Any wood workers out there?

[Craig]

I have found myself wanting to develop an actual skill...and I think wood working would be highly practical and satisfying.

I want to start simple, building small items out of wood...say decorative boxes/containers for jewelery/odds and ends. My goal is to be able to build bookcases, and a dining table with chairs...from there, who knows.

Can anyone list *basic* beginner's tools that would be useful for me to get? I could see where I'd need a jigsaw and a miter box right off the bat...I'm wondering if I can get away with doing some decent, yet not huge, projects without spending more than $300.00

Thanks!

 

[TimV]

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices for some medium to lower quality starter tools that are really cheap. Then you can get better quality tools once you settle in on the kind you'll need. I buy these tools for back ups.

Three hundred should be OK doing it that way. No use in buying Makita or something for a test run. I did a job today with a good quality chain saw and a Harbor Freight saw's all and hand tool, and they've been in my shed for quite a while.

 

[kvanlaan]

Ditto on Tim's recommendation. That's basically what we have here (most of HF's stuff is from China) and it is not bad. Some of it is actually cheaper on HF than it is here, believe it or not. Don't start out by spending a bundle on name brand power tools. I'm not super-skilled (I call my stuff "Kevin's Handicrafts by the Blind" due to my prowess in finishing and joinery) but it works. With an $11 marble saw (fitted with a wood blade), an $80 wood lathe, a drill, orbital sander, and some hand tools, I made our dinner table and benches for the kids. It's 3m long and seats about 15. Not bad for $100 worth of lumber.

Oh, and Northern Tool is another one with good prices.

 

[BJClark]

TimV;

While I agree Harbor Freight is good for inexpensive tools, you could also check places like sears, lowes or Home depot.

I bought my husband a miter saw w/ a laser there for like $160 for Christmas a couple years ago..I bought him a jig saw a couple months ago for around $70.

I was over at Home Depot recently and they had the combo sets on sale about $150.

You could also check out pawn shops, they sometimes have good quality tools for decent prices.


if you go to Harbor Freight, check out when the sales are going to be, when I was looking at the jig saws, they had one for the same price that sears had the Craftsman, which is why I went ahead and bought it at sears,
now their sale which was going to be the following weekend the price dropped to about $30. If I could have waited a week, I would have, but my husband needed it so we could re-do out bathroom (he used it to cut the tub in half).

So depending on what your looking for, you may want to check out the combo sets to see if they have what you need as well.

Here is one the Lowes website has listed.. combo kit..FireStorm® 18-Volt 6-Tool Combo Kit $199.00


Includes 18v drill/driver, 18v circular saw, 18v reciprocating saw, 18v flashlight, 18v hand vac, (2) 18v batteries, dual port charger, and storage case Professional grade high torque drill motor provides 440 in-lbs torque Fast drive chuck detaches to expose a ready to use screw driving bit and has 70% more gripping area for easier tightening of the chuck 6 1/2" circular saw with laser line offers greater cutting capacity, while laser creates sight line to aid in cutting accuracy Recip saw provides general purpose cutting for wood, metal and plastic 4 in 1 sander provides finish sanding, random orbit sanding, detail sanding and polishing Flashlight provides long lasting light for any work area Hand Vac provides quick and easy clean up of the project work area Full 2-year warranty


18-Volt 6-Tool Combo Kit

My husband said you need to be good at math--geometry, fractions, division, and soforth so you can know how much material you'll need to get..

He added, you also need a ruler (measuring tape), a protractor, a pencil, a calculator, a small notebook (or you can write on the wood) a level, a square..those are the small things to get started..LOL...he came back and added..And safety glasses..you need safety glasses..

 

[Southern Presbyterian]

You might also consider an inexpensive scroll saw if you plan on doing smaller projects like jewelry boxes, etc. It doesn't have to be the best one made, but it will save tons of time, and maybe even a finger or two.

 

[BJClark]

I'll have to see about taking a picture of the Worm Composter he made for me ..see if I can figure out how to load it here..

he took an old chest and made some wooden drawers w/ burlap and wire to put inside, it took him about half a day and cost about $30 to make, but we had the old chest out in the shed..

 

[Southern Presbyterian]

I'll have to see about taking a picture of the Worm Composter he made for me ..see if I can figure out how to load it here..

he took an old chest and made some wooden drawers w/ burlap and wire to put inside, it took him about half a day and cost about $30 to make, but we had the old chest out in the shed..

How do you compost worms?

Seriously, I, for one, would be very interested in seeing some pics of this project.