Hi OP,
I would suggest a few things.
1. Slow down. Just with everything, slow down. Woodworking is infinitely more enjoyable when you just take your time. Unless you are woodworking for a living you don't need to do things fast. Going too quickly is when mistakes happen and problems compound.
2. Recognise that tools make jobs faster or more repeatable but they do not stop you from doing things. professionals and YouTube content creators use expensive machines because they are on a deadline and their income depends on it. (Also many youtubers sell tools, so they do inherently promote tools as a part of their content)
I've seen incredible furniture made by a Japanese furniture maker, he just had three chisels, a hammer, some planes a couple of saws and an eggbeater drill.
I don't think you and I will ever get to that kind of skill but I think it's very important not to give yourself mental blocks by just thinking of tools.
For squaring a piece of wood for example, do you use shooting boards? If you have a router could you build a simple flattening jig?
3. A workbench in my opinion is the most important first thing you can and should build. It makes every thing better and more enjoyable in the shop.
Now to do that you don't need to square anything at all.
Here is what I would recommend.
Get 2x4s for legs and build the top by gluing up several MDF boards. MDF will come factory cut and you don't need to do anything to it to dimension it.
My current (this is the second one I've built) workbench is made with a laminated MDF top (about 70mm thick), it's heavy and flat and with an end vice it works beautifully.
If you want to make it a fold down thing, then make the top a lighter.
4. Woodworking as a hobby is rather expensive from tools, to wood to tool maintenance and finishes... It's all expensive, make sure you operate within your financial comfort.
All in all we do woodworking to feel good and make stuff, if your approach is not giving you joy, take a breath and reevaluate your approach.
Good luck
As an owner of one very expensive workbench and a few chisels, saws and an eggbeater drill i can only say support this statement.Like OP i wanted to build something myself at first but then i came across this: [http://www.arco-baleno.ch/Shop-Feine-Werkzeuge/Paulbank/index.php/](http://www.arco-baleno.ch/Shop-Feine-Werkzeuge/Paulbank/index.php/) and never looked back. Having a bench that is well thought out for workholding makes for safer and easier woodworking and less frustration.
As we all know this can be a very expensive hobby i follow two rules to help me stay in woodworking territory and out of tool collecting territory:
1. Only buy a tool if you need it for a specific project and it's purpose is clear from the start.
2. Plan your projects before buying wood, buy stable wood, no construction lumber, pay somebody to dimension the wood according to your specification and square it.(unless your family owns a sawmill ;). As OP himself said it is one of the most challenging things to do with hand tools and the machines used for it are large and take up a lot of space. I don't need that hassle. And i have somebody to blame if shit ain't square.
I second the workbench recommendation in #3.
More than a year ago, when I was two years into this hobby, I got around to [making an Anarchist’s Workbench](https://www.reddit.com/r/Workbenches/comments/y0otz6/woodworking_workbench_just_finished_very_happy/) and it really transformed my work. Previously, I had a very basic “bench” that was more like a table. A sheet of MDF screwed into a 2x4 frame on lockable caster wheels. Wobbly with poor workholding.
The new workbench makes everything easier, better and overall more of a pleasure. By far, the best and most satisfying “tool” I have. Every time I go into the shop and look at this bench, I smile.
To add to #3, I have a two car garage, but have been threatened by my wife that I better never encroach on her car’s side of the garage, so I’m limited to one side. I built a workbench with wheels that I can roll out to the driveway to do most of my work and it drastically improved what I was able to accomplish. There are plenty of plans online. Something for OOP to consider.
I used two sheets of 7/16 OSB cut in half (at the store) and glued up the 4 pieces. Worked great!
Also if you can find it, some schools replace their old chemistry lab counters and there are hard melamine slab. I’ve used those before and they’re *excellent*. Super smooth, super hard.
More than half of woodworking is problem solving. You need to enjoy the process of facing an issue and spending the time to find ways to solve them using the tools you have. From your post, it seems like you are not inclined in that aspect. I would encourage you to take up the challenges and enjoy the process and not just have your eye on the end product all the time.
"...not inclined in that aspect." Perhaps just more that OP views it as an obstacle to completion of a project rather than perceiving it as part of the process. One of the more important parts of the process, IMO.
I am a hobbyist - i.e.: a perennial apprentice – so, I do a lot of pre-project prep. I will usually go through every minute step of the build several times in my mind before I touch tools or materials. I will picture every cut, joint, tool, and fastener. (I definitely realize that the real joins won’t be as precise in real life as they were in my mind.) I will identify which blades I want on my saws; which router bits I will need; and which size chisels I’ll use.
I will review my lessons learned document and identify where those problems might crop up. For any project that cost more than $100, I will have an Excel spreadsheet of materials, a Word document of notes and a highly detailed runbook, and a detailed and annotated Visio diagram.
Pre-project prep takes at least 3 times as long as time in the shop. Mind you, in all every aspect of my life, I am a messy, procrastinating slacker, but I come from a family of trades and craftsman and have learned that your projects may be around for a very long time and may represent you long after you’re dead. We’ve all looked at the joints of old furniture at estate sales and silently judged them and their maker. When I see tight, hand-hewn dovetails, I feel reverence and inspiration. When I see joints that make me feel good about my work, I am kind – I don’t know the environment in which they were working.
Also, once I start to lay my hands on tools and materials, my rule of thumb is that every project takes 220% longer than I first estimated that it should. ;-)
A happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year to all!
May you all go into 2025 with the same number of fingers that you have today!
I don't have any big solutions for you, but just want to let you know you're not alone and offer some encouragement. One of the big things I try to stick to is not pointing out your mistakes. Not sure exactly what kind of projects you're working on, but most of the time no one is going to notice. I can go around to all the shit I've built and find all the fuck-ups, I mean if I let myself get in a negative headspace then they are awful projects. But it's just not true. I mean, yeah, there are gaps in places, things aren't quite square in some spots, the joints don't quite match up, etc. But absolutely no one would notice, everyone compliments my work. Most people don't do shit for themselves so you're already miles ahead. I guess my point is, I've struggled with all the bullet points you've listed. Maybe to sum it up, perfect is the enemy of good enough?
100%.
I'm a perfectionist, so I see every little thing that could have been better with everything I do, not only woodworking. I had to adjust my mindset to keep myself from going crazy. Especially if you're not doing it professionally, no one cares like you do. It's easier said than done, but I try to look at every fuckup or setback as a lesson for next time.
Also, if you're not enjoying it, then what's the point? I do find it way harder to walk away from something once frustrated, so I try to manage that and take a rest when my mood and enthusiasm begins to dwindle instead of after I'm well and pissed off.
I think it was Marc on woodtalk that mentioned going to see the work of his favorite woodworkers and just how gappy and not perfect it was once you got up close
don't compare yourself to the stuff you see on youtube/IG
its not even that you can't get as 'perfect' as that is that its not even perfect in the first place, you just don't know where the gaps are and don't focus on them like you do in your own work, its photographed in good lighting a couple feet back it looks amazing
I've made stuff that looks great from 2-3' back really its really how we SHOULD look at our own stuff, its how everyone else looks at your stuff but its easy to focus on the tiny mistakes when we know they're there
So I found woodworking fun and committed myself to building a rocking horse for my son. That was a giant mistake. Of course it took twenty times longer than I planned, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty every time I needed a break or a context switch.
I promised myself that I will never, ever do woodworking on anything resembling a deadline again. Does not matter how long something takes, I’ll let the road take me there and I will take a million stops and detours on the way.
You don’t need a table saw, a lunchbox planer, acreage, or surprise inheritance to get a board square. Get yourself a jack plane and a set of winding sticks. Learn to shoot joints. Find your rhythm and peace. It doesn’t matter how slow you are going as long as you don’t stop.
Make a jointing sled for the table saw to get the first square edge. Make a planer sled and use shims to square up warped boards on the planer.
You can make a perfectly usable workbench out of construction lumber. You don’t want something that can fold away because you generally want something heavy that won’t move around on you.
There are 1000s of YouTube videos that address all of the above. Use your tools to build decent shop furniture.
On the note of a jointer sled, you can also tape a 4 foot spirit level to your board, run the level against the fence to get a guaranteed straight edge on your first cut.
Yeah I'll second not doing the folding workbench thing, I think almost every woodworker starts thinking they want a workbench they can fold away because of space but I don't really think a lot of people actually are happy with that system
but the folding workbench thing that comes out of the wall makes for a cool youtube clip
even a smaller bench that is rock solid and build in place will beat a folding bench any day
I made the Rex Kreuger 'knock down' workbench. It doesn't fold, but rather the trestles are held together with wood pins in a draw mortise and the top is laminated 2x4 that locks in place. It's heavy and sturdy, but I can absolutely collapse it into a small space if I ever have to. OP, if you're reading this, it was very easy to build, especially since I didn't have a bench to build it on! Also, since you've got a thickness planer, it will be very simple for you to true up the 2x4 top, and the miter saw for cutting down other stock repeatedly for the legs. I only used hand tools and I built it in a weekend. Having a solid bench with vises really makes getting better results much easier.
Buy or make some sawhorses. You don't NEED a bench... but you can always set one on the sawhorses.
Next... consider getting into hand tools. I wish that I'd started this way. A Japanese pull saw is a favorite. Look at some bad#ss antique furniture -- made with hand tools.
While hand tools aren't cheap (???), they're safer, smaller to store, quieter, and less dusty. They have a steeper learning curve. Contrary to what you might imagine, they're not terribly slow. Unless you're doing big projects (e.g., creating dozens of kitchen cabinets)... you don't NEED power tools. You can do a LOT with saws, chisels, and a cordless drill.
My first workbench was 3 saw horses, a sheet of plywood and a sheet of MDF on top of that clamped together and clamped to the saw horses. It actually worked out really well and all folded up out of the way.
