Woodworking For The Novice Craftsman

By: Ray Walberg

Who doesn't dream of building his or her own furniture, knick-knacks, bookshelves, and boxes? Woodworking is a fun and rewarding hobby that anyone can learn to do. If you are just starting out, try not to be intimidated by all the expert craftsmen out there. At one point, they had to start out too. Everyone began with that first birdhouse or footstool. Eventually, you will be able to build with the big dogs too. Another thing that can be intimidating for the novice woodworker, is the equipment, both tools and machinery, involved in woodworking. This does not have to be the case. Just make one purchase at a time, and build your collection slowly. No one has the money to buy everything he needs in top quality when he is just starting out. This is impossible and ill-advised. What if you decide that you do not like woodworking after your first couple projects? Then you are stuck with thousands of dollars of equipment. No, it is better to build slowly from the bottom up when you are stocking your workshop. Here are a list of tools and machinery that you can use to begin your collection.

One of the basics you will need in your shop is a good set of chisels. Chisels come in a variety of sizes, from one to two inches, and you will use all of them eventually. It is worth it to buy top of the line chisels, as they will get a lot of use and their durability will have a chance to be proven over the years. You can also buy a mallet to complement your chisels, and to make your job easier.

Clamps are the necessary ingredient in gluing together objects. You will need this piece of equipment to hold your objects in place while the glue dries. Clamps come in many different sizes, and can usually be found used in decent condition. However, they are not overly expensive if you want to buy them new.

Carpenter squares and framing squares are what you require to make accurate measurements and angles when you are working with wood. You can also purchase a try square or a combination square.

Electric drills are essential for most woodworking enterprises. You do not want to be stuck wearing out your wrist by screwing in bolts and screws with a screwdriver for hours. You can find cheaper drills in the cord variety, but cordless drills are recommended for big projects, so you do not always have to search for an outlet or extension cord. However, it helps to buy a cordless drill with two batteries. Why does it need two? So you can charge one while you work. You will use a lot of power in your projects.

As a last piece of advice, never invest in cheap tools. Be patient in building your collection. Cheap tools will never pay off in the long run. You will always have to replace them with something better eventually and you will end up spending twice as much money.




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About The Author
Ray Walberg is publishing essentially for www.insidewoodworking.com , a website with topics around hand tools . You can learn about his contributions on woodworking tools on his site.