Itching to create

[Calvin Arterberry]

Hello folks. I'm new to SMC. I am also new to woodworking. I have been reading some of the blogs on sawmill, and the threads are very interesting. Enjoying them.
I have done metal fabrication and welding all my life. I got married 13 years ago, and after about 3yrs of griping and complaining about welding, my wife talked me into learning how to deal Blackjack when it was voted into Oklahoma. I had never even seen the game played, let alone deal it. Low and behold...I am now a Blackjack pit boss. I have been doing this for almost 10yrs now. BUT...I still have that itch to draw and read prints and build stuff. Ever since mid-September I have been buying woodworking equipment to do woodworking as a hobby. I have got everything that I think that I need to start. I'm going to start scrolling this coming up week. First time ever to use a scroll saw, planer, router...etc. I do feel like I have a good enough background in fabrication to do pretty good at this. Practice! Right?
Any thoughts? Opinions? Tips? Or maybe you might just wanna tell me I'm crazy for buying all brand new equipment for something that I know very little about.

[Mike Cutler]

Calvin
First off, welcome.

You're not crazy to want to give woodworking a go.
In today's world many people work at job where they see no end product, or tangible result. Wood working is a natural to fill this void. A person starts with a pile of boards and at the end there is that tangible result. It's satisfying, well sometimes, to finish a project and see the results of your effort before you.

Start your projects small, usually jigs and fixtures for the shop. Focus on methods, and accuracy, and you'll be fine.
Get something into the house as soon as you can. It helps down the line if your spouse can see a tangible result also. ;)

Once again, welcome and have a blast with your scroll saw. Don't be afraid to make a mistake.

[Jerry Bruette]

Keep your fingers safe. Hard to deal cards without them.

[Calvin Arterberry]

Jerry. I agree. That would be hard to do. I am very safety oriented and very conscious of my surroundings though. I guess that stems back to the many years in the metal shop. Mills. Lathes. Shear. Iron worker. Etc...
i am really looking forward to using the scroll saw for the first time this week. I have seen a lot of nice designs that I'm ready to tackle.

[Calvin Arterberry]

If you creekers don't mind, I may have a lot of questions about certain woods. I'm not very versed in the wood finishing department neither. I'll have to get some tips and pointers. But...on the up side, I am a quick learner.

[Wade Lippman]

Yeah, I think you are crazy to buy new equipment you know nothing about.

I took a course at a local high school to find out what it was all about. Then I bought some used equipment off CL. Once I knew (sorta) what I was doing and wanted to stay with it, I upgraded. You can pretty much sell used equipment for what you paid for it.

Maybe there are no courses where you are, but there is probably some sort of woodworking club or at least SMC people who would help you out.

[Jim Andrew]

Calvin, I'd check with your local high school to see if they offer evening classes. You need to have some training to learn basic safety precautions.

[JimT Thompson]

The suggestion to start by building wood items for your shop is a good one. Easy way to learn woods, woodworking tools, joinery and finishes before tackling creative stuff, and you'll be glad you did down the road. But there is no common path. With each piece your understanding and skills will deepen. Don't begin with complex pieces. Your years in metal fabrication have given you a great head start -- lots of transferable knowledge and skills.

[Brian W Smith]

We do right much metal fabrication here......much/most of which is directly tied to the wood working industry.So one suggestion I think you'll really understand is,you know what welding coupons are....practice.So many budding WWer's want to jump in,and that's very good,but wouldn't test pcs that help fine tune a procedure or setup make tons of sense?Of course it does,but it's amazing how,in their need or want to create,they forget this,not so small item.It happens with machine setup and happens again in the finish dept.

Another is finding an outlet for your wares.Here at our shop we're constantly looking for "things" to make with the drops.One we make with some of the REALLY nice,figured and exotics are small'ish religious crosses.We'll make a few dz at a time,literally put them in a paper bag and I give them to a gentleman who does visitation for terminally ill folks.Some of the stories he relays back to me are jaw dropping.Little things that make others so appreciative.So think about your relatives,neighbors,or anyone that can use a little something from your shop.Best of luck,BW