Hi All,
First post, so be gentle
After months of hunting, I’ve finally found a coffee table I like – but I’m not impressed with the quality or the price. It’s a fairly simple design so I’ve decided to try and make it myself! The problem is that I have no training, no experience and no tools! All I have right now is a design, some motivation and a brand new copy of the Collins Complete Woodworker’s Manual. I’m hoping that with your guidance I can do this - and potentially pick up a new hobby.
Here’s a pic of the original item:
http://www.diabehbehani.com/natuzzi/img/baster.jpg
It’s not at all heavy. The table top is hollow and veneered. The legs are made of tin. My version will be all wood and considerably heavier. As with the original, I want the legs to look different from the top, so I’ll either pick different wood, a different stain, a different finish (polish vs. matt) or a combination. Perhaps I’ll even paint the legs. Not sure yet. What I do know is that I want at least the table top to be very dark with a straight, subtle grain, like this:
http://www.trayler.com/gifs/Ebonized-Walnut_web.jpg
As mentioned, I don’t have any tools yet. If the coffee table goes well, I’d like to move on to a simple book case and then possibly a dining table. I want to stick to simple, yet striking items that can be produced relatively quickly, but quality will be my primary focus. So at least for the first few pieces, I intend to stick to straight lines. No curves, bending or carving or anything like that. Basically, if it can be achieved mostly with common power tools (e.g. saw, router) then it’s in scope. Chairs (with curved backs), for example, are definitely out of scope for the time being.
I’ve already mentioned quality once in terms of finished pieces. However, I’ll mention it again on the topic of tools. I am new to this, but I don’t want to waste money on tools that I’ll quickly outgrow. I want to spend money wisely on the right tools. I haven’t set a budget, but woodworking is unlikely to be more than a hobby for me, so I don’t want to spend thousands. I’d rather buy a small set of core, multi-purpose tools of decent quality (for the hobbyist). Space is an issue so everything must be relatively portable. I’ll use my garage for woodworking, but I must be able to pack things away or at least push worktables/saws against the wall when not in use so that I can park my car in the garage when I’m not woodworking.
This post is starting to get a bit long, so before I go on to write war and peace, let me try and wrap it up by asking two fundamental questions:
1. What woods/materials would you recommend for the piece? I was thinking solid woods as it may be easier (for a newbie) to work with than veneers. Please also mention recommended stains/varnishes and tools. I should mention that I prefer durable, low-maintenance furniture. Tough woods are good. I’ve never been a fan of furniture that has to be dragged outside (or into a workshop) annually to be oiled etc.
2. What is the minimal toolset I need in order to build this, some bookshelves and a dining table? Although the picture of the coffee table doesn’t show a pattern, I’m thinking that I may want a groove or two along the edge of the table top, so a router is in scope. I also don’t want to make life too hard for myself (e.g. manual sawing) and increasing the scope for error. I’m a perfectionist and I’d rather spend 10 minutes lining up a power saw for a 30-second cut than spend 5 minutes manually sawing and ending up with a skew line.
If you’re still reading – thanks for sticking with me and thanks in advance for your help!!
Regards,
Lunk
First post, so be gentle
After months of hunting, I’ve finally found a coffee table I like – but I’m not impressed with the quality or the price. It’s a fairly simple design so I’ve decided to try and make it myself! The problem is that I have no training, no experience and no tools! All I have right now is a design, some motivation and a brand new copy of the Collins Complete Woodworker’s Manual. I’m hoping that with your guidance I can do this - and potentially pick up a new hobby.
Here’s a pic of the original item:
http://www.diabehbehani.com/natuzzi/img/baster.jpg
It’s not at all heavy. The table top is hollow and veneered. The legs are made of tin. My version will be all wood and considerably heavier. As with the original, I want the legs to look different from the top, so I’ll either pick different wood, a different stain, a different finish (polish vs. matt) or a combination. Perhaps I’ll even paint the legs. Not sure yet. What I do know is that I want at least the table top to be very dark with a straight, subtle grain, like this:
http://www.trayler.com/gifs/Ebonized-Walnut_web.jpg
As mentioned, I don’t have any tools yet. If the coffee table goes well, I’d like to move on to a simple book case and then possibly a dining table. I want to stick to simple, yet striking items that can be produced relatively quickly, but quality will be my primary focus. So at least for the first few pieces, I intend to stick to straight lines. No curves, bending or carving or anything like that. Basically, if it can be achieved mostly with common power tools (e.g. saw, router) then it’s in scope. Chairs (with curved backs), for example, are definitely out of scope for the time being.
I’ve already mentioned quality once in terms of finished pieces. However, I’ll mention it again on the topic of tools. I am new to this, but I don’t want to waste money on tools that I’ll quickly outgrow. I want to spend money wisely on the right tools. I haven’t set a budget, but woodworking is unlikely to be more than a hobby for me, so I don’t want to spend thousands. I’d rather buy a small set of core, multi-purpose tools of decent quality (for the hobbyist). Space is an issue so everything must be relatively portable. I’ll use my garage for woodworking, but I must be able to pack things away or at least push worktables/saws against the wall when not in use so that I can park my car in the garage when I’m not woodworking.
This post is starting to get a bit long, so before I go on to write war and peace, let me try and wrap it up by asking two fundamental questions:
1. What woods/materials would you recommend for the piece? I was thinking solid woods as it may be easier (for a newbie) to work with than veneers. Please also mention recommended stains/varnishes and tools. I should mention that I prefer durable, low-maintenance furniture. Tough woods are good. I’ve never been a fan of furniture that has to be dragged outside (or into a workshop) annually to be oiled etc.
2. What is the minimal toolset I need in order to build this, some bookshelves and a dining table? Although the picture of the coffee table doesn’t show a pattern, I’m thinking that I may want a groove or two along the edge of the table top, so a router is in scope. I also don’t want to make life too hard for myself (e.g. manual sawing) and increasing the scope for error. I’m a perfectionist and I’d rather spend 10 minutes lining up a power saw for a 30-second cut than spend 5 minutes manually sawing and ending up with a skew line.
If you’re still reading – thanks for sticking with me and thanks in advance for your help!!
Regards,
Lunk
