New woodworker - Basic Tools to start

[Mike Garland]

I am looking to get started in woodworking. My main interest is in Mission / Arts & Crafts style furniture. Naturally I intend to start with the smallest and simplest of pieces. All I have at the moment are some auto maintenance tools, a tape measure, a circular saw and a couple of old drills. I want to avoid the temptation to go out and spend a small fortune, but realize I need some basic tools. One book I read suggested starting with a dovetail saw, a couple of chisels and a set of planes ( #4 bench, block & shoulder). Do you agree with that? what would you add or take away? I'm also considering a table saw and a router???? How important are other power tools e.g. miter saw, jointer, planer, drill press, band saw, drill press. I can see how I could waste ton of cash with a couple bad decisions. Any advice here would be greatly appreciated.

[Jason Morgan]

Mike,

Welcome to the creek. I was in your place about 5 years ago. I think the best answer to your question is what kind of WW you want to do. If you want to stick with only hand tools (neander style) then you give a good starting list. I went the power tool route and started with a drill press (~$150 delta 12") a band saw (~$350 Jet 12") and a router (~$200 PC combo kit) That and some clamps and I built and finished a cradle for my daugter. You have to get creative in how you machine certain things, but with those tools you could make most smaller pieces.

The other thing to do (this is the way I do it most of the time) is buy the tools needed to make the particular project. For example, when I made my kids' bunk beds I needed some really large clamps for the headboards.

OTOH, you can always use a decent tablesaw. Even if you never "woodwork" again, you will always have a use for it (if you are a homeowner).

Good luck

[Art Mulder]

Welcome to SMC, Mike!

My standard advice to people who are just starting out, and looking for a Tablesaw, is this:


Buy Used

Find a good 2nd hand contractor-style full size table saw.


Check the classifieds, check your local "bargain finder" (an all-classified advertising paper around here that almost always has a few tablesaws in it) and shop around. Especially if you're starting out this keeps your investment down, and still gives you a quality tool. If you later decide that woodworking just isn't for you, then you haven't spent that much money. Also, in my experience, the older contractor saws keep their value quite well, so you should not have too much trouble selling your saw to some other aspiring woodworker.


When I first got started in woodworking as an adult (Summer '95), I purchased a 20 year old Rockwell/Beaver Table saw for $250 (Canadian funds, about US$180). This was a full size contractor's-style tablesaw with a solid cast-iron top. In contrast, if I had been shopping new, for $2-300 I would have been restricted to the smaller benchtop-sized saws.


This Table Saw was in fine shape, and kept me happy for seven years. Yes, it had its foibles: the fence was a bit fiddly, the top could have been bigger, there was no dust collection, and so on. But the top was flat, the trunnions were fine, the saw blade was parallel to the miter slot.


That's all you need to get started.


When I eventually did sell it, seven years later, I recouped a sizable amount of my original investment.

----
And the first thing you should build for the saw is a sliding cutoff jig, which will make the saw much more versatile and accurate. You can also easily make a 45-degree cutoff jig also. These two Tablesaw Jigs can do much of what you'll get out of a sliding compound miter saw, allowing you to save money now until you get more experience and learn what you need.

The tablesaw, a cordless drill, and maybe a ROS will let you get started building things. Get your feet wet, build a few projects.

and keep hanging out here, reading and learning. Watch some good howto shows, and check out DVD's in the library.

best,
...art

[Lee Schierer]

I would say that if I had to start my shop over I would buy tools in this order
1. Table Saw
2. Router
3. Jointer
4. good jig saw or bandsaw
5. planer (lunch box type will do)

As far as hand tools go, unless you are willing to learn how to sharpen them they will be a major source of frustration and they won't get used much. You don't have to spend a fortune on sharpening stones. I would suggest a honing guide and the scary sharp method.

I use my flexible blade flush cutting japanese style saw all the time.

I also use my small pocket planes far more than the larger #3 & #4 sized ones. Watch for hand planes at garage sales and flea markets. Buy Stanley or Miller Falls types. Look fo functional ones that have just a light film of rust if any. You can usually get smal planes for under $20 and larger ones for under $35 unless you run into the rare type planes.

A good set of chisels (1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 size) will find good use.

[Scott Loven]

How much time and space do you have, and how much money do you want to spend? I assume you want to buy your wood finished on two sides and at least 1 edge. If so you could get by with a carpenters square, some clamps, and a router with a straight bit and a round over bit. A small Kreg jig and some screws would be nice for joining.
Scott

[Russ Massery]

I started with a table saw (contractors). Then when from there. There are a lot of us that been doing this for awhile. So watch the classified's,guy's are always looking to upgrade. Most guys take good care of there equipment. So used would be a bad way start.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Buy the very best equipment that you can.
Try to look at your larger machine tool purchases as though you were buying for life intending never to upgrade.

