Yesterday a buddy of mine mentioned that he was looking to give woodworking a try. About an hour and many questions later, he was (hopefully) set on the correct path towards being a beginner woodworker. This all got me thinking about how I got started in woodworking and other hobbies.
Following are 5 resources that can help turn a complete newcomer into a beginner woodworker.
1. Buy a Woodworking Magazine
This is usually a quick way to expose yourself to a new hobby or activity. There are plenty of woodworking magazines, with each focusing a variety of topics. Reading through new tool and product previews, woodworking plans and projects, tips and even the advertisements can help bring you up to speed.
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There are also many numerous books available, but they usually have a very narrow focus. Which can be a good thing, but pre-beginners need wider exposure before they’re ready to tackle texts on say, dovetail joinery and hand plane techniques.
2. Join an Online Woodworking Forum
Like magazines, forums can help you develop a broader view of woodworking. Forums are great places to ask questions and contribute, but there’s also benefit to just lurking around at first. New and popular archived threads offer insight and experienced perspectives that are more varied than in single-author articles. Plus there are usually oodles of projects just waiting to inspire.
Recommended forums: Lumber Jocks, SawMillCreek
3. Sign Up for Free Catalogs
When first getting started, you’re going to be thinking about what types of tools to buy. Catalogs can help you develop a better sense of what tools and supplies are available, and what you can expect to pay.
Catalogs can also help you visually distinguish between different products you may be hearing about, such as bar clamps and parallel clamps. Certain other tools and supplies are also best learned about through visualization, such as cross-dowels.
The next step is to visit a woodworking store, or even a regular home improvement center, and look around. Make a note (or take a photo) of interesting or unfamiliar products for later Googling.
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Favorite woodworking catalogs: Rockler, Woodcraft, Lee Valley, McFeelys
4. Jump Right in With a Starter Project
Plan out a small project, or follow one that you found in print or online, and get to it. There are tons of simple projects that you can make with few tools. You can get boards and sheet goods cut down to rough size at a lumber yard or home improvement center for minor working at home. Nothing is more encouraging than experience and a sense of accomplishment.
There’s a lot one can do with just a saw, drill/driver and $40 pocket hole jig.
5. Join a Club or Partner With a Friend
This can be an effective way to correct misconceptions and rapidly gain understanding and knowledge. These days there’s no reason to make common and perhaps even costly mistakes if you can help it.
Clubs and friends can also offer access to tools you cannot afford, don’t want to invest in or don’t know about as a beginner. Early on, about 8 years ago, I used a Dremel with a sanding drum accessory to round the edge of a project – a DVD player stand and TV riser. If I had joined a club or consulted with a woodworking friend, I would have learned about routers much sooner. That project also taught me about saw kerf thickness and how tight-clearance dimensions should account for it.
Additional Resources
The web can be an excellent resource for beginners as well as intermediate and advanced woodworkers, but such sources are most effective if you know what you’re looking for.
If there’s a Woodworking Show in your area, consider going. Admission is usually $10 or so, with many vendors and expert exhibitors willing and ready to share their knowledge and experience with you. There are some opportunities for hands-on training, and usually reasonable discounts as well.
Allen
When I taught school we offered evening classes for all skill levels, or people just came in and used the shop for whatever. Put pressure on your schools to do that, it may help save a shop program from cuts. We didn’t charge, other than materials, but I could see a small usage fee.
Stuart
That’s a great idea as well! Although, I don’t remember hearing much about any such programs in my area, or even anywhere in NYC. Hackerspaces are popping up around the country, and perhaps in a few years they’ll be even more commonplace.
Woodworking classes are another idea, but they often focus on equipment too large or expensive for beginners to even think about investing in.
Blair
The liability issue could be a problem for public schools, many are restricted as to what type of activity they can allow. Cost is another issue, the facility would have to provide supervision, be able to justify the wear, and tear on tools, and equipment, not to mention the extra climate control, and lighting.
In our area, there are adult school classes that you can sign up for (for a fee), starting at the basics, and graduating on upward. Community colleges often offer beginner courses as well.
Parke
What are some magazines you would recommend? I’ve heard good things about Fine Woodworking but maybe it’s not best for a beginner.
