This might seem a silly question to some of you, but i'm just looking at getting into it and the cost of timber is shocking to me. I used to be a multi-trader and got a liking for the small scale carpentry that it threw up. Between that and watching some of the Americans on Youtube creating some impressive things out of cheap materials i decided to give it a go and picked up the "Wood Work" book by DK. Looking at the very simplest project of building a chopping board it asks for 8 pine boards of 600 x 35 x 45. A look on Homebase only shows generic softwood - which is apparently not suitable - and further digging gave me some prices from specialist sites at about £48. For a chopping block home project that's expensive, and it makes me very dubious about the cost of some of the bigger projects.
Is woodworking in the UK too expensive for a hobby?
- Thread starter Badgery
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Ttrees
Iroko loco!
Looks like you need to go skip diving 
You havent quite grasped the essential thing here.
It's a HOBBY.
Hobbies are very rarely cheap.
whats the annual cost of golfing? wind surfing? clay pigeon shooting? photography? drinking alcohol?
If youre looking at it from a "this cutting board cost 20 quid to make but I can buy one for a fiver" point of view, then the hobby is not for you
It's a HOBBY.
Hobbies are very rarely cheap.
whats the annual cost of golfing? wind surfing? clay pigeon shooting? photography? drinking alcohol?
If youre looking at it from a "this cutting board cost 20 quid to make but I can buy one for a fiver" point of view, then the hobby is not for you
Hi Badgery, welcome to the forum.
I agree with Ttrees, reclaimed timber is definitely the way to go. Whether it's from a commercial source or something you discover yourself it gives you a great deal of satisfaction knowing you've made something useful or elegant (not so much in my case) out of discarded wood.
Part of the trick is in recognising what lies beneath the paint on the skanky old table top or chest of drawers and you never look at old furniture in the same way again.
Good luck and beware of planes.
I agree with Ttrees, reclaimed timber is definitely the way to go. Whether it's from a commercial source or something you discover yourself it gives you a great deal of satisfaction knowing you've made something useful or elegant (not so much in my case) out of discarded wood.
Part of the trick is in recognising what lies beneath the paint on the skanky old table top or chest of drawers and you never look at old furniture in the same way again.
Good luck and beware of planes.
Alexam
Bandsaw Boxmaker
As far as I know, there are very few hobbies that don't cost something. In my time, I have been into Golf, Amateur Radio, Archery, Photography and since 2013, woodwork. Previous hobbies have partly paid for equipment, but part of the hobby is in finding and buying equipment to use. However, you could always go buy jigsaws from charity shops at £2 each and spend weeks doing them sat down at home. It's whatever floats your boat.
Although I sell what I make, it never covers the cost of this hobby, but certainly keeps my interest and although it may not keep me sane, it's better than jigsaws.
Malcolm
Although I sell what I make, it never covers the cost of this hobby, but certainly keeps my interest and although it may not keep me sane, it's better than jigsaws.
Malcolm
Cheshirechappie
Established Member
Welcome to the forum, Badgery!
Coley's nailed it - woodworking can be cover many activities.
You can scrounge some bits of scrap wood or tree prunings, find a knife and a means of sharpening it, and whittle away happily. Costs pennies. You can buy a suite of brand new, shiny machines, set them up with a fancy dust extraction system in a huge, purpose-built shed, and stock it with the finest exotic timbers available. Costs many thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands. You can slowly accumulate a few hand tools, new or secondhand, find a bench space somewhere, look around for offcuts and bargains or splash out on some nicer stock, spreading the cost over several months; quite a versatile kit of good hand tools can be assembled for maybe hundreds rather than thousands - and they'll last for life!. Entirely up to you.
One thing to bear in mind is that most woodworking is not an 'instant gratification' pastime. It does need some skill, and developing that does take some time. It's worth it, though!
Coley's nailed it - woodworking can be cover many activities.
You can scrounge some bits of scrap wood or tree prunings, find a knife and a means of sharpening it, and whittle away happily. Costs pennies. You can buy a suite of brand new, shiny machines, set them up with a fancy dust extraction system in a huge, purpose-built shed, and stock it with the finest exotic timbers available. Costs many thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands. You can slowly accumulate a few hand tools, new or secondhand, find a bench space somewhere, look around for offcuts and bargains or splash out on some nicer stock, spreading the cost over several months; quite a versatile kit of good hand tools can be assembled for maybe hundreds rather than thousands - and they'll last for life!. Entirely up to you.
One thing to bear in mind is that most woodworking is not an 'instant gratification' pastime. It does need some skill, and developing that does take some time. It's worth it, though!
I've watched a load of Americans making stuff in their garages. They all seem to have enormous quantities of everything so I can only assume that consumer demand in the States means you can actually afford to buy the power tools etc. I'm limited to eBay, Gum-tree and the likes of Titan / Erbauer type cheaper brands - which do the job to a certain degree.
