Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've seen enough in this forum to know that there's more than one person on here who's also fed up with the furniture you can buy in stores anymore.
I picked up some basic tool knowledge from my ex-husband, and my good husband and I are pretty handy. I want to take this to the next level, though. I want to BUILD things. I want to know how to make things with wood. Myself. Things that are strong. Things that will last. Things that aren't junk.
We need a good bookcase for our toddler-aged son, for example. I tried buying one but it was crap, and that was the last straw. Surely, for the same stupid $200, I can build something out of real wood that he could climb on without it collapsing. (Not that I WANT him to climb on it, but he's a kid. He will climb. I'd rather he get hurt by falling off it onto carpet from three feet up, than by having a heavy piece of particleboard and a ton of books fall ON him from collapsing when he's only two feet up).
But, it's a little intimidating. We have and use a jigsaw and miter saw, but I don't have and have never used a table saw or circular saw. They kind of, um, scare me. But if I can learn how to use them properly, then it'll be fine. I think.
But how does one get started? I've got a nice book but it's not going to be enough. I'm learning more than I ever thought I could about joins and cuts and all of that. But I need something more to get started with. I'm not finding any local intro-to-woodworking type classes for adults, unfortunately, and I don't know anyone that does this kind of work.
My current plan is to keep reading, put together a plan, and then build said bookshelf. Then we can start on other projects (mostly other shelving units we'd like to have) after that. But I sure wish I had some way to be sure that I was going about it right, once I start. Is there a good forum or resource for that? For example, the JohnBridge tile forums helped us immensely when learning to tile. Is there a similar board for "OK, I think I want to use birch plywood and do dovetail joins on this, here's a picture, am I doing this right?"
I get a lot of pleasure out of looking at something I did and thinking it's not-so-bad. I'm not artistic, really, but I like working on my house and I like making things asthetically pleasing and SOUND. I think this could be a good thing to do next, especially since it's impossible to find anything built right anymore. (Plus one of these years those ugly white laminate cabinets in my kitchen will go. I'd love to be able to build new ones myself). Is there a good next-step? Is there a good way to get familiar with good safety ahead of time? Good newbie tips? That sort of thing?
Location: The Raider Nation._ Our band kicks brass
1,853 posts, read 9,689,159 times
Reputation: 2341
The hands on basics of safety really need to be taught in person. Not standing directly in line with the blade of a table saw would be just one example.
I would suggest a night course at a community college, or vocational school. Maybe a woodworking club with a common workshop for members.
I've seen enough in this forum to know that there's more than one person on here who's also fed up with the furniture you can buy in stores anymore.
I picked up some basic tool knowledge from my ex-husband, and my good husband and I are pretty handy. I want to take this to the next level, though. I want to BUILD things. I want to know how to make things with wood. Myself. Things that are strong. Things that will last. Things that aren't junk.
We need a good bookcase for our toddler-aged son, for example. I tried buying one but it was crap, and that was the last straw. Surely, for the same stupid $200, I can build something out of real wood that he could climb on without it collapsing. (Not that I WANT him to climb on it, but he's a kid. He will climb. I'd rather he get hurt by falling off it onto carpet from three feet up, than by having a heavy piece of particleboard and a ton of books fall ON him from collapsing when he's only two feet up).
But, it's a little intimidating. We have and use a jigsaw and miter saw, but I don't have and have never used a table saw or circular saw. They kind of, um, scare me. But if I can learn how to use them properly, then it'll be fine. I think.
But how does one get started? I've got a nice book but it's not going to be enough. I'm learning more than I ever thought I could about joins and cuts and all of that. But I need something more to get started with. I'm not finding any local intro-to-woodworking type classes for adults, unfortunately, and I don't know anyone that does this kind of work.
My current plan is to keep reading, put together a plan, and then build said bookshelf. Then we can start on other projects (mostly other shelving units we'd like to have) after that. But I sure wish I had some way to be sure that I was going about it right, once I start. Is there a good forum or resource for that? For example, the JohnBridge tile forums helped us immensely when learning to tile. Is there a similar board for "OK, I think I want to use birch plywood and do dovetail joins on this, here's a picture, am I doing this right?"
I get a lot of pleasure out of looking at something I did and thinking it's not-so-bad. I'm not artistic, really, but I like working on my house and I like making things asthetically pleasing and SOUND. I think this could be a good thing to do next, especially since it's impossible to find anything built right anymore. (Plus one of these years those ugly white laminate cabinets in my kitchen will go. I'd love to be able to build new ones myself). Is there a good next-step? Is there a good way to get familiar with good safety ahead of time? Good newbie tips? That sort of thing?
