Thread: Where and how to get started in this world

Hi Alex,

Starting out is the most difficult part because you don't know what you don't know, and have no way of discerning good advice from bad. I only got serious about woodworking a few of years ago, so with that in mind, and hoping that my advise is of the good variety, here are some thoughts:

1. In my experience, when you're starting out you really want to learn a system of woodworking. Let me explain. When making any piece, there will be a range of joints to choose from, and those joints can be cut with a range of methods and tools. Now is not the time you should be worrying about the best way to cut a joint or the best tool to use. There are many highly skilled craftsmen employing different techniques, and they all work well. What you want is someone who knows what they are talking about, so that you can just follow what they tell you to do. The understanding will come from doing, and refinement and adaptation can come after understanding. Otherwise you will find yourself chasing your tail and always second guessing if that you're doing is the best way, when in reality most of the time it's just different.

2. Further to the above, find a mentor to learn from. If you can't find someone in real life, look for an online mentor with a vast library of technique and project video series. A 20 minute video of how to make a cabinet won't cut it. You want it to be long form, as in hours of video per project. It is the little off hand comments that hold so much value ("I'm holding the chisel like this because..."). For online, consider the likes of Paul Sellers and Rob Cosman. Pick a project from their video catalogue you like, and follow them step by step. (I think Paul Sellers is a master of teaching basic woodworking skills.)

3. Woodworking is a compounding skill hobby. The skill you learn today is the foundation of the skill you will develop tomorrow. Don't try to take short cuts as they will only hamper your development down the track. Skills take practise however, so find the joy in it, and measure your progress not only in pieces made, but in new skills acquired.

4. Don't get caught up in the social media (YouTube/Instagram/this forum ) "must have tool" echo chamber. You can make almost anything with a basic collection of non premium hand tools. If you have power tools, they can replace some of the hand tools stages.

5. Don't judge yourself by what you see others doing online.

6. Learn to cut dovetails. With minimal practise they're achievable by most people, and will make you feel like a rock star of the woodworking world. Every time you're feeling like you're floundering you can pop into the shed, knock out a dovetail box/tray/whatever, regain your mojo, and go back to conquering the world.

Good luck. I'm sure others will be around to offer advise sooner or later.

Another youtuber who's earlier videos I liked watching is Matt Estlea. Earlier he went through showing how to cut many of the standard joints by hand. They were very detailed and he is a meticulous craftsman even though his presentation doesn't appear that way. He even has a free online school that you can work your way through. The two mentioned by Lance are also quality craftsmen.
As far as which joint to use where or how strong your piece is going to be might come down to a lot of reading of joinery/building type books if you can't find a reliable mentor.
There certainly are a couple of woodwork schools around Melbourne that provide quality tuition if you decide to go down that path but I think they are all closed at the moment. Which area of Melbourne are you?

yep try not to over think things. i'm just a beginner and i often over think things and worry it might not come out as great as a like but in the end its fine. But remember that half the fun is the "doing" not just the final product. Also don't point out your mistakes to people, most people don't see them anyway.

Steve Ramsay on youtube has some good stuff and is aimed at beginners, he has some online course that you can sign up (i never have) but his videos are just basic principals on how to do things and its all done in a fairly light hearted way. He also has info on what tools and things he would recommend for a small garage work shop.

Youtube is a goldmine of free education, especially with some solid channel recommendations to get you started.

I was listening to a podcast recently (sorry, forget who) and the guy had set himself a project of building a box a week for a year. The point was for that whole year he had a clear project in mind and plenty of hands-on time to experiment with new ideas. He reckoned it was the single biggest leap in developing his woodworking skills. I may consider a similar quest once all my renovations etc are done.

All good advice in the above posts.

The other thing to remember is safety - do not take short cuts, especially with power tools, as that will only lead to injuries and most probably damage or ruin your project.

Originally Posted by Alex_squared

Hi All,

Apologise to the mods if this has been asked before but I have searched the site over and found nothing.

I am new to woodworking and have managed to acquire some tools and some very limited amounts of knowledge which is my main problem. I am wondering how I can manage to learn more about the intricate details of woodworking and the engineering side to things. Questions such as how do I know which wood to use, what sort of wood and joints will make the design strong enough to hold what I need etc etc.

I realise that there are courses out there and I am thinking this is the only way, but I am sure that there are other out there who have learnt by practice and I would love to hear your opinion on developing skills and knowledge. Also if there are any free resources people are aware of I would love to hear about them.

I hope to develop into a decent woodworker one day and love the feedback and insight this forum provides.
Thanks community!

Same for me Alex. Thanks for starting this post! I'll follow the discussion with great interest.

I like Steve Ramsay but makes me think... what is it with yanks and tablesaws!?

I think I saw a video showing a suggested first project and it involved a table saw to cut a rebate.

It's in the class of the most difficult to set up (size, weight etc), dangerous without training, expensive and intimidating tool out there. It is also very noisy and requires beefy dust collection.

I can well understand how some people can't live without it once they're used to it and if you had a shop set up, but for a beginner...

