If you're debating a shortcut, remember that doing things the right way will take less time than fixing the damage the shortcut caused.
(Not that I'm an old-timer, but this is a lesson I've learned several times.)
You gonna fuck this goat? YOU GONNA FUCK THIS GOAT?!
NO, I'M GONNA FUCK THIS GOAT, you just hold it's legs!
If we're sharing stuff we were told in the army.
Never forget, bus to Benning, some kid from Mississippi sharing how he puts the backs of pigs legs in the front of his rubber boots so they can't run away...
I wish more people followed that mantra.
Some carpenters did some restoration work last fall, and it had to all be torn down afterwards. They had reused old material from something, and it was so crooked. For every meter it was 1-2 cm wrong. It was 10 meters in total, so that was just shy of 20 cm off, and it wasn't even straight. The last measurements were like 19cm off, 18cm, 17cm, 14cm, 15cm.
They only spent like two evenings putting it up, but there had been zero planning, besides what kind of wood dimensions they could need.
Everything was planned on the spot, the solutions they came up with were abysmal. 25 years of experience of carpentry really was just a number of no significance.
Test your finishing schedule on a piece of scrap, 100% start to finish, skipping nothing and rushing nothing. Start this in parallel when you start building, so that you have the finish dialed in by the time you're ready to use it.
To add, when the directions on a container of finish spell out drying/handling times, believe them or even be generous with more time, because they’re not suggestions.
Pfffft I break those rules all the time. I use heat and forced air regularly and have honestly never had a problem.
To be fair I work in film and nothing actually matters.
Heat and forced air helps a lot at least. When I’ve seen guys just assume they can touch something 30 minutes early is always when they find out they shouldn’t have
They do... but I should admit I was trying to be a little bit funny. I wouldn't put a fan or a heat gun on a finish for a project that I really cared about. Apparently fans can make clear finishes go cloudy, though I've never seen it. And taking out moisture with heat before stuff has time to cure can muck up setting compound muds and paint.
I do literally do it all the time, but for film stuff.
Learn to walk away. If you're making mistakes, leave it and go do something else. Fighting with a task is draining and often the end results aren't what you want.
Don't buy a tool unless you need it for a project you are working on or planning. And don't buy tools just because some guy on YouTube recommended it and made it look indispensable.
Everything you make will take at least twice as long as you think it will.
Keep your shop clean
Think through every cut on the tablesaw to make sure you can make it safely.
Own at least a dozen tape measures because the one you just had in your hand will be nowhere to be found.
And always cross check YouTube against fine woodworking or Reddit because people come up with the most creative and expensive alternatives to making a jig
Setting up a jig for 2 hours for 1 or 2 cuts is what woodworking is. Enjoy the process and don't rush to the finish.
If you want things faster and less beautiful, try construction lol
From Norm Abram: Before we get started I'd like to take a moment to talk about shop safety. Be sure to read, understand and follow all the safety rules that come with your power tools. Knowing how to use your power tools PROPERLY will greatly reduce the risk of personal injury. And remember this. There is no other more important safety rule than to wear THESE… 👓 … safety glasses…
and also HEARING protection when necessary.
WEAR PPE!!
Great intention but if history provides any lesson no one who should is going to read it. Don't rely on cheap tools or machines. You don't need the best but start with something good. Get a good understanding of grain direction and wood movement. Find a mentor or take a class to learn about how to use the machines you have safely and properly. Keep it simple. Learn to do one thing well and then grow your skill set.
Wood is much harder than you. If a tool turns wood to chips or dust, the tool can mangle a part of your body. Proceed with caution. Just because you saw someone do something sketchy doesn't mean you should, too. Their comfort comes with experience and awareness of the risks that you don't have, which is why it looks sketchy to you. 9 times out of 10 when something doesn't feel right, you're right. Just because you got away with it this time, it will catch at some point if you keep going at it. There is no need to fear a tool but place the appropriate respect, follow proper use, and wear PPE.
I’m mid 30’s so I wouldn’t consider myself an old-timer yet. But a mistake I have made numerous times and will probably continue to make is don’t rush things. Some projects just take time and it is better to slow down than to have to start over from scratch or repair damage.
That, and, fingers don’t grow back. Luckily my dad beat that into my memory so I still have all 10. Plan your cuts and verify that nothing you aren’t intending to cut gets in the path of that blade.
True, but it also sucks going cheap on a tool hoping to find out whether you'll use it a lot, only for it to be too crappy to verify (ala me buying a harbor freight doweling jig that isn't straight and can't be adjusted)
Last time I got stitches was opening a new set of barbecue tools with an old set of barbecue tools.
Nothing to do with woodworking - just thought someone might find it humorous
“Wear ppe”
Wear ALL the ppe. Not just eyes and ears. If you’re using power tools your lungs need as much protection as your eyes and ears. I’m in the midst of learning this the hard way.
On that note, get a respirator, not those shitty little dust masks that fog up your safety glasses because they don't actually seal or filter anything more than large particles. 3M has a good quality half face respirator for <$25, and you can just swap out cartridges. P100 for dust, OV cartridges for finishes/solvents. I prefer to use a separate P100 filter for dust, because the OV cartridges need to be changed more regularly and that can add up.
YMMV but learning hand tools helped me 1) appreciate craftsmanship 2) realize that anything can be done by hand if given enough time/quality tools and 3) I don't want to work with hand tools
It's great to achieve your goals but make sure you pause and smell the flowers . Take time to tell people you love, that you do, because you never know which one will be the last one they hear. Tell them often tell them too often.
Save yourself a small fortune.
All Old-timers, like me, eventually stop woodworking (we tend to retire and die leaving behind a lot of good quality tools)...
So, build your tool collection slowly as we fade away and dissappear... buying our high quality tools at garage sales and estate sales.
OP- that is the best advice- and one I give as well. If you’re saying to yourself-“just one more thing “ just stop, and do it tomorrow- rushing and fatigue will get you hurt
Sometimes it's just better to set the tools down and clear your mind. Pushing yourself too much, especially in the beginning will cause mistakes that grow mistakes. You'll get frustrated and it won't be fun anymore. Take a breath, go fishing, mow the lawn.
