[Cause]

I enjoy working with my hands, to a point. I also find lately that I need something small to do with my hands while I watch TV or else I spend half the time on the net or trying to do work at the same time and at the end of the hour I have not really watched the show, done much work etc. Its like I am slowly developing attention deficit disorder or something. A friend of mine noticed my predilection and suggested I should try wood work. Its actually something I have long wanted to do. I have helped others with there small projects in the past but never had one of my own.

I know some people on the forum have some experience so I thought Id ask for advice. I'm thinking little storage boxes, a shelf, a pen holder/tray etc. I also don't expect to do this in front of a TV just to be clear.

So I guess what I am asking if anyone knows:

What tools do I need - The basics to start
What woods should I start with - cheap, easy to work with, but will last
What projects are a good place to start -
Know any good online resources -

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

I'd love to see what other people suggest! I've been trying to get into whittling, but have been finding it tough.

[Gnaw]

Cause, on 15 September 2014 - 09:36 AM, said:

I enjoy working with my hands, to a point. I also find lately that I need something small to do with my hands while I watch TV or else I spend half the time on the net or trying to do work at the same time and at the end of the hour I have not really watched the show, done much work etc. Its like I am slowly developing attention deficit disorder or something. A friend of mine noticed my predilection and suggested I should try wood work. Its actually something I have long wanted to do. I have helped others with there small projects in the past but never had one of my own.

I know some people on the forum have some experience so I thought Id ask for advice. I'm thinking little storage boxes, a shelf, a pen holder/tray etc. I also don't expect to do this in front of a TV just to be clear.

So I guess what I am asking if anyone knows:

What tools do I need - The basics to start
What woods should I start with - cheap, easy to work with, but will last
What projects are a good place to start -
Know any good online resources -

Ugh. Why don't you ask something easy like "I want to get into astronomy"?

I definitely understand the attention splitting; I do it all the time and, strangely enough, am turning to the same hobby. My advantage is my grandfather was a carpenter and my father took up cabinet making as a hobby. So I've got a pretty well equipped wood shop available.


wood magazine - an excellent starting place imo. For example, a free plan for a keepsake box.

a google search for woodworking magazine several pop up.

Tools. What is your workspace? Basement, garage, outdoors, living room?

Things you will need regardless of what you do:

• a good square. One with a thumbscrew so you can do angles as well.
• Finish hammer. It's lighter than a regular carpenter's hammer so you're less likely to leave indentations in the wood.
• A punch. A metal cylinder that comes to a very small flat point. You use it to sink the nail that last little bit. So you don't mark the wood.
• a saw. which type depends upon the workspace, project size, etc.
• Sandpaper. A sanding block can be as simple as a piece of scrap wood with paper wrapped around it. But a nice rubber one that will hold the paper is usually very inexpensive.
• Depending upon your definition of "small" storage boxes, a rotary tool with accessories can be invaluable.
• Dust collection. Sawdust gets everywhere. Worse than sand. Including eyes and lungs.

Edit: I'm Gnaw, not Gusty. VENGEANCE: FUNNY ONCE. NOT FUNNY 13TH TIME.

This post has been edited by Gust Hubb: 15 September 2014 - 01:58 PM

[Gnaw]

Cause, what are the names/urls of hardware/home improvement stores near you?

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Oh, we're talking about that kind of wood working? I've been trying to start whittling.

[Cause]

Gnaw, on 15 September 2014 - 02:32 PM, said:

Cause, what are the names/urls of hardware/home improvement stores near you?