Good advice from LanceC & Treecycle. I'd suggest getting in touch with the Victorian Woodworkers Association since you're in Melbourne. You will meet some excellent woodworkers, and I think they probably run courses, or at least know who does. Also, check out the local community colleges. Doing a good basic course can put you ahead of the game, and you'll work out what tools you want/need first.

Once you have the basic techniques, you will find ways that suit you best. There are at least two ways of doing pretty well everything, and every one of those ways is the best way for someone.

Enjoy the ride.

Originally Posted by Dusty Dave

Youtube is a goldmine of free education, especially with some solid channel recommendations to get you started.

I was listening to a podcast recently (sorry, forget who) and the guy had set himself a project of building a box a week for a year. The point was for that whole year he had a clear project in mind and plenty of hands-on time to experiment with new ideas. He reckoned it was the single biggest leap in developing his woodworking skills. I may consider a similar quest once all my renovations etc are done.

Was this the one?

An unlimited subscription to finewoodworking.com will be a valuable source for learning and seeing basic and advanced skills. Worth way more than the US$10 /month they charge.

I also Like IG as it is a constant source of interesting tips and tricks and typically people are happy to answer your questions.

And of course this forum. It is a rare day when this forum can’t provide some guidance.

Originally Posted by LanceC

....6. Learn to cut dovetails. With minimal practise they're achievable by most people, and will make you feel like a rock star of the woodworking world. Every time you're feeling like you're floundering you can pop into the shed, knock out a dovetail box/tray/whatever, regain your mojo, and go back to conquering the world.....

Many years ago I attended a wood show where Chris Vespers was demonstrating - inspiring! Google his name - lots of hits.

Chris made the point that musicians warmed up by singing scales. Chris suggested that woodworkers should also warm up to get the fingers working and the mind in the right frame. His method, every morning, was to cut a few dovetails .... free hand. It looked so easy when he did it. He had a pile of scrps saved for practice - say 50x50x6 up to about 70x90x12 - siz not important. He just chose two pieces of timber, used one to mark the dovetail depth on the other, then without any further measuring or marking, frehand sawed the dovetails. Chiselled, with a knife transfered the dovtail to the other piece, chisel and fit. Voila. But Chris was quicker than I can type, and much neater.

It was a simple but inspiring lesson.

• Be bold. I had never considered free hand dovetails.
• Make mistakes; you learn by your own and other's mistakes.
• Practice. Make stuff out of cheap materials, then transfer to good stuff.
• Design. This includes working out how to make things; a mate actually draws cartoons of the making and assembly process. "I he can't draw it, he can't make it."

Above all, just do it. Create sawdust and firewood.

Originally Posted by Damienol

An unlimited subscription to finewoodworking.com will be a valuable source for learning and seeing basic and advanced skills. Worth way more than the US$10 /month they charge.

I'd echo this - I've purchased memberships to Fine Woodworking, Woodworkers Guild of America, and Woodworker's Journal in the past - the only one that will survive is Fine Woodworking.

May I also recommend Paul Sellers as a resource if you're starting out? He has an awesome bunch of videos on YouTube, and a site or two with free courses (you'll find the links in his YouTube profile).

What I did when I first started out - heck - I still do this today - is try and watch one woodworking related, interesting video per night on YouTube. Some are only a few minutes, others are longer. Most times it's guys making stuff, sometimes it's a "how to use a tool" - and invariably, almost each and every time, I come away with an idea or some inspiration.

I've been doing this now for over 3 years, and have something like 220 channel subscriptions... there is no end of learning on YouTube - BUT - sometimes you will see things your should NOT do, mainly to do with technique and safety... when you watch enough to know an unsafe practice when you see it, you know you've learned a fair bit.

Search on here, there are previous threads with YT channel recommendations.

If you want one of the "gold standard" channels, please sit back, grab a coffee, and watch each and every one of the videos on this channel: ISHITANI FURNITURE - YouTube

If you come away from that without being utterly inspired, well, I don't know what to say...

What I would do. Or should have done. Or will do...
Pick a small project. A stool, a phone holder. A cheeseboard.
Look for a couple of examples on y-t.
Sit down, look at the tools you have, and decide how you could do something similar.
Then go to your shed and do it.
If it goes well, pick a new project, rinse and repeat.
If it doesn't, dismantle for your bitses box, and try again. Maybe you'll need to focus on a specific technique that did not go to plan. So look for a tutorial on that.
Subscribing to everything will just confuse me.

Originally Posted by Midnight Man

I'd echo this - I've purchased memberships to Fine Woodworking, Woodworkers Guild of America, and Woodworker's Journal in the past - the only one that will survive is Fine Woodworking....

I'll endorse Fine Woodworking as a seriously good journal. A year or so ago I asked Forumites to rate their favourites and FWW and the (Australian) Wood Review easily topped the list. I also bought for around US$75 their CD containing copies of every issue ever of their magazine - a great resource, answers to lots of questions you will not ask for a few years, and recreational reading.

Personally, I wish that I had avoided Woodworkers Guild of America - a seriously obnoxious organisation. They and their associates bombarded me with an avalanche of junk mail, and it took years to black list them and all their avenues.