[Questions]: Beginning woodworker needs some advice

Have you considered taking classes locally? Our Woodcraft store offers
classes for all levels of experience and has many for beginners. The
tools are provided as well as the wood.

stormwolf wrote:
> Hi all:
>
> This seems to be a very active and helpful group and I am hoping that
> I will get some advice for the newbie questions I am about to ask :-)
>
> I am a beginning woodworker. I am just starting to research into this
> area. My interests are to start out small - maybe build a small
> shelf, a jewelery box, a small storage cabinet. Stuff like that. The
> first thing is that I live in a apartment with limited room. I can
> devote a little bit of room (maybe 8 ft x 6ft) for my woodworking
> projects. Does anyone live in a small apartment and do their
> projects? What kind of problems might I encounter? The 2 that
> spring right to mind are maybe noise complaints by neighbours and
> cleaning the area. Any suggestions on this?
>
> Also, I'd like to start out small. I do not want to spend a lot of
> money on tools initially but I will buy the minimum required stuff.
> Hammer, saw, planes, chisel....Does anyone have any advice on this?
>
> Also keeping the nature and scope of my projects in mind (as described
> above), does anyone have any recommendations on books to get? Again,
> keep in mind that I am a complete newbie. The closest I have gotten
> to woodworking is putting an Ikea table together ;-)
>
> Regards,
>
> Stormwolf

snip
stormwolf wrote:
> first thing is that I live in a apartment with limited room. The 2 that
> spring right to mind are maybe noise complaints by neighbours and
> cleaning the area. Any suggestions on this?
> Also, I'd like to start out small. I do not want to spend a lot of
> money on tools initially but I will buy the minimum required stuff.
> Regards,
> Stormwolf

Most Woodcrafts have a woodworkers Club attached to them. The
membership gets you use of tools on their premises. Combined with
classess ther, you should be able to pick up the information, tool usage
and help to complete your projects.
Dave in Fairfax
--
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net

Lenny wrote:
> shape. At some point down the road you might consider adding a router
> and some quality carbide bits (particularly a pattern bit which can
> be used with a straight edge to effectively joint your edges).

Good idea...a small router table (really just a box, with the router
in it) would be easy to store and greatly increase the number of
things you can build. Of course, you won't want to run a router
at 1:30am...

************************************
Chris Merrill
[email protected]
(remove the ZZZ to contact me)
************************************

[email protected] (stormwolf) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
...
> I am a beginning woodworker. I am just starting to research into this
> area. My interests are to start out small - maybe build a small
> shelf, a jewelery box, a small storage cabinet. Stuff like that. The
> first thing is that I live in a apartment with limited room. I can
> devote a little bit of room (maybe 8 ft x 6ft) for my woodworking
> projects. ....

You might consider what your goals really are: to efficiently build
quite a few acceptable items in which case good power tools will help,
to lovingly handbuild a few perfect items in which case you might
consider some high end traditional japanese & european hand tools,
etc..

There can be immense enjoyment in making a perfectly dovetailed box
using only traditional tools. It takes a long time, but if process
and personal accomplishment is what you seek, the "old ways" may be
for you.

Me, I don't have the patience or hand-eye coordination needed to make
fine cabinetry. I use a few makita battery powered tools (which are
quiet and precise) to make functional items using mostly doweled &
pocket drilled joints.

Couple of years ago Finw Woodworking magazine had an article about a
woodworker that used a closet. My first project was a shelf wife
wanted. Rounded ends and supprts meant bandsaw. Rounded edges and
plate groove meant router. Made the mistake remebering how Sears was
respected YEARS ago and bout 3 wheeled BS and their roter and table.
BBoth given away! Scrollsaws are handt and can make cuts internal to
a slab. Edges can be rounded without using a router. Buy GOOD tools
and take care of them.

On 23 Jul 2003 10:22:35 -0700, [email protected] (stormwolf)
wrote:

> I can devote a little bit of room (maybe 8 ft x 6ft) for my woodworking
>projects.

Also ....
<snip>
>projects? What kind of problems might I encounter? The 2 that
>spring right to mind are maybe noise complaints by neighbours and
>cleaning the area. Any suggestions on this?
>
<snip>

I remember seeing an idea for taping a furnace filter to a box fan to
use as a "cheapy" benchtop dust collector. Place the filter on the
back side and facing toward the dusty area so that the fan pulls the
dust into the filter. Not sure how it will work but it might be worth
a try.

stormwolf wrote:

> projects? What kind of problems might I encounter? The 2 that
> spring right to mind are maybe noise complaints by neighbours and
> cleaning the area. Any suggestions on this?

I worked in my kitchen for years. The advice you already have is good, so I
won't bother to go through the litany of how/when I bought what.

I built a rather massive 10' x 6' x 1' plant stand in my kitchen using a
miter box, jig saw, electric drill and random-orbit sander. Don't let a
small shop get you down. DO buy a Shop Vac.

I built a lot of shadow box thingies too. I have one shaped like a house,
and one shaped like a mushroom. Just plywood and 1x2s with some kind of
thin something for the shelves.

I have to say that I was looking at one of those just the other day and
thinking how few projects I've done with all my fancy power tools can match
the beauty of some little thing I built with a few tools and a lot of love
in my old kitchen.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
Confirmed post number: 16708 Approximate word count: 501240
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/