Thread: Introduction

Just the man we want around here Martin.

I for one aren't that crash hot at making things, but it's the never let it beat you attitude that I have. Most of us here all started out the same, not being to good at things,................ and yes some did have their fathers/uncles/friends etc help and knowledge to "guide" them when they got stuck. There are so many here willing to help you. So your starting late.........who cares....no one here I can tell you that. The main thing is YOUR starting........so jump on-board, welcome and give it hell

Fred

Thanks Fred.

Mate, the problem is, I have no idea where to start!!!

I'm thinking I might have to go through the video section to see whats on offer - I might pickup a tip or 2. But going by the posts I have read, I dont even understand what they are talking about.

Oh well, I'll get there.

Martin

Might I suggest, bolting down the vise, fix the wobbly workbench, clean all your tools and put them some where safe........like a tool box??........
there you go make a tool box as a start up project and go from there?
There will be plans on here somewhere.......half the fun is finding where?

Good luck

Fred

Freds got it right.

Fix the workbench and make it nice and solid. Bolt down the Vise properly. Once you have done that, go down to Mitre 10 and get their mitre plan for a tool box (Its free, you may be able to get one off the internet, but I know you can get from there), make that your first project. See how it feels to create something. If you njoy the process, have a talk with the local TAFE. They do siple courses teaching you the basics. You can go from there.

Have a look at the videos, also have a look in the best of the best section, within there is a post listing a great number of site links, they will also help.

Welcome to the fraternity of woodies, and remember two things, treat your tools with care as they can bite if you treat them bad, and most importantly HAVE FUN.

PS. welcome to the nut house

G'day Abitfishy,
Einstein had to go to school and learn to add...and we still don't understand what hell he came up with!
Point is....everybody has to start somewhere.
Just have a good time with it
Regards,
Noel

Originally Posted by abitfishy

...I'm Martin and I'm a tragic. ...

G'day Marty.
A tragic 'ay? You'll be fine....

Do you have a sense of humour?

Doesn't matter anyway, several others on here don't have one, you'll find a spot somewhere I'm sure.

PS. If you have a really weird sense of humour, don't miss Fridays.

Thanks guys.

Yeah, I should go ok.

Yep, I do have a sense of humour, sometimes a bit sick and twisted, and more often than not, not politically correct, so I'm going to have to watch my tongue

Will grab the tool box kit and see how 'elaborate' it is, however I think it isn't somehow.

As for the TAFE course mentioned, I still cannot find any woodworking courses at TAFE relevant to woodworking, joinery etc, that you don't need to be undergoing a traineeship/apprenticeship for. I'm in NSW, so maybe some of the other states hold good courses, but it seems in recent years, NSW TAFE system has gone to poo. Too many rubbish courses taking the funding for practical useful courses.

Originally Posted by abitfishy

...I do have a sense of humour, sometimes a bit sick and twisted, and more often than not, not politically correct, so I'm going to have to watch my tongue

Nah, that is what we have moderators for. (ducks for cover )

Originally Posted by abitfishy

...As for the TAFE course mentioned, I still cannot find any woodworking courses at TAFE relevant to woodworking, joinery etc, that you don't need to be undergoing a traineeship/apprenticeship for. ....

Look for an Adult trainee night course, they don't start til after school goes back.

Martin,

When I took my first wood shop class in 1953, Mr. Cappel (The teacher) told the class that we could do any F*&^%$# thing that we put our minds to. (Maybe not EXACTLY those words but explicit in meaning.)

Beleive it or not, even this klutzy Yank can accomplish wonderous things when he puts his mind to it. AND rarely needing more than three stitches! (I can't even pick up a toilet flange w/o needing stitches.)

Just think through what you are going to do. Ask yourself, "How is this tool going to attack the timber and me?" "Am I going to be safe?" If you can't answer these questions, STOP, get out the instruction manual and read until you understand the answers. (If the answers aren't apparent, ask another woodie.) Then procede with the operation.

G'day Martin, welcome to the best place to hang out at
on the learning front ACE is also worth a shot if there's one in your area.

