New guy here, looking for help with getting started

[Mike Cherry]

Hi all, been lurking off and on here for a while. I have a very humble shop that consists of an el cheapo Ryobi benchtop bandsaw, an old craftsman circular saw, milwaukee corded drill, dewalt ROS, Ridgid shop vac, etc. I have very limited funds and an increasingly unlimited number of projects Id like to be able to do.

If your still with me, I could use some help getting myself organized a bit. I have built a couple things like a rudimentary workbench, a paper towel holder, coat rack, etc. All very easy items. I get discouraged whenever I try and build anything that requires precise cuts because things never mate properly and I end up having to scrap the wood and start over. For example, I tried resawing three 1/8" inch pieces of walnut and maple so that I could laminate them and make a ring. The pieces were no where close to flat even though I checked my "fence" several times before cutting.

I think my big question is: Are these types of frustrations typical of new woodworkers or am I experiencing these discouraging situations from a lack of experience? Could it be that my equipment (or rather lack thereof) is severely hampering my abilities to get good results. I have a feeling it is a mixture of all three. How do I fix this? I feel like every tool I pick up I cant rely on to do its job properly.

Any tips lol?

[Moses Yoder]

I think your eyes are bigger than your stomach. An old saying, basically you are biting off more than you can chew. Making curves in wood is probably the most highly skilled portion of any project.

The band saw will probably not resaw very wide pieces. Ideally with that saw you would cut the pieces thicker and then find a local cabinet shop to run them through their widebelt sander; that would be the best way to do it with your existing equipment.

One thing you should look at with a low budget is old hand tools, and the knowledge to use them. You can cut a perfectly square piece with a $5 hand saw, a $10 vice and $5 file to sharpen the saw, a $10 #5 plane and a shop made shooting board. If you are patient.

[David Eisenhauer]

Yes to the question do other new (and older) wood workers get frustrated when things don't look as good as they want. I'm guessing your problems are a combination of lack of experience with wood working in general and a lack of experience in getting the most accurate work out of the tools you own. Better tools are fun to use and make for faster progress, but the work can be done with less if you take the time to check-recheck and more check the setup on the tool and the cut before you make the cut. I recommend you read all you can about wood working techniques, watch some You Tube How To Do This and spend as much time in the shop as you can. It will get better. And, sometimes it is better to lay every thing down and go do something besides wood working.

What helped me the most after I had been working at it for around five years was to tell myself to slow down and take the time to create a jig or stop or pattern or something to use for the next step as opposed to being too much in a hurry to do so. Sometimes it takes longer to create an accurate jig than it does to make the particular cut or fit up. I thought that only working weekends, I did not want to waste a day making a jig when I could be cutting or gluing or something to move forward. It is now rare that I cut or glue something to a line by eye. I use stops or spacer boards, etc to go by and check for square when appropriate while I can still move it. As to buying power wood working tools, I learned that purpose built tools/machinery work much better than a "jack of all trades" type tool. For hand tools, learn how to sharpen correctly and easily immediately after buying the tool, plus how to adjust the tool if it that type of tool. Get to know how to use what you have before buying a new tool that also requires learning.

Pick your projects according to your skill level, tools and time to donate to the work. You will stretch yourself as you go along and end up growing, but first get to the point where straight/square/tight and smoothed-off is pretty much a given and then you can worry about the angled/curved/rounded stuff. As you go down the path, which particular "better" tools you want next will become apparent as you refine what type of things you like building. For me, I decided I would first learn how to build decent casework and get to where I could produce strong, good looking square/rectangular boxes that would provide many, many years of service to a family. That led to doors and drawers. A table top is square/rectangular, needs to be smoothed off and can have straight, square legs at 90 deg to the top. OK, can do. Then I got to the chairs. By then, I had lots of bench/shop time under my belt and knew what my tools and machinery could do and what I was good and bad at. Had I started out with chairs, probably would have dropped the whole thing.

[Mike Cherry]

Very helpful advice guys thank you for your time. I do have some basic hand tools such as a rip saw and crosscut saw. I can get a decently sharp filing on the rip saw, but I dare not try to sharpen the crosscut saw yet. I have a #4 &#5 plane and form my culinary background am able to get a decent edge on the blade.

I have spent 90% of my woodworking time sharpening hand tools. The other 10% has been trying to build stuff and realizing I am out of square here or there. Sigh....

I hate to ask this, but where should I start when I first grab and cut a new piece of wood. Should I plane the face or edge first? What's the best way to ensure the face is flat?

[John T Barker]

Mike-Hang in there and keep at, you will enjoy. Surface the face first and then the edge. The first gives you reference for the second. Depending on the size of the you want to use a progression of handplnes to take out highs until you are able to run the plane over the board and get a continuous shaving. Checking with a straight edge shows where you need to plane (highs) and when you are done.

Check out some of the internet material on showing each step of a project, this will help you get over those humps that are keeping you from enjoying your woodworking fully right now. I'd also say the how-to's on the basic basics. There is a ton of stuff on how to get a board four square for use in a project.

Stick with basics, master them and you will do fine. Remember that the basics also include properly holding your wood for best use of your tools. Bench, vise, clamps and your body have to all work as one.