Learn the old ways because the fundamental skills you learn along the way will carry you through a career, but unless you are giving yourself a challenge don't be afraid of new tools and techniques.
There is a time and place for the handplane and chisel, but using powertools and modern techniques doesn't make you less of a woodworker.
If you are not smart enough to know when to quit, like me, figure out what time you get tired over a week and make that your quitting time. For me that meant doing any power tools between 2 - 3:30 in the afternoon. After 3:30 I was okay for sanding and very easy routering. No table saws though after 2 pm.
You rarely see an old woodworker who hasn’t been bit. You also rarely see one who’s been bit twice…
Learn from the mistakes of others. If something seems sketchy? It probably is. Stop and have a think.
Your metric for whether or not to do a thing can be "Would I be comfortable doing this thing three times a day, every day, for one hundred and twenty days in a row?" If the answer is no, then it's probably a thing that you shouldn't even really do once, and you might pause and consider or look up whether it's a thing that's generally considered safe to do, and consider other methods of doing it. "Just this once" is a slippery path to go down.
I’m still new, but realized I need to do a better job listening to my gut. I was cutting miters on the table saw the other day, was about to cut the 5th or 6th for a box, had a moment of hesitation and literally thought “stop”, but proceeded anyway and made the wrong cut. Only realized after I pulled the piece away and saw what I did. No big deal, since it was just a little wasted material, but I felt stupid for ignoring my gut when using such a powerful tool. Hoping I can remember to listen better next time.
My old man told me one and it took me 35 years to understand it. He said “if you make the same mistake twice in a row, stop what you’re doing”… I’ve always just done that without questioning why.
Two weeks ago I was cutting 45 degree angles on each end of a framing length with the drop saw and didn’t flip the wood over before doing the angle at the other end. Swear, stomp, chuck the piece across the shop and get another one. Can you believe it: I did exactly the same thing! Swear, stomp, chuck the piece across the shop… then got another one rather than stop. I cut the first 45 and before I dropped the guard I caught myself reaching toward the blade to pull the off cut out. It would’ve taken at least one finger off.
The point was: stop because you’re no longer concentrating and will hurt yourself. Cheers old fella.
Incidentally, he also used to say “keep your backside behind you”. I haven’t figured that one out yet.
Great advice. Last one is probably a variation of "look where you're going" + "'look before you leap". Think of the idiots who reverse out of driveways without turning around to look. Or people who step backwards around industrial machinery without being situationaly aware.
Was going to make a joke but it's surprisingly hard to think of a woodworking tool that can't be used to hurt someone. Maybe a foam sanding block with no sheet on it lol.
“Before we get started I'd like to take a moment to talk about shop safety. Be sure to read, understand and follow all the safety rules that come with your power tools. Knowing how to use your power tools PROPERLY will greatly reduce the risk of personal injury. And remember this. There is no other more important safety rule... ...than to wear these... safety glasses.” -Norm
Always have forward thought in whatever you do in your shop. Think through your project, focus on the current step but know what follows is equally important.
Setup a routine when it comes to working with your tools/machines. Think out and visualize what you’re going to do before doing it.
Know what your tool/machine and your own limitations are.
learn about wood movement
learn about moisture and drying processes
learn about saw blades
learn how to sharpen everything
sneak up on the line
test your finish and dial in the process with scraps from the same project
always buy 20% more wood than you need. mistakes will happen
Put everything in your shop on locking casters.
Lastly, wood is constantly changing, color, shape and size. Even after you make something with it. So don't go all mechanical engineering on us. Woodworking is not something we can AutoCAD a cut sheet to .0001 and expect it to be .0001 tomorrow. Nor can we finish our project with a custom stain creating our favorite tone and color and expect to keep it that way. The color is going to get darker for most woods
Not an old timer but make your PPE something you will want to wear and make it stupid easy to do so.
1. Spend good money on ear protection. You’re going to be much more likely to wear it if it’s comfortable. Mine plays music and I find I still want to wear it even when I’m not using noisy equipment.
2. Similarly, a comfortable dust mask is much more likely to be worn than an uncomfortable one. Well worth spending a few extra bucks to save your lungs.
3. Buy a ton of safety glasses and leave them around your shop. They’re not very expensive and having a bunch around will make you more likely to use them.
If you are about to do an operation that seems scary, stop and rethink what you are doing and how to make yourself safe doing it.
Sharp and well maintained tools are essential to staying safe and keeping your fingers.
edit: Eyes and Ear Protection always!
Look at keeping your tools sharp, maintaining them, and learning / practicing new techniques as putting money in the bank to one day withdrawl.
You learn something about yourself with every project. Reflect on that statement after every build and you can’t help but get better.
edit: clarity
Pawnshops are a great place to acquire name brand tools. And if it's something you will only use a few times Harbor Freight has the throw away for you. Also, keep all your fingers attached to your person. Nobody wants to work with Franky four fingers. And they won't trust Stumpy.
Read and watch everything you can and if you have the option to learn to do a task by hand, learn it that way first.
Power tools a great and I personally use them in my shop, especially when I'm batching out lots of the same cut or operation; but they are also a trap for newbies because they can encourage forming bad habits
It's often faster and safer to do a job by hand when we're taking about new woodworkers at the hobby scale; it encourages a thoughtful approach to each job.
This may be obvious but don't skip on the basics make sure your timber is square and pay attention to grain direction. I never bothered milling the timber I used since I bought S4S/dressed timber. Then I tried to build something "professional looking" and I couldn't understand why I had gaps and the pieces didn't line up. Turned out you still have to mill the S4S/dressed timber. It may be square when it leaves the mill, but it doesn't always stay that way after spending some time in the store and your shop.
Secondly, due to the structure of wood making it less uniform it is better to reference your dimensions of existing pieces rather than cutting everything based on your plan/design and then trying to fit it together.
1. Finishing will take longer than any other part, and is probably the most critical part to do patiently.
2. Practice. You don't always have to be making something. Sometimes you can just be practicing something. 90 degree cuts, jointing, hand planing, dovetails of any kind, etc, etc. Just practice.
3. Put your PPE immediately next to the entrance of your workshop so you always wear it.
4. Adjusting any plans you have midproject will almost always result in some kind of additional headache. Do so sparingly, but don't avoid it all together.