These are the only two I could think of on the top of my head.

http://www.builders.co.za/
http://www.mica.co.za/

Thanks for the help

[Satan]

I've been renovating my flat for the last 8 months, so I suppose we're approaching this handy man hobby from two separate angles; my most useful tools are probably not as useful to you (this thing is my most beloved tool in my tool box). But one thing you can't go wrong with is a multitool with an assortment of heads. I've got a Fein, which I'm well pleased with. Sure, some jobs are better done with more specialised tools, but if you are to buy everything that this baby does you're looking at a serious outlay. It's obviously meant for smaller jobs. For bigger ones, such as when I redid my floor, I've lent tools from shops around town. There's one particular one that specialises in lending out tools. Got a massive ass belt sander and a disc sander for a weekend for £ 50. Obviously not something you can do for a tool you use all the time, but for the once-in-a-whiles lending is a really good option.

[Blend]

Gnaw, on 15 September 2014 - 01:51 PM, said:

Cause, on 15 September 2014 - 09:36 AM, said:

I enjoy working with my hands, to a point. I also find lately that I need something small to do with my hands while I watch TV or else I spend half the time on the net or trying to do work at the same time and at the end of the hour I have not really watched the show, done much work etc. Its like I am slowly developing attention deficit disorder or something. A friend of mine noticed my predilection and suggested I should try wood work. Its actually something I have long wanted to do. I have helped others with there small projects in the past but never had one of my own.

I know some people on the forum have some experience so I thought Id ask for advice. I'm thinking little storage boxes, a shelf, a pen holder/tray etc. I also don't expect to do this in front of a TV just to be clear.

So I guess what I am asking if anyone knows:

What tools do I need - The basics to start
What woods should I start with - cheap, easy to work with, but will last
What projects are a good place to start -
Know any good online resources -

Ugh. Why don't you ask something easy like "I want to get into astronomy"?

I definitely understand the attention splitting; I do it all the time and, strangely enough, am turning to the same hobby. My advantage is my grandfather was a carpenter and my father took up cabinet making as a hobby. So I've got a pretty well equipped wood shop available.


wood magazine - an excellent starting place imo. For example, a free plan for a keepsake box.

a google search for woodworking magazine several pop up.

Tools. What is your workspace? Basement, garage, outdoors, living room?

Things you will need regardless of what you do:

• a good square. One with a thumbscrew so you can do angles as well.
• Finish hammer. It's lighter than a regular carpenter's hammer so you're less likely to leave indentations in the wood.
• A punch. A metal cylinder that comes to a very small flat point. You use it to sink the nail that last little bit. So you don't mark the wood.
• a saw. which type depends upon the workspace, project size, etc.
• Sandpaper. A sanding block can be as simple as a piece of scrap wood with paper wrapped around it. But a nice rubber one that will hold the paper is usually very inexpensive.
• Depending upon your definition of "small" storage boxes, a rotary tool with accessories can be invaluable.
• Dust collection. Sawdust gets everywhere. Worse than sand. Including eyes and lungs.

Edit: I'm Gnaw, not Gusty. VENGEANCE: FUNNY ONCE. NOT FUNNY 13TH TIME.

Depending on what you want to do, another thing that you might want to add to the list are C-Clamps or some sort of vice grip to hold stuff together while you're screwing it - I don't know how many times I've went to screw 2 things together, and skew the whole thing cause I wasn't holding them together properly.

[Binder of Demons]

I had started to get into doing some basic woodwork stuff (really crude stuff for a student flat) when i was a poor student in New Zealand. Unfortunately i had to head back to Ireland unexpectedly and what tools i had stayed behind, so I haven't managed to get back into here yet. LAck of a decent workspace is an annoyance.

What I found to be good for a beginner like myself, was the website INSTRUCTABLES.COM
I was into doing stuff like recycling pallets into furniture and using other recycled woods and there were some great ideas there (and some crap ones). It has all sorts of project ideas (not just recycling stuff), pitched at all kinds of skills/experience levels too. Do a quick search on it for somethings like "chair", or "table" and see what comes up. Some amazingly creative stuff.

[Slow Ben]

If you can afford a Miter saw,you can get a cheap one for around $99, its WELL worth it. You can use finish nails and a hammer, but again if you can afford it, a finish or brad nailer with an air compressor makes things much easier. You dont have to worry about setting your nails after, or more importantly, denting your wood with a hammer.

