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5 Easy Woodworking Tips For Beginners

If you want to learn the art of woodworking, you will have to learn from the best woodworker. The thing is, most people will never want to learn from the expert because they woodworking as their hobby instead of something that they should do it professionally.

It is absolutely fine if you do not want to learn from the expert. However, you have to understand that woodworking can be a tough job especially if there are no people there to guide you and show you how to do it.

This is what this article is about. You are going to discover the 5 easy woodworking tips for beginners. As long as you follow through these tips, you will shortcut your learning edge and make a fine woodworking art…

1. Always start from the ground by learning the basics. For example, you can learn about the different forms of woodworking, the types of trees and wood that you can use; the tools for the work and so on.

2. Once you have the basics, what you will need to know next will be your project. Plan about your woodworking project. Know exactly what tools and materials you need for your project and how much time and effort you should pour in to get it done.

3. Always learn about the project before you actually get started. What you can do is to take classes, participate in workshops or pay a visit to your local bookstore and invest yourself in books about how to do it. If you do not know how to do it, you will never get it done.

4. Get ready with your blueprint for the project. Woodworking is just like building a house, if you are serious about making fine quality woodwork, get a blueprint so that you can actually follow through and get the project done.

5. Know your budget. Every woodworking project needs money. Some big projects need a lot of capital while some project will only require a little budget. Know how much you are going to need before you start your project so you can get ready with the budget you need.

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Garden Shed Designs: 5 Do-It

If your yard is a mess and you feel the need for some serious organizational help to whip things into shape, building your own garden shed may be something that is long overdue. Even a modest garden shed can help you give your yard a complete make-over, and these days the sky is the limit in terms of design options.

You’ve probably seen garden sheds at local home and garden stores, hardware stores or even at friends’ houses. If you have, you already know that there are tons of styles to choose from. And, there’s always that issue of whether you should buy a shed or build one yourself.

Here are 5 do-it-yourself tips for garden shed designs that can help:

1. Decide whether building your own shed is the right approach:

Your desire for backyard organization is admirable, and you no doubt share it with millions of other homeowners. One major choice you will need to make is whether to build your own shed or to buy one. Buying a new shed is surely the easiest option, but it is also the most expensive. And, when you buy a shed you are limited to the design choices available at the stores you visit.

Building your own shed is an attractive alternative. Doing so can be a real money-saver, and you can get access to thousands of plans instantly from the Internet. Imagine all of the design choices! If you have the time and are on a budget, building your own garden shed gives you access to the most choices and saves you the most money.

2. Decide what you will store in your new garden shed:

Okay, now on to how to select the right design for you. Your first consideration will be to think about how you will actually be using your new shed and what you will store there. For example, do you need long-term storage for the winter, or will you be accessing your shed frequently throughout the year? Hint: spend 5 minutes to take a quick mental inventory of what you’ll be storing in your garden shed. This will help you estimate how big the shed needs to be.

3. Choose a design that reflects your personal style and that fits in with your landscape:

For some people, having too many design options can be overwhelming. But, when pressed, most people will tell you that they would rather have more choices than fewer. When selecting a design in terms of its style and construction materials, be sure to go with something that will fit with the layout of your yard and that matches the look of your home and other nearby structures.

4. Go to a home store and check out their floor models’ designs to get ideas:

Before choosing your final design, pay a visit to your local home store to get ideas. It can be nice to actually touch different sheds with your hands. Be sure to walk around inside each shed to see what the materials feel like and how they look up close.

5. Choose a design that fits your budget and anticipated usage needs:

The final design you choose should be one that will adequately satisfy your storage needs. When in doubt, get a shed that is a bit on the larger size: it’s better to have a little extra room inside than to be short on interior space. And, make sure that your new shed won’t break the bank.

Spending an hour or two working through these tips will assist you in selecting the very best design for your new garden shed.

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Going Nationwide: The Woodsmith Shop TV Show — Woodworking Online

If you’re a subscriber to Woodsmith or ShopNotes magazine, or live in the state of Iowa, you probably already know that we’ve been busy around here. We’ve been working hard on a new TV show that has been airing on public television (PBS) stations in Iowa and will soon be available nationally in December.

The Woodsmith Shop is unlike any other woodworking show you’ve seen. It’s the first one to be filmed and produced (by Iowa Public Television) in High Definition. That means the picture quality is unsurpassed. You’ll see all the details of the tips and techniques we talk about on the show.

Second, The Woodsmith Shop isn’t a project-based show. What I mean is we’ll spend an entire episode talking about a particular woodworking joint, tool, or technique instead of building a project. That means you’ll get more detail about woodworking than you’ll find on any other show. And you’ll have the opportunity to download project plans and articles from our web site that are related to the show’s content.

