# So I was looking at furniture...



## Ranger Psych (Mar 27, 2015)

and then I started looking at prices for said furniture...

and then I started looking at the woodworking projects I did in the 3 years of woodshop I had in middle school...

and then I started looking at prices of woodworking tools...


And I came to the realization and inherent decision that it will be more cost effective and with more to show for it, if I make some decisions on some quality hardware in the $2k neighborhood, drop $500 on lumber, and make shit around the house rather than spending that money on chinese made MDF crap from *insert retail store here*. 

So...  $2,000 budget, and you've got about a 10'x3' area to shift and store everything when not in use in the garage. What would you get?


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## HOLLiS (Mar 27, 2015)

A good table saw would be my first investment, a good fence, IMHO is a must.  I use mine more than my other wood working tools.  A dust system is nice but a vacuum will work. 

A pocket hole jig great for cabinet building.  I would call them a necessity  Kreg makes a nice set for the cost.  I like it better than my Porter Cable power one.

A lot of clamps.  I am sort of a clamp person.   Having the right clamp makes things go much easier and nicer looking.    Irwin quick grips are great, one handed operation.   

Table router is nice for that extra touch.   A router and a fence is a inexpensive substitute. 

Electric sanders are nice but necessary

Drill presses are nice but not necessary.   One can get jibs for adjustable shelf brackets.  There are all kinds of jogs now.

Cost maybe $1,000


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## Dienekes (Mar 27, 2015)

My father is a career logger and enjoys woodworking stuff so I've had access to this equipment for a while, and the table that sits in my room: I cut down the tree, used a sawmill to cut it into boards, planed the boards, and made a table from the usable lumber.

Table saw: because free-handing a skill saw down a length of board to get the width that you want is very iffy. You could mitigate this by buying the width you want but sometimes you need a width that is impossible to find.

Miter saw: If you make anything that you want to join at an angles, but that is kinda rare. Also a little more exact than a skill saw for cutting lengths.

x2 on the router and clamps. Mainly practice, good hand tools and as is said on this site so much, attention to detail, will give you the best results.

You could get a woodworking book for some project and joinery ideas.

Kreg joints are awesome but we just changed drill bit sizes and depths.

Measure twice, cut once.


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## HOLLiS (Mar 27, 2015)

Thanks jroberts,  I forgot the miter saw.   I have three electric ones.   I have had over the years the ones that use a hard back miter (hand) saw.   One is for framing.  One is for between framing and cabinet and one is for trim.   A table saw can work, but not as easy to do.


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## Dienekes (Mar 27, 2015)

Woodworking is just plain cool. We used that one miter for everything. Three must be quite handy. I'd like a lathe and milling machine to try some experimenting, but that is some expensive stuff.


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## HOLLiS (Mar 27, 2015)

For framing, it gets heavy use and goes outside.   I bought a new trim saw because of it's features over my old trim saw.  

I have a large electric planer, it is nice to have when needed.   I sold my drum sander, I just did not use it enough.   

I am in the thinning the herd down stage.   Traveling more and doing less work.


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## RetPara (Mar 27, 2015)

A heavy duty table that will not move is worth its weight.   Also plan on building jigs for the fence and saw.   http://www.finewoodworking.com/workshop/Tablesaw-Jigs/118381.aspx?channel=2

You can sharpen your wood working skills by making jigs for practice.

Also you want a LARGE 10 In+ Compound Miter Saw.

Look at the different battery powered hand drills.   I have a Ryobi that has done well for years.   Ensure you buy two - three extra batteries.   Also a good corded hand drill will come in hand.   

A good hand held radial sander.     A planer, preferably not a hand held one; sounds extravagant, but saves a LOT of hand planing.

A good tool chest that lockable for all the small hand tools.

A Compressor and a large brad/nail gun that will take larger brads.

A good work bench that doesn't move till you want it to.

http://www.woodcraft.com  will have a peapot of tools and gadgets.   The key is too figure out what you can do with what you have or can get for less than their prices.  

There are a lot of odds and ends, and good older hand tools you can pickup at estate sales.   http://www.estatesales.net/   Most of the ads will have pictures.


