What Do You Need To Do Basic Woodworking?

   Lets imagine that you are a 20 - 40 something with a decent place to live and a few (very few) extra dollars to spend on improving your home, lifestyle and gift giving.  If you are a little bit patient  and slightly handy you can create many things  for reasonable amounts of money and time.  

  Often people send beginners out into the world with a shopping list of tools and equipment.  A basic set of tools needs to measure, cut, smooth and assemble.  There are dozens of tools both hand powered and electric that will do those things, these tools range from economical and generally useful to wildly expensive and extremely specialized.  To prove the vast scope of the tool world, look at something as fundamental as the hammer, there are hammers of every size and shape used for general and specialized tasks.  I don't anyone needs them all. I've done lots of woodworking for many years and only have five or six different hammers. 

  So, my suggestion is to buy the tools you need to complete the task at hand.  You may find that you are perfectly happy making small wooden crafts and so never need big, costly tools. If your wood working is done in support of other hobbies, eg. making picture frames, flower boxes, raised beds or children's toys you do not need to invest heavily in space or tools and can still get a very satisfying result.   

  I have over time, followed the "task first- tool next" theory and in 40 years gathered up a very full workshop of tools.  Those tools have provided years of rewarding pleasure and distraction for me. This method also helps insure that you don't  spent money and discovered you really don't enjoy making things from wood.  Not everyone does, no shame. Nearly all my tools were acquired as and when they were needed to  complete some project or other.  My joiner, planner and bandsaw were purchased to make building larger pieces of furniture easier. I have a good selection of hand planes, saws, chisels and knives used when making small things like spoons.

  Christmas is coming soon.  Much of the virtue of home wood projects is the ease with which the final finish can be adjusted. You can buy basic wooden shelves, bookends, candle holders, and boxes, and all the tools you need are smoothing and finishing tools. (hand or power driven).  

  A personalized gift, finished by hand and coloured to match the receiver's taste is more meaningful than just ordering something ....and having it shipped to their house.

  In the next blog I am going to talk about some the options available to help adjust and personalize projects.

cheers ianw