The first thing you might make in wood is a new chest in which to store
your farrier's tools. Maybe it'll be something stationary, on legs, with
a cover that you can pin on with your own forged nails, or something
relatively portable that you can haul in the back of your truck to the
farm or racetrack. Likewise, a rack on which to hold your various sets
of hammers, tongs and hardies while working near the forge, even if it's
new, wouldn't be a bad first project. See whether you can make one
nearly as good as your great granddad did. If you don't walk away
impressed by the man's woodworking skills you will be floored by his
access to inexpensive, quality lumber.

While maybe you don't need one for the kind of metalworking you do, an
instructive combination wood- and metal-working project would be to make
your own manually operated coal forge bellows. Not a trivial project,
but not rocket science either and you could use most of your new tools
on it too. And if you don't actually need such an item you could sell it
for a pretty penny to someone else and buy a table saw, which is the
next tool you're going to need if you're going to be doing serious
woodworking.

And why stop there? Next up would be a stout workbench. Every woodworker
makes one. Just resist the temptation to hold it together with iron.

;-

You will be the envy of every woodworker on this newsgroup if you make
your own chisels (mortise, skew, and crank neck) from whatever leaf
springs or tool steel you've got laying around and then employ them to
make a simple blanket chest.

Go for it!

J.


Xopher wrote:
Hi,
For many months I have been reading about woodworking and my family asked me
to make a list of some tools that were in the books I read. Well they were
not kidding and from them this week I received a belt sander, a plunge/fixed
base router, a cordless drill, a corded drill, a circular saw, and a sabre
scrolling saw. My grandfather taught me how to use his forge and be a
farrier. Many of the tools I use belonged to my great grandfather. I also
work in Grandpa's salvage yard, so metals I know but nothing about
woodworking. Which means I need some input on making my first wood
projects. I like the Reader's Digest beginning wood books, and I like a few
of the Black and Decker portable power tools books. Does anyone here have
sources (maybe a book) that he or she can recommend for me, a guy who has
never even turned on a circular saw (I did power mine up) but now that I
have one I really want to make some things?
Thank You,
Xopher