I'm new to woodworking, I'm a girl, AND I'm blonde!!

Blonde????? This is a joke right?
Just kidding. <g>
Get a plan for a bird house or a step stool and give that whack.
Let us know where you need more help.
p.s. ditch the glasses and get a face shield so you can breath and see.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Thanks Bob, and no this is not a joke, hey, we all have to start somewhere right? Actually I do need a step stool because I can’t reach a damn thing!!

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

First, if you another gift card like that- send it to me!!!! ;^)

Seriously, as Bob said, start simple. Look at some of the projects posted here at LJ’s. Smaller items can be nicely done with the tools you have purchased. Post your progress and get some feedback on how you are doing. As your confidence level grows- and you want to move up to more complicated project- you will have an idea of what tools will be needed to be added to your arsenal.

Looking forward to seeing your first project.

Lew

Here’s one built with my grandson for his mom.
P.s. He built that pencil holder beaver for himself.

From misc pics

From misc pics

From misc pics

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Thanks Lew, will do. I also need to get some better lighting in the workshop. I honestly don’t know how he saw a thing, currently there are two flourescent overheads, each having two bulbs apiece, but that doesn’t seem to do it for me. I recently purchased (really cheap) six rocking chairs for my front porch, completely unfinished and a bit rough. I’m having to set the nails before I can even begin the finishing process. Any ideas on the lighting situation?

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

I was gonna say what was said above, about the gift card. You’ve got some seriously good people around you to get all that stuff from a gift card.

Take a look around here at ALL the projects you can handle. Caution though, you’ll get bleary eyed looking at all the stuff here at once, and may not sleep for days (and nights) at a time. You’ll get so many ideas, that you’ll wish you had some of that gift card left to buy more wood to practice with.

As for lighting, Shop lights are cheap. Cheaper than the ballasts that you have to replace later on, so buy plenty.

-- Respect your shop tools and they will respect you - Ric

dup/?

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I would start by watching every single one of TChisel’s videos…..He was taught at the North Bennet Street School in Mass…One of, if not the best fine ww’ing school in the country….His projects are grandiose, but better to get his type of fundamentals first…..

http://www.tchisel.com

You don’t want to start by learning bad habits….

JC

-- Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. -Carl Sagan

I love the photos Bob!!! And oldskoolm….. Yes I do have a great dad that gave me a $1 thousand gift card to Lowe’s. I still have three hundred dollars left to buy more lighting! Most of the stuff I bought was on sale (after Christmas Sale I suppose). I really love the step stool picture Bob sent. I think I can do that. I’m a graphic artist by trade so I’m gonna photoshop that picture and rule in the dimensions. I’ll keep you posted!

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

As a graphic artist I think that you will take to woodworking right away.

The principles of balance and proportion, using contrast in color and texture apply to this craft as well. You can start by making some projects published in books or magazines to start developing your skills. Then you can step up to modifying existing plans and then you are on your way to designing your own work!

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Hey – Deja Vu!
I was – am a graphic artist too!
I think conceptualisation is what separates us from the “code Monkeys” <vbg>

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Wow!! Todd, I checked out your profile and absolutely loved this part, “I get inspiration from art, architecture, and often, things that many would not find relevant to furniture.” I soooo get that. As an artist, wannabe woodworker: dimension, color, depth, grade, etc. is the key to creativity. Thank you.

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

Oh my gawd, I love you Bob!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

Thank ya vurry much!

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Wait, what are you trying to say about code monkeys?

You will need lots and lots of sand paper too.

I work in the basement and I have a 2-bulb strip light about every 4 feet or so. They are also positioned strategically over each power tool work station. I also have one of the dual halogen work lights on a stand. This is awesome for highly illuminating a particular piece while working on it, but gets damn hot. I also have a floor standing fan that blows across the light to push the heat in another direction.

Augusta, my brother and his family live in Atlanta. I have not yet been down there. Sorry, my brother is not mechanically inclined and has never tried woodworking so he is not someone I can send you to for help.

