Novice woodworker wonders what tools I should buy

"Lew Hodgett" < wrote

Grin, thats me and good advice. I currently lack a few tools that would be awful nice to have but am probably a novice for this level of forum. I've been lurking the past week and looking stuff up that caught my fancy. I can't say as I 'need' many more things than we have, but we get them as we find a 'true need' to finish a job. Mostly, home repair after renters did a number on us.

That said, there's quite a few spiffy tools I'd 'desire' and use if I had them! I want a better hand tool for example that scrapes off thin shears of wood when fine tuning sizes of doors (sorry, forgot the name for the moment of these. I want to call it a hand lathe but I think thats might not be right name for it? Flat metal plane with a blade that sticks out a little and you run it along the wood to shave off small amounts til it fits right). What I 'need' are some new blades for the one I have. What I 'desire' is also a smaller lighter unit for smaller jobs.

Hi Sandy, and welcome.

If you've made it down to this posting then you'll have already read many other good suggestions. I'll add mine:

Sounds to me like you're well on your way.

A good quality blade on the circular saw should do nicely. You can use it to cut up large sheet goods into manageable sizes for cutting more accurately on a table saw. Quality sand paper will improve your tabletop sander's performance a wee bit until you choose to upgrade the machine.

For the window seats you'll likely use sheet goods (plywood or MDF). Many people will agree that a table saw is a primary tool in a wood shop for cutting this kind of stock. I have a large, industrial Delta Unisaw with a

Radial arms saws have fallen out of fashion, for a number of reasons, safety issues being most prominent. Try out a sliding compound miter saw and you'll forget about the radial.

Others have recommended getting books and magazines to help with the learning curve. I strongly support their views. Your library should be a good starting point and I'd suggest looking for books that are specific to the tools you'll be using (how to use and set up a table saw; how to use a router; etc.) Many of those publications will also explain how to make and use jigs and fixtures for the specific tools. Like most of us, you'll make jigs and fixtures to make the processes more efficient and repeatable.

Shop safety has been mentioned before, but it's worth repeating. Safety glasses and a face shield, hearing protection and an effective dust mask are a must to protect your health. And keep some bandaids, antiseptic ointment and tweezers handy in the workshop. You're gonna need 'em! lol

I hope you'll find this information useful and I look forward to seeing some of your projects posted here in the future.

Cheers.

Michael

The best ear protectors I have, from a comfort and rating standpoint, are $15 Peltor muffs.

The electronic gadgets add convenience, but often have lower protection ratings.

To Robatoy, You are correct about Sandy's gender but new university research points to the possibility that "Tool Lust" is comminicable to the female of the species.

Joe G

Do a project, buy what you need, but when you do, always consider what else you could do with it.

Here's another discussion of this topic that I think is pretty good

On saws, a _good_ radial arm is a lovely tool to have. But to get a _good_ one you're pretty much going to be looking for used unless you can afford to put several thousand dollars into it. The catch with them is that the lower end models go out of alignment with deplorable regularity. I _strongly_ recommend that _before_ you buy an RAS you read both Jon Eakes "Fine Tuning Your Radial Arm Saw" (contained in PDF form on the DVD "Stationary Saws with Jon Eakes"

If you get a router, you really should get or build a router table (a good simple project by the way) and some kind of precision positioner is very convenient--Rockler has the original Incra jig for 100 bucks or you can get one of the newer ones with more cutting range and finer adjustement for a lot more.

Clamps--get more than one kind and a variety of sizes.

Regular bar clamps such as the Bessey Tradesman are your real workhorses IMO. Come in sizes long enough to cover most project ranges, some have extended reach, can be had inexpensively from a number of sources.

You'll see recommendations for Bessey K bodies (note that the K is different from the Tradesman). They are very useful tools, a couple of long ones and a couple of medium size will do all sorts of things for you but if they're the only kind of clamp you have you'll run into situations that they won't handle gracefully. If you get Besseys (any Bessey), the first thing you want to do is _wax_ them--for some reason Titebond and other common wood glues stick like crazy to the things, more to the metal parts than to the plastic but it's not all that easy to get off the plastic.

Some handscrews will be very useful. Nice thing about them is that they'll hold odd-shaped stock and clamp at angles.

