Any woodworkers?

Turn buttons are one of my favorite ways. Here is a coffee table I made last year (completely with handtools, electricity has never touched this table).


Here is a video describing the process. (free account required)
https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com/videos/turnbuttons/

 

...BTW, ...advice for those getting into the hobby, ...be sure to set aside money for the inevitable "tool addiction"

 

just in time, ...that's what i was trying to explain, ...excellent work, another good-looking workpiece!

 

Basically depends what you are doing or wanting to do, that depends what direction to go...dont buy crap tools and expect a good product. But along the same lines you dont need a $500 palm sander...

I dont know about addiction...but you "NEED" to have some good quality tools to get the accuracy!

 

Thats neat and very good craftsmanship IMO.

 

Im slowly building up my tools...I look for estate sales and moving sales etc...Ive found some good deals for 1/2 price of new. Like my Home Depot drill press I got I paid $200 and it barely had any use, The chuck still was tight and the guy I bought if from said he only used it a couple times before he had a stroke and couldnt use it anymore. Its not a high end drill press but works for what I need.

 

that's what im trying to do too. its been super slow going so far. I never seem to quite have the right tools for the projects I want to try. you can only do so much with a circular saw (that doesn't seem to cut square) and a handful of clamps. im on the constant search for a halfway decent table saw and a chop saw. so far no dice. I wish I was good enough with a hand saw but it turns out to be a worse cut than the circular saw haha.

 

...two books i'd recommend as excellent and must-have, for both newbies and experienced woodworkers:

Understanding Wood (Bruce Hoadley)
https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/understandingwoodacraftsmansguidetowoodtechnology.aspx

Understanding Wood Finishing (Bob Flexner)
https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/understandingwoodfinishing.aspx

 

Craigsllist is another good resource. Got a hardly used Porter-Cable router, and a brand new in the box Craftsman joiner. Both at a embarassingly low price.

 

Yeah I had a miter saw from harbor freight, It could never cut anything square...I ended up tossing it and getting a craftsman which does a decent job.

 

mines a porter cable, which I figured would be good to go, but it seems to be about .5* off at max adjustment. barely enough to notice and just enough to piss you off

 

...i wouldn't waste my effort w/ a circular saw that won't stay square, you're holding yourself back... get a better one that will let you do the job right...

...also, you can get a decent handsaw (panel saw, crosscut or rip - i recommend getting both), for breaking down stock, ...you can pick up the proper sawing technique fairly quickly. i'd recommend new because old saws may need word to correct kinks, dull teeth and other problems, .../w "new" you're likely eliminating many possible equipment problems, ensuring more rapid skill development (and project completion)! ...lot's of youtube content out there for guidance (i'd recommend "renaissance woodworker" and "paul sellers" - they have outstanding videos predominantly on hand tools and techniques...

 

I actually just registered on your woodworking site since you commented! im looking forward to learning more. my goal is to use hand tools as much as possible since I seem to get tons more enjoyment out of that style than with power tools, but i figure getting started with power just to get my skills under me will have to do for now.

 

yep, no doubt, ...and fortunately for all of us, he's got a blog too: https://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/flexner-on-finishing-blog

 

..i think a lot of hobbyists end up w/ a compliment of both power tools and hand tools, ...being there's a buzzword for everything these days, hence the term "hybrid woodworking", ...a great starting point for all-around woodworking is marc "the wood whisperer" - a ton of great content to help you get going on his youtube channel, ..and he's also got a book "hybrid woodworking" that is photo-rich in hand/power tools and techniques...

...so many great resources out there today for us all to leverage, ...i could go on and on!

 

For 90 degree cuts I align it with my speed square and tighten it down, I dont trust the degree marker on the saw.

 

yea that's what I do too, but I cant get it to go to 90* even. I also don't trust the markings on saws that I use. ive also used a few chop saws and their notching stlye adjustment is super annoying. i struggled to get them to cut 90 too just due to the adjustment falling into a notch that said 90* but wasn't. if that makes sense haha