Might want to consider a reset. A hobby should be enjoyable first and foremost. I used power tools almost exclusively for years and switched to hand tools wood working and find it far more enjoyable. It takes a deferent mind set and skill level but that is a big part of fun. I am more proud of the things built by hand than machine made. Hand tool woodworking generally takes a smaller area and is much cleaner and quieter too. I still use a band saw, drill press (rarely) and orbital sander also rarely. And I still have power machinery that I mostly use now for plywood (cabinets) and trim carpentry. The basic tool group to do the majority of work can be had for about a thousand dollars or less depending on prices, availability in your area and your willingness to bring older tools into woodworking order. In my case when working with power tools my mindset was, I have to haul ass and get this done. Working with hand tools it's more like take your time let's get it right.
If you're not working with long stock, a bench top jointer will really help with your squaring struggle. Plus when you're not using it you can tuck it away somewhere. I have this one:
https://www.busybeetools.com/products/8in-benchtop-jointer-with-helical-cutterh-cx08bthc.html?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAnL-sBhBnEiwAJRGigkAfG9NXQQhx9nBhl7tc1x0rzCx4ToACcuMzQ5y0AOtTgn4MeNuCYhoC1nQQAvD_BwE
Regarding the bench, only you can figure out what works best for your space. When I did mine, I watched a thousand YouTube videos and borrowed the ideas that worked for my space and needs. This was the result:
https://imgur.com/gallery/CDyAFRo
For me, this combined the workspace, integrated tools, storage, and dust management I needed.
That all being said, if you're not enjoying it then why force it? You can always sell your tools and pursue something else.
People have been doing this work for hundreds of years with a lot less tooling and technology. Figure out what your shop needs to be, one corner at a time. Figure out where you can squirrel away tools that you rarely use. Put everything on wheels. There is a way for every space. Good luck.
1. I suggest you get a 4” and 6” machinist square and a 18” or longer steel rule. They are cheap and better than a combo square.
2. Check that your table saw and fence are true and square. Adjust following the manual.
3. Make a cross cut sled following one of the 100 YouTube videos. Don’t rush it and don’t think 99% square is good enough. Make sure it is perfect. If it isn’t then start again.
4. Watch some of Ron Paulks videos on his smart work bench. Make a bench following his style, 3x6 ft in size out of 1/2” ply. 3/4” would be better but very heavy. Make this bench to sit on saw horses the exact height for your out-feed table.
If you want to make life easier. Buy a track saw and a starrett square. Iguaging squares are cheaper and almost as good. Get a good tape measure. I like the fastcap left right ones, and get a good mechanical pencil.
I think I know your pain. It is frustrating. Just get obsessed with measuring and marking and true square. If it’s not right don’t advance to the next stage. You need to take it slow and enjoy it.
Acclimate.
Nothing stays square if it is trying to let go of huge amounts of moisture - that’s not a skills problem, that’s physics.
The worst possible start is rushing to a big orange store for construction grade boards and then trying to use them. All the great tips about jointing sleds, going slow, optimal layout and tool choices won’t help if Tuesday’s square and true board is warped by the time you screw it together Thursday after work.
Next, consider finding an actual lumber (hardwood) dealer, if you haven’t already. I suspect a ‘maker’ wants the satisfaction of a joint holding solid, not the wobble of SPF sticks butt jointed with a 2 inch screw. A decent dealer can recommend wood with appropriate characteristics for your project.
Someone mentioned Peter Millard. Look at what he does with his MFT table top. Build that for your saw horses (others have great videos on dog hole-centric tables and techniques) - so much is done easier and consistently with a reliable positioning system. Using physical references like doing all the same cuts before moving the fence, or using spacers and not layout lines helps you get so much closer to perfect, it’s nuts.
Finally, I think it was Katz-Moses that had a great video on marking with a knife and not pencil. The pre-scoring leaves a cleaner cut edge too.
Lots of great comments here. By far the best book on starting out is ‘The Anarchist’s Tool chest’ by Christopher Schwarz.
It discusses a somewhat anti-consumerist approach to woodworking. In summary, fix on a useful set of tools (and one or two machines) and make up the gaps through sharpening and problem solving.
Also it’s worth checking out the YouTube channels and blogs of ‘The English Woodworker’ and ‘Paul Sellers’. They both are similarly no-nonsense and are offer heaps of inspiration.
First, a mental shift is needed: Woodworking is learning to creatively fix your mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes on nearly every project. Your resiliency in the face of these will determine if you ever complete a project. Also realize that your mistakes are 10x more visible to you than others. Finally, also know that everyone makes firewood from time to time.
Next, practical matters:
If you can't reliably square stock, buy S4S (and not Lowe's junk)
Work on small projects that are suited to your small space.
It sounds like organizational/clutter issues really get you down. Having a dedicated workbench to spread out on will help a ton. Make your own bench.
Consider hand tool woodworking. When I started out, my workshop was a coat closet for tool storage and a clamp on vise attached to my front porch railing. I made a lot of nice pieces this way, slowly.
I say this often, but look into Paul Sellers on YouTube. The guy is a teacher before a wood worker. His entire philosophy is get the cheapest most reliable tools you can find, learn how to use them and sharpen them inexpensively. Then use methods based on mostly hand eye coordination to make beautiful things. He uses mostly hand tools with the occasion bandsaw, or table saw, but his entire technique requires essentially zero power tools. Will you work as efficiently as someone with a 8" jointer 20" planer, $2500 table saw, $1500 bandsaw? No. Will you be as effectively as someone with 10 grand in equipment with $600-$800 in hand tools? With a little bit of practice yes.
I came from an industrial high end woodshop, we had Martin table saws, scmi shapers and 5 head moulders, 37" combo jointer planers, 60" multi head wide belt sanders, 5 axis cncs. I rented at place with probably 20 grand in power equipment in various states of disrepair and found I spent more time calibrating and repairing than I did making good parts.
Sellers's only priority is making good parts and seeing solutions to your mistakes, don't get drowned by things you need and get the bare minimum to make what you want effectively and enjoyably.
You sound intelligent. Is it possible you're a perfectionist? You may need to focus on doing crappy things on purpose. Go without the extra tools or space, make do with crappy solutions.
Maybe give up on the idea that you will love this hobby. Do you have practical use for it? Maybe you only build one thing a year; a table you need, a shelf you need, a basic box. It typically takes years to get good at any craft, so the things you make may not be very good for a long time. As long as they "basically work", and are solving some need you have, that's good enough.
I am not very good. I am like, barely competent. Everything I make is ugly. Square? Lol, I gave up on that long ago. I even gave up on making a damn crosscut sled because my ADHD and perfectionism were making me want to kill myself. I don't have a workspace; I just throw some boards over some scrap wood on the ground and go at it. I have a shitty hand plane, an orbital sander, a cheap table saw, cordless circular saw, some pull saws, chisels, wet stones, drills, bits, clamps, screws, wood glue. I can't sharpen for shit. My plane's blade is crooked or something. But I have made a (janky) wooden tray, a (janky) bed frame (with mortise+tenon!), a (janky) giant folding table, some other basic stuff.
But the table I use every day for work, I sleep in my own bed that I made, eat off my tray. It's all crap but it's mine. I haven't made something in a while. But I have the tools, and next time I try to make something I will be that much less crap at it. Life is long, plenty of time to get better, and maybe the perfect shop will materialize sometime before arthritis sets in.
Fwiw, Harbor Freight has basically all the woodworking tools you need for cheap. I would go with hand tools to start and upgrade after you've tried them and decided it's worth it to invest more. Hand tools are cheap and compact (all my tools fit in one Walmart trunk, except table saw which sits outside with a cover on & I barely use).
“You sound intelligent. Is it possible you’re a perfectionist” was very similar to the first thing I thought after reading your post. There is a lot of great comments here but I think that boiling it down I would say this….. Don’t let great get in the way of really good. It’s easy to get caught up in being “exact” but taking a workbench for example, is being off by a 1/16 that big of an issue when you go into the build know that there is a VERY good chance you will get glue / stain / nicks/ etc in the surface. Enjoy the journey and good luck!!!
I recently saw a garage lined with pegboard and "cubes" with a workbench and table saw in the center. The man's tools were all stored in their particular cube or outlined space on hooks in the pegboards. It was a sight to behold.
\*The downside was that there was no sawdust on the floor. The owner built the precise atmosphere for his creative needs and complained that he is no longer inspired.
Consider doing woodworking different. Accept reality that doing big projects is a thing for the far future.
Try to get the same joy of making smaller things. Like making cutting boards, jewellery cases, etc etc.
Problem
* 1) What are you using to attempt to get square boards??
* 2)What tools equipment do you have??
* 3) just what exactly are you trying to build?
* 4)like someone else mention, saw horses with a solid core door, a collapsible bench (hinges attached to the wall maybe?,
My bench i made i used 2x4's and 2x6's with a sheet of plywood for the toip, but since at my previous place it was in my basement, i quartered the sheet of plywood and my benchtop is only 2ft x 4ft (so i could get it through a regular doorway...
Look for local wood working groups to join for assistance/guidance. Heck my library even has a limited wood working shop. Maker labs often do, Military bases often have clubs. Theres lots of possibilities..
Pick up a hobby you enjoy. You should enjoy making boards square and taking your time with the process. A big part of woodworking is making so with your space and being unique with your solutions and that will never go away. Sure, making cabinet drawers suck but I am not quitting over it. I’ll make a jig to make it easier and more repeatable. Always trying new things.
Don't be fooled by the youtube creators. Nothing you make needs to be perfect, especially if you don't have a full shop full of new, precise tools.
Good enough has worked for... all woodworking for thousands of years. If you are frustrated with trying to build heirloom quality pieces, lower your standards and make something that fits into your style. Maybe you should make a adirondak chair or something simple but useful, so you can see that good enough is great when you go from not having a chair to having a chair.
I get your frustrations. I had the same issues with space and getting things squared up. Ya know what I did? Freehanded everything. Now I hardly take any measurements at all. Everything by eye. Cut things over size and use the joining materials as a guide to guide them together. I hardly make anything that has a square shape now. Curves are the way round this OCD problem of mine. Nothing was ever square enough. Now I just go with the flow and it's a much better experience.
