Suggestion(s) for a beginner

[Dave Lemen]

Good morning. I have had an interest in traditional woodworking (aka Woodwright's Shop) for a while. I am struggling with where to start. So many websites just have "the top 20 tools you need" or whatnot. Which sounds expensive, and doesn't help me actually start.

I found this website, http://www.renaissancewoodworker.com/hand-tool-projects-for-the-beginner/ and I liked his "just get started" approach. However, he is missing actual plans/instructions for doing any of the projects he suggested. It appears his site is dead, as there is not any recent content and he hasn't responded to direct inquiries. So I thought maybe I'd throw it out here.

Do you have any recommendations for where to go, online/offline, free/not-too-expensive, for plans with instructions for some of these simple projects? I was thinking of a small end table.

Anyways, thanks for any help. I do want to pursue this, but it is so daunting.

Peace,


-Dave

[David Eisenhauer]

Lots of Paul Sellers' (woodworker/instructor/how-to author) stuff on his website is geared towards beginners and he advocates getting started with minimal tools (more in the sense of just get going and don't think you need all of the tools before getting started). He has free videos on basic tool-use techniques and also subscription-paid videos that walk you through projects that are geared towards beginners. If you have zero experience, this may be something to look into. I believe that an author named Jim Tolpin has a book out with beginner info and simple, beginner projects (maybe some shop made tools such as try squares, straight edges, winding sticks, etc.). Some of the techniques that will be required for your end table build can be developed when building the shop tools and/or shop cabinetry or storage. Often, you don't find lots of exact-cut-list type plans available but do find how-I-made-this type plans that are for you to apply to your own measurements. In the case of your end table, you decide how long, wide and tall you want it, then develop your own exact-cut lists. Much of the actual building is better off when you do not pre cut everything first, but rather take component measurements from the previously built pieces or section that will then result in the measurement of the next piece (does that make sense?) The actual measurements are not as important as the how-to and the in-what-sequence information. I believe you can order exact plans from sources such as Woodcraft, Rockler, etc., but don't know the cost and selection available. I would not be surprised if you provided some basic info and a simple sketch of what you want to build, folks here could advise you on leg size, apron width, mortise/tenon width, tenon length, table top build technique, top attachment to base, etc.

[Dennis Tebo]

What about sources, presumably in books, for furniture construction methods, terminology, joinery, etc..? I would also be interested in something on the history of the different 'styles' or eras of furniture making, even something on the different regions that had their own styles and methods for making furniture. This would go a long ways to helping me figure out what it is that I might like to build some day.
Thanks,
Dennis

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Dave and welcome to the Creek.

You mention wanting to make an end table. That can be a simple start or an ambitious project. It all depends on what is wanted of the table and how it will be held together.

Where to start? Start with where you are and what you have. It isn't necessary to have an array of high end tools before starting.

If you are in the Portland, Oregon area let me know if you would like to get together to tryout some tools and techniques.

My woodworking by hand started with a hammer, crowbar and a saw. My first project was some lawn chairs for the back yard. The local library had a book with working drawings by a high school shop teacher published in 1937 or 1938. My first chair was made out of wood salvaged from pallets. My first purchases for new tools was a block plane and a chisel from a hardware store.

Even though at one time my employment was as a draughtsman, my projects seldom have drawings. Some of my repeating projects with shaped pieces will get a template made or drawn. Usually instead of a drawing, my work is laid out on a story stick. This works better for me than trying to read a measurement from a drawing and then a tape measure.

My point is if a person is going to pursue woodworking they will need to learn to make their own drawings either on a computer, on paper or in their mind. When one of my projects does get a drawing it is often just a sketch to work out dimensions.

Reading something from a blog recently the writer mentioned how they start with something and then remove everything that doesn't belong. In the case of an end table one could draw a block and then fill in the areas to be kept and remove all the rest.