There are numerous ways to do woodworking on the low budget. I have a ton of tools that I bought at flea markets for a fraction of what comparable tools would cost retail. You have some good power tools that would let you make big clamps, jigs and numerous tools to further your woodworking. Shopnotes, Woodsmith and a bunch of other magazines have a lot of articles about such things, as well as the internet. You wouldn't believe the amount of wood I have thrown out at my current job. I work in an unfinished furnture store and we are always replacing parts of furniture and throw out boards, plywood, sometimes entire pieces of furniture. Dumpster dive (use your imagination as to where) and occassionally pop in a place with a bribe and get to know someone, ask for a phone call or heads up as to when you might be able to find some good stuff. A woodshop I worked in often chucked a lot of really good scraps, the kind of stuff you could make some great small projects with.

Good luck

[Roger Feeley]

Mike, I can speak a bit to your resawing problems. Try two experiments.

1. Get a big rubber band and have someone hold both ends over their fingers to simulate a bandsaw blade (not too tight). Now push your finger against the band as a board would push against a blade. Notice how the rubber band twists? That could be one thing happening to your blade inside the wood. It could be twisting a bit which would yield a bowed cut instead of a straight one.

2. Take a board a couple of inches wide and draw a line right down the middle of it. A piece of Masonite or thin plywood would be ideal. Cut a a couple of inches along the line insuring that you are following it accurately. Stop advancing the wood and turn off the saw. Is the board parallel to your fence? Probably not. That is bandsaw blade drift. The rubber wheels on bandsaws are not flat but crown in the middle. If your blade sits exactly on that crown, lucky you. If it's a bit forward or back, then you have drift.

Solutions:
1. The only solutions to a twisting blade are to either put less pressure on it or get a wider blade. That's why resawing is generally done with a pretty beefy bandsaw. I use a 1" blade for resawing.

2. If you want to cut a straight line with your fence, it must be parallel to the drift. Figure out the drift first and set your fence parallel to it. A wide blade helps with getting the drift exactly right. You make a cut along your line and then center the back of the blade in the kerf.

Another problem with resawing is that the gullets in the blade get loaded up with wood and can't cut. That's why resaw blades have huge teeth and very few of them.

[Frederick Skelly]

Welcome Mike! Theres a lot of good advice in the responses you already received. So Ill just say - learn the basics in whatever way works best for you - find a local club, read a couple beginner books, watch Utube, etc. See what books are available free at your local library.

I have a pretty fair power tool shop and I can put out work that pleases me. But am having to relearn a number of fundamentals to make full use of my new hand tools (the Neander Forum here roped me in). Im finding that practice is everything - just like they told me. I study how to handle a crosscut saw, then I go practice straight cuts. Then I try to build something. The "something" isnt up to my usual quality but I try again and it gets a little better. The same thing will happen for you, too - with your power tools or hand tools. But start with simple things made from inexpensive woods while you develop. If youre like me, you cant afford to make your "beginners mistakes" on walnut or cherry.

Fred

[Judson Green]

Might be a good idea to put your location, at least a vague idea of, in your profile. Someone in your area might lend you a helping hand.

But for sure starting out in anything new is a bit trying.

[Judson Green]

Face.

I'm wondering if your posting about this is regarding hand tool use or power tool?

But still always face joint first... almost always.

The best way to ensure flat?
Look up "winding sticks" and how to use em. Just do a search here, I think you'll get it.

[Rick Potter]

The first thing I would do is get an inexpensive used table saw off Craigs list. Should be able to get one pretty cheap. Anything is better than trying to get straight edges with a cheap band saw.

If this is out of your budget, get a decent red Freud blade for your circular saw at Home Depot for about $20, then look up how to make a simple plywood jig for ripping straight lines on the internet.. You Tube has many, as well as several magazine sites. Sign up for tips, also. It's free.

Also check the Shop Smith users site for videos, there are a lot of videos that start with the basics, and they can pertain to other tools than SS.

Rick Potter

PS: Check your local Rockler or Woodcraft stores, the usually have how to sessions on the weekends. Some may be of interest.....just remember their goal is selling you something. You may also meet someone attending that would be willing to share a bit with you.

[scott spencer]

You're not alone. Simple woodworking can be challenging enough....precise woodworking requires at least some knowledge and experience, if not good precision tools. Even having great tools aren't enough by themselves.

One thing that helped my precision was learning the significance of having a known reference point to start from. Many tools reference to the edge, face, or some point of another board. If that board isn't truly flat, straight, square, and at a uniform thickness, it's very likely that your results won't end up as expected. There are many ways to achieve flat, straight, square lumber (jointer, planer with sled, TS, router, hand planes, circular saw with straight edge or combinations of those tools as an example) ....I'd suggest studying up on a few of those methods.

Used tools often represent the most bang for the buck. Check Craigslist frequently for postings of good tools at good prices....it's worth noting that the best deals often don't stick around very long.

There are often lots of great books at the library. Google is your friend too. Start simple and keep at it!