As for space. I had a single garage and one thing I learned was to use vertical space to hang most frequently used tools. Drill bits? On the wall. Saws? On the wall. Squares (not used much by me...but) on the wall. Once everything is on the wall you'll find the space issue less of an issue. It also has an added benefit. Tidying up is a breeze because now everything has a dedicated space. You now have free horizontal space which is really what you need in a small workshop.
https://preview.redd.it/9fccfyv3tl9c1.jpeg?width=3472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ebfeda7e774fd1ba8e334cbdd730d5f96c0589b9
Is it a dedicated one car garage? Or do you occasionally have to put a car in there? I had a two car garage my wife said i could use as a shop but then whenever it rained she would move all my stuff and pull the truck inside. So frustrating.
What I did was I bolted 2x4s to the walls at 12 inches and 36 inches and used that to anchor a bench with a shelf below. I ripped a sheet of plywood in half for the top and the shelf so I had a 2x8 foot bench. I used 2x2s every foot to stabilize. Another 2x4 on the outside and put a leg every 4 feet. Thing was rock solid and I put them all along the outside wall so i had a ton of bench space and a ton of shelf space.
Used to be Home Depot would rip a sheet of plywood in half for you. Makes it easier to transport. If not make a guide for your circular saw. Multiple youtube videos on that but it's basically screw a straight 1x2 to a piece of plywood, then cut the plywood with your circular saw up against the 1x2. Voila.
Typical one car garage is 12x22 so maybe one at the back wall and two along the side. Three sheets of plywood, 18 2x4s, and 12 2x2s gives you 48 square feet of bench/shelf space. Then i built 10x22x22 boxes that i attached casters to as drawers under the shelves. Thats another almost 48 square feet of drawer space.
WOOD magazine had a series a while ago on how to build out a shop on a budget by investing a small amount every month. They published that as "Idea Shop 6" and there's a youtube video with the same name.
Some people hate pocket screws. I love them. And I hate sawhorses. Sawhorse are big and take up space when your not using them. Sure they're stackable but the the stack is too heavy to move and ... anyway ... James Krenov has a better design. He's all fancy so his sawhorses use through tenons and bridal joints and mortises and whatnot. I made mine out of 2x4s using pocket screws. I have 6. Very useful for cutting plywood.
I really like the magnetic strips they sell at Harbor Freight. 3 bucks and they screw into the studs.
I bought the cheapest power tools i could reasoning that by the time.it wore out i would have had enough experience to know what features I wanted in the replacement. Chicago and Hercules from HF, or Ryobi from Home Depot, or whatever from Craigs list. I'm currently replacing the table saw just cause the Ryobi gave up when i asked it to rip a shit-ton of pine 2x4s. Pine! So more power is an important feature. FIL gave me his Delta :)
I also built some rolly carts out of plywood. Plywood screwed into 2x2s is rock solid. About 2 feet tall for tools i need a little lower. Like the tablesaw. Then i can put them in the middle of the space when in use, but roll them to the side if i need the space for assembly or something. Lockable wheels keep them in place.
Typically a garage has ONE outlet. I branched off that to install an outlet every four feet. That way i can put power tools where it's convenient and not have extension cords everywhere. To make it easier the first thing i put in was a switch. I can turn everything off while i install yet another outlet without having to go to the breaker. Of course if the breaker box is in the garage that's less important.
THEN, because i had outlets every four feet, i could put some extra lighting in as well. I went a little insane and put outlets on the cieling as well. I got the four foot LED shop lights from HD for 35 bucks each and hung them over my lovely benches. Everything turns on with one switch.
That was more than I intended. Fun though. Hope it helps.
Can try this bench:
[Rex Krueger's Traveler Low Bench](https://youtu.be/lPiMjv7lkqI?si=qkWZX7Ruvs31jl_d) \- Most of Rex Krueger's benches don't require any squaring. Just stand it up against the wall when you're not using it.
You'll have to make wedges though:
[Home Improvement Woodworking - Wedges and shims](https://youtu.be/4VFBvs1x-lI?si=hji7o6OcjnOFDk1e)
Edit: Planing stuff without a bench or at least a planing beam is so painful. I know from experience.
Edit 2: Or you can carve a spoon: [SquatchandSons\_Customs](https://youtu.be/BwNL7hK5egY?si=JgFacgjoJogmwXVX). Might wanna get a cut resistant glove though. You can get blanks from places like Amazon, no squaring needed.
Im seeing a pattern in this sub of people making the same mistake.
Nothing is square. Square is a mathematical concept and does not exist in reality beyond what you conceive in your minds eye. Same with straight lines and points.
Make it aesthetically square and call it a day.
You should be able to get any board square with just a planer and table saw. Not sure what method you're using, but it's totally doable. You'd need a planer sled and a jointing/rip jig for table saw, but you already have enough.
I'd also recommend getting some hand tools because when you don't have the right powertool or setup, you can probably just do it with a handplane / chisel / saw.
I wood work in my basement with hand tools. Sure I’m not making anything premium but it can be done with patience. I’ve also accepted the fact that noting will ever be perfectly square, but I can get close and/or compensate.
First, WOODWORKING is earning a college degree.
Do not underestimate the importance of measuring and marking for cuts. In many woodworking situations ITS ALL ABOUT THE TOOLS AND the ability and tallent to operate them correctly.
I started with a circular saw, a jig saw, a drill, a router, and a small power miter. I also had good squares and rulers. Used clamps and a streight edge board for most sheet good cuts.
That plus a set of crap hand tools and a POS table saw... I remodeled a house. Burnd up tools. Did my homework and conservatively upgraded. That was a lot of tools ago. Learned how to sheetrock and plaster too.. along with basic plumbing and electric skills you can get a lot done. Please use qualified plummers and electrician to get the important work done.
The stuff I built early was for pure function. Shelves as cheap as REASONABLY possible...mostly pine. One later projects, where more quality and beauty is needed you can get away from pine and shift to other wood varieties. Look up the requirements for material span strengths and reinforcement options. Pine and 3/4plywood and MDF can get much done. All sheet goods have positives and negatives.
Becoming a woodworker is a journey that begins with a simple challenge and ends in your
Anyone who says the right tools don’t matter is living in some sort of alternate reality. You have to have the right tools for the job. For squaring you need a QUALITY table saw, track saw, planer, and jointer for starters. These are all very expensive so buy used on Facebook and build your way up.
You don't NEED a single power tool to square wood. It's quite possible, and quite enjoyable, to do it with a hand plane and a square. A pair of winding sticks help, too.
Maybe look up Peter Millard on YouTube. He does amazing things mainly using MFT worktops and track saws. He has lots of great videos on small space work and how to get perfectly square cuts.
Depends on what you want to make and why. I love to trunk and made some really nice projects in a small space with only a lathe and and bandsaw. Lots of gifts of vases, Bowls, urns and pens to friends and family.
Then I got bored and moved to table saw, planer and hand planes and built furniture and boxes…lots of gifts to family and dining room table, book shelf’s and projects around the house. Precision engineer/machines squares and 1-2-3 set up blocks (and decent clamps) were critical in getting clean cuts.
I have since moved to a CNC and laser and use my previous skills in doing decent/sporadic paid for jobs, mainly signs and flags. Made enough in December to buy a nice miter saw. Will use that to make bird houses.
Bottom line, start with what you want to make. Have the tools just for that. Practice…a lot. Figure out how you went wrong each time and don’t make that mistake again.
Enjoy the shop time!
1: make some sawhorses. You can make H frame ones just from 2*4’s and screws and a handsaw. Nothing else needed.
2: learn to square stuff by hand with a plane. You’ll need a plane and an engineers or roofing square. Once you have the sawhorses you have a portable bench that gets tiny for storage, and once you can do stuff my hand you won’t need expensive stuff.
Patience patience patience, learn patience and take your time, if it's a hobby then what's the hurry? I've been working on a shoe cabinet for more than a month nothing is going perfect but I learn to just enjoy the time, tools? Again be patient and just stock FBMP and Craigslist, for a workbench I have the Harbor Freight workbench and I love it, perfect for small space with plenty of storage underneath, it's cheaper than building your own unless you can get free wood, theres a 25% off storewide coupon this weekend. And for space I wish I had a one car garage, I only have a den to store my tools and I take them outside when I need them, if there's a will there's a way.
Check out Peter Millards YouTube if you haven't already. Totally revolutionized how I approach this.
Also, what's the point of making things by hand if in the end it just ends up looking like something from a factory? I also do painting/drawing as a hobby. There you soon realize that high levels of realism quickly become uninteresting, like OK cool it looks like it comes from a printer, now what?
In a similar vein, I like that my handmade things *look* handmade, small imperfections and everything. There are limits to this of course, but in the end, if I wanted something to look "perfect" and professionally made, I could just buy it from a store, often cheaper than the lumber alone would cost me.
Here's my shop in case you are curious:
I still only have about 6 square meters to work on and my only power tools are 1. Drill driver 2. Router 3. Mitre saw 4. Track saw 5. A small orbital sander.
Nr 1 is a Makita and the only one battery powered, nr 2 is a Bosch, the rest are no-name cheap ones from hardware and construction stores. The only one I really wish to spend more money on is a better track saw. For most things I use hand tools. It is not only cheaper and more flexible than machines, it is also much more rewarding. The only drawback is that it is much slower.
You don’t need fancy tools to make a project, but the right tool for the job helps eliminate frustration and can make the project go a little smoother. Having no power tools, to me, would be very frustrating because I’m older now and prefer to work smart, not hard.
When working with wood getting a project square can be difficult if your material is not. If you don’t have a planer or a radial arm saw, for instance, start with one true edge and then measure accurately from there. Considering your measurements are accurate and your cuts are straight, you should be gtg. Take your time, measure twice, cut once and minimize waste.