Go online, look for clip art or free plans, get used to playing with the wood, try different glues, get used to sanding, you might consider getting a random-orbital sander too. Though doing it all by hands surely strengthens the arms and wrists. I remember making simple belt balancers and owl-shaped shelves in middle school shop class. I then progessed to cedar chests and as my collection of tools grew, so did my aspirations. I still learn something new every time I go into the shop.

Well good luck. Good to see Bob has a fan.

-- Rich, WNY, www.nyrockingchairs.com

Welcome cheryl. Keep an eye on craigslist for tools and stuff. I buy good used tools as much as possible, that’s also a good source for materials. Make what you like. Have fun and be careful.

-- I'm a lumberjock and I'm ok, I sleep all night and I work all day!

Thank ya vurry much, ah, Rick.
It’s good to be the King!

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

<’Nuther graphic artist/wworker here… Welcome to LJs.
You might want to consider T8 flourescents. Here is a teaser.

Consider viewing Todd Clippinger's card scraper video and getting yourself a few of these invaluable (and cheap) tools – and use most of that $300 for something other than sandpaper.

And then there are handplanes to consider. Search “Slippery Slope” here on the site and be prepared for a graduate level course on re-habbing, and using an old school method that will elevate your skill set and make you a better woodworker.

Give a shout out for anything you need. You’ve just wired into one of the best sources for information and community that has EVER existed in the history of woodworking (and the internet).

There are a number of very talented and savvy females here; MsDebbieP, Betsy, Allison, pat sherman and Ellen come instantly to mind.

There are any number of world class woodworkers here about. And then there are the old farts, like Bob2 and I.
;^}

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Sorry, Bob. Couldn’t resist upsetting your crown a hair.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

another Graphic Designer chiming in…
Everything is a box… a good way to practice with tools and techniques on a smaller scale, an economical way to make and experiment with projects & woods, and there is no shortage of boxes among the LJ ranks to inspire.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/tag/box

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

Welcome, Cheryl!

I’d take a low-tech approach, if I were you…. Start looking at the projects posted here until you find one that makes you say “I could do that!”

Then, when you get halfway into it and find out it was harder than it looked, post another forum topic and we’ll all jump in to rescue you with well-intentioned and conflicting advice. :-)

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

”“Sorry, Bob. Couldn’t resist upsetting your crown a hair.””

Shoot Doug, now everybody knows….......

;-)
Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Welcome from cold and snowy New England!! :) You’ll find it great around here, lot’s of great people with fantastic skills and wonderful advice, when asked.

-- Chip -- Manchester, Connecticut "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

Welcome to LJs! If you are looking for your next step, do what most of us have done and peruse the projects page and find inspiration for projects. There are some seriously talented woodworkers on this site, some of the stuff makes my jaw hit the floor. Good luck with your projects and don’t be afraid to post them here, you’ll get all the help and suggestions you’ll ever need!

Edit Also if you have Itunes, download the wood whisperer’s podcasts, they are quite informative.

-- Let's make some firewood!

Welcome aboard , Cheryl…you’re gonna love it here ! Happy New Year : )

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

I would start small bird houses, paper towel holders,step stools etc. go to the library and get some woodworking books. I don’t have a big enough shop to make big stuff unless I work outside and this time of year its all small stuff and playing with the new lathe. ask lots of questions and post pics of your projects for feedback from the crew here. before long you will be doing big projects.

