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Jason Weaver
05-20-2009, 10:50 AM
One great piece of advice that I have received here at the Neanderthal Haven is to only buy tools as I need them, but I have yet to find any projects that tell you (or suggest) what tools you need.

Are there any projects like that, or should I find a project that I like and bring it to the forum for advice on what tools to use for the projects?

Also, my wife and I love Arts & Crafts furniture and I want to do start building furniture pieces for our home. Does anyone have suggestions for good places to start there? I would love to do maybe a side table, and then a chair to match -- or is that too optimistic for first projects?

Thank you in advance for your guidance and suggestions!
Jason

Sean Hughto
05-20-2009, 11:13 AM
Pick any project that interests you. You then need to mentally build it. What are you going to need to accomplish each operation? If you have never done some operations, you may need to read or ask here to learn how it is done and what tools you should have. There are, of course, certain tools that you can hardly avoid using no matter the project - e.g., marking and measuring tools, chisels, planes, etc.

David Keller NC
05-20-2009, 11:29 AM
For starting out on Arts and Crafts pieces, I highly recommend the series of books that Bob Lang (of Popular Woodworking) has authored. They're typically titled "Shop Drawings of XXXX" (one title I have is "Shop Drawings for Greene and Greene Furniture). They're clearly written, and the pieces are accurately drawn.

Regarding what to build first, that's of course determined by what you (and your wife) need. But I would start with a case piece or a table - the joints are typically fairly simple and often 90 degrees, and that's a lot easier than building a chair, on which just about every joint is not 90 degrees, and can be a real challenge for a beginner.

That said, I'm a firm believer in not making "practice projects" - it's better to challenge your skill set with something you really want. You'll make mistakes (as all of us do), but most things woodworking will allow recovery from a mistake without throwing the whole project in the dumpster.

Robert Rozaieski
05-20-2009, 12:07 PM
That said, I'm a firm believer in not making "practice projects" - it's better to challenge your skill set with something you really want. You'll make mistakes (as all of us do), but most things woodworking will allow recovery from a mistake without throwing the whole project in the dumpster.

I agree. If you and your wife like Arts & Crafts, then pick a piece of furniture you want/need (say a side table for example) and figure out what tools you will need to accomplish each task necessary to build it. If you are not sure, come back here with a rough sketch or picture (you do not need a detailed dimensioned plan) of what you want to build and we'll help you figure out what tasks you will need to complete to build it and what tools you'll need to accomplish those tasks.

Griph0n Brown
05-20-2009, 1:38 PM
I'd agree about Bob Lang. http://www.craftsmanplans.com/index.html

The books are great for browsing and choosing, his plans are great for building. The price is great considering the investment in wood. The plans even have the BF purchase laid out for you as well as a cutlist. I've found they have made the learning curve less steep in a lot of ways. Now I have no fears when designing my own projects or modifying others. It's even driven me to figure out sketchup.
Lots of great ideas and videos on the Fine ww and popular ww websites, again, a small investment compared to time and wood.

Jason Weaver
05-20-2009, 9:24 PM
Great! Thank you all for the tips. I will definitely check out Bob Lang's books, and look for a table that fits our living room.

Thanks again.

Billy Chambless
05-21-2009, 8:28 AM
That said, I'm a firm believer in not making "practice projects" - it's better to challenge your skill set with something you really want. You'll make mistakes (as all of us do), but most things woodworking will allow recovery from a mistake without throwing the whole project in the dumpster.

This times 1000! And a lot of times, recovering from the mistakes is the most educational part of the project.

David Keller NC
05-21-2009, 10:03 AM
Jason - One other resource. Popular Woodworking has amassed a library of sketch-up models of all of their recent projects, and I think this includes projects in Woodworking Magazine as well. They're free for the downloading, and a lot of them are Arts and Crafts.

Jason Weaver
05-21-2009, 11:37 AM
Great David, I will head over to their site and check it out!

sean m. titmas
05-21-2009, 1:06 PM
jason,

being suggested which tools you should use for a given project belongs in the DIY catagory because a professional should decide for himself which of the many tools avaiable he will use to complete the project. its like being suggested what skivies to wear from the salesman who sells you the suit. its a personal decision and since no one will see what brand you wear its best left up to you to decide what makes you comfortable.


i think its really great that you are looking to expand your tool collection. when i want to expand my horizons i pick a project that looks interesting to me but also slightely more complicated than the last one i did. once you begin building something you will find numerous ways to approach the same task. same task, different tools.

most of the "practice projects" that i'v done over the years end up being given away to whom ever im friends with at the time. it serves two purposes, 1 it expands my skills by forcing me to build something that is worthy of being a gift( ie perfect) and 2, makes one of my friends really happy. (actually got a GF that way once)

when it comes to tools there are the basics that every carpenter should have and than after you aquire those you can get as detailed and varied as you want to. the only way you will ever know what you want is to just try your hand at everything. sometimes i pick a piece that is totally foriegn to my likes and style just to push myself and see what new experiences i can learn from. weather or not you are sucessful you can use that experience as an opportunity to grow and learn.