This is a fairly simple table held together by screws:

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The shaping on the aprons (sides) was the "fancy" part. For something with joinery instead of screws:

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This is a bedside table made for my wife. Imagine it without the turned legs and it becomes a lot simpler. This would require a chisel to make the mortises and a saw to cut the tenons. A small plane would help save on the sand paper. Make the top rectangular and it is simple.

Of course if you are going to use a plane and a chisel you will need a way to sharpen them.

jtk

[Barney Markunas]

You might prowl around on the Popular Woodworking website for their I Can Do That Series. They have done a number of projects that will let you dip your toe in the water for a pretty modest tool investment.

If you let folks here know where you are located you might connect with someone who is willing to look over your shoulder and smooth out your learning curve a bit. Videos can be useful and I think they've probably made it much easier for folks starting now as opposed to those of us who tried to teach ourselves with a Tage Frid or James Krenov book decades ago, but having someone actually show you what a well tuned plane can do, could save you a lot of time spent chasing your tail. Luck into the right person and you might get access to tools that you'd love to have but can't really justify at your current spot in the hobby.

If you are willing to put drawer making off until your second or third project, your table should progress pretty quickly. Getting a nice glue up on your top and proper mortises in your legs and well fitting tenons in your apron pieces will give you plenty of opportunities for skill development in your first project. Good luck.

[Jim Koepke]

What about sources, presumably in books, for furniture construction methods, terminology, joinery, etc..? I would also be interested in something on the history of the different 'styles' or eras of furniture making, even something on the different regions that had their own styles and methods for making furniture. This would go a long ways to helping me figure out what it is that I might like to build some day.
Thanks,
Dennis


One of the best places to start is in a library.

jtk

[David Eisenhauer]

I just checked and Paul Sellers does have a paid-subscription project titled "Make a Table". I think his subscription rate is $10-$15 p/mo? The table is probably not the size you wanted, but the measurements most likely can be modified to fit. Look into his Master something or other class video gallery and it should pop up.

[Dave Lemen]

Hey, thanks for all the feedback so quickly. A few questions seem to be coming up, so let me address them.

First, I live near Indianapolis, Indiana.

Second, for my grand idea of an end table, something similar to this image, only without the drawer. And possibly not even with tapered legs. 4 legs, a top, and an apron (?) on each of the 4 sides. My thinking is to keep as simple as possible to maximize my chances of success.
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I have been reading some of Paul Sellers' blog posts this afternoon now that you have pointed me to him. I will look at his subscription as well.

Thanks,

-Dave

[Scott Winter]

Hey, thanks for all the feedback so quickly. A few questions seem to be coming up, so let me address them.

First, I live near Indianapolis, Indiana.

Second, for my grand idea of an end table, something similar to this image, only without the drawer. And possibly not even with tapered legs. 4 legs, a top, and an apron (?) on each of the 4 sides. My thinking is to keep as simple as possible to maximize my chances of success.
373060

I have been reading some of Paul Sellers' blog posts this afternoon now that you have pointed me to him. I will look at his subscription as well.

Thanks,

-Dave

Check his Youtube channel out. It is filled with hours upon hours of endless help for beginners.

[Jim Koepke]

Dave, besides your location, knowing what set up you have to start would also help to point you in the right direction.

What are you using for a workbench? Do you have a saw, plane or chisel and if so, which ones?

Tapering a leg isn't difficult with a bench plane like a #5.

The table you show is a fairly simple design to start. Instead of a drawer a shelf could be included. That is kind of a lesson to learn before putting a drawer in the "shelf" at a later time.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Table looks like one I made years ago....based on the one by Norm Abram. New Yankee Worksop has the plans, and a DVD...or used to..

[lowell holmes]

I learned from Paul Sellers when he was at Homestead Heritage in Waco, Texas about 20 years ago. His method is good.

Have you looked around for a school in your area?

