Delta 22-590 13 in. portable thickness planer includes: Delta 22-590 13 in. portable thickness planer includes: 3 cutting knives cutter head wrench dust chute with 4 in. port and magnetic blade changing tool. High-speed steel indexed double-sided knives provides 2X blade life and allows for quick blade changes. Oversized cutter head height adjustment handle with indexing ring provides ...  More + Product Details Close
Now, I know this list only contains traditional hand tools, but my circumstances led me to this choice to complete the job. After all, he is my brother and he’s helped me once or twice. Not all woodworkers will want to take the time and effort to go strictly with hand tools. That’s fine; different circumstances and preferences will lead the way. Most people wouldn’t drive a scooter full of tools to assist their siblings either. Sounds crazy, but I enjoyed the trip through the mountains. Once I was there, I still needed a way to rip through lumber. I also needed a can of finish. As needed, a few jigs and templates were constructed from the purchased lumber.
Work with attention and don’t forget that a good planning will save you from many issues and it will keep the costs within your budget. Invest in high quality materials, such as pine, redwood or cedar. Drill pocket holes before inserting the galvanized screws, to prevent the wood from splitting. Add waterproof glue to the joints, in order to enhance the rigidity of the structure.
Second, my table saw. I would love to have one of the big cabinet table saws that start in the four digit range, but, really, my Dewalt Job Site saw has done a mighty fine job for the three or so years we have owned it. The alignment continues to be right on, even after being toted around, and like every other Dewalt tool I have owned, it is an absolute work horse.
I agree, that’s a nice and easy set up to start with. I’d say a block plane it’s handy for small areas, and touch ups. A no.5 is excellent but a bit heavy and tiring sometimes. I find that a nice rabbet block plane (shoulder + block) with two irons with different sharpening angles it’s essential to me. One fine flat rasp and a medium flat file would complete my set.
Wood sold by the board foot may or may not be smooth on all sides and only one edge may be square. A board foot is a board that is 1 inch thick (called 4/4) by 12 inches wide by 1 foot long. To figure out how many board feet are in a piece of wood, multiply its length (measured in feet), width, and thickness (measured in inches) and divide this number by 12.
In the sixty years of woodworking I have found two tools of increasing necessity. One is a band saw. I can do most of my work with a band saw and hand plane. The second tool is a bow saw, or actually several bow saws. They will replace the band saw if required, though they are slow. One I made about twenty years ago has a one and a half inch wide rip blade and is about thirty inches long. I think the blade is from an old industrial band saw blade I picked up and sharpened into a rip saw blade. It works very well on ripping lumber, logs, etc. Though it tires me out to much to use it now.
I know I’ve been a little MIA but we’ve had a big project in the backyard, an overwhelming workload (which we planned on being MUCH less), and then decided to hire out for some help to haul away a huge amount of dirt.  Unfortunately, that ended up with the guy we hired stealing from us…..uggggh.  When will we ever learn to not be so trusting?!  Steve and I both have a problem with that……but when did being “too trusting” become such an extreme character flaw?!!  Sad.  Anyway, the whole situation is under investigation and there are some definite twists to the story that the crime-show-watcher in me would love to share with any other crime-show-watching enthusiasts out there. ;) Hopefully soon.
A staple of every For Dummies book, Part IV presents the Part of Tens. Chapter 19 includes ten good habits to get into to make your woodworking experience safer. Chapter 20 offers ten woodworking pitfalls that almost everyone encounters at one time or another. (Oh, and ways to avoid or fix them, too.) Chapter 21 gives you some woodworking resources so that you can keep expanding your woodworking knowledge.
now I finally know what to recommend my friends when I try to convince them to give handtools a try (I currently am doing an apprenticeship in cabinetmaking (unfortunately mostly particle board) and said friends they do the same and often have no clue what can be achieved with handtools alone) because up until now, I never knew what to recommend for sharpening as my setup is great but very expensive. And I guess if I recommend to get two stones instead of a combination stone, one can keep one side flat for flattening the backs of new chisels, and add a strop with some polishing compound I really can’t think of anything else one would need for a long time!
I know I’ve been a little MIA but we’ve had a big project in the backyard, an overwhelming workload (which we planned on being MUCH less), and then decided to hire out for some help to haul away a huge amount of dirt.  Unfortunately, that ended up with the guy we hired stealing from us…..uggggh.  When will we ever learn to not be so trusting?!  Steve and I both have a problem with that……but when did being “too trusting” become such an extreme character flaw?!!  Sad.  Anyway, the whole situation is under investigation and there are some definite twists to the story that the crime-show-watcher in me would love to share with any other crime-show-watching enthusiasts out there. ;) Hopefully soon.
The key to making furniture is having a plan. (Or is that the key to life? I always forget.) The good news for beginning woodworkers is that you don’t need to develop the plan; you need only to follow it. Project plans are abundant and easily found (check out Chapter 21 for some project-plan resources). After you get familiar with the way plans are written, you can build just about anything (depending on your skills, of course).

The key to making furniture is having a plan. (Or is that the key to life? I always forget.) The good news for beginning woodworkers is that you don’t need to develop the plan; you need only to follow it. Project plans are abundant and easily found (check out Chapter 21 for some project-plan resources). After you get familiar with the way plans are written, you can build just about anything (depending on your skills, of course).