Budget Woodworking

If you’re like I was, you want to get started in woodworking, but don't have a lot of money to spend. I got my workshop set up on a shoe string budget, one piece at a time, with bargain and hand me down tools. I made a fiew projects, and sold a few, and eventualy acumulated most of the tools I need to build most any project.

I've set up this site to make it a little easier for other newbies like me to get started. I will also suggest and show you how I built some custom jigs you can make yourself to make the tools you do have more useful and versatile without spending tons of money.

The pictures below are of some of the things I've made as I learned. I have a learn as you go philosophy, and find it enjoyable to experiment with different methods until I find the one I'm most comfortable that gives the best result.

If you have a woodworking tip, or comment you'd like to share, please post it in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

I reserve the right to use any comment in another part of the site. If I use your comment on the site I will always give you credit for your idea, so be sure to leave your name, and whether it is alright to share your contact information. If I don't get your permission, I will only use your first name and state when giving you credit.

If you've never done any woodworking before, you might not know where to get started. Allot of us will wander the Home Depot ogling all the tools we'd like to have but eyeballing the heafty price tags. You can't possibly buy them all, so where do you start? It really depends on what you want to do, and your personal preference. My choice was to start cheep. I knew I didn't want the credit card trap, so I saved a couple bucks out of each paycheck until I could aboard my first major tool.

There are lots of opinions about what is the first or most important tool you should invest in, but my advice would be a table saw. My first table saw was a Black & Decker that sold for $98 at Lowes. It was kind of small, and the blade wobbled just slightly, but it was good enough to get started learning some of the basics.

Other tools soon followed; some hand me downs from relatives, some from second hand stores, and some I saved up for by selling my work. (Book cases, Tables, etc.) It was a long way from Norm Abram's stuff, but good enough to earn me a few dollars here and there as I learned new skills with each piece. I also learned that there are always different ways to complete a project if you don't have the right tool.

Click on the links below to learn about some common tools and techniques for your woodshop.

One of the first things I realized was that I didn't have enough space. I had a nice big workbench, and ¹/₄ of the basement my wife agreed to let me use (about 12x16 feet).

Well, needless to say the bench quickly filled with tools, nd the floor space with tool boxes, scrap wood, and projects in process, and I realized it was time to get organized.

My personal preference for organizing my workplace was pegboard, but there are many different systems to help organize your tools, and workshop. When mounting pegboard, or any other device or material, it is important to plan ahead, and consider the workspace you will be mounting it in, and what you will need to do the job.

If you are mounting to a wooden wall in a shed, you can probably get away with using common drywall screws, (or nails if your budget is especially tight) to mount your pegboard to the wall. If you are,(as I was), mounting to a concrete wall in a basement. If this is the case, you may need additional tools and hardware, such as a hammer drill, and concrete screws, to get the job done.

Don't forget, if you're using pegboard, it needs to have some space behind it to insert the hooks you will be hanging your tools on, (usually an inch is plenty), so you will have to first mount a frame behind the pegboard to make sure there is adequate spacing.

Remember, organization is in the eye of the person who uses it, so you don't have to make your workshop look like the cover of Woodsmith Shop to have a system that works for you. (mine sure doesn't.)  If you can find what you need, and have space to do your work, that is the most important thing no mater what your system is.

As you can see, it doesn't have to be perfect to be functional. Everyone works differently, so you need to find your own system of organizing things that works for you. I doesn't mater if it makes sense to anyone else, it's your workshop Plan ahead, but don't plan too far ahead. remember, you will be picking up tools as you go along, so don't expect to have everything perfectly placed.

A good method for organising larger tools is to build a rack system so that tools like belt sanders, miter saws, and other small bench mounted power tools can be in essence stacked on a shelf and brought out and used when needed. there are a variety of designs on line of varying complexity, but the concept is simple.

1. cut some pieces of plywood to a size large enough to mount a power tool on (I find that 26" x 14" is sufficient for most of my tools, but measure what you have, and find what's best for you.)
2. Make a rack with shelving, or slots to accept the plywood panels, and spaced far enough apart that the tools can sit on top of the panels.
3. Make another rack or small bench of comfortable height that you can set the plywood on top of.
4. Bolt your tool to the plywood, maybe add some handles if you like to make it easier to pick up, and you're in business.

Drill Press               Mortising Machine

Routers/Tables      Sanders

Table Saws