If you're just learning to use your tools and build things i'd just use standard pine. Its what most lumber yards keep in stock, it has knots and some imperfections in it and its cheap, so if you mess up a piece its no big deal. After your more experienced i'd move up to maple or red oak. They're probably the most cost efficient, but still look good.




Off topic, I just got a new planer for my birthday, its fanfriggintastic. I just ran some 50 year old red oak hardwood flooring i tore out of an old house through it, used it to make a desk, and restained it. Its my new favorite toy.

[Vengeance]

Slow Ben, on 19 September 2014 - 06:49 PM, said:

If you can afford a Miter saw,you can get a cheap one for around $99, its WELL worth it. You can use finish nails and a hammer, but again if you can afford it, a finish or brad nailer with an air compressor makes things much easier. You dont have to worry about setting your nails after, or more importantly, denting your wood with a hammer.

If you're just learning to use your tools and build things i'd just use standard pine. Its what most lumber yards keep in stock, it has knots and some imperfections in it and its cheap, so if you mess up a piece its no big deal. After your more experienced i'd move up to maple or red oak. They're probably the most cost efficient, but still look good.




Off topic, I just got a new planer for my birthday, its fanfriggintastic. I just ran some 50 year old red oak hardwood flooring i tore out of an old house through it, used it to make a desk, and restained it. Its my new favorite toy.

Where do you live now? Are you making awesome custom made desks out of refurbished wood now?

[Vengeance]

Gnaw, on 15 September 2014 - 01:51 PM, said:

Edit: I'm Gnaw, not Gusty. VENGEANCE: FUNNY ONCE. NOT FUNNY 13TH TIME.

I would love to take credit for that, but someone else got to that before I did.

[Slow Ben]

Moved back to Southern Illinois last year.

And just this one for my brother. I actually used the wood on the ceiling of his office also, looks pretty badass.

Usually when i make stuff its for friends or family members or to go into staging a house i've flipped. Sometimes if i make something on the weekend i'll sell it to someone around town. I dont usually like doing projects for other people, they're a pain in the ass.

Right now im working on putting a wood top on an awesome metal table frame i found in a scrap pile. Gonna sand and repaint the metal and I've got some red oak i'm using for trim and some cherry plywood for the top. Gonna be wawesome.

[Vengeance]

Slow Ben, on 19 September 2014 - 07:32 PM, said:

Moved back to Southern Illinois last year.

And just this one for my brother. I actually used the wood on the ceiling of his office also, looks pretty badass.

Usually when i make stuff its for friends or family members or to go into staging a house i've flipped. Sometimes if i make something on the weekend i'll sell it to someone around town. I dont usually like doing projects for other people, they're a pain in the ass.

Right now im working on putting a wood top on an awesome metal table frame i found in a scrap pile. Gonna sand and repaint the metal and I've got some red oak i'm using for trim and some cherry plywood for the top. Gonna be wawesome.

You could totally set up your own shop and sell things like that in the city.

[Gnaw]

Now that I see what brands you have access to at the mica place, I can be a little more helpful maybe. Brands are not the be all by any means, but it gives me the opportunity to point at specific things that you can go look at in the store.

• Power Tools: Milwaukee is best if you can get it. Bosch, Makita, and Dremel. Ryobi and Skil are so-so. never heard of Karcher.
• Hand tools: Stanley is great for simple things.
• Power tool accessories: Vermont Sales make excellent bits, blades, etc.

Assumptions:

• small as in jewelry boxes, etc. Nothing over say 1 meter.
• You're just starting and have no idea whether you'll like it or not.
• You have zero tools. Probably not a fair assumption but better than assuming you do.

