Looking for advice... Furniture build related

[John Matazinski]

First off, Hello!

Now on to the meat and potatoes of this post.
I am looking to get into a furniture build, I have moderate skills, been working small projects for a little while now and learn on the fly pretty quickly.

What I'm looking for from the more experienced among us is suggestions on projects to get my feet wet with building nice quality furniture.
What is a good starting point, where can I start that I have a reasonable shot at getting good results.

I know there are a lot of factors to be considered but what I'm asking is what is a fairly simple furniture build that will give me an idea if I will really enjoy that avenue of wood working.

[Mike Henderson]

I'll pass along some advice given to me by a wise woodworking instructor when I was taking basic woodworking courses. I wanted to build a complex piece of furniture (Townsend style chest) but didn't know if I could handle it. He told me that all woodworking can be broken down into steps, and as along as I could accomplish each step, I could build anything. It might take me longer than someone experienced, but I could do it and do a good job. He was right.

You build the piece of furniture once when you do the drawing. If you do a good drawing and think through the steps - write down each step if you have trouble visualizing the proper approach - you then just have to execute each of the steps. And almost all of us can do the steps. If we can't, we can get instruction on that step.

Mike

[lowell holmes]

You don't show your location, but if you can find classes like the link below takes you to, you will probably save yourself both money and frustration.

Three or four days at Homestead Heritage will give you knowledge of the joinery needed in furniture making.

I'm sure a school in your area will provide the same.

Another advantage of going to one of the schools is that it is really a lot of fun.



http://www.homesteadheritage-woodworking.com/classes.html (http://www.homesteadheritage-woodworking.com/classes.html)

[Huck Schwee]

How about an end table or nightstand? Those are on my list and they will allow you to make fine furniture without to much cost but will still allow you to practice some of the major fine woodworking techniques.

[Jim Matthews]

Asa Christiana (http://www.startwoodworking.com/getting-started/season-one) has a "get started" video series to recommend a few beginning projects.

I would start with a hall table, and make a dining table afterwards.
Those are things that are useful and sources of pride in a home.

[larry senen]

all good advice,i would add if your furniture calls for decorative or shaped legs consider buying them and building the rest around them.

[Pat Barry]

I would suggest watching a Norm Abrams video and build along with Norm.

[Darius Ferlas]

I started with a cutting board :)

My second project was a step stool. I have moved on to more real stuff since, though nowhere near the perfectionist and artistic level some of the Creekers have shown here. Still, I end every project with a step stool since you can never have too many of those, and I consider scraps to be best used for something actually usable than to fill a recycling bin.

[johnny means]

I think a blanket chest or hall tree make a great newbie project. They're guaranteed to get used and are substantial enough to make you all warm and fuzzy inside. Essentially they are just trimmed out boxes which makes them really forgiving builds.

[Jon Wilson]

Some good advice in here that I can use.

Mike, I think that your bit of wisdom will not only serve me well but also my daughter and a few others along the way.
That is some good stuff.

I may go the nightstand route.

The wife has been asking for a new set for awhile now.

[lowell holmes]

You might want to visit the link below. His session on handsaws helped me a lot. His thrust is the use of hand tools, but the principals will carry over to power tools as well.




http://logancabinetshoppe.com/blog/

[Gary Hodgin]

I started with a simple, small book case. Google "free book case plans" and you should get some hits. See how it goes. Most people either need a case or know someone who needs one. If it falls short of expectations, you can use it in your work area for storage.

There's tons of wwing stuff on you tube, books, and dvd's. I have a bunch of videos. A great place to start and get an overview of the process of building a piece of furniture is Kelly Mehler's "Build a Shaker Table." It's available on dvd from Amazon for around $17 but can be downloaded as MP4 for around $15. Just google "Kelly Mehler Build a Shaker Table if you're interested.

There's a lot of other stuff but this is a video that I watched over and over when I began ww. It's been out a long time.

[Jim Matthews]

I would suggest watching a Norm Abrams video and build along with Norm.

Norm Abram is a carpenter, and makes repeated mention of his limitations.
There are plenty of modern resources available that rely less on plywood and screws.

[Jim Matthews]

You might want to visit the link below. His session on handsaws helped me a lot. His thrust is the use of hand tools, but the principals will carry over to power tools as well.
http://logancabinetshoppe.com/blog/

+1 on Bob's site. It's an eye-opener to see nice furniture made without an expensive power tool shop.
Consider buying lumber for the larger panels milled to near the final thickness you seek.

That limits the amount of money you need for a jointer/planer and the time to learn your way around one.