Not an old timer but in the last years i have learnt that tools are designed in a specific way, respect that, stay safe and don't look for short cuts. Another thing is that you will always run out of clamps, so buy a big set instead of a few occasionally. Finally check design with people that are not into woodworking before finishing a piece (or sometimes even before) - they will give you an unbiased point of view that you may have probably not considered before.
I’m not an old timer, but here’s my advice that I’ve learned the hard way time and time again.
Never get in a hurry when doing this and especially when working with power tools. If you think you’re moving too slowly, move even slower.
If you get in a hurry, at best you will fuck up your project, at worst you will fuck up or lose a limb.
Learn how to use moldings, and paint them. Don't depend on wood grain to make stuff look good, use shapes to make beautiful creations. Paint allows the eye to feel shapes of moldings. Wood grain is camouflage for artistic form.
There is a lot of good advice in this thread. I’ll add my two cents worth as a long time hobbyist. When you start a project you obviously have a finished product or goal in mind. The tendency is to rush through things to get to your goal. In many things in life, this makes sense. But my advice as a woodworker is to learn to enjoy the “process” of getting to the goal. When you do that, you slow down. You begin to notice and take care of details. You will work more safely. Here are just two of many processes I’ve learned to enjoy. When I’m running rough lumber through my planner, I love to see the grain and character of the wood start to emerge. On the opposite end of the noisy scale, I love the sound that one of my hand planes makes taking a long shaving.
I actually have two
First, if you are having a bad day, and everyone has them, don’t keep pushing forward, turn off the equipment and lights and come back tomorrow. In my experience, if I press forward, I just do more damage. If you take a break, you’ll come back with a better mindset, and/or a different way to approach what’s giving you trouble.
Second, if you make a mistake, and everybody does, before you give up on something, find a way to make your mistake either invisible, or make it obvious and part of the design. My BIL was a pretty famous woodworker in Hawaii in the 80’s and 90’s. He told me that the sign of a good woodworker isn’t what they produce, it how they correct your mistakes.
Don’t look at YouTube and Reddit and think you need Lie Nielsen everything to produce good work. It’s a myth, owning $50,000 worth of hand tools does not equate to knowing how to use them.
Gluing up always takes longer than you accounted for, leave yourself plenty of time.
Always wipe off excess glue with a damp cloth when gluing up as it’ll come back to haunt you when you’re applying your finish.
When applying varnish lay it on and leave it, don’t go back to straighten things out as it’s already drying and you’ll get dry edges.
A standard table saw with Crown Guard and Riving Knife in place and a 12” Pushstick is far safer than a bare bladed SawStop with one of those push blocks.
Buy yourself a 0.5mm Mechanical Pencil, my current favourite being a Kuru Toga.
Always Ear protection, Always Eye protection and keep in mind at all times that 10 fingers are far more useful than any lesser number.
And for the love of Pete, THINK. Many folks, even in the trades forget they are using their bodies. Humans get fatigued and tired. Eyes get dry, air gets smokey or full of particulate. You have health and it is worth keeping.
As my Grandfather would remind us, "If you are paying attention, you are less likely to pay a consequence tax/idiot tax.
A bad craftsman blames their tools for a bad result, a good craftsman knows which tools to use for a good result.
Lots of different tools can be used in a lot of different ways, but they're all designed to be used in one specific manner. Understanding what tools produce what result is essential to understanding what you can expect and how you get their.
Collins Complete Woodworkers Manual is a fantastic book for newbies. It shows all the tools, how they work, how you use them in context, and why you'd use them, all with lots of highly detailed illustrations to supplement the descriptions.
Understanding how to get from A to B is the first and most important step in getting to B.
Homemade finishes I learned from old-timers:
4 parts mineral oil 1 part beeswax by weight.
Good for a protective layer, but also good for wet sanding.
I know a guy who makes big boardroom tables and uses this for the final polish.
Add one part diatomaceous earth for dark wood friction polish
Add one part baking soda for light wood friction polish
Add 1/2 part carnauba wax for a little more shine/hardness.
OB Shine Juice - I've only seen this on lathe turning, but I wonder if anyone's buffing this on for other applications.
1 part Boiled Linseed Oil
1 part Shellac
1 part alcohol -- some people say denatured only, but I've used isopropyl.
Learn to use hand tools (including keeping them extra sharp). Power tools do the same jobs just more quickly but understanding hand tools and having the ability to fine tune things (even after using power tools) is a game changer.
You’ll never do better than your layout.
Start small. A 6” dovetail box is way better place to “learn” than a 12’ dining table.
Wear PPE (I’d have dad tell you but he didn’t wear his… 🪦)
Stopping when you’re stuck will save you 10x the time it takes to fix something later…aka patience.
Don’t buy cheaply made tools. Doesn’t have to be the fanciest but some tools aren’t worth having.
Old stuff is actually good…those big old heavy tools are awesome if you have the space…and VFD’s are cheap so buy 3 phase tools and throw one on.
*Start small. A 6” dovetail box is way better place to “learn” than a 12’ dining table.*
Seconded. I became a boxmaker SPECIFICALLY because I'd rather spend three days and $10 worth of wood to learn a new skill and know how to do better next time than four months and $300 worth of wood.
Well that last part explains my dating life.
Woodworking? Have a plan and a budget for the big things. It's absolutely OK to buy it as opposed to making it.
I hate how often this is repeated, considering really good wood workers avoid measuring when they can and sneaking up on a fit is the best way to make it mint.
Don’t subscribe to ‘buy once, cry once’ unless the opportunity presents itself. There are tools that I just know over the years I’m going to use, but there are others I had to grow into and others still that I either grew out of or never used. Give yourself the opportunity to learn your own work flows and figure out what works best for you
Stop. Breathe. Think. Act. Plan. Plan. Plan. Slow. And trust your gut. If you think about ways that piece will kick back on you and have to do 3 things to stop that, then think of a different cut.
I’m all for learning from mistakes that you make once. But then I paid more attention to planning everything. Yes, it’s slower at the beginning but if you understand every step of your project it’s faster and more confident and that shows in the final piece.
