartment. I did woodworking, while living in apartments in Binghamton, NY and then Pensacola, FL. I made a workbench out of 2x4 scraps and plywood scraps from a nearby construction site (after asking permission). You don't need a professional workbench. All you need is a device to hold your work steady while you work on it. Having the bench outside limits your woodworking to relatively good weather. Oh well. If I tried to do sawing and sanding in the kitchen, my wife would have voiced some opposition. You can often buy a simple kit for making a simple workbench, at Home Depot or Lowes. (about $100) That's fine for starters. Besides if you have a cheap workbench, you don't have to worry about getting glue or varnish on it. I did scrape it off every so often with a paint scraper, because a flatter surface is good if you are clamping and gluing up a piece. You can make a "workbench" out of two folding sawhorses and a piece of thick plywood or a discarded door. Be creative, and be cheap. Think about it functionally: all you need is something to hold your workpiece safely and at a comfortable height.
Traditionalists might say that the workbench has to be heavy and solid so it wont rock when you are planing your wood. If you are going into traditional all-handtool woodwork, that is true. But if you are going to use a circular saw and a fence (straight board and two clamps) to do your edge-making, then two sawhorses and a discarded door is sufficient. Just make sure that the table wont move around before you make a cut. When I made my "outdoor" workbench out of scraps, I went to the local paint store where they had a can of ugly green paint for sale for a dollar, and that protected my bench from the elements. It also was a conversation starter. Having a workbench on the porch was a great way to meet people. Neighbors came over to ask questions or to ask me to help them make something. They often got a big kick out of gluing up a few pine boards to make a table top, or cutting off boards for a shelf. I remember getting repaid with meals. Can't beat that! Go to garage sales. When I started, I got a bunch of C-clamps, bar clamps, boxes of nails and screws, hand tools, etc for very little money. I still have and use most of them. To find someone who can give you a first lesson, or let you into their workshop to check things out, try posting a message on a message board, use Craigs List on the web, use your Yellow Pages for woodworking stores, or just start asking around. Woodworkers are very nice people. I don't believe that any serial killer ever had a background in woodworking. Hope that helps. BE SAFE. Check your workbench to make sure that the top wont move on you when you don't want it to, and that it wont fall over when you are making a cut. That isn't brain surgery, just common sense. But one final thing: Saying "BE SAFE" is not really helpful. For a beginner, it is hard to know what is safe and what it not. Not everything in woodworking is common sense. Common sense doesn't tell you about kickback, for example. The biggest reason to get someone to give you a first lesson, and to watch you make your first cuts, is to have someone give you some safety hints. I got my pilot's license in 1973, and I heard a statement "The purpose of an instructor pilot is not to teach you to fly, but to keep you alive while you learn to fly." I believe the same is true for woodworking. It really really would be good to find such a person. Working safely is a state of mind. KEEP IT IN MIND. You cant have as much fun with a chisel sticking out of the palm of your hand, or with fewer fingers. HAVE FUN. BE SAFE. BUILD LOTS OF STUFF. THEN HELP SOMEONE ELSE LEARN. Enjoy,
MelPS - Apologies for long message. I didn't have enough time to make it shorter. :-) Send a message later and let me know how things worked out.
Mel,
Ah yes, the workbench.
In trying to adopt handtool-based WW for a change, I realise I must have the solid work top you describe. I have not one square inch of space left in the shed so I must have an outdoor "bench".
As you intimate, for basic machine tool operations, a simple board on saw horses or similar will do. I've used a third of a sheet of 1 inch plywood locked into a Workmate with a batten, for years. It's fine as long as you don't want to hand saw, chisel, plane and so forth - all these vigorous actions tend to move the sloppy joints of the Workmate.
My current intention is to make a bench to live permanently outdoors, which must be:
* durable
* heavy and rigid
* modular (so I can move it in bits)
*capable of taking demountable vices
* mountable on height-changeable saw horses.
My current mental design is a normal (3in X 5ft X 2ft) workbench top, with dog holes and so forth, that can be bolted on top of a shorter, open-sided box, that in turn can be bolted to saw horses. The timber will be something like iroko or another durable hardwood that I can find free or very cheap. (You'd be surprised what comes my way).
The idea is that the vices can be bolted to the ends of the top, which stick out over the ends of the box. The box can be weighted with heavy stuff, like the ladywife's largest plant pots with dangly plants in them. (Thus the contraption may look nice as it stands out in the driveway, where it will have to live).
Each part will be heavy but manageable (I may need handles on the bench top). The bolted joins must be designed to be rigid when tightened. I may cover the top, if an attractive cover can be found; but ideally it will laugh in the face of sun and rain.
My only worry is - will it warp as the seasons pass? I'm hoping that its weight, when all is bolted and potted up, will keep it reasonably flat, as well as immovably rigid.
