New to Carpentry

[RickN]

Best laid plans and all that , my first project was going to be a work bench... ended up being a 7 ft guinea pig hutch..... best laid plans and all that...
whatever you choose , make it enjoyable, take your time, mistakes are inevitable, I like to call them design innovation...

The button on the right of the report post does the thanky thingy. I thought it was a like button... 8)

 

[Mark-J]

Thank you

Think I'll start with a bookshelf

 

[ED65]

So how expensive can this hobby get?

Exceedingly. There's almost no limit to how much you can spend over time if you want to, starting with the obvious: bigger and/or more costly power tools. And there are quite a few pricey hand tools out there.

With hand tools the good news is you don't have to spend a lot to get decent kit. Possibly the best example of this is with chisels, as the Aldi chisels that have been sold for many years now show. Lidl do an equivalent now too. Sold as a 4pc set they retail at less than a tenner but are really very decent, and when sharpened properly cut as well as chisels that cost many times as much. Their handles are a bit pants but you can't have everything!

On the hand plane front, with just a bit of work on your part you can turn an inexpensive one into a really good piece of kit since the basic design is very robust and adaptable to dodgy manufacturing tolerances. Too much detail to go into right now but suffice to say that if you're buying new you can get something as cheap as a Silverline, Faithfull or B&Q smoothing plane and with a bit of luck it'll be able to do sterling work. Without seeking to ruffle any feathers they can probably give results as good as a Lie-Nielsen, Quangsheng or Clifton, which can cost upwards of ten times more.

There's also a huge secondhand market in woodworking tools in the UK with abundant bargains to be had at car boots up and down the country. Some very good older tools sell for as little as 50p sometimes! Numerous old planes (including very old wooden ones which are still eminently usable) for as little as a quid or two, and dozens of good older chisels can be found too both individually and in sets.

I can imagine there's a lot of tools I'll need to buy. I'll obviously start small at first, and build from there. But if I was first looking to build say, a simple table 4' x 3' table, what would I be looking to get?

Most beginner books cover the basic kit in their introductory pages, and you can also use the kit mentioned in a project how-to as a checklist of what's needed.

Also, wood. Where would I buy wood from? I believe pine is popular?

Pine is a good practice wood and you can do a lot with it. Down the line if you eventually want to do some work in hardwoods you will need to practice a bit in hardwoods to gain further experience with them.

what would you suggest I make for my first project, a simple shelf? A pair of book stands?

It's a good idea to make a bench hook first as you'll immediately find it of use to help in sawing wood square by hand.

EDIT: How do you 'thank' someone so that it registers on their profile?

Little 'thumbsup' bottom-right of someone's post, just to the side of the !report button.

 

[Mark-J]

Great advice ED65

Thank you

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A bit of advice about pine. Make sure you buy pine not spruce - spruce can be an absolute pig to work. (so can pine, sometimes, but not so often ) and do not presume that anything sold to you as being flat, square, straight or of a particular dimension actually is what it is supposed to be.

 

[Mark-J]

A bit of advice about pine. Make sure you buy pine not spruce - spruce can be an absolute pig to work. (so can pine, sometimes, but not so often ) and do not presume that anything sold to you as being flat, square, straight or of a particular dimension actually is what it is supposed to be.

Thanks for the advice Phil

Are you saying there are scams out there?

 

[lurker]

The wood from places like B&Q (bent & quirky) might put you off woodworking before you start.

Skips are excellent places for good wood to practice on (just check for worm!) but that needs a bit more preparation.
I'd find imense difficulty in walking past one without a quick look, much to the wife's disgust!

 

[Mark-J]

Is there a one stop online shop for buying tools? Hand tools mainly but power too if possible

I was looking at Tool Station

 

[MatthewRedStars]

Axminster is still a solid choice, but prices are rising and it's no longer very competitive.

I'd use that as a starting point for research - and then shop around for a better deal on the tools you fancy.