If you could attend a foundation class at the place below. That is where I attended his classes. He is not there anymore, but I know some of the guys there and they
are as good.


http://www.sustainlife.org/heritage-school-of-woodworking/

If you see the rocking chair in their literature, that was taught by Paul. I have one in my living room made out of mesquite wood. Mesquite is brown Texas wood.
I also made the Windsor chair.

[William Fretwell]

The end table you want to build is a shaker design. I made an exact copy of the shaker end table out of cherry. The drawer is useful, the bottom and sides are pine. Tapering the legs is worth the effort, it makes it look lighter and far more elegant. Just the inside faces are tapered, you can do this with a saw and a plane. Check your local library for shaker furniture books.
The other joints are draw bored mortise and tenon; except above the drawer is a single dovetail on each end of the rail. You will just need a chisel and a small saw. It will give you good practice on a small project. The overhang of the top is relieved underneath to add to the light look.
Tools: a panel saw, smoothing plane (4 or 4&1/2), two chisels (3/8" & smaller), Japanese pull saw (fine tooth), four 2' clamps and something to work on.

[Robert Cherry]

Check his Youtube channel out. It is filled with hours upon hours of endless help for beginners.
I'd suggest looking into the Marc Adams school, it's practically in your back yard and the easiest way to learn is from experienced teachers.

[Joe A Faulkner]

It depends on a number of factors.

Will you be starting with milled lumber or rough sawn stock? If rough stock, then in addition to a smoothing plane, it might be handy to have a jack or a jointer. For your planes and chisels you will need some honing and sharpening capability.

What do you have in way of a work surface\bench?

Are you going to have to glue up boards for the top? There's an old wood working adage that you can never have too many clamps.

Those of us who've been at it for a while take for granted that we have measuring tools, marking tools, drills, clamps, work surfaces, vises, mallets ...

Depending on what your starting point is, an end table may not be the logical next project. It may be that you need to build a saw bench or a work surface with some basic work holding options. You might checkout Vic Tesolin's "The Minimalist Woodworker".

Tom Fidgen has a number of books, You Tube videos, and runs a school in Toronto. His book the Unplugged Woodshop has plans for a Sawyer's Bench.

If you share a bit more about your current kit, you might get more specific suggestions as to where to go next. I like the suggestion of using draw bore joinery as it reduces the need for clamps. Hope this helps.

[steven c newman]

A table like this?
373112
Made this one a few years ago..
373113
Just Pine. ( I am over in Logan County, OH....stop in anytime)

[Dave Lemen]

I'd suggest looking into the Marc Adams school, it's practically in your back yard and the easiest way to learn is from experienced teachers.

Oh, I have. I've gotten their catalog for a few years. It gives me an afternoon of fantasy and pestering the wife. Price is really the core issue. Especially for something I don't even know yet if I'd enjoy. My hope is to find a project or 2 that I can do with a low cost of entry, and then decide if this is something I want to do, or if will end up with the golf clubs and canoe!

-Dave

[Prashun Patel]

I had subscriptions to Wood Magazine and even Family Handyman for a few years. These gave me a lot of great ideas.

What I liked about FH is that most of the projects are utility and storage and used minimal tools, plywood, and home center-available wood.

My advice is to build your tool arsenal slowly.

[Derek Cohen]

Here is a table build you can watch ...

https://vimeo.com/78118343

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mark Stutz]

When I lived in St Louis, the Woodcraft store offered weekend and evening classes. I got my start by building a couple of small boxes in their class. It was all power tool use, but I was hooked and then migrated to the hand tool side. They also did classes on tuning, sharpening and using hand planes. I don't know if the Woodcraft in Indianapolis offers similar classes, but it would e worth checking out.

[Dave Lemen]

Dave, besides your location, knowing what set up you have to start would also help to point you in the right direction.

What are you using for a workbench? Do you have a saw, plane or chisel and if so, which ones?

Tapering a leg isn't difficult with a bench plane like a #5.

