Woodworking and carpentry thread
 

I know we've got a bunch of talented wood folks here. I'm a novice at best. Dad didn't much care for wood, more of a car/motor man. My grandpa preferred wood working, but since Dad was in the military and we traveled, I never got the opportunity to learn from Gramps.

We are about to purchase a 100 year old home. I'm sure there will be projects. I'm going to need to rebuild my tool collection. I used to have a Dewalt 12" double bevel compound mitre saw, circular saw, router (really old one that was Gramps), biscuit joiner, jig saw, drill press and a cheap jobsite style table saw. I always hated the table saw. It was OK, but the fence was horrible. I've got a couple/few hand planes and a bunch of chisels that were Gramps. I think the only power tool that I still have is the router. (we downsized 6 years ago, and I got rid of most of my power tools)

I don't see myself getting another biscuit joiner although it was handy.

What tools power or otherwise do you consider indispensable for woodworking? Good table saw? Router? What about a mitre saw? Or circular saw?

Toward the end, I found the router, table saw and mitre saw useful. I had a freud dado stack set for the table saw. I've used that and I've used the router for joinery.

What's better, table saw and router? Mitre saw, circular saw and router? Anything else that you'd consider a necessity?

It seems like a good table saw is a useful tool that does a ton of stuff. I've thought "saw-stop," but wow, they are pricey! You could buy 2 or 3 other saws for the cost of a saw-stop jobsite saw.

Youtube put these in my feed, and I thought they were interesting. They're mostly super basic, but I may as well start back at the beginning.

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So, what are your favorite tools, tidbits of info/advice, jigs, etc....

Teach me about working with wood!

I am spoiled from 30 years of working in the shop starting at 18 right out of high school and suffered through college. Friends would save money to buy beer, I saved to buy a router bits, and saw blades. Sucks.

My must have if I were putting together a shop at my house to work on a 100 year old house. (for wood working and not construction.)

Table saw with a good fence. Contractor's, old Sears, or Grizzle will all work, but I buy an after market fence. I have no knowledge if the stock fence is better today then 20 years ago?

Couple routers to make simple moldings for the old house

Sliding compound saw, which you already have.

2 finish nail guns. 15 and 23 gauge are the most common. I like the angle 15 Gfinish gun to get into tight spaces.

Small compressor to run the guns.

Throw away harbor freight spray guns (requires larger capacity compressor)

Track saw if you are planning to cut lots of panels. I love my Festool track saw. A little more money but worth it due to its accuracy compared to other brands we purchased before that, trying to save money. My stupid call.

A Jig saw comes in handy but are rarely used imo. GEt the Bosch, don't mess around with others. Its tracks straight without trying hard. Its that good. We bought a Dewalt once in a pinch at home depot for a couple cuts at the job site instead of driving across town to get the Bosch. The guys wouldn't use it and I used it once to see if they were telling the truth, yep, it went into the bin and never saw daylight again.

Make yourself a router table or mount it to the outfeed table so you are able to use the table fence when necessary.

Those are the basic stuff.

Dust collection if a luxury but in my youth, I breathed in enough sawdust to last me three lift times.

Cordless drills. You need a couple of them. One for predrilling holes, the other to drive screws.

That was good - thanks.

Umm, I'm guilty of one or two things and a few other things never occurred to me LOL

A jointer isn't really necessary but very nice to have. Buy your lumber from a hardwood lumber yard, not the general building yard. They have all grades and the lumbers are normally kept indoors, dry and straight. Buy S2s, straight lined. Surfaced 2 sides, with one edge ripped straight.

Oh, forgot. A 3x24 belt sander, and a palm sander.

Don't know how much experience you have with a table saw? When I taught high school woodshop, I made sure all the kids used the table at least a few time weekly. I watched like a hawk and make sure they know the danger and the things to watch for, things to never EVER do. One is to never pull the stock through from the other side. Kick back often happen because we have a tendency to pull the stock into the blade. I know a couple people cut themselves that way.

And tell Santa you want a reciprocating saw (Sawzall). You'll need it on an old house remodel

If you are gong to do that, lets include::D

Laser level
Oscillating cutting tool

I am a hand plane hoarder. True. Damn I love my planes. A great tool

Some chisels

A way to sharpen the above

Used table saw. My cast iron craftsman was $25. The fence is garbage but the saw isn't.

Impact driver and drill set.

Putty knife

Orbital sander

Heat gun

Used good router. I have a 1/2 Bosch this is the bomb. $20 at a pawn shop

Work table

Clamps

Scraper
Most of my stuff came from estate sales and pawn shops. It took time. I built some garage cabinets just tonight to optimize my limited space. It is ever going. Have fun!

Have you tried those Japanese pull planes? Just their pull saws, very accurate and fine tool. I haven't used one in a long time, but went through that arts, using hand tools only phase.

How much space do you have? How much budget?

I go bit by bit, but tools as you need them for jobs. A fold up table saw is good if you are limited in space, otherwise get a real full sized tablesaw with a Biesmeyer fence.