Stuart
When starting out, almost any will do. Fine Woodworking is good, even if some articles or projects may be above beginner level. There’s also Woodcraft, Popular Woodworking, Shop Notes, and quite a few others.
DIY magazines, such as Family Handyman, also occasionally feature woodworking projects and related articles.
A good idea is to head to the local bookstore or newsstand and browse through until you find something you like. Next month, buy a different magazine. That’s what I usually do since I don’t have any current woodworking magazine subscriptions.
Allen
I wouldn’t discourage you from picking up Fine Woodworking, it might inspire you as a beginner but probably not be much help. Try and find old copies of Woodsmith magazine, the later ones are geared more towards the experienced wood worker. The first issue I believe featured a cutting board, always a good place to start.
Stuart
True, but the information and project tips don’t go bad, although trends do change. A couple of times I’ve skipped over projects too advanced only to come back months or years later. Then again, I also like to jump in head-first when getting into a new hobby to better understand my limitations. It can be a quicker, but frustrating, way to get up to speed.
Andrew C
When I started my foray into woodworking, I found some of the newbie magazines like Family Handyman surprisingly helpful. They always seem to have some articles regarding basic woodworking skills, like sanding procedures, glue-up procedures and tips- things that are are necessary for newbies but are too basic for the more advanced woodworking magazines. And even though its more advanced, Shop Notes is awesome. Nothing better than learning new techniques by building shop tools and jigs that you will need at some point anyway. I learned a lot making a workbench, tablesaw stand, crosscutting sled and battery charger stand.
Bob A.
I second that – many of the projects in the Family Handyman use only a few tools that many beginners like me already own. They often use regular plywood and dimensional pine which are easy to get locally if you don’t have a good lumberyard nearby. The articles on plumbing and electrical are usually good as well.
Greg E
Cool sites Stuey, got any other project sites you dont mind sharing?
fred
Woodsmith magazine offers an email newsletter. Each comes with a tip and a short video clip that elucidates some technique. YouTube also has quite a number of instructional videos on table saw operation/safety and the like
Blair
I would also recommend a copy of “How to work with tools and wood”, it is out of print now, and the information is definitely old school, however it is considered one of the best references, and primers for new, and even experienced wood workers. If you can’t find a copy on line, chances are your local library, or maybe a local college library may have one. I have a paperback copy still on my shop shelf that was a giveaway from Stanley, with purchase of some tool back in the early 70’s, and still refer to it on occasion.
skone
Free wood is a good way to bypass begginers’ inhibition. It’s easier to dive into a project and “risk” errors when you haven’t ponied up a bunch of cash for the wood you’re using. People will talk pallets — I’ve done that. You can get them free but they do require a time investment for disassembly. My tip is not to count out the local dump. Ours for example allows people to dump clean wood for free. As a result there is always something worth salvaging. I’ve scored everything from studs to hardwoods. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Steven Rees
I am using #2 pine that I rip down to 1 1/2 pieces. They get planed down to make a very nice board to work with ,
The square lumber sits in my temperature controlled shop
The next day the lumber is twisted up like a pretzel
I live in TX so the A/C keeps it around 80 deg
Is it possible that the temperature is causing the twisting,
I am losing approximately 30 to 40% of my lumber, and I don’t know why
Steven Rees
I am using #2 pine that I rip down to 1 1/2 pieces. They get planed down to make a very nice board to work with ,
The square lumber sits in my temperature controlled shop
The next day the lumber is twisted up like a pretzel
I live in TX so the A/C keeps it around 80 deg
Is it possible that the temperature is causing the twisting,
I am losing approximately 30 to 40% of my lumber, and I don’t know why
Stuart
This tends to happen. My understanding is that, when you rip a board or remove a lot of material, you can either or both i) relieve some stresses that cause the milled board to reach a new equilibrium, ii) expose an inner parts of the wood board that has higher moisture content, which can cause warping as it reaches equilibrium with your workspace.
If you’re ripping pine 2x4s or 2x construction lumber, those do tend to warp a lot on me as well. For project use, I tend to buy the pricier pre-milled boards at the home center. They cost more, but there’s less waste, not to mention much fewer knots. Lumber yards sometimes have better 2x lumber, but they’re still so-so when talking about finer woodworking.