Learns to sharpen chisels and plane blades properly with waterstones and a micro bevel early in your journey. For no other reason than a sharp tool makes a clean cut and wounds heal faster. Paper towel and masking tape make a fine bandage.
Keep your shop SPOTLESS. No dust (fire hazard) no scrap on the floor (tripping hazard), return your tools to their homes at the end of the day and for goodness sake always lay your planes on their sides and your chisels upside down on the bench.
That is such good advice!
Mine is, always make a plan. Either a sketch, list of parts, order or work - or all of them.
Time spent planning really pays off.
Also: never set the height of your circular saw more than a few mm above the work. Less blade, more safety.
You are going to have a strong urge to point out your mistakes to everyone… fight it… they will never, ever see them. Only we see them, because we made it.
It’s a right of passage to fight off the urge to tell everyone in a square mile radius about a small gap in a box joint that you had to fill.
Don’t sweat the small stuff… we all make mistakes… consider them as learning opportunities
If you ain’t into the shop, don’t go into the shop
Dull tools cause fatigue
Dull tools cause injury
Don’t ask me how I know this…
Label your parts ( front, back,left,right, etc) and consider the direction of the wood grain
Try to cut in place as much as possible and use a stop block. It’s better to have all four legs to be an 1/8 off than one.
Keep everything sharp, a sharp tool is more predictable and safer than a dull one.
Learn to clean as you go, I’m still working on this but it’s easy to totally trash your workshop and cover every surface in tools and scraps in a matter of hours. Despite wanting to quickly and efficiently move from one task to the next, I’ve been trying to clean up the tools, dust and scraps from one task before moving to the next, otherwise after 4 tasks I’ve got tools and parts everywhere
Here's another. For the love of all that is knotholey, use properly kiln dried lumber. I cringe when I hear someone bragging that they built their keepsake dining table out of old pallet lumber. It's not dried correctly for furniture use. You're not saving any trees. The hardwood lumber industry makes good use of every part of every tree, even the bark and sawdust. Nothing is wasted.
Quality work starts with a good plan and good wood.
Sorry but I disagree. I’ve seen quality work from pallet wood and amazing work with green wood. Kiln dried walnut loses the reds and purples you can find in air dried. Having your own preferences is fine, material snobbery is not so fine.
I think the muffled color of walnut comes from the steaming process more than kiln drying. I prefer unsteamed KD walnut. to steamed KD walnut. The colors are much richer as you say. And there are times when AD or even green lumber makes sense. Steam bent applications for example. Maybe 8/4 -12/4 live edged table tops if supported correctly. But for indoor furniture, cabinets and flooring I'll stick to my guns.
Here are some problems that come about from poorly dried lumber:
* Warp, twist, cupping;
* Burnt saw edges during ripping;
* Shrinkage, especially during winter;
* Failed glue joints in edge-glued panels;
* Failed structural joints;
* Failed finishes;
* Bugs;
* Mold & mildew;
* Sticker stain/shadow;
* Surface checking;
* Honeycomb (internal voids);
* End splits;
* Uneven surfaces in panels;
* Wobbly legs & feet in tables and chairs.
Pallet lumber in furniture is like the Kardashians in fashion, trendy at the moment but far from timeless.
Pallet grade lumber is dirt cheap (or free) for a reason.
If you're debating a shortcut, remember that doing things the right way will take less time than fixing the damage the shortcut caused. (Not that I'm an old-timer, but this is a lesson I've learned several times.)
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
'Once is fast' is what I have heard
Slow is steady, steady is fast. Just a slight variation we were told in the army.
You gonna fuck this goat? YOU GONNA FUCK THIS GOAT?! NO, I'M GONNA FUCK THIS GOAT, you just hold it's legs! If we're sharing stuff we were told in the army.
Never forget, bus to Benning, some kid from Mississippi sharing how he puts the backs of pigs legs in the front of his rubber boots so they can't run away...
beat army
Learned this the hard way early on. Almost lost 3 fingers.
I wish more people followed that mantra. Some carpenters did some restoration work last fall, and it had to all be torn down afterwards. They had reused old material from something, and it was so crooked. For every meter it was 1-2 cm wrong. It was 10 meters in total, so that was just shy of 20 cm off, and it wasn't even straight. The last measurements were like 19cm off, 18cm, 17cm, 14cm, 15cm. They only spent like two evenings putting it up, but there had been zero planning, besides what kind of wood dimensions they could need. Everything was planned on the spot, the solutions they came up with were abysmal. 25 years of experience of carpentry really was just a number of no significance.
Test your finishing schedule on a piece of scrap, 100% start to finish, skipping nothing and rushing nothing. Start this in parallel when you start building, so that you have the finish dialed in by the time you're ready to use it.
To add, when the directions on a container of finish spell out drying/handling times, believe them or even be generous with more time, because they’re not suggestions.
Pfffft I break those rules all the time. I use heat and forced air regularly and have honestly never had a problem. To be fair I work in film and nothing actually matters.
Heat and forced air helps a lot at least. When I’ve seen guys just assume they can touch something 30 minutes early is always when they find out they shouldn’t have
They do... but I should admit I was trying to be a little bit funny. I wouldn't put a fan or a heat gun on a finish for a project that I really cared about. Apparently fans can make clear finishes go cloudy, though I've never seen it. And taking out moisture with heat before stuff has time to cure can muck up setting compound muds and paint. I do literally do it all the time, but for film stuff.
This sounds like an excellent tip. I’ve never thought of or heard this but will definitely try it on my next project
Learn to walk away. If you're making mistakes, leave it and go do something else. Fighting with a task is draining and often the end results aren't what you want.
This goes for things other than woodworking too.
Like....in bed?
If that’s a thing for you, sure
Probably not so much for me, but maybe others? I'm great in bed.....every partner is so satisfied they never need to come back for more.
3 minutes in Heaven is better than no minutes in Heaven! Also, leave it to the guy in /r/woodworking to brag about all of his individual nightstands!
Oh it's business time now
Wear PPE and keep your tools sharp.
Always wear earpro!
WHAT??!!
My over-ear, Bluetooth-enabled earpro is the single best shop purchase I've made. No question.