We’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback so far from those that have seen the show. And a lot of folks nationwide are anxious to take a look. Now is the time to take a minute to email or call your local public television station and tell them you heard about The Woodsmith Shop and want to see it in your area. This link will take you to the show’s web site where you can find out if the show is airing in your area. You’ll also get a list of PBS stations in your area and a contact link for each station.

Let us know what you think of the show.

Posted on Thursday, November 29th, 2007 at 3:33 pm. Filed under Video, Woodsmith, Woodworking.
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Keter Apex 6′ x 3′ Storage Shed in Brown & Beige FREE SHIPPING!

If you’re looking for durable compact storage, you can’t go wrong with this Keter Apex double-door shed. At 6’ x 3’, this shed is large enough for common gardening tools, including a lawn mower, leaf blower, rakes and shovels. In addition to garden and yard tools, this shed can be used to store bicycles, pool equipment, sports gear and toys. Its weather-resistant construction will keep contents dry and secure, making this sturdy compact shed a useful addition to any yard, patio or garden.

Durable Textured Wood Design

The Apex storage shed features a wood-look textured design on wall panels and on the double doors. It’s constructed from metal-reinforced resin that requires far less maintenance than wood or metal. Resin requires no painting and will never rot or rust. It is termite and mold resistant and will repel water. Colored in attractive shades of brown and beige, the Keter Apex storage shed will blend into any landscape or exterior home color scheme.

The durable resin material used in the construction of the Keter Apex storage shed will maintain its attractive appearance longer than wood or metal. Once you’ve added this storage shed to your yard, you won’t have to give it a second thought.

Keter-Apex-Storage-Shed

Keter Apex Metal-Reinforced Shed

Steel reinforcement beams in the wall panels provide structural stability and greater resistance to high winds. When placed on level ground in an area sheltered from wind, the Keter Apex she is very stable. Placing it against a garden wall or exterior home wall provides even more stability.

The Keter Apex shed has a peaked roof design that adds style and helps keep water and snow from accumulating. The roof is made from heavy-duty resin panels. An air vent above the door provides enough circulation to avoid stale air inside the shed while a built-in resin floor keeps everything dry.

Double-Door Convenience

The Keter shed includes double doors that open wide for easy access and shut tight to keep out insects, animals, dust and moisture. Bicycles and lawn mowers can be easily wheeled in and out. Doors feature decorative handles and routing detail for added style.

Shelves and hooks can be added separately to the Keter Apex double-door shed for additional storage options.

Keter Apex Double-Door Shed Specifications

  • Overall dimensions: 81.5″ H x 69.5″ W x 44″ D
  • Weight: 153 lbs

The Keter Apex shed is easily assembled by 2 people in 1 or 2 hours. This portable storage shed can be moved from one location to another without too much trouble. For townhouses and homes with smaller yards, this compact storage shed provides maximum storage in a reduced space. It’s also a great option for homeowners who want to move gardening tools out of the garage and into the garden.

Keter is a world leader in resin manufacturing. Keter Storage Sheds have a reputation for value and durability and receive high marks in consumer reviews. With a 7-year limited warranty, low price and free shipping, it pays to invest in a Keter Storage Shed.

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Create Your Dream Tool Shed With 100 % Free Tool Shed Building Plans

If you are like me you have got a lot of tools. I love tools – I also have some that I have not used! And sometimes it is just fun to sit there and have a look at my tools! The only issue with all of my tools though is they take up lots of space in our garage – and my better half would rather park her vehicle in the garage than have my tools in there.

Hence I went hunting for some free tool shed building plans online. I wanted them to be free because money doesn’t precisely flow freely at my home. And I figured that if some steps were missing, I had enough information to work it out.

Well, I must tell you that there are lots of great free tool shed building plans out there on the internet. There are some bad ones too so you have to make sure you get the right ones. The right free tool shed building plans will give you step-by-step instructions, materials lists, cutting lists, and schematic drawings of different phases of the building process. Oh, and another thing is you need to ensure that the plans you get were done by an expert woodworker. I discovered that plenty of the free plans were thrown together by someone who had no business doing so.

I found that the step by step instructions were the most help. Even though I have a lot of tools and have plenty of experience, I actually didn’t have much experience building tool sheds. So it caused me to feel good knowing that I was building something not leaving anything to risk.

In the final analysis, my tool shed ended up looking like it was built by a professional – but only because the free tool shed building plans I got included everything I mentioned above and were created by an expert craftsman. Therefore make your dream tool shed become a fact by using free tool shed building plans.

Where to find good woodworking plans? Plans for router table. Want to find more, read this… Shed Design

Tags: advice, blogs, carpentering, crafts, family, gardening, hobbies, Home Improvement, Landscaping, outdoors, Shed Plans, site_promotion, table plans, woodworking

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 at 7:43 am and is filed under gardening. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Free Wooden PlayHouse Plans and Kits for a Family Project

If you’re a whiz at using a cad program, drawing up your wooden playhouse plans exactly the way you and your children want, is the best of all options. Next you need to make up your material list, but again, some cad programs will do this down to the last screw and nail. Shopping for these materials can be a one shop stop if you have a major hardware-lumber store in town. Some are so good that you give them the list and they’ll have it ready or deliver it to your building site.

If you’re not a cad program geek, then you might consider finding a website with either free playhouse plans or buying playhouse plans. Remember, free plans are usually for simple playhouses and are given away to help those that want to make a wooden playhouse for the children but don’t have the funds in their budget at the time. These simple free playhouse plans also lean toward minimum materials, which if you’re resourceful, can be found around the place, or old or leftover materials at construction sites at little or no charge. Bottom line to free playhouse plans is when you get there you find affordable playhouse plans, or when the budget improves, you return to these folks and do a little business.

A word of caution about buying wooden playhouse plans, some look wonderful but can be very complicated, especially if you have little or no experience in the building industry. Think carefully about the playhouse plan you choose, some are very close to a real house with running water, electrical lights and outlets, and even a bathroom, sort of like a summer cottage. Remember, the kids are going to grow up and there is going to be a time that your child’s playhouse will not be in use, then what? This type of wooden playhouse plan we’re talking about can make a great guest cottage, office or studio apartment. Another thing you need to think about is your local building codes.

If money is not the problem, buying a wooden playhouse kit is an excellent idea if you are looking forward to building your own wooden playhouse and have the children involved. A wooden playhouse kit can be a wonderful learning experience and possibly the ultimate challenge for you and the children if they are old enough to really help out in the construction process of the playhouse.

Wooden playhouses can run from just under a $1,000.00 to over $100,000.00, yes, I have found a couple in that price range. These price ranges for wooden playhouses can be from ready to use, or constructed on your site, or playhouse kits. If you are low on experience, stay with the simpler and less pricey wooden playhouse kits.

Also, keep in mind, once the wooden playhouse kit is assembled, what about the furniture and playground equipment sets (jungle jim sets). Wooden playhouse kits are great, but don’t forget to factor in the cost of the furniture and playground equipment.

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Antique Work Benches

If you have a craft, you have got to have a work bench to work at it. However, as imperative as an operational work bench is to any task, antique workbenches are also finding their way in as popular commodities, for the sheer variety of their use. An old work bench does not necessarily have to end up in use, as it was intended at the time it was built. Creativity is the key word when it comes to these work benches. You could find them in almost any junk store, antique shop or yard sale.

They may then be used as a breakfast tables or sideboards, where they match the interiors of your house, or they may find use after some modifications, addition, or subtractions. For example, in case your antique work bench has damaged legs, you could either cut them to a desirable height or replace them with new ones so the bench is useful again. You could add to the appearance by repainting, you could sand the paint to give it a rustic look or paint some design on the top surface. You don’t need to do elaborate work on it; even plain latex paint would suffice with a polyurethane coat used for protection.

Another option is to revamp individual parts of the work bench. You could remodel the surface, shelves or any other part, or remove parts. Placing a piece of glass on the surface can greatly add to the look of your long forgotten work bench.

There may be a work bench in the house that’s been there for ages and because of sentimental value attached to it, you are hesitant to throw it away. In such a case, you could simply refurbish it, make it more lustrous and voila, you have a new piece of furniture in your house. Another good option is to fill the surface with decoupage epoxy or polyester coating, which gives the bench a clean look, keeping those scratches and nicks invisible. You could find an antique work bench at a very low price yet derive great value from your buy, with just a little touch up, a little refurbishing, and a little creativity.