Jen you are not going to build a bookshelf with a *** saw. I have been building fine wood pieces for 29 years come Feb and have been published and photographed. Some of my work is in the homes of the most famous people in the world that you see and hear on TV and radio. If I had to give up everything in my shop and get to keep just one item, it would be my table saw. It's a very large industrial table saw that pretty much can perform many functions aside from just rippng with the fence. You need one and those little 10" table saws for $100 in the big orange will not perform the job.
I teach classes to those interested in learning. I dont even get paid for it because I love doing it and feel it is a dying art. And since I been blessed with this talent I feel I must pass it on to those with a passion to learn it. Speaking of passions and learning. I dont feel some one can read some books, take some classes, and mess around in their garage and someday be an artist with wood. It takes much much more. It takes being born with an edge and a love that is not all learned. It comes natural. When other kids were playing with matchbox cars I got a wood lathe when I was 6. By the time I was 8 I was turning exotic bowls and pens and selling them at the open air market. By 11 I was turning table legs for a furniture shop.
That all being said.....take some night school classes at your local Vocational School. Maybe some colleges even have some classses which they call Adult Night School. There are other options like professional woodworking schools but they are expensive......and worth it.
Since you are doing a lot of reading right now, start with learning some characteristics of wood species and wood products. Learn about the right tool for the right job. I fired a lot of people over the years for hitting a wood chisel with a hammer. Learn about design and the color wheel. You will have to invest a bare bones minimum of $4000 to buy the proper equpt to build simple things like bookshelves but less then $1000 to start with a simple bench or foot stool. Before you build your first project I teach students to make simple wood joinery.
Screws, nails, glues and other fasteners are the first thing people think of to secure one board to another. But to build a truely museum piece it must be built with either zero or few screws and nails. The whole piece should be held together with tight wood joints like the dovetail, lapjoint, rabbit, bisquit, miter, half lap, and one used in fine furniture....mortise & tenon. These are just a few. Mastering these will make or break your dream. Mastering these are why students drop out. They take patience and practice.
Finially, you have to have attitude. Have you heard me yet? Second best is just not good enough. If you don't push yourself to be perfect in everything you do then you will always be just average. Do you want to be just average?
This just a starter lesson. Once you learn this then I will give you another 25 years experience in 5 paragraphs on how to apply a proper furniture finish your project.
Jenlion,
Please go to your local library and pick up a couple of books on beginning woodworking. If they don't have the books on hand, you might be able to use an online search engine for your library and order some books that way....they will be delivered to the library for you to check out.
Okay....you already have a jigsaw and a CM saw? That's a good start! You can pick up a very decent table saw for around $200, but do not discount the usefulness of a decent handheld panel saw! They are lighter weight than a typical circular saw and do an excellent job! If you are using plywood, one of those will do an excellent job, you'll just need to mark and measure accurately, and I strongly suggest clamping on a nice straight edge to keep your cuts straight and square.
I'm positive that you can stock your shop for less than $1,000 with tools that are MORE than adequate to build anything that you will ever build! By the way, I strongly suggest at LEAST an 18 volt cordless driver/drill, a small/medium air compressor and an 18 gauge air nailer or nailer/stapler combo. Those are my favorite tools in the shop. I am a woman....and I build just about everything and believe in building to last. Believe me, you don't need too dang many tools to get the job done. Fine craftsmen have been building things to last, loooong before all the fancy expensive power tools came out. Also, never discount going to places like Salvation Army or Goodwill, to find some very well made, solid wood items that can be revamped into something you need. It takes a little thinking sometimes, but you can generally "rebuild" something far more cheaply than buying the raw materials and starting from scratch! Good luck!
The worst part of doing woodworking if you're a woman is having to deal with men's chauvanistic attitudes about women doing woodworking!
Having said that...
I'll never forget the first bookshelf that I built many years ago. I was pretty young and had no prior experience. I built this beautiful, sturdy, level bookshelf outside on the driveway. When I moved it inside, I discovered that it was FAR from level on the floor.
My mother thought it was pretty funny that her daughter did that. It was pretty embarrassing. But, I learned a valuable lesson...
I've built lots more stuff over the years and have been buying more tools as the project demands. I've got several things right now that I want to build.
BTW - I bought a Sears Craftsman table saw at a Yard Sale for $50.
I still don't have a router... but I will someday!
The worst part of doing woodworking if you're a woman is having to deal with men's chauvanistic attitudes about women doing woodworking!
Having said that...
I'll never forget the first bookshelf that I built many years ago. I was pretty young and had no prior experience. I built this beautiful, sturdy, level bookshelf outside on the driveway. When I moved it inside, I discovered that it was FAR from level on the floor.
My mother thought it was pretty funny that her daughter did that. It was pretty embarrassing. But, I learned a valuable lesson...
I've built lots more stuff over the years and have been buying more tools as the project demands. I've got several things right now that I want to build.
BTW - I bought a Sears Craftsman table saw at a Yard Sale for $50.
I still don't have a router... but I will someday!
