If you’re wondering, how to get started with woodworking, then you’ve certainly come to the right place!
Our site is filled with tips and tricks and plenty of ‘how to guides’ as well as product reviews we have personally tried and tested.
Woodworking is an awesome and popular craft that allows the woodworker to take pride in what they have accomplished. Beside personal satisfaction in seeing a job well done, there are practical benefits to woodworking as well as financial. Check out our guide here on How Much Does A Woodworker Make? You would be quite surprised on what a great side or full time business, woodworking can allow.
However if you’re just started out, you should be aware that woodworking involves a number of requirements. Although it is a simple skill that you can pick up through self-study, you will need to have the right tools, as well as the resources to get started on the right foot.
How to Get Started With Woodworking – The Must Have Tools
Understanding how to get started with woodworking, is really all about knowing what tools are must have (and are needed right away) versus the kinds of tools you can procure down the track. After all, power tools can be quite expensive, so you don’t want to over commit to something you’ll rarely use when something else is a better fit for your needs.
And although quality is important, you will still need to buy things that work with your budget and skill set without sacrificing safety or ease of use. It can be hard to get right and over the years I’ve road tested a lot of tools and have found out things the hard way through trial and error. Really though, learning and experimenting is what woodworking is really all about.
The best advice is to ensure you get the right tool for the right job – Oh and to always measure twice and cut once!
If you are just starting out, I’d recommend these posts that cover the basics:
- Different Types of Hand Tools and their uses
- Wood Cutting Machines for Home Use
- Cool Things to Make Out of Wood
- Names of Wood Cutting Tools
- Tools Used by Carpenters with Names
In short, some of the very basic tools you will need with woodworking are the hammer, saw, nails, and the tape measure. Obviously you won’t achieve all that much with these basic tools most people have around the house, but still, at the very least you would need these, along with a cordless drill and reliable miter saw.
1. Must Have Tool For Woodworking: A Reliable Hammer!
There are various types of hammers available in the market these days. When you choose one, it has to be of the right size and weight which feels the most comfortable for you. You should not choose a very light hammer since you may not be able to generate enough power from it. A hammer that weighs around 20 ounces would be pretty ideal. It would be best for the hammer to be equipped with a smooth and rounded head. Make sure as well that its handle is designed for you to have a good grip of it. Not only will this make it easier for you to work with wood, it will also allow you to avoid accidents.
2. Must Have Tool For Woodworkers: A Decent Tape Measure
A tape measure should be another one of the first things that you need to acquire in getting started with woodworking. The tape measure would help ensure that the length of the woods and other materials you are going to use are in place. Make sure that the tape measure you are going to buy is retractable and is equipped with a lock. This way, you would not deal with a lot of difficulties in measuring things, and you would not need to have a partner to help you in doing it.
3. Must Have Tool For Getting Started in Woodworking: Nails
Nails are also essential in any project. When you select nails, make sure that you consider the size and the thickness of the wood that you are going to use for your project. This will allow you to buy nails with the appropriate length.
Besides these basic tools, you’ll also want to invest in:
- Layout square
- Utility knife
- Chisels
- Level
- Screwdrivers
- Sliding bevel
- Nail sets
- Block plane
Power Tools Every Woodworker Should Have
In days gone by, woodworkers did not use power tools. I take my hat off to them as I’d be somewhat useless without my power tools. Especially my miter saw. And while yes a lot of jobs and pieces can be made without them, there’s no doubt they make life easier and more efficient as you can get a lot more done in a quicker time span with less physical effort. I’d recommend these tools:
- Circular saw
- Jigsaw
- Power drill
- Random orbital sander
- Table saw (but purchase down the track as they’re expensive)
- Compound miter saw
- Router
Selecting The Right Lumber For Your Woodworking Projects
Besides procuring the right tools, you will also need lumber. There is a lot to choose from and just like tools, you will need the right lumber for the right purpose and finish look you’re after. A good woodworker will know how to pick through the stack to find suitable pieces of stock to avoid warped, cupped, bowed, twisted, and split boards.
Nearly every woodworking project in one form or another will require you to check some intersection, joint, or board end for squareness, or “square.” It’s important to confirm that an entire assembly is truely square as this can really effect things.
For small projects, you can use a squaring tool, such as a try square, speed square, or framing square. For larger projects, you can check for square by measuring diagonally between opposing corners: The assembly is square when the measurements are equal. You can also use the 3-4-5 method, based on the Pythagorean Theorem: a2 + b2 = c2.
Woodworking is Meant to Be Enjoyable, So Have Fun With it!
At the end of the day, woodworking should be one of those fun and interesting hobbies that allows you to personalise and even brand your own style. It lets you express yourself creatively through the skill of your hands. This makes it perfect for someone like me!
A part from this, wood is super versatile. It can be cut and shaped using simple, affordable tools, that doesn’t have to break the bank. So whether you are looking to build furniture, tackle some home improvement projects, or build smaller objects like jewellery boxes, woodworking is a worthy craft that is timeless, and just as popular day as it was yesterday.
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