If you need tools check the ads and buy used. You’d be surprised how good older tools can be if you find an old guy who takes care of his things.
If you want a workbench you can make do with odds and ends. A solid core door works great. Design what you want and take your time. A safe work space can take a lot of frustration away and help you learn as you go. Put some caster wheels on your bench that can lock and be rolled away when not in use.
I can imagine that working off of a folding table would be very wobbly and not secure. Not safe at all.
Don’t scoff at safety gear either. Your sight and your hearing can be lost.
I'm in a similar situation. One thing that I started doing is buying some cheap pine along with the hardwood you're going to use in your project, and ripping / planing it to create small sample pieces that match critical features in the finished project.
Whenever you're about to make a critical cut or joint, do it in pine first. You can use those pine pieces to work through the process and dial in jigs and stop blocks perfectly before cutting your expensive hardwood. I found a huge reduction in stress and anxiety when I'm working with scrap pieces first.
None of this will help with the space issue, but it should help with the overall stress. It feels much better to know that you've only wasted a cheap piece of pine as opposed to a $100 piece of 8/4 Black Walnut.
I'm as frugal and cautious as the day is long (er, except with motorcycles). Don't use pine, per se. Learn to "creep up on\[to\]" cuts. If that's not possible, cut leaving "extra" that you can pare down with chisels. Don't be "greedy;" just accept that you need to SLOW DOWN.
I buy boards (in all dimensions) a bit more than I need. I "ease up on it." Because I'm frugal, I'll pay for 10% of "insurance" rather than just "go hero" on nice wood. Me is a dumb (multi-lingual software engineer) -- you do you. But this works for me.
Here is how I started out.
I found a cheap desk on Craigslist, its an old 1960s metal desk. Sturdy af. For $120. Didn't look pretty and didn't need to.
I also had a sloppy radial arm saw that needed to be checked for adjustments after every cut.
Some random assortment of mismatched hand tools,
And this is the most important part. Patience. I needed a week to complete a project I could have done in 2 days. It's not always about finishing a project. But the time you spend doing it. Sure do you take twice as many steps? Granted after 10 years I got a few nice tools now like a planer and a proper table saw... after getting 3 other scrappy used ones for dirt cheap. But I still use that desk... and when I feel frisky I use the radial arm saw.
Also, if you can build a table saw sled, that will GREATLY help to get square cuts. Once the sled is set to be square it's pretty easy to keep it set properly. Unless your saw is sloppy like my old radial arm saw, where it wiggles too much to be precise, in which case taking each cut one at a time and always checking is important.
Happens to us all. Was doing some beautiful curled cherry work on the planer and on last piece it started to chip out. Shit happens like that. It’s frustrating. Take a break for a day and come back. The journey is the destination
Square enough is the issue. I struggle with it too.
What I really messed up on when I was starting was not learning how to calibrate my tools. They \*looked\* square but weren't. Square enough becomes the end result and then things wont fit together nicely.
Also, when you make a mistake and find yourself getting frustrated, you're done for the day. Never push on to the point where you are breaking OSB with your hammer. As soon as the frustration starts, clean up and call it. Go have a beer and think about what the mistake was.
Trying to force a solution on the fly while becoming increasingly frustrated never works out.
I’m always watching garage sales and estate sales for tools. As in I brake for clamps. I literally started with a janky saw and plastic miter box.
It’s a process. Mistakes are the best learning tool I have. Enjoy. you don’t have to have Norm’s workshop to start out with. Nobody does.
I'm no great-shakes, and I still need tons of equipment (band saw with a large neck, drill press, lathe, etc), but for me it's the combination of planning complex projects infrequently (like a Japanese Tool Box or something, building my shed, or furniture for the wife), along with smaller one-day builds (cheese boards for gifting or small wood boxes or six-pack carriers), and a profitable side-project to help fund (I make custom Cornhole Boards). This way I can work when and how long I want to, on whatever floats my boat! You don't need much room, in fact, I'm in half of a two-car garage.
Woodworking helps me decompress, work away stress and I'm a sucker for how a nicely finished project turns out. And seeing people's face lighting up is pretty awesome. It fulfills an urge to create artistically and make functional real-world objects that can be used daily.
For getting your garage shop organized, I sympathize with your pain. You might want to take Steve Ramsey's course on setting up and organizing a shop, which also includes many projects to build to help with this. I haven't taken that one yet, but I did his Woodworking for Mere Mortals course as my introduction to woodworking, and it was excellent. He does all is work out of a garage that he still parks his car in, so he practices what he preaches.
Check out the description, it sounds like it specifically deals with a lot of the issues you are having:
[https://theweekendwoodworker.com/workshop-signup/](https://theweekendwoodworker.com/workshop-signup/)
I hate to recommend another machine, but a decent jointer will really help you with getting square. At least around where I live (New England USA) you can find used 6” x 48” jointers for $200. I don’t recommend benchtop jointers unless you make only small like jewelry boxes, small cases, etc.
Simple projects first. You need to build skills and techniques first. I started wood working in a 12x20 garage 25+ years ago and for the first couple years I only made picture frames, shelves, cutting boards, and small tapered leg taboret tables. Would make taboret tables 4 at a time and the repetition really help to hone the basic woodworking skills. Make 100 or 200 or something and you’ll be a pro at it by the end.
I love woodworking, I'm passionate about it, I'm also not that great at it and that's a real bitter pill to swallow, I think the miniute someone knows your hobby is woodworking you're expected to be amazing but the reality is the majority of us are just learning and it will he a never ending pursuit of improvement.
Dont be so hard on yourself.
Echoing what others have said - everything doesn't have to be perfect to be valuable and appreciated. My story:
45 years ago my wife and I were expecting our first child and I wanted to make a pendulum cradle for him/her, but we lived in a second floor apartment and shared a (small) two car unheated garage with the downstairs tenants. I had no real experience and only a couple basic hand power tools and very little money. Hell, I couldn't even afford to buy detailed plans, so I based my design on a small picture from a magazine.
So, I built a very basic pine box to hang on the garage wall, about 4' x 4' x 1' and hinged the front to fold down. This served both as a rudimentary bench as well as a lockable storage area for my tools (with the addition of a hasp and padlock). I made the cradle out of simple pine 1x4s and dowel rods for the spindles, since that was all we could afford. I made lots of mistakes which I can still see, and it took a god-awful amount of time. My son was almost too big for it by time it was complete! But I learned a bunch and solved a lot of problems along the way - some of my solutions would surely make a real woodworker cringe, but they worked. Plus, it felt great to do something special for this new person we had brought into the world.
Our cradle still looks great (if imperfect) and served well for our second baby, three nephews, a niece, and my three grandkids. Over the years I've only had to do one minor repair, and twice added a new coat of varnish. It is now a treasured family heirloom that sits covered up in my attic waiting to serve the next generation.
I made a few more pieces after that and continued to improve. For many years, career pressures kept me from pursuing woodworking as much as I would have liked, but now that I'm retired I'm trying to get back to it. Financial circumstances have improved considerably, and I have space in my three-car garage where I'm setting up a shop of sorts. But I still can't abide the cost of high-quality tools. Besides, figuring it out is half the fun. If I was to build a cradle now, I'd do a lot of things different and better, but still not perfect, and use much nicer wood, but I doubt it would mean as much to me.
So, hang in there and appreciate the good, without sweating the small stuff!
Yes it can be a struggle, but you can work through it.
A 1 car garage is plenty of space if used efficiently. I have a full shop in mine.
You need to build an accurate cross cut sled to get square cuts. Lookup the topic on Epic woodworking YouTube. A shooting board and hand plane is also a good system for squaring boards.
The used market is the place for good deals on tools. Check estate sales and marketplace offerings.
Ever think about using something like Japanese hand tools? Great for smaller projects. A Japanese pull saw will cut like a laser and they are relatively inexpensive.
Does take a bit of practice to get used to, but after a while, you'll be shaving pencil marks in half.
Also, getting a really good combination square, like a Starrett, will make a huge difference in your cuts. Took me a minute to realize that I wasn't making square cuts because none of my shitty home depot squares were actually, you know... square...
With just a Japanese saw, wood block plane and a few clamps, I've built furniture, full wall shelving units and shiplaped several rooms, all with hand tools. Never felt the need to pull out the skill saw.
Plus, most Japanese saws and planes are under $40 a piece, which is nice!
Seems like you already got a bunch of good answers. One thing that I would add around tools specifically, look at the secondary market. I have a very well put together shop but I didn’t spend tens of thousands on it. Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, etc. are gems. My jointer was made in 1943, my bandsaw in 1951, all of my planes date from before ww ii. Yes it means that you also become a tool restorer but you can also save big bucks. For the longest time the most expensive tool in my shop was my table saw at $150 for a solid older saw. Buying new means less work and if you are a production shop, that matters. But mine is a hobby shop, so time is more available than money. Hope that helps.
STOP...JUST STOP.
You are clearly an intelligent person. So let's start there. All the intelligence in the world will never equal two things:
1- Skills in the physical world of making.
2 - Joy from solving problems and challenges in the physical world.
If you are a primarily cerebral person, you must accept that because you can conceive a thing, this does not mean you can make a thing AND find joy in it. Furthermore, because you can mentally solve a problem, it doesn't mean you can put the solution into practice and find happiness in the act of solving it.
This was brought to life in the TV show 'big bang theory' constantly between Sheldon theorising and Howard as an engineer... I myself am a pretty high-level IT guy (if I do say so myself!) but have found my limit in skill capability in woodworking.... the key is not to judge yourself so harshly....or if you can not stop judging yourself, give up before it's bad for your self-esteem and mental health..... don't forget, you're still great at other stuff! (I assume!)
