I just found this forum while looking for information on woodworking. I don't have any experience to speak of (unless bending a bunch of nails counts) with carpentry. I got curious after doing some research on build a custom computer case. That's when I got the idea to make one from wood. It would be a fairly simple box with a window on the top. That said, I have a lot to learn about wood and the various tools I need. I figure a good jig saw, router, plane, and drill would be a good place to start for tools. I then could buy some scrap wood to practice with. Anyways, I look forward to learning from you guys.
JonU
Jon , welcome to Router Forums, glad to have you join us, I'm positive the members of the community would be more than willing to answer any questions you have
Welcome to the forum Jon . I'm going to make a computer desk with the computer integrated into the desk itself . I want to use one of my 12" linear actuators to raise the mother board out of the desk itself for show .was going to have the MB ports facing down and leave some slack in the water tubing and other connections
Jon; welcome!
On the "scrap wood" thing, if you meant offcuts, great if you can find them. But if you're referring to recycling, be very very cautious! Used wood likely has metal nails or screws or even staples buried in it; they can make your day go bad really quickly. Very hard on your tools and potentially even harder on your body parts. Learned my lesson the hard way... $80 carbide blade into the garbage bin, cutting a very old pce. of D. fir that I had been assured had no metal in it. Wrong.
On the "scrap wood" thing, if you meant offcuts, great if you can find them. But if you're referring to recycling, be very very cautious! Used wood likely has metal nails or screws or even staples buried in it; they can make your day go bad really quickly. Very hard on your tools and potentially even harder on your body parts. Learned my lesson the hard way... $80 carbide blade into the garbage bin, cutting a very old pce. of D. fir that I had been assured had no metal in it. Wrong.
G'day Jon, welcome to the forum.
Also, with recycled timber, be careful of some pallet lumber which has been chemically treated to deal with the 'nasties'. Do not use this timber.
Also, with recycled timber, be careful of some pallet lumber which has been chemically treated to deal with the 'nasties'. Do not use this timber.
What I should have said was cheap wood to practice with. Then once I'm comfortable, switch to the nice stuff. Here is my general idea drawn out on Autodesk Inventor. The board thickness is 1/4" and it measures 8.5x18x14 (HxWxD). The cutout on top is intended to be for a piece of glass to sit in. It's recessed 1/8" so that a 1/8" thick piece of glass could sit flush. The holes on each side are for the radiators that would be used to cool off the components. The front and rear still need to be finished, but I'm just curious what you guys think. I like the way they join, but if you have a better idea I'm all ears.
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!/4" is way too thin, Jon. 1/2" absolute minimum.
Talk about jumping in at the deep end, and angels fearing to tread...
Talk about jumping in at the deep end, and angels fearing to tread...
Jon...
suggest you do your panels as shiplaps...
Shiplap Edge Joints
Shiplap joints are formed by cutting identical rabbets into opposite faces of adjoining boards. This produces a joint where the rabbets overlap, preventing gaps between the boards from being visible. Shiplap joints are often referred to as a poor-man's tongue-and-groove since the visual effect is very similar to tongue-and-groove, however less work is involved.
The area where shiplap joints are inferior to tongue-and-groove, though, is that shiplap joints do not keep the boards flush with one another. However if the boards are to be fastened at regular intervals along their length and the wood is relatively stable, shiplap joints can save you much time.
To hide any uneven boards, you can add an edge detail like a chamfer of bead to the end of each board, or you can cover the exposed edges with a decorative molding.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiplap
to hyper fit these joints it will probably take a shoulder plane...
Veritas® Shoulder Planes - Lee Valley Tools - Woodworking Tools, Gardening Tools, Hardware Supplies
to stabilize your panels you will more than likely have to cut a cross grain dado and full it with a riped strip of wood to fill the dado...
you can have the strip flush or proud, square or beveled edges...
you can do this on the inside of the box and there is nothing stopping you from doing it on outside of the box and using a contrasting wood as an accent...
on the outside.. go several narrow strips or one wide one... mix or match..
lay strips in place to get the feel for the aesthetics that please you...
suggest you do your panels as shiplaps...
Shiplap Edge Joints
Shiplap joints are formed by cutting identical rabbets into opposite faces of adjoining boards. This produces a joint where the rabbets overlap, preventing gaps between the boards from being visible. Shiplap joints are often referred to as a poor-man's tongue-and-groove since the visual effect is very similar to tongue-and-groove, however less work is involved.