-- Jim in Cushing Oklahoma

Welcome. Find something that you need. That way you can figure out how to create it. Do you need a 1 step stool or a 2 step stool. or a three step stool that doubles as a regular stool. There all doable. Good luck on your entry into the “Wild Wonderful World of Woodworking” (WWWW) Were one “W” better than the web.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

What Now!!!!
You Need
A Bandsaw
A Table Saw
A jointer
A Planer
A Router
A router Table
A Lathe
A set of handtools too long of a list to specify
A Whole bunch of gijets and gajets
A bout ten thousand Board Feet of lumber
Hope Santa OR your better half is with you!!!
One thing is FREE our help here at Lj’s, WE are all here to help

-- MARK IN BOB, So. CAL

I’ll add my welcome as well. I’ve been known to do a little art work on occasion. I think you’ve found a whole herd of Grandpas here to shepherd you along. Might have something to do with “girl and blonde”. Good choice of words. You will find lots of help and encouragement on this site. It seems to be what we do.

Doug, I resent not being included in the “Old Farts” club.

-- Thos. Angle

Welcome Cheryl. There are actually a lot of women in woodworking and the number is growing. Getting back to your question of lighting; If you have the old type fluorescent fixtures with magnetic ballast, get rid of them, They hum and flicker and will only get worse. Replace them with electronic ballast fixtures using the T-8 bulbs. Lowes has them. Do not buy the old std “cool white” tubes. Look on the label for a color rendering index (CRI) as close to 100 as you can find. I also mix in a few incandescent bulbs as they help boost the CRI. With the cheaper lighting you will never see the true colors in your stains and paints. Check out the lighting that I have in my “Workshop in the Woods” blog. Also note the white paint on the ceiling and walls.

Changing subject: Have you thought about getting a scroll saw. This is a perfect way for an artist to work in wood.

-- "Heaven is North of the Bridge"

Welcome! This is a great place to hang out. Help and ideas for the beginner to expert is here when you need it.

-- DaveH - Boise, Idaho - “How hard can it be? It's only wood!”

I’m not a graphic artist but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last nite…..

Welcome Cheryl…all skill levels, genders, occupations, and hair colors welcome here!

-- David, South Windsor, CT "I love the smell of sawdust in the morning"

Here is an idea, Take those 2×4s and make a work bench. It will give you the oppurtunity to learn to use and get you comfortable with your new tools. And you need a good bench. And when it outlives its usefulness or it turns out crappy, it becomes a potting bench outside.

-- Adrian ..... The 11th Commandment...."Thou Shalt Not Buy A Wobble Dado"

Focus on a slice of woodworking that fits your personality and space. Chairmakers, Carvers, Millworkers and Cabinetmakers all call themselves woodworkers. But can inhabit vastly different worlds that fit different types of people.

And don’t do a birdhouse and paper towel holder. Do a birdhouse that IS a paper towel holder.

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

Welcome to Lumberjocks!

I get inspired by making things which are really practical because that way my interest level is high. It would be really nice to have one, but I don’t want to pay the price for something which I know I can make myself. I save money, get something useful which I might use and appreciate everyday, learn a new skill and have something to show to my friends and say ’ I made that’. A nice first project might be a wooden mallet to go with those nice chisels you just got. There are plenty of examples here and you can’t really go wrong as long as you end up with something heavy on the end of a stick.

-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com

Welcome aboard.

I agree with Lazyfireman…...workbench first. You can build a functional one from the wood you have and put it to use.

Later you can refine the next one you build.

If you need help you are in the right place.

-- Measure once cut twice....oh wait....ooops.

As you are blonde you probably need to look at things really closely.
Spend some of that money on T-8 fluorescents, as said twice before.
After all, if you can’t see what you are doing you won’t know what you’ve done.

Lee

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

Thos., I thought of you amongst the crowd of geezers that include the esteemed Mr. Oswin and I, but thought you might sic one of those Yellowstone bears on me.
Peace and Hugs,
Doug

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Cheryl.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Man, you guys are soooo awesome!! Thanks!!!!!!!

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

Welcome cherylf. Most of these ww’s are photographers also as one of that group I might suggest you carry your digital camera with you and as you see furniture, cabinets, etc take some snap shots of them and of course get under them so you can see their joints and braces and… you know, all the important stuff. Sometimes a good picture is all it takes to lean the hand needed or to inspire!

