Absolute beginner, becoming frustrated

[sjeff70]

Will do, thanks.

[JRStout]

Hi all,

 

I hope this won't come across too negatively, I am looking for encouragement and strategy to overcome some frustrations. I do not mean this as pessimistically as it may sound.

 

I have wanted to get into woodworking my whole life, and at 40 with the help of a very supportive wife and family I have begun to do so in a corner of our small garage. So far I built a workbench (not a woodworkers bench, just a run of the mill garage workbench), which is very ugly but sturdy - not easy to do without already having a workbench! - an end table with drawer for our living room, and a stand for our girl's digital piano. They have all turned out well, but they don't really encompass any amount of actual woodworking skill - just cheap "whitewood" from Lowe's, cut crookedly with a cicrular saw, attached with pocketholes. It has definitely gotten me interested in learning more, and I have a ton of projects around the house I want to do. So I've been reading several books, reading lots on forums like this one, and have taken a 101 class from the local Woodcraft store.

 

So now it seems like in order to actually progress, I am going to need at a minimum a table saw. Every single book, plan, and TV show I watch, with the exception of the hardcore handmade guys, assumes you will have a table saw. So I start planning on how to save up around $500 for a decent Bosch or DeWalt model.

 

Now for the wood itself, I can either pay around $15-20 per bf for red oak at Lowes/HD, or I can get roughsawn lumber locally for closer to $3 per bf. Obviously I want to do the latter! But then, I would need a jointer and planer. OK, I think I can see how I can find another $500 for a Jet 10" jointer/planer (which already is a little dubious, reviews are all over the place for that).

 

So, $1000 and pretty much cramped into my 1/3 of the 2 car garage, doable. But I guess I am going to need an air solution, I already have been coughing more than normal from just 2-3 small projects. So, maybe $200 for a cheapo from HF? OK, maybe I can swing that. But wait, lots of folks saying that is inadequate. OK, need to add air cleaners. Those cost - holy cow, $600? And really, if you care about your and your family's health, you should check out Bill Pentz's site and get one of his cyclone machines. Only $1600! Well you can get a kit for $600, and just add the motor for another $400, plus all the other parts....

 

And this is just the bare minimum. I probably don't even have room for stuff like a bandsaw or drill press, etc.

 

So all of a sudden it seems ridiculously impossible and like I should just forget about it. Am I missing something here? Maybe I'm overthinking this. Can someone please help me out of this and explain how to get started in a more reasonable fashion?

 

Thanks for any help.

Don't get frustrated so fast!  You are at the beginning of what could be a lifelong adventure!  Take it slow, buy what you can afford.  Your corner of the garage will slowly grow into the entire garage over time!  In the meantime, check out if you have any woodworkers clubs near you where you can buy shoptime and use their space, tools and knowledge!

[bobcrosley]

Your corner of the garage will slowly grow into the entire garage over time! 

 

This is true. Garage woodworking is a game of inches! You just keep expanding very slowly, and before you know it, you're running the garage.

[BDY33]

Another update:

 

So I've had about 2 months with my Ridgid 4512 TS and quickly got an education in the care of cast iron in Florida humidity, as well as some basic machine repair. I love the table saw and it has been a true game-changer, but I appreciate more the corners cut in making a large power tool at a lower price-point. Have already had to fix the belt, the blade raising mechanism, and the riving knife lock.

 

My first 2 "real" projects since getting the saw were to make a tool storage cabinet for the shop, and a bombe box (jewelry box), both of which turned out great. I made the coves for the bombe box profile on the table saw. Without access to a planer or lumber yard the only wood I could get thick enough was 2 inch cedar from Home Depot. I used a stacked featherboard on the TS to resaw the cedar down to about 1-1/4 inch which only tripped the garage circuit a couple times (I'm guessing this would be impossible on my current low-amp circuit with a hard hardwood if soft cedar caused such strain). I was so pleased with how the box turned out with the cedar that I decided to make a couple more boxes out of it. Everyone loves the smell and the look.

 

Took a Router Intro class at Woodcraft which helped de-mystify the tool and get me over my fear of using it. I had been given one last birthday from the wife but in reading up on it was terrified by the 10-15 pages of warnings and tales of extreme mayhem everywhere I looked. I made the beginnings of a router table insert extension for the table saw, right now it's just a hole that the router sticks up through. I need to actually rout out part of the underside, the router bit doesn't extend quite high enough. Also need to build a router fence addon to attach to the TS fence. But it's nice to have something basic to use from time to time.

