Wannabe Woodworker

As a small girl I watched my Grandfather build a speed boat from his basement as well as bird houses and other projects. I remember the smell of wood, loud saws, and his precision work. I could only watch if I sat in "the chair" and didnt wonder around which of course was for my safety. I never moved from that spot and watched quietly as he worked. I will always remember Grandpa as a great woodworker. My father too, enjoyed wood working but had little time to do so.

Upon the passing of my Father this last year, I had the dubious task of going through all of his things. I have lots of woodworking tools of which I know nothing about. The Craftsman Table Saw #137.248880 lead me to this site to learn more. I've decided I am going to learn how to safely use all of the tools at least once in honor of my Grandfather and Father. My first project will be to replace the bird house Dad built for me. Can anyone recommend a good instructional book to get me started on this project?

cabinetman

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

We've got a birdhouse officianado by the screen name cranbrook2. Here is a sample of his creations. If you do a search of "birdhouses", all the threads that have birdhouses in the thread will show up. You may find some good info there.

woodnthings

It's great to hear your interest in WW (that's short for Wood Working) . You will find some acronyms here that we use as shorthand to name things or processes. There is a list of them. Best of all you've come to the right place.
There are experts here on everything from restoration of old equipment, like you've already found out, to bird houses and everything in between. It's nice that you want to honor your dad and grandpa with their hobbies. As Norm Abrams say "Be sure to read the owner's manual and wear these safety glasses when working with power tools"... or sumthin' similiar! There are no "stupid" questions only opinionated answers, plenty of which you will find here. bill
Here's the link to acronyms:
Let's start a Acronym list! LOL!

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If you're not making dust, you're gathering it. After I reread my own posts, I agree with myself even more.

TomC

I would recommend going to you local book store and looking at some wood working magazines. Many of them have a lot of simple projects. You may also check out books available at library. Peachtree Woodworking supply has a good selection of books and videos on woodworking. I just looked in their catalog and they have a book "Getting Started in Woodworking". That might be a good place to start. I have never purchased a book or vedio from them but it looks like they have a good selection. You can order online at www.ptreeusa.com.
Tom

toolman Steve

Welcome to the forum ,there are a lot of good people here.
Have fun and don't be afraid to ask questions.

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Steve M.

Itchy Brother

If you dont mind the suggestion I have one.I would go online and ck on all the safety rules for each tool your going to use,or maybe go to a community college and take a wood shop class there.It may help ya save some fingers.I dont mean to scare ya or anything but there are certain ways you do things and things you dont want to do.I think my first project was a table saw sled for crosscutting boards on my table saw.Utube also has a lot of video's under woodworking you may find helpful.Good luck in all you do.Itchy

John in Tennessee

Check with some buddies of your granddad. I'll bet some of the guys here are close and can answer a few. Also don't think because you ttestosterone count is low that you can't do this
I have seen some outstanding work. done by ladies. Check with some of the community collages in your area. A lot of them have adult courses.

phinds

Welcome to the forum.

If you need a place to look up wood working terms, try here:

www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_glossary.htm

Paul

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phinds
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www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/

red

Welcome to the forum.

Red

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ihackwood

my daughters help me in the shop since they were little, i would give them a nail gun and some scraps and they would just nail it all together into one big pile, then they found the glue, what a mess, but one day they wandered in, and seen theyre beloved project heating the place they were horrified, what was i thinking lol thats almost as bad as clearing the refrigerator lol, they are in theyre teens but still work with me when they can,you can do it just take your time