I really thought about that for a while before responding. I have to think way way back when the last time I saw a lady installer but Kitchen Designers is almost dominated by women. Interior Decorators is nearly 100% women. I attend lots of different kinds of shows and almost never do I see women in any kind of woodworking.
I dont see any social pressure swaying this. Maybe it's just something that does not interest women. I have no idea. Every class I ever taught always has at least one woman. They always have good ideas and good input to the class but never have any drive to put her hands on the dirt. How frustrating but maybe they feel intimidated being among the minority. It ain't my place to ask but it is my place to welcome all.
I might also add that the busines of woodworkers...I mean real Craftsman, is a dying art. In todays world of instant satisfaction of cheap junk corrogated cardboard box furniture available from the Walmarts and IKEAs there is little demand for any quality furniture anymore.
The worst part of doing woodworking if you're a woman is having to deal with men's chauvanistic attitudes about women doing woodworking!
Having said that...
I'll never forget the first bookshelf that I built many years ago. I was pretty young and had no prior experience. I built this beautiful, sturdy, level bookshelf outside on the driveway. When I moved it inside, I discovered that it was FAR from level on the floor. It's equally as frustrating to build something...make sure it's perfectly square/level...PERFECT...then take in iside and realize that the floor is not level and the walls are not square! LOL
My mother thought it was pretty funny that her daughter did that. It was pretty embarrassing. But, I learned a valuable lesson... LOL..Men make the same mistakes when they first learn to build things. We all have to start somewhere!
I've built lots more stuff over the years and have been buying more tools as the project demands. I've got several things right now that I want to build.
BTW - I bought a Sears Craftsman table saw at a Yard Sale for $50.
I still don't have a router... but I will someday!
Oh agreed!! and oh gosh, can you get some good deals on tools at garage sales! Also, if you watch the sales...you can get some real steals too! Guess when I go shopping for tools?...LOL... right around Father's Day! I'm so glad to "meet" you..keep building...it only gets easier and better. And yeah, you can do a whole lot with a few dollars worth of tools. I've said it before...I'm so easy for hubby to buy for....AND he gets to shop in a store where he's very comfortable. LOL
One of our biggest crack ups is when we go shopping together and I'm buying building supplies or tools for ME...and the salesmen make comments to hubby about me putting him to work...we just grin and hubby says, "Not ME!...these are for HER....SHE'S the one doing it!" Or, the salesman will talk to hubby about the product and he'll say, "Talk to HER, she's the one buying it!"
I really thought about that for a while before responding. I have to think way way back when the last time I saw a lady installer but Kitchen Designers is almost dominated by women. Interior Decorators is nearly 100% women. I attend lots of different kinds of shows and almost never do I see women in any kind of woodworking.
I dont see any social pressure swaying this. Maybe it's just something that does not interest women. I have no idea. Every class I ever taught always has at least one woman. They always have good ideas and good input to the class but never have any drive to put her hands on the dirt. How frustrating but maybe they feel intimidated being among the minority. It ain't my place to ask but it is my place to welcome all.
I might also add that the busines of woodworkers...I mean real Craftsman, is a dying art. In todays world of instant satisfaction of cheap junk corrogated cardboard box furniture available from the Walmarts and IKEAs there is little demand for any quality furniture anymore.
It is clear that you have been deprived....LOL There really are some of us out here who really do NOT mind being dirty at all. In fact, some of us have dresser drawers designated to "work clothes"...because we know we're going to be getting terribly, blissfully filthy before we're through for the day. These clothes are simply known as wearable paint rags. LOL
I love dirt....I love sawdust....paint, stain and glue, grease and oil. Hey, it all washes off in the shower....or wears off eventually!
Me? I've even been known to haul in a tuna, slash the gills so they'll bleed out and not flinch when they go into their "death frenzy", spraying blood everywhere. Not all women are afraid of getting dirty Desert....we're quite washable! I know a whole lot of men who would CRINGE at getting as filthy as I do, men who HAVE to wear coveralls and gloves all the time. Again, clearly, you've been deprived of being around physically...hard working women! We do exist...we do!
My neighbor and I took a woodworking course at a community college in Seattle 35 years ago. I built a mundane storage cabinet and she built an awesome multi-story dollhouse. It was so much fun. I went back to visit West Seattle two years ago and dropped in on my old neighborhood, not sure if my neighbor still lived there; my heart smiled when, from the street, I saw that lovely dollhouse on display in her second story window.
When I retire this year, I may see if any such wood-working classes are available in Houston. This time I'll aim higher than a storage closet.
If I had to give up everything in my shop and get to keep just one item, it would be my table saw.
desertsun is, as always, correct. I bought a well-used table saw 35 years ago for my wood-working class. It was a wonderful, but heavy, contraption and I wasnt able to take it with me when I left Seattle. Such an instrument would be a good investment for you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Such an instrument would be a good investment for you.
