The Big Hello

[GreenBoy]

Hi

Been lurking in the forums for a while and have to say I like what i have seen - a very mixed bunch of talents and every one seems supportive...

... which is what i need

To give you some idea of how much experience i have with wood - what does PAR mean?

So, now you have stopped shouting 'OMG not another noob' perhaps we can all calm down a bit...

apart from some short lived window shutters in an old house we lived in, and a new garden fence (close boarded etc) and a plain desk made from 2x1 with a ply top to see my boy through school, I do not have much experience of wood working apart from when I was last at school myself,

I used to enjoy woodwork as it was called, and metalwork but to be brutally honest i wasn't very good.

Now i am middle aged with thinning hair, and a job that keeps me in front of a computer screen all day, talking to general p*ssed off people, and want something to do in the evenings that allows me to do something 'creative' - I am getting far too good at computer games, and wont arouse too much mickey taking from the wife (she loved the muted idea of a model railway in the loft, as she said it would give her hours of fun taunting me about it).

So where to start???

I have lots of questions and will raise separate threads for each of them, but the first posts will be along the ideas of:

• Building a workshop: Many think this may be jumping in the deep end and a bit OTT if you are not already big into woodworking, but i figure if this isn't the 'thing' for me there are plenty of other uses for a decent shed!!
  
  Places to get some experience - woodworking courses?
  
  Simple projects to start with... I can cut a lap joint in rough sawn timber that nearly fits, but wouldn't want to try it in some rare wood... not just yet anyway.

So - hello, and i hope i don't cause to much grief with all my dumb *ss questions.

GreenBoy

 

[neilyweely]

Hello mate

PAR - planed all round.

I was a bailiff for eight years before working site for five years, realising I needed qualifications if I was gonna earn 'proper' money and going back to college for 3 years to study the noble and ancient art of the carpenter!

That was 4 years ago, and I reckon I have learnt as much thru this forum as I did in college (well, nearly, certainly different stuff) so you are in the right place.

There is a section for workshop builds, with lots of good ideas. Try it out.

And welcome!!

Neil

 

[maltrout512]

Welcome to the forum. I'm sure that regardless what questions you ask you will get an answer. As for sheds, well every man should have a shed. All the best.

 

[GreenBoy]

Thanks guys

Been checking out the posts on sheds... latest planning permissions changes do seem to be a challenge.

Do we have any friendly planning offices on here or a building surveyor who can proffer (a non legally binding) opinion?

GreenBoy

 

[brianhabby]

Welcome to the forum GreenBoy. I'm sure you won't be green for long here.

regards

Brian

 

[Ironballs]

Hello and welcome, never be afraid to ask a question otherwise you'll never learn. I'm (hopefully) learning new stuff all the time and this place is a great resource for that

Cheers

Damian

 

[joiner_sim]

Hi and welcome!

I work out of this small workshop in my spare time: http://www.freewebs.com/simonswoodwork/myworkshop.htm It is only an 8x6ft apex shed. And I've managed to do these projects in there: http://www.freewebs.com/simonswoodwork/ ... ogress.htm The only problem with my workshop is I do not have the machinery to get PAR timber, so it has to be ordered specially for some projects, or just brought off the shelf. I have a small bandsaw, a few portable power tools and a massive toolbox full of hand tools..... inlcluding, marking out tools, chisels and planes.

 

[John. B]

Welcome Greenboy,
To the forum. I'm sure you will get all the help you need.

John. B

 

[MikeG.]

Do we have any friendly planning offices on here or a building surveyor who can proffer (a non legally binding) opinion?
GreenBoy

Not that I know of........

.......but there are at least a couple of Architects!

Welcome aboard.....

...........ask away!!

Mike

 

[Woodmagnet]

Welcome aboard GreenBoy. ccasion5:

 

[The Shark]

Hi Greenboy,
I am a hobbyist woodworker, so read in to the following what you will.
Like you, after a short spell of woodworking at school, I fancied having another go at woodworking ( in my case once the kids were a bit older).
I enrolled in a recreational woodworking course at the local college, and went for 2 hours a week. We could make what we wanted, and there were no exams or assessments. I was lucky in that we had an excellent tutor whose passion for the subject rubbed off. I went to the college for 5 years until the tutor moved away and the course folded. It was almost as much about the socialising as the woodwork, but it was all like minded individuals so that didn't matter.
15 years later, the passion that was instilled for woodworking still remains.
I started with no tools, and as time went on, slowly built up a collection, making mistakes along the way :roll:
Whatever route you decide to go down, I hope you get as much enjoyment as I have had.
And this is an excellent forum - welcome

Malc

 

[yetloh]

Hello Greenboy,

I recognise your experience and enthusiasm for getting started. I am also a pure amateur and around 15 years after getting started my enthusiasm is undiminished. So far as gaining experience is concerned a lot depends on your ambition and your budget. If you want to aim at the highest you are capable of and can afford it you cannot, in my opinion, do better than start from scratch by attending short courses with Bernard Allen at West Dean. Part 1 (a weekend) is about sharpening and tool technology, part 2 (5 days about 6 weeks later) is a reasonably straightforward making project in hardwood. After that only the sky limits your possibilities. Bernard is an unfailingly encouraging and enthusiastic tutor and a really nice guy. I am still going back for more after 15 years, and still learning. If you are within reach, come to the West Dean hand tools event on 6th/7th June where you will find lots of friendly like-minded people and have a chance to look at West Dean.

If your budget/ambitions are more limited a local evening class is a good option if you can find one. A previous post mentioned that these can be very good socially and my experience was exactly the same – I enjoyed it until it folded but didn’t learn a great deal having already got started at West Dean.

The woodworking world is your oyster. As an amateur, I revel in the one huge advantage that my status gives me; unlike those who do it for a living I am unconstrained by the budgets (which mostly boils down to time), timetables and imagination (or lack of it) of clients, so I can take risks and explore ideas that would be commercial suicide for a professional. Sometimes things go wrong or ideas don’t work out but so what if you have had so much fun and learnt so much along the way.

Go for it!

Jim

 

[woodbloke]

Green Boy - welcome, you've come to the right place, loads of good info on here - Rob

 

[Night Train]

Welcome to the forum.

Don't worry about your background and experience, there is a lot of previous here.
I was a diesel mechanic, electrician, heat and vent engineer, supported housing officer and regen manager among other things before I went back to wood and cabinet making. I now have ,my own woody business and I teach furniture studies.

There is a lot of info here about workshops, sheds, tools, equipment and timber here, almost a one stop shop of knowledge.