A Dremel multi-tool can be fantastic especially for smaller jobs. It's a drill, router, saw, grinder, just about anything you need. But it does not scale up well. If you get into bookcases, desks, tables, etc you'll find yourself not using it nearly as much. Still useful though. Another plus is that it's great for simple repairs around the house even if you decide you don't want to make things.

New tools are expensive. Do NOT confuse 'cheap' with 'inexpensive'. There are inexpensive things that are high quality and expensive things that are shit as in all things. But one of the most expensive tools is the 'good enough' one. It does what you need it to do now, it's decent quality, and reasonable price. But it won't do the job you want to do next month, it won't last as long as you think it should, and you end up with buyer's remorse. Any power tool by Craftsman falls into this category. Just don't. Get it used or do without until you can afford the better tool. For your mica store, I'd place just about anything by Skil in this category.

Used tools can be great. Garage/rummage sales. Pawn shops can be a fantastic source for buying. But it's always, always caveat emptor. If it looks like it's been hard used, it probably has. That doesn't matter for hammers, punches, screwdrivers, etc of course. Always know the new price before buying used. What looks like a great deal can turn out to be available on closeout new.

Batteries: Li-Ion > corded > NiCad. Especially with bigger tools. Corded is not a dirty word. NiCad is crap; low lifetime, low charge capacity, high charge time, and heavy. Anything less than 18v is likely to disappoint you. Stay away from < 15 volt.

Even for small stuff you really need a circular saw. Most cordless are 7" which is ok. But a corded 10" is worth its place on the shelf.

A drill is also necessary. A hammerdrill is nice to have. Having both is not needed for smaller stuff.

A good miter saw is great to have. Just make sure that its 'true' - that it lines up correctly, that it doesn't wiggle, etc. If it shows you're cutting on a 34.5 degree angle and it's off it will screw up your entire project. (The same applies to an adjustable mechanical square.) If you get into the hobby and like it, a compound miter saw can be a table saw, miter saw, and radial arm saw replacement. My dad's radial arm is shot. If/when either the miter saw or the table saw goes, I'll get a compound miter and scrap all three of mine.

A router will let you make nice evenly rounded edges. You can do a simple one by cutting a small 45 angle and then sanding from there, but it'll never look as good as a routered edge.

As Slow Ben said, a planar can be fantastic even (maybe especially) for smaller projects. Hand planars will work but so will you. But they allow you to use scrap, 'distressed', used wood. Give it a clean surface with the plane and it can look better than fresh lumber.

Blend mentioned clamps. You've got to have a couple of those as soon as you decide you might do more than one thing. C-clamps are ok, but quick release type are very handy. You can get the clamp hardware that fits on a pipe. That lets your clamps open as wide as your pipe is lon and allows you to have multiple size clamps without all the clutter. Just move the hardware to the longer or short pipes. The cost more (of course) but save money in the long run.

Pine is usually the cheapest wood. If you've got the time and energy for sanding/planing, used wood is great. Pallets! My next project is going to be speaker stands and a matching computer desk made from electrical wire spindles from the electric supply house. I can get a 30" wide spool with end caps 40" in diameter for a dollar each. And they're glad I take them off their hands!

Fasteners: screws are better than nails for strength and ease. (For finish work you need finish nails that have very small heads; easy to putty over.) Save yourself endless headaches by never buying Philips head screws. Square heads at least. Torx if you can get them; they're still rare here.

Edit: Slow Ben posted more while I was typing all that up. If he disagrees with anything I say, listen to him. I will be.

This post has been edited by Gnaw: 19 September 2014 - 08:23 PM

[Gnaw]

Slow Ben, on 19 September 2014 - 07:32 PM, said:

Moved back to Southern Illinois last year.

And just this one for my brother. I actually used the wood on the ceiling of his office also, looks pretty badass.

Usually when i make stuff its for friends or family members or to go into staging a house i've flipped. Sometimes if i make something on the weekend i'll sell it to someone around town. I dont usually like doing projects for other people, they're a pain in the ass.

