Ponderings #4: Getting Antsy!

I feel for you!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

so what do you need? A vice. A small chunk of wood and a saw, right?

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Pretty much. That and a place to actually use said vise, chunk of wood, and saw…though that could be anywhere ;)

Yeah, I’ve got to get the workmate…just to have something to mess with! ;)

-- "Give me your poor tools, your tired steel, your huddled masses of rust." Yep, I ripped off the Statue of Liberty. That's how I roll!

I think he has been bitten…...the dreaded LJ bug strikes again.

-- DocK, WV

Yep…pretty much!

-- "Give me your poor tools, your tired steel, your huddled masses of rust." Yep, I ripped off the Statue of Liberty. That's how I roll!

I hear ya Tomcat, but trust me man, take your time and do the right thing! Chances are if you are in a big enough area to have a lowes and a home depot you probably have a woodworking club nearby. (I don’t unfortunately) I’d check on that before buying the wrong crappy tool and ending up having to buy another one. I have a workmate.

It sucks.

It is anti-hand tool.

If it could wear a T-shirt, it would say “Lie-Nielsen is my arch-enemy!”

If I were you, buy some plywood, some 2X6’s, good screws (GRK), and glue some hardboard to the top and use that instead. It will be more functional, last you longer, and it isn’t evil.

I hear yer urge man, make the sawdust, but beware the crap tool monster! He is a sly creature.

-- Casey, Engineer, Escanaba, MI

Yooper,

I hear you. I was only wanting the workmate for a month or two until I move into the new house. Then, my first project will be a full-on workbench. I just don’t want to build something substantial that will have to be moved in a couple months, you know?

I appreciate the assessment of the workmate though. Now I’m glad I didn’t waste the money ;)

As for woodworking clubs, I haven’t found any around here, and I’ve been looking. There’s a statewide guild, but they seem to be mostly folks out of Atlanta, which is 3 hours away. Still, I’m definitely going to see what I can find. Perhaps this search will be more fruitful!

Thanks!

-- "Give me your poor tools, your tired steel, your huddled masses of rust." Yep, I ripped off the Statue of Liberty. That's how I roll!

Check out Thuan’s shop. You can start making sawdust now, just not on a huge scale.

rikkor,

Thanks for letting me know about Thuan! Very interesting set-up he’s got!

-- "Give me your poor tools, your tired steel, your huddled masses of rust." Yep, I ripped off the Statue of Liberty. That's how I roll!

A workmate does make a good place to lay tools. I do not like the pressboard top. I will be replacing mine with 2×6 to make it a bit more stable.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

I’m with the others, the workmate is a great dust and tool collector – it’s not much to work with. I suggest using this time to learn sharpening chisels and plane irons. Get a set of stones and start to work, by the time you move into the new place you’ll have a good understanding of sharpening and some sharp tools to work with.

Another small tool you could get and use right away is a scroll saw. I know that some don’t see a scroll as real woodworking – but it really is. You can incorporate a lot of scrolling into some very nice projects that would be dull without the detail from the scroll saw.

You could also get some basic carving tools and teach yourself a bit of relief carving. This way when you get that first big piece started you can add some nice detail to it.

lots and lots of things to do before you move.!!!!

Good luck.

-- You can't get a hug from Facebook.

I love the workmate. No regret purchase.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne