Looking for some advice!

[Cooky]

Hello!
I'm new and just generally looking to get in to wood working as a hobby to hopefully be able to build anything and everything. My other hobby, making beer and spirits has slowed down quite considerably so I find myself with time on my hands

I've had a look at some of the builds and projects and I have to say I was blown away by some of the things you guys have made so you seem like the people to direct some questions too.

I guess, where is a good place to start?

I've seen plenty of beginner projects and the like but a lot of them don't actually state what tools you require to build them and being a nooby, I don't have that many tools. Now I can appreciate that just asking "what tools should I get?" is a bit of an expansive question, after all the answer is "what do you want to make?" but, realistically, what would be a good starting point?

I have
Cordless drill - various bits
bench saw
jig saw
socket set (quite extensive)
Screw driver set - plenty of ends

I guess project wise I'll start with the most pressing / obvious things and go from there
Work bench
Built in shelves/cupboard cabinet for the living room
Hobby Shed
wooden toys

I'm open to any and all suggestions with regards to additional tool purchases and projects, obviously it'll take a while to amass everything required and all the nice to haves but at least if I know where to begin, I won't waste money on tools I simply don't need.

Another questions I had which ties in to the first one is, where are good places to get wood? Theres the likes of B&Q but I have no idea if thats a good price (or is more likely the case) or not. Are there any shops in particular I should use and any particular species of wood which I should be looking for?

Thanks for any help you can give and I look forward to getting some projects up
Cheers,
Cooky

 

[Rhyolith]

A smoothing plane is probably a good investment, should be helpful for all of those projects. Of course that means you will need sharpening kit and knowledge as well. Your best bet with the smoothing plane is to find an old Record No.4 at a car boot or eBay (probably eBay this time of year); though if your in Norfolk I can give you a plane for next to nothing (have so many lying around).

I won't say anymore because the other members will have plenty of helpful suggestions for you But that I think would be a good start.

 

[marcros]

i would start with your bench, and take it from there. you are likely to need a reasonable saw and a couple of chisels for starters. I have been impressed with the predator saws from toolstation. as you develop as a woodworker, then is the time to look at "better" kit, but IMHO hard point saws still have a place, so your money won't be wasted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z79mytdOnqo is worth a look, to show what can be achieved with simple tools. Also look at his other videos.

 

[ED65]

Hi and welcome.

Now I can appreciate that just asking "what tools should I get?" is a bit of an expansive question, after all the answer is "what do you want to make?" but, realistically, what would be a good starting point?

Well what you want to make does do a lot to inform the answer to "What tools should I get?" Obviously you can get a basic tool kit and then make a whole range of things, but if you were missing one key tool you couldn't do X or Y. So if you need to be able to do X or Y then you need that tool.

A very basic starter kit could include:

• some bench chisels, which will usually mean bevel-edge chisels these days
  at least two saws
  a hammer or mallet or both
  one or more hand planes
  something to drill holes (you're partly covered there but you might want or need to go looking for a swing brace and some suitable bits for it)
  steel rule
  try square
  marking gauge
  Stanley knife or similar

But for someone else their starter list might have few things in common with the above, because they'll be focussing on power tools. So this kind of thing is also very dependent on budget.

Timescale matters too, if you need stuff in the short term you might be forced to buy new but if you can wait then a great deal can be picked up inexpensively secondhand, or during seasonal promotions e.g. at Lidl or Aldi.

I've seen plenty of beginner projects and the like but a lot of them don't actually state what tools you require to build them

You could just be selective for now and go with the ones that do.

Have you got any beginner woodworking books? They can be a good place to start as they'll always cover the kit before the how-to and list everything necessary to make the projects, plus they tend to go from the very simple to the more complicated in fairly uniform steps so you don't overreach.

 

[badabec]

Hello, not knowing what to make stumped me at first. I searched online for free woodworking plans and as an aside got directed to various, mainly American, websites where they videoed the making of that week's project. Like Drunken Woodworker, Steve French, the Carmichael Workshop and so on. There are hundreds and despite the best intentions, they come and go.
Some projects look fun, some tedious and some you wouldn't give house room to.

Once you've decided to say, make a box (tea caddy, wine bottle, trinket, anything) then the tools needed will become apparent. The tools will always be useful, no matter what you end up making in the future.

B&Q et al are expensive, limited range and quality isn't the greatest. I like Baltic Birch plywood, very few voids (gaps in the laminations, sometimes filled with filler) and cuts well. Hard woods I get from Brooks Brothers.

One tool I should have bought was a wood burning stove for all my early and on-going mistakes, my garage would be sub-tropical by now.

Peter

 

[blackrodd]

Hello, not knowing what to make stumped me at first. I searched online for free woodworking plans and as an aside got directed to various, mainly American, websites where they videoed the making of that week's project. Like Drunken Woodworker, Steve French, the Carmichael Workshop and so on. There are hundreds and despite the best intentions, they come and go.
Some projects look fun, some tedious and some you wouldn't give house room to.

