Thread: New to wood working . What tools to buy?

Originally Posted by paul.aldred1

..... I'm going to cut into the legs for long span support beams, just under the current rail so hopefully will study things up.......

Yep, you definitely need some bracing, the single screw on the top beams isn't going to tolerate much in the way of wracking forces. Letting-in a couple of shelf-support beams will help, but if it was a full-size bench, & you planned to do anything like hand-planing on it, t might need a bit more stiffening. A sheet of 7mm ply screwed to the back legs, back rail & shelf-rail would help quite a bit.

The joint I like to use for the shelf-support/stiffening rail is very handy if you want a knock-down bench. It uses a stub-tenon into the leg and a long bolt to pull rail & leg together. If you use a rail about 150mm wide, no further stiffening should be necessary. The stub-tenon is mostly for location, and helps a lot when assembling: bench rail end.jpg

It's pretty simple to make & works very well with hardwoods, but not so well for softwoods, unfortunately, because the shoulders of the rail & the bolt-head tend to crush the wood and it can work loose, but if you use a good-sized washer under the bolt head & check it for tightness regularly, it would probably be ok. Something to think about, anyway ....

Cheers,

Originally Posted by crowie

G'Day Paul,
Don't forget, that with a small budget, good quality secondhand tools are a viable option for a new woodworker; check out garage sales, deceased estates, clearance sales, even the occasional auction might be worth a look.
Council cleanups are a top source of timber too.
As time goes by your skills and project difficulty will improve and grow so for my "two bobs" worth, slowly, slowly and enjoy the relaxation of working with wood.
Cheers, crowie

This is good advice paul.aldred1.
I see that the Brisbane Timber & Working with Wood Show 26-28 May is on. For a lazy $250.00 you could pick up a mismatched set of high carbon steel chisels, a good back saw, some clamps. If you're lucky you may find a combination square that actually is square. A Baily type plane and maybe a block plane. Some of these will need some work but that's part of learning to use the tools. If you did manage to break any of these (and you won't) you haven't lost much.

TT

General update, been really busy so haven't had chance to do much. I've been requested to turn the mini workbench into a table for the side of the sofa. Im preparing the final finishings so hopefully will have some thing finalised by the end of this week.

I've also been to a recycle timber
yard and bought some hardwood to build the workbench. $50 for the framing material.

New equipment, Stanley no4 plane used from eBay $50.



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All finished and in place.

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Originally Posted by paul.aldred1

All finished and in place.

way to go !!

Looks great! - Nothing better than finding a use for a practice project! Is the top just one solid piece?

Its a laminated pine top, I was too lazy to make it myself also the missus wanted it asap so i bought one from bunnings. Next time I will make my own when I'm not being pressured to build something to put her coffee mug on

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Originally Posted by woodPixel

If I might offer just one bit of wisdom, in that to buy this book and read it first: The Anarchists Toolchest: https://www.amazon.com/Anarchists-To.../dp/0578084139

Its a very stupid title, but it discusses electron powered vs muscle powered woodwork.

Im a huge enthusiast of electron woodwork (by my user name and business!) but also vastly enjoy the pleasures of muscle woodwork.

To that end, Im rebuying a lot of tools such as the LeeValley/Veritas planes and marking gauges, plus the set of dovetail saws.

Its far too easy to spend a LOT of money REAL fast and regret having done it in 18 months time.

The second wisdom is the bench. Build yourself a good bench. Your success will need it. You can do without it or even build a compromise, but with a decent one everything is so much easier. Make the first one cheaply and quickly. Use it to death, then build a good one with the lessons learned and knowledge of how you use it.

Woodpixel you have so much wisdom it's embarrassing. Without in any way wanting to ride on your coattails I agree with everything you've said. Sage advice!

Originally Posted by Tccp123

Woodpixel you have so much wisdom it's embarrassing. Without in any way wanting to ride on your coattails I agree with everything you've said. Sage advice!

There are many here who would certify me as a complete idiot.

Sage/idiot - my old mum used to say it often takes a very wise person to know the difference.........

Cheers,

I'm not going to list tools, but I will say this...

Vintage hand tools are just as good as new ones. Buying vintage forces you to understand the tool in order to restore it to working condition, and this is valuable for a beginner.

Regarding machines and power tools, DON'T BUY CHEAP. If you can't afford to buy the good stuff, think about whether or not you really, really need it. If you can live without it for another paycheck, wait and buy the better one. If you buy the cheap one you'll just end up replacing it. You, like all of us, will regret cheap tools and ultimately get rid of them.

Don't set yourself a budget. That's just foolhardy... Lesson one: This hobby is about spending as much money as you can without affecting your retirement or marital status.

I'm kidding of course. The hobby is way more important than retirement.

Good luck,
Luke

So prepping for the workbench build and want to get it mobile so I can move it around when the cars not in the carport. Does anyone know the average weight of a hardwood workbench?

I'm thinking of these casters but unsure if the weight capacity would be enough 75kg : https://au.rs-online.com/mobile/p/pl...stors/4589973/

They do have a larger capacity one too 100kg: https://au.rs-online.com/mobile/p/pl...stors/4589939/

Both are total locking and industrial so shouldn't move when locked.

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Originally Posted by paul.aldred1

So prepping for the workbench build and want to get it mobile so I can move it around when the cars not in the carport. Does anyone know the average weight of a hardwood workbench?

I'm thinking of these casters but unsure if the weight capacity would be enough 75kg : https://au.rs-online.com/mobile/p/pl...stors/4589973/

They do have a larger capacity one too 100kg: https://au.rs-online.com/mobile/p/pl...stors/4589939/

Both are total locking and industrial so shouldn't move when locked.

if you will be hand planing on the bench, there is no such animal as a "locking castor"

usually, if you need to make a hand tool bench mobile, the wheels are only in contact with the floor when the bench needs to be moved. Sorry, but I can't immediately point you to an on-line example

Locking castors will still allow the bench to wiggle and wobble around when you are trying to perform actions like planing. All is not lost however; a solution is to fit screw down feet adjacent to each castor. Once you've booted the car outside and rolled the bench into position you lock the castors and then wind down the feet. The brackets that hold the feet can be simple yet ugly bits of angle iron, or elegant wooden items mortised into the legs.