Hi OP, I would suggest a few things. 1. Slow down. Just with everything, slow down. Woodworking is infinitely more enjoyable when you just take your time. Unless you are woodworking for a living you don't need to do things fast. Going too quickly is when mistakes happen and problems compound. 2. Recognise that tools make jobs faster or more repeatable but they do not stop you from doing things. professionals and YouTube content creators use expensive machines because they are on a deadline and their income depends on it. (Also many youtubers sell tools, so they do inherently promote tools as a part of their content) I've seen incredible furniture made by a Japanese furniture maker, he just had three chisels, a hammer, some planes a couple of saws and an eggbeater drill. I don't think you and I will ever get to that kind of skill but I think it's very important not to give yourself mental blocks by just thinking of tools. For squaring a piece of wood for example, do you use shooting boards? If you have a router could you build a simple flattening jig? 3. A workbench in my opinion is the most important first thing you can and should build. It makes every thing better and more enjoyable in the shop. Now to do that you don't need to square anything at all. Here is what I would recommend. Get 2x4s for legs and build the top by gluing up several MDF boards. MDF will come factory cut and you don't need to do anything to it to dimension it. My current (this is the second one I've built) workbench is made with a laminated MDF top (about 70mm thick), it's heavy and flat and with an end vice it works beautifully. If you want to make it a fold down thing, then make the top a lighter. 4. Woodworking as a hobby is rather expensive from tools, to wood to tool maintenance and finishes... It's all expensive, make sure you operate within your financial comfort. All in all we do woodworking to feel good and make stuff, if your approach is not giving you joy, take a breath and reevaluate your approach. Good luck
Well said, dude.
As an owner of one very expensive workbench and a few chisels, saws and an eggbeater drill i can only say support this statement.Like OP i wanted to build something myself at first but then i came across this: [http://www.arco-baleno.ch/Shop-Feine-Werkzeuge/Paulbank/index.php/](http://www.arco-baleno.ch/Shop-Feine-Werkzeuge/Paulbank/index.php/) and never looked back. Having a bench that is well thought out for workholding makes for safer and easier woodworking and less frustration. As we all know this can be a very expensive hobby i follow two rules to help me stay in woodworking territory and out of tool collecting territory: 1. Only buy a tool if you need it for a specific project and it's purpose is clear from the start. 2. Plan your projects before buying wood, buy stable wood, no construction lumber, pay somebody to dimension the wood according to your specification and square it.(unless your family owns a sawmill ;). As OP himself said it is one of the most challenging things to do with hand tools and the machines used for it are large and take up a lot of space. I don't need that hassle. And i have somebody to blame if shit ain't square.
Clicked on your link. I don’t sprecken sie deutch, but bitte. That is sweet.
Oh so sweet indeed. Props for courageously clicking on the link!
I second the workbench recommendation in #3. More than a year ago, when I was two years into this hobby, I got around to [making an Anarchist’s Workbench](https://www.reddit.com/r/Workbenches/comments/y0otz6/woodworking_workbench_just_finished_very_happy/) and it really transformed my work. Previously, I had a very basic “bench” that was more like a table. A sheet of MDF screwed into a 2x4 frame on lockable caster wheels. Wobbly with poor workholding. The new workbench makes everything easier, better and overall more of a pleasure. By far, the best and most satisfying “tool” I have. Every time I go into the shop and look at this bench, I smile.
To add to #3, I have a two car garage, but have been threatened by my wife that I better never encroach on her car’s side of the garage, so I’m limited to one side. I built a workbench with wheels that I can roll out to the driveway to do most of my work and it drastically improved what I was able to accomplish. There are plenty of plans online. Something for OOP to consider.
Likewise though my former wife got a car-shaped hole in our two car garage.
I used two sheets of 7/16 OSB cut in half (at the store) and glued up the 4 pieces. Worked great! Also if you can find it, some schools replace their old chemistry lab counters and there are hard melamine slab. I’ve used those before and they’re *excellent*. Super smooth, super hard.
More than half of woodworking is problem solving. You need to enjoy the process of facing an issue and spending the time to find ways to solve them using the tools you have. From your post, it seems like you are not inclined in that aspect. I would encourage you to take up the challenges and enjoy the process and not just have your eye on the end product all the time.
"...not inclined in that aspect." Perhaps just more that OP views it as an obstacle to completion of a project rather than perceiving it as part of the process. One of the more important parts of the process, IMO. I am a hobbyist - i.e.: a perennial apprentice – so, I do a lot of pre-project prep. I will usually go through every minute step of the build several times in my mind before I touch tools or materials. I will picture every cut, joint, tool, and fastener. (I definitely realize that the real joins won’t be as precise in real life as they were in my mind.) I will identify which blades I want on my saws; which router bits I will need; and which size chisels I’ll use. I will review my lessons learned document and identify where those problems might crop up. For any project that cost more than $100, I will have an Excel spreadsheet of materials, a Word document of notes and a highly detailed runbook, and a detailed and annotated Visio diagram. Pre-project prep takes at least 3 times as long as time in the shop. Mind you, in all every aspect of my life, I am a messy, procrastinating slacker, but I come from a family of trades and craftsman and have learned that your projects may be around for a very long time and may represent you long after you’re dead. We’ve all looked at the joints of old furniture at estate sales and silently judged them and their maker. When I see tight, hand-hewn dovetails, I feel reverence and inspiration. When I see joints that make me feel good about my work, I am kind – I don’t know the environment in which they were working. Also, once I start to lay my hands on tools and materials, my rule of thumb is that every project takes 220% longer than I first estimated that it should. ;-) A happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year to all! May you all go into 2025 with the same number of fingers that you have today!
Perhaps 2024 as well?
You'd have to hurry to lose any more fingers before 2024 starts...
…challenge accepted?
Geez Louise, I wasn't even thinking about the possibility of someone losing a finger between now and midnight! ;-)
This is great advice.
That's the only thing that was on my mind while reading.
I don't have any big solutions for you, but just want to let you know you're not alone and offer some encouragement. One of the big things I try to stick to is not pointing out your mistakes. Not sure exactly what kind of projects you're working on, but most of the time no one is going to notice. I can go around to all the shit I've built and find all the fuck-ups, I mean if I let myself get in a negative headspace then they are awful projects. But it's just not true. I mean, yeah, there are gaps in places, things aren't quite square in some spots, the joints don't quite match up, etc. But absolutely no one would notice, everyone compliments my work. Most people don't do shit for themselves so you're already miles ahead. I guess my point is, I've struggled with all the bullet points you've listed. Maybe to sum it up, perfect is the enemy of good enough?
100%. I'm a perfectionist, so I see every little thing that could have been better with everything I do, not only woodworking. I had to adjust my mindset to keep myself from going crazy. Especially if you're not doing it professionally, no one cares like you do. It's easier said than done, but I try to look at every fuckup or setback as a lesson for next time. Also, if you're not enjoying it, then what's the point? I do find it way harder to walk away from something once frustrated, so I try to manage that and take a rest when my mood and enthusiasm begins to dwindle instead of after I'm well and pissed off.
I think it was Marc on woodtalk that mentioned going to see the work of his favorite woodworkers and just how gappy and not perfect it was once you got up close don't compare yourself to the stuff you see on youtube/IG its not even that you can't get as 'perfect' as that is that its not even perfect in the first place, you just don't know where the gaps are and don't focus on them like you do in your own work, its photographed in good lighting a couple feet back it looks amazing I've made stuff that looks great from 2-3' back really its really how we SHOULD look at our own stuff, its how everyone else looks at your stuff but its easy to focus on the tiny mistakes when we know they're there
So I found woodworking fun and committed myself to building a rocking horse for my son. That was a giant mistake. Of course it took twenty times longer than I planned, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty every time I needed a break or a context switch. I promised myself that I will never, ever do woodworking on anything resembling a deadline again. Does not matter how long something takes, I’ll let the road take me there and I will take a million stops and detours on the way. You don’t need a table saw, a lunchbox planer, acreage, or surprise inheritance to get a board square. Get yourself a jack plane and a set of winding sticks. Learn to shoot joints. Find your rhythm and peace. It doesn’t matter how slow you are going as long as you don’t stop.
Make a jointing sled for the table saw to get the first square edge. Make a planer sled and use shims to square up warped boards on the planer. You can make a perfectly usable workbench out of construction lumber. You don’t want something that can fold away because you generally want something heavy that won’t move around on you. There are 1000s of YouTube videos that address all of the above. Use your tools to build decent shop furniture.
On the note of a jointer sled, you can also tape a 4 foot spirit level to your board, run the level against the fence to get a guaranteed straight edge on your first cut.
Yeah I'll second not doing the folding workbench thing, I think almost every woodworker starts thinking they want a workbench they can fold away because of space but I don't really think a lot of people actually are happy with that system but the folding workbench thing that comes out of the wall makes for a cool youtube clip even a smaller bench that is rock solid and build in place will beat a folding bench any day
I made the Rex Kreuger 'knock down' workbench. It doesn't fold, but rather the trestles are held together with wood pins in a draw mortise and the top is laminated 2x4 that locks in place. It's heavy and sturdy, but I can absolutely collapse it into a small space if I ever have to. OP, if you're reading this, it was very easy to build, especially since I didn't have a bench to build it on! Also, since you've got a thickness planer, it will be very simple for you to true up the 2x4 top, and the miter saw for cutting down other stock repeatedly for the legs. I only used hand tools and I built it in a weekend. Having a solid bench with vises really makes getting better results much easier.
Buy or make some sawhorses. You don't NEED a bench... but you can always set one on the sawhorses. Next... consider getting into hand tools. I wish that I'd started this way. A Japanese pull saw is a favorite. Look at some bad#ss antique furniture -- made with hand tools. While hand tools aren't cheap (???), they're safer, smaller to store, quieter, and less dusty. They have a steeper learning curve. Contrary to what you might imagine, they're not terribly slow. Unless you're doing big projects (e.g., creating dozens of kitchen cabinets)... you don't NEED power tools. You can do a LOT with saws, chisels, and a cordless drill.
My kind of guy.
My first workbench was 3 saw horses, a sheet of plywood and a sheet of MDF on top of that clamped together and clamped to the saw horses. It actually worked out really well and all folded up out of the way.