The area where shiplap joints are inferior to tongue-and-groove, though, is that shiplap joints do not keep the boards flush with one another. However if the boards are to be fastened at regular intervals along their length and the wood is relatively stable, shiplap joints can save you much time.
To hide any uneven boards, you can add an edge detail like a chamfer of bead to the end of each board, or you can cover the exposed edges with a decorative molding.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiplap
to hyper fit these joints it will probably take a shoulder plane...
Veritas® Shoulder Planes - Lee Valley Tools - Woodworking Tools, Gardening Tools, Hardware Supplies
to stabilize your panels you will more than likely have to cut a cross grain dado and full it with a riped strip of wood to fill the dado...
you can have the strip flush or proud, square or beveled edges...
you can do this on the inside of the box and there is nothing stopping you from doing it on outside of the box and using a contrasting wood as an accent...
on the outside.. go several narrow strips or one wide one... mix or match..
lay strips in place to get the feel for the aesthetics that please you...
Although you're starting with what I'd call an ambitious first project, I suspect you'll learn a lot from working on it. Stick is one of the guys to whom I listen carefully. Personally, I'd do it in half inch, and I do prefer working with poplar, ash or birch, all of which are fairly available where I live. I also think you will need to work with a table mounted router on this project, one that has miter slots to help with alignment. You will be doing a lot of glue ups since the chances of finding wide enough, straight, flat wood are nil. Read up carefully on applying and cleaning up glue joints. BTW, I too got into this after doing lots of carpentry and home improvement and repairs over many years.
Since you're new at this, I'm posting a long piece on what I've done to advance my skills pretty quickly over the past 6 years of serious woodworking. Regulars have seen this before and may want to skip it. Hope you find it helpful.
1) If you use Firefox browser, get a free add on YouTube download helper app. Search for videos on all aspects of woodworking that interest you and collect them. I watch a video on the topic of whatever project, or phase of a project, on which I'm currently working. VERY helpful to see it done before you try it yourself.
I use a YouTube downloader that’s free using the tools menu/add ons. It puts a download button under the video on YouTube. Click the button, name the file (I always label it according to the tool or job it works on. For example, anything to do with routing, I label as "Router", which clusters all the similar videos together in Windows Explorer. All my videos go into a single folder. I sometimes watch woodworking video while on planes, which occasionally triggers interesting conversations.
2) There are hundreds of used books on woodworking on Amazon. Order some on basic tools and woodworking. You'll need to learn to tune up saws and other tools, and books are how I learned to do these things. It wasn't until I tuned up my saws that good results began to happen. My saws cut exactly 90 and 45, or any angle I need now. Two books I really love are Bill Hylton’s “Woodworking with the Router,” and “The Joint Book” by Terrie Noll. The Noll Book is a really concise and heavily illustrated reference with great hints for making every variety of joints. There are lots of good table saw guides.
3) Make some first projects with MDF before using more expensive wood. Make the same project several times with improved skill, material and workmanship each time. Great learning method.
4) Consider making cabinets or stands for each of your power tools as first projects. My first cabinet was of MDF and my sander and all my sanding gear still sit on and in it. I can't tell you how much confidence I got from building space efficient shop stands and now, all the tools in my smallish shop are on casters and easily moved around for use and cleanup. Put door on every cabinet to reduce wandering dust. BTW, if you add casters, use two non swivels on the back and two locking casters on the front--make sure the lock secures both the wheel and the swivel so your carts don't skip around in use. My shop made stands also take up far less floor space than the spread-legged ones that came with the tools, which makes it far easier to move tools around in a compact shop--which is necessary to clean out the insidious sawdust.
5) Many of the woodworking supply stores in the US (and I imagine overseas) have demos on weekends. Attend and get to know the people you meet there. They can turn you on to sources of wood and you can get some nice help and begin a friendship or two. Don’t forget to talk with the employees as well. At our local Rockler, several of the employees are serious and experienced woodworkers and always eager to help. I’ve also found some of the big box stores have very experienced wood workers and carpenters, electricians and plumbers. You just have to start a brief conversation, then if they seem knowledgeable, ask them about what they did before they worked at the store.