Ryobi battery powered tools are good value for home projects, and the Harbor Freight 'Sawzall' for $20 is a bargain.

Find a quiet compressor and buy some decent pneumatic pin nailers. The HF versions work, but they are borderline and tend to jam.

+1 on an all purpose pull saw.

I am generally working more with metal fabrication, and have most of the tools/welders for those operations.

I did, however build a really nice 12x20 greenhouse earlier this year while Covid shutdown, and completely gutted/rebuilt my downstairs bathroom. I extensively used my DeWalt 20V cordless tools, but found that a double miter, compound sliding saw was absolutely indispensable for those jobs where straight, and angled cuts were required.

The bare minimum, in my opinion :

Table saw
Sliding compound miter saw
Nail guns and an air compressor
Sanders
Cordless screw guns
A few hand tools, such as chisels
A Sawzall
Ladders and sawhorses

That will get you through 95% of what you need to do on a house remodel.

I seldom cut anything with a circular saw. I haven’t fired up a jointer in 20 years. Never made my own trim, I was always able to buy that from companies that do that for a living. Hundreds of patterns available, and a variety of different woods. A router with a table got used once in a blue moon.

I would love to have a tablesaw, but for the few times I would use it, I really don’t have space for it. Are any of the compact contractor tablesaws any good?

They are better than nothing, but I wouldn’t have one.

Make friends with somebody that owns a cabinet shop and whenever you need something, just go buy it from them.

Buy a 12" sliding compound miter saw. Don't save money on it.

Thanks everyone, I've got lots of GREAT info to use and sift through.

Good call on the sawzall. I had one before and will get another for sure.

On budget, I want good stuff, but I'm also not going to go out and spend $5k or $10k on tools a week after closing. I want good (safe, reliable, quality) tools and the missus is behind me on that, but I'm going to stay reasonable on spending. I'll be buying things as I need them, or if I stumble across a great deal on something that I know I'll need, then I'll make that purchase.

I have decent space but not tons of space. There is a 460sqft detached garage. I'll probably keep some space clear for the boxster to be able to park in it.

In the old home, I had a small cheap compressor that I inherited from my dad. I had a finishing nailer that i used with it that was great for installing moulding/baseboards.

When we downsized, I sold almost everything for pennies on the dollar, mostly to friends as I wanted to give them the shot at the good deals, then whatever was left at a garage sale. I knew this day was going to come, but I do love buying new tools.

I'm seriously considering one of the sawstop saws. They are a huge premium over a regular table saw, but I really like my fingers the way they are. I guess you'd have to be very careful of wood with staples or apparently, glue that wasn't completely cured/dried.

The last one that I bought I did a bunch of research and got what I think is generally considered a great 12" Dewalt. It wasn't sliding, but I have to say, if/when I get another, I've been planning to get a sliding. Having to flip a board over to get all of the way through is a pain in the rear. The extra few inches of cut is a huge improvement.

Buy a used table saw. I sold my vintage Powermatic shop saw for under a grand when I moved. Those deals are out there. Buy a saw and sell it when you're done. Same with a miter saw.

Pick up a cheap compressor and a few trim nailguns from Harbor freight. They'll do what you need to do.

Etc.

If I just have a cut or 2 at the jobsite, I'll use some clamps and a long straightedge with a circular saw or router before dragging out the table saw.

Actually, these guide/clamps at HF are not bad. https://www.harborfreight.com/50-inch-clamp-and-cut-edge-guide-66581.html

My brother was a trim carpenter for many years. Cutting very expensive crown molding to fit the corners is tricky, yet he zipped through it in short order. Most things get easier after a decade of doing it. It is almost embarrassing to go into a house or building and all he is looking at is the quality of the woodwork, especially the trim work. He did some house that the woodwork was featured in Architectural Digest.

I am just a wood abuser, and have no real talent at it.

I've watched that guy many times. Stumpy Nubs is better and top of the cabin is Paul Sellars.

On tools I have a lot to say but not much time right now. One thing I note is that while my Unisaw is great, It's a beast to have around. it's pretty much a stationary machine. If I didn't have that I'd probably get the contractor's Saw Stop.

Lots of great info. I'd never heard of a track saw. Wow, that's a fantastic thing. I hate trying to rip a long straight line with a circular saw.

Again, lots more great info. Towards the end, of my time in our old house, I'd hook a shop vac up to just about every power tool, and wear a mask and hearing and eye protection. It's nice to not have a nose full of saw dust and a garage covered in sawdust at the end of a day or weekend of woodwork.

The type of cutting I do, those would work great! Thanks! I do have a good compound miter saw so I should have everything covered.

I've used a table saw (jobsite-style) a fair amount and always pushed wood through. I don't think I'd ever consider pulling. It is possible that I may have done a plunge cut once or twice, but I'm not sure. I may have only done that with a circular saw. I try to use common sense. Keep the blade only as high as it needs to be (just barely through what is being cut), keep yourself away from the spinning blade. Always use a fence and/or mitre gauge. I use a push stick when it seems like the thing to do. Keep loose clothing/stuff away from the spinning blade. Wear safety gear.