Right now im working on putting a wood top on an awesome metal table frame i found in a scrap pile. Gonna sand and repaint the metal and I've got some red oak i'm using for trim and some cherry plywood for the top. Gonna be wawesome.

Making stuff for friends and family almost never works well. For some reason they always think that your time is less valuable than that of the french fry monkey at McDonald's. If they're willing to consider your time at all.

Have your done anything with concrete? I'm seriously considering using concrete on the tops of the spindles. A bag of quickcrete is $4. I can experiment with that for a long time at that price. The stains and acids are not so inexpensive. But i've seen some amazingly beautiful countertops. The books and youtube videos make it look sooooo easy.......

[Slow Ben]

Gnaw said:

1411158044[/url]' post='1150111']
Now that I see what brands you have access to at the mica place, I can be a little more helpful maybe. Brands are not the be all by any means, but it gives me the opportunity to point at specific things that you can go look at in the store.

• Power Tools: Milwaukee is best if you can get it. Bosch, Makita, and Dremel. Ryobi and Skil are so-so. never heard of Karcher.
• Hand tools: Stanley is great for simple things.
• Power tool accessories: Vermont Sales make excellent bits, blades, etc.

Assumptions:

• small as in jewelry boxes, etc. Nothing over say 1 meter.
• You're just starting and have no idea whether you'll like it or not.
• You have zero tools. Probably not a fair assumption but better than assuming you do.

A Dremel multi-tool can be fantastic especially for smaller jobs. It's a drill, router, saw, grinder, just about anything you need. But it does not scale up well. If you get into bookcases, desks, tables, etc you'll find yourself not using it nearly as much. Still useful though. Another plus is that it's great for simple repairs around the house even if you decide you don't want to make things.

New tools are expensive. Do NOT confuse 'cheap' with 'inexpensive'. There are inexpensive things that are high quality and expensive things that are shit as in all things. But one of the most expensive tools is the 'good enough' one. It does what you need it to do now, it's decent quality, and reasonable price. But it won't do the job you want to do next month, it won't last as long as you think it should, and you end up with buyer's remorse. Any power tool by Craftsman falls into this category. Just don't. Get it used or do without until you can afford the better tool. For your mica store, I'd place just about anything by Skil in this category.

Used tools can be great. Garage/rummage sales. Pawn shops can be a fantastic source for buying. But it's always, always caveat emptor. If it looks like it's been hard used, it probably has. That doesn't matter for hammers, punches, screwdrivers, etc of course. Always know the new price before buying used. What looks like a great deal can turn out to be available on closeout new.

Batteries: Li-Ion > corded > NiCad. Especially with bigger tools. Corded is not a dirty word. NiCad is crap; low lifetime, low charge capacity, high charge time, and heavy. Anything less than 18v is likely to disappoint you. Stay away from < 15 volt.

Even for small stuff you really need a circular saw. Most cordless are 7" which is ok. But a corded 10" is worth its place on the shelf.

A drill is also necessary. A hammerdrill is nice to have. Having both is not needed for smaller stuff.

A good miter saw is great to have. Just make sure that its 'true' - that it lines up correctly, that it doesn't wiggle, etc. If it shows you're cutting on a 34.5 degree angle and it's off it will screw up your entire project. (The same applies to an adjustable mechanical square.) If you get into the hobby and like it, a compound miter saw can be a table saw, miter saw, and radial arm saw replacement. My dad's radial arm is shot. If/when either the miter saw or the table saw goes, I'll get a compound miter and scrap all three of mine.

A router will let you make nice evenly rounded edges. You can do a simple one by cutting a small 45 angle and then sanding from there, but it'll never look as good as a routered edge.

As Slow Ben said, a planar can be fantastic even (maybe especially) for smaller projects. Hand planars will work but so will you. But they allow you to use scrap, 'distressed', used wood. Give it a clean surface with the plane and it can look better than fresh lumber.