6) Among your first purchases should be some form of dust control. Many woods are proven carcinogens and can quickly damage your lungs. Dust collection information is on this site. I have a 4-inch system installed to collect sawdust, but I also have and recommend a dust mask with a small fan that pulls in pressurized air that not only keeps dust out, but also keeps my glasses from fogging. Got mine at Rockler and keep a couple of sets of rechargable AA batteries ready to use. For cutting just a piece or two, I keep surgical style disposable masks handy. I also built a box with 20x20 filter inside and a fan that pulls air through to remove fine airborne dust over time. You can even tape a filter to the back of a fan in a pinch. Don't take your mask off right after cutting because there is always dust floating around for awhile. If you start coughing, it means you need to pay very close attention to dust control. It can take months to recover from a bout of working with MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard). I had a dust filter bag inside the shop, but recently found the shop was filled with the dangerous fine dust that it let through, so now I port everything outside, through a filter box (and my cough subsided).
7) Take your sweet time with projects, there's no rush and it is easy to have a project nearly complete, then make a careless, quick cut or other error that ruins all your good work. In most cases, it is best to fit pieces by putting them in place and marking rather than just measuring and cutting. Cut a bit over and shave for an exact fit.
8) Buy the very best table saw you can manage. It will quickly become the most used tool in your shop. A little debt could move you up a notch and help you produce better results and cut thicker wood. Get the best tools you can afford. Read the reviews and ask questions on the forum before you choose. To me, it is worth it to use credit if necessary to move up the quality scale. There are models called hybrid saws that have the mechanical works attached to the cabinet rather than the top, which is good. I recently replaced my old contractor saw with a Laguna Fusion saw. My shop is not wired for 220, so I was happy with the 110volt, 1 3/4 hp motor. Many forum members have been very happy with less expensive models, Grizzly for example, but I prefer the Laguna for its amazingly flat table and extensions and its fit and finish (and reasonable price). Learn to set up and tune up your saws and tools (books and videos show you how) because you can’t make anything great if your tools are even slightly off.
9) If you can, get an electrician to add a 220 outlet or two to your shop. If you set up in the garage, you may be able to use the electrical outlet for the dryer. There are many tools that require 220 volts to work best, and many used 220 v tools are available at good prices--if you feel comfortable buying used. Another tool source is to visit estate sales. Every once in awhile, you find tools no one else in the family desires or knows the value of, so you can get them cheap.
If you don't have a router yet, I have come to like the Triton TRA001, which is perfect for table use, particularly since you can adjust height quite precisely from the above the table with its built in lift. That feature really saves your knees. However, it is just too heavy for this old guy to control freehand. I really like the Bosch 1617 EVSPK (there is a newer model that has a light and switch on the handle). for hand held use. It comes in a kit with fixed and plunge base. It has many accessories available that are very well made. Others like different brands, but Mike recently checked in on the topic and compared PorterCable and I thought the Bosch came out a bit ahead. I prefer the raising and lowering mechanism on the Bosch with its micro adjustment knob to be precise. The Bosch fixed base can be used as a lift in a table. The books on routers and other topics are really useful for understanding some of the arcane woodworking terms.
10) When it comes to router bits, try to stick to the half inch shafts with carbide cutting tips. These are astonishingly sharp. Bosch and Freud are easily available at HD and Lowes, but there are lots of other excellent brands including the well liked Whiteside and Sommerfield bits. Be careful of those ultra sharp tips. I'd suggest storing them in one of those foam lined cases you can get pretty cheap from Harbor Freight. The tips are actually fairly fragile, so store them loosely packed so they don't click together. A few of the cheap bits don’t have carbide tips. Spiral bits are sometimes used to cut grooves. Carbide spiral bits are both expensive and fragile and it takes very little abuse to ruin them, so many use high speed steel bits for that purpose.
I buy bits as I need them and don't much care for the kits. However, someone recently suggested getting a kit to start out with, then gradually replacing only the bits you actually use with top grade bits. This makes some sense to me, but stick to the half inch shafts if you can manage it--most kits I’ve seen have 1/4 inch shafts. I would also avoid huge sets with odd bits you are unlikely ever to use. A few standard bits most of us have are the round over bits. You can get them in different sizes, but mostly you’re likely to use the quarter, half and ¾ sizes. Another bit that is very useful for cabinetry is the half inch rabbiting bit with a bearing. Some come with a changable bearing that allows you to change the size of the rabbit. Doing fancier stuff makes those cash register numbers spin because those door bit sets cost a lot!
One more thing about using bits, don’t try to take off too much wood in one pass. Make several passes taking a little more wood with each pass. Pay attention to the grain of the wood (that is covered in most books on routing) with a final pass just shaving and making for a very smooth finish. My personal rule is to cut no more than 1/8 th of an inch per pass. The larger the bit, the slower you should set the speed control. I recently learned about "bumping," which means cutting nearly the full depth by pushing the bit straight into the wood so it has a scalloped edge, then making a full depth pass to smooth out the scallops. This has the advantage of allowing you to set up the depth of cut once on the table, rather than having to keep resetting the fence for subsequent passes and on multiple pieces. A more powerful router makes this work better.
