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Newbie-Projects to avoid frustration

2K views 25 replies 18 participants last post by  Camper 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hello, I'm obviously new to this website although I have been reading many posts over the past several months. Like many others here, I had always dreamed of woodworking but didnt have the financial ability to dive right in and had little access to machinery. That has changed over the last year or so and 4 months ago I dove into the lifestyle.

I currently have a pretty nice shop set-up for being brand new. The first few months I have spent setting things up, purchasing equipment, bulding work benches, jigs, etc. Now I am starting to work on projects that will end up outside of my shop area.

Really, up until now, the only type of ultra-accurate cutting I have had to do was while making some jigs. And actually, I'm not sure if that is even considered "ultra-accurate." Now that I am paying even more attention to detail, I am finding myself frustrated as I realize exactly how greeen I am to the skills required to do this. I realize that it will take me years to master this art, if I ever do. But I do not want to get frustrated right out of the gate as I have read that this can cause people to walk away from the lifestyle all together.

I've Googled beginner woodworking projects and I seem to get directed to the same sites everytime. My question is: Where can I find project plans that produce a functional piece, yet teach me additional skills along the way.

thanks much! I look forward to contributing what I can as well as gaining additional knowledge.

Rick
 
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#3 ·
I have often advised beginners like yourself to build an adirondack chair. Plans are readily available. In my opinion, it is a good beginners project. You can keep your cost down by using pine. You will also have the advantage of working with a softer wood. Cedar will cost a little more and be more durable in weather. Redwood is another option.

One of my first projects was a set of adirondack chairs I made with pine and painted. A few years later I built another set with ipé. Ipé is a very hard and very durable wood. Those chairs will last me for the rest of my life.
 
#4 ·
Hey Rick..welcome to the site. I'm sure you'll find lots of info you need/want here. You may even find someone who is willing to share a plan with you. Don't give up if you have a few mishaps. All of us face that stuff, we just dont often post it
 
#5 ·
Welcome to LJ's Rick. What kind of wooden objects catch your eye?...Those are the ones to pursue. Keep checking in on this website, and whatever gets your you thinking about the shop…those are the ones to follow up on…if that makes any sense. Of course, Rockler and Woodcraft have lots of plans as does Wood Magazine. As I found out a few years ago, buying the tools was the easy part. Best of luck.
 
#7 ·
Welcome Rick, First let me just say that learning is the fun part. One of the things I might suggest would be to practice on your joinery skills on some scrap, this is where you find the majority of your accuracy cuts. Chose projects that don't require a lot of joinery, but allow you to make the kind of joints you want to learn. Say you want to learn dovetails and have refined your skills to the point you want to build a project. A simple step stool would be a good beginning project for dovetails. Here's a site that I think you can find some beginners type projects and give you an idea of the joints you might want to use. http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/resources/index.php?cat=102
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
Wow, thanks for the quick responses!

Lew- Actually my first "real" project will be a butcher block cutting board which is nearly complete. I was in Woodcraft a couple weekends ago and bought a butcher block kit on sale for $20. It was my first glue up and it went fairly smooth.

Richgreer- I've been eyeing some plans for an adirondack chair recently. In general, I've been thinking about starting off with some outdoor projects. Like the butcher block I am currently working on, I feel I can put as much or as little detail work into it that I want. In other words, if I don't feel quite comfortable do some additional detail work, I can pass on that and still have a functional piece in the end. (dodging frustration!) :)

We are expecting our first child this coming October. I've been looking for something that I can have ready for her nursery. Changing tables look awesome, but I'm a little nervous to "experiment" with something my newborn will use. I've looked at differnet toys but most of them seem to be best suited for a boy and we are having a girl.

Again, thanks to all for the responses. I can tell that I am going to love this place.

PS- I should have my new Ridgid R4512 put together and tuned tonight. The thought of that is making my day at work DRAG along pretty slowly! !
 
#9 ·
You only get half the joy of woodworking by making something someone else designed. Create something yourself. The geometry of something like a never before created paper towel holder can be extremely simple to design and much more fun and satisfying.
 
#11 ·
Trays can be as easy or as difficult as you want them to be. They're also pretty useful things to have around, and make cool presents.
 
#12 ·
My first project was a night stand. Pretty simple joinery (rabbits if I remember correctly….it was awhile ago after all) and still in use somewhat. At least with something like that you wouldn't need to worry about your newborn being placed on it, and if it falls apart, the only thing injured will be the alarm clock!! (Not necessarily a bad thing either)
 
#13 ·
^you know what, I lied. My first project also was a small nightstand. I glued up the top and legs, routed an ugly line in the aprons, and assembled it with dowels. It cupped and exploded one day. It was fun, though.
 
#14 ·
Rick, another very enjoyable part of woodworking is learning how to design simple projects yourself. Study other peoples plans on how and why they do certain things and why different joinery is used in different situations. Start simple like a table with 4 legs and an apron. The term apron might be foreign to you now but that is a big part of the learning process - learning the jargon. With something simple like this, you will learn why mortise and tenon is used to join the aprons to the legs. With a solid top, you will learn why you have to take in to account wood movement so the top won't split - and a long the way you will learn how techniques (store bought and hand made) to attach large solid wood planks. You can learn about different ways to profile an edge with hand tools or a router and bits. You will learn how to cut things square and accurate or the joints won't fit right and the table won't be square. Learning how to adjust the lengths of legs on a table is a good thing to know so the table doesn't rock. These are some of the simple basics about learning about woodworking. Don't start with complicated joinery or designs until you get these simple basics really mastered and under you belt as they are used on just about any project you undertake in your career. Don't let poor fitting joinery or none square cuts get you ticked off - it is what everyone here has gone through to learn the basics and get really good at this art.

