Quijote Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 Hello from Friendsville, TN. When I was growing up, my dad had a 30x20 shop in which we did everything to woodworking, to metal fabrication, to mechanic work. Looking back on it though, the woodworking was all butt joints and nails or screws. I am looking to relearn how to do all of this. I don't have the space for the big power tools I grew up with. I will be limited to hand tools and coming up with innovative clamping solutions as I will be doing most of my work at the dining room table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 Welcome, but you're going to struggle working on your dining room table. Working with only hand tools, you'll need something stronger and heavier than that table. Good luck, we'll help all we can, but you are in for a tough time, especially trying to learn as you go along. I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm pointing out that it's going to be tough, and you need to be ready to deal with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 Welcome to the forum! You will find lots of help here (and some joking). People will always try to give you advice that is both helpful and realistic. Will you be actually working in the dining room of your home? Or will you be using an old dining table in a shop setting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quijote Posted January 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 I don't have any area for a shop. Small house with no garage. All bedrooms are taken up by kids. What I have been doing is covering the top of the table in cardboard and move it into the corner of the room. I then plane/cut towards the wall. I use an old board clamped to the table top for a planning stop. The table fits tight enough into the corner that it doesn't move. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 That is dedication! Welcome, there are a few hand tool lurkers here that are very knowledgeable. I imagine you'll stick with small items but even in your setting you could make a lot of good items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 Welcome. You might want to look in to this as a learning source. https://www.handtoolschool.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 Since a dining table is a rather light-weight workbench, I suggest looking into some of the Japanese styles of tools and practices. Much of their traditional woodworking methods take full advantage of bodyweight and tools that cut on the pull stroke, minimizing the need for a heavy workbench. Of course, much of that is done while sitting on the floor, not always a good proposition for some of us old, fat 'muricans ... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 If you have a few bucks to spare and the dining table is not working out you could look at the Kreg folding workbench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 17 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: not always a good proposition for some of us old, fat 'muricans ... Hey, I resemble this comment. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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