 

Yesterday I picked up a 6" jointer off of craigslist. It's just a HF-Central Machinery model but for the low price I figured I would take the gamble. Tried it out last night on some newly resawn cedar planks and it works decently, but there are some rough spots. In reading up on it I'm guessing the knives probably stink so I got some replacements coming tomorrow. Hopefully that should help out. It's definitely taking a lot of material off and the fence and plates are square so with some good cutters it should be a step up from nothing.

 

Next up I've got some extra money coming soon so I've already let the wife know I'm setting some aside for a lunchbox planer (probably go with the DeWalt 734). Then I'll probably make my first trip out to a nearby lumber guy - apparently he's a bit hit or miss as to whether he's there or not or he even answers his phone, but it's really the only option (outside of Woodcraft) in my area. After that I may look into that HF dust collector that runs $150-200. I'm using my shop vac connected to the tools plus a homemade dust blower with filters attached and respirator now. It's ok but obviously could be better. Judging by the crap on the filters it's getting some of it out of the air.

 

Thanks to everyone who offered encouragement. You guys were really helpful and it is much appreciated. Hopefully this thread will help other newbies overcome any misgivings they have an give some pointers on getting started.  A  lot of good info in this thread.

[G S Haydon]

Good to hear from you BDY33 and even better to hear you are enjoying the journey 

[woodbutcher74]

I guess I don't understand the whole idea of building a complete shop with all the best tools and walking in one morning to start on a roll top desk. You have to walk before you can run. How do you know what you need before you need it? I am a believer in you get what you pay for and have learned over the years that cheaper isn't always better but that is part of the learning experience. Luckily I have a brother in law that is just starting out and when I figure out the one of my tools isn't up to my new skill level I hand it down to him and I buy something better.

[texaspilots]

I too had all your problems plus some.  I was in the military and on a tight budget.  Being sequestered into a corner of my two car garage,  I had to have a shop and still be able to move it to get the second car in during thunderstorms and hail.  I know everyone has said to get cast iron table tops and I agree with that, when able.  What I did was find a Shopsmith that had a small jointer, table saw, bandsaw, jigsaw, and lathe.  Sure, they were small but I built some pretty furniture with this little setup.  Coupled with a folding Black and Decker Workmate for a workbench, I did OK.  As for wood prices, remember, this is a hobby.  If you  are building a TV stand for the den and you find one on sale at your local furniture store for $700, it probably will cost you close to that in materials to build it yourself.  The big difference is that you can say that you built it.  Remember, this is a hobby.  One more thing to think about.  Medium priced furniture is made to last about 10 years.  Studies have shown that most people change some, or all their furniture every 10 years so most of the medium priced furniture is made to last about that long.  If you build it however, you know what kind of care and materials went into the construction of the piece.  You can finish it to match your taste and know it will outlast you.  

Having said all this, it's only a short time, if you keep practicing with a few inexpensive power tools and some had tools, you too can do it. When you get ready to throw in the towel in frustration, remember this is a hobby and one of the most satisfying hobbies you can find.  Did you ever try golf?

[Somethingwitty]

My advice is make friends talk to your neighbors I've built a lot of furniture and helped my neighbors built a lot of furniture by combining our tools Most woodworkers are friendly and happy to have somebody else interested in the hobby

[ngio]

Great thread with great advice. Have been in your shoes and still am in many ways. Everyone has points of frustration but for the most part I've tried to enjoy the challenge of doing more with less. Some of my most satisfying projects have been jigs where I otherwise could have spent a bunch of money to achieve the same result.

[billiardshound]

As a hobby you picked an expensive one that is true. It doesnt have to happen over night nor do you have to listen to all the arm chair woodworkers all over the internet. Use some common sense and buy what you can afford. A shop vac works just fine most of the time with smaller tools, just add a drywall bag and it will collect the fines just like an expensive collector. Move outside when you can to keep dust out of the house. Just use some common sense.

Don

I agree with Don, this is an expensive hobby to get in to.  I have been refinishing furniture and building cabinets now for a few years. I started by getting a display model Ridged table saw that was stripped for $100. (When i say striped I mean stripped) It had no fence or rails on it, but I bought an Incra ts-ls 52" setup. Now I have a hell of a table saw to start things off with. If you invest in a good router and router table you can use it for the obvious and also plane your joints.good to save space. You just have to get a few things to get started. It is all in the jigs man!  Far as dust goes, Don was right get your self a good shop vac, that will get most of the dust and ware a good dust mask. not one of those cheap paper ones.