FRESH MEAT!!! YEEEEES!!! We do loves fresh meat... and young and tender too oooh the wonderous wonders to behold when new blood comes aboard the Ubeaut forum

Now... ma ma maaate! First thing is dont mind these wallys just lissen to yer ol mate Dingo I wont lead yer astray... well you'll get lost anyway so how will you know just how far astray I can and probably will lead you? YOU DONT!!

So kick back young Martin an let me tell yer a story... a story about a bloke or a sheila cause sheilas can be right handy woodwhispers an woodbutchers just ask some of the girls here Anyway this fellas name is irrelevent cause it dont matter one iota what the buggars name is or isnt just that he has one alright? So where was I?

Oh right this noddy (sorry noddy ) he is gettin a bit long in the toofs sorta somewhere betwixt 25 and 40ish... and he gets this drivin urge to get all arty pharty creative but hasnt a clue and is a real "tragic" I mean this dopey buggar couldnt wipe his bum if he didnt KNOW it was south of his tum and around the back... anyway he decides "buggar me! I think I'll create a wooden somethin" and goes on a hunt... he gathers to him several rusty blunt and crooked old tools hes scavanged from various op shops and garage sales and hes also gathered some cheep and nasty blunt and crooked tools from the likes of Bunnings Mitre 10 and sundry other el cheepo stores... but cause hes a tragic without a clue he thinks hes done gots some right fine bargains... and by crikey (as ol SteveFlaminIrwin would say) hes gonna make somethin

Now the fact is ol buggalugs didnt REALLY want to make nuthin he was happy bein a tragic no brainer and just dribblin along doin his thing... but see hes got this shadow behind him who keeps screachin an squeelin squeekin an squarkin about wanting this an that made of wood and how bloody hard is it anyways an if youd just try you could do it an save us a shyteload etc etc adinfinititum

So ol buggalugs gathers the said tools... then finds he still hasnt a clue... so he scores himself a bench reckons its not to bad just wobbles a bit when you touch it and a vice that well it could work if he could just figure a way of gettin a hold of another bolt and nut to bolt it down with so it didnt tilt over every time he tried to use it... so he wanders around as blind as a bat an ignorant to his inate abilities until one day he spys while roamin the sites...

UBLOODYBEAUT Woodworkin site!! YOU FLAMIN BLOODY LITTLE RIPPER he thinks to himself An he leaps straight in... (keepin all the "good" sites up in the background just in case ) An so he writes a short note

"Mates Im a tragic... couldnt find me way into a wet paper bag if it had handrails an trafic signs and I was shoved headlong into it... mates Ive never learnt nothin about nothin cause Im a flamin tragic as was me dad before me an his dad an his dad infact mates its a family heritige thing... yes were all tragics... but see I wanna break the mould an actually make SOMETHING of wood
I gots a couple of tools but I dont know what they do an I gots this bench its wobbly as buggary but Im such a tragic I have no idea what to do to fix it same with the vice... mates I need help!!!

Reckon I can do it? WHat should I do? "

So to that end what happens is all the blokes an sheilas on the board all just stand to like the ridgeydidge Aussie blokes an sheilas they are (ceptin the Yanks Euros an Poms of course who are weekend Aussies cause we like em ) and give him a hand leadin him by the nose ring to the best of the best forum then to the different sites always steadily encouragin an movin him forward..

Then one day... he posts a pic of somethin hes actually made!! HES CHUFFED hes stoked hes in like flynn finally with the missus!!! YES!!!!!! Hes a legend!

Ohh that was me? My bad eh?!

Okay what to do... others have said the right things Im gonna shut up now

Cheers an welcome!


PS... and befor some other wally says "Shane what a waste of bloody bandwidth"... it wasnt!! Weve all been there at one time or other I was just verballisin it... well writing it actually but you know what I mean!! Just lettin the young fresh meat fella knows we knows what hes goin through an givin him a lift up the ladder is all

You feel better now Ding?

You write heaps Ding..

Originally Posted by sinjin

You write heaps Ding..

I'm still not sure about the "write" bit. Whatever it is, its entertainin!