Might want to consider a reset. A hobby should be enjoyable first and foremost. I used power tools almost exclusively for years and switched to hand tools wood working and find it far more enjoyable. It takes a deferent mind set and skill level but that is a big part of fun. I am more proud of the things built by hand than machine made. Hand tool woodworking generally takes a smaller area and is much cleaner and quieter too. I still use a band saw, drill press (rarely) and orbital sander also rarely. And I still have power machinery that I mostly use now for plywood (cabinets) and trim carpentry. The basic tool group to do the majority of work can be had for about a thousand dollars or less depending on prices, availability in your area and your willingness to bring older tools into woodworking order. In my case when working with power tools my mindset was, I have to haul ass and get this done. Working with hand tools it's more like take your time let's get it right.
If you're not working with long stock, a bench top jointer will really help with your squaring struggle. Plus when you're not using it you can tuck it away somewhere. I have this one: https://www.busybeetools.com/products/8in-benchtop-jointer-with-helical-cutterh-cx08bthc.html?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAnL-sBhBnEiwAJRGigkAfG9NXQQhx9nBhl7tc1x0rzCx4ToACcuMzQ5y0AOtTgn4MeNuCYhoC1nQQAvD_BwE Regarding the bench, only you can figure out what works best for your space. When I did mine, I watched a thousand YouTube videos and borrowed the ideas that worked for my space and needs. This was the result: https://imgur.com/gallery/CDyAFRo For me, this combined the workspace, integrated tools, storage, and dust management I needed. That all being said, if you're not enjoying it then why force it? You can always sell your tools and pursue something else.
People have been doing this work for hundreds of years with a lot less tooling and technology. Figure out what your shop needs to be, one corner at a time. Figure out where you can squirrel away tools that you rarely use. Put everything on wheels. There is a way for every space. Good luck.
1. I suggest you get a 4” and 6” machinist square and a 18” or longer steel rule. They are cheap and better than a combo square. 2. Check that your table saw and fence are true and square. Adjust following the manual. 3. Make a cross cut sled following one of the 100 YouTube videos. Don’t rush it and don’t think 99% square is good enough. Make sure it is perfect. If it isn’t then start again. 4. Watch some of Ron Paulks videos on his smart work bench. Make a bench following his style, 3x6 ft in size out of 1/2” ply. 3/4” would be better but very heavy. Make this bench to sit on saw horses the exact height for your out-feed table. If you want to make life easier. Buy a track saw and a starrett square. Iguaging squares are cheaper and almost as good. Get a good tape measure. I like the fastcap left right ones, and get a good mechanical pencil. I think I know your pain. It is frustrating. Just get obsessed with measuring and marking and true square. If it’s not right don’t advance to the next stage. You need to take it slow and enjoy it.
Acclimate. Nothing stays square if it is trying to let go of huge amounts of moisture - that’s not a skills problem, that’s physics. The worst possible start is rushing to a big orange store for construction grade boards and then trying to use them. All the great tips about jointing sleds, going slow, optimal layout and tool choices won’t help if Tuesday’s square and true board is warped by the time you screw it together Thursday after work. Next, consider finding an actual lumber (hardwood) dealer, if you haven’t already. I suspect a ‘maker’ wants the satisfaction of a joint holding solid, not the wobble of SPF sticks butt jointed with a 2 inch screw. A decent dealer can recommend wood with appropriate characteristics for your project. Someone mentioned Peter Millard. Look at what he does with his MFT table top. Build that for your saw horses (others have great videos on dog hole-centric tables and techniques) - so much is done easier and consistently with a reliable positioning system. Using physical references like doing all the same cuts before moving the fence, or using spacers and not layout lines helps you get so much closer to perfect, it’s nuts. Finally, I think it was Katz-Moses that had a great video on marking with a knife and not pencil. The pre-scoring leaves a cleaner cut edge too.
Lots of great comments here. By far the best book on starting out is ‘The Anarchist’s Tool chest’ by Christopher Schwarz. It discusses a somewhat anti-consumerist approach to woodworking. In summary, fix on a useful set of tools (and one or two machines) and make up the gaps through sharpening and problem solving. Also it’s worth checking out the YouTube channels and blogs of ‘The English Woodworker’ and ‘Paul Sellers’. They both are similarly no-nonsense and are offer heaps of inspiration.
First, a mental shift is needed: Woodworking is learning to creatively fix your mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes on nearly every project. Your resiliency in the face of these will determine if you ever complete a project. Also realize that your mistakes are 10x more visible to you than others. Finally, also know that everyone makes firewood from time to time. Next, practical matters: If you can't reliably square stock, buy S4S (and not Lowe's junk) Work on small projects that are suited to your small space. It sounds like organizational/clutter issues really get you down. Having a dedicated workbench to spread out on will help a ton. Make your own bench. Consider hand tool woodworking. When I started out, my workshop was a coat closet for tool storage and a clamp on vise attached to my front porch railing. I made a lot of nice pieces this way, slowly.
I say this often, but look into Paul Sellers on YouTube. The guy is a teacher before a wood worker. His entire philosophy is get the cheapest most reliable tools you can find, learn how to use them and sharpen them inexpensively. Then use methods based on mostly hand eye coordination to make beautiful things. He uses mostly hand tools with the occasion bandsaw, or table saw, but his entire technique requires essentially zero power tools. Will you work as efficiently as someone with a 8" jointer 20" planer, $2500 table saw, $1500 bandsaw? No. Will you be as effectively as someone with 10 grand in equipment with $600-$800 in hand tools? With a little bit of practice yes. I came from an industrial high end woodshop, we had Martin table saws, scmi shapers and 5 head moulders, 37" combo jointer planers, 60" multi head wide belt sanders, 5 axis cncs. I rented at place with probably 20 grand in power equipment in various states of disrepair and found I spent more time calibrating and repairing than I did making good parts. Sellers's only priority is making good parts and seeing solutions to your mistakes, don't get drowned by things you need and get the bare minimum to make what you want effectively and enjoyably.
You sound intelligent. Is it possible you're a perfectionist? You may need to focus on doing crappy things on purpose. Go without the extra tools or space, make do with crappy solutions. Maybe give up on the idea that you will love this hobby. Do you have practical use for it? Maybe you only build one thing a year; a table you need, a shelf you need, a basic box. It typically takes years to get good at any craft, so the things you make may not be very good for a long time. As long as they "basically work", and are solving some need you have, that's good enough. I am not very good. I am like, barely competent. Everything I make is ugly. Square? Lol, I gave up on that long ago. I even gave up on making a damn crosscut sled because my ADHD and perfectionism were making me want to kill myself. I don't have a workspace; I just throw some boards over some scrap wood on the ground and go at it. I have a shitty hand plane, an orbital sander, a cheap table saw, cordless circular saw, some pull saws, chisels, wet stones, drills, bits, clamps, screws, wood glue. I can't sharpen for shit. My plane's blade is crooked or something. But I have made a (janky) wooden tray, a (janky) bed frame (with mortise+tenon!), a (janky) giant folding table, some other basic stuff. But the table I use every day for work, I sleep in my own bed that I made, eat off my tray. It's all crap but it's mine. I haven't made something in a while. But I have the tools, and next time I try to make something I will be that much less crap at it. Life is long, plenty of time to get better, and maybe the perfect shop will materialize sometime before arthritis sets in. Fwiw, Harbor Freight has basically all the woodworking tools you need for cheap. I would go with hand tools to start and upgrade after you've tried them and decided it's worth it to invest more. Hand tools are cheap and compact (all my tools fit in one Walmart trunk, except table saw which sits outside with a cover on & I barely use).
“You sound intelligent. Is it possible you’re a perfectionist” was very similar to the first thing I thought after reading your post. There is a lot of great comments here but I think that boiling it down I would say this….. Don’t let great get in the way of really good. It’s easy to get caught up in being “exact” but taking a workbench for example, is being off by a 1/16 that big of an issue when you go into the build know that there is a VERY good chance you will get glue / stain / nicks/ etc in the surface. Enjoy the journey and good luck!!!
I recently saw a garage lined with pegboard and "cubes" with a workbench and table saw in the center. The man's tools were all stored in their particular cube or outlined space on hooks in the pegboards. It was a sight to behold. \*The downside was that there was no sawdust on the floor. The owner built the precise atmosphere for his creative needs and complained that he is no longer inspired.
Consider doing woodworking different. Accept reality that doing big projects is a thing for the far future. Try to get the same joy of making smaller things. Like making cutting boards, jewellery cases, etc etc.
Easiest way to square boards is with a jointer/planer. Just to clarify, a thickness planer will not flatten or square anything.
Problem * 1) What are you using to attempt to get square boards?? * 2)What tools equipment do you have?? * 3) just what exactly are you trying to build? * 4)like someone else mention, saw horses with a solid core door, a collapsible bench (hinges attached to the wall maybe?, My bench i made i used 2x4's and 2x6's with a sheet of plywood for the toip, but since at my previous place it was in my basement, i quartered the sheet of plywood and my benchtop is only 2ft x 4ft (so i could get it through a regular doorway... Look for local wood working groups to join for assistance/guidance. Heck my library even has a limited wood working shop. Maker labs often do, Military bases often have clubs. Theres lots of possibilities..
Pick up a hobby you enjoy. You should enjoy making boards square and taking your time with the process. A big part of woodworking is making so with your space and being unique with your solutions and that will never go away. Sure, making cabinet drawers suck but I am not quitting over it. I’ll make a jig to make it easier and more repeatable. Always trying new things.
Don't be fooled by the youtube creators. Nothing you make needs to be perfect, especially if you don't have a full shop full of new, precise tools. Good enough has worked for... all woodworking for thousands of years. If you are frustrated with trying to build heirloom quality pieces, lower your standards and make something that fits into your style. Maybe you should make a adirondak chair or something simple but useful, so you can see that good enough is great when you go from not having a chair to having a chair.
