Starting Woodworking, what should I get?

quote:

---

Track for circular saw to rip plywood (~$80)
-Router table and new router (have one, but it's harbor freight garbage)(~$250)
-Kreg Jig for pocket holes(~$100 if I get a fancy one)
-Kreg Jig for adjustable shelf holes ($35)
-orbital sander (~$90)
-Lots of clamps (~?)

---

This is my exact current shopping list except for the router. My FIL had one in his shop that he has never used, so he gave it to me.

The only thing I would add is a planer, but I want to start building tables and counter tops.

IMO buying the wood you want in the proper size will be the problem. If you design something 12" wide, the piece of wood you'll most likely get will be 11 3/4" wide. So to get the size wood you want, you'll to over buy and cut it down.

My table saw is the most used tool in my shop by far.

I made my own router table for my large router. It is a 3 HP Porter Cable that I use for things like raised panel doors, heavy profiling, etc. That router is a beast and not one to be used by hand for the most part.

I also use my jointer/planer a lot to get nicely finished edges at 90 degrees for edge gluing boards to make door panels, carcass sides, table tops, etc.

I'd get a table saw for sure and they can be found relatively cheap on places like Craig's list or similar sites.

As stated above: Kreg Jig, Miter Saw, and a Planer 14" feeding width.

1. Drill set - most name brands are okay
2. Kreg jig set
3. Miter saw
4. Sander - orbital
5. Circular saw
6. Clamps
7. Tape measure, speed square, straight edge
8. Dust mask - often overlooked by beginners but use especially when sanding indoors.

You can do a lot with the above and get experience. To go a step further I would then look to add:

5. Table saw
6. Planer
7. Router - possibly two depending on what you are doing. I use a small trim router a lot but also a larger router for mounting in a table/etc. with plunge capability.
8. Jointer - I put this last because you can buy surfaced wood in the beginning even though a jointer is very nice to have.
9. Jigsaw - maybe higher on the list - depends what you want to make. I don't use one a whole lot.
10. Air compressor with nail gun set.

I use a festool track saw a lot to break down plywood but you can make a guide for a circular saw that works and is a lot more economic. There is a lot of youtube videos on making a circular saw guide. OR like mentioned, Kreg makes a guide too but I have never tried/used it before.

quote:

---

If you were starting, what tools would you really want? I'm trying to price this whole thing out before I get into it. So far I have

-Track for circular saw to rip plywood (~$80)
-Router table and new router (have one, but it's harbor freight garbage)(~$250)
-Kreg Jig for pocket holes(~$100 if I get a fancy one)
-Kreg Jig for adjustable shelf holes ($35)
-orbital sander (~$90)
-Lots of clamps (~?)

---

I'd ditch the track for the circular saw and buy a table saw, it's something you can always use, plus when you start ripping down plywood with a circular saw you're going wish you had one

A random orbital sander (corded) is about $50
Harbor freight is the place for bar and trigger clamps. Anything over a couple of feet and you're better off with pipe clamps. Be sure and post pics when you're done.

quote:

---

Track for circular saw to rip plywood

---

Are you referencing the Kreg track? I have one and it works. When I purchased this I also bought a dedicated circular saw to leave in the guide.

I also have a table saw and use it as well. The track saw works much better to cross rip a sheet of plywood, however to make several of the same smaller cuts, the table saw worked to make them faster.

Before buying the Kreg setup, I used a 50" straight edge clamp from Harbor Freight to make straight rips. I also have an 8 foot straight edge to use as a guide for ripping plywood lengthwise.

Don't skimp out on a good powerful circular saw. It is a noticeable difference between my "first" circular saw (budget Skilsaw) and my Porter Cable and Hitachi saws.

I also recommend adding at least 4 of the plastic foldable sawhorses. I have 6 of the ones with notches to place a 2x4 in to support plywood to make cuts. I also have a couple of homemade heavy 2x4/ 2x6 sawhorses for when I need clamping and added support.

A few random thoughts/tips. I’ve been woodworking for a few years now and fumbling my way through a lot of this without any sort of mentor. I don’t do cabinets, more-so furniture. My biggest piece of advice would be to not buy everything at the get go, just buy the few things you need for the project at hand. Many of my projects come with one or two new toys I “need” to get it done.

- Youtube is a great resource to learn, just remember that they’ll exclude/skip stuff in the videos often to make them more watchable.
- If you’re in a large city, look for “makers’ spaces” a lot of time you can rent time on a planer or jointer if needed.
- Router – get one, skip the table. When you need one, just drop a large hole in a board and connect your router to the bottom, add a fence if needed… Save money and space and skip the fancy table.
- Table saw - Lowes and home depot will break down sheets with reasonable accuracy. I stress reasonable…just know you’ll have to work to get it fine tunes so I always have them cut a bit long if I have to use them. This can help you get by without a table saw. A job-site/portable table saw can be very tricky vs. a full shop sized table saw. I have a portable and get by but would be really nice to have the weight and ingress/egress of a big one. Respect this tool, if you get lazy with safety on this it’s a great way to get hurt. Watch “table saw kick back” videos on youtube.
- Compound sliding Miter saw (aka “chop saw”) - The most used tool I have. If you’re doing cabinets this will be very nice to have for trim work.
- Nail gun - Depending on the project a battery operated can be super useful (Ryobi 16ga does nails and staples I think). Hammer and nail can obviously get you by without this.
- Clamps, figure out how many you need and buy twice that
- Don’t have a proper workbench? No problem, buy a couple of sawhorses and a good solid/heavy surface like MDF to toss on top. I have to use this often as I’m working outdoors typically.
- Eye/ear protection are no joke, you may think you’ll be ok, but it’s quite easy to get stuff in your eyes. If you’re doing something really sandy, like using a router, then a filter for your mouth may be warranted.
- Kreg Jigs – Get one. I agree with the comments that you don’t really “need” Kreg jigs, but man they make it a LOT easier to get started with this stuff. You’ll get to where you skip using them sometimes, but to get started and gain momentum/confidence I’d advise getting one. I used the kreg jig mini for a long time, and recently upgraded to the full ~$100 version. You can get by with the either, but the large one speeds things up considerably. Their clamps are also useful.
- Orbital sander – don’t underestimate the importance of properly finishing a project. Planning, cutting and assembling are often the fun parts, but finishing can be a bear. Take your time to sand properly and stain/paint properly. All your time and effort on the front end can be blown by rushing and skipping finishing steps.
- A long level, which can double as a straight edge.
- Save scrap wood, you’ll randomly need it to test finishes or build jigs.

Expect to make mistakes and have to alter plans due to a screw up, that’s half the fun.