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings

Hi Cheryl.Welcome to LJ.I too am new to woodworking and am starting with small projects to get used to the saws etc.I have done a few birdhouses and feeders and I love doing them.So do the birds. :-) I have also tried some lawn ornaments like my penguin that I hung in the tree.I’m not sure what I will do next but I know it will not be too complicated yet. I love this site and have found so much helpful info here.The people are great.Hope you enjoy LJ as much as I do.

-- Dustygirl..Hastings,Ontario.. How much wood can 1 gal chuck if 1 gal can't cut wood?

Thanks Dustygirl and KM! It is especially nice to meet another female just starting out! It looks like my first project is going to be replacing the door to my chicken pen. I did a seperate post about the rough morning I had with it.

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

Welcome cherylf,
I agree, start with something small and simple. Possibly a cutting board. You can find free plans if you need them in the internet. Make sure you have good lighting because that effects your safety and your project. This is a great site to learn and share. Can’t wait to see your first project.

-- Bob K. East Northport, NY

if you want simple start by looking at my projects…hahaa…glad to have you here…I would say THIS PLACE is a great first step…as a beginner I have learned a lot…(just watch out for Odie). I would say a quality table saw is a good place but NOT needed in the beginning…My advice though is to buy quality as much as possible…so that you can buy once…and let it last a long time…

good luck and keep us up to date on your progress…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...

Welcome Cherylf,

This is a great place to learn. A lot of good recommendations posted so far. All I can add is that after you get started you’ll definitely need almost every tool you see. :) It’s happened to most of us at one point or another. Good luck.

-- Allen, Milwaukee, WI

Welcome to LJs,
Glad to see someone else from the Augusta area interested in woodworking.

-- Passion4Wood, Augusta GA.

I don’t know which circular saw you got, but if you’ve got $300 left over you probably didn’t get DeWalt’s new one with the rail system. Might be worth trading up to that, ‘cause with that and some home-made jigs you can do almost everything a table saw can.

I’d also look at a full-face shield, they’re not expensive, and I have less fogging issues with them. Also, a good set of earmuff hearing protection is one of those things I thought I could do without (“I don’t do this for a living, how bad can this be?”) until I had ‘em. Not only am I keeping myself from long-term harm, it’s much more pleasant to work in the shop.

After that… Look around and see what about your new home you can improve! Sometimes that’s furniture, my sweety, for instance, likes chairs that are a few inches shorter than normal chairs, so one of my “set up the jigs” tasks was lopping the legs off a chair accurately enough that it still sat level when all 4 were shortened. And do some reading of the “how to make jigs” books, because I find that projects aren’t about the tools, it’s about the ways you can use the tools you’ve got, and though I’ve never built a jig directly from the how-to books, they’ve given me lots of ideas for how to make cuts.

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke

What now??? For starters take a look at Kate’s ‘Changing Times Table’. You could start by making a table that would look like the left side of the table (in the photo) and then work up to some day making at table that would look like the right side.

-- Ron in Osseo, Minnesota

Hey Cheryl!
Welcome to Lumberjocks! While I’m not a woodworker, I do like to woodturn and my husband and I run a website that specifically deals in how tos of woodworking. In fact your request got me thinking that, if I were to start woodworking today where could I go to find a simple list of things I would want to know in the beginning. So here is something that you inspired :) http://thewoodwhisperer.com/new-to-woodworking/

Have fun and please let us know if you have any questions :)

Nicole

-- Visit us at http://thewoodwhisperer.com

Dang! That is so cool. There you go, Cheryl. Custom response to your request from woodworking/internet royalty!
Thanks Nicole and Mark.

…and Mr. Clippinger gets good mention with his card scraper video.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Welcome, Cheryl. My wife is also blonde and loves beer, but she’s not much on ww. good luck and have fun. Its a great getaway from the day job.
I live in Rabun Gap, a few hours north of you near the NC/SC border. Your avatar looks like a peak just across the NC line from my home, about 10 miles, called Pickens Nose. Beautiful place.

