Hello from Fargo! - Woodworking Talk

greg donovan · 06-17-2009, 08:43 PM

hi, found the site via the DIY Chatroom.

we are in the process of buying a little bungalow built in 1917 here in fargo. it needs some woodwork done in the near future as well as some new kitchen cabinets.

i hope to be able to learn enough and accumulate enough tools to build my own cabinets next summer. just not happy with the selection of premade cabinets. they are OK untill you hit the drawers.

i have done a very small amount of woodwork in the past. helped my uncle build a large cedar deck and a few other little router projects.

i will have some basic power tools at my disposal; router, drills, table saw, miter saw, circular saw and some power sanders.

how essential are the following for my immediate needs (see below):
drill press
Band saw
jointer
planer

all i am doing to start is mopboards, casing in doorways and hanging doors. the outlets for the rooms will be in the mopboards.

another big project i hope to tackle is making a butcher block counter top for my wife. pretty sure i will need the above 4 tools to do this project right.

i cant wait to get some good chisels and hand planers too.

i am very excited to finally have the space to get into woodworking. my new garage is 26x28 and wired up with a 220v outlet and 200A service. the previous owner was a welder.

thanks for reading. it looks like there is a lot to learn here.

Sleeper · 06-17-2009, 09:16 PM

Well hello there Greg, I met some people from Fargo while in Oklahoma City a few years back and have been trying to plan a trip up that way, but things keep coming up.

We as far as you question on tools, I’ve had a shop for over 10 years and have built many home projects for myself, family, and coworkers. I don’t have a planer, but I have one on my list. I just got a jointer, but haven’t used it yet. I got a 12” band saw about 3-4 years ago and a drill press for as long as I can remember, even before my shop. I use the drill press a lot, but only because it’s easy and I built a fence for mortising, but I think I could have done without it. The band saw has surely made my life easier and I can’t begin to tell you what I did without it, but I can say it was not pretty.

I can say that you are blessed to have a 200A service.

I am not so lucky.

greg donovan · 06-17-2009, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sleeper

I can say that you are blessed to have a 200A service.

I am not so lucky.

yeah, as soon as i saw that i was sold on the house. fortunately the rest of the place is pretty nice too. but not too nice so there are some opportunities for me to do some projects and learn way more than i can imagine.

i am also into working on my cars so the power out there is pretty sweet indeed.

drill press is next on the list since it can do so much.

oh and i will have a jugsaw to use too and i really want a scroll saw.

cant forget a good sized air compressor and tank. man there is too much stuff to buy and even more stuff to do.

oh, and how many clamps are a good amount to start with? as i understand it a guy can never have too many clamps.

one of my first projects after putting up some trim and hanging a door will be a small "built-in" open cubby bench with 4 boot sized cubbies and 4 smaller hat/mitten sized cubbies to sit in the back entrance. this will be about 40 inches long 18 inches deep and about 18-24 inches high. havent finalized the plans for it yet just rough sketches.

Sleeper · 06-18-2009, 09:44 AM

I haven’t counted how many clamps I have but I have at least 8 of every size bar clamps and double that for the small sizes. I have three sizes of spring clamps and I guess if I clamped them on a board side by side the board would be 10 to 12 ft long.
I’ve been collecting them for 20 years and only buy them on sale at Harbor Frieght, so I’ve never paid more than a couple of bucks a clamp. I also 4 3/4" pipe clamps w/assorted extensions, but I don’t use them much. I use my ½ pipe clamps a lot more. I also have 2 of those bar clamps with ratcheting lever so that I can use it with one hand. I figure I only need two of those because that once it got it secured, I can use my other clamps.
Update: I didn’t realize what time it was and I had to run out the door before I was going to be late for work and I didn’t get to answer your question.
I started with two 6’ long pipe clamps, four 36” bar clamps and 4 spring clamps, but within in the year I had to double that. It depends on what you are planning to build you for a box you need to be able to clamp 4 corners and for a cube you need clamps for 8 corners.

bondfan · 06-18-2009, 04:15 PM

Every time you get permission to buy a new power tool (c'mon- admit it...you need permission

), sneak in another clamp at the same time.
That way, you don't seem to be making 'unecessary' purchases as often...