Why wood working is such a hard hobby to get into

[Ben@FineWoodworking]

I've considered myself "very handy" for awhile now. If something is broken around the house I can fix it.

A few years ago my girlfriend (now wife) and I rented a house here in Nashville and I took the opportunity to build a few things. A guitar amp isolation box (for work), and a HUGE sewing table for my better half is as far as I got. In that time I acquired a cheap Craftsman table saw, jig saw, Ryobi router and some other miscellaneous tools. Well, we wound up having to move back to an apartment and everything went in storage. A few months ago we were able to buy a house that we love. The basement is unfinished and the wife and I unanimously agreed that I should set up a workshop down there. I have added a pawnshop Delta miter saw and LOTS of things that were related to fixing up our fixer upper.

We realized that we needed more counter space in the kitchen so I took my bachelor coffee table, an old wooden ladder and some pallets that were in the basement and made her smile ear to ear with a pretty cool looking work table. I realized how much I enjoy taking scraps of wood and turning them into something useful.

I started DVRing the Woodsmith Shop on PBS and found Marc's podcast and have been watching and learning every spare moment I have. I have definitely caught the bug.

We decided that the next project is going to be some desperately needed bookshelves for our dining room. The only thing standing in the way is having enough spare money lying around to buy a few pieces of furniture grade plywood and some clamps.

Well tonight the wife was working late and I decided to go make some saw dust. I figured with what scraps I had lying around I could make some picture frames. All of a sudden I realized that I don't have ONE true square. I literally have nothing that I trust as a decider of 45 degrees or 90 degrees for that matter.

I said to myself don't let this get in your way and went to town. Took some pine and using the table saw and router made a decent profile for two 8X10 frames. Mitered the pieces for one and decided it was time to glue them up.

Whoopppsss... my three clamps that I had aren't even big enough to go across the whole thing. Fine... I'll do one side at a time. Well... I can tell you already, as the glue is drying that my miters are off. Ok... I'll use some wood-filler and paint them.

All of this to say... this hobby is expensive!!

My wife's uncle is Ray Jones... box maker extraordinaire. Last we talked he said "just start making stuff, don't let a lack of tools get in your way. You don't need every thing they tell you you need." I really took it to heart. By trade I am a recording engineer/producer. I am constantly telling people that they don't need all of the things that the magazines tell you you need.

But jeez... I obviously need some clamps and a good square. Where did you guys start? How long did it take you to get a set of tools together that help you feel confident in what you are making?

Every time I go and do anything I find myself saying "this is getting in my way... if only I had...".

I know I need to just keep at it... but it is frustrating.

Sorry for the rant.

[Ben@FineWoodworking]

Thought I'd upload proof that while I'm not very good... my work still makes my wife very happy. That is the point after all.

[drallred]

Hang in there, I worked for years trying to get the nerve to start my shop, All I had was some hand power tools and a few "hand me down" hand tools. I am now working on getting the cheaper tools, like clamps, chisels, squares, and other useful stuff to go along with my large power tools that I picked up. And yes, every time I go into the shop I keep saying the same thing you do, "if only I had...".

Well, time will only tell, I have to get back and make some simple train whistles for a customer, now where did I put that tape measure?

David

[PMR]

I have bought a number of 36" clamps at Harbor Freight for about $6 each, yes they are cheapy clamps but they get the job done for now. I bought a number of tools used and as for as wood I have found a couple of guys with saw mills that sell several species for $2-$3 a board foot. Stick with it and keep looking for good deals.

[petersb]

Keep it up Fedora, in time, you will have more tools than you can shake a stick at.

Tools are expensive. I have been acquiring tools for the past 10 years and now I finally have a well equipped shop. My tools aren't the biggest and baddest but they work well for me and in the rights hands, they cold be used to build museum masterpieces.

I looks like you are well on your way to building some really nice things and keep your eye out for a good deal on a needed tool. Craigslist is a good place to start monitoring for tools deals. You might have to be patient, but they are out there.