Nicole! Awesome website! I’ve been reading this morning, thanks!

Rod – It’s Grandfather Mountain, NC.

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

Welcome aboard Cheryl! This site is vast and full of good stuff… and great people! You’ll love it here.

If you need anything, let us know.

Steve.

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †

Thank you Steve for the warm welcome!! Yes I already love it hear.!
Cheryl

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

Cheryl,

Welcome aboard the most inspiring, creative site on the internet. You will take control and produce whatever you need at this point in your life.

-- Rich, Seattle, WA

I like blonde. Yes blonde shellac flakes!

-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.

First of all – will yu marry me? A lady with a house close to Augusta and a wood worker, too – what a catch!

Anyway, welcome Cheryl! Nice to have a fllow golfer in the group.

Get yourself a good T/S – I love my Dewalt with its rack and pinion fence. You can do dados, rabbetts cove cuts, miter cuts and a whole lot more just with the T/S.

Hit ‘em hard and find ‘em later…

-- David, Dallas,Tx - golfing weather is nice but so is woodworking!

My first WW project was refinishing a kids mini-piano. My wife bought it off of e-bay and it was really beat up. I had to pull it apart (it was glued) sand the crap out if it and replace the top and the the bits that curve down by the keys. It was my introduction to routers and cutting out shapes. I then moved on to a twin bed,”her big girl bed,” for my daughter, it was very ambitious for me at the time. Norm, my dad, FIL, and magazines have been my main learning instruments.

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

David !! Alrighty then! Let’s play golf! Phil M. is my hero because I, too, am left handed and I always get kidded on the course because people are like, “That just looks weird”, go figure. and to sIKE – I want a big girl bed too!! And Woodworm – blonde shellac flakes?? Dammit man I knew it. Love this site!!!

P.S. What’s a T/S??

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

I was fascinated by this American site! I never knew the Americans took woodwork quite so seriously

Cheryl,
T/S or TS = Table Saw
RAS = Radial Arm Saw
ROS = Random Orbital Sander

Er, Lordstephens, it’s an international site coded and administered by a fine young Slovakian genius named Martin Sojka. He just lets a fair number of North Americans hang out here (and boy, am I glad).

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Hi cheryl Lots of advice from people about how to spend your money, i say hold on to it until you learn the basics. Just learn how to make dovetails and mortis and tenon joints first, every other joint is just a variation of those. once you can cut a clean straight line you can literaly make anything. Dont get caught up in the power tool merry go round until you can handle the basic stuff first as it is the most important and will serve you well. look for old woodworking texts by charles c hayward or bernard e jones. check out scribd and toolemera. Learn to make a shaving before you make dust.

-- if the hand is not working it is not a pure hand

And some more ww abbv Cheryl
RT = Router Table
SCMS = Sliding Compound Miter Saw
BS = Belt Sander
DP = Drill Press (also known as Pillar Drill in UK)
OSS = Oscillating Spindle Sander

P/S and ww known here as woodworking and not world wrestling…

-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.

Hey girl! I am also Blonde and well once was a girl, now I’m too old for that title. I’m just learning also. Love the smell of sawdust. I wish I had the workroom you’ve spoken about! Drool drool. I’m in a crowded one car garage. Some good sites to learn from, “The Wood Whisperer.com, and Matts Basement Workshop.com – they’re both knowledgeable genorous and cute! (Married also). An another is Fine Woodworking.com/Start.

Hey Cheryl, if you want to look at some woodworking plans, this site has a bunch of free plans (as you may guess by the name) http://www.freewoodworkingplan.com/

It’s a great resource and they have a bunch of easy projects to start out with.

Good luck, I can’t wait to see your projects.

-- "At its best, life is completely unpredictable." - Christopher Walken

I married a blonde. She is awsome and can do anything she wants to accomplish. However, she is not slightly interested in wood. But in lots of other things.

