Tips - Where to start for the new woodworker

[HexusOdy]

Ive seen alot of threads about what gear to buy for the beginner but I thought I would share my own thoughts on where new woodworkers should focus their efforts early on based on my own experiences, and maybe other people here could do the same.

When I started out I thought all planed timber was square and flat, you quickly learn thats not the case. If I was to recommend one area to focus on for beginners it would be learn how to set up your tools accurately to make your stock flat and square. Without that you cant do anything well.

Actually thats two tips. Accurate tools and square stock, but they go hand in hand.

 

[Adam9453]

the biggest tip I can give is do your research, really really do your research.
If you don't know about something then read everything you can find about it, speak to as many knowledgeable people about it as possible until you feel absolutely comfortable you do know about it.
Then don't be afraid of the wood ( :twisted: ), its better to have a go and make mistakes than to never try for fear of getting it wrong. We all learn from making mistakes, its part of life.

 

[Mr T]

The two basics I would recommend are get your tools really sharp and get into a discipline about face side and face edge. Don't just get your wood square and straight but use them for timber orientation.

Chris

 

[EddyCurrent]

I agree with Chris (Mr T), I learned that early on at school, when proper woodwork was taught.
Also you should decide if you are going totally hand tools or a combination of hand/machine tools. The two machines I could not do without are a planer/thicknesser and a bandsaw, you could do most other tasks by hand.

 

[RobinBHM]

My first tip would be to join this forum for great advice.

My second tip would be dont start a sharpening thread

 

[YorkshireMartin]

One of my best friends asked how my woodwork adventure was going. He simply didn't believe that timber you bought at B&Q wasn't suitable for building basic furniture. Frankly, until I actually started researching the subject seriously, neither did I. A pine table looks extremely simple to the untrained eye but when you scratch the surface of how they are actually made, it's incredible what goes into it.

Top tips from my own adventure so far. Sharp tools are essential. Have deep pockets if you're starting from scratch. Practice on soft wood or hardwood offcuts as much as possible and try to fashion offcuts into something useful (to toot my horn I made a £2 1ft square of sapele into my sharpening station). Research dust extraction and provision your workspace accordingly. Buy a good quality (Moore and Wright, Starrett, Veritas) engineers or combination square, making sure you get sweaty palms when you see the price. Avoid expensive second hand power tools with no warranty. Did I mention sharp tools?

Above all, be prepared to learn more than you thought, across a variety of subject areas.

 

[HexusOdy]

One of my best friends asked how my woodwork adventure was going. He simply didn't believe that timber you bought at B&Q wasn't suitable for building basic furniture. Frankly, until I actually started researching the subject seriously, neither did I. A pine table looks extremely simple to the untrained eye but when you scratch the surface of how they are actually made, it's incredible what goes into it.

Top tips from my own adventure so far. Sharp tools are essential. Have deep pockets if you're starting from scratch. Practice on soft wood or hardwood offcuts as much as possible and try to fashion offcuts into something useful (to toot my horn I made a £2 1ft square of sapele into my sharpening station). Research dust extraction and provision your workspace accordingly. Buy a good quality (Moore and Wright, Starrett, Veritas) engineers or combination square, making sure you get sweaty palms when you see the price. Avoid expensive second hand power tools with no warranty. Did I mention sharp tools?

Above all, be prepared to learn more than you thought, across a variety of subject areas.

What you mention there about a pine table is probably the biggest mental change I've been through. Before I thought there was such a thing as simple furniture, now I see a simple pine table top and think about the laminating, planing and sanding that went into the most basic bits of furniture. Of course much of it is factory made and the work isn't half as much as doing by hand but still, it makes you think.

So much so that I buy a a lot of second hand furniture and restore / embellish it because its so much cheaper than building from scratch. I just turned a lovely old book case into a pantry unit because it was about half the cost of the timber alone and saved a ton of time.

So there is another lesson, don't be proud, building from scratch isn't always cheapest (but can often be better).

 

[Ransoman]

A few tips and tricks I learnt.

Don't touch a black and decker workmate with a 10ft barge pole.
Learn the difference between Rip cutting and cross cutting and choose your tool/technique accordingly.
Learn how to sharpen your tools as early as possible and keep them sharp.
Remember when sawing, don't put pressure on the saw to make the cut, let the saw do the work.
Watch lots of instructional video's on Youtube.
And of course, Ditch B&Q as early as possible.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Black & Decker Workmates are brilliant for what they're designed for. Just don't expect to use them as a full time carpenters bench.

 

[YorkshireMartin]

Black & Decker Workmates are brilliant for what they're designed for. Just don't expect to use them as a full time carpenters bench.

Agreed, but I have to say, the modern ones are absolute and utter rubbish, the quality is appalling. If you can get a 20 year old one in reasonable nick, it's going to be far better I'd suggest.

 

[Ransoman]

I can't do anything with mine, it is a 2 year old 600mm version. It wobbles when I saw, it twists when I plane. And when I chisel is skids on the floor.

At best it is handy to clamp things to for additional support.

 

[ejtrent]

I found genuinely the best thing I learned early on was sharpening properly, go the Paul Sellers route if you can - its super beginner friendly and very effective!

 

[RossJarvis]

I'd say just give it a go and try not to be scared. Also, don't expect too much from the start and start simply. If something goes wrong it's not a problem it's just the start of the learning experience.

Get a saw and some nails and try to make a box, If it stays together you can put all the firewood you make next in it. Keep on going no matter how much things seem to go wrong.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I can't do anything with mine, it is a 2 year old 600mm version. It wobbles when I saw, it twists when I plane. And when I chisel is skids on the floor.

At best it is handy to clamp things to for additional support.

If necessity dictates you plane on it, try clamping a piece of 4" x 2" or something in it and brace it against a wall before you plane.

 

[BearTricks]

I've been trying to think what I've learned over the six or seven months I've been having a go at this and I think I came up with something today.

There are some tedious jobs that will feel as if they are nothing to do with woodworking and that they are taking valuable time away from learning the real skills but which will ruin your work if you don't do them properly.

Sanding and sharpening are probably the two that come up the most. My advice would be to invest in these so you're using equipment designed to make the experience nicer. Don't make the tedious jobs more tedious by buying cheap and nasty equipment if you can help it.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

 

[xraymtb]

I would say learn to sharpen, get some basic hand tools and have a go. Even if you want to go heavy on the machinery long-term, having a core set of hand skills will serve you well and make sure you don't rely on the machines too much.

Oh...and dont forget finishing. It's an often overlooked part of woodworking and something I wish I knew more about when I got started. Even today, I don't really know enough!!

 

[John15]

I would recommend building a sturdy bench with a vice as soon as you can.

John

 

[Bm101]

From an amateur's point of view? Easy. Learn to trust yourself to do it right and forgive yourself when you get it wrong. There's a lot to learn. Don't let the internet take over from doing it yourself.
Mark, Don't Measure! Transfer your measurements. Whether its a bit of scrap wood or callipers. Never use a tape measure unless you have to. Took me years to learn. Sadly.
Doesn't matter if it's woodwork or tiling or fitting a toilet.
Sharp tools and marking out are the saving grace for an amateur starting out at least in my tiny world. That and the dubious joy of self delusion.
Never forget why you're doing it in the first place.