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## Red Flag 1 (Mar 27, 2015)

Another couple of tools would include a radial arm saw, and a hand held reciprocating saw ( saws-all).  One of the things I have learned about power tools, is that battery operated ones are only as good as the batteries that power them. Most of the B&Ds that I have had, just don't have good battery life, and new batts are expensive. I have gone back to using my plug in drills, and I don't plan on buying battery powered ones anytime soon.

My table saw is a B&D Fiestorm; Circular saw is Hitachi; Hand held recip saw is Porter Cable; 16" Scroll saw is Craftsman, as is my table mounted router, and dremel. I do not have a drill press or wood lathe, both of which would have been great additions. A really good source for woodworking supplies, and even some tools, is Rockler. Send for a catalogue, just thumbing through it can give you some new ideas.

Take a look around for unfinished furnature suppliers. With a little finish work, you can have some great pieces of furniture and save some too. Good luck, and enjoy!


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## HOLLiS (Mar 27, 2015)

To do it very inexpensively,  a electric jig saw with a fence and a router.   Surprising what one can do.  It may not be the finest of work, but it works.

My advantage is that I lived near (walking distance carrying some beer) some friends and they built cabinets.   I learn a lot from them.

The drills Bosch  and Milwaukee with the small lithium batteries are great.   Also at home depot rigid comes with a life time replacement on batteries.  <-- damn good deal. 


Compressor are good to have.   I have a big shop one and a small one.   The small one is great for stapler.  The pin staple is great for finish work.  I have done framing, roofing, siding, etc, so over time the number of pneumatic tools increase.    The other aspect of a compressor is air tools for working on the car.  Let see we went from a $2,000 budget to over $60,000.   Sounds like one of those house make over shows.


As red flag pointed too, those You-finish stuff can be really nice and cost effective.  

The savings in do it yourself is amazing,  we did about $175,000 remodel for about $30,000.   Down side,  we are still finishing it up.


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## Brill (Mar 27, 2015)

Ranger Psych said:


> So...  $2,000 budget, and you've got about a 10'x3' area to shift and store everything when not in use in the garage. What would you get?



A ticket to Mexico, pay some guys to build me stuff while I'm in a hammock drinking a margarita, then drive it back home.


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## Ranger Psych (Mar 27, 2015)

No intent of starting a brawl, but pocket hole vs biscuit joining?  Why one over the other, given that there's biscuit hinges and metal connecting biscuits to assemble/disassemble stuff now?

Either of ya'll, or anyone else for that mater have experience with Shopsmith's? While a power swiss army knife doesn't sound good due to swappity swap swap,  there's one for sale (Mk5 with various upgrades) locally for $700 in good condition with some custom boxes and such the previous owner threw together.  Press, table saw, and lathe being the primary things I would see it do service as.  I'm just looking at the $700 for that shopsmith compared to $500 for a new "baby" contractor model or $200+ for a used table saw, then more $$ for a drill press, then another 500 to however much I don't want to spend on a lathe... and I've turned stuff before so having a lathe is something I'd want, even just to be able to make some ornamental stuff let alone supports, table legs, etc.

Power drill I've got, Dewalt unit as well as a Dewalt handheld impact (one of their smaller ones, this ain't doing lug nuts on anything) and 4 batteries between the 2 of them so I can spin through things battery wise as I use them. I also have a couple corded ones of various manufacture so running out of batteries is solely a convenience thing.  

Sawzall I've got already, jigsaw we've got one around here but I'd almost rather get a scroll or bandsaw down the road. Bandsaw would make it easier to nip off ends from turned work, although you can always take a saw to it while it's still on the lathe at slow speed then run it on a sander to clean it up and square it if there's any that needs to be done. 

I will say that I still have a HUGE CASE OF THE ASS at Hitachi. I had a full set of tools that I bought from a pawn shop (Circular, drill, light, sawzall) and at one point Hitachi made a fucking AWESOME charger.... that also had a 30' cord with a battery connector at the end. You could run with the 3 batteries I had, and if you ran through those you could continue charging one while using any of the tools as a corded tool.  They don't make that charger anymore and the few that are known good and selling on Ebay or the like command prices that are well above what the entire blasted kit sold for new!  I can't understand why no companies did something like that, but I guess they have more profit by selling more batteries rather than giving you the option to continue work.