 

Jason

[chopnhack]

There was a guy that hung out on all the web forums a few years ago that went by the name Dave in Cairns. His website is down so I dont know what happened to him. He also did the somewhat famous Tsunami hope chest a few years ago. I wish his site was up and running. The guy was a great example of what you could do with very little, the center of his shop was a ryobi table saw and a bunch of what most would consider junk hand tools. Ive never seen another woodworker that could match his work.

I guess the point is you can get by with very little if you just learn how to use the tools. Enjoy the hobby and make sawdust the tools will come.

Don

Don, from another forum I frequent was posted that Dave had stopped frequenting the forums after giving up his custom shop and going through a divorce...

 

BD, it looks like you have received and taken some great advice. I too suffered from what happened to you.. too much information to even make an inroad in the craft!! I didn't want to spend a lot of money and get the wrong xyz or subpar model. But when you start out and aren't really sure what you want to make, its best to get some good quality but basic tools and grow into more advanced items. I second Triple H's comment, read the Anarchist Toolbox, it might help put some of the power tool hysteria in check. There is a lot of marketing involved telling us how we need this that or the other, when truly we just need time to work wood and learn our craft. As for air cleaners and Bill Pentz's site, again a long and winding road! By his account woodworking is extremely dangerous and some of the lower quality air cleaners may be nothing more than dust pumps!! I think that if you do most of your milling outdoors with dust collectors on the t.s., planer, sanders and routers, you should be ok. The respirator is great, but like you when its hot and humid out, you probably cant wear one comfortably for long times. If your interested I made an air cleaner that I tucked into the attic. I did this because one of my kids room is adjacent to the garage and I don't want the air in the house to be compromised and I don't want to be breathing in all the fines created when milling wood either.

[chopnhack]

Maybe I am reckless, but for the hobbyist woodworker, the fear around fine dust is ridiculous.  If you are like any other american, you are on a steady diet of genetically modified foods, high fructose corn syrup, nutrasweet, transfats, refined sugars, alcohol, caffeine (heck, I think all that stuff was in my breakfast yesterday  Some sawdust ain't going to be the nail in your coffin

LOL I'll disagree with you on that one. Some of us avoid a lot of the "science" ingredients you listed above. But for sure if you do a days worth of milling with a high tooth count blade, router etc. you will be breathing in a lot of dust. Now granted, not everyone reacts the same way, but that same science tells us that its bad for your lungs. Some folks have problems right away, stuffy nose, cough, etc and others get problems later on. Just my 2 cents, but its something to think about and prevent. ;-)

[chopnhack]

Agreed. And you are smart about taking the protection that you do. And if that is enough for you and you have no issues, perfect. Depending on how hot it is, I either wear no respiratory PPE and cut outside with dust collection running or put on the half mask respirator and cut inside. Works for me because I have noticed in the past when milling that I would develop a cough.

 

Its somewhat subjective. Some have purchased the Dylos particle counter and gone high tech to determine where the dust is being created, how long its suspended and what equipment removes it best. Others have cobbled solutions together to just "git 'er done". For a beginner getting started, as others have mentioned a good shop vac with a drywall filter and maybe a box fan with a thick pleated filter. Do as much as you can outside where the dust won't concentrate. Common sense is key ;-)

[lonestarwood]

When I first started woodworking, I had a skilsaw, a hammer, a set of screwdrivers, and a limited amount of hand tools.  This greatly limited what I could build, but as time went on and my projects became more difficult, I saved up to buy the tools I needed to get that particular project finished.  It took me about three years to get where I am now.

 

As for the tools themselves, I think Amazon is a great place to find stuff and do your research as well.  I asked numerous questions at my local woodworking stores in town and took that info and went shopping.  I ended up saving a ton of money by shopping on Amazon and Craigslist.  My table saw (Dewalt DW745) was $350 at Home Depot, but Amazon had it for $279, free shipping and no tax.  I find when buying large priced items and having a limited budget I have no problem finding the best deal to save that money that would have been lost in tax.

 

In my situation, I live in a condo upstairs, so my “shop” is my tiny patio.  My work bench is a couple saw horses and a so-called solid wood door from HD.  Not the best, but it works.

 

There are no prizes for getting the most tools first.  I just took my time and saved up for what I wanted.  Though I am not necessarily brand specific, I do live by the mantra that “only the rich can afford to buy things twice”.  So with that in mind, buy as much tool as you can afford and make the best decisions based upon your research. 