Once you've decided to say, make a box (tea caddy, wine bottle, trinket, anything) then the tools needed will become apparent. The tools will always be useful, no matter what you end up making in the future.

B&Q et al are expensive, limited range and quality isn't the greatest. I like Baltic Birch plywood, very few voids (gaps in the laminations, sometimes filled with filler) and cuts well. Hard woods I get from Brooks Brothers.

One tool I should have bought was a wood burning stove for all my early and on-going mistakes, my garage would be sub-tropical by now.

Peter

Wise words indeed from a member with only 12 posts, good advice to follow, I'd say,
Rodders

 

[Steve1066]

I would go with a good Quality combination Square, Sliding bevel, tape, steel rule. HB pencil, a tenon saw, some chisels, No 4 smoothing plane and a sharpening stone. (I would recommend diamond stone )
Look up Carpenters saw horse on YouTube and you've got your first project
Good luck and take your time and enjoy.

 

[Cooky]

Cheers chaps for all the advice.
Guess I'll start with a steel rule, a plane and some chisels and yes a saw horse seems like a good starting point!

 

[ED65]

Guess I'll start with a steel rule, a plane and some chisels and yes a saw horse seems like a good starting point!

Okay, now the buying advice.

Chisels first, if you can hold off you might want to get your first set from Aldi as they're the best value going; read about them here from Paul Sellers. Be sure to look at the sharpening video near the bottom of the page if you're new to sharpening. Until they come in if you want something cheap to get started with you might be able to pick up just one or two old ones from a charity shop or junk shop, or from any car boots that are running at this time of year in your neck of the woods. Old chisels are regularly £1 or less, particularly if rusted.

I neglected to list sharpening gear as part of your initial purchase, which is a common mistake in a list of starter kit because it isn't directly used on the wood. But it is vital you have some as both the chisels and the plane will require sharpening as few manufacturers supply tools with honed edges, they are often just ground roughly to shape with a 25° bevel. This is not a modern cost-cutting measure, there's actually a long tradition of woodworking tools being supplied unsharpened with the expectation that the craftsman or 'mechanic' would hone to suit himself.

For the hand plane I'd recommend either a no. 4 or a no. 5 to begin with. I'm more of a fan of 4s, but others consider the no. 5 the ideal starter plane and older woodworking guides usually suggest a plane of approximately that size as the plane to begin with.

I'm not sure what to recommend in terms of brand, unless you can wait until you find a suitable vintage one secondhand (Record, Woden, Stanley etc.). Buying new today has its pitfalls unless you don't mind paying over a hundred for one. If you're comfortable with the idea of having to do some fettling to make it a performer then cheaper plane makes like Faithfull and Silverline can actually make for a decent user. See video from Graham Haydon here tuning a Silverline. But their production quality does vary so this means some are better than others and the amount of work you'll need to do can vary. With a bit of luck you'll get one that needs very little work, just a quick deburr of edges, a sharpen of the iron, addressing the leading edge of the cap iron. If you're less lucky you might be in for up to an hour of lapping and polishing, and then the customary work on the irons.

A saw horse as one of your first projects is a great idea, I know I'd prefer to make a pair than buy the commercial ones. Sawhorses are almost always made in pairs since you often need two of the same size for larger pieces or longer boards. There are more than a dozen designs of sawhorse out there free online, two others to consider are here and here.

 

[badabec]

And some Tite Bond glue...

Peter

 

[YorkshireMartin]

Do you have any way of holding anything down for sawing, chiseling etc, like a vice?

One of the first things I bought, and it was an impulse purchase, was something called a Rockwell Jawhorse. It's a bit like a saw horse except it can clamp something like a vice, up to the size of a standard door. It folds up for storage and is very sturdy if bolted down.

Thats how I solved the conundrum of "how to build a workbench without a bench". It's proven very useful for other stuff, even after getting my bench.

RRP is £100. Got mine on sale for £50, but I am pretty sure they were on sale at B&Q recently for £25.

For £25, it's insane value.

 

[BearTricks]

Get the things you'll need to make something flat and square. You won't get far using wonky wood.

Combination square, spirit level, steel rule, marking gauge. All can be had for cheap on eBay or even out of friends garages. You'd be surprised how many pieces of kit that you'd pay good money for new have been forgotten about at the back of a relative's dusty old shed.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

 

[Cooky]

Cheers chaps, I've basically gone for all budget tools to start with and figure that once I learn how to use them properly, I'll be able to justify spending a few quid on them to get decent gear which will last a life time.
I did get a Record No4 plane though for less than £20 which is plenty sharp and seems to be well used but reasonably well cared for also.
Coping saw, chisels, even a foldable work bench (£10 from aldi which will do for the creation of my own), sharpening stone.
A square, glue, marking gauge and a saw are next on the list