Starting woodworking as a hobby, advice?
I just graduated college and am interested in beginning woodworking as a hobby. It is just for fun but I would also like to design and build my own furniture for my future home- well built pieces that could last me the rest of my life and that I can be proud of. I have some questions, please answer if you can or just general advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
I am interested in learning how to build with hand tools, but if I wanted access to a wood shop for larger tools such as table saws and lathes, how can I do this without buying these expensive machines? Are there any public wood shops that let you pay for time in the shop? ( I live in Southington, CT and couldn’t find anything on google).
Do you recommend any books or materials to help me learn the craft? I usually learn through self teaching, but I’d like to learn the right way, specifically with detail work and how to correctly use certain tools.
Have any of you found clubs or organizations a good way to learn tricks and meet fellow woodworkers?
Suggested Reading:
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In our neighborhood (California) there is a community college with a very nice woodshop, and you can take a ‘lab’ class there that just gives you time in the shop to work on whatever you’d like. There are even machine shops (metal) where you can rent lathes and mills by the hour. Check around to see if there’s something like that there.
Hand tools are not that expensive (well, really good ones are but you don’t need really good ones right away). Saws, chisels, planes, etc. Look at flea markets and ‘antique’ stores, I’ve bought a lot of tools there very reasonably priced, especially old planes that are still good. It would still be nice to have a table saw, and maybe a router. And an electric drill, of course.
Look at woodworking magazines. They have projects and plans that show you how, for instance, a chest of drawers is built. Or a table. When you get an idea of what pieces go where, you can design them yourself. I was already a CAD user (Computer Aided Drafting) and that really helps. There are also some very good books on woodworking, beginning to advanced, with project ideas, etc. I found a big thick book (500 pages) on the remainders table for like $300 called ‘An Enyclopedia of Furniture’ and has designs for hundreds of pieces–simpler styles like Shaker, Arts & Crafts, but also fancy stuff that I wouldn’t even try (and don’t like anyway).
I started small, with boxes. You can make them out of scraps or even discarded pallets. There are lots of ways to put boxes together, so you get practice at joinery, plus they’re really useful in various sizes, and if you can’t use them you’ll have no trouble giving them away. 8^) Besides, lots of furniture is just boxes, like desks, cabinets, etc. A chest of drawer is a big box full of smaller boxes.
Hello there,
That sounds quite ambiguous. I suggest you work up to furniture.
For starters you can check the various tech schools, community colleges and anything that has an adult education program. You may find a wood working class at one. That would be a good way to get started.
Frankly, if you work only with hand tools, you will be very limited in what you can make. At some point in time before you undertake making much furniture, you are going to have to have a work shop. Basic tools you’ll find that you need are a thickness planer (I like Grizzly), a good table saw with extension table (Delta is good), a drill press (mine is ancient), a jointer (again an ancient Craftsman) and a belt sander. A mitre saw and radial arm saw and a bandsaw all come in handy. For furniture work you are going to need a good air compressor and spray gun. Also need to build a spray booth. You will want to keep dust out of your work as the finish dries. You won’t be spraying furniture with spray cans of paint.
You may as well start watching the local want ads and Craiglist for used tools. Also check the yard sales. Anytime you come across a good deal on a tool (whether you need it for an immediate project or not) you should get it (if your budget allows). It takes time to accumulate the tools.
I’m 60 and been around a wood shop all my life. My father also does (or did) wood working. He always watched for a chance to pick up tools. If a small lumber yard closed around here, he would check to see if any of the tools were for sale. Got some great deals from places going out of business.
I cannot help you with books.
Finding an affordable sort of lumber is always a challenge. Good quality lumber is scarce. Go to most hardware/lumber yard type stores (Lowes, Menards or Home Depot) and you won’t find quality lumber, not fit for furniture making. You will need to do some searching for a good lumber yard. If you stick to oak, maple, cherry and walnut (all domestic hardwoods) you can get those a some lumber yards. If you can find one of the old fashion lumber companies, the kind that cut and mill their own lumber (not have it shipped in on the train), you can get the supply you need. The problem is that type of lumber company is a dying breed. Very few around. Used to be every small town had one. The big chains put them out of business. There are woodworking specialty stores that handle lumber. Expect to mortgage your house, car and first born, if you buy enough lumber there to build one table.
I know this will have no effect on you, but I am compelled to say it. You cannot be careful enough around power tools. I have been around them all my life. I have spend thousands of hours in the shop. And, I have lost the tip of one finger from the last joint down because I got careless for a second just one time. I was 51 at the time. Not some inexperienced kid. I know many people who have lost fingers, cut hands, lost an eye in shop accidents. None of those guys were inexperienced and none were kidding around playing with shop tools. Woodworking is a great experience and there is a special reward in crafting a fine piece. But it is dangerous. It is dangerous every second you are in the shop.
Here is something to get you started. Plans to make a temporary paint booth. I came across this article recently and I think this will work fine.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5732113_build-paint-booth-finishing-guitars.html
Hi,
I recommend this woodworking site that may help you some.