My most major reason for wanting to get all of this is that for a nice raised twin with drawers and a bookcase integrated for the kid is like 3k around here, out of real wood. The computer desk/cubicle I looked at that is only a 75% match for what I would want out of a desk given my varied things I do? $2500 before shipping. I can build both, custom to what I/we/she wants (for the bed) and specifically for what I want to be able to do for the desk, for way cheaper and get to sit behind, or go inspect, something that I can be proud of that if I do it right will last for eons.  Then I can turn around and make fancywancy mixed wood turnings and such to give out as christmas presents, build the shelves I want in the living room for storage of crap, build the dressers and desk for the bedroom so we have storage how we want, build the bed that I want so I can store my 1750's under the fucking thing plus have additional drawers for blankets and sheets, etc etc etc.  And at the end of the day, I can look and have something to show for all of that money that's actually crafted, not made out of crapwood that can't even get rained on if you keep it while you move.

Plus, I can always do it as a hobby and people eat up decorative one-off stuff like nobody's business.

I'm no Norm Abrams but it's not rocket science, it just requires attention to detail more than anything... and I was in Ranger Regiment. I can be fucking anal if I want to. LOL


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## HOLLiS (Mar 27, 2015)

I like pocket hole better.  I have a biscuit cutter.   Pocket is faster, easier and less expensive to do.  Benefits of a biscuit cutter, is when both sides will be facing.   There are plugs for the pocket hole, I never use them.  If you look at furniture, the bottom, and backs are pretty much ignored as to fit and finish. 

Shopsmiths are cool.  No one I knew that had one actually used it's features.   Mainly set it up as one thing and leave it that.   A good table saw with a good fence is so much better.  I would not go the contractor route.    The support stands are nice for long cuts.

A jig/scroll saw is better for finer stuff.  A sawalls is heavy duty stuff, replacing a wall, etc.   Band saws are nice.  I have one but I don't actually use it much.   The cabinet builders that I knew, never had one.

For a desk, cabinets under the bed,  a table saw, a router and table, miter saw, clamps, pocket cutter, sand paper, stain and a clear coat.   A power screw driver can also have a drill bit attachment for the pulls on the desk.   That also will do a kitchen cabinet remodel, entertainment center etc

3/4" sheet of oak veneer,   1X2 oak for facing and edging, 1/4" oak veneer for the draw bottoms,   The there are choices on door facings.

BTW, building cabinets are really easy to do.


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## Totentanz (Mar 27, 2015)

The Kreg pocket jig is one of the best investments in my workshop.


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## HOLLiS (Mar 27, 2015)

lindy said:


> A ticket to Mexico, pay some guys to build me stuff while I'm in a hammock drinking a margarita, then drive it back home.



That is my wife plan and over time is has slowly invaded my mind as the best course of action.   (especially dry walling)


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## Etype (Mar 27, 2015)

Not to derail the thread, as my suggestions would be just more of the same...

BUT... My grandfather was blind in one eye and wasn't allowed in the military during WWII  (my grandmother loved to tell the story of him crying like a baby because he couldn't).  So, the next best thing he could do was get a job at the Curtis Wright propeller factory.  The things that man could do with hand tools were amazing.

I still have a bunch of his old hand tools that I tinker with, but when I retire I want to REALLY get into make some nice stuff completely by hand.


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## Dienekes (Mar 27, 2015)

Sounds like you got a hell of an idea as to what you want RP. I'm not a fan of band saws unless you are cutting metal, and even then I'd prefer something else. You could always use a jigsaw to cut off the ends on turned pieces and sand it up nice.

I'd suggest a really nice set of hand-sanding tools for that decorative/fine finish work. I found that it's easy to mess up and get grooves with electric sanders.