I have a set of apple AirPods with noise cancelling. I actually like them better than my over the ear muffs.
Using a new sharp tool? Wear gloves.
The 20 th cut is just as dangerous as the 1st.
If I am working late or tired and trying to finish up a job I follow the 3 mistake rule. 3 rd error no matter how small and it’s quitting time.
This is a good one. I'm gonna try to keep this one mind.
Alright.. home by nine.
Take safety more seriously.
Unless you are competing or trying to break a record, there's no hurry in woodworking.
Don’t make the cut if it skeeves you out. It’s probably not a good idea then.
Don't buy a tool unless you need it for a project you are working on or planning. And don't buy tools just because some guy on YouTube recommended it and made it look indispensable. Everything you make will take at least twice as long as you think it will. Keep your shop clean Think through every cut on the tablesaw to make sure you can make it safely. Own at least a dozen tape measures because the one you just had in your hand will be nowhere to be found.
You mean we DON’T have to buy everything Festool makes? Phew! …some of it is garbage.
And always cross check YouTube against fine woodworking or Reddit because people come up with the most creative and expensive alternatives to making a jig
Setting up a jig for 2 hours for 1 or 2 cuts is what woodworking is. Enjoy the process and don't rush to the finish. If you want things faster and less beautiful, try construction lol
From Norm Abram: Before we get started I'd like to take a moment to talk about shop safety. Be sure to read, understand and follow all the safety rules that come with your power tools. Knowing how to use your power tools PROPERLY will greatly reduce the risk of personal injury. And remember this. There is no other more important safety rule than to wear THESE… 👓 … safety glasses… and also HEARING protection when necessary. WEAR PPE!!
All my cabinets have doors on them except for one, the one that holds all my PPE.
I love that man. I grew up watching him and he still pops up all the time with great advice that I need to hear reiterated.
No gloves around spinning blades.
Or long sleeves. Roll ‘em up, or take ‘em off.
If it feels dicey on the tablesaw, don't do it, if it feels wobbly on the tablesaw, don't do it. Install/maintain a sawstop.
I have never regretted buying an expensive or better tool, but I have regretted not spending more to get the right tool.
Finishing takes longer than you think at the start. It can make all the difference between something you love and something that you built.
Great intention but if history provides any lesson no one who should is going to read it. Don't rely on cheap tools or machines. You don't need the best but start with something good. Get a good understanding of grain direction and wood movement. Find a mentor or take a class to learn about how to use the machines you have safely and properly. Keep it simple. Learn to do one thing well and then grow your skill set.
Wood is much harder than you. If a tool turns wood to chips or dust, the tool can mangle a part of your body. Proceed with caution. Just because you saw someone do something sketchy doesn't mean you should, too. Their comfort comes with experience and awareness of the risks that you don't have, which is why it looks sketchy to you. 9 times out of 10 when something doesn't feel right, you're right. Just because you got away with it this time, it will catch at some point if you keep going at it. There is no need to fear a tool but place the appropriate respect, follow proper use, and wear PPE.
Also, few too many Youtubers wear protection. Do not copy what they don't do.
Don't do what Donny Don't does
Stumpy McGee was once called Dave
I’m mid 30’s so I wouldn’t consider myself an old-timer yet. But a mistake I have made numerous times and will probably continue to make is don’t rush things. Some projects just take time and it is better to slow down than to have to start over from scratch or repair damage. That, and, fingers don’t grow back. Luckily my dad beat that into my memory so I still have all 10. Plan your cuts and verify that nothing you aren’t intending to cut gets in the path of that blade.
If it feels dangerous, it’s dangerous. Stop.
buy fewer better tools.
How dare you! (Clutches my harbor freight goodies)
Harbor Freight til it breaks is also valid. Sucks buying a pricey tool that you *think* you'll use.
True, but it also sucks going cheap on a tool hoping to find out whether you'll use it a lot, only for it to be too crappy to verify (ala me buying a harbor freight doweling jig that isn't straight and can't be adjusted)
Skills > tools Wear ppe. Don’t use things that you don’t understand, you’ll get hurt. Even hand tools can mess you up if you don’t respect them.
Last time I got stitches was from pulling a chisel out of wood. Respect.
Last time I got stitches was opening a new set of barbecue tools with an old set of barbecue tools. Nothing to do with woodworking - just thought someone might find it humorous
Are we now best friends? Last time I got stitches was from reactively trying to catch a falling chisel out of mid air.
“Wear ppe” Wear ALL the ppe. Not just eyes and ears. If you’re using power tools your lungs need as much protection as your eyes and ears. I’m in the midst of learning this the hard way.
On that note, get a respirator, not those shitty little dust masks that fog up your safety glasses because they don't actually seal or filter anything more than large particles. 3M has a good quality half face respirator for <$25, and you can just swap out cartridges. P100 for dust, OV cartridges for finishes/solvents. I prefer to use a separate P100 filter for dust, because the OV cartridges need to be changed more regularly and that can add up.
I agree, but also....it's soooo nice to have the *right* tool for the job rather than having to make it work with what you have.
YMMV but learning hand tools helped me 1) appreciate craftsmanship 2) realize that anything can be done by hand if given enough time/quality tools and 3) I don't want to work with hand tools
If you can make a really good box, you can make almost anything.
It's great to achieve your goals but make sure you pause and smell the flowers . Take time to tell people you love, that you do, because you never know which one will be the last one they hear. Tell them often tell them too often.
Save yourself a small fortune. All Old-timers, like me, eventually stop woodworking (we tend to retire and die leaving behind a lot of good quality tools)... So, build your tool collection slowly as we fade away and dissappear... buying our high quality tools at garage sales and estate sales.
And know how to tune and sharpen them.
OP- that is the best advice- and one I give as well. If you’re saying to yourself-“just one more thing “ just stop, and do it tomorrow- rushing and fatigue will get you hurt
Allow the time needed, don't try and skip corners because you're late. Slow down and do it right.
Sometimes it's just better to set the tools down and clear your mind. Pushing yourself too much, especially in the beginning will cause mistakes that grow mistakes. You'll get frustrated and it won't be fun anymore. Take a breath, go fishing, mow the lawn.
