Thread: Im starting out. Top 10 mistakes?

Originally Posted by Karass

I really like to ask old timers

. I just want to learn from your mistakes :/

..mistake No.1.....suggesting I'm an old timer...

...mistake No.2...suggesting I've made mitakes...

Welcome to the forum Karass...enjoy
I'm sure theres plenty of old mistake makers here that can help you out

^

Theres always something you end up learning the hard way.. Hard ways are hard..

edit: .. and whats up with Australia's woodworking community. Is everybody over there working wood? :P

Purchase the absolute best you can afford, with a view to the future. As an example, if you want a tablesaw, dont buy a Triton because it is cheaper now, wait and get the saw that you really want.

Same for all equipment purchases. I sometimes wonder what extra things I could have now, if I wasn't replacing those cheap things I bought in the first place.

Sometimes you just have to get what you can right now, but with some careful planning and a bit of fore sight, you should be able to limit it as much as possible.

Buying lesser quality tools. In the long run I found it cheaper to buy the best first, I know its hard to justify the cost when starting but if you persist with woodworking you will probably keep upgrading anyway.
Regards, Bill

I would suggest some
1. Do not turn on any piece of equipment until you are wearing safety googles. Familiarity breeds contempt and you would be amazed or horrified at the number of proffessional cabinet makers who ignore this.
2. Get proper hearing protection. I have a hearing loss now because I ignored this when I was younger.
3. Invest in good dust extraction. Dust belongs in the rubbish bin, not in your lungs
4. When you get a new piece of equipment read the instructions. They will be written in pigeon English and nearly incomprehensible but you should have a go at them anyway.
5. Never buy a tool just because it is cheap. It is cheap for a reason. It is hard enough to make good stuff without the burden of poor tools. You will have the router or the saw for a long time and the difference in price between a well made quality item and a cheap one will hardly matter over time. If you cannot afford a good tool wait till you can.
6. Measure 3 times then check the measurement again before you cut. The more critical the part or expensive the timber the more chance there is that you will measure wrongly.
7. Cut to the waste side of the line. Simple. Absolutely vital.
8. Count your fingers before and after leaving the workshop. If the numbers dont match you were not paying attention.
9. Enjoy the process of making. The fact that you get an useful or beautiful product at the end is a secondary and less important benefit. Enjoy the fact that day after day and year after year your knowledge and skill is growing in a craft that goes back into pre-history.
10. If you live next to me, please do not turn your thicknesser on before 9 am or after 6 pm please!

I know you asked for ten but I cannot leave this out since it is, for me, so important. Whatever space you have, big or small it is your workshop. It is one small spot on the planet where you can create, think and relax. Spend time thinking about how you can use the space to make your time in it as enjoyable as possible. For me, Sunday afternoon, with the footy on the radio and a bit of wood on the workbench, is one of the best times of the week. And I normally have good weeks anyway.

wow thanks alot guys. lots of good advices!

I laughed at that #8 chook

Mistakes

1. Thinking you need expensive tools to do good work.

2. Trying complex projects before simpler ones

3. Thinking you necessarily need "plans" from someone else for a project

4. Overreliance on adveritizing or marketing copy

5. Thinking there is only one best way to do something

6. Relying too much on "expert" advice

7. Being afraid to experiment

8. Getting too discouraged by mistakes

9. Not learning someting from mistakes

10. Putting too much stock in top-ten lists

1. Using the wrong tool for the job.
2. Thinking you need "the right" tool for the job
3. Underestimating the time it takes to do it right.
4. Underestimating the time it takes to learn to do it right
5. Thinking a skill can be replaced by a machine
6. Thinking you don't need hearing and eye protection
7. Thinking you don't need dust control
8. Underestimating the cost of nice timber
9. Not understanding the difference between a hobby and a production job
10. Thinking you need more than 48 tools

10. Don't make lists.
9. Do join a woodwork club.
8. Don't compromise on quality.
7. Do have a budget (and stick to it).
6. Don't assume all woodworkers are old timers.
5. Don't think you'll get it right the first time.
4. Do take your time
3. Do enjoy yourself.
2. Do get permission from the significant other.
1. Don't compromise on safety. Don't compromise on safety. Don't compromise on safety. Don't compromise on safety.

-Scott

Originally Posted by chook

Whatever space you have, big or small it is your workshop. It is one small spot on the planet where you can create, think and relax. Spend time thinking about how you can use the space to make your time in it as enjoyable as possible. For me, Sunday afternoon, with the footy on the radio and a bit of wood on the workbench, is one of the best times of the week. And I normally have good weeks anyway.

Dead right, I can't wait until I get 'shed time'. I'm a relative beginner - I'd made stuff before with Dad's tools but it wasn't really until late last year in my own place that I took it up properly, and I'm enjoying every minute of it. I come out refreshed, relaxed, sometimes physically sore but that's OK too because it's all part of the process.

In terms of the 'top 10'

1) I'd mirror some of the others comments in terms of buying the best you can afford - I'm already onto version 2 of a lot of things simply because the cheap and nasty original didn't do the job or broke. I've also found that if you look around, you can find a lot of good, unwanted tools (friends, relatives, workmates, junk stores, cleanups etc) and if you put some hard work in they will do you well. It might seem the same on the shelf, but the best example is the $5 try square that wasn't square!. I now have a lot of early projects that arn't quite right because I didn't notice it until I knew more.

2) You don't need everything. I bought stuff I don't use now and regret it, while I find there's a few tools I use on every single project so make sure they get the cash as a priority.

3) Avoid use oil based varnishes if your garage/shed is too attached to the house - the smell gets through everything (same with turps etc). Makes for unhappy partners!!

4) A place for everything and everything in it's place - a retired Salvo Major told me this once when talking about his workshop, and it's valuable advice. If you can't find it, then there's no point having it.

5) Recycle what you can - old palette wood makes good shed shelving, old jars are great for screws etc. We owe it to the planet not to waste what we can make good use of again.

6) Enjoy the process. The end result is nice, but it's often the memory of every cut, having to shave the end to make a perfect fit, the three coats of oil it took, that you will enjoy more than the finished piece.

7) Pine's not as bad as everyone seems to make out. I'll happy use it in the shed for benches, shelves etc. Better than seeing old growth hardwoods wasted storing paint tins.

8) If you're making noise, make sure the neighbours are OK with it, keep it to decent hours (10-6 is about all mine will stand) and make sure you help them out when you can with your skills as it will keep them happy when your router is buzzing for hours.

Ok, not ten but hopefully some help!

1. Don't buy a power tool until you're accomplished with the hand tool.
2. Don't skimp on cake.
3. Don't be fooled into thinking modern technology has created advancements in woodworking.
4. Don't forget the cake.
5. Don't buy second-hand tools with traces of paint on them.
6. Don't forget your mates when buying cake.
7. Don't borrow tools: If you're ready to borrow a tool, you're ready to buy it.
8. Don't buy more than enough cake for five people on any given day – if more mates turn up, you can always send out for more cake, and if none turn up... well…
9. Don't forget at least half the woodworking lies you hear aren't true.
10.1. Don't befriend woodworkers who don't eat cake; your relationship will be empty and short-lived.
10.2 Don't buy a tool because Derek has one; only buy tools you need. Your partner and fellow woodworkers will think the better of you for it.
10.3 Don't forget cake is of equal or greater importance as woodworking.

The cake is a lie

My other half's hobby is baking - I agree, cake helps the quality of work tremendously, as well as keeps the other half busy so you can have more shed time!

Could the cake be swapped with donuts?

Originally Posted by karass

could the cake be swapped with donuts?

No!