New Woodworker Question

[William Burgess]

Hi All,
I am just starting out on wood working and am currently researching the heck out of it. Previouslly all my furniture has been 2x4 / plywood stuff (work bench, garage shelves etc). My wife suggested I start out making a toy chest for my daughter so not wanting to do a crappy job I have been looking around/reading forums etc on everything I would/need want to get started. I have a decent set of hand power tools (circular saw, jigsaw, cordless drill, ROS) and am now looking into buying a table saw, router and drill press. I have been looking at the Grizzly Polar Hybrid Table saw G0715P and either the Grizzly G7943 or the JET 354165 JDP-15M and the Bosch Router Set as well as some reasonably priced hand tools.

My immediate goal is the toy chest, a simple coffee table / end tables, router table and miter stand. Would this be enough to help me to accomplish these things if I buy pre planned wood (home depot) or would it be better to buy a jointer/planer as well. Also I see a lot of people talk about recieving new table saw/tools and adjusting them, is there a guide on how to adjust the table when you get it? Things I need to check for? Thanks for any help.

William

[Chris Strizver]

Buy the jointer/planer now for the following reasons:



If you have the wife's permission now, don't delay as this can change!
The money you spend on Home Depot "prepared" wood is better spent on your own tools.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

William,

Welcome to the Creek.

You will get a lot of answers to your questions. I haven't bought a book on table saws yet so I can't make a recommendation. I probably should get one.

Again....Welcome to the Creek!

[Kevin Gregoire]

welcome william,
i was in your shoes a little over a year ago and coming here is a great first step as there are so many awesome people that will help you out!

i dont know how serious you are about woodworking but if you happen to have an ample budget be sure to first buy a really good table saw and by the looks of the grizzly you want your off to a very good start!

most of the time big tools are pretty accurate but double checking them and tuning them is a good idea and its not hard to do, there are tons of articles here and all over the net telling how and what to do. just do a google search and you will find tons of info and youtube has some great videos also.

as for your wood i would get some good prefinished wood such as Baltic Birch plywood for your toy chest and stands. its kinda spendy but well worth it.

good luck and welcome to the creek!

[Andrew Nemeth]

William,

I would not buy solid wood lumber from big box stores, they are WAY overpriced. Even if a jointer and planer are not in your budget right now you still have a few options. First, most hardwood dealers will surface boards to your desired thickness for a small fee. The best option though, IMHO, would be to find woodworker in your area who is willing to help you get started and learn how to properly dimension lumber with them. Either way, you will be saving enough money that you can use to buy more tools to outfit your shop.

Good luck,
Andrew

[Nelson Howe]

Welcome William,

This is a good place to start gathering information. Other places to gather information would include local clubs, magazines and on-line sites. I like Fine Woodworking's on line site, which is a subscription site, but has a 14 day free trial. You can find past articles explaining lots of skills and techniques, and many include specific projects. They also have tool reviews.

I have purchased most of my machines used, which has been a way for me to get a lot more machine for the money. Most of the big, high quality machines hold up to a lot more use than a hobbiest can put into them, so used is a relatively safe bet--not guaranteed, but pretty good. I have Craigslist "tools" and "materials" bookmarked on my computer, and check them often.

Having the jointer and planer available, as well the confidence to use them, is liberating. Combined with a table saw, they will free you up to make a lot of stuff.

But you can probably make a toy box out of some nice prefinished maple or cherry plywood (find your local lumberyard, not HD or Lowes) a few sticks of planed wood and the tools you have. The table saw would be the first tool I'd get, if I were you.

Look for safety hinges for the toybox (Rockler has them) so you don't smash any little fingers.

Good luck,

Nelson

[Greg Portland]

What circ. saw and jigsaw do you have? A decent blade on both will allow you to cut in a straight line and in a curve. Add a clamp-able straightedge and you can make all the cuts required for your listed projects. If you already have a miter saw then that is a bonus (you mention the stand as a project but not the tool). A plunge router, jointer, and planer should be the next items to buy. Go with the plunge router over a fixed router because it is more versatile.

In addition to local classifieds for tool purchases, see if a local woodworking club exists. Some members may have an old lunchbox planer laying around that you could borrow or buy.

Your first project should be a work and assembly table (2x4's + plywood or an old exterior door makes a good table).

[William Burgess]

Thank you all for your helpful answers.

I have a Milwaukee 6390 Circ Saw and a Bosch 1590 Jigsaw. I have been checking Craigslist everyday for the past month and haven't found anything past dewalt/craftsman contractor saws and the occasional cabinet saw which is close to 1000 dollars. I figure if I am going to spend that much I should just buy new. I am planning on buying the Bosch plunge router & fixed base set as that was the best reviewed one in one of the tauntons tool guides. I do own a 10 inch craftsman compound miter saw, and wanted to make a nice stand for it. I already have a workbench (made of 2x4's and plywood) and a work area ready to go.

I am unsure about the jointer/planer as my biggest concern is if I don't enjoy woodworking, well I can use the table saw and drill press in other things, but the planer and jointer are pretty much only for wood working. I will look around to see if I can find a local wood working club I could use theirs. Now to research this for another month until I drive my wife crazy talking about it, until she begs me to buy it so I stop talking about it. (hope she doesn't catch on)

William

[Dave Zellers]

I am unsure about the jointer/planer as my biggest concern is if I don't enjoy woodworking, well I can use the table saw and drill press in other things, but the planer and jointer are pretty much only for wood working.

This was going to be my exact advise. No need to rush into it. I can sooooooooo relate to where you are now with your 2x4's and plywood comment. For me, that was 37 years ago. Then one day I made a half lap joint on some 1x3 3/4" pine on the Radial Arm Saw after work one day. (I was a house carpenter) The skies opened up for me.

I would encourage you to dive right in yet go slow regarding major machine purchases. Make stuff. That's how you learn. This might sound weird but IMO, you are not ready for a jointer and planer yet.

Make stuff. Then make better stuff. So what if you pay a little extra for finished lumber? If you find you like making stuff, someday you're going to say, "Man, I wish I had a planer!" And then you're going to say "I have to get a jointer!"

That's when you start looking at the new Grizzly 5000ZLX planer, jointer, orgasmatron and wondering what you've gotten yourself into.