11) The most useful item I own for my saws is a Wixey digital angle gauge, which allows me to set up all my saws to exact angles (eg: 90 degrees to the table). It wasn't until I started being meticulous about this that my projects started working out right. These are about $30 on Amazon.
I have a Bosch 10 inch compound sliding miter saw that I also love, but use it mainly for cross cutting long pieces, but being able to cut at precise angles is also wonderful.
12) Pocket Hole jig and construction. Although there are many ways to make cabinets and face frames, I have found that pocket hole screws have really made making things like cabinet carcasses and face frames far easier. Just remember, coarse threads for soft woods, fine thread for hard woods, and I find the square head easier to drive correctly than the Phillips type. My jig is mounted on a chunk of plywood that I can clamp down. The thing makes a lot of sawdust so dust collection is a good idea. I also find that with careful, exact 90 degree end cuts, the pocket hole approach produces really square cabinets and face frames.
13) Make a table saw sled (lots of YouTube videos on how to) to do perfect 90 degree cuts on your table saw. I have a little more money than time, so I bought the sled Rockler makes that has a swinging fence and a very precise angle scale. I love that thing and set up a special shelf right next to my table saw to store it and keep it flat. Cross cuts on the sled are wonderfully exact and it prevents most tear out, the ragged or splintered area at the end of a cut. The sled is also a much safer way to cut short pieces as well.
You will read a LOT about jigs here and in your books and videos. Jigs, accurate T squares, a good straightedge are all incredibly useful for producing good work. The more I venture into really good hard wood construction, the more I appreciate how jigs produce accurate results without wasting wood through mis-cuts.
14) I had a lot of problems with tear out at first, but most of that stopped when I started using a sacrificial backup block to push the last bit of a piece through the router. I often use square pieces of MDF (medium density fiberboard) because it is cheap and stays flat. When it gets torn up, I just cut off a chunk and use what’s left. Really helps! You can do the same with any piece by putting a backer board behind where the cut goes--you cut through the piece first, the backer last. You will also want to use featherboards to hold boards in correct alignment to the fence and blade or bit.
Zero Clearance Inserts for the table saw: On the table saw, buy or make blank inserts to make zero clearance inserts (see YouTube for how to do it), this really helps make great, tear-out free cuts. I also found that I wanted to push that last quarter inch through the bit too fast, now I feed at a steady pace all through the cut.
15) Clamps: The joke is you can never have too many clamps. The ones I use most are about $3 each at Harbor Freight, about 8 inch F clamps (they look like an F). I have 18 of them at a couple of bucks each. The same source has longer versions up to 24 inches and I keep 4 to 6 of the 18 and 24 inch models. I have four sets of two of 24 to 60 inch (Jet) parallel clamps for making really square cabinets and other items where holding things square for glue up is important. I’ve all but given up on most plastic clamps, but have a few that look like scissors for lightly holding things together or down. Depending on what you’re making, a few wooden hand screw clamps could be useful, including holding small parts for routing.
16) Hand planes and hand tools: Learning to use these is something of an art, as is proper sharpening and setting of their blades. There are lots of woodworkers who really love working with hand tools, most will suggest you buy used and clean and tune them up--which is actually quite fun. Chisels are important particularly if you are making furniture. Sharpening chisels is a basic skill involving many ultra fine grits of sandpaper, ultra flat surfaces, maybe diamond grit sharpening stones—arcane stuff, but anything less than a razor sharp chisel is pretty useless. Don’t scrimp on chisels, cheap ones get dull fast. Look up sharpening methods on YouTube, it takes patience but not much money to work sharp. I recently bought a diamond sharpening device with diamond dust imbedded in a nickel steel plate. It has small cut out ovals so the metal grit doesn't clog the diamond surface. Use these sparingly and use one of the specialty diamond sharpening lubricants with it. I use this for quick sharpening touch ups, just 4-5 strokes will do. Much easier to use than the sand paper method, which I save for major sharpening tasks.
17) If you have a dedicated shop space, take the time and trouble to insulate it. You will enjoy working in it much more if you're not roasting or freezing. I recently installed a middle sized window AC unit through a shop shed wall for relief from our desert summer and it is now even more of a pleasure to be out there. Insulation also holds in heat during winter. A couple of heaters bring the temp up, but just one keeps it comfortable after that. Cold fingers are clumsy, not good around spinning blades!