As for wood - I wouldn't necessarily look in places like Homebase to be honest. Google for local timber yards or the increasingly more common Wood Recycling yards. Paul Sellers did a video on a visit to the one in Oxford. We've currently got one in Bristol that I keep meaning to get over to look at.
As for wood - I wouldn't necessarily look in places like Homebase to be honest. Google for local timber yards or the increasingly more common Wood Recycling yards. Paul Sellers did a video on a visit to the one in Oxford. We've currently got one in Bristol that I keep meaning to get over to look at.
Mike Jordan
Established Member
Good timber has always been expensive but I think it's more so if you go along with a cutting list for planed timber rather than buying a length or two to plane yourself. Knowledge of the stock sizes of sawn timber allows you to plan your cutting list to eliminate wasteful finished sizes.
Many of the power tools are ridiculously cheap compared to what they were years ago. In the sixties a very poor quality electric drill was nearly a weeks pay! Power routers were very rarely seen since they cost an absolute fortune. The sheds are not the best places to buy timber but you can't fault the huge display of power tools at give away prices.
Many of the power tools are ridiculously cheap compared to what they were years ago. In the sixties a very poor quality electric drill was nearly a weeks pay! Power routers were very rarely seen since they cost an absolute fortune. The sheds are not the best places to buy timber but you can't fault the huge display of power tools at give away prices.
You think this is an expensive hobby, in 2013 i started building a model railway( currently dismantled), and in the 3 years that i had set up i spent in excess of £5000.00, and as soon as i can get the baseboards redone which will be another few hundred pounds for the materials, i will start collecting more stock, good thing the missus doesn't read this :shock: :mrgreen:
bugbear
Established Member
NazNomad":2ectbdfw said:
Most of my (very nice) hand tools have cost under a tenner, and commonly under a fiver, bought by wandering round car boots.
Just add a wire brush, wire wool, wet 'n' dry, paint stripper, and elbow grease.
Of course, all this takes many, many hours of my time.
But another word for hobby is pastime.
BugBear
transatlantic
Boom!
I don't know why people assume reclamined timber is cheap, it's generally not. It takes a lot of effort to go and collect and a lot more effort then to prepare for sale. And as it seems to be the trend now, it's only going to get more expensive. The way to get things cheap is to aquire them before the trend!
As for sourcing your materials, places like Homebase, Wickes, B&Q are always going to be expensive. You need to source your materials from your local timber merchant, as it'll be cheaper, better quality and there will be more choice. But as a beginner, it will be easier to just suck it up and source from the stores mentioned above until you get a good understanding of the hobby itself.
But yes, depending on how you go about buying things, it can be a very expensive hobby.
As for sourcing your materials, places like Homebase, Wickes, B&Q are always going to be expensive. You need to source your materials from your local timber merchant, as it'll be cheaper, better quality and there will be more choice. But as a beginner, it will be easier to just suck it up and source from the stores mentioned above until you get a good understanding of the hobby itself.
But yes, depending on how you go about buying things, it can be a very expensive hobby.
shed9
establiSHED member
I think this sums it up when I speak to people about taking it up as a hobby, there seems to be some sort of disconnect between making your own things comparative to off-the-shelf product. Depends how much you value your own time really. Even if the end product of your own doing is twice as much as you could buy an identical cookie-cutter manufactured item for, they are two very different things and this needs to be grasped to appreciate the hobby itself.sunnybob":3ebnau09 said:
An understanding of costs is imperative, who else gets the open mouthed response when you tell your friends “sure I can make you one, but it will cost £600, not including my time” often followed up by disdain as though it’s you that’s on the take when your mate asks you to make something in your time for free.
In terms of tooling and materials, it’s all a balance of time, effort and how much you want to and can spend. You can buy cheap but it generally requires more time and effort, whereas more cash will often negate this aspect.
Is woodworking in the UK too expensive for a hobby? All depends on what you put into it and what you expect out at the other end IMO. As others have pointed out, it's all relative to other hobbies in cost.
a couple of points to add
buying timber from homebase is very expensive.
generally speaking, any internet site that allows you to put in whatever measurements you want to for timber tends to be very expensive- they are machining you a custom size. Buying wood online tends to be more expensive than going to a place that hasnt yet heard of the internet.
dont try to compete with a mass produced item- it is disheartening. instead look at what cant be mass produced easily- local timbers, custom sizes etc.
buying timber from homebase is very expensive.
generally speaking, any internet site that allows you to put in whatever measurements you want to for timber tends to be very expensive- they are machining you a custom size. Buying wood online tends to be more expensive than going to a place that hasnt yet heard of the internet.
dont try to compete with a mass produced item- it is disheartening. instead look at what cant be mass produced easily- local timbers, custom sizes etc.
thetyreman
Established Member
I don't think it's that expensive if you find a reputable wood supplier, the one near me is a local timber merchant, and it costs a fraction of the cost of the big stores, and quality of wood is literally worlds apart. You can actually find wood for free in skips, they can be a goldmine, I built a chopping board from some nice quality silver birch that I found in a skip, this is something that I use every single day, and apart from buying the hand tools, it cost nothing at all, and took me less than 1 hour to make.
paulrockliffe
Established Member
That wood price you've quoted in the OP is incredibly expensive, my local timber merchant would be about £10 for that volume of ash for example.