This "do it outdoors" plan also gives me an excuse to huddle in the warmth reading a book if its raining; and I will get a nice tan at other times. Of course, I will put my warmest coat and hat on in the winter time, like me mam said. :-)
It will, of course, be necessary to alarm all the expensive planes, chisels, saws and vices, so that I never forget and leave them out there to rust or get nicked.
Lataxe
Lataxe,
You have a great attitude, and a clever sense of design. When you get a sketch of your workbench put together, please send it to me, or post it. It may just be that your design has wider applicability than you are currently thinking. I can see the headlines now: "Sjoberg workbench sales eclipsed by the Lataxe workbench". -- story to follow -- New type of outdoor workbench engenders an entire new breed of woodworker. This new breed is healthier, and suffers less damage to the lungs. The new breed needs to be sure to wear sunscreen (at least SPF 15). Entire new line of outdoor woodworker clothes is being produced by the Lataxe Corporation, which has just broken into the Fortune 500. All seriousness aside, I really would like to see your sketch, and then your workbench. I will search my photo archives and see if there is a photo of my old green monster, which served me so well for years in the snow of Binghamton, NY and the heat of Pensacola, FL. It was heavy!! It didn't shake or rattle when you sawed or planed on it. I was poor so my clamps were primitive, but I made some nice furniture outside, and since I wasn't a member of Knots and didn't know who Norm was (back in 1970-72), I didn't know what I was missing -- so I was happy.Thanks for a great post.
Mel
Mel,
There's about as much chance of me becoming a successful capitalist as there is that I will fly to the moon by flapping the arms vigorously. I am a softy and would fall for customer sob stories, giving away the goods to make them happy. Soon I would be in the taxman's jail (for non-payment) and "bargain hunters" would be gleefully picking over the contents of my cobwebbed shed.
When the bench gets made (it will be a month or two at least) I'll post a picture. Even now I am negotiating with the ladywife concerning the dangly-plant colour scheme. Perhaps a drawing after the holidays (we go to the Pembrokshire beaches tomorrow, for a while).
I would like to see a photo of not just your bench but also you making a Fine Item in the snow! This will become my motivator, pinned up by the backdoor. "If 96 can suffer so for his art, why should I be allowed to laze with a book in front of the fire, sipping coffee and guzzling chocolate-covered Brazil nuts or even an exotic sausage"?
Lataxe, a mug if ever there was one.
Lataxe
I asked my wife if she remembers any photographs which include my old workbench. She does not. I will look through the old photo files, but I am not hopeful. At the time, we did not think that that monstrosity would need to be captured photographically to insure its place in history. I will check the old photo boxes. If I find something, I will post it.
Enjoy,
Mel
9616,
"and since I wasn't a member of Knots and didn't know who Norm was (back in 1970-72), I didn't know what I was missing -- so I was happy."
Just so you know.."This Old House" went on TV in '79' and Norm started buillding furniture in '89'...
"The box can be weighted with heavy stuff, like the ladywife's largest plant pots with dangly plants in them"
Your cajones must be much bigger than mine, Lataxe. If I even thought about using some of SWMBO's potted plants anywhere near my sawdust, she would probably come completely unwound. That ain't a pretty sight!!! - lol
jfer45
To do wood working go buy some tools and wood and make mistakes..
You can read a lot and take schools untill you turn blue but untill you put your hands on wood and do your best you won't really learn.
I love to read and heck I've picked up a tip or twwo from watching the pros do it but my best experiance has been to buy wood and tools and attempt. it..
"You can read a lot and take schools untill you turn blue but untill you put your hands on wood and do your best you won't really learn."
Hi Frenchy,
In a good woodworking school these experiences will not be mutually exclusive.
In a good woodworking school, reading, classroom time, and hands-on woodworking experience are combined with personalized supervision that enable students to end each class with one or more completed projects, without sustaining a serious injury, having learned new skills, developed new muscle-memories, and learned new problem solving skills.
What works well for you, or me, or Joe down the street, won't necessarily work for someone else; we each have different aptitudes, learning styles, preferences, predilections, etc. These differences are recognized by highly qualified instructors.
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
I think the following link will help you...
http://woodworkstuff.net/
I have gotten serious about woodworking in the last 7 years. During this period I have taken 5 courses at Marc Adams School of Woodworking, spent several months as an apprentice at a local craftsman, but the most help I have had has come most recently through the videos of Rob Cosman and Jim Kingshott (available through Tools for Working Wood and Lee-Nielsen. They have given me the understanding of how to achieve the desired results without a lot of fancy power equipment or complex jigs. What they can teach you will be applicable to building most things in an apartment with minimal expense other than the wood.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled