Absolute beginner, becoming frustrated


BDY33

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Great attitude and very nice board D!  

 

Shaffer hit the nail, without consequences, there is no learning.

 

I told myself early on in this hobby that if I'm willing to toss it in the burn pit I can't make mistakes.  Well, lots of bon fires later I've learned a little bit.

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I'm brand new; in your shoes. Still need a bunch of tools, but I'm stoked about building clean stuff with integrity. All my tools are used. Old delta contractor 10" saw, in good condition was my first. I signed up for adult ed shop at the nearby middle school. They have most of the tools, and an instructor. So if I need a board planed, I take it to class. Also, we live in a big univ town, which has a great shop that anyone can use, for a fee, once they pass tool competency. I betcha you got that stuff where you are. Don' t quit, this is too much fun!

Lee

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  • 4 weeks later...

basically i am in the same boat, everything i have done so far has been quite interesting as far as trying to make this work. one piece of advice i can provide and something that has worked for me so far is Crigeslist. i found my table saw for 40$ with a little elbow greese and some TLC 40$ for a new blade and basicaly got a damn good low end RYOBI 10" for 80$ i know its nothing special but it works as for a planner and a jointer, garage sales have been amazing picked up a couple old hand plannes and knocked the old rust off of em they work just fine. so really you dont have to spend alot just have to do some research and make sure your not spending money on something thats extreamly pitted. Rust can be cleaned off but pitting takes a little more work and might not be worth it in the end. thats my two cents. hope things work out for you.

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  • 3 months later...

Don't get discouraged!!!!  It is a great hobby and you can work your way into it.  You are right to protect your lungs but you can do a good job with that by using dust masks.  Don't forget your eyes.  Like Norm Abrams says there is nothing more important than these safety glasses.  A table saw is probably going to be one of your most important purchases and with 44 years in the business I have seen many changes in them.  The table top job saws are a very good starter and as far as I am concerned DeWalt makes some of the best.  Be sure and get one that has a good accurate rip fence!!!  The next two tools I would suggest would be a router and a random orbital sander and DeWalt makes a good one of those also.  A sliding compound miter saw would be a very good addition but a good one is going to cost,  I got a close out sale from Sears which was a 9 inch and do a lot with it and I got it for just over $100.00.  Tell your family that you want cash to put towards your shop for birthday, Christmas and such.  I have a rather nice shop at home but for now I am working on an air base in the Persian Gulf and the shop I have to work in has a DeWalt table saw, DeWalt sander and a off brand sliding miter saw and I do some fairly nice work with that.  U-Tube has tons of wood working videos.  My favorites file has a woodworking file and in that I have over 50 that I have saved and have learned from.  Don't get discouraged and give up.  The wood working community is one of the greatest and most helpful I have found.

 

Just another wood working brother  

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You asked about wood.  Check at local companies that use wood in their process.  I got some very nice African  Mahogany from a company that manufactured hurricane windows and doors and they were glad to give it to me.  I had to go dumpster diving to get it but it was worth it.  After I cleaned out the dumpster a foreman of the company said he had been pulling out choice pieced and setting them aside for just someone like me.  There were lots of useable pieces and some were 6"X8" 3 feet long.  I still have some in my garage.  I have attached pictures of a extendable table it built from it. 

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  • 1 month later...

Is it entirely possible to get a quality project out of big box store wood and basic tools ie a jig saw, circular saw, drill? I don't see myself doing a ton of huge projects which would justify buying the big tools. When it comes to wood, do you need the high end woods?

 

Absolutely! Take your time, think things through, plan your work. As C Shaffer said, it will take more time, but it can be done. Look up clamping tool guides. Harbor Freight even makes some decent ones cheap. They'll let you have an easier time cutting longer straight lines with your circular saw. A speed square can be used to make short, straight cuts with a circ. saw.

 

One other tool I'd consider is a router. Doesn't have to be fancy. But a router and some bits would let you put nice edges on things, as well as let you use patterns. Since you don't have the tools to easily make anything non-straight that has to be duplicated (think a mirrored curve on the base of a dresser) it will let you make a pattern out of plywood, refine that shape and get it perfect, and make exact duplicates on as many pieces as you want.

 

If you have the cash and want to see what can be done with limited tools, purchase the 1 and 2 sheet bookcase project in the Woodwhisperer Guild. It's $25 and shows the kind of work that can be done with just a circular saw, some shop-made guides, a miter saw and a drill.

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Thanks for the replies...I just joined the group and have being reading through the forums and ive seen a lot of.....you can't get good results from big box store wood, you have to go to special lumber yards and get rough stock. So if im just using milled stock, I wont need a planer..the thought of using a router scares and intimidates me, and I've never even seen a jointer, yet alone know how one works

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Thanks for the replies...I just joined the group and have being reading through the forums and ive seen a lot of.....you can't get good results from big box store wood, you have to go to special lumber yards and get rough stock. So if im just using milled stock, I wont need a planer..the thought of using a router scares and intimidates me, and I've never even seen a jointer, yet alone know how one works

 

it sounds like you are starting out where a lot of us did, or at least where I did.  My first few projects were outdoor projects... a cedar deck, cedar planters, a bench, things like that.  I built them all with basic cordless tools and a miter saw.  From there my comfort with the machines grew and I now have a nearly complete shop.  Some tools I like more than others, my tablesaw and jointer are a joy to use.  I still don't like routing.  it doesn't scare me, but the noise is annoying and I find setting it up a pain.    just build what you can with the tools that you have and you will find out whether or not it is a hobby you want to invest in. 

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Many lumber yards will plane and joint your lumber for you, for a small fee.  That's another alternative to "rough lumber from a yard" and "big box store".

 

I bought some lumber from a local yard before I had a planer and jointer, and they were happy to resaw it, plane it, and joint it to the exact dimensions I needed.

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I wasn't intending to offend anyone by my message so hopefully no one took that too seriously. My interests in the hobby is to make gifts for family and friends and maybe one day, try my hand at a piece of furniture but I don't want to invest thousands of dollars in tools, just not my cup of tea, especially since my other hobby is bbq and im serious about it. I greatly appreciate the comments given. One question I have is I've looked into mail order lumber, these prices are sky high for a budget minded guy like me. Is there a way I can use a non - commercialized wood species without taking a small loan? Also what do the numbers mean ie 4/3,5/4?

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I find that mail order lumber cannbe reasonably priced, but that shipping is a big adder (wood is heavy, go figure!) Anyway, whatever source you choose for material, jhst enjoy making stuff! If you happen across a rough piece that you really like, a hand plane and some elbow grease can make it smooth for little cash outlay. O, those numbers you mentioned are the thickness of the board, in increments of 1/4 inch. So 4/4=1 inch, 6/4=1.5 inches, etc...

These are true dimensions, as opposed to the dimensions you see for construction lumber (2x4, 2x6). Construction lumber was rough cut to the 2" thickness, but then planed smooth so that the final thickness is actually 1.5".

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This is not the same conversation. When you are buying from a mill, you pay to have it brought to your thickness. You tell the mill what it needs to be and let them deal with what the jargon for that product is. If you walk through the mill yard, you take a tape or ruler and grab what you need. Your dad was referencing nominal construction timber which is labeled by its rough state. Therefore, a nominal 2" by 4" is surfaced to an actual (approx) 1.5" by 3.5". If you are clear about what you need, the mill will deal accordingly.

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I have had a hard time finding lumber yards of the sort that everybody else talks about.  Being in an urban environment, they are not as frequently visible.  (Doesn't mean they are not there, just not visible to the average eye.)  So I still look at lumber and lumber products from the local big box stores.  The problem I have is that the closest local store to me is over 5 miles away, and I'd need to do some precarious balancing of lumber on top of a luggage rack that is missing a screw.  (Yes, you can say I have a screw loose somewhere.)

 

So the lumber I have purchased I try to get to fit inside the vehicle.  Here is where the big box comes in handy: you can bully the employees to cut sheet goods into something you can fit into your vehicle without excessive costs.  And there are times when I mean bully; customer service has dropped off drastically at both of the chains close to me.  All lumber yards can cut products for you, but only the big box ones (in my experience) offer a certain number of cuts for free.

 

The trade off has been a lower quality of wood.  This doesn't mean there aren't good pieces there; you just have to take some extra time and be picky about what you get.  Even if you go to the lumber yard that is referenced by most other people, you are going to be picky.  The advantage of the ideal concept lumber yard over a big box is the ideal yard's employees have done some of that picky work for you.  You still have to select your own, however.

 

I have found a few yards locally, and both they and the big box yards will deliver.  I consider what the delivery charge is, and how much I'm getting, and factor all that together when making my decisions.  For the big box yards, this means I'm ordering at least 15 sheets of plywood (for delivery to be cost effective).  But my situation is not yours.  You will need to do the math of your own requirements, taking into account the path you need to follow, the types of drivers on that path, the amount of weight you will add to the car/truck/SUV, the amount of weight the car/truck/SUV can accommodate, the volume of the lumber and the spacing available to load it, the costs (per mile, per weight, per item) for the delivery service to arrive at your door, and the cost to you of receiving it (does someone need to be home? will it be there at a specific time, or a "when they get there" fashion?) 

 

So I cannot give you a great answer.  But I can give you a straight answer: yes, I still shop at big box lumberyards.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have found it helpful to search for "hardwood dealer" rather than "lumberyard."  Around here, at least, lumber yards really only stock construction material.  Specifically searching on hardwood will at least weed out those people.

 

Also search for local sawmills.  I would imagine anywhere in the midwest, including Ohio and Kansas, you are not too far away from a mom and pop mill. 

 

You have to be willing to drive.  I routinely drive 120 miles for good lumber (even though I have a good, but expensive, dealer about 10 miles away).

 

 If I am going to put 50 or 100 hours into a build, I really don't mind dedicating the first 8 to sourcing good quality lumber.

 

jhop - have you tried this place?  Might be worth a 20 mile drive.    There is a similar store here in chicago that saws and sells local urban lumber and it is one of my favorite sources.  You will get species not normally available retail.  Also, the store here tends to be a little looser on grading (or don't grade at all), which I think is nice.  I'd rather have a 13" wide board with some defects than two 6" clear boards. 

 

http://www.metro-hardwoods.com/pricing.html

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