• Ideas for woodworking jigs
• techniques to improve my layout or hand tool skills
• how to better store wood

There is always something new to learn. And surely that is half the fun of woodworking!

Below are just some of the books I have read, own, borrowed. Click on the book to purchase it online.

The first thing to do is identify what you need the wood for:

• Wood for construction
• Wood for furniture making
• Wood for fine woodwork
• wood that is food safe

What are you building?

Are you building a piece of fine furniture? or delicate jewellery box? Some shelves to hold some books? a ramp to access your shed?

Timber is graded according to what part of the tree it came from. Different parts offer different qualities, such as:

• Fine or interesting grain
• great strength
• minimal movement

Depending on the type of lumber you decide you require, you can check out the following places:

• Timber Merchants
• Reclamation Yards
• Recycling Centres (your local tip)
• Builders Merchants (for pallets)

If you plan on looking for free timber (fallen trees, abandoned timber) always ask the permission of the person whos land it is on. If you are taking a small amount from a pile, it might be polite to offer to clear and dispose of the rest for them.

Wood from pallets

I have gathered quite an amount of wood of all grades from pallets. If you are starting out in woodword and want to practise joints then it can be an inexpensive way to start. These tend to be mainly softwood.

Many foreign imports come on hardwood pallets such as electrical items, stones, slate and tiles. I have found some superb pieces of hardwood including mahogany on some slate tiles I received from India. The timber is usually construction grade and in a pretty rough state, but still useful nonetheless.

National Community Wood Recycling Project

http://www.communitywoodrecycling.org.uk/

This is a community of people who have set up a number of places around the country where you can purchase wood at prices less than the high street. The wood is collected form building and construction firms, commercial and non commercial organisations. They grade and prepare the wood for resale and some of the sites offer cutting services too.

I truly believe that one of the best ways to learn woodworking skills is to enrol in a local college or school course and work through a number of projects with the teacher. This will give the teacher the opportunity to pick up on and correct mistakes that you are making whilst giving you the opportunity to ask all those questions that arose whilst in your workshop.

Having said that, some of the articles online give you such a great insight that with a little practise and common sense you can achieve great results yourself.

So here it is. My list of all the best woodworking websites on the web. Enjoy!

www.getwoodworking.com
www.finewoodworking.com
www.thewoodwhisperer.com
www.phillyplanes.co.uk
www.popularwoodworking.com

Some argue that cheaper tools are a false economy as you will spend more of your time adjusting and setting them up and less time working (which is where your you make your money). Well for the professional woodworker this may hold true, but for hobby and amateur woodworkers this is a fine way to build up a starters toolkit.

I don’t regret for a minute the time I spent stripping down and fettling my old planes and the time I spent regrinding old chisels and removing the rust. I feel I learnt so much from the experience, not just in terms of what the tool can do, but also in how the tool works, its nuiances and how to care for tools.

I also think that restoring and using old tools will give you a much greater appreciation of a fine quality hand tool, such as a Clifton Plane or a Ashley Isles Chisel.

Ask around for old woodwork tools

Many people (family and friends) have a wealth of tools stored away which will never see the light of day. Most people I know would rather see them used than sat in a shed, rusting somewhere. They might even be glad of the new found space that they once occupied. You might offer them some money for them or offer to make them something of their choosing using the tools.

These old tools will often need some work to get them up to a good usable level, but in doing so, you get a greater understanding of how the tool works. In later articles I will explain how to renovate a bench plane, and how to sharpen your chisels.

Other places you might find great quality hand tools include:

• Antique Shops and Fairs
• Flea Markets
• Car Boot Sales
• Auction Houses
• Online recycling schemes (freecycle being one)

Buying woodwork hand tools online

There are many places to buy online. I have personally bought woodwork handtools on loot.com and ebay.co.uk.

It is always nice to be able to hold a tool in hand before buying, but often tools are described in depth
and include good quality photos. If there are not enough photos for you to make a decision, don’t be afraid of emailing the seller asking to provide them.

Always read the sellers returns policy on ebay and make sure you are satisfied that you can return it, if it is not as described.

Search now for tools on ebay!!!

With a lot of tools on ebay you can afford to be picky as there is such a good supply. There are however lots of collectors who purchase these tools, polish them up and never use them. This can inflate the price of certain tools, but many old non branded hand tools on ebay are still better than some of their modern counterparts today.

There are some fine quality new woodworking tools on the market today and we will discuss these in great depth in the future, but old and antique wood working tools were often made using finer quality steel than many of the mass produced, disposable tools found in many DIY stores today.

In this article we will be concentrating on using handtools for woodwork, as this is what most of you will be starting out with.

The Basics - What will I need?

• Saws
• Chisels
• Measuring and Marking
• Jigs and guides

Saws

Saws are used for general dimensioning through to fine cuts. Saws fall into two main categories

• Western Saws
• Japanese Saws

Chisels

Chisels are used for removing material through to fine work. There are many types of chisel and each has a specific purpose. Often people will buy one set of bevel edged and use them for all general chisel work, but using a tool designed specifically for a job can make work much easier and enjoyable.

Types of chisel include:

• Bevel Edged Chisel
• Firmer Chisel
• Mortice Chisel
• Paring Chisel
• Skew Chisel
• Dovetail Chisel

You can read our articles on Western Saws and Japanese Saws but the idea is to size the lumber to the approximate size. You will finish the

Measuring and Marking Tools

Accurate measuring and marking can make a great deal of difference to the quality of your finished project.

If there is one part of your toolkit that it might be worth buying new, this measuring is it. How square is square? How accurate is that tape measure?

I have purchased a number of second hand measuring and marking tools and have always been rather disappointed with the accuracy of them when I get them back to the workshop and put them through their paces. Having said that, I have also been disappointed in some new measuring tools!

However, if that new square isn’t quite square then you can send it back, but if you buy secondhand, often there is little or no way to get your money back.

My advice when it comes to measuring and marking tools is to buy new and buy well.

Jigs and Guides

One thing I have always read and been told is “make a jig” or “make a guide” to help you. It might seem like a waste of time and it isn’t always necessary, but you can get much more accurate results if you do. These are mostly used in conjunction with power tools, but some work equally well with hand tools. The big bonus of a jig or guide is re-use. If you need to make a second, third or more of a project, you already have the jigs ready to do so. We will cover more on jigs in the future