Another suggestion. Bench grinder for sharpening tools and such

@HOLLiS dry walling blows


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## x SF med (Mar 27, 2015)

@Ranger Psych ...   re: Shopsmith...  My dad retired from the executive ranks and started his own fine furniture and antique restoration business, his main tool for replicating parts that were beyond repair was his shopsmith, which included a planer attachment (whatever the high end one with all the bells and whistles), he did need to get another planer for superfine work, but the shpopsmith was still the workhorse.   You can build your own router table...  do not cheap out on router bits. 

I can teach you how to sharpen plane blades for your hand planes.

BTW... once I get a place with enough room, the shopsmith and the radial arm saw the planer and the routers are mine....  I can't wait to start building furniture again.

Joining....  the method depends on the use...  buiscuit, finger, butt end, dado/rabbet, pinned, plugged, mortise/tenon all have their place.

Like I told you...  subscribe to Fine Woodworking, Home Handyman, and Woodsmith magazines.....  my dad sends them to me to make me mad.


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## DA SWO (Mar 27, 2015)

I may have a router that isn't used.
Wanna trade sumtin?


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## Red Flag 1 (Mar 27, 2015)

FWIW, I was able to get my hands on some dental instruments. Dentists will trash instruments that have  become worn and are no longer servicable. Even worn, they are still pretty good tools to have in your workshop. They were ideal for removing old finish before starting the refinishing process. So, next time you visit your Dentist, say kind, and flattering things, and then, "Oh, by the way........".


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## Ranger Psych (Mar 27, 2015)

Considering I still have a cleaning kit in a parachute flare case? got those.

All of this is forward planning, my gooseneck trailer is sold pending funds so once I get paid for that then I can start purchasing equipment.  

I also learned how to sharpen standard chisels and plane blades back in the day as well. Just need good stones to do it with.


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## Ranger Psych (Mar 27, 2015)

oh god, I'm having a hilarious conversation with the midget about what kind of a bed she wants. 

Here's what I'm working off of for a design as dictated by the minor midget of mayhem:







Dis gon be gud. lol


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## HOLLiS (Mar 27, 2015)

Cool CAD and Drafting Skills,  Makes perfect sense.    What ever you do, it can not be wrong. :)


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## medicchick (Mar 27, 2015)

So, bunk bed with stairs and drawers if I'm reading it right.  Or did she change her mind again?


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## x SF med (Mar 27, 2015)

Looks like a coffee table with a mattress on it to me...


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## HOLLiS (Mar 27, 2015)

x SF med said:


> Looks like a coffee table with a mattress on it to me...



Here I thought it was some angry mutant troll from hell holding a maiden over it's head before devouring her.  The Troll's club is on the left.


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## Ranger Psych (Mar 28, 2015)

She's 4.... be nice. LOL


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## HOLLiS (Mar 28, 2015)

x SF med said:


> Looks like a coffee table with a mattress on it to me...





Ranger Psych said:


> She's 4.... be nice. LOL




Please note the post above yours,  The Troll's.   He thinks he is  artist, because the waitress at the cafe we went too gave him some crayolas and a coloring menu.

That did not bother me so much,  why did he have to eat the crayolas?


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## x SF med (Mar 28, 2015)

Ranger Psych said:


> She's 4.... be nice. LOL




I know the little princess....  she would actually like a coffee table with a mattress for a bed... she'll sleep anywhere, like her dad.

No dis on the artwork...  it's damn good for a 4y/o.

@HOLLiS ....  last time we went to the diner near you....  you shared the crayolas with me and the COL....


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Nov 4, 2015)

I'm looking for some small project idea's to start getting back into woodworking. My father was huge into it, taught me a lot and I've inherited his tools and several volumes of how to books (basically a full on wood shop). I've been thinking of using some wood pallets as they are free and hardwoods, specifically I have access to unlimited pallets made of oak.

So basically I was wondering if anyone has done, or has had some idea they are willing to share. Currently I've been thinking of building something small, like a set of end tables or maybe a coffee table. But any ideas or input would be awesome.

Once I get started I'll post some progress pictures. Feel free to do the same in the thread if you wish.