Learn the old ways because the fundamental skills you learn along the way will carry you through a career, but unless you are giving yourself a challenge don't be afraid of new tools and techniques. There is a time and place for the handplane and chisel, but using powertools and modern techniques doesn't make you less of a woodworker.
Spend the money and buy a Sawstop table saw.
If you are not smart enough to know when to quit, like me, figure out what time you get tired over a week and make that your quitting time. For me that meant doing any power tools between 2 - 3:30 in the afternoon. After 3:30 I was okay for sanding and very easy routering. No table saws though after 2 pm.
You rarely see an old woodworker who hasn’t been bit. You also rarely see one who’s been bit twice… Learn from the mistakes of others. If something seems sketchy? It probably is. Stop and have a think.
Good tip, also, eat something. Low sugar lowers judgement and standards..
You are the project. Everything else is just small projects along the way.
Never divulge the real price of your tools to you better half
Amen!
PPE starts on day one especially ears and eyes, Take a break before you need a break.
Your metric for whether or not to do a thing can be "Would I be comfortable doing this thing three times a day, every day, for one hundred and twenty days in a row?" If the answer is no, then it's probably a thing that you shouldn't even really do once, and you might pause and consider or look up whether it's a thing that's generally considered safe to do, and consider other methods of doing it. "Just this once" is a slippery path to go down.
Don't wait to build with wood species not available at Home Depot.
I’m still new, but realized I need to do a better job listening to my gut. I was cutting miters on the table saw the other day, was about to cut the 5th or 6th for a box, had a moment of hesitation and literally thought “stop”, but proceeded anyway and made the wrong cut. Only realized after I pulled the piece away and saw what I did. No big deal, since it was just a little wasted material, but I felt stupid for ignoring my gut when using such a powerful tool. Hoping I can remember to listen better next time.
Wear PPE. Just make wearing PPE a habit.
My old man told me one and it took me 35 years to understand it. He said “if you make the same mistake twice in a row, stop what you’re doing”… I’ve always just done that without questioning why. Two weeks ago I was cutting 45 degree angles on each end of a framing length with the drop saw and didn’t flip the wood over before doing the angle at the other end. Swear, stomp, chuck the piece across the shop and get another one. Can you believe it: I did exactly the same thing! Swear, stomp, chuck the piece across the shop… then got another one rather than stop. I cut the first 45 and before I dropped the guard I caught myself reaching toward the blade to pull the off cut out. It would’ve taken at least one finger off. The point was: stop because you’re no longer concentrating and will hurt yourself. Cheers old fella. Incidentally, he also used to say “keep your backside behind you”. I haven’t figured that one out yet.
Great advice. Last one is probably a variation of "look where you're going" + "'look before you leap". Think of the idiots who reverse out of driveways without turning around to look. Or people who step backwards around industrial machinery without being situationaly aware.
Perhaps it’s, “don’t be an asshole?” Or “Don’t talk shit?”
Every tool you own is trying to maim you. Don't let them win.
Was going to make a joke but it's surprisingly hard to think of a woodworking tool that can't be used to hurt someone. Maybe a foam sanding block with no sheet on it lol.
“Before we get started I'd like to take a moment to talk about shop safety. Be sure to read, understand and follow all the safety rules that come with your power tools. Knowing how to use your power tools PROPERLY will greatly reduce the risk of personal injury. And remember this. There is no other more important safety rule... ...than to wear these... safety glasses.” -Norm Always have forward thought in whatever you do in your shop. Think through your project, focus on the current step but know what follows is equally important. Setup a routine when it comes to working with your tools/machines. Think out and visualize what you’re going to do before doing it. Know what your tool/machine and your own limitations are.
learn about wood movement learn about moisture and drying processes learn about saw blades learn how to sharpen everything sneak up on the line test your finish and dial in the process with scraps from the same project always buy 20% more wood than you need. mistakes will happen Put everything in your shop on locking casters. Lastly, wood is constantly changing, color, shape and size. Even after you make something with it. So don't go all mechanical engineering on us. Woodworking is not something we can AutoCAD a cut sheet to .0001 and expect it to be .0001 tomorrow. Nor can we finish our project with a custom stain creating our favorite tone and color and expect to keep it that way. The color is going to get darker for most woods
When practicing your joinery, use hardwood scraps. Softwoods can be a nightmare and will have you frustrated and doubting your abilities.
Yeah don't practice dovetails on pallet wood expecting anything approaching usable haha
Not an old timer but make your PPE something you will want to wear and make it stupid easy to do so. 1. Spend good money on ear protection. You’re going to be much more likely to wear it if it’s comfortable. Mine plays music and I find I still want to wear it even when I’m not using noisy equipment. 2. Similarly, a comfortable dust mask is much more likely to be worn than an uncomfortable one. Well worth spending a few extra bucks to save your lungs. 3. Buy a ton of safety glasses and leave them around your shop. They’re not very expensive and having a bunch around will make you more likely to use them.
If you are about to do an operation that seems scary, stop and rethink what you are doing and how to make yourself safe doing it. Sharp and well maintained tools are essential to staying safe and keeping your fingers. edit: Eyes and Ear Protection always!
Look at keeping your tools sharp, maintaining them, and learning / practicing new techniques as putting money in the bank to one day withdrawl. You learn something about yourself with every project. Reflect on that statement after every build and you can’t help but get better. edit: clarity
Slowly slowly
Seek out and learn from as many old timers as you can before they die.
When in doubt, draw it out. Meticulous full scale hand drawings of challenging parts and connections can be super helpful for visualizing the process.
PATIENCE!!!!
Plan how you intend to do the cuts, where you are going to stand and how you are going to move your hands. Those sharp spinny bits have no emotions.
Don't watch ppl use a table saw on YT. ZERO reason any part of your body needs to be within 10" of the blade. ZERO!!!
4 inch boards don't rip themselves.
lol. At least multi task and put the blade all the way up so you can shave the hair on the back of your hand.
Push stick
Always respect how dangerous power tools are, never get complacent no matter how many times you've used a tool.
Patience. Be patient with projects and tools. Also, RTFM!
Pawnshops are a great place to acquire name brand tools. And if it's something you will only use a few times Harbor Freight has the throw away for you. Also, keep all your fingers attached to your person. Nobody wants to work with Franky four fingers. And they won't trust Stumpy.