Woodworking doesn't have to be an expensive hobby though, you need to consider the ratio of your time to the volume of wood you use, the more time you can spend on the less wood, the cheaper it'll be. If you can make little gift boxes with inlays and whatnot they can take hours and use hardly any wood.
Car boot sales and Gumtree will let you tool up cheaply too, so long as you can wait for the right stuff to come up.
For lots of us, the hobby isn't wood working, it's pottering in the shed. This can include fixing the shed, building a work bench, building jigs, repairing tools and occasionally making things out of wood.
Woodworking doesn't have to be an expensive hobby though, you need to consider the ratio of your time to the volume of wood you use, the more time you can spend on the less wood, the cheaper it'll be. If you can make little gift boxes with inlays and whatnot they can take hours and use hardly any wood.
Car boot sales and Gumtree will let you tool up cheaply too, so long as you can wait for the right stuff to come up.
For lots of us, the hobby isn't wood working, it's pottering in the shed. This can include fixing the shed, building a work bench, building jigs, repairing tools and occasionally making things out of wood.
I also want to plug the idea of getting as much wood for free as you can. The local recycling centre, skips and even flotsam on a beach are all potential sources for free wood.
The low end of the spectrum is usually said to be pallet wood, and most of it is cheap softwood with too many knots. But occasionally even pallets will yield nice wood that is worth the time and effort to harvest.
The low end of the spectrum is usually said to be pallet wood, and most of it is cheap softwood with too many knots. But occasionally even pallets will yield nice wood that is worth the time and effort to harvest.
It is suitable, or at least can be. Quality from piece to piece can vary so much that one piece might work well and the next not!Badgery":zl651huy said:
Keith 66
Established Member
Woodworking can be the cheapest pastime you want it to be or as expensive! I have been a boatbuilder most of my career & timber seems to appear its a matter of looking. Skips obviously, beachcombing, recycling the lot. People are always throwing good timber away in fact anyone would think that it grew on trees.
I recently got given a car load of mahogany simply because the furniture restorer i know had so much he couldnt move in his workshop, I look on the yacht club bonfire & find timber all the time. Once you get your eye in you will find it everywhere.
As for tools i hardly ever buy new as the quality is usually so poor.
I recently got given a car load of mahogany simply because the furniture restorer i know had so much he couldnt move in his workshop, I look on the yacht club bonfire & find timber all the time. Once you get your eye in you will find it everywhere.
As for tools i hardly ever buy new as the quality is usually so poor.
Glynne
Established Member
I've found this to be a really interesting thread from the practicalities, the economics, whether a hobby is simply to pass the time (pastime) etc.
Nobody yet has seemed to mention interest, passion, desire to create etc.
I'm not a professional maker (I occasionally sell a few pieces) but I absolutely love making things out of wood. I can positively look forward to a week without commitments so as I can muck about in my workshop. Whether that is making boxes (my thing), turning or even making jigs it doesn't matter, I just love being there - radio on, cup of coffee, apron on to try and get my head into the proper space etc.
I'm probably lucky in having such an interest so that I have something to balance the cost / finances against but as said very early on, if your interest is dependant on the cost then perhaps this isn't the thing for you.
I'm sure I'm not alone on this forum who, whilst loving a bargain and being able to use cheaper tools, also has some some expensive tools which aren't essential but are definitely desirable (sorry Jacob).
I would just try and make a few things with what tools and timber you have. They may not turn out as well as you would like (lots of mine don't) but you'll get a feel for woodworking, creating something unique and see how you go from there. If you think the hobby justifies the expense then fine, if not then at least you have tried and will know. But life is too short not to try and if it's not for you then move on.
Good luck
Glynne
Nobody yet has seemed to mention interest, passion, desire to create etc.
I'm not a professional maker (I occasionally sell a few pieces) but I absolutely love making things out of wood. I can positively look forward to a week without commitments so as I can muck about in my workshop. Whether that is making boxes (my thing), turning or even making jigs it doesn't matter, I just love being there - radio on, cup of coffee, apron on to try and get my head into the proper space etc.
I'm probably lucky in having such an interest so that I have something to balance the cost / finances against but as said very early on, if your interest is dependant on the cost then perhaps this isn't the thing for you.
I'm sure I'm not alone on this forum who, whilst loving a bargain and being able to use cheaper tools, also has some some expensive tools which aren't essential but are definitely desirable (sorry Jacob).
I would just try and make a few things with what tools and timber you have. They may not turn out as well as you would like (lots of mine don't) but you'll get a feel for woodworking, creating something unique and see how you go from there. If you think the hobby justifies the expense then fine, if not then at least you have tried and will know. But life is too short not to try and if it's not for you then move on.
Good luck
Glynne