The table you show is a fairly simple design to start. Instead of a drawer a shelf could be included. That is kind of a lesson to learn before putting a drawer in the "shelf" at a later time.

jtk


Jim, I'm starting off pretty raw. I have a set of plain chisels. It was a 4 pack of various sizes I picked up at a box hardware store at some point. Probably 1/4 thru 1". Nothing fancy. I have a back saw. Just got it and, to be honest, I didn't realize there were different kinds of saws. I have an old coping saw. And a rather cheap plastic miter box. I do not have any planes. I have an assortment of other 'normal' tools (hammer, screwdrivers, etc.) and a few power tools (drill, old circular saw, inexpensive little table saw, etc.).

As for my workbench, I have a steel frame bench with 1x4 slats. Think warehouse shelving and that is pretty much exactly what it is. It is about 20' long and 3.5' wide. There are no holes (well no deliberate holes like the ones in the woodworking shows have), no vices, etc. Just a mostly flat top. I have a couple of clamps as well, but not many.

I can get a plane, and a few other tools if need be. I just can't outfit the garage before even trying to start. My goal is to find a real project, that I can do with a low cost and high probability of success.

I had thought about a shelf. I just want to be sure I don't make it too complicated.

Peace,

-Dave

[Matt Evans]

Dave,

sent you a PM. You can visit my shop to get a feel for the different hand tools you might want to start out. I’m likely within 45 minutes from you if you are around Indianapolis.

[Jerry Olexa]

Paul Sellers is an Excellent source..

[Pat Barry]

I'm going to suggest that you buy a jig and drill bit from Rockler to do pocket hole joinery (either generic or Kreg versions if you want) and then use that method as the basis for your table assembly. That way you can focus on cutting parts to length and squareness of cut and not worry about joinery and special planes and tools needed to make mortises and tenons. Of course, this means you would buy lumber from BORG or other source that is already dimensioned to required thickness (maybe even width). This won't be a method anyone here would recommended for an heirloom but for a first project it will get you started with minimal expenditure and whet your appetite for the future. Obviously, pick a simple style (craftsman or maybe shaker) and you will be successful. Note - to make a table top you don't necessarily have to even glue boards together.

[Tom Trees]

If you don't know if you will like woodworking, but you want to build something of quality, it probably will frustrate you because your not equipped to
deal with varius things.
I suggest you get a heavy fire door from the dump, you will need to affix this to the bench you have, but not too tightly down as to make it deflect.
Fire doors are precision composite materials, that wont have the movment issues that timber has .. they're stable (no warping), rigid (quite stout)
flat (very important) and if you secure your bench down it will prove to be a valuable tool.
I suggest you get a Stanley no.5 1/2 with a nice thick sole (not flattened by an oaf)
get a DMD 400g and a 1000grit diamond stone from eBay or the likes, togther for 5 quid
Get a 1800 or finer stone that is bonded to a precision plate like Ultex ...
Get a cheap honing guide for a bit over 5 quid
I bought a nice making guage like the Titemark...it has two lock screws also and only cost 20 quid...I love these
Find a nice flat precision granite or marble tile/slab from ... a stove place ..or similar ...I've even seen granite plate mats these days...
Thats pretty much all you need to decide if you want to persue this craft ...who doesn't love takin some shavings.
I often cringe at the thought of trying to learn using some of Paul Sellers methods ...
My opinion is that would be very frustrating for me and I'd have a fit, during those operations
His methods are far from foolproof, and I like the sureity of other peoples methods ..
Mainly I like a flat bench that I don't hack up with saw cuts ..I use the bench as a reference and treat it as such.
Thats my 2 cents
Tom

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Dave,

I noticed a recommendation for a Kreg Jig. OK, I think he said "Pocket Hole Screws". Well, I LOVE them in that I can build a carcass very fast with one. For some things, I do hand cut dovetails, even cases, but, especially when I am using plywood for the case, boy are those pocket hole screws fast. This assumes, of course, that you will be building things that will benefit from pocket hole screws.