 

There is a boom in the technology of woodworking tools happening now unlike anything before.  Newer, better, faster, etc.  You will be buying tools from now until the end of time because there will always be a new gadget out there that will fit your project and you have to have it.  I know, because I am guilty as well. 

 

Now, my tool collection has gotten so outrageous, that when our lease is up, I need to find a bigger place just to accommodate the tools and equipment I have.  1200 Sq. Ft. isn’t enough.

 

The Ridgid saw is awesome.  I am looking forward to buying one next month, simply because my Dewalt doesn’t take a dado set and that is an important feature aside from the max width being 26” vs my 16”.

 

Keep up the good work and you’ll definitely get there.

 

My Shop:

 

[CJC5151]

I here all your concerns. It can be overwhelming when looking online at all these fully equipt shops when you start running numbers in your head about what people have spent to get to that point. But you can get there, but unless your a millionaire, and judging by your post you are like me and most "not a millionaire". heres a few tips that I learned through experience. Its a hobby, so don't over extend yourself it will make the whole woodworking experience stressfull and hobbies are supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable. Not to mention the stress that can be added by an unhappy wife. Its great that she supports your hobby, but the most important thing is to keep it that way, and dropping thousands of dollars on tools probably isn't the best way to accomplish that. My next suggestion is make craigslist your best friend. I have saved thousands, yes thousands of dollars over the past 3 years on craigslist. Be selective and if the item turns out not to be as advertised or what you expected just walk away...I have yet to be burned on craigslist. Here are some examples. I got a 10 year old delta unisaw for $800, that's a $2800 saw, I have a 12" Powermatic joiner 15 years old I bought for $600 that's a $3000 jointer, and I bought an excaliber slideing table attachment for my table saw for $200, retails at 1500. the deals are out there, most people are way over priced but its not hard to recognize a deal when you see it. When it comes to craigslist I only have one rule. Buy from hobbiest only... the unisaw I got was from a seventy year old man who had an accident on the saw and his wife made him by a brand new saw stop so he didn't cut anything off...the saw was 10 years old like I said but it looked show room new. Production shops are using their tools 40 hours a week minimum. So its like buying a used car, lowest miles possible. Dust collection is my third suggestion. You mentioned the harbor freight model to be not-attiquate. Not true...they make a 2 horse machine for between 2-3 hundo. You aren't going to be able to pipe you whole garage and have all your machines hooked up at once but hook that collector up to a garbage can separator and run the separator to the tool your using and you will get adequate collection. Plus forget the air cleaner until you can afford it. Open the garage door and put a 20 dollar box fan in the back of the garage running constantly and blow the fines out the door. Also buy a 20 respirator or just get a box of dust masks. I wouldn't buy a brand new tablesaw... My first tablesaw was a craftsman 3 hp contractors saw that I bought at a garage sale for $200. Its three times the quality and power of any portable little saw you can buy new at home depot and if you put it on a mobile base and remove an extension wing and replace it with a homemade router table wing you got a pretty great set up. And with the better saw you can even make jigs for jointing edges of boards so now you don't need a jointer...I would wait on the joiner too. Wait until you can find a nice one on craigslist. If you have some money to spend, spend it on the dewalt lunchbox planer. its about 600. its a really nice machine. and you can joint with it. just build a sled and shim the twist or cup in a board and send it through the planer...once that side is straight just flip it over and parallel the faces. Jigs and fixtures can save you a tone of money. and all the things I mentioned above can be found on the internet and if you have any questions I would be happy to talk with you directly and help you out. Im 38 and I started just like you about 15 yrs ago. I was a trim carpenter and had always wanted to get into building my own furniture. I made a lot of mistakes through the process of growing my hobby but this is how I would start now knowing what I know. 2 years ago I actually went pro and opened up my custom furniture and cabinet shop. But I still use a lot of the jigs and fixtures that I made when it was a hobby. good luck and make some sawdust. few hobbies offer the satisfaction as woodworking, when you can sit back after a jobs done and say "I did that" welcome to the "club" and let me know if I can help

[James Pell]

Great thread.....Like so many of the contributors to this thread, I always had an interest in woodworking but my job always keep me on the move.  Unable to either afford the tools nor the space to house them, I resorted to the local technical schools.  I took woodworking courses to use their industrial tools, benches and clamps.  As the years passed, I retired and finally had a permanent place to call home.  Still, I needed more experience and discovered the internet, YouTube, WoodTalk and Lumberjocks.  In addition to all these online helpers, I decided to signed up for some classes with Charles Neil.  I have to admit, I learned more in two of his classes than I could have ever learned from reading, experimenting and watching the internet.  I attended the sugar chest build and finishing classes.  My woodworking has progressed to the next level.  Irregardless of your experience and skill, you can always benefit from taking a class or course from a professional.  Saves time, money and frustration.  

