Noobie (But don't let that discourage you)

[WellsWood]

Hello Tom, and a warm welcome to the forum. Having skimmed through the replies so far I'm surprised that amongst all the attempts to heave you down the "slope" from the outset, no-one appears to have mentioned the obvious (to me at least) starting point for someone who freely admits to a complete lack of knowledge.
Your local library should have a reasonable selection of books on woodworking which would serve you well in your initial thirst for knowledge, and is completely free! Once you have read everything they have (or can be persuaded to acquire - don't forget most libraries are part of a group, and will let you request books from other members of the group) you will have a much better idea of where you want to start in this VERY large pastime. If there are any books that you feel you absolutely must have, you can purchase your own copies later for reference having read them first to confirm they really are going to be of value to you.
Armed with a little knowledge (acquired fro no outlay) when it comes time to start laying out on tools you will hopefully be able to make much better judgements as to what you need as opposed to what you want. For someone on a tight budget (aren't we all? :roll: ) there can be no better distinction to make when it comes to remaining on speaking terms with our wives/girlfriends/bank-managers (delete as appropriate) :wink:

 

[johnjin]

Hi Tom
Mark has said the most important thing as far as I am concerned.
However I will give you one title to go for, and that is
Collins Complete Woodworkers Manual.
A really great book to explain about wood, tools, ( hand and machine ) Joints, techniques, finishing, turning, sharpening, and many other things to learn with lots of pictures to help guide you through the initial learning process. However as Mark suggests there are many many books around that will help you progress.

All the best

John

 

[carpenteire]

Hi Tom
However I will give you one title to go for, and that is
Collins Complete Woodworkers Manual.
A really great book....

Agreed, this was the first book I bought, nearly ten years ago. Once you've digested that the world's your oyster!

 

[chunkolini]

Hi Weblet,
Also think about duplication, I spend a fair amount of my time looking for things that have 'moved' or disapeared. So these days I have two or three of the things that I lose most, tape measure, pencil, safety glasses etc. Then I tend the find the one that disapeared a while back rather than the one I am looking for.
BUT, watch out for duplicate cups of tea, it is disgusting to pick up the one from a few days back by mistake and get a mouthful of cold slimy tea and sawdust.

A good place to find cheap good stuff is the old carboot sale, if you can cope with the pinch faced miseryguts serious traders. You will often find that old stuff is far better than modern versions.

Chunko'.

 

[Webblet]

Well, thankyou all. You have been very helpfully and supportive as I guessed you would be

I have some requests to build furniture for around the house so I guess i'd better start there (Jewelry box, book shelf, coffee table, TV stand, etc). Tools for this purpose would be good.

It seems that i've got the basic tool kit.
Saws
No.5 plane
Hammer
Chisels
Squares
Clamps

The library sounds like a good place to start finding out how to use these tools.

I'm going to try and make a shooting board at the weekend so if I get it finished i'll be sure to put it up here for inspection.

Thankyou again and i'll try and think of some more questions to bug you all with.

Tom

 

[mr]

I'm going to try and make a shooting board at the weekend so if I get it finished i'll be sure to put it up here for inspection.
Tom

In which case you might also need a screwdriver, countersink and a drill of some description, unless you glue the thing together.

Cheers Mike

 

[tnimble]

Don't forget the internet as a good source of information. Podcasts like Matts Basement Workshop, Wood Working Online, The Wood Whisperer, Stu's Shed and The Rough Cut show can be very clarifying to see some one doing a thing instead of reading about doing it. Also there is the Woodworking channel an internet TV channel and the video and instruction archive on www.diynetwork.com featuring a lot of the edisodes with David Marks and a few with Norm.

 

[CWatters]

If you buy G clamps look for those with a nice fine and smooth screw thread.

 

[mr]

If you buy G clamps look for those with a nice fine and smooth screw thread.

You might prefer to make hand screws much cheaper than buying cramps.
Cheers Mike

 

[Webblet]

If you buy G clamps look for those with a nice fine and smooth screw thread.

You might prefer to make hand screws much cheaper than buying cramps.
Cheers Mike

What are hand screws and how would I make them? Any pictures?

Tom

 

[mr]

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=4386

THese are handscrews. Fairly easily made with some offcuts and threaded rod etc. Very useful to have around the place for all sorts of tasks. Obviously they dont replace panel cramps etc but you might find they save you a pile o' cash on G Cramps which are not inexpensive.

Cheers Mike