Blend mentioned clamps. You've got to have a couple of those as soon as you decide you might do more than one thing. C-clamps are ok, but quick release type are very handy. You can get the clamp hardware that fits on a pipe. That lets your clamps open as wide as your pipe is lon and allows you to have multiple size clamps without all the clutter. Just move the hardware to the longer or short pipes. The cost more (of course) but save money in the long run.

Pine is usually the cheapest wood. If you've got the time and energy for sanding/planing, used wood is great. Pallets! My next project is going to be speaker stands and a matching computer desk made from electrical wire spindles from the electric supply house. I can get a 30" wide spool with end caps 40" in diameter for a dollar each. And they're glad I take them off their hands!

Fasteners: screws are better than nails for strength and ease. (For finish work you need finish nails that have very small heads; easy to putty over.) Save yourself endless headaches by never buying Philips head screws. Square heads at least. Torx if you can get them; they're still rare here.

Edit: Slow Ben posted more while I was typing all that up. If he disagrees with anything I say, listen to him. I will be.

Nailed it.

Gnaw said:

1411158577[/url]' post='1150114']

Slow Ben said:

1411155155[/url]' post='1150103']
Moved back to Southern Illinois last year.

And just this one for my brother. I actually used the wood on the ceiling of his office also, looks pretty badass.

Usually when i make stuff its for friends or family members or to go into staging a house i've flipped. Sometimes if i make something on the weekend i'll sell it to someone around town. I dont usually like doing projects for other people, they're a pain in the ass.

Right now im working on putting a wood top on an awesome metal table frame i found in a scrap pile. Gonna sand and repaint the metal and I've got some red oak i'm using for trim and some cherry plywood for the top. Gonna be wawesome.

Have your done anything with concrete? I'm seriously considering using concrete on the tops of the spindles. A bag of quickcrete is $4. I can experiment with that for a long time at that price. The stains and acids are not so inexpensive. But i've seen some amazingly beautiful countertops. The books and youtube videos make it look sooooo easy.......

Not much.
I really, really want to try concrete countertops. I just know you have to get it perfect, so I'm thinking of trying something smaller like a bench or outdoor table to start with.

[Gnaw]

A level. Two of them actually. A 6" torpedo and a 2' or 4' carpenter's.


Edit: Oh yeah. Measure thrice; cut once!! (The saying is 'measure twice' but seeing as how you misspelled 'projects' you're probably a lot like me and need to do it three times. )

This post has been edited by Gnaw: 21 September 2014 - 09:58 PM

[cerveza_fiesta]

Slow Ben, on 20 September 2014 - 02:27 AM, said:

Gnaw, on 19 September 2014 - 08:20 PM, said:

Now that I see what brands you have access to at the mica place, I can be a little more helpful maybe. Brands are not the be all by any means, but it gives me the opportunity to point at specific things that you can go look at in the store.

• Power Tools: Milwaukee is best if you can get it. Bosch, Makita, and Dremel. Ryobi and Skil are so-so. never heard of Karcher.
• Hand tools: Stanley is great for simple things.
• Power tool accessories: Vermont Sales make excellent bits, blades, etc.

Assumptions:

• small as in jewelry boxes, etc. Nothing over say 1 meter.
• You're just starting and have no idea whether you'll like it or not.
• You have zero tools. Probably not a fair assumption but better than assuming you do.

A Dremel multi-tool can be fantastic especially for smaller jobs. It's a drill, router, saw, grinder, just about anything you need. But it does not scale up well. If you get into bookcases, desks, tables, etc you'll find yourself not using it nearly as much. Still useful though. Another plus is that it's great for simple repairs around the house even if you decide you don't want to make things.

