Is it possible...

[GrahamB]

Thanks to all for the info.

Mike, yes my wife (newly acquired) is very understanding, long may it last!!

The tiddles, love the descriptive comment, really gave a me a feel for the experience!

Lots to think about here and some more research needed on hand planes and techniques as well as planers/thicknessers. In the meantime my fitted wardrobe project (making from MDF i'm afraid) should keep me busy.

At the same time might see if I can find a friendly lumber yard to investigate PAR as a short term fix. Anyone know of any near Oxford? Might put a separate post out on that.

Once again thanks all for the help.

 

[Mr Ed]

Graham

I definitely think you can make furniture with very few tools. I started making stuff for financial reasons with virtually nothing - a throwaway saw, a couple of chisels, a cheap blockplane and a mains electric drill. I still managed to make the things I wanted, it just took time - fortunately at that stage I had the time, but not the money.

Whilst I'm not saying you have to serve a pennance with crap before you have earned the right to use the good stuff, theres definitely an argument for getting going with basic tools and adding as you find a need. This approach increases the chances of spending your money on the right things, rather than basing decisions on marketing.

Initially I used PAR and found it a bit pricey, but workable. A place near me used to do PAR Meranti (Shorea, or whatever its called this week) which was cheap and a hard(ish) wood. I made quite a few projects this way.

I then bought a DeWalt 733 thicknesser, which I still use, and for years used this without a surface planer. My technique was largely as Karl describes, but I think the key is selecting the boards very carefully in the first place. You can make accurate enough flat boards with just handtools and a thicknesser (this is furniture after all, not space shuttle components!).

I later took the plunge and bought a Scheppach HMS260Ci which is a good planer/thicknesser and is an important part of my workshop setup, but one if need be I could get by without.

Cheers, Ed.

 

[dickm]

Would certainly hate to try and work without my Lurem P/T. It's saved its cost many times over in some 10 years, processing new, reclaimed and "found" timber. Someone younger may enjoy, and would certainly learn a lot, hand planing, but as the years go by, the easy option is very attractive!

 

[matthewwh]

Timbmet 01865 862223 - very nice guys to deal with.

Stock prep wise I'm another advocate of the thicknesser & handplanes compromise. It's a good setup that works well, I use a Jet 'lunchbox' - a new expression to me, but very descriptive - to the donkey work, then clean up with handplanes. The last time I checked this machine punched well above its weight in terms of features (including adjustable infeed and outfeed tables to minimise snipe) and it's also one of the most powerful in its price bracket. A cheap extractor and a good mask are an essential part of the setup so don't forget to budget them in too. The whole deal will probably pay for itself within a couple of dozen boards.

Generally I like to get all of the powered work done in one hit, take a shower and let the dust settle, then come back later to finish up. The atmosphere is much cleaner and I am in a much better frame of mind for accurate planing. Don't economise on the hand plane, this, like your choice of finish, will directly affect the quality of the finished piece, how your chips got from the planer to the dustbin won't.

I don't really enjoy using power tools, but this one throws soooo much time back into my schedule, so it's worth sweating in the dust for an hour or two.

 

[TheTiddles]

I should mention that there is no way I'd leave a machine finish on a board, that's always done by hand. If you want to use good wood after one or two projects you will find you aren't happy with the quality of thicknessing many boards to the same measurement by hand and the cost of having the timber yard do it will cover the capital of the machine. It's a chunk of cash, see what you've got around that can go on e-bay, I paid for mine entirely out of old stuff that I didn't use. Alternatively, God gave you two kidneys for a reason...

Aidan

 

[matthewwh]

God gave you two kidneys for a reason...

Aidan

Oh now that is a properly sick sense of humour.

 

[ByronBlack]

God gave you two kidneys for a reason...

.. Rather distasteful and not funny.

 

[Woodmagnet]

God gave you two kidneys for a reason...

.. Rather distasteful and not funny.

I agree.