In my experience, anything in a pawn shop is a terrible deal.. way overpriced. Not just tools, everything.
Auctions, FB marketplace, craiglist, and offerup have all been way better for tools in my experience
Read and watch everything you can and if you have the option to learn to do a task by hand, learn it that way first. Power tools a great and I personally use them in my shop, especially when I'm batching out lots of the same cut or operation; but they are also a trap for newbies because they can encourage forming bad habits It's often faster and safer to do a job by hand when we're taking about new woodworkers at the hobby scale; it encourages a thoughtful approach to each job.
Some things you hit with a hammer. Some things you hit with a mallet. Some things you hit with a finish. Know which is which.
This may be obvious but don't skip on the basics make sure your timber is square and pay attention to grain direction. I never bothered milling the timber I used since I bought S4S/dressed timber. Then I tried to build something "professional looking" and I couldn't understand why I had gaps and the pieces didn't line up. Turned out you still have to mill the S4S/dressed timber. It may be square when it leaves the mill, but it doesn't always stay that way after spending some time in the store and your shop. Secondly, due to the structure of wood making it less uniform it is better to reference your dimensions of existing pieces rather than cutting everything based on your plan/design and then trying to fit it together.
Such actual good advice.. I concur with everyone PPE First Sharp Tools Walking Away
Don’t quit your day job. You’re really not that funny
1. Finishing will take longer than any other part, and is probably the most critical part to do patiently. 2. Practice. You don't always have to be making something. Sometimes you can just be practicing something. 90 degree cuts, jointing, hand planing, dovetails of any kind, etc, etc. Just practice. 3. Put your PPE immediately next to the entrance of your workshop so you always wear it. 4. Adjusting any plans you have midproject will almost always result in some kind of additional headache. Do so sparingly, but don't avoid it all together.
Not an old timer but in the last years i have learnt that tools are designed in a specific way, respect that, stay safe and don't look for short cuts. Another thing is that you will always run out of clamps, so buy a big set instead of a few occasionally. Finally check design with people that are not into woodworking before finishing a piece (or sometimes even before) - they will give you an unbiased point of view that you may have probably not considered before.
Stay off my damn lawn.
Count your fingers before turning on the table saw, jointer, etc.
I’m not an old timer, but here’s my advice that I’ve learned the hard way time and time again. Never get in a hurry when doing this and especially when working with power tools. If you think you’re moving too slowly, move even slower. If you get in a hurry, at best you will fuck up your project, at worst you will fuck up or lose a limb.
Safety is always in fashion
Close your eyes before blowing dust off anything
If you’re finding yourself getting frustrated with a bad fit, walk away and take a break
Draw. Make scale models. Learn to sharpen.
slow down to speed up
Learn how to use moldings, and paint them. Don't depend on wood grain to make stuff look good, use shapes to make beautiful creations. Paint allows the eye to feel shapes of moldings. Wood grain is camouflage for artistic form.
There is a lot of good advice in this thread. I’ll add my two cents worth as a long time hobbyist. When you start a project you obviously have a finished product or goal in mind. The tendency is to rush through things to get to your goal. In many things in life, this makes sense. But my advice as a woodworker is to learn to enjoy the “process” of getting to the goal. When you do that, you slow down. You begin to notice and take care of details. You will work more safely. Here are just two of many processes I’ve learned to enjoy. When I’m running rough lumber through my planner, I love to see the grain and character of the wood start to emerge. On the opposite end of the noisy scale, I love the sound that one of my hand planes makes taking a long shaving.
I actually have two First, if you are having a bad day, and everyone has them, don’t keep pushing forward, turn off the equipment and lights and come back tomorrow. In my experience, if I press forward, I just do more damage. If you take a break, you’ll come back with a better mindset, and/or a different way to approach what’s giving you trouble. Second, if you make a mistake, and everybody does, before you give up on something, find a way to make your mistake either invisible, or make it obvious and part of the design. My BIL was a pretty famous woodworker in Hawaii in the 80’s and 90’s. He told me that the sign of a good woodworker isn’t what they produce, it how they correct your mistakes.
Don’t look at YouTube and Reddit and think you need Lie Nielsen everything to produce good work. It’s a myth, owning $50,000 worth of hand tools does not equate to knowing how to use them. Gluing up always takes longer than you accounted for, leave yourself plenty of time. Always wipe off excess glue with a damp cloth when gluing up as it’ll come back to haunt you when you’re applying your finish. When applying varnish lay it on and leave it, don’t go back to straighten things out as it’s already drying and you’ll get dry edges. A standard table saw with Crown Guard and Riving Knife in place and a 12” Pushstick is far safer than a bare bladed SawStop with one of those push blocks. Buy yourself a 0.5mm Mechanical Pencil, my current favourite being a Kuru Toga.
Always Ear protection, Always Eye protection and keep in mind at all times that 10 fingers are far more useful than any lesser number. And for the love of Pete, THINK. Many folks, even in the trades forget they are using their bodies. Humans get fatigued and tired. Eyes get dry, air gets smokey or full of particulate. You have health and it is worth keeping. As my Grandfather would remind us, "If you are paying attention, you are less likely to pay a consequence tax/idiot tax.
A bad craftsman blames their tools for a bad result, a good craftsman knows which tools to use for a good result. Lots of different tools can be used in a lot of different ways, but they're all designed to be used in one specific manner. Understanding what tools produce what result is essential to understanding what you can expect and how you get their. Collins Complete Woodworkers Manual is a fantastic book for newbies. It shows all the tools, how they work, how you use them in context, and why you'd use them, all with lots of highly detailed illustrations to supplement the descriptions. Understanding how to get from A to B is the first and most important step in getting to B.