Laser level, you mean the sort of thing that projects a laser onto a wall to show a level line? Good call. I've seen those used on various shows/videos. They are easier than trying to hold stock and a level and tools and.... I've got an old 2 or 3' level that was my grandfathers. I had, and will probably get another longer level.

Oscillating cutting tool, you mean something like a sawzall? I'm guessing yes since you'd addressed the jigsaw thing farther up.

Good idea to hit up garage/estate sales and pawn shops for tools to get good stuff on a budget.

I've only got a couple of hand planes, and they are short. I've found myself upon occasion thinking "I need something longer."

Yeah, I'm going to need a workbench of some sort for sure.

I used to have a bunch of the cheap, small quick clamps, and a few big cabinet clamps. Those things are awesome.

An old fashioned level is more useful. Check the level for accuracy before buying it. Put it on any surface, it doesn't have to be level or plumb, the flip it around 180 degrees and if the bubble is in a different place, go to the next one. Most are inaccurate, right out of the box.

The oscillating tool is not a Sawzall. Google it and you'll see what he's talking about. A relatively new thing and useful for some jobs. Cheap ones can be bought for occasional use. Way down the list from the first two items on my list, which you cannot do without.

I should point out that what you need for remodeling a house isn't near the same as what you need in a woodshop if you want to make furniture the old fashioned way. Woodworking shows are fun to watch but they are mostly irrelevant for what tasks await you.

oscillating tool referring to the small, high speed back and forth cutting super duper wonderous saw/mouse sander?
I actually don't know how I survived in the business for so many years without my Fein multi tool. Fein tools are a bit pricey and worth every cent but now everyone is making a similar version.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1605200155.jpg

Or, get one at Harbor Freight for $20

IT'S JUST AS GOOD.

Find a Stabila level. Rugged, accurate, reasonably priced.

I haven't seen a Random Orbital Sander listed yet. I prefer it over finishing (pad) sanders.

You do not really specify what you plan to build?

Good sliding miter saw, table saw, I picked up a Makita track saw use it for cutting all sheets, I use it a lot. Good oscillating tool, had light duty ended up picking up a Fein like shown above, what a difference. Recently picked up a Bosch GET75-6 sander for removing material way better then anything else I have used.

Steve, blade height is important. It should be 1/4" above the stock when cutting and dropped back into the saw to save from tooth damage. But, often its more then an inch above the stock in our place. The higher the blade, the less chipping from cutting plywood or melamine. Of course the tooth grind and amount of tooth on the blade makes a huge difference.

Make sure you buy a neg. hook blade for your slider to keep the blade from climbing onto the the work piece. If its a bit short on the capacity, just lift the stock to get another inch from the larger diameter area of the blade to finish the cut instead of flipping it around.

A typical lever is a must come installation time, but the laser will help you on the lay out of, say kitchen cabinets.

If you ended up with a 10" cabinet saw like the Sawstop, buy a HTC mobile base. It is so nice to be able to move that heavy beast around and set the locking castor with a tap of your foot and start cutting. Its that stable and good, not cheap, but worth every penny.

That's the problem, I have no idea what will end up being done.

Right now, we're thinking of possibly pulling the drywall out of the upstairs in a couple of spots and putting shiplap in to replace it that goes to the rafters.

Another project that I'm pretty sure will be happening will be building drawers into the walls where there's clearance behind the walls.

Something similar to what's in this pic
https://photos.harstatic.com/1859562...7T11:50:54.187

The bedrooms are small with limited storage, but there's room to build drawers into the walls.

I can see myself fitting new (old) doors in spots, or adding door knobs to existing doors, working on mouldings around openings, doors, windows, etc.... I could even see myself building cabinets or furniture.

You name it, if the wife and I can imagine it, and I think I can do it, then it might happen.

The missus is also wondering about me building a daybed/window seat type thing under some windows upstairs complete with storage flanking either side. Basically a window seat with a mattress and a trundle underneath and storage at the head and foot of the bed.

:eek:All fun stuff to do, Steve. I bet your wife already has a list, rubbing her hands together

If you intend on cutting lots of sheets on your own I would take the track saw over a table saw, not as fast but easy to use compared to handling a 4x8x3/4 sheet. When I decided to build the boxes for the kitchen it was time, cut up 38 sheets of ply, great for cutting long tapers also. The blades are pricy though.

I'm sure she does have a list.

I don't think I have pics of most of the stuff that I've built. Like I said, I'm just a novice. I've built a few sets of built in bookshelves, and a simple entertainment center. I've made cabinet doors for existing cabinets. I made a desk for my wife so she could study and use her laptop in bed that would fold flat under the bed when she didn't need it.

This is the last set of built in shelves that I made. They are ready for paint in this pic. Don Quixote is sitting in his place of honor.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1605220014.jpg