Woodworking is not really a cheap hobby. Wood can be costly, so are decent tools, but there's hardware, stuff for jigs, dust collection and on and on as you get going.
This has run pretty long, but I think the information is helpful for someone new to the hobby.
Since you're new at this, I'm posting a long piece on what I've done to advance my skills pretty quickly over the past 6 years of serious woodworking. Regulars have seen this before and may want to skip it. Hope you find it helpful.
1) If you use Firefox browser, get a free add on YouTube download helper app. Search for videos on all aspects of woodworking that interest you and collect them. I watch a video on the topic of whatever project, or phase of a project, on which I'm currently working. VERY helpful to see it done before you try it yourself.
I use a YouTube downloader that’s free using the tools menu/add ons. It puts a download button under the video on YouTube. Click the button, name the file (I always label it according to the tool or job it works on. For example, anything to do with routing, I label as "Router", which clusters all the similar videos together in Windows Explorer. All my videos go into a single folder. I sometimes watch woodworking video while on planes, which occasionally triggers interesting conversations.
2) There are hundreds of used books on woodworking on Amazon. Order some on basic tools and woodworking. You'll need to learn to tune up saws and other tools, and books are how I learned to do these things. It wasn't until I tuned up my saws that good results began to happen. My saws cut exactly 90 and 45, or any angle I need now. Two books I really love are Bill Hylton’s “Woodworking with the Router,” and “The Joint Book” by Terrie Noll. The Noll Book is a really concise and heavily illustrated reference with great hints for making every variety of joints. There are lots of good table saw guides.
3) Make some first projects with MDF before using more expensive wood. Make the same project several times with improved skill, material and workmanship each time. Great learning method.
4) Consider making cabinets or stands for each of your power tools as first projects. My first cabinet was of MDF and my sander and all my sanding gear still sit on and in it. I can't tell you how much confidence I got from building space efficient shop stands and now, all the tools in my smallish shop are on casters and easily moved around for use and cleanup. Put door on every cabinet to reduce wandering dust. BTW, if you add casters, use two non swivels on the back and two locking casters on the front--make sure the lock secures both the wheel and the swivel so your carts don't skip around in use. My shop made stands also take up far less floor space than the spread-legged ones that came with the tools, which makes it far easier to move tools around in a compact shop--which is necessary to clean out the insidious sawdust.
5) Many of the woodworking supply stores in the US (and I imagine overseas) have demos on weekends. Attend and get to know the people you meet there. They can turn you on to sources of wood and you can get some nice help and begin a friendship or two. Don’t forget to talk with the employees as well. At our local Rockler, several of the employees are serious and experienced woodworkers and always eager to help. I’ve also found some of the big box stores have very experienced wood workers and carpenters, electricians and plumbers. You just have to start a brief conversation, then if they seem knowledgeable, ask them about what they did before they worked at the store.
6) Among your first purchases should be some form of dust control. Many woods are proven carcinogens and can quickly damage your lungs. Dust collection information is on this site. I have a 4-inch system installed to collect sawdust, but I also have and recommend a dust mask with a small fan that pulls in pressurized air that not only keeps dust out, but also keeps my glasses from fogging. Got mine at Rockler and keep a couple of sets of rechargable AA batteries ready to use. For cutting just a piece or two, I keep surgical style disposable masks handy. I also built a box with 20x20 filter inside and a fan that pulls air through to remove fine airborne dust over time. You can even tape a filter to the back of a fan in a pinch. Don't take your mask off right after cutting because there is always dust floating around for awhile. If you start coughing, it means you need to pay very close attention to dust control. It can take months to recover from a bout of working with MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard). I had a dust filter bag inside the shop, but recently found the shop was filled with the dangerous fine dust that it let through, so now I port everything outside, through a filter box (and my cough subsided).
7) Take your sweet time with projects, there's no rush and it is easy to have a project nearly complete, then make a careless, quick cut or other error that ruins all your good work. In most cases, it is best to fit pieces by putting them in place and marking rather than just measuring and cutting. Cut a bit over and shave for an exact fit.
