My advance apologies for asking this probably the millionth time. The more I read “basic woodworking tool” articles the more confused I get, and full of more ideas. I’ve takin a woodworking class in a workshop before, and have always helped out my father on carpentry projects, so I’m at least familiar with tool functions, safety, etc. This is the first time I’ve had the space and time to take up some projects on my own. However, I don’t have a ‘workshop’ in my apartment, and furthermore am restricted to working on the lawn of my apartment complex, so noise factor is something I have to keep in mind, and my space and budget make investing in good machines/table saw out of the question, will have to go for portable tools. I’m buying a bunch of palettes on the cheap for my first projects (sawing off the ends to make little shelves/wine racks, disassembling and using the wood for simple tables…a decorative ladder, floating shelves, and cutting board are next on my list, not using palette wood for those last ones though) I’d also like to learn some basic joinery, but will probably start my first projects with wood glue, clamps, and screws for the sake of time, and that can come next if I haven’t lost interest after the first few projects!
Thing is, I don’t have a ton of money to spend on tools, and would like to keep it under 2/250 dollars (including spending already 50 on lumber).. The only cutting I need to do now seems to be basic cross cuts, and I think any major ripping I can have the hardware store do. I’m worried that using reclaimed wood will start me off having to learn to square and plane wood…and I don’t know which hand tools to buy. So advice on adding/subtracting from the below list of tools for the projects mentioned would be very helpful. I already own: a decent power drill/drill bits, hammer, nails, screws, pencils, level…your basics for hanging stuff around the home.
1) MUST decide on a saw- Start with a hand saw? Suck it up and buy a circular saw (thinking of the Bosch 55a…but the fact that I’ll be working alone and it’s very loud have me worried) or make some jigs for jigsaw to make simple cross cuts, then I have the flexibility of one machine to cut through nails, tiles, and other material (I’ll be tiling the kitchen eventually).
2) obviously will need a good square, some clamps, and sawhorses or a work table. Probably sawhorses to keep things on the cheap)
3) Orbital sander….something in the 40-60 dollar range
4) thinking to get some hand planes. #4 or 5 and a #7 + a smoother? Or would fine grit sandpaper do the job of a smoothing plane? I need a none-power option to even out old boards to make level surfaces for table tops and table legs. Or are a variety of planes gonna cost me a boatload of money…in which case I’m better off finding a used electric planer? Started looking for used stuff online, but thinking that with cost of new blades, sharpening stone, oils, tha tight wind up being an expensive aspect of woodworking.
5) also a tool for yanking apart the palettes. I am a woman of average size and good strength, but a decent tool around $50 to ease this burden would be worth it, I think.
Ok, any and all thoughts appreciated. Am I crazy to think I can accomplish my projects on such a small budget? Still feels cheaper than buying all that furniture separately, and I am so very excited to do my own projects.
Thanks everyone!
Anna
Replies
1. Start with a hand saw. They are quiet, cheap, and safer. I would recommend a Japanese style pull saw to start with. You can find a variety and any Lowes, Home Depot, etc.
2. Definitely a square, clamps, and saw horses
3. Yes to the orbital sander
4. I recommend a #5 to start, but you can buy new hand planes (probably #4) at Lowes/Home Depot for around $40-60. You'll also want to invest in sharpening stones so you can keep the blade sharp. A dull blade will do you NO good. Also invest in a small block plane if you can
5. A basic hammer should do fine for pulling apart pallets. Or a flat bar
Other Suggestions: Measuring tape, straight edge (a level will do), power drill, screw drivers, drill set, jigsaw or coping saw
Hi,
The only thing I can suggest is, in the beginning, don't be a 'brand name' snob. There are a lot of good tools and machines out there that won't take up your budget in one gulp.
To start, look in big box stores or even pawn shops. I found a great caliper set and biscuit joiner in a pawn shop. Remember, in pawn shops they won't sell power tools unless they work.
Last, at least 2 websites I know of don't charge shipping. EagleAmerica & MLCS if you're interested.
Mikaol
Anna,
First, I'm always pleased when someone shows strong interest in woodworking. My daughter uses my first cabinet, a crude cedar box with doors built to hold my stereo receiver and record albums, as a bedside table. My tools at the time, were a handsaw, Sears' cheapest jig saw, an old hammer, an old electric drill, and an assortment of screwdrivers. I had no clamps and can't recall how I glued my cedar 1 X 6's together, but I found a way. Constructing that first piece out of necessity, opened a door to a lifelong passion for woodworking, and a place of solace to recover from the daily rigors of my career.
I want your first foray into woodworking to be just as positive. To that end, I have some suggestions.
First, invest in Fine Woodworking's online membership. You will have access to articles that answer, in detail, all your questions. Mario Rodriguez wrote my favorite piece on essential hand tools. I recall a great article on a compact, sturdy cabinet with workbench top made by a woodworker for use in his apartment. I think it was in one of the annual Tools and Shops issues. By the way, your first tool should be a sturdy bench with a very flat top. But, that's really suggestion two, first being investing in education.