Which of course translates into a learning curve for each purchase.

I'd get a table saw as my first serious purchase.
You can fill in with lots and lots of small hand and power tools working on lumber that has been thicknessed by the mill for a good long while

Sooner or later you will yearn for a jointer/ planer and a bandsaw.

[Greg Peterson]

Clamps, clamps and more clamps. And a vise.

If you prefer, you can just add the cost of the required clamps into your first few projects. You'll be accumalting tools for each project anyway, but just remember that the lowly clamp is used on practically every project.

If you are considering the hand tool route, which is a great way to start, you'll need to invest in some sharpening equipment and learn how to sharpen woodworking tools. There are a number of sharpening systems available. The least expensive is the Scary Sharp system. Google it. Fine Wood Working had a cover story a few months back about a upgraded Scary Sharp sytem. Micro abrasive sandpaper on glass. This article was invaluable to me. And the total cost of everything, including the sharpening jig was less than $95. That's a relatively inexpensive investment when it comes to sharpening.

Handplanes can be inexpensive so long as you don't get sidetracked into becoming a collector. It can get very costly otherwise. http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan0a.html

You'll also need a workbench. This could be an old door on a couple of saw horses.

Joinery will require either a router, mortiser, tenoning jig and table saw and or chisels and a mallet.

It takes a while to get a shop up and running and you'll probably make some mistakes in the process. Don't disparage. Seek out local wood working clubs or guilds. Check your local community college for woodworking classes.

Welcome to the creek and enjoy the craft.

[scott spencer]

Hi Mike, and welcome to wwing and SMC!

Everyone's tool arsenal is different, and it can vary depending on style and objectives, but the most essential tool is desire. Where there's a will there's a way regardless of what's in your tool box. There's almost always more than one way to skin a cat, and overcoming challenges is one of the most rewarding aspects of wwing IMHO. Some folks enjoy tool acquisitions as much as the actual wwing, but others just want to get from point A to point B and need a tool to do it.....you don't need Norm's shop to make nice furniture. The most important thing is to get started, make something, and have fun.

My TS is the primary tool in my shop, and I think the majority feel the same way, but there's also a substantial minority that leans heavily toward a decent bandsaw. I managed with no BS for the first couple of years, then ended up having a modest benchtop model for over 3 before getting even a moderately sized saw. A handheld jigsaw will suffice for cutting curves in lieu of a BS, though the BS does it more efficiently.

I start most projects using the jointer, planer, and TS to dimension the stock to size, and make it flat and square right from the start, which really helps the joinery go well down the road. There are other ways to flatten and straighten a board (hand tools, router, TS jigs, etc.), but jointer, planer, and TS are the easiest and most effective.

A router in a basic router table is about the most versatile tool in the shop. It's great to have a second one for hand use too but not essential. I use my DP as a sander as often as I use it for drilling....you can always use a handdrill for that until you're ready for a DP. Some sort of a bench or work surface is important too....people spend from $0 to thousands on a bench....all depends on your means and personal style.

Spend some time planning out your next project and determine which tools would be most important to you to accomplish your goals. Reading a good book or two about basic wwing is worthwhile, and/or visiting some seasoned veterans shops would be useful and interesting.

Researching your tool purchases will arm you with knowledge. Buying decent quality tools is less expensive in the long run than buying cheap items that don't work well, don't last long, and don't maintain their value...they'll just get replaced in short order and you end up buying those tools twice. It's unusual for someone to buy a high quality lifetime TS new for $129....$400 is a more realistic starting point. It's not hard to spend thousands of dollars on equipment, but it's also possible to put together a functioning shop for several hundred dollars if your fortunate and make good choices. Good quality used machinery is a better idea than buying overpriced new tools that are not built well....as an example, that same $129 will get you a full sized used cast iron TS with a belt drive induction motor that can be upgraded as needed desired. It'll also be worth roughly what you paid for it a year or 5 down the road....imagine using it for 3 years and selling it for $125....not bad, and that's a very realistic scenario if you avoid the cheap toy type tools. Again, if you know any veteran wwers, I'm sure they'd be glad to help you evaluate any used (or even new) machines. The members here can usually answer any questions you might have about a particular machine, it's merit, and value.

Hope you enjoy the journey and keep us posted on your progress.