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SmartFlix, the Web’s Biggest How

I’ve seen several of Rob’s videos and all are very good. The only gripe I would have with them, and many others who put out a whole series, is that you have to sit through an hour or so of redundant, boring “this is how to sharpen a chisel/plane iron, how to prepare a sharpening stone…ect. I wish they would just put out one “beginner” video that covered all this so you didn’t have to sit through it every time you rented a video on a new skill. And, with all of Rob’s videos you have to listen to that guy who is placed there just to ask stupid questions like, “so can you get mortise chisels in different sizes”? The mortise and tenon videos could have been edited into one. If you know how to sharpen a saw, chisel, and your plane irons, just rent the mortise and tenon 2 video and save yourself $10 bucks, it’s very good. If you don’t know how to do these things, then the 1st video will show you how, although, if you want to learn how to sharpen you own hand saws, just go to the web site vintagesaws.com, click on the site map, then the link to “learn how to sharpen”. This site has the best how to sharpen a saw info that I’ve seen anywhere. I think Jim Kingshot’s videos on mortise and tenons are superior. Rob’s 2nd mortise video is very good at showing how to lay out and cut a wedged tenon, which Kingshot’s video doesn’t cover, so they compliment each other nicely in that respect. I like how Rob teaches how to sharpen a plane iron, which is the method that I use. IMO, Kingshot’s video on hand planes is superior to Rob’s From Rough To Ready, but I’m always entertained by a craftsman who uses hand tools, since that’s all I use.Rob’s Dovetail 1&2 videos are by far the best I’ve seen and I highly recommend them. I had a real eye opening experience when I saw how he uses a set of dividers to lay out his joints. Now, I use my dividers all the time. Hope this helps someone. Thanks.

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Fine Woodworking: : Magazines

I’ve subscribed to this magazine for several years now, though somehow (sadly) I let my subscription expire. Trust me, I’m fixing that!

I’ve gone from hobbyist to almost-full time professional woodworker over the past few years, making everything from small desk clocks to custom cabinetry and furniture. I’d have to roger up with the other reviewers who’ve said that, if they could only have one woodworking magazine, this would be it.

Strengths — I don’t care where you are in your woodworking skill/experience level; you WILL find something worth a careful read in each issue. I’ve subscribed to several other woodworking magazines of which that could not be said. Yes, much of what is featured/discussed in these magazines is “high-level” stuff. That’s how you grow as a woodworker. There needs to be at least one journal for any profession that takes on the finer points on a consistent basis. THIS IS IT for the profession of woodworking. What’s new in water-based finishes (a lot!), veneering, dovetails on a curved drawer front (haven’t tried THAT one yet!) — just a few of the kinds of stuff you can expect to find in FWW. Four or five years ago I may have disregarded this magazine as “too much” for me; then again, I cringe at the quality and worksmanship of some of my “handiwork” from that same time!

The contributors to this magazine (I’ve met a few) are some of the most accomplished, yet down-to-sawdust people you’d ever meet in this business. Most of them are making a living working wood, and are happy to share lessons of both success and failure to help the reader.

Weaknesses? Well, as has been mentioned, you won’t find many diagrams or drawings to help you step-by-step. Personally, I don’t consider that a drawback, and it’s not part of the magazine’s mission to provide them. If you’re out to basically cut out and assemble a kit every so often, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

If, on the other hand, you want to develop your knowledge of one of the oldest crafts in history, to get to the point that you can conceive, design, draft, and build (oh, yeah — and finish!) one — or a hundred — quality works in wood, then this is well worth the annual subscription.

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The Woodworking Shows 2010

I’ve been getting a fair number of PM’s asking which shows I’ll be attending this year. Somewhat in advance of each show I’ll ask who’s going to be coming to the show. I really enjoy meeting Lumberjocks at the shows. For me it’s like finding familar faces greeting me as I travel far from home. Since I’ve been getting questions regarding my appearances at the shows, I thought I’d use a single post to give a list of all the shows I’ll be doing this season. I’ll keep doing the individual show announcements but this might give some folks a chance to do a little preplanning.

Here’s a link to my website calendar which has all the shows I’ll be doing listed each month with links directly to The Woodworking Shows web page for that show.

If you’d rather just read a running list of the shows I’ll be attending, here it is:

January 8 – 10, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, MD

January 15 – 17, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio

January 29 – 31, 2010 in Atlanta, GA at the North Atlanta Trade Center in Norcross, GA

February 19 – 21, 2010 in Somerset, NJ at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, NJ

March 5 – 7, 2010 in Reading, PA at the Greater Reading Expo Center, in Reading, PA

March 12 – 14, 2010 in Fredericksburg, VA at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center in Fredericksburg, VA

April 9 – 11, 2010 in Chantilly, VA at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA

I may also be doing more of the Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool events later this year. It depends entirely on scheduling and how far I am willing to travel. If you know LN is coming toI’ll update everyone on those appearances as they get scheduled.

If you live anywhere near any of the shows listed, please make sure you let me know you’re coming. Over the last two years of doing the shows, meeting Lumberjocks has been the best experience. I truly look forward to meeting fellow Lumberjocks at the shows. This is by far the best woodworking community with which I have been involved.

– Chuck Bender, period furniture maker, www.acanthus.com

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