Getting into Woodworking. Thinking of taking the plunge.

[jacko9]

I started woodworking 43 years ago and I suggest that you start with a minimal tool set to see if you are going to like doing it.  My first purchase was a small tilting table table saw (Inca Major - Swiss made) that had a Mortising table attachment, a set of Japanese bench chisels, hand planes, router, and some marking tools and sharpening stones.  My first project was a work bench one I copied from a Tage Frid design in "Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking".  That project taught me that you really can't buy straight hardwood and I invested in a 8" wide long bed jointer.  I kept buying tools over time and I made a house full of furniture for my self and my children.  I did find my way to Festool at first with the Domino Joiner after I sold my Inca table saw and replaced it with a Powermatic 66 with a sliding table.  I loved the dust collection with Festool tools and now I have a collection of their sanders and both Domino joiners.  I did get the Mafell Track saw because I liked their track joining method better than Festool.  Welcome to woodworking and enjoy.

 

[travisj]

I will echo what has been previously stated.  Find a knowledge base.  Be it a class or a mentor.  My father was/is mine.  When I bought my first house about 15 years ago, I relied on his tutelage fairly heavy.  That was about when I got into woodworking (other than helping him as a kid).  The biggest lesson he taught me about tools, is to not try to plan too far in advance, meaning don’t buy something until you have a need for it.  Looking back, I started out with a Rdigid 18v combo kit, a cheap 1/4 sheet sander, a little Craftsman table saw, a craftsman router w/bench top table, and some basic hand tools.  I finished my basement including several built ins with those tools.  I also was able to do some small furniture pieces for my nieces.  I added and upgraded tools as the need arose.  I would recommend starting your shopping on Craigslist or Facebook.  Or possibly Black Friday deals.  Wait until you are either comfortable with the tools or confident you want to continue with woodworking before you spend thousands of dollars.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tinker]

There has been all kinds or knowledgeable and really great advice for you @ Qxzy-unbv2. A lot of thought and time spent in reply to your cry for advice.

So now, where are you? I hope you have been reading and THINKING.
Tinker

 

[Kodi Crescent]

There is a lot of good advice here.  I'm going to go a bit against the grain.

First, don't buy any tools yet.  Go to some classes to see if you even like it.  Some have mentioned local Community Colleges.  Check the local woodworking stores or maker collectives for classes before making any purchases.

Please re-think the idea that you will save money on home improvement projects.  If you don't know what you're doing, you will spend a lot of time and effort just learning how to do what you think is a simple job.  I've made the mistake of dismissing many trades as "simple", only to take on many "simple" tasks that resulted in failure.  I did learn, but was the cost of that "education" a better value than hiring someone who actually knew what they were doing (once you find someone)?  In most cases, no, it isn't.

Please check your assumptions on what "furniture" you think you'll build.  Even building a simple frameless cabinet carcass (a simple box) is harder to build than it looks.  Building one may not be a problem.  Building two or more that sit side-by-side with consistent door reveals and in-line door and drawer heights is much harder than it looks if you haven't had any experience.  You will spend lots of time and money on wasted material and fixing mistakes.  You may have been better off buying what you wanted in the first place.

Please check your assumptions on how great you think Festool equipment is.  The equipment looks like the answer to all your woodworking dilemmas, and it is good for a lot of things.  However, there are MANY shortcomings in actual use that you may have to deal with and need to buy extra stuff to overcome.  It detracts from the experience.  It's "death by 1000 cuts".  What you thought should start with just a few simple tools balloons into a garage full of accessories and a much lower bank account balance.  All to work around design/use shortcomings.

 

[jacko9]

At your age if you are mechanically inclined and you like to build then I would suggest that you get some fundamental books on building like;

Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking by The Taunton Press.  He set up a program at the Rochester Institute of Technology and then joined the staff at the Rhode Island School of Design as professor of woodworking and furniture design.

This book is basic and when he published it a lot of tools like Festool were not on the market yet but, he gives you a basis on joint construction and how to build with hand tools as well as machine tools.  The evolution of tools makes these steps easier sometimes (more difficult at others).

Modern fine furniture is sometimes built in shops with NC controlled machines running into the hundred of thousands of dollars for a production setting but you can do it all with hand tools.

James Krenov once mentioned that if your getting into woodworking and going to build a Hope Chess as your first project build it for small hopes.  I read that in one of his fine books on furniture building a long time ago and the thought never left me as doing something that looks simple but in fact is quite complicated takes a lot of thought and skill.

Good luck

 

[rst]

My original occupation was finishing in a custom wood crafted kitchen factory, Wood Mode.  My experiences there gave me insight into what proper tools and machines were necessary to produce good work.  One of the biggest influences in pushing me into woodworking was Fine Woodworking magazine.  I still have all the original issues that were in B&W and probably a hundred issues.  I gave up my subscriptions as family expenses became more important but till then I was well into the craft.  I also have Krenov's books as well as many others.

 

[krudawg]

A bit of backstory on myself:

I'm a young adult (mid-twenties) and I'm starting to feel the effects on my wallet of not being able to do stuff on my own around the house and how expensive nice furniture is. I want to become autonomous and not have to rely on stores to provide me with what I need. If I'm going to spend a few thousand here or there on furniture, why not just do it on my own? And the fact I would enjoy the process of building my own furniture and enjoying it after.

My question is: Should I take the festool plunge? Or because this will be a hobby, could I get away with hand tools instead? (hand saw, chisels, planes, etc, and one power tool for making wood straight and flat on all sides)

I have no idea if I should go the strictly hand tool route, or power tool route... I do like having the best of the best, it's just that this best is quite considerably more than all other tools on the market.

I realize this is a life long journey, and there's some things I'd already like to start building for example:

Entertainment center, bookshelf, mail box, yard fence, liquor cabinet, and in the future kitchen cabinets and counter-top / droors. This is a really big decision for myself, I'm just hoping for you all to help convince me it's worth it.

Thank you.

(Ps, I realize I will have to get some hand tools no matter what if I want to incorporate art into my projects)

I recently retired and decided I needed something to keep me busy, so I decided to get into woodworking.  As a kid, I used to build and fly balsa wood model airplanes and loved the whole building experience.  I started out with a small portable jobsite saw (Bosch) bought a circular saw, set of chisels Brad nailer and a few other basic tools.  In short order, I realized that the tools( and me too) had limitations and I wanted better stuff.  So I started buying better stuff.  I now have several Festool products (MFT/3, Domino 500, OF1400 router and TS55 track saw).  Yes, they were VERY expensive, but quite functional and a moderate learning curve.    There are some very good Compound sliding Miter saws on the market, so I bought a non-Festool Miter Saw. My most expensive purchase was a new table saw: Hammer K3 Winner 31X31. My woodworking has improved but still has a way to go before I consider myself a journeyman woodwork but I'm enjoying the whole woodworking process.