I am very much a newbie at woodworking. My wife's grandfather refinishes furniture for a retirement hobby. He got me hooked on doing that for several years and taught me a lot. My first project was an oak bookcase I made for my son. I have very limited room so have to borrow father in laws table saw when I work on a big project. I do have a miter saw and bought a kreg jig for the bookshelf. I have done dowels as well but big fan of Kreg jig too. A couple months after my first project I won a bid at an auction where I obtained some walnut, cherry, and oak all in the rough. I then sold some boards on craigslist and used that money to buy a craftsman 6 1/2 jointer, grizzly planer and router table. I used the walnut to build an entertainment stand, and am currently building a simple coffee table for my mom for Christmas. I am from PA, which means my days of finishing furniture outside are coming to an end for several months.