8) Buy the very best table saw you can manage. It will quickly become the most used tool in your shop. A little debt could move you up a notch and help you produce better results and cut thicker wood. Get the best tools you can afford. Read the reviews and ask questions on the forum before you choose. To me, it is worth it to use credit if necessary to move up the quality scale. There are models called hybrid saws that have the mechanical works attached to the cabinet rather than the top, which is good. I recently replaced my old contractor saw with a Laguna Fusion saw. My shop is not wired for 220, so I was happy with the 110volt, 1 3/4 hp motor. Many forum members have been very happy with less expensive models, Grizzly for example, but I prefer the Laguna for its amazingly flat table and extensions and its fit and finish (and reasonable price). Learn to set up and tune up your saws and tools (books and videos show you how) because you can’t make anything great if your tools are even slightly off.
9) If you can, get an electrician to add a 220 outlet or two to your shop. If you set up in the garage, you may be able to use the electrical outlet for the dryer. There are many tools that require 220 volts to work best, and many used 220 v tools are available at good prices--if you feel comfortable buying used. Another tool source is to visit estate sales. Every once in awhile, you find tools no one else in the family desires or knows the value of, so you can get them cheap.
If you don't have a router yet, I have come to like the Triton TRA001, which is perfect for table use, particularly since you can adjust height quite precisely from the above the table with its built in lift. That feature really saves your knees. However, it is just too heavy for this old guy to control freehand. I really like the Bosch 1617 EVSPK (there is a newer model that has a light and switch on the handle). for hand held use. It comes in a kit with fixed and plunge base. It has many accessories available that are very well made. Others like different brands, but Mike recently checked in on the topic and compared PorterCable and I thought the Bosch came out a bit ahead. I prefer the raising and lowering mechanism on the Bosch with its micro adjustment knob to be precise. The Bosch fixed base can be used as a lift in a table. The books on routers and other topics are really useful for understanding some of the arcane woodworking terms.
10) When it comes to router bits, try to stick to the half inch shafts with carbide cutting tips. These are astonishingly sharp. Bosch and Freud are easily available at HD and Lowes, but there are lots of other excellent brands including the well liked Whiteside and Sommerfield bits. Be careful of those ultra sharp tips. I'd suggest storing them in one of those foam lined cases you can get pretty cheap from Harbor Freight. The tips are actually fairly fragile, so store them loosely packed so they don't click together. A few of the cheap bits don’t have carbide tips. Spiral bits are sometimes used to cut grooves. Carbide spiral bits are both expensive and fragile and it takes very little abuse to ruin them, so many use high speed steel bits for that purpose.
I buy bits as I need them and don't much care for the kits. However, someone recently suggested getting a kit to start out with, then gradually replacing only the bits you actually use with top grade bits. This makes some sense to me, but stick to the half inch shafts if you can manage it--most kits I’ve seen have 1/4 inch shafts. I would also avoid huge sets with odd bits you are unlikely ever to use. A few standard bits most of us have are the round over bits. You can get them in different sizes, but mostly you’re likely to use the quarter, half and ¾ sizes. Another bit that is very useful for cabinetry is the half inch rabbiting bit with a bearing. Some come with a changable bearing that allows you to change the size of the rabbit. Doing fancier stuff makes those cash register numbers spin because those door bit sets cost a lot!
One more thing about using bits, don’t try to take off too much wood in one pass. Make several passes taking a little more wood with each pass. Pay attention to the grain of the wood (that is covered in most books on routing) with a final pass just shaving and making for a very smooth finish. My personal rule is to cut no more than 1/8 th of an inch per pass. The larger the bit, the slower you should set the speed control. I recently learned about "bumping," which means cutting nearly the full depth by pushing the bit straight into the wood so it has a scalloped edge, then making a full depth pass to smooth out the scallops. This has the advantage of allowing you to set up the depth of cut once on the table, rather than having to keep resetting the fence for subsequent passes and on multiple pieces. A more powerful router makes this work better.
11) The most useful item I own for my saws is a Wixey digital angle gauge, which allows me to set up all my saws to exact angles (eg: 90 degrees to the table). It wasn't until I started being meticulous about this that my projects started working out right. These are about $30 on Amazon.
I have a Bosch 10 inch compound sliding miter saw that I also love, but use it mainly for cross cutting long pieces, but being able to cut at precise angles is also wonderful.
12) Pocket Hole jig and construction. Although there are many ways to make cabinets and face frames, I have found that pocket hole screws have really made making things like cabinet carcasses and face frames far easier. Just remember, coarse threads for soft woods, fine thread for hard woods, and I find the square head easier to drive correctly than the Phillips type. My jig is mounted on a chunk of plywood that I can clamp down. The thing makes a lot of sawdust so dust collection is a good idea. I also find that with careful, exact 90 degree end cuts, the pocket hole approach produces really square cabinets and face frames.