Remember, not everything turns our perfect the first time. Maybe not even the second or third time! But success comes with dilligence and practice.

I am not even close to perfect, and I have spent years [no, decades] doing wood things. However, the first major item I made still has a prime place in our home. I made my wife a hutch out of cruley and birdseye maple some 35 yrs ago. It is stellar, and my wife frequenly points it out to her friends and family when they visit.

Some years ago, I was told something I have never forgotten….......Sucess is a journey, not a destination.
Ira

-- Rustfever, Central California

My rule of thumb is no more distance between light fixtures than they are long. For example, 4ft fixture, 4 ft apart, 8 ft fixture, 8 ft apart. I have a 24×24 detached garage and I have 12 4ft florescent 2 bulb fixtures in it. a 4 bulb setup, could afford to be spaced further apart. I had a ballast go on the one above my workbench, and you would think with 11 other lights, no big deal. Wrong, it made a my work have shadows it didn’t have before. Plenty of light makes working more enjoyable and less tiring.

I am a shop teacher in St Louis. If you are ever up this way shoot me a PM and I can show you my shop, both school and home. Also pm any questions. I do have some videos on youtube and this site about tool safety and operation. They are geared for my students, but anyone can use them.

Welcome. I would highly recommend “Building Beautiful Boxes with Your Bandsaw” by Lois Keener Ventura. Even if you don’t have a bandsaw (which I highly recommend) this book goes into great detail about planning and organizing a project. She writes as though you were carrying on a conversation with her and the directions are extremely easy to read. I followed her directions and ended up with a great 2 drawer band saw box.

There are 14 designs with full directions. In the sequel book, the focus is more on the designs and less on the theory (1st book covers that). She and her co-authors show designs for about 20 or so more boxes. I think it is called, Sculpting Band Saw Boxes.

I got the first book by Ventura and have been hooked on box-making and woodworking in general ever since.

Get out into the shop!!!

-- Behind the Bark is a lot of Heartwood----Charles, Centennial, CO

Just a thought: realize that woodworking involves building skills. You might be thinking you could never build a chair (clock, drum table, etc), but if you build up your different skills, you eventually will be able to. Start with small things that won’t overwhelm you, and interest you, such as a birdhouse, stool or cutting board, and see how you do. I remember on one of my earliest projects, a coffee table, that I had to re-sand and stain it 4 times, because the finish wasn’t how I wanted it. Yes, it was a pain, but I learned a lot from it.

You might want to look into a subscription to ShopNotes, or Fine Woodworking magazines. Fine Woodworking is for advanced woodworkers, but there is some stuff I’m sure you can pick up. There are many magazines, such as ShopNotes, Woodworkers Journal, etc, that are aimed at beginner to intermediate levels.

Hey, ask us! All of us were beginners at one time! It’s a very good community here, and you have guys that are beginner thru advanced levels.

-- http://newmissionworkshop.com

Welcome, Cheryl to LumberJocks I live across the state line from you. You have join the right place with a lot of people willing to share what they know.

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

Has anyone noticed that she hasn’t posted in 110 days….....

-- JJ...... I guess you could say I'm a 54 year old "juniorjock". — Make things with wood.

its like a woman truck driver. We all have to comment. LOL!

264 days, i was waiting to see who noticed first.

Oh i see…110 on another thread.

-- Dan, Sterling Alaska, http://sullcon.homestead.com/ Before you criticise some one, walk a mile in their shoes...then you will be a mile away and you have their shoes!

HOW THE HELL DO YOU JUST BUY ALL THOSE TOOLS FIRST??? you’re crazy…especially Dewalts! I’m a dewally fan…my shop is all dewalt..most…im just goin nuts wonderin how you buy all those dewalts before you know what you’re gonna do…well you got the tools..lol…how well can you draw up a project? and can you draw it to scale with a scale? i was always brought up to design and draw the project in your mind first…put it on paper, write down the material list, get your materials, and get to work…and thats how I became the woodworker I am today.