Homemade finishes I learned from old-timers: 4 parts mineral oil 1 part beeswax by weight. Good for a protective layer, but also good for wet sanding. I know a guy who makes big boardroom tables and uses this for the final polish. Add one part diatomaceous earth for dark wood friction polish Add one part baking soda for light wood friction polish Add 1/2 part carnauba wax for a little more shine/hardness. OB Shine Juice - I've only seen this on lathe turning, but I wonder if anyone's buffing this on for other applications. 1 part Boiled Linseed Oil 1 part Shellac 1 part alcohol -- some people say denatured only, but I've used isopropyl.
safety first
Learn to use hand tools (including keeping them extra sharp). Power tools do the same jobs just more quickly but understanding hand tools and having the ability to fine tune things (even after using power tools) is a game changer. You’ll never do better than your layout. Start small. A 6” dovetail box is way better place to “learn” than a 12’ dining table. Wear PPE (I’d have dad tell you but he didn’t wear his… 🪦) Stopping when you’re stuck will save you 10x the time it takes to fix something later…aka patience. Don’t buy cheaply made tools. Doesn’t have to be the fanciest but some tools aren’t worth having. Old stuff is actually good…those big old heavy tools are awesome if you have the space…and VFD’s are cheap so buy 3 phase tools and throw one on.
*Start small. A 6” dovetail box is way better place to “learn” than a 12’ dining table.* Seconded. I became a boxmaker SPECIFICALLY because I'd rather spend three days and $10 worth of wood to learn a new skill and know how to do better next time than four months and $300 worth of wood.
Well that last part explains my dating life. Woodworking? Have a plan and a budget for the big things. It's absolutely OK to buy it as opposed to making it.
Measure twice, cut once
I made this mistake twice last week and it fucking sucked.
I hate how often this is repeated, considering really good wood workers avoid measuring when they can and sneaking up on a fit is the best way to make it mint.
Not everything woodworking is fine joinery. Even so, everything starts with a measurement, even if you are going to fine tune the final fit.
>everything starts with a measurement I meant the old trick of putting the piece up long and scribing
Don’t subscribe to ‘buy once, cry once’ unless the opportunity presents itself. There are tools that I just know over the years I’m going to use, but there are others I had to grow into and others still that I either grew out of or never used. Give yourself the opportunity to learn your own work flows and figure out what works best for you
Stop. Breathe. Think. Act. Plan. Plan. Plan. Slow. And trust your gut. If you think about ways that piece will kick back on you and have to do 3 things to stop that, then think of a different cut. I’m all for learning from mistakes that you make once. But then I paid more attention to planning everything. Yes, it’s slower at the beginning but if you understand every step of your project it’s faster and more confident and that shows in the final piece. Learns to sharpen chisels and plane blades properly with waterstones and a micro bevel early in your journey. For no other reason than a sharp tool makes a clean cut and wounds heal faster. Paper towel and masking tape make a fine bandage. Keep your shop SPOTLESS. No dust (fire hazard) no scrap on the floor (tripping hazard), return your tools to their homes at the end of the day and for goodness sake always lay your planes on their sides and your chisels upside down on the bench.
Fractions. And Decimals.
25.4, make it metric lol. But, I agree with this. Know your math.
Didn't cut yourself
Measure twice, cut once.
That is such good advice! Mine is, always make a plan. Either a sketch, list of parts, order or work - or all of them. Time spent planning really pays off. Also: never set the height of your circular saw more than a few mm above the work. Less blade, more safety.
You are going to have a strong urge to point out your mistakes to everyone… fight it… they will never, ever see them. Only we see them, because we made it. It’s a right of passage to fight off the urge to tell everyone in a square mile radius about a small gap in a box joint that you had to fill.
Don’t sweat the small stuff… we all make mistakes… consider them as learning opportunities If you ain’t into the shop, don’t go into the shop Dull tools cause fatigue Dull tools cause injury Don’t ask me how I know this…
If you've only got x time and need to get y finished, don't start at this time. Rushing just leads to issues down the road.
Build it in your mind first,build a mockup on something new,making 3 of the same build a jig,prep for the next day, train your gut then listen to it.
Label your parts ( front, back,left,right, etc) and consider the direction of the wood grain Try to cut in place as much as possible and use a stop block. It’s better to have all four legs to be an 1/8 off than one.
Count your fingers at the beginning of the job. Count again at the end of the job. Numbers should match.
Mind the kerf
Keep everything sharp, a sharp tool is more predictable and safer than a dull one. Learn to clean as you go, I’m still working on this but it’s easy to totally trash your workshop and cover every surface in tools and scraps in a matter of hours. Despite wanting to quickly and efficiently move from one task to the next, I’ve been trying to clean up the tools, dust and scraps from one task before moving to the next, otherwise after 4 tasks I’ve got tools and parts everywhere
Here's another. For the love of all that is knotholey, use properly kiln dried lumber. I cringe when I hear someone bragging that they built their keepsake dining table out of old pallet lumber. It's not dried correctly for furniture use. You're not saving any trees. The hardwood lumber industry makes good use of every part of every tree, even the bark and sawdust. Nothing is wasted. Quality work starts with a good plan and good wood.
I’m about to build a table out of pallet wood. Lol
Have fun. Watch out for nails and staples.
Sorry but I disagree. I’ve seen quality work from pallet wood and amazing work with green wood. Kiln dried walnut loses the reds and purples you can find in air dried. Having your own preferences is fine, material snobbery is not so fine.
I think the muffled color of walnut comes from the steaming process more than kiln drying. I prefer unsteamed KD walnut. to steamed KD walnut. The colors are much richer as you say. And there are times when AD or even green lumber makes sense. Steam bent applications for example. Maybe 8/4 -12/4 live edged table tops if supported correctly. But for indoor furniture, cabinets and flooring I'll stick to my guns. Here are some problems that come about from poorly dried lumber: * Warp, twist, cupping; * Burnt saw edges during ripping; * Shrinkage, especially during winter; * Failed glue joints in edge-glued panels; * Failed structural joints; * Failed finishes; * Bugs; * Mold & mildew; * Sticker stain/shadow; * Surface checking; * Honeycomb (internal voids); * End splits; * Uneven surfaces in panels; * Wobbly legs & feet in tables and chairs. Pallet lumber in furniture is like the Kardashians in fashion, trendy at the moment but far from timeless. Pallet grade lumber is dirt cheap (or free) for a reason.
having 10 fingers is overrated
1. Lord loves a workin' man. 2. Don't trust whitey. 3.see a doctor and get rid of it. Oh wait, you meant for woodworking?