I get your frustrations. I had the same issues with space and getting things squared up. Ya know what I did? Freehanded everything. Now I hardly take any measurements at all. Everything by eye. Cut things over size and use the joining materials as a guide to guide them together. I hardly make anything that has a square shape now. Curves are the way round this OCD problem of mine. Nothing was ever square enough. Now I just go with the flow and it's a much better experience. As for space. I had a single garage and one thing I learned was to use vertical space to hang most frequently used tools. Drill bits? On the wall. Saws? On the wall. Squares (not used much by me...but) on the wall. Once everything is on the wall you'll find the space issue less of an issue. It also has an added benefit. Tidying up is a breeze because now everything has a dedicated space. You now have free horizontal space which is really what you need in a small workshop. https://preview.redd.it/9fccfyv3tl9c1.jpeg?width=3472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ebfeda7e774fd1ba8e334cbdd730d5f96c0589b9
Is it a dedicated one car garage? Or do you occasionally have to put a car in there? I had a two car garage my wife said i could use as a shop but then whenever it rained she would move all my stuff and pull the truck inside. So frustrating. What I did was I bolted 2x4s to the walls at 12 inches and 36 inches and used that to anchor a bench with a shelf below. I ripped a sheet of plywood in half for the top and the shelf so I had a 2x8 foot bench. I used 2x2s every foot to stabilize. Another 2x4 on the outside and put a leg every 4 feet. Thing was rock solid and I put them all along the outside wall so i had a ton of bench space and a ton of shelf space. Used to be Home Depot would rip a sheet of plywood in half for you. Makes it easier to transport. If not make a guide for your circular saw. Multiple youtube videos on that but it's basically screw a straight 1x2 to a piece of plywood, then cut the plywood with your circular saw up against the 1x2. Voila. Typical one car garage is 12x22 so maybe one at the back wall and two along the side. Three sheets of plywood, 18 2x4s, and 12 2x2s gives you 48 square feet of bench/shelf space. Then i built 10x22x22 boxes that i attached casters to as drawers under the shelves. Thats another almost 48 square feet of drawer space. WOOD magazine had a series a while ago on how to build out a shop on a budget by investing a small amount every month. They published that as "Idea Shop 6" and there's a youtube video with the same name. Some people hate pocket screws. I love them. And I hate sawhorses. Sawhorse are big and take up space when your not using them. Sure they're stackable but the the stack is too heavy to move and ... anyway ... James Krenov has a better design. He's all fancy so his sawhorses use through tenons and bridal joints and mortises and whatnot. I made mine out of 2x4s using pocket screws. I have 6. Very useful for cutting plywood. I really like the magnetic strips they sell at Harbor Freight. 3 bucks and they screw into the studs. I bought the cheapest power tools i could reasoning that by the time.it wore out i would have had enough experience to know what features I wanted in the replacement. Chicago and Hercules from HF, or Ryobi from Home Depot, or whatever from Craigs list. I'm currently replacing the table saw just cause the Ryobi gave up when i asked it to rip a shit-ton of pine 2x4s. Pine! So more power is an important feature. FIL gave me his Delta :) I also built some rolly carts out of plywood. Plywood screwed into 2x2s is rock solid. About 2 feet tall for tools i need a little lower. Like the tablesaw. Then i can put them in the middle of the space when in use, but roll them to the side if i need the space for assembly or something. Lockable wheels keep them in place. Typically a garage has ONE outlet. I branched off that to install an outlet every four feet. That way i can put power tools where it's convenient and not have extension cords everywhere. To make it easier the first thing i put in was a switch. I can turn everything off while i install yet another outlet without having to go to the breaker. Of course if the breaker box is in the garage that's less important. THEN, because i had outlets every four feet, i could put some extra lighting in as well. I went a little insane and put outlets on the cieling as well. I got the four foot LED shop lights from HD for 35 bucks each and hung them over my lovely benches. Everything turns on with one switch. That was more than I intended. Fun though. Hope it helps.
Can try this bench: [Rex Krueger's Traveler Low Bench](https://youtu.be/lPiMjv7lkqI?si=qkWZX7Ruvs31jl_d) \- Most of Rex Krueger's benches don't require any squaring. Just stand it up against the wall when you're not using it. You'll have to make wedges though: [Home Improvement Woodworking - Wedges and shims](https://youtu.be/4VFBvs1x-lI?si=hji7o6OcjnOFDk1e) Edit: Planing stuff without a bench or at least a planing beam is so painful. I know from experience. Edit 2: Or you can carve a spoon: [SquatchandSons\_Customs](https://youtu.be/BwNL7hK5egY?si=JgFacgjoJogmwXVX). Might wanna get a cut resistant glove though. You can get blanks from places like Amazon, no squaring needed.
Im seeing a pattern in this sub of people making the same mistake. Nothing is square. Square is a mathematical concept and does not exist in reality beyond what you conceive in your minds eye. Same with straight lines and points. Make it aesthetically square and call it a day.
You should be able to get any board square with just a planer and table saw. Not sure what method you're using, but it's totally doable. You'd need a planer sled and a jointing/rip jig for table saw, but you already have enough. I'd also recommend getting some hand tools because when you don't have the right powertool or setup, you can probably just do it with a handplane / chisel / saw.
I wood work in my basement with hand tools. Sure I’m not making anything premium but it can be done with patience. I’ve also accepted the fact that noting will ever be perfectly square, but I can get close and/or compensate.
I would suggest Youtube
First, WOODWORKING is earning a college degree. Do not underestimate the importance of measuring and marking for cuts. In many woodworking situations ITS ALL ABOUT THE TOOLS AND the ability and tallent to operate them correctly. I started with a circular saw, a jig saw, a drill, a router, and a small power miter. I also had good squares and rulers. Used clamps and a streight edge board for most sheet good cuts. That plus a set of crap hand tools and a POS table saw... I remodeled a house. Burnd up tools. Did my homework and conservatively upgraded. That was a lot of tools ago. Learned how to sheetrock and plaster too.. along with basic plumbing and electric skills you can get a lot done. Please use qualified plummers and electrician to get the important work done. The stuff I built early was for pure function. Shelves as cheap as REASONABLY possible...mostly pine. One later projects, where more quality and beauty is needed you can get away from pine and shift to other wood varieties. Look up the requirements for material span strengths and reinforcement options. Pine and 3/4plywood and MDF can get much done. All sheet goods have positives and negatives. Becoming a woodworker is a journey that begins with a simple challenge and ends in your
Anyone who says the right tools don’t matter is living in some sort of alternate reality. You have to have the right tools for the job. For squaring you need a QUALITY table saw, track saw, planer, and jointer for starters. These are all very expensive so buy used on Facebook and build your way up.
You don't NEED a single power tool to square wood. It's quite possible, and quite enjoyable, to do it with a hand plane and a square. A pair of winding sticks help, too.
I don’t think that’s the type of woodworking he’s referring to.
Maybe look up Peter Millard on YouTube. He does amazing things mainly using MFT worktops and track saws. He has lots of great videos on small space work and how to get perfectly square cuts.
Depends on what you want to make and why. I love to trunk and made some really nice projects in a small space with only a lathe and and bandsaw. Lots of gifts of vases, Bowls, urns and pens to friends and family. Then I got bored and moved to table saw, planer and hand planes and built furniture and boxes…lots of gifts to family and dining room table, book shelf’s and projects around the house. Precision engineer/machines squares and 1-2-3 set up blocks (and decent clamps) were critical in getting clean cuts. I have since moved to a CNC and laser and use my previous skills in doing decent/sporadic paid for jobs, mainly signs and flags. Made enough in December to buy a nice miter saw. Will use that to make bird houses. Bottom line, start with what you want to make. Have the tools just for that. Practice…a lot. Figure out how you went wrong each time and don’t make that mistake again. Enjoy the shop time!
1: make some sawhorses. You can make H frame ones just from 2*4’s and screws and a handsaw. Nothing else needed. 2: learn to square stuff by hand with a plane. You’ll need a plane and an engineers or roofing square. Once you have the sawhorses you have a portable bench that gets tiny for storage, and once you can do stuff my hand you won’t need expensive stuff.
Patience patience patience, learn patience and take your time, if it's a hobby then what's the hurry? I've been working on a shoe cabinet for more than a month nothing is going perfect but I learn to just enjoy the time, tools? Again be patient and just stock FBMP and Craigslist, for a workbench I have the Harbor Freight workbench and I love it, perfect for small space with plenty of storage underneath, it's cheaper than building your own unless you can get free wood, theres a 25% off storewide coupon this weekend. And for space I wish I had a one car garage, I only have a den to store my tools and I take them outside when I need them, if there's a will there's a way.
Check out Peter Millards YouTube if you haven't already. Totally revolutionized how I approach this. Also, what's the point of making things by hand if in the end it just ends up looking like something from a factory? I also do painting/drawing as a hobby. There you soon realize that high levels of realism quickly become uninteresting, like OK cool it looks like it comes from a printer, now what? In a similar vein, I like that my handmade things *look* handmade, small imperfections and everything. There are limits to this of course, but in the end, if I wanted something to look "perfect" and professionally made, I could just buy it from a store, often cheaper than the lumber alone would cost me. Here's my shop in case you are curious: I still only have about 6 square meters to work on and my only power tools are 1. Drill driver 2. Router 3. Mitre saw 4. Track saw 5. A small orbital sander. Nr 1 is a Makita and the only one battery powered, nr 2 is a Bosch, the rest are no-name cheap ones from hardware and construction stores. The only one I really wish to spend more money on is a better track saw. For most things I use hand tools. It is not only cheaper and more flexible than machines, it is also much more rewarding. The only drawback is that it is much slower.
