New to WW in NW Indiana

[Kevin Stanis]

New to the group and thought I would introduce myself. I've been buying/selling and doing minor restores of woodworking machines for a few years, mostly selling on owwm and other sites. This last year I finally decided to do a garage addition and claim the area as a woodshop. What are some of the "must have's" in a shop? Best place to get wood for projects? Other than keeping all my fingers, is there any advice any of you want to share?

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Kevin and welcome to the Creek.

The must haves of any shop really depends on what kind of work you plan to do.

If you are using machines mostly you may want to look into a dust collecting system.

For me, the major machines are a drill press, bandsaw and a lathe.

If you plan to use hand tools, one of the most important prerequisites for success is a sharpening set up. In the world of hand tools, sharp fixes a lot of problems.

Let there be light!

Measuring and marking is important.

If you like to work from drawings, then a way to make drawings in the shop will be handy. One of my jobs many years ago was as a drafter. I have done drawings on my computer but mostly still draw things by hand. Computer drawing is not a whole lot faster. It does make cleaner copies and changes can often be done quicker.

A bench is a vital part of a shop of any kind. Even if it is only used for assembly.

Part of my project enjoyment is to make and use molding. Recently my molding plane accumulation grew by about 40 planes.

That also means a need for a decent miter saw.

Then there is a way to store all of one's tools and such.

That is a start, surely others will chime in.

jtk

[Stew Hagerty]

Hey Kevin, Fort Wayne here. Welcome to the site.
So many questions, so many answers...
Hand tools or power tools? Or both... A Hybrid Woodworker.
What kinds of things do you think you want to make?
How much room do you have in you garage addition?

Here are a few places I get lumber from, both pick-up & mail order:

http://www.bellforestproducts.com/

http://www.cooklumber.com/

http://www.fricklumber.com/index.html

http://www.hollingsworthlumber.com/

http://www.gvwp.net/

http://www.woodworkerssource.com/



We're not that far apart, if you ever want to talk.

[Larry Frank]

I get a lot of my wood from Hickory and Oak Sawmill near Decatur, Michigan. They have good prices and are nice folks.

[Darcy Warner]

Johnsons is in South Bend. I get most all lumber from them (I go the Charlotte location though)

I have multiples of everything so I am no help.

[Earl McLain]

I've only been to Hickory and Oak once, but i'll be back when it's time to buy any level of volume. In addition to Johnson's, there's a retired engineer in South Bend that has a small band mill--and he loves to cut trees, I ran across him on Craigslist. I've seen a similar ad on Tippecanoe CL for a small mill not far from IN 43 and I-65, but never tried to contact them so can't speak on that one. Eberly Hardwoods in Buchanan, MI gets good reviews as well.

I find Johnson's a little pricy, but with excellent quality. Steve at Hickory and Oak does a great job of balancing price and quality (in my view). The few little hobby mills would tend to have more common grades of air-dried lumber but at prices that make it worth (as a hobbyist) working around the defects. Production shops need clearer stock as the time to work around is too expensive. For my style, finding a way to highlight the character is way more satisfying than cutting out the defect--your mileage may vary.

earl

[Kevin Stanis]

Howdy Kevin and welcome to the Creek.

The must haves of any shop really depends on what kind of work you plan to do.

If you are using machines mostly you may want to look into a dust collecting system.

For me, the major machines are a drill press, bandsaw and a lathe.

If you plan to use hand tools, one of the most important prerequisites for success is a sharpening set up. In the world of hand tools, sharp fixes a lot of problems.

Let there be light!

Measuring and marking is important.

If you like to work from drawings, then a way to make drawings in the shop will be handy. One of my jobs many years ago was as a drafter. I have done drawings on my computer but mostly still draw things by hand. Computer drawing is not a whole lot faster. It does make cleaner copies and changes can often be done quicker.

A bench is a vital part of a shop of any kind. Even if it is only used for assembly.

Part of my project enjoyment is to make and use molding. Recently my molding plane accumulation grew by about 40 planes.

That also means a need for a decent miter saw.

Then there is a way to store all of one's tools and such.

That is a start, surely others will chime in.

jtk

Thanks for the reply and the welcome Jim.

[Kevin Stanis]

Hey Kevin, Fort Wayne here. Welcome to the site.
So many questions, so many answers...
Hand tools or power tools? Or both... A Hybrid Woodworker.
What kinds of things do you think you want to make?
How much room do you have in you garage addition?

Here are a few places I get lumber from, both pick-up & mail order:

http://www.bellforestproducts.com/

http://www.cooklumber.com/

http://www.fricklumber.com/index.html

http://www.hollingsworthlumber.com/

http://www.gvwp.net/

http://www.woodworkerssource.com/



We're not that far apart, if you ever want to talk.

Thanks Stew. I would say more of a hybrid woodworker. I like using hand tools but also like firing up a machine. The addition is 12'3"x40, I wanted to go wider but with the local required setbacks 12'3" was the max I could go. Kinda narrow but I have everything on wheels to make it easier to get around. I'll check out the links and some of the places other members have mentioned.

I can tell already its going to be one of them hobbies where I'm always checking classifieds and craigslist for the next tool. Wife won't be too happy but hopefully I can make her something nice one of these days lol

[Kevin Stanis]

Thanks Earl, I'm originally from Lafayette. I'll have to look for the place off IN 43 next time I'm down that way.

[Darcy Warner]

Johnsons has some of the best lumber I have found, they carry stuff I need, sapele, mahogany, cypress, etc.

I buy in 500bf quantity though.

[Matt Schenk]

Hi Kevin, I was born and raised just down the road from you in Rensselaer. Don't know of any local wood sources since I wasn't into woodworking at that time, but I would suggest that if you'll be buying rough sawn lumber you'll want a planer and jointer. I'm more of a power tool guy, so I'd obviously recommend getting the biggest stationary planer and jointer that you can find/afford, but if you're more into hand tools you can get the same results with the added benefit of exercise

As others have mentioned, the "must have" tools depends on a lot of factors. For me, the must-haves are:
1. Table Saw - the largest one you can find, afford, and have room for. In my case I went from an old Craftsman 10" contractor saw to a ~1950s Davis and Wells 12" saw with 4HP motor.
2. Bandsaw - I have a ~1960s Craftsman 12" saw which I use with a small blade for making tight curves; then a cheap import 14" Delta clone which I keep a larger 1/2" blade on for resawing and straight cuts.
3. Jointer - Mine is a cheap HF 6" that gets the job done.
4. Planer - Went from a bench top Delta to a PowerMatic 100 and couldn't be happier

All of my stationary tools have been Craigslist finds. By far, the most expensive was the planer at $700, all others were under $100!