Joined
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7 Posts
Hi,
I took a wood and metal shop class when I was in junior high and still have the project I made all those years ago. It has sat on my dresser for 25 years reminding me that I enjoyed making it and wanted to learn more someday.
Well, that someday came. It began last year when I finally decided it was time. I knew next to nothing, and still know barely more than nothing! I bought about $200 worth of used Craigslist tools per month, until I had a table saw, router, radial arm saw (it was $20, lol) drill press, jointer, and a planer, palm sander, jigsaw, and a corded drill. I recently added in a good used bandsaw that I don't know how I lived without for so long.
After I bought all of this stuff and stared at it for a couple of months, I was still too scared to use it. Not scared of injury, but scared of failure, and scared of screwing up really expensive wood. This fear held me back for several months.
During that time, I started reading these forums and watching a whole lot of videos on Youtube. Then one day, I finally decided that I was tired of watching and being scared, and that was the day I began. I did a lot of learning about wood, so I understood pricing in linear feet versus board feet and all that, and I still couldn't get over my fear of screwing up expensive wood. So I found my next solution...
I decided for my first few projects, I would use construction grade lumber from box stores, or free wood that I could get off of Craigslist. This way, if I made a mistake, worse case scenario I was out about $2.00. It was a great decision that I'm glad I made. I challenged myself though, so that my finished pieces didn't look like construction grade lumber. My jointer and planer got lots and lots of work, but I slowly started finishing a few pieces and accomplished my goals so far.
So far, I have built a bedside cabinet, shoe storage rack, shelves, an outdoor bench, and a farmhouse table with benches. Everything has been with construction grade or free lumber.
I'm now at the point where I have enough confidence to start using some better wood. I am planning a rolling cabinet unit with a removable butcher block cutting board top for a friend who likes to grill outside and has an awkward hole between his stove and fridge in his kitchen. I want the cabinet to fill that hole and be useable and beautiful indoors, but rugged and ready to roll outdoors next to his BBQ grill and look manly.
I'm happy to be here, I've learned a lot from you all already. Also, I don't have any real life friends who do woodworking at all. If you're in the Los Angeles area, I'd be interested in meeting up someday to tackle a project together.
I took a wood and metal shop class when I was in junior high and still have the project I made all those years ago. It has sat on my dresser for 25 years reminding me that I enjoyed making it and wanted to learn more someday.
Well, that someday came. It began last year when I finally decided it was time. I knew next to nothing, and still know barely more than nothing! I bought about $200 worth of used Craigslist tools per month, until I had a table saw, router, radial arm saw (it was $20, lol) drill press, jointer, and a planer, palm sander, jigsaw, and a corded drill. I recently added in a good used bandsaw that I don't know how I lived without for so long.
After I bought all of this stuff and stared at it for a couple of months, I was still too scared to use it. Not scared of injury, but scared of failure, and scared of screwing up really expensive wood. This fear held me back for several months.
During that time, I started reading these forums and watching a whole lot of videos on Youtube. Then one day, I finally decided that I was tired of watching and being scared, and that was the day I began. I did a lot of learning about wood, so I understood pricing in linear feet versus board feet and all that, and I still couldn't get over my fear of screwing up expensive wood. So I found my next solution...
I decided for my first few projects, I would use construction grade lumber from box stores, or free wood that I could get off of Craigslist. This way, if I made a mistake, worse case scenario I was out about $2.00. It was a great decision that I'm glad I made. I challenged myself though, so that my finished pieces didn't look like construction grade lumber. My jointer and planer got lots and lots of work, but I slowly started finishing a few pieces and accomplished my goals so far.
So far, I have built a bedside cabinet, shoe storage rack, shelves, an outdoor bench, and a farmhouse table with benches. Everything has been with construction grade or free lumber.
I'm now at the point where I have enough confidence to start using some better wood. I am planning a rolling cabinet unit with a removable butcher block cutting board top for a friend who likes to grill outside and has an awkward hole between his stove and fridge in his kitchen. I want the cabinet to fill that hole and be useable and beautiful indoors, but rugged and ready to roll outdoors next to his BBQ grill and look manly.
I'm happy to be here, I've learned a lot from you all already. Also, I don't have any real life friends who do woodworking at all. If you're in the Los Angeles area, I'd be interested in meeting up someday to tackle a project together.