On 12/5/2013 7:13 AM, Jeff Mazur wrote:
I've just started into woodworking as a result of being fed up with dealing with contractors doing so-so work in my home for a lot of money.

My first project is putting up craftsman style moldings in our upstairs bath. I've chosen to mill my own wood from rough-sawn pieces, which yielded wood savings enough to pay for my used Ridgid lunchbox thickness planer and my used Craftsman 6-1/8" jointer. This has turned out to be a good beginner project as I am learning something I believe is pretty fundamental.

So, first a question: I'm finding that used power tools are a pretty great deal, especially hobbyist-grade, since so many hobbyists only use them lightly, or even abandon the hobby before long. Are there any modern tools, new ones that are new to the marketplace that are must-haves or really-great-to-haves? Sawstop comes to mind as a good example, IMO. Others?

Second question: I have a secondary interest, beyond just building things from wood, in building wooden things by hand - using no, or very few, power tools. Does anyone in the group with experience in old-timey woodworking such as this have thoughts or advice? Just to be clear, I'm no reactionary - my interest is in the charm and tradition in the pursuit, not because I think power tools are evil - I think they're great. But I'm drawn to this, as is my son, with whom I'm taking up this hobby.

Thanks for your attention, I'm having fun with this so far. At 53 it's very cool to learn new things and feel like a kid again


So first, welcome...

Second you will find the saw stop to be an excellent saw for you and
your son and save you from the most dangerous accident of digit removal..
It will not protect from incorrect safety methods and poor fundamentals,
so kickback is still a danger.

Do buy the saw stop, well worth the money if it ever saves your fingers..



I love doing stuff by hand. I have a full power shop, yet sometimes I
want quiet. Or I find that I can do something by hand faster than
jigging up to make a cut.. or it's too dangerous and a handtool
eliminates the danger.

If you start with handtools, you will work slower, but learn more.
You'll learn the grain direction matters big time.

You will find many videos that show you how to on the web....
Please don't call it old timey, that guy is entertaining or trying to
be, but I'm not sure of his skills.
He has a lot of nice moulding planes, (I'm jealous) but it's not old
timey...

I think some of the best lessons of handtools are Roy Underhill. Roy
teaches quickly how to, you won't be taken all the way through, but you
will learn a lot. Many of his seasons are still available online, so
before you spend on the series from pop wood, just go learn by watching
them online.

He has taught me things I thought I knew and didn't have to learn..
Certainly there were faster ways of getting the wood roughed out, and he
knows how to do it quickly and efficiently.

Add power tools as you need them...
I goto garage sales weekly with the wife. I look for tools (old tools
mostly) and she looks for her things. I have found some great bargains.


Just remember nothing is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, and fixing
them is part of the fun and challenge.


--
Jeff