So, third; please don't start with pallet wood. It is far from furniture grade - not even construction grade. Domestic pallets will be warped in unimaginable ways, filled with knots and grain that can't be tamed. Some foreign pallets are built with low grade exotic woods wreaking of toxins used to prevent the accidental import of pests. Both types are a recipe for a frustrating first (and, likely, last) foray into woodworking. I've seen some fun pallet wood projects, but you'd need beefy power tools and a place to make lots of noise to make it happen.
Now, tool sources for your limited budget: my favorite sources are yard sales, flea markets and estate auctions. An old, Stanley plane can be found for the price of a latte and muffin if you look around. You will need to "tune" the plane (back to FWW on how), but that goes for a new plane as well. Oddly, the time to tune an old Stanley will likely be far less than the time it takes to tune a new plane from one of the big box stores. That old Stanley will be a keeper, too. I have hand planes that cost more than your entire tool budget. Right beside them are my yard sale Stanleys. My go-to plane for flattening large surfaces is an 1878 Stanley No. 6 that I picked up for $3.00 - no knob or tote. Cast iron was expensive at that time and Stanley cut costs by reducing the iron in the plane body by 1 ½ lbs. That's weight I don't have to push around when surfacing a table top. Chisels, layout tools, etc., even power tools, can also be had for very little. Grab a coffee and hit the yard sales early. The hunt is half the fun.
I'm sure I haven't answered all your questions. That's ok. The only thing that's critical is my first suggestion: invest in your education by joining FWW on-line. Oh, first two planes to consider are a low angle block plane and a No. 4 bench plane. For wood, go to your big box store and sort through their pine 1 x _ for quarter sawn stock. It's relatively flat, stable and easy to work.
Enjoy!
I have to really second the previous comment. I see so many people using palletwood to get started with cheap lumber without realizing that palletwood is 1. cheap and 2. being used for pallets for one reason - it's not good lumber. You're going to cause yourself so many more headaches - far more worth the small savings your going to get. Secondly, the tools required to make the majority of pallet lumber useable are going to blow your budget right off the hop. Maybe consider getting a couple of chisels (Narex from lee valley are good and reasonably cheap.)
Planes - get a number 4 0r 5 and some gear to sharpen. Learn to sharpen. Stay away from the planes for sale at the big box stores. Look for a good older Stanley - these can be had for around $30-40. Same for an old block plane. Honestly at this stage, don't worry about any other planes. A number 7 alone even old is going to blow the budget.
Just to play devil's advocate a bit... you could honestly probably get away without a plane at this point if you're really stuck on budget because the sharpening gear is going to be more than the plane probably.
Saws - seriously, just get a decent circ saw. You can cross cut and rip with them if need be. Unless your going to start cutting joinery, forget the handsaws.
Clamps, combo square, something to work on are all going to be necessary. And yes to the sander.
And again, reconsider just burning the pallet wood. Save yourself the flattening headaches, prying apart headaches. Just save yourself the headaches. Pine is cheap, and reasonably flat from a big box store for what you're starting at. And it's easy to work!
Best of luck!
Saws: Keep in mind that a rip saw can be used as a crosscut saw. Not vice versa. So you could reduce number of saws.
Bench planes: You can do just about anything with a number 4.
Honing: If your tools are not properly sharpened, you introduce struggle and error into the work. I like what Paul Sellers says about sharpenening. You could save on jigs if you learn to hand sharpen. You can use sandpaper on float glass in the short term. Sandpaper is expensive, however, in the long term. Make sure you are getting a sharp edge, and stick to your method. There are many honing methods that are legitimate. Pick one and stick with it. I gave one of the more economical options.
Education: I'm a fan of Paul Sellers and his huge Youtube channel. He goes on at length about tools and understanding their use. Check him out if you haven't already. In particular, he has excellent advice for those on a tight budget.
You seem to be reluctant to "having to plane and square your own wood" This is not a trivial step. If your wood is not square etc. you will be introducing error into your work and it will frustrate the heck out of you. You can't compromise for accuracy unless you are willing to tolerate the error, but i dunno, could be trouble my friend. I think you can still get accurate tools on a budget, ones that won't introduce error and make a mess of your concerted efforts. This all depends of course on what level of fit and finish you are looking for, different for everybody. I know with proper hand tools, understanding a "knife line" and care on your part, it is no trouble to work to the few thousandths of an inch accuracy. But you don't have to, either, but, why not?
Clamps: You need them. Pipe clamps can be economical for some applications.
You are getting some good advice from the community; all the best to you.
-CS
All the above is decent advice. Some observations from a grumpy old man:
- power tools are cool, but if you really think the woodworking thing is “for you,” you’ll never regret developing hand tool, un-powered skills you learn with them. Yes, it takes a bit longer, but IMO you’ll learn more and appreciate your efforts better. And, mistakes don’t occur as quickly...
- I get the circular saw comments, but when encouraging all 4 of my kids when they asked about getting started, I steered all of them to a jig/Sabre saw for a starting point. For what likely are to be your first few jobs, I suspect a good jig saw will meet 90%+ of your needs at this stage if you feel a need to plug something into the wall. After all, yes the sound of electrically cutting wood is compelling.
- IMO, think corded electric tools if you go there... I don’t want to fuel that fire and I use a number of cordless power tools, but corded are less expensive and I believe lower maintenance in the long run. Cordless are great, but corded will allow you to get more up front
- a decent crosscut saw, even a shorter toolbox length saw if that fits the budget better. If one must rip with it, well it is, with patience, doable.
- absolutely a decent square. Don’t skimp here.
- decent ruler. From what you describe maybe not even a tape measure. A decent 2 foot steel rule. You’ll have it forever, long after a cheap tape measure has broken. Or, if 2 ft doesn’t meet the need, a 6 ft folding rule.
- a respectable set of common chisels. Something that will take an edge. Don’t drop a bunch of money here to start with, you know when it’s time to upgrade.
- okay. The drill. Yes. You’ll use one. The quality of your bits will be more important than the name on the drill.
- sharpening. Very important all around. Wished I’d learned more about sharpening in the beginning... wished I was better at it now. A mandatory skill along with the associated equipment. But don’t jump in with both feet. Try to expand sharpening skills as you tool kit expands. ie, sharpen drill bits before you just say the heck with it and buy new bits because the old ones are dull.
- screw drivers. Go ahead and buy brand name. You’ll have them forever... at least those you don’t lose
- a .5 mm mechanical pencil, or a scratch awl, eventually a marking knife.
- the plane. Yes, put it on the list. See the previous comments. Don’t get hung up on whether it’s a 4 or a 5. A good quality used handplane will be a lifelong tool for you and be in the long run a better buy than a cheap new one. And learn, with time, how to tune it.
- IMO, The 2 most important “tools” possibly won’t take any money directly out of the budget: 1. Patience and a willingness to accept setbacks and errors. They’re gonna happen and proper recovery can save time, money and frankly grant satisfaction. 2. Learning. Read, talk with others enjoying the craft/hobby. I learn so much this way.
- Likely, shudder, a nail set
- oh, and clamps. There are never enough of them. Used if you can find them. At this stage don’t worry about top shelf. Anything to hold stuff together.
Last, enjoy the journey, please. If it’s not working for you one day, go back the next day and tackle it anew.
Her question is in a post from 2017, but your answers are thoughtful, very worthwhile and will benefit many others. I hope she started with a circ saw AND a jig saw, as well as an orbital sander - all within her budget, putting the planes and sharpening on hold until after she built several successful pallet wood projects. Then, I hope she added a tool here or there she built other projects (e.e. backsaw, a chisel or two, Low angle block plane, low angle jack with extra blade, scraper, shoulder plane, etc) as well as a small bandsaw and a router to her apartment shop. I also hope she ended up renting or borrowing a wet saw for half a day and made short work of it when she tiled the kitchen instead of using a jig saw.
I got by for quite some time with a $35 Craftsman Circular saw and a $20 straight edge. A Craftsman Model # CMES510 and a Swanson CG100 might be the equal today. I still run Ridgid drill motors. The free batteries for life via the LSA is hard to beat and the tools have never failed me.
Most people end up with a Palm or Trim router eventually so that could fill the bill for a router and retain its value as you move along. I picked up a spare of the old model of the Bosch Colt for $50 when the new ones hit the shelves. All my jigs are built for the Colts so this worked out for me.
If you want to go the hand tool route, you can get a lot of tools for 2/250. I would suggest going to Paul Seller's Common Woodworking site and doing the free subscription. He will tell you what tools you really need and will tell which new brands work well and don't break the bank. You should be able to do a lot for 2/250. Not counting the workbench, I think I started with $500 worth of hand tools and I could have easily spend half as much.
When I started 25 years ago it was all hand tools. Part of it was to escape the high tech of my day job and partly because I enjoyed the learning curve.
Projects were not ambitious but we still have a couple of them.
If you are using solid wood handsaws are fine. Make a shooting board for the #4 or #5 plane to square boards.
Sharpening system and a sharpening holder. Norton has Water stones that are nice but DMT Diamond stones are also good
Chisels. 1/4” 1/2” 3/4” are good. Sets might be cheaper than individual pieces.
Orbital sander and a drill, even a corded one is useful. I still have the brace and bits I used decades ago though.
Used tools from flea markets can be a good buy once cleaned up. I’ve got a lot.
Also a couple of books:
Mike Dunbars Restoring and Tuning Antique Tools. This also applies to new tools as most need tweaking no matter if it’s Lee Valley or Buck Brothers.
Most anything by Roy Underhill but look at the table of contents. His earlier books don’t have projects for home woodwork (it’s more building log cabins)
Don’t blow through all $250 at once. Three months from now you will want a tool you don’t know today that you need.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled