jebbylawless

Any sage advice tempered with a sense of budgeting ($100-$200) for newbies seeking to develop a new form of self-expression but who are unsure if woodworking is the right fit for them? Initial projects slated are small scale: shelves, stepstool, small workbench, boxes, small furniture, etc...

I'm looking for some advice on a basic set of hand tools- I bought a hand-powered drill and a hand brace on eBay and love them- $24.

I have bought several hand planes from antique stores only to find that most of what I have bought needs significant tweaking -3 planes: block, Stan 5, Stan 9- $30.

I bought an old rip saw for $8.

I want mostly to have the pleasure and experience of using a hand plane to shave off golden curls of buttery wood. Since I am a beginner I will probably just do this as an exercise and not to actually flatten stock for a while- I'll probably get the flat stuff from the hardware store. But I would like to clean up dovetails and pertruding tenons- Is this best done with a block? Low angle?

I also need a dovetail and tenon saw but the prices for proper saws are astronomical. Can a less expensive "gents" saw sub in for both? Or should I consider a Japanese saw? I'd buy better later if the hobby sticks.

I also do not have a workbench. I'd like to make one but until then would a WorkMate provide enough support for simple projects.

Also, I have some pretty cheap chisels but need to keep them sharpened to do some mortising and dovetail joinery. I also want to sharpen my plane blades. I've seen all kinds of systems out there. Seems like a sharpening jig is a must. It seems like water stones have a good wrap. There's always a series of steps to progressing to smaller and smaller grits. Can a single grit stone pass for general sharpening.

Any other suggestions for basic tool sets and how to get the most out of them until I can afford more would be a big help.

frostr2001

I would consider garage sales in the neighborhood. Usually if there are tools the ad will specify such saving you from visiting all the unwanted sites. Last week I went to two that were advertised as tools for sale and found on older woodworking gentleman who was selling all of his woodworking tools due to bad health. ( This was the first time I had been to a garage sale in many many years. )

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pjl

Hello

A low angle plane will give you a better sheering action across the end grain of your dove tails. As for sharpening I use everything from diamond stones to sand paper stuck to a hard flat surface. I've never bought any of the jigs on the market, and there are many. A little practice and a flat abrasive surface and you can achive extremly sharp tools for very little money.

Good Luck

Paul

John in Tennessee

If you shop it you can get some real deals. You have to be able to look for the buys. Take cask and be ready to jump. I have $50 in a New Craftsman Chop Saw.. $40 in a Delta 3640 or thereabouts saw. Be prepared to "dicker" with the price.. One other thing is look for radial arm saws. A lot of saws for very little money. I have $70 in mine.