New tools are expensive. Do NOT confuse 'cheap' with 'inexpensive'. There are inexpensive things that are high quality and expensive things that are shit as in all things. But one of the most expensive tools is the 'good enough' one. It does what you need it to do now, it's decent quality, and reasonable price. But it won't do the job you want to do next month, it won't last as long as you think it should, and you end up with buyer's remorse. Any power tool by Craftsman falls into this category. Just don't. Get it used or do without until you can afford the better tool. For your mica store, I'd place just about anything by Skil in this category.

Used tools can be great. Garage/rummage sales. Pawn shops can be a fantastic source for buying. But it's always, always caveat emptor. If it looks like it's been hard used, it probably has. That doesn't matter for hammers, punches, screwdrivers, etc of course. Always know the new price before buying used. What looks like a great deal can turn out to be available on closeout new.

Batteries: Li-Ion > corded > NiCad. Especially with bigger tools. Corded is not a dirty word. NiCad is crap; low lifetime, low charge capacity, high charge time, and heavy. Anything less than 18v is likely to disappoint you. Stay away from < 15 volt.

Even for small stuff you really need a circular saw. Most cordless are 7" which is ok. But a corded 10" is worth its place on the shelf.

A drill is also necessary. A hammerdrill is nice to have. Having both is not needed for smaller stuff.

A good miter saw is great to have. Just make sure that its 'true' - that it lines up correctly, that it doesn't wiggle, etc. If it shows you're cutting on a 34.5 degree angle and it's off it will screw up your entire project. (The same applies to an adjustable mechanical square.) If you get into the hobby and like it, a compound miter saw can be a table saw, miter saw, and radial arm saw replacement. My dad's radial arm is shot. If/when either the miter saw or the table saw goes, I'll get a compound miter and scrap all three of mine.

A router will let you make nice evenly rounded edges. You can do a simple one by cutting a small 45 angle and then sanding from there, but it'll never look as good as a routered edge.

As Slow Ben said, a planar can be fantastic even (maybe especially) for smaller projects. Hand planars will work but so will you. But they allow you to use scrap, 'distressed', used wood. Give it a clean surface with the plane and it can look better than fresh lumber.

Blend mentioned clamps. You've got to have a couple of those as soon as you decide you might do more than one thing. C-clamps are ok, but quick release type are very handy. You can get the clamp hardware that fits on a pipe. That lets your clamps open as wide as your pipe is lon and allows you to have multiple size clamps without all the clutter. Just move the hardware to the longer or short pipes. The cost more (of course) but save money in the long run.

Pine is usually the cheapest wood. If you've got the time and energy for sanding/planing, used wood is great. Pallets! My next project is going to be speaker stands and a matching computer desk made from electrical wire spindles from the electric supply house. I can get a 30" wide spool with end caps 40" in diameter for a dollar each. And they're glad I take them off their hands!

Fasteners: screws are better than nails for strength and ease. (For finish work you need finish nails that have very small heads; easy to putty over.) Save yourself endless headaches by never buying Philips head screws. Square heads at least. Torx if you can get them; they're still rare here.

Edit: Slow Ben posted more while I was typing all that up. If he disagrees with anything I say, listen to him. I will be.

Nailed it.

Gnaw, on 19 September 2014 - 08:29 PM, said:

Slow Ben, on 19 September 2014 - 07:32 PM, said:

Moved back to Southern Illinois last year.

And just this one for my brother. I actually used the wood on the ceiling of his office also, looks pretty badass.

Usually when i make stuff its for friends or family members or to go into staging a house i've flipped. Sometimes if i make something on the weekend i'll sell it to someone around town. I dont usually like doing projects for other people, they're a pain in the ass.

Right now im working on putting a wood top on an awesome metal table frame i found in a scrap pile. Gonna sand and repaint the metal and I've got some red oak i'm using for trim and some cherry plywood for the top. Gonna be wawesome.

Have your done anything with concrete? I'm seriously considering using concrete on the tops of the spindles. A bag of quickcrete is $4. I can experiment with that for a long time at that price. The stains and acids are not so inexpensive. But i've seen some amazingly beautiful countertops. The books and youtube videos make it look sooooo easy.......