-- Good, better, best; Never let it rest until your good is better and your better best! Mark, Windsor, Ontario

DEWALT! DEWALT DEWALT!

-- Good, better, best; Never let it rest until your good is better and your better best! Mark, Windsor, Ontario

I think you’ll be able to learn how to be a pro woodworker just by reading our quotes under our comments :P

-- Good, better, best; Never let it rest until your good is better and your better best! Mark, Windsor, Ontario

Just because I haven’t posted in a while doesn’t mean I’m not lurking around! I’ve been putting alot of hours in at my new house (moved in last November) especially with landscaping. I have eleven acres and 6 of that has to get mowed once a week, plus a girls gotta make a living! I’m looking forward to winter so I can have some time to play around with some bird houses. I’ve made a couple of little things, a storage bin and stepping stool, nothing fancy but I’m still reading alot and checking out your wonderful woodworking and just drooling!!!

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

no time like the present ,
to dive into the sawdust !

as you know ,
just give a jingle ,
and you will have a waterfall of responses .

-- david ,new mexico ,allheart

Peter Korn put out a book called Woodworking Basics, it has five projects that build upon one another. GREAT book for those of us just getting started

If MickeyD and I were closer we would help with that chicken coop gate. : )

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings

UPDATE ON THE CHICKEN COOP!

I gave the chickens the boot. They weren’t laying and hey, ya don’t lay, ya don’t stay! LOL! Gawd I hope nobody ever tells me that! I also tore down the coop and am going to plant a fall garden there. Man all that poop filled soil, woohoo!

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

I could have used some of that left over chicken stuff this summer, my garden did terrible this year, the worst ever. Good luck this fall…

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings

As a designer, I believe you have an advantage that many others do not – I would suggest against the advice others have posted about following an existing plan as I am sure you have the ability to visualize what you would like to build. Once you know what you want, start sketching, modeling, etc (whatever floats your boat) to work out the details. Share your progress here and ask lots of questions.

My other piece of advice would be to not pick something you look at and say “I could do that!”. Choose instead something that you would be truly proud to build that looks like it is somewhat above your skill level, then learn as you go along. You’ll learn much faster that way and will also end up with better projects. Every project I do I try to learn at least one new skill, and while I still create more sawdust than projects, I think I’m more skilled because of that mentality.

Scott

Great advice Scott! It’s true that I can visualize things because of my photography/graphic arts background. I am playing around with all the pecan tree limbs that fall in my yard on a regular basis. Since I’ve been in my new house (almost a year) I haven’t done alot of decorating and I haven’t hung curtains (oh excuse me, window treatments). I’m stripping the bark off of some limbs and then will sand them and use them as curtain rods. I hope to leave some of the small branches in tact for a neat visual effect. While this is not technically “building” something it gives me a feel for the wood (and smell!) so I can move on to maybe building some furniture with it.

-- I think I was a man in a previous life - why else would I be blonde and like beer!

I might suggest that you see if there is a Woodworkers Guild anywhere in the neighborhood. You will most likely find a lot of people willing to share knowledge there.

In addition, you might check your local Community College and/or high school to see if they have any woodworking classes.

If there is a Woodcraft near, the one here has classes on a regular basis and probably any near you would as well.

Woodworking is a lot of fun but it can also be dangerous and having someone to show you how to use the tools will make it a lot safer and a lot more fun.

Good Luck.

Domer

First of all welcome Cheryl. Unless I missed it, no one mentioned a dust collection system. That is THE MOST important machine in a woodworking shop. If you get a cheap one, like a 2gal shop vac, it could cost you a trip to the ER. Enjoy and work safe.

-- Dudley Young USN Ret.

cherylf…...curtains (oh excuse me, window treatments). I’m stripping the bark off of some limbs and then will sand them and use them as curtain rods.

You actually mean window treatment supports don’t you?

-- "Even small steps makes a distance." (Shawn Phillips, musician)