13) Make a table saw sled (lots of YouTube videos on how to) to do perfect 90 degree cuts on your table saw. I have a little more money than time, so I bought the sled Rockler makes that has a swinging fence and a very precise angle scale. I love that thing and set up a special shelf right next to my table saw to store it and keep it flat. Cross cuts on the sled are wonderfully exact and it prevents most tear out, the ragged or splintered area at the end of a cut. The sled is also a much safer way to cut short pieces as well.
You will read a LOT about jigs here and in your books and videos. Jigs, accurate T squares, a good straightedge are all incredibly useful for producing good work. The more I venture into really good hard wood construction, the more I appreciate how jigs produce accurate results without wasting wood through mis-cuts.
14) I had a lot of problems with tear out at first, but most of that stopped when I started using a sacrificial backup block to push the last bit of a piece through the router. I often use square pieces of MDF (medium density fiberboard) because it is cheap and stays flat. When it gets torn up, I just cut off a chunk and use what’s left. Really helps! You can do the same with any piece by putting a backer board behind where the cut goes--you cut through the piece first, the backer last. You will also want to use featherboards to hold boards in correct alignment to the fence and blade or bit.
Zero Clearance Inserts for the table saw: On the table saw, buy or make blank inserts to make zero clearance inserts (see YouTube for how to do it), this really helps make great, tear-out free cuts. I also found that I wanted to push that last quarter inch through the bit too fast, now I feed at a steady pace all through the cut.
15) Clamps: The joke is you can never have too many clamps. The ones I use most are about $3 each at Harbor Freight, about 8 inch F clamps (they look like an F). I have 18 of them at a couple of bucks each. The same source has longer versions up to 24 inches and I keep 4 to 6 of the 18 and 24 inch models. I have four sets of two of 24 to 60 inch (Jet) parallel clamps for making really square cabinets and other items where holding things square for glue up is important. I’ve all but given up on most plastic clamps, but have a few that look like scissors for lightly holding things together or down. Depending on what you’re making, a few wooden hand screw clamps could be useful, including holding small parts for routing.
16) Hand planes and hand tools: Learning to use these is something of an art, as is proper sharpening and setting of their blades. There are lots of woodworkers who really love working with hand tools, most will suggest you buy used and clean and tune them up--which is actually quite fun. Chisels are important particularly if you are making furniture. Sharpening chisels is a basic skill involving many ultra fine grits of sandpaper, ultra flat surfaces, maybe diamond grit sharpening stones—arcane stuff, but anything less than a razor sharp chisel is pretty useless. Don’t scrimp on chisels, cheap ones get dull fast. Look up sharpening methods on YouTube, it takes patience but not much money to work sharp. I recently bought a diamond sharpening device with diamond dust imbedded in a nickel steel plate. It has small cut out ovals so the metal grit doesn't clog the diamond surface. Use these sparingly and use one of the specialty diamond sharpening lubricants with it. I use this for quick sharpening touch ups, just 4-5 strokes will do. Much easier to use than the sand paper method, which I save for major sharpening tasks.
17) If you have a dedicated shop space, take the time and trouble to insulate it. You will enjoy working in it much more if you're not roasting or freezing. I recently installed a middle sized window AC unit through a shop shed wall for relief from our desert summer and it is now even more of a pleasure to be out there. Insulation also holds in heat during winter. A couple of heaters bring the temp up, but just one keeps it comfortable after that. Cold fingers are clumsy, not good around spinning blades!
Woodworking is not really a cheap hobby. Wood can be costly, so are decent tools, but there's hardware, stuff for jigs, dust collection and on and on as you get going.
This has run pretty long, but I think the information is helpful for someone new to the hobby.
Thanks for the warm welcome and the tips on getting started. While I haven't purchased any tools yet I'm slowly compiling a list based on the feedback from everyone here. I've also been watching tons of videos on youtube that cover the various ideas that I've had. I have watched lots of videos on different ways to do finger joints and the one that I found most impressive was of a guy that made them using only a very sharp chisel. I think the technique that would probably work best for me though is using a jig on a table saw with a dado blade.
Unfortunately for me I won't have a dedicated area to do my projects for a while. That said I do like the idea of making some storage bins and carts for the various items. It would give everything a safe place to stay in between use.
I do have a question about dust control. For the foreseeable future (i.e. at least 6 months) I'll probably be doing any major cutting outside (obviously on a dry day ) and am curious if dust is still a big issue? I would still wear a mask with a filter, but do I need the fan or can I just let mother nature take care of it with the wind?
One thing I've noticed about the table saws used in the videos on youtube. It seems that all of them have a channel on either side of the blade for guides. Is this common for all table saws? I only ask because it seems pretty important when making jigs for the different types of cuts needed for various joints.
Finally, while I plan on gluing the sides and bottom together. I'm wanting to have the top panel fastened by some screws that thread into a metal insert of some sort. I was wondering if these inserts are something that can be found premade or will I need to make them. I've also been thinking about an easy way to hold the glass panel in place and came up with an idea of using three pieces of wood. The center piece would have an 1/8" channel cut into it for the glass to slip into on either side. Then the two outer pieces would be glued to that center piece; sandwiching the glass into place. It makes the project even more ambitious because I thought what better what to join them than to use a dovetail lol. The way I see it, is that by aiming high; even if I'm off a little, I will still learn a lot.
And to answer your question Phillipsted; while I love computers and have put a couple together, this is by far my most ambitious project.
Stick, I tried looking up some videos on the shiplap joint, but all I find results for are halflap joints. Are these similar enough that it won't matter?
Unfortunately for me I won't have a dedicated area to do my projects for a while. That said I do like the idea of making some storage bins and carts for the various items. It would give everything a safe place to stay in between use.
I do have a question about dust control. For the foreseeable future (i.e. at least 6 months) I'll probably be doing any major cutting outside (obviously on a dry day
) and am curious if dust is still a big issue? I would still wear a mask with a filter, but do I need the fan or can I just let mother nature take care of it with the wind?One thing I've noticed about the table saws used in the videos on youtube. It seems that all of them have a channel on either side of the blade for guides. Is this common for all table saws? I only ask because it seems pretty important when making jigs for the different types of cuts needed for various joints.
Finally, while I plan on gluing the sides and bottom together. I'm wanting to have the top panel fastened by some screws that thread into a metal insert of some sort. I was wondering if these inserts are something that can be found premade or will I need to make them. I've also been thinking about an easy way to hold the glass panel in place and came up with an idea of using three pieces of wood. The center piece would have an 1/8" channel cut into it for the glass to slip into on either side. Then the two outer pieces would be glued to that center piece; sandwiching the glass into place. It makes the project even more ambitious because I thought what better what to join them than to use a dovetail lol. The way I see it, is that by aiming high; even if I'm off a little, I will still learn a lot.
And to answer your question Phillipsted; while I love computers and have put a couple together, this is by far my most ambitious project.
Stick, I tried looking up some videos on the shiplap joint, but all I find results for are halflap joints. Are these similar enough that it won't matter?
"One thing I've noticed about the table saws used in the videos on youtube. It seems that all of them have a channel on either side of the blade for guides. Is this common for all table saws? I only ask because it seems pretty important when making jigs for the different types of cuts needed for various joints."
Yes! Those are mitre channels...your crosscutting fence/mitre gauge runs in that channel. It's absolutely crucial that your blade/arbour/motor assembly is perfectly perpendicular to that channel.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=mitr...&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=NRIzVOX2C8H6iwLA0ICQBQ&ved=0CCEQsAQ&biw=1120&bih=537
Wood dust is carcinogenic, and some species are toxic as well. Inhale at your own risk, Jon. A box fan to blow the dust away would be a great idea, outdoors.
Yes! Those are mitre channels...your crosscutting fence/mitre gauge runs in that channel. It's absolutely crucial that your blade/arbour/motor assembly is perfectly perpendicular to that channel.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=mitr...&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=NRIzVOX2C8H6iwLA0ICQBQ&ved=0CCEQsAQ&biw=1120&bih=537
Wood dust is carcinogenic, and some species are toxic as well. Inhale at your own risk, Jon. A box fan to blow the dust away would be a great idea, outdoors.
Oops! As long as we're talking about 'health risks' never try and use the rip fence in combination with the mitre gauge while crosscutting. The offcut piece will likely jam and kickback at very high velocity.
There are some workarounds, but until you become a LOT more experienced with the tablesaw...don't try it!!
There are some workarounds, but until you become a LOT more experienced with the tablesaw...don't try it!!
oh yuk....
Dan, I wish you had not posted that link.....:blink:
But a very good safety message....
Dan, I wish you had not posted that link.....:blink:
But a very good safety message....
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