One thing that gets pooh-poohed by a lot of people is the Irwin Quik-Grip one handed bar clamps. I find them incredibly handy--they aren't the tool you grab when you need lots of precisely applied pressure but they're perfect for holding a stop block in place or holding an assembly until you can get the big clamps on it or all sorts of other stuff where you need three or four hands. When you get those, _clean_ the bars with lacquer thinner--any oil or grease or wax on them will make them slip, and I've had brand new ones in sealed packages that were oiled up like crazy--I suspect that their bad reputation in part comes from that. I'd at least get a couple of the "minis" (the "micros" are too small for general work of any kind, but I suspect that they're lovely for model making).

Woodcraft normally has a "15 piece professional clamp set" in stock for 20 bucks. The quality is distinctly Harbor Freight, but they are usable--do inspect carefully, file or grind down any big bumps on the faces, and clean and lubricate the screws. They're never the first clamps I grab but when I'm out of the "good clamps" I'm damned glad I spent the 20 bucks.

Something most people don't think about is cordless tool _systems_. If you're tempted to buy a cordless _anything_ don't just look at the tool, look at the others that use the same battery. I just happened by chance to get an 18v deWalt about ten years back, and that proved to be fortuitous, because not only do the same battery and charger work with lots of other deWalt tools but now I can go to lithium ion technology without buying anything new except batteries and charger.

Thank you everybody for all your suggestions. I'm cheap too and have been managing with a really crappy tablesaw with a blade that I'm guessing hasn't been replaced in 20 years!!! I'm thinking that your suggestion of getting a good tablesaw is a good idea and will put that at the top of my list. Well....maybe 2nd on the list; I've put safety equipment at the number one slot (my protective goggles have such a worn out band that they've been known to fall off in the middle of sawing something)

And yes, "tool lust" DOES infect us too! Glad to hear that it is rarely fatal!

Sandy

Well Sandy you have a lot of choices here. The goggles are a wise investment, and anything you do for dust control is well worth protecting your lungs. A saber saw is great for curves and a good choice until you can get a bandsaw. Duck decoys will require some carving tools, possibly an odd clamping device (perhaps you can make one!), and a Dremmel can be useful. A good table saw is a very important power tool. Most hand tools will be useful long after you acquire power tools. Add quality tools as you need them, rather than what you think you need and you'll save some $$$. Fine Woodworking magazine has some tool reviews (once a year) that can be helpful. Sorry to hear about your hubby. HTH

Definitely don't want that. Get good goggles or a face shield or both. And when the goggles either don't stay tight or get scratched enough to interfere with vision, replace them.

You've already found one of the best resources for woodworking - the library. If you have a county-wide system you might want to visit the other libraries it has. Mine has Taunton Press videos and any book I could want. If they don't have a book I'd like the I just ask and in a couple of weeks they buy it for me. Saves lots of $$$

Mon, Feb 25, 2008, 7:31am (EST-3) snipped-for-privacy@isp.com (sandy) doth sayeth: I'm cheap too and have been managing with a really crappy tablesaw with a blade that I'm guessing hasn't been replaced in 20 years!!!

I'm not cheap myself, just frugel. Your saw might just need a new blade. My saw is a HF model, consistent cuts, and with a $10 carbide tipped blade from Big Lots, works just fine - especially with a saw sled. I prefer a full face shield over goggles. And stay out of line with the blade when cutting on the tablesaw. I've never had kickback myself, but I pay a LOT of attention to my safety, and use a saw sled, or stand out of line, just in case. Yeah, I'd get a big ol' tablesaw, IF I had more room, but don't, and the HF does the job, so I'll stick with it for now. I'd like a big ol' floor model bandsaw too, but lack of room again, and my bench model works. Nice 16" scrollsaw, not top of the line, but works just fine. Wood lathe, HF, paid about $120 new, works fine. Just look around before you buy.

JOAT

Brilliant thought..

I have daughters with long hair.. and I've been thinking they might like to do some shop projects.

This could be a life saver!

If that's the case, try here:

It's far and above my favourite store, online or otherwise. You're somewhere between being a hand tool enthusiast and a power tool fan. Lee Valley has a ton of handtools, most of excellent quality. It doesn't sell power tools (or not very many) but it has a bunch of things that accessorize power tools.