 

[RickN]

You may find this post useful the-list-this-way-to-online-tool-store-heaven-e-commerce-t960.html

and as Mathew just said , Axminster is a land of the Oh shiny, and wow, it's like workshop heaven, also handy to go and have a look at stuff in the flesh.
well worth comparing prices you'll be shocked what a bit of shopping around yields.

 

[Mark-J]

Thanks both - very handy

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A bit of advice about pine. Make sure you buy pine not spruce - spruce can be an absolute pig to work. (so can pine, sometimes, but not so often ) and do not presume that anything sold to you as being flat, square, straight or of a particular dimension actually is what it is supposed to be.

Thanks for the advice Phil

Are you saying there are scams out there?

No, not scams, just imprecise descriptions - often because being wood it's straight or square the day it's checked and way out the day after. I checked out some 2" x 2" on Sat. that was clean as a whistle - but bowed and twisted beyond belief.

 

[Mark-J]

Thanks for the advice Phil

 

[Sawyer]

Two of the best bits of early advice I received are worth repeating.

1. 'Don't try to work with dull tools - Keep 'em sharp'. The good news is that with a bit of practice, sharpening (even freehand) is not that difficult and can be done without expensive equipment. Learn to do it well though - it is important.

2. 'Strive to master the tools themselves (practice, practice, practice). A person who cannot use the tools cannot make anything!'

Some simple starting projects will teach you chiselling, planing, sawing &c. &c. and how to make joints properly. Get the hang of all this and you will soon be surprising people with what you can make!

 

[Mark-J]

Thank you for that Sawyer

 

[Grawschbags]

I'm a fellow newbie myself. Not turned my hand to anything of any worth yet though. Currently dismantling pallets in anticipation of a wall clock build.

As has been said, YouTube is a great source of information and inspiration. I've watched hundreds of videos of late, and have a go to list of makers/craftsmen that I have subscribed to.

I would strongly suggest Paul Sellers as a great place to start. He has a load of fantastic videos on YouTube, in which he undertakes projects using a minimum amount of hand tools, which would be easy to start with. He also seems a fantastic teacher, and his videos are firmly geared towards the novice woodworker with regards honing their technique.

I've just finished watching his 11 video series of building a workbench. He must have only used about 5 tools, and a wealth of knowledge. I really fancy giving his projects a go, and as such I purchased his book today.

 

[turnamere]

Mitch Peacock has a good series of Youtube vids covering hand cut joints and he also has some detailed sharpening and tool tune up/refurb items as well; search WOmadeOD for his channel.

Tom Fidgen has some amazing hand built projects set to his own soundtrack - mesmerising.

 

[Mark-J]

Thanks for the recommendations

 

[ED65]

Is there a one stop online shop for buying tools? Hand tools mainly but power too if possible

I'd strongly dissuade you from going that route as it's much better to shop around in general. And anyway there's no one place that stocks everything you'd want Buying new, there's a lot of good stuff to be had from Amazon and not one of the specialist tool vendors. With secondhand tools obviously you wouldn't be buying from a shop usually.

Sticking with secondhand stuff for a sec, in case you don't know about these sites you can use Gumtree and Proloved to find stuff being sold cheap around the country and that can be a super alternative or addition to car boots. I like to peruse Gumtree listings just to see some of the amazing bargains that occasionally crop up and only this week a brilliant one came up in Warwickshire I think it was, 10 or 11 wooden planes that all look in good working order, for only £40! I would have snapped those up if I were anywhere close.

 

[ED65]

Just to reinforce something that Sawyer said, sharpening shouldn't be under-emphasised. Most people starting out have some trepidation about it if they don't have prior sharpening experience, and you may well screw up once or twice early on but that's okay. It's a skill you have to acquire to be a woodworker so perseverance is the order of the day. Freehand sharpening is well worth learning to do but can take a while to master so don't be afraid to make or buy a honing guide to help maintain your angles.

To begin with one good oilstone (which you can often find at car boots) and a leather strop (which you can make yourself) will get you going. Waterstones, ceramic stones and diamond plates are also options but generally will cost a lot more. Every system can work well, each has certain upsides and downsides. But oilstones and strops are the traditional European workshop staple and IMO still represent the best bang for the buck.