[Vic]

It sounds like you did much the same thing as my wife and I. We remodeled a 1910 craftsman foursquare. I started acquiring the right tools for the right job and one by one started a collection. I found out years ago, to try to always buy my last tool first. Before I learned this I had bought something I wasn't quite happy with and then a few years down the road bought the one I'd keep. So, the purchase was considerably more than if I'd just kept saving and got the final one first.

But, here's the rub. To do that, means that you sometimes have to wait. I've just finally finished my "dream shop", after building for more than FIVE years. It was all out of pocket, but well worth the wait. Btw, the odd succession of my tool buying was a Ryobi TS, then a DeWalt contractor, then a Delta Unisaw. Somewhere in there I bought a DeWalt planer and Delta 18-36 drum sander, to remove paint (went through a lot of knives) and prefinish the trim in the house. I also got a DeWalt 12" SCMS to cut all the odd angles of an old very settled house. I'd buy clamps as I'd need them, and the tool list has kept growing. This all started more than ten years ago. My point is the same as Brett's: You will get there.

[Chems]

I see the hobby as 50% loving making stuff, 50% looking for and buying tools.

[jimmykx250]

I like to buy as much as i can used. Craigs list and e-bay have served me quite well and you can save some serious money. The key is know what your looking for and know what it's worth (do your homework) and there wont be any suprises. I have met so many nice people buying used woodworking tools.

Generally you save roughly 1/2 the cost of new and I personally go for the high end stuff and those people tend to have taken care of the tool so your not buying a piece of junk. Try it.

[muddlermike]

I agree, it takes time to learn and to grow your shop. We all had to go through it. Unless you have a large stash of cash that your budget allows to throw down on a complete shop, then you just have to take your time. One advantage to a slow start is that you get to know each tool at a good pace.

I stuck with an old craftsman combo square for years and couldn't understand why my stuff was so out of square. Buy a Starrett combo. Trust me, it will be worth it. Also, I second the Harbor Freight clamps. Although they aren't top of the line, their F-style clamps give me more than enough clamping power. be careful of their bar clamps - the cast iron can be pretty weak and I have had one crumble like dirt from a fall from a counter top. For parallel clamps, I've found the Woodline parallels are a good deal. They're not as nice as the Jets, but they clamp well and give a decent amount of pressure. If your joints mate up well then they will provide plenty of clamping pressure to do the job.

[Ben@FineWoodworking]

Well, when I went down in the basement I just glue and brad nailed the rest. The frame came out ok. I'll paint it and use it in my studio where everything is so off that if you put anything square in the room it looks funny!

I'm on Harbor Freight's site right now compiling a list. I am going to get a Starrett square. It will be nice to have something I can trust to be square. My Stanley square is sooooo annoying to use let alone be a precise tool.

You guys are right... it just takes time. I love looking in the gallery here and you guys (Marc especially) all make it look so easy.

I was telling my wife that I feel like I'm in high school again. I used to look at music magazines in such awe. I would just stare at catalogs for hours. Somewhat sadly though, everything in recording is now demystified. I know how to do almost every thing I need or want to do. Sure there are challenges still but that is usually because it is a bad band or poorly recorded tracks.

I like being at the bottom and looking up, not really knowing what I am looking at or looking for. This is a whole new set of challenges and skills. Unfortunately music has become a living for me and it takes a lot to get me thinking and really into it. 90% of what I do is old hat. Whereas wood working... 90% of what I do is REALLY HARD.

I'm loving this board and the community you guys and gals have going. It is a really inspiring and educational place be.

Plus... nobody is hoping to have thousands of people scream their names... that is a nice change.

Thanks for the kind words all.

[petersb]

Well, when I went down in the basement I just glue and brad nailed the rest. The frame came out ok. I'll paint it and use it in my studio where everything is so off that if you put anything square in the room it looks funny!

I'm on Harbor Freight's site right now compiling a list. I am going to get a Starrett square. It will be nice to have something I can trust to be square. My Stanley square is sooooo annoying to use let alone be a precise tool.