[helipacter]

Hi,

 

This was just the thread I was looking for as a beginner, and I'd like to thank some of the older heads for posting their thoughts.

 

I hope you don't mind me hijacking the thread slightly, but I was just wondering what those of you did when you decided "this is the hobby for me" but couldn't afford tools and materials to build project after project?

 

My current predicament is I have a wishlist of about 6 or 7 projects, but I need to save up and get some basic tools (I live in Spain, and the second hand market is not so evolved here, so I'll be buying premium) before I can even think about buying the wood I need.

 

In the meantime I've been using some offcuts from old projects to practice marking and cutting different (basic) types of joints, which is not ideal because the wood has moved, or has warped, since I cut it last, but it does help to learn how to cut joints and if I mess up I mess up, no problem.

 

Aside from this, are there any other things that we new-folk can do that will help us not go rusty in the lengthy lay off between projects?

 

Thanks for reading!

[chopnhack]

I spent / spend a lot of time reading or using sketchup to dream up my next project or projects that will require equipement that I may not have. You can also spend the time devising workarounds for the machinery or tools that you may not have. At minimum build up a basic tool set. You can get by without a tablesaw for awhile, but it does make things easier. As for wood selection, start out with cheaper building grade softwoods that you can get at the large homecenters. Do you have an Aki or Leroy Merlin in your area? If not hit up the poligono's around your area and look for cabinet shops, furniture builders, etc. and see if you can buy their scrap. You should be able to make off fairly cheap with good quality items, just not large! Good luck. Start your own thread if you need further help.

[Byrdie]

The only thing I would have to add to Chopnhack's post above is to spend time on forums like this, read some blogs and watch some videos on woodworking.  It's amazing how much of the craft you can learn by osmosis - You'll come upon some project you want to do, some joint you want to create, some finish you'll want to apply, and the back of your mind will stir and go, "I remember how to do that!"

 

For me when I was starting out, the best part of the craft was the problem solving - how to create the part or joint I wanted with the tools I had.  You will be surprised how much of the same results can be achieved, perhaps taking more time or a bit more crudely, with a real minimal tool set.  And I am at an age where I didn't have the internet to take advantage of when I was learning this.

[gkd]

If I was starting over my beginners list would be

 

Use pre milled boards from big box or from your HW dealer and have them milling your timber.   I would also shop for a good buy on a thickness planner.  

 

Invest in some reasonably priced hand tools, i.e. block plane Jack plane, router plane, hand saw (rip crosscut, dovetail and tendon saws), set of bench chisels,

 

14 in. Band saw. 

 

Router (can be used to in lieu of a jointer)

 

Shop vac with a dust separator

 

Nice to have  Portable power saw to cut sheet goods

[MNsawyer]

I just joined the forum and I see that this question started in February.  I will throw in my experience.  I came into DIY woodworking from a different angle.  I was trained in college to be a shop teacher.  I taught one year at a delinquent boys ranch and "retired" from teaching.  I got a job at a small custom furniture making shop.  In a short time I was made the shop foreman and designer.  The shop was set up with lots of big tools so that was not a concern to me.  For the next 2 years I made furniture every day, one custom order after another.  Then, the owner was in a car accident and laid us off.  

 

Rather than choose the safe route and go on my own, the other workers and I stuck together and started our own company.  I dove in, after attending 2 big home shows and getting over 1000 names of people who were interested, and got a $50,000 loan to purchase factory woodworking machines....BAD MOVE.  We did survive for seven years, until 1983.  Then, we had to close down.

 

Suddenly, I was a woodworker with no tools and no money.  Which, brings us to where your question starts.  My next job was as a carpenter for a company that had its own sawmill.  They built chalet style lake homes and made rustic stair parts, trim, and cabinets to sell a complete package.  I landed a few private cabinet jobs on the side.  I bought a DeWalt circular saw, a jig saw, and a router.  I built a work table with 2 x 6 framework and 3/4" particle board top.  I mounted the circular saw under the table about 3' back and 1' from the left side when facing it.  I ripped a piece of 3/4" particle board 1' x 8', which I could clamp parallel to my saw blade.  Suddenly, I had a table saw bigger than any you could find on the market.  I could rip 4 x 8 plywood by myself without the pieces falling on the floor.  I eventually went on to make another table where I made a track underneath for my circular saw to slide in.  I hooked a long handle to my saw, which stuck out of the end of the table.  I could clamp a board as a fence at any angle to the saw and pull the saw through, like a radial arm saw.  I built a whole set of kitchen cabinets with those tables and that circular saw.  I did use the router to cut dadoes and mortise and tenon joints for the doors.

