If you have a saw mill anywhere near you a jointer and planer can pay for
themselves pretty quickly as rough sawn wood is much cheaper.

I use a scraper (~$5) almost daily for everything from scraping off glue
to a sandpaper substitute.

A block plane, jack plane, and chisel set well sharpened are cheap and
extremely useful. The key is well sharpened. Once you actually use a
sharp tool for the first time you will no longer be amazed at what they
could build back in the old days (just how good of shape they had to be
in to use them for a living).

A random orbit sander (makita, dewalt, bosch...not a black and decker).

I am amazed at how often I use my pull saw ($20). Great for jobs where a
power saw is too much but you want a decent cut.

And finally everything in the Lee Valley catalog (I'm currently drooling
over the shoulder and low angle planes).

As for classes I think that depends to some degree on your natural
abilities. I peronally found that starting by building shop fixtures
(bench, router table, etc) as close to furniture grade/fit as possible
helped me understand what tools I needed and what tools needed to be
upgraded. It also helped develop my skills to the point where I could do
an adequate job on my next projects. I find I learn something new on
every project and continue to get better. I'm sure this is slower than
classes would be, but I enjoy the learning process. To date I've
improved most at how to fix my mistakes

Jim

"Scott Willett" wrote in
:

I am looking for general advice. I apologize up-front if this is not
the correct News Group:



1) I enjoy doing trim work and carpentry, I do not have a lot of
experience. Chair Rail, Crown, Bead board etc.

2) I am interested in getting started in woodworking.

3) I have the following tools:

a. 10 in compound miter saw

b. Router, I have only used once.

c. An old Makita 8 inch, contractor table saw

d. Other hand tools, Skill Saw, etc



Any suggestions on my next steps or purchases? My "gung ho" side
wants to purchase an upgraded table saw, belt driven. Any suggest as
my next steps? Wood working class?