So, first, decide what you want to build. And you want to build a table.

What wood will you use and how will you prepare it? Currently, I buy wood that has not been nicely prepared. It has been cut and dried. I need to:



make the bottom flat (most people use a Jointer for this, but, you can use a hand plane). I use a planer and a sled.
Make the top parallel to the bottom and the correct thickness (surface planer or hand plane)
Make an edge flat and 90 degrees to the main surface (planer or hand plane)
Cut to width (table saw or hand saw). If you use a hand saw, you may need to clean that up with a hand plane.


This process is difficult to master and daunting, especially as a first timer. I intended to do it entirely with hand tools. Boy was that a tough learning curve. One that I never finished, especially starting out. So, I would go to wood craft and buy my wood. I then paid them do steps 1 - 3 above. More expensive, but, you can (for the most part) just get to work with minimal effort.

You do not own a table saw, so, how will you cut that wood? You can build a saw guide for your circular saw. Not as precise, but it uses what you have.

You bought some chisels. Are they sharp? Are you sufficiently experienced to know if they are sharp enough? My chisels are sharper today than they were when I first started; I am much better at it than I used to be, but I don't consider myself an expert sharpener. If you just bought them, then they are, in my opinion, not likely sharp enough for my tastes.

How do you intend to sharpen them and keep them sharp? I won't start a sharpening thread here, but, you need some sharpening medium. The cheapest way to get started is to use "scary sharp" (sand paper on a flat surface, and you probably need a guide of some sort). I use an expensive Tormek to place a hollow grind on my chisels and then I can do it by hand. Them old timers did it by hand, and you can learn it too, but, I prefer a jig in general except for touch up to keep it sharp after I have my hollow grind from the Tormek.

There might be someone in your area who can help you get started. I do not get in your area often (I am in Columbus Ohio).

You do not have a hand plane? If you PM me, I will send you a working hand plane. I was going to sell it, but if you do not own one, it seems like a worthy cause. It aint a great plane, but it works. I think that I own three #4 planes. One is new in the box, and I think that it is a #4. Just have not gotten around to opening it and tuning it up. I would send you a tuned up plane, but I would need to sharpen the blade. It aint great, but I have been using it.

[Dennis Tebo]

Just found this:
https://woodandshop.com/tableanatomy/

Hopefully, like me, you find it informative in getting started on a 'basic' project.
Dennis

[Caspar Hauser]

If you like The Woodwright's Shop and the hand tool approach, you might try 'The Tiny Tool Kit' episode, http://www.pbs.org/woodwrightsshop/watch-on-line/featured-guests/chris-schwarz/ it shows some of the capabilities of a very small number of tools.

I haven't read the book referenced in the programme but it sounds like a fun read.

There are a number of books by Mr Underhill with projects and explanatory text, your library will be able to get them for you.

Good luck, be patient, learn to sharpen (whichever way works for you) and have fun.

CH

[Bill Houghton]

One of the best places to start is in a library.

jtk
Yes, yes, yes. You're already paying for all the books in your local library through your taxes; might as well use them. Go to the nearest branch and check out every book that looks like it might be interesting; see if they have DVDs, too. But books will have plans, to get you over that first hump. All the beginner's books will have lists of The Basic Tools; every book will have a different list, which reflects, I suspect, the author's memories of his/her first experiences and his/her preferences in work (e.g., if s/he likes curves, a spokeshave will appear early in the list of basic tools).

Certain tools are, indeed, basic - a saw or two, a chisel or two, a plane or two. But you can find substitutes for others. For instance, if the plan you want to try has a curve along the grain, and you don't have a spokeshave, do the rough cutting by laying out your curve, kerfing along the length of it like this:
373885
then knocking out the wood between kerfs. Clean up with your chisel and, finally, with sandpaper wrapped around a large dowel.