You guys are right... it just takes time. I love looking in the gallery here and you guys (Marc especially) all make it look so easy.

I was telling my wife that I feel like I'm in high school again. I used to look at music magazines in such awe. I would just stare at catalogs for hours. Somewhat sadly though, everything in recording is now demystified. I know how to do almost every thing I need or want to do. Sure there are challenges still but that is usually because it is a bad band or poorly recorded tracks.

I like being at the bottom and looking up, not really knowing what I am looking at or looking for. This is a whole new set of challenges and skills. Unfortunately music has become a living for me and it takes a lot to get me thinking and really into it. 90% of what I do is old hat. Whereas wood working... 90% of what I do is REALLY HARD.

I'm loving this board and the community you guys and gals have going. It is a really inspiring and educational place be.

Plus... nobody is hoping to have thousands of people scream their names... that is a nice change.

Thanks for the kind words all.

Fedora, 90% of what I do is hard for me too. I think that is part of the draw of woodworking... the challenge. If it was easy, everyone would build it, and then move on to something else for a challenge. For me, woodworking is one obstacle after another, until I have overcome each one to put them together into the completed project. Everyone would be able to tell you, or show you some "flaw" in there final piece that only they would be able to point out. Most others will never know that it is even there.

I also have a "fixer upper" house that I live in. It's a 1930 farmhouse that I have been working on for the past 5 years. I have learned a lot working on this house that applies to woodworking too. Patience is the biggest lesson learned. I will be working on this house as long as I live here.

Enjoy the house and the woodworking. A tip on the house..... Paint covers a multitude of sins! (an it's cheap)

[muddlermike]

Woodworking is in a good place right now, Fedora. There are so many excellent books, magazines, and web sites out there. You'll find loads of woodworking bloggers doing video/pod casting now. So much information is out there - especially on the internet (thank you Matt and Marc). You have volumes of learning at your fingertips that only a decade ago could only be had by becoming an apprentice in a cabinet shop. Another perk is that you also have better access to good tools. Enjoy the ride

[wilburpan]

My wife's uncle is Ray Jones... box maker extraordinaire. Last we talked he said "just start making stuff, don't let a lack of tools get in your way. You don't need every thing they tell you you need." I really took it to heart. By trade I am a recording engineer/producer. I am constantly telling people that they don't need all of the things that the magazines tell you you need.

Well, if your uncle is Ray Jones, you certainly don't need any more advice.

One thing to keep in mind is that the initial outlay to go from nothing to a set of tools that allow you to complete your first project is the biggest hurdle to get over. Once you compile your first group of tools, you'll be able yo use them for every project you take on from now on. You won't have to buy new clamps, planes, table saws, and so on for each project.

It's sort of like trying to set up a recording studio. To make that first album, you'll have to foot the bill for a 4 track recorder (my band days were in the 1980's, so I still think about recording music from an analog perspective), mixing console, monitor speakers, microphones, cables, etc. The incremental cost for the second album that you record is going to be much smaller.

[Guest Trace]

Most of my tools are of two kinds. The better ones were bought new. The others are from auctions, garage sales and flea markets. The latter were not in bad shape, but needed some TLC. All of them are usable and get used a lot. I do not recomend buying a tool just because it has an extra gong or whistle. I DO recomend buying a tool if you need it for the project at hand. I have had a couple of disasters trying to have a tool do something it is not really made for or capable of doing. However, I still have all of my fingers and other body parts. You cannot call me "Stubby".

[Ben@FineWoodworking]

Well found out there was a Harbor Freight six miles from my house. That place is wacky. Like a dollar general for dudes. Didn't get anything.

Right now I am trying to make the most of what I have. I need to tune some stuff up. My TS needs a setup as does my miter saw. I can already tell that my TS isn't gonna last me too much longer. It is just one notch above a toy. Pretty dangerous to boot. I am kind of shocked that they sell things like this. Every aspect of it is asking for kickback.

Next up get some clamps and get to work. I'll buy tools as I need them, take my time, be safe and enjoy myself.