All Replies on working on skills

Welcome Travis, Might not be much help but in shop class we made a wall hung coat rack.

-- We the willing. http://www.woodanddreams.com

To hone skills I would say the best thing to do within limited capacity is practice. Do exercises of different joints, mortise and tenon, dovetails the list go’s on. And within all these basic joints try different variations. It won’t waste any wood just scrap and it will leave you with knowledge and a trial and error process that developed you.

-- {Current North Bennet street school student}

Build a cutting board or several…. They can be long grain or end grain. Not to mention when you are done you have christmas gifts that didn’t cost you an arm and a leg.

-- Ken, USAF MSgt, Ret.

there are many books with plans for shaker type furniture that include things like stools, candle holders, tool totes, etc. They are fun to build, very useful and easy to build. My wife and I probably have (or have had) many such books floating around the house.

-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com (timetestedtools at hotmail dot c0m)

first, you gotta make lots of sawdust and kindling just learning how to safely square a piece of stock! before you know it, those projects will be placed on shelves and bookcases, instead of in the fireplace…..........

kenbry was right, cutting boards and biscuit boards can be simple projects to learn basic wood working skills. just remember that the projects we as LJ’s like the least, other people like the most.

-- .......now cut that out!

travis … heres a link to some adirondack style chairs that i have used before, theyre pretty close to spot on, all though i did change some of than angles for the arm rests when i used them.

http://www.calredwood.org/Project+Plans/Project+Plans.htm

Welcome to the gang …..

-- "there aren’t many hand tools as awe-inspiring as the #8 jointer. I mean, it just reeks of cast iron heft and hubris" - Smitty

Welcome. Are your tools in good shape, well tuned, and accurate? Gotta start there before ya build anything.
Build boxes. SQUARE boxes, not “almost square”. Do that a few times to hone your cutting/measuring skills.
My first project in the machine shop was to cut a square 1/4” steel plate. The instructor didn’t mean that any variance was allowed.
Bill

-- bill@magraphics.us

I agree with everyone. There are plenty of plans available for simple projects like small boxes (candle boxes, jewelry boxes, ect,) serving trays, cutting boards, bird houses, etc You can start with the basic plan, but then add embelleshments to the plan like dove tails, box joints, inlays, etc. Also try different woods and finishes. A box for instance can be very simple, but as your skills develop, it can become a more complicated project expecially the joinery.

-- Wayne - Plymouth MN

Do a trial subscription of woodsmith and shop notes magazines. Very good scource for learning different jointery and shop jigs and technics .

-- If the old masters had power tools, they would have used them. So get off your damn High Horse.

I practice new skills and joinery every time I need to build some ‘shop furniture’ for storage etc. This is also a good place to try different finishes you need to gain experience with. I think I have every type of joinery known to man in my shop drawers. None of them match but the joinery doesn’t show and I got a lot of good experience building them. It’s fun to look back and compare my earliest drawers with my most recent. I even put Shipwright hinges on my sandpaper storage box!

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

GFDVM….. TMI TMI TMI! We don’t want to look in your old drawers! LOL, (Sorry, I tried to resist!)

-- Improvise.... Adapt...... Overcome!

Andy, I never heard of putting hinges on my draws. Kinda gives a new meaning to the ‘Leaving the Barn Door open’. I can see it now, you must have a chronological display of all your draws from when yous was a young little whippa snappa.

Travis, I strongly recommend starting with a square box(mitered corners, of course), then a rectangular one. Boxes are the foundation of so much woodworking. As has been mentioned, sharp, accurate tools are a must. Notice I did not say expensive. And the first good tool is starting your project with square wood. If you don’t have some, then make some.

You never mentioned what you want to make. The more interest you have in it the funner it will be.

-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--

+1 for square (or at least rectangular) boxes – if you can’t reliably make right angle joints, everything else you do will be a struggle. Make ‘em large enough to have corners you can work with and small enough not to waste too much wood. Start with mitered corners, than progress to more complex joinery – rabbets, dovetails, etc. (You’ll notice that along the way, you’ll have to learn how to sharpen a tool and keep it that way.)

When the boxes are coming out tight and really square, move on to simpler Shaker or Mission furniture or whatever else makes you happy. Good luck and welcome…

Take a gander at Popular Woodworking’s site they have section called ””I Can Do That” The plans are free.

-- Bondo Gaposis

You might try a site called Ana White…she has hundreds of plans ranging from very simple to advanced…with lots of hints and details. Sign up to her site and she will even help you if you get stuck on something!!

Have no fear, wreck some wood,bulid something of your own design. bottom line…. the only way to build skills is dive head first make some mistakes have some success and move forward!

As a fellow beginner, what I do the most is build jigs and small cabinets and things for the shop. Like it’s been mentioned, it’s a great place for experiments, and there’s only so much practicing of cuts you can do right at the beginning before you get bored.

When you are new, you want to jump right in and make something – I know that feeling.

Lots of experienced people go on and on about practicing skills – and that’s important. But you need to do a couple small things and get some motivation. Even if it comes out a little crooked. And then do it again, but better.

And when those not-perfect things are in your shop, if you are the type that’s shy about your work when it’s not perfect (like me) then no one else will have to see them if you don’t want them too. And then once you are sure you really want to spend the time to get better, start in with the straight-up practicing.

I really like Shop Notes because it’s full of good advice and tips for beginners, and the projects are all centered around the shop.. which is what I’m most comfortable doing at this stage.

-- Nat, UPstate NY, http://www.cordlessimpactdriverhq.com/

You still there BirdDog(Travis)? What are your interests?

-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--

I’m a new woodworker as well. Have you encountered any unwanted tapers using your jointer ? I’ve spent about 4 hours “tuning up” a very good condition used jointer I bought on Craig’s list and am still having taper problems :(

-- Regards, Jeff

you have more tools than I had when I built my cabin, and all the furniture in it..you can do tons without a lot of tools. there was a stool posted lately that the fella made from wood from a tree in his yard and very few tools.
Just get out & start..make mistakes & learn. the labs will help a lot..my 4 dogs do! Good luck

-- We call the destruction of replaceable human made items vandalism, while the destruction of irreplaceable natural resources is called development.

Welcome birddog. What everyone else said, Build boxes and make them square. You would be surprise at how difficult it can be to make something square with a lid that fits correctly. Fine tune your skill by making jigs and such and make them as good and square as you can. I have found that the final outcome of most projects will be reflected in the beginning details. Have fun.

-- Bryan

Nat (helkat) has a great idea. Build things for your shop or work area. They’ll help you get the skills and you’ll get something useful out of your time and expense. Welcome to LJ.

-- Trees, a wonderful gift --Joe--

thanks all for the advice and to rance i really like small projects for now boxes birdhouse right now im working on a picnic napkin holder i have to finish lettering and a coat of clear seal then might post pic

As an instructor, I have to ask you if you’ve considered taking a class? There are several places that you can take a Woodworking Fundamentals course or a class more specific to your interests, like box making. These are often one night classes or up to 12 hours.

First thing to get a handle on(IMO) would be to make sure you begin your project with square wood. Google “Squaring Lumber”. From there, build a mitered box, or picture frame. Yeah, a picture frame is a better place to start, then a box. Shop jigs will be interspursed in there along the way. Keep us posted and ask more questions if you get stuck.

-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--