When I started woodworking many moons ago, I found the process of woodworking just as enjoyable as the finished project. Learn to love to work with wood; the satisfaction of a perfectly fitting joint; the feel of a sharp plane taking off a paper thin ribbon of wood, the feel of an exquisitely scraped and sanding piece of wood and how it feels so silky; the smell of different woods (hickory smells like a wet dog when you cut it - oak has a sweat smell to it - zebrawood really stinks when you cut it, etc.) This is all part of learning the art of woodworking.

If you have a computer try learning Sketchup to work through your designs. There are some OUTSTANDING Sketchup tutorials that focus totally on woodworking. There are tons of Sketchup wood project designs available on the web for you to check out. If no computer learn how to draw designs on paper. There are several good books on the market that picture designs of simple pieces of furniture that you can use to learn how it all fits together. You will start to learn what different joints are, why you would use them in a project and how to use different types of woods in the project. This is the engineering aspect of woodworking and if you want to move on a path to mastering woodworking, this is something you will have to learn along the road.

Above all, check here and ask questions when you hit a road block and aren't sure where to go. Try figuring it out on your own first (great learning experience - woodworking is a LOT about problem solving). Research the web - LOT'S of really good information on the web.

Don't get frustrated and give up. Making mistakes and turning perfectly good wood in to firewood is a natural process of learning the art of woodworking. It happens all the time to even seasoned woodworkers. Above all follow all safety precautions so you can make it a long and rewarding endeavor.
 
#15 ·
What are your thoughts on using pine for my beginners projects since it is easy to purchase, cheap, etc? I do have access to a local lumber supplier and have a jointer and planner to mill stock. I hesitate buying anything other than pine right now as I am sure to make many mistakes with just starting out, and it makes me cringe to think about wasting good stock while I am learning.
 
#16 ·
If I was you OIF@Vet I would use pine for my first projects. I did that at first. And believe me I messed up a few times. Until you get good at making this I would use pine. I'm sure some of the others would do different but thats what I would do. And there is a lot of things you could make to start out like small shelves, napkin holders, bird houses, and a lot of other things. Good luck
 
#20 ·
Pine tends to blotch when stained, however this can be overcome with a wash coat or conditioner. By using a wash coat, you can then use whatever type of stain you would like. If you would like to skip the conditioner, try a gel stain. I haven't used one, but from what I have read, it doesn't penetrate very far into the wood so it won't blotch like the other stains.

Of course, there is always paint if that is the direction you would like to go.
 
#21 ·
Rick, pine (dimensional lumber is a great starting place) or poplar are great starting out woods. Poplar works much better then pine and it is a great wood for staining or painting. Poplar is a lot stronger then pine as well. I use it for infrastructure (mostly hidden) parts on many of the pieces I design and construct. Here in the northwest it is priced the same as pine. Not sure what pricing would be in WV but I would think since poplar is in great abundance in the east it would be pretty economical.

The dimensional pine/fir can teach you how to flatten, thickness and square up parts for projects. And it's DIRT cheap. When you go to the borg store, check through the lumber stacks carefully and get boards that are straight and light weight. Heavy boards are an indication of a lot of moisture still left in them. You can resaw 2×4's into thinner stock to make glueups for table tops, etc.

Plan on wasting wood. It is the part of the process of learning. Your best lessons will result from making mistakes. People can tell you over and over how to do something, but until you try it yourself and figure out how to do it correctly through making mistakes, the lesson won't really sink in. You will have a AHA! moment when you look at the finished task and go "so that's how you do that".
 
#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
First off, congrats on the baby! I'm a newbie too and I have a young baby. My first semi-big project was a changing table following plans from www.ana-white.com. All I had was a circular saw for cutting and I was sure proud of myself when the frame was done and it didn't wobble a bit! I would recommend giving her site a look over. Her designs are more simplistic (thus easier) and I'm sure you can modify her primarily pocket hole and butt joint plans to include mortise and tenons or whatever joinery you would like to "practice"
 
#23 ·
I'm all for jumping in with both feet. people spend 10s of thousands on a college education and think nothing of it because they learned something and received a piece of paper and don't always like what they learned. Consider it a learning experience, realize you're probably your own worst critic since most people won't notice the mistakes you made, and view any money lost as a part of the experience. I've thrown away more on a semester's worth of books then I have any one project. Make your first a crib, Rockler has a nice easy to follow plan and you'll smile every time you see your daughter in it.
 
#24 ·
You stated "I do not want to get frustrated right out of the gate as I have read that this can cause people to walk away from the lifestyle all together." You will get frustrated, but if you stick with it and share with us, here at LumberJocks, you are going to find that woodworking will become an important part of your life.
I would suggest you go to your local library and check-out the woodworking section. You will find tons of information and a lot of books on woodworking plans. Start out simple. Keep us posted.
 
#26 ·
Welcome and congrats on the baby!

You can also build a learning tower. I saw a nice plan over at the Ana White site mentioned above. You can make it as complex and as simple as you like and you have until he/she is 16 months old (time flies by the way mine is 22 months and it is like yesterday when my wife was expecting) to build, modify , rebuild if you like. One thing for sure is, he/she will use it.
 
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