Not much.
I really, really want to try concrete countertops. I just know you have to get it perfect, so I'm thinking of trying something smaller like a bench or outdoor table to start with.

Echo the "nailed it" sentiment.

I do a lot of woodwork projects, and you have to keep in mind that you'll increase your tool supply *over time* as your skills improve. For cutting tools like chisels or hand planes, spend money on quality. For rotating tools, you can go cheaper and still get good results.

I'd consider a basic kit to contain

• Power drill - corded is fine and cheap for a first one. Usable for drilling and you can chuck a screw bit for driving wood screws. Upgrade to a battery one later once you're sure what you need.
• Cheapo selection of drillbits, and screw bits.
• Cheapo selection of hand screwdrivers
• 20oz hammer for big nails and a smaller finish nail hammer. Quality doesn't matter much unless you're going to be using it for your job.
• Handheld rotary saw (ie skilsaw). Combined with jigs and fences, you can get them to nearly anything a table saw can do (and then some). Cheap saws are fine, but don't cheap out on blades.
• 12" prybar for pulling nails and pulling apart pieces you nailed together incorrectly.
• This might be a contentious one, but I've always used a handsaw in my basic kit. I find them more accurate, less wasteful and quicker for the odd crosscut. They are worse than shit for rip cuts. Spend money on a decent one with at least a 2-2.5' blade if you choose to get one at all. Short saws are irritating to use.
• Framing square (2' x 4' or thereabouts) and a smaller adjustable try-square
• 2' level (3' if you're going to be doing bigger projects).

Apart from that, just pick up more stuff as needed for this project and that. Used tools from antique stores are fine too. If you're talking saws, chisels or hand planes, just make sure that there is no rust on or near the cutting part of the blade. Anything else should be fine regardless of appearance & rust.

Fire me a PM if you need any advice on a particular project. I love talking woodworking!

[Gnaw]

cerveza_fiesta, on 22 September 2014 - 07:51 PM, said:

I do a lot of woodwork projects, and you have to keep in mind that you'll increase your tool supply *over time* as your skills improve. For cutting tools like chisels or hand planes, spend money on quality. For rotating tools, you can go cheaper and still get good results.

I'd consider a basic kit to contain

• Power drill - corded is fine and cheap for a first one. Usable for drilling and you can chuck a screw bit for driving wood screws. Upgrade to a battery one later once you're sure what you need.
• Cheapo selection of drillbits, and screw bits.
• Cheapo selection of hand screwdrivers
• 20oz hammer for big nails and a smaller finish nail hammer. Quality doesn't matter much unless you're going to be using it for your job.
• Handheld rotary saw (ie skilsaw). Combined with jigs and fences, you can get them to nearly anything a table saw can do (and then some). Cheap saws are fine, but don't cheap out on blades.
• 12" prybar for pulling nails and pulling apart pieces you nailed together incorrectly.
• This might be a contentious one, but I've always used a handsaw in my basic kit. I find them more accurate, less wasteful and quicker for the odd crosscut. They are worse than shit for rip cuts. Spend money on a decent one with at least a 2-2.5' blade if you choose to get one at all. Short saws are irritating to use.
• Framing square (2' x 4' or thereabouts) and a smaller adjustable try-square
• 2' level (3' if you're going to be doing bigger projects).

Apart from that, just pick up more stuff as needed for this project and that. Used tools from antique stores are fine too. If you're talking saws, chisels or hand planes, just make sure that there is no rust on or near the cutting part of the blade. Anything else should be fine regardless of appearance & rust.

Fire me a PM if you need any advice on a particular project. I love talking woodworking!

And a hand saw still works when the power goes out. Or you don't want to wake the baby.

Screwdrivers are not chisels! Get Klein and never buy another one. (Don't buy retail - garage sales where everyone ignores them because they've never heard the name.)