“Get Started In Woodworking?” All your expensive tools look intimidating.

Many people ask me how I got started in woodworking and what I would recommend for them to get started. The first question is difficult for me since I’ve been working with wood in one way or another since I was old enough to carry nails and put my dad’s cut-offs in the scrap pile. I highly recommend growing up with someone as talented at the craft as my dad was and being surrounded by large woodworking tools. But if you are not so fortunate, start with just a few handheld power tools and hand tools. I’ve included a basic list of the minimum tools required to start woodworking in this article. You will be restricted to dimensioned lumber with these tools, but even some of the most common hardwoods are easily accessible at most of the box stores around the country. Once you have the tools, purchase “The Complete Book of Woodworking: Step-by-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Skills, Techniques and Tips.” It is a great basic woodworking book with over 40 different projects—most can be built with the list of tools below. Each set of plans specifically indicates what tools are required to build the project. If you read the details provided in this book, you’ll be building useful furniture projects for your home or gifts as soon as you have all the necessary tools.

Read more: 16 July 2018 Started In Woodworking

“Red Oak Table” Using Pore Filler.

For this project, I tried a technique I’d never used before. I used pore filler to fill the deep wood grain of the oak table top. I saw April Wilkerson use it on an oak desk she built, and it looked amazing. Check out her project  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q6jBO-ZByw. She uses a different building style than I do, but she builds fun projects. Plus, I always find inspiration from watching YouTube woodworkers/makers.

When I decided to use red oak to build the table, I was concerned about the deep pores in oak. As stated in Woodsmith magazine, “No amount of planing, scraping, and sanding can change the fact that wood is a porous material” (Understanding 46). I hadn’t given much thought to a solution until I saw April’s video. She used a water-based product and that’s a good option, but I normally use oil-based and oil gives you more working time, so I did some research and found a good option from Old Masters (link below). “…they can be either oil or water based. But regardless of the name, these products all contain three basic ingredients: a binder, a bulking agent, and a solvent” (Understanding 46).

Read more: 15 Aug 2018 Red Oak Table

“Hickory & Walnut Kitchen Buffet” Barn Door Slides.

I started building this kitchen buffet with barn door style slides after I saw a similar picture on Instagram. I drew up some plans in Sketch-Up and made it fit the space I had available in the cabin. This project took a long time because I moved the shop in the middle of the build.

I built the frame out of hickory and walnut using a frame and panel for the sides and doors. I used mostly floating tenons for the joinery since I just build my horizontal mortising machine. It made cutting the mortises super easy and the joints are very strong.

Read more: 22 Aug 2018 Kitchen Buffet