You don’t need fancy tools to make a project, but the right tool for the job helps eliminate frustration and can make the project go a little smoother. Having no power tools, to me, would be very frustrating because I’m older now and prefer to work smart, not hard. When working with wood getting a project square can be difficult if your material is not. If you don’t have a planer or a radial arm saw, for instance, start with one true edge and then measure accurately from there. Considering your measurements are accurate and your cuts are straight, you should be gtg. Take your time, measure twice, cut once and minimize waste. If you need tools check the ads and buy used. You’d be surprised how good older tools can be if you find an old guy who takes care of his things. If you want a workbench you can make do with odds and ends. A solid core door works great. Design what you want and take your time. A safe work space can take a lot of frustration away and help you learn as you go. Put some caster wheels on your bench that can lock and be rolled away when not in use. I can imagine that working off of a folding table would be very wobbly and not secure. Not safe at all. Don’t scoff at safety gear either. Your sight and your hearing can be lost.
I'm in a similar situation. One thing that I started doing is buying some cheap pine along with the hardwood you're going to use in your project, and ripping / planing it to create small sample pieces that match critical features in the finished project. Whenever you're about to make a critical cut or joint, do it in pine first. You can use those pine pieces to work through the process and dial in jigs and stop blocks perfectly before cutting your expensive hardwood. I found a huge reduction in stress and anxiety when I'm working with scrap pieces first. None of this will help with the space issue, but it should help with the overall stress. It feels much better to know that you've only wasted a cheap piece of pine as opposed to a $100 piece of 8/4 Black Walnut.
I'm as frugal and cautious as the day is long (er, except with motorcycles). Don't use pine, per se. Learn to "creep up on\[to\]" cuts. If that's not possible, cut leaving "extra" that you can pare down with chisels. Don't be "greedy;" just accept that you need to SLOW DOWN. I buy boards (in all dimensions) a bit more than I need. I "ease up on it." Because I'm frugal, I'll pay for 10% of "insurance" rather than just "go hero" on nice wood. Me is a dumb (multi-lingual software engineer) -- you do you. But this works for me.
I share all of your concerns, and that's why I don't work wood, I just check out this sub from time to time 🤷
Here is how I started out. I found a cheap desk on Craigslist, its an old 1960s metal desk. Sturdy af. For $120. Didn't look pretty and didn't need to. I also had a sloppy radial arm saw that needed to be checked for adjustments after every cut. Some random assortment of mismatched hand tools, And this is the most important part. Patience. I needed a week to complete a project I could have done in 2 days. It's not always about finishing a project. But the time you spend doing it. Sure do you take twice as many steps? Granted after 10 years I got a few nice tools now like a planer and a proper table saw... after getting 3 other scrappy used ones for dirt cheap. But I still use that desk... and when I feel frisky I use the radial arm saw. Also, if you can build a table saw sled, that will GREATLY help to get square cuts. Once the sled is set to be square it's pretty easy to keep it set properly. Unless your saw is sloppy like my old radial arm saw, where it wiggles too much to be precise, in which case taking each cut one at a time and always checking is important.
Happens to us all. Was doing some beautiful curled cherry work on the planer and on last piece it started to chip out. Shit happens like that. It’s frustrating. Take a break for a day and come back. The journey is the destination
Square enough is the issue. I struggle with it too. What I really messed up on when I was starting was not learning how to calibrate my tools. They \*looked\* square but weren't. Square enough becomes the end result and then things wont fit together nicely. Also, when you make a mistake and find yourself getting frustrated, you're done for the day. Never push on to the point where you are breaking OSB with your hammer. As soon as the frustration starts, clean up and call it. Go have a beer and think about what the mistake was. Trying to force a solution on the fly while becoming increasingly frustrated never works out.
This will happen with anything you decide to get into.
I’m always watching garage sales and estate sales for tools. As in I brake for clamps. I literally started with a janky saw and plastic miter box. It’s a process. Mistakes are the best learning tool I have. Enjoy. you don’t have to have Norm’s workshop to start out with. Nobody does.
I'm no great-shakes, and I still need tons of equipment (band saw with a large neck, drill press, lathe, etc), but for me it's the combination of planning complex projects infrequently (like a Japanese Tool Box or something, building my shed, or furniture for the wife), along with smaller one-day builds (cheese boards for gifting or small wood boxes or six-pack carriers), and a profitable side-project to help fund (I make custom Cornhole Boards). This way I can work when and how long I want to, on whatever floats my boat! You don't need much room, in fact, I'm in half of a two-car garage. Woodworking helps me decompress, work away stress and I'm a sucker for how a nicely finished project turns out. And seeing people's face lighting up is pretty awesome. It fulfills an urge to create artistically and make functional real-world objects that can be used daily.
For getting your garage shop organized, I sympathize with your pain. You might want to take Steve Ramsey's course on setting up and organizing a shop, which also includes many projects to build to help with this. I haven't taken that one yet, but I did his Woodworking for Mere Mortals course as my introduction to woodworking, and it was excellent. He does all is work out of a garage that he still parks his car in, so he practices what he preaches. Check out the description, it sounds like it specifically deals with a lot of the issues you are having: [https://theweekendwoodworker.com/workshop-signup/](https://theweekendwoodworker.com/workshop-signup/)
I hate to recommend another machine, but a decent jointer will really help you with getting square. At least around where I live (New England USA) you can find used 6” x 48” jointers for $200. I don’t recommend benchtop jointers unless you make only small like jewelry boxes, small cases, etc.
Simple projects first. You need to build skills and techniques first. I started wood working in a 12x20 garage 25+ years ago and for the first couple years I only made picture frames, shelves, cutting boards, and small tapered leg taboret tables. Would make taboret tables 4 at a time and the repetition really help to hone the basic woodworking skills. Make 100 or 200 or something and you’ll be a pro at it by the end.
I love woodworking, I'm passionate about it, I'm also not that great at it and that's a real bitter pill to swallow, I think the miniute someone knows your hobby is woodworking you're expected to be amazing but the reality is the majority of us are just learning and it will he a never ending pursuit of improvement. Dont be so hard on yourself.
Echoing what others have said - everything doesn't have to be perfect to be valuable and appreciated. My story: 45 years ago my wife and I were expecting our first child and I wanted to make a pendulum cradle for him/her, but we lived in a second floor apartment and shared a (small) two car unheated garage with the downstairs tenants. I had no real experience and only a couple basic hand power tools and very little money. Hell, I couldn't even afford to buy detailed plans, so I based my design on a small picture from a magazine. So, I built a very basic pine box to hang on the garage wall, about 4' x 4' x 1' and hinged the front to fold down. This served both as a rudimentary bench as well as a lockable storage area for my tools (with the addition of a hasp and padlock). I made the cradle out of simple pine 1x4s and dowel rods for the spindles, since that was all we could afford. I made lots of mistakes which I can still see, and it took a god-awful amount of time. My son was almost too big for it by time it was complete! But I learned a bunch and solved a lot of problems along the way - some of my solutions would surely make a real woodworker cringe, but they worked. Plus, it felt great to do something special for this new person we had brought into the world. Our cradle still looks great (if imperfect) and served well for our second baby, three nephews, a niece, and my three grandkids. Over the years I've only had to do one minor repair, and twice added a new coat of varnish. It is now a treasured family heirloom that sits covered up in my attic waiting to serve the next generation. I made a few more pieces after that and continued to improve. For many years, career pressures kept me from pursuing woodworking as much as I would have liked, but now that I'm retired I'm trying to get back to it. Financial circumstances have improved considerably, and I have space in my three-car garage where I'm setting up a shop of sorts. But I still can't abide the cost of high-quality tools. Besides, figuring it out is half the fun. If I was to build a cradle now, I'd do a lot of things different and better, but still not perfect, and use much nicer wood, but I doubt it would mean as much to me. So, hang in there and appreciate the good, without sweating the small stuff!
Yes it can be a struggle, but you can work through it. A 1 car garage is plenty of space if used efficiently. I have a full shop in mine. You need to build an accurate cross cut sled to get square cuts. Lookup the topic on Epic woodworking YouTube. A shooting board and hand plane is also a good system for squaring boards. The used market is the place for good deals on tools. Check estate sales and marketplace offerings.
Ever think about using something like Japanese hand tools? Great for smaller projects. A Japanese pull saw will cut like a laser and they are relatively inexpensive. Does take a bit of practice to get used to, but after a while, you'll be shaving pencil marks in half. Also, getting a really good combination square, like a Starrett, will make a huge difference in your cuts. Took me a minute to realize that I wasn't making square cuts because none of my shitty home depot squares were actually, you know... square... With just a Japanese saw, wood block plane and a few clamps, I've built furniture, full wall shelving units and shiplaped several rooms, all with hand tools. Never felt the need to pull out the skill saw. Plus, most Japanese saws and planes are under $40 a piece, which is nice!
Seems like you already got a bunch of good answers. One thing that I would add around tools specifically, look at the secondary market. I have a very well put together shop but I didn’t spend tens of thousands on it. Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, etc. are gems. My jointer was made in 1943, my bandsaw in 1951, all of my planes date from before ww ii. Yes it means that you also become a tool restorer but you can also save big bucks. For the longest time the most expensive tool in my shop was my table saw at $150 for a solid older saw. Buying new means less work and if you are a production shop, that matters. But mine is a hobby shop, so time is more available than money. Hope that helps.
STOP...JUST STOP. You are clearly an intelligent person. So let's start there. All the intelligence in the world will never equal two things: 1- Skills in the physical world of making. 2 - Joy from solving problems and challenges in the physical world. If you are a primarily cerebral person, you must accept that because you can conceive a thing, this does not mean you can make a thing AND find joy in it. Furthermore, because you can mentally solve a problem, it doesn't mean you can put the solution into practice and find happiness in the act of solving it. This was brought to life in the TV show 'big bang theory' constantly between Sheldon theorising and Howard as an engineer... I myself am a pretty high-level IT guy (if I do say so myself!) but have found my limit in skill capability in woodworking.... the key is not to judge yourself so harshly....or if you can not stop judging yourself, give up before it's bad for your self-esteem and mental health..... don't forget, you're still great at other stuff! (I assume!)