[Mike Cherry]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I see the majority of you would have me brush up on the basics and that is just what I'm going to do. I see now that I have been trying to run before I could walk in a majority of the projects I have attempted thus far.

Any pointers on good websites or YouTube guys for the "basics?"

[Mike Cherry]

Good tip, I updated my location. I'm in Temecula,CA. If anyone is from this area I'd love to hear from you.

[glenn bradley]

Good tip, I updated my location. I'm in Temecula,CA. If anyone is from this area I'd love to hear from you.

Welcome Mike. I just drove by you, twice, yesterday. I'm north of you on 15 and dad is south of you and I went for a visit. As others have said, the basics are something we all learn and then stop and practice again when we wander too far afield. Your tools can limit you to some degree but, you are starting out with tools similar to what many of us started on. I could buy the "best" [insert tool name here] that is available and my skill level would still be what it is today. On the other hand if your tools are actually hampering you; a drill press that will not run at the speeds required for a specific bit for example, then an alternate method of achieving the result or possibly a tool upgrade is required.

Again, as others have said, anyone can get frustrated when things don't go as planned. However, we can increase our chances of success through setup, jigs and planning. What's the old saying? "Luck favors the prepared" or something like that. If your bandsaw is not giving good results, start by reading up on bandsaw tuning. A proper blade and some TLC may turn your saw into a very usable machine within it's capabilities. For example, I use this machine, bought for $50 at a garage sale . . .

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more than I ever thought I would. It is an old Rockwell/Delta with a fiberglass housing and plastic resin wheels; a total hobby shop level tool. I dialed it in as far as taking care of an out of balance wheel (self stick wheel weights from the Auto Parts store), got things coplaner, added a link belt ($25 at Harbor Freight) and some Cool Blocks (about $12 at Sears) for the guides. Put a Timberwolf blade on it and tensioned it with the flutter method and she does a respectable job. I go to it for all but my largest curve jobs.

The point is, as my dad told me many times - "Time or Money, one way or the other, you gotta spend". Read up, ask questions fearlessly on the forums and apply what you learn to your tool setup. Then do the same thing on the technique you want to try. A great learning tool early on is a wood pallet. A wonderful source of free wood to practice on. I did this mock-up out of pallets:

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Before making these out of ash:

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My advice is to spend a bit of time getting your tools optimized, then study up on what you want to do and then go at it knowing that your first few tries will end up on the burn pile. Don't expect to knock it out of the park on every attempt. This will ease your frustration. Most of all, have fun.

[Terry Beadle]

Another thing to get is a dial caliper. This will show you how the wood changes as you work on it and gives great feed back to how your planes are working.
They cost about $30 but Harbor Freight has them cheaper.
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=dial+caliper

The other thing is always check your cuts by holding a machinist square to the edge in question with it back lit by a light.
As you cut and do small projects, measuring with a caliper will give you great feed back.

Just a suggestion.

[Shawn Pixley]

Good tip, I updated my location. I'm in Temecula,CA. If anyone is from this area I'd love to hear from you.

I am further north than Glenn. Still if you want to come to the Ventura County beach, I'll be happy to help you out. I am a blended woodworker. I do stock prep with power tools, but any semi-sophisticated joinery is done with hand tools.

Others have given you sound advice. The only thing I might add is some technique projects. One could be a box. To make this, you'll have to master square and straight. It needn't be dovetailed, but well done rabbets / rebates will give you necessary practice without a lot of material.

[Mike Cherry]

I am further north than Glenn. Still if you want to come to the Ventura County beach, I'll be happy to help you out. I am a blended woodworker. I do stock prep with power tools, but any semi-sophisticated joinery is done with hand tools.

I actually have in-laws up in Thousand Oaks so I might take you up on your offer at some point. Thanks for helpful suggestions! My daughter just bought a crate from Michael's and showed it to me. My first thought was I should be able to do something like that lol! Maybe Ill try that first.

[Chris Fournier]

If you are committed to learning the basics please consider buying a few good books. The web is meh as many folks contribute and there is no editing for the most part and often little rigour. Lots of opinion and bad practice though. Check out the Taunton Press for material. Following sound principles is the foundation of any good fabricating, then you will realise that good tools and equipmet provide you with another leg up. It is a fun journey, come to the web by all means but don't rely on it as your sole instructor.

[Jim Matthews]

I highly recommend taking at least a beginning course.

Most of what we do is built on the same basic skills,
repeatedly applied. A ten-day intensive or six weekend "taster"
will get you most of the way there.

I highly recommend you get to know your local lumber supplier.
If they can provide you quality boards to fit each project,
and "skip plane" them to near your final thickness
that's one less piece of equipment you need to spend money on.

[Mike Cherry]

Good call Chris, Ill check their books out.

Jim - I have visited with my local hardwood supplier and they have decent stock, but I cant find anything locally that has anything thicker than 3/4"...I guess that will have to do until I can find someone else around here.

[Lonnie Gallaher]

Mike for lumber check out Petermans lumber in Fontana. It is about an hour north of you. It is the candy store for wood. They close at 4PM during the week.

[Rick Potter]

Reel Lumber in Riverside. Nice peeples.

Rick P