One of my goals with this blog is to share my experiences and my goofs to help others who are just getting started avoid frustration. There is absolutely a ton to talk about and write on this subject. In fact this is my second attempt at writing this. My first attempt was getting so long it became unmanageable, and I think most readers would have gotten board reading before getting to the end of the post. Therefore, I am going to break this out into multiple posts.
Obvisouly, in order to make stuff out of wood, we are going to need tools. A couple quotes come to mind here. “Don’t blame your tools” and “Use the right tool for the right job.” I do believe that these two go hand in hand. That said when making a tool purchase, we all need to ask ourselves if the tool will successfully accomplish what we intended for it. I think one of the biggest mistakes I have made in the past is buying cheap tools expecting them to work and last like higher end tools. I know for most woodworkers starting out, including myself, cannot afford a nice new shiny Delta Unisaw. However, there are many options that can be explored. There are tools that you can most definitely get away with buying low-end, and successfully use, as long as you know and understand the limitations. For example a $100 9′ Band Saw will do well with cutting a pinewood derby car or cutting curves into 3/4″ stock. It will have difficulty ripping, and I wouldn’t even dare to attempt to resaw a board.
I do know that the level of frustration caused by expecting more than a tool is capable of delivering has scared many away from a very rewarding hobby. One of my future topics, for getting started will be on my table saw frustrations and what I have done to over come them.