Thanks,


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## Brill (Nov 4, 2015)

:-/Sooooo....you got wood?


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## AWP (Nov 4, 2015)

Maybe these will help:
So I was looking at furniture...

DIY Projects


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Nov 4, 2015)

lindy said:


> :-/Sooooo....you got wood?



I would invite you over to see my wood, but that could get awkward.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Nov 4, 2015)

Freefalling said:


> Maybe these will help:
> So I was looking at furniture...
> 
> DIY Projects



Well I'm a jackass, you can nuke this thread if you want, and thanks for the links.


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## Red Flag 1 (Nov 4, 2015)

I took the path of restoring, not refinishing, older pieces of furniture. It often presented problems that included structural repair before looking to restoring the finish. In some cases, the finish was so badly worn, or damaged that I had to refinish the piece. Some of the worst damage had come from cats usting the furniture piece for claw working by the cat(s). It can be profitable, but is rather labor intensive. Good power sanders are a must. I was able to pick up a piece of furniture that I knew someone was looking for. Some pieces I picked up for $200.oo or so, and in the end would get $700.00 +, for a nicely restored piece. I was looking to get at least $25.00 to $30.00/hr labor in each piece. I stsrted doing this right after I retired, and enjoyed the hell out of seeing the final restored piece.

Just my $.02 in the wood working craft.


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## Muppet (Nov 5, 2015)

JAB said:


> I would invite you over to see my wood, but that could get awkward.



Typical Shadowspear....o to Hmmm in .3 milli seconds. Not a record but typical. 

M.


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## Muppet (Nov 5, 2015)

Oh. On wood working. Anybody ever see that company, Southern Pines Wood Working, out of N.C., makes those U.S. flags from old barrels. I would cut my sisters beating heart out and sell it on the Asian black market for one of those flags....

M.


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## AWP (Nov 5, 2015)

I merged two threads, but the DIY link remains for those who want to contribute to either.


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## racing_kitty (Nov 5, 2015)

Muppet said:


> Oh. On wood working. Anybody ever see that company, Southern Pines Wood Working, out of N.C., makes those U.S. flags from old barrels. I would cut my sisters beating heart out and sell it on the Asian black market for one of those flags....
> 
> M.



You'd get more cash value if you harvested her kidneys, liver, and perhaps ovaries (to harvest any remaining eggs). Her heart is obviously defective.


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## Muppet (Nov 5, 2015)

racing_kitty said:


> You'd get more cash value if you harvested her kidneys, liver, and perhaps ovaries (to harvest any remaining eggs). Her heart is obviously defective.



And that's why you are more of a sister to me than Marla is....

M.


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## x SF med (Nov 5, 2015)

Muppet said:


> And that's why you are more of a sister to me than Marla is....
> 
> M.



Yes, that is why she has been named...... Sister Mary Hellfire,SoMMC....   just don't cross her...  so, how many internetz points for an inside joke, and a bad pun - all related to Catholicism?


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## Ranger Psych (Nov 5, 2015)

Auntie BoomBoom.


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## Red Flag 1 (Nov 5, 2015)

A tip if you decide wood working is something you are serious about, is to get some dental tools. Dental practices have picks, probes, descaling tools, and some really handy scalpels. When they begin to wear down they toss them. See if the person who manages the practice will save them for you. Sometimes offering a few $$ for the throwaways will turn the tide. They are great tools.


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## DA SWO (Nov 5, 2015)

Red Flag 1 said:


> A tip if you decide wood working is something you are serious about, is to get some dental tools. Dental practices have picks, probes, descaling tools, and some really handy scalpels. When they begin to wear down they toss them. See if the person who manages the practice will save them for you. Sometimes offering a few $$ for the throwaways will turn the tide. They are great tools.


or go to a gun show and pick up a set


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## x SF med (Nov 6, 2015)

I have 2 sets of dental tools, for use in woodworking, knife cleaning/sharpening, and gun cleaning.


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## RetPara (Nov 6, 2015)

A few links that might be helpful....

Woodworking Project Plans

Free Woodworking Projects, Plans & Techniques

http://www.freewoodworkingplan.com/


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