 

I also mounted this router under one of these tables and used the back side of the 1' x 8' fence as a jointer fence.  I accomplished this by drilling out a 2" diameter hole along the edge of the fence.  This is where the 1 1/2" diameter straight fluted router bit fitted into.  I carefully routed away 1/32" of the fence edge up to this hole.  That created the infeed side of the jointer.  I could slide a board along this fence and along the router bit, then along the rest of the fence and get arrow straight edges on boards.  How many shops can boast an 8' long bed jointer?

 

The jig saw was used for any curvy work I needed to do.  I got by with those tools until I filled enough orders to buy a miter saw and a battery drill.  Little by little I added tools, nail guns, and on and on.  

 

My tried and true advice to you is this: don't over extend yourself.  Use your creativity, as I did, to make simple tools serve several functions.  Don't be afraid of old time hand tools.  I built a desk in high school using a hand plane and sanding blocks to get the glued up panels flat.  We didn't use a planer or wide belt sander.  I did get to use the table saw and jointer later on, after testing out of hand tool proficiency.  

 

I hope this helps you feel a little better. 

 

Oh, by the way, I went on to be a finish carpenter and on sight custom cabinetmaker.  I trimmed out man a fine house in my years of doing that.  My back finally gave out in 2009 so now I am passing on my skills to my youngest son.  I now have added stained glass work, pottery, and landscaping to my skills.  You can see some of my work and my son's projects at our Shutterfly page...

 

http://mgsmngallery.shutterfly.com/

[sdesocio]

I have a story completely opposite of  yours.

A friend told me about a doctor in another town that retired and wanted to get into woodworking for a hobby.

First he had a free standing shop built (not as large as Marc's but had all the features of Marc's) Next he took a trip to Grizzly's and bought one of.. .EVERYTHING he thought he needed and had it delivered and set up in his new shop then he started to learn about woodworking.

He started out making toys for donating to underprivileged children. His intentions were very good but, he lacked the skills for working in wood so he finally gave it up.

The moral of this story is that the most important tool in your shop is between your ears. A lot of very GOOD woodworking has been done by people with a minimum of  tools and space but, have the intelligence to figure out how to work around problems. And experience can not be replaced with ANY tool made.

I started out with a scroll saw and added small things as I went. I gradually got into larger projects after I retired and added tools as I could afford and needed for a given project. It has been seven years now and I feel like I have everything I NEED but, not half of what I want. I still don't have a joiner, band saw, paint gun and a lot of things that most wood workers feel are a necessity. Besides, I'm running out of room in the shop! 

 

Rog     

 

Rog if this doctor wants to donate his tools to an under privileged woodworker, I'd be more than happy to take them. 

[sunadmin]

Craigslist is your friend when just getting started. Lots of deals to be had if you look hard enough. 

 

Remember this is a lifetime hobby not something you just build overnight. If you did have an endless budget and went out and shot your wad at the local tool store in a year or so you'd realize you didn't get anything you should have gotten or needed. 

 

This stuff takes time. 

 

The HF dust collector would work.. why not shop Grizzly? They have higher quality import stuff and you get a warranty and a reputable customer service dept? 

 

You can get a nice 2hp dust collector with pleated filter for 5-600 from them. Get a 20' 4" hose at rockler and off you go. 

[rwhite]

While accumulating all of the tools you will eventually need remember this is done over time. There is plenty of information out there on woodworking plans so take the time to research some and choose one that requires the tools that you already have or can afford to buy. Taking your time will decrease the frustration and increase the enjoyment.

[Dnorris1369]

This forum seems to have some great people with great advice I am also a newbie. I got a miter saw and did some small home projects coffee table shelves etc. I recently purchased a Jobsite table saw and planer and have already messed up two out of two end grain cutting boards but I also completed my first regular cutting board. Lots of frustration but also big smiles from my wife seeing her new cutting board I can't afford big expensive tools but I'll grow my shop as I can. It's addicting but good for the soul finishing something. Sometimes well maybe just me. More satisfaction come from the journey not destination

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