# Looking at getting some tools to use to learn to make furniture.



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Where do you have to work to do this?
What power is avalible?

The tools you have so far are basic DIY tools, to start building real furniture your going to need a good table saw, a compound 12" mitre saw, lots and lots of clamps, randum orbital sander, planner, jointer, a shaper or at least a router table.
All this stuff takes up room and needs plenty of power to run.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

i agree with most of what joe listed except for the jointer and planer.. you wont need those until you start getting into more advanced projects or if your buying rough lumber and dressing it yourself


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## Zefrik (May 1, 2012)

I have a work bench area of around 8x3 feet. I cut my wood out in the garage with the circular saw to slightly smaller pieces, if measurements allow it. I have 2 heavy duty 4 inch "C" clamps. As for power I am no electrician so I couldn't tell you. I am currently able to run a washer and a dryer along 2 500watt computers, around a dozen T-5HO lights (I grow plants) and water a lot of water pumps (I keep fish too). I don't know if I am fine or not?:huh:

So if you where me, what would you get? I am going to be making a cabinet/stand for a ~400lbs fish tank. And this month I can only allocate around $100-$150 towards tools (I am 18).


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Your young and will have plenty of time to keep saving and buying more tools when you can afford them.
Rule # one do not buy cheap tools. A good tool cost more but should last a life time or more, it will be saver, easyer to use.

Those clamps you have will be all but usless to build furniture.
Your going to quickly find you will never have enough clamps.
A set like this is a good start.
http://www.amazon.com/Denali-30-Pie...1349630110&sr=1-6&keywords=woodworking+clamps

In most cases your also going to need a compressor, brad and finish nail gun, Biscuit jointer.
When it comes to wood working the list on tools you will need never stops growing.
A wood working area get really dusty so trying to do this around plants, fish tanks any living space is just not a great idea.


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## Zefrik (May 1, 2012)

joecaption said:


> Your young and will have plenty of time to keep saving and buying more tools when you can afford them.
> Rule # one do not buy cheap tools. A good tool cost more but should last a life time or more, it will be saver, easyer to use.
> 
> Those clamps you have will be all but usless to build furniture.
> ...


I plan on eventually setting up a better workshop area in the garage. The work area I have now is open to the basement laundry room, which really is not the best place for it. But for the time being now I am just going to have to deal with it. I am running a air purifier fan in the room that gets cleaned weekly. I also have a shop-vac with a micron filter that I use as I am cutting/sanding. 

Wow that is a lot of money for clamps!!


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

If you are going to build any bookcases using a circular saw and a Miter
Saw then get a Sliding Miter Saw because that will let you cut shelves up to 12" wide. 
If I did not have DeWalt, Delta, & Hitachi Miter Saws, I would not be afraid to buy this one from HFT


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Let me trade out one tool instead of a biscuit jointer look into a kreg pocket hole kit. I don't think I've used my biscuit jointer since I got mine. And a good way to do clamps is buy the ends, then use black pipe of different lengths then you can put them together with a coupler and make them almost any size you need.


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## JasperST (Sep 7, 2012)

I think that the single best tool would be a decent table saw with fence setup. Learn how to make jigs and you can do almost anything. Mount a router to the table and you'll have a very versatile piece of equipment.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

If you do (and you really should) buy a Kreg Tool do not cheap out and buy just the single hole making tool. Buy the complete set and the special vise grip that's made for it.
It's amazing how tight a joint you can get with one of these tools.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

joes right, and its not just a furniture tool. i keep the base kit in my truck with my trim gear. it comes in handy in plenty of situations on a trim job


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## Fishinbo (Jun 18, 2012)

How about a band saw? www.utilitybandsaw.com might have something for you.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Fishinbo said:


> How about a band saw? www.utilitybandsaw.com might have something for you.


A bandsaw is a great tool but to save a little money and space when first starting out you can do almost the same thing with a good jigsaw. It just takes longer. When just starting I would suggest looking for tools that serve more than 1 purpose like for instance a good drill press, not only can you drill straight holes and use Forrestner bits but you can put sanding drums in it or you can buy an attachment for making mortices. And as someone already said the workhorse of your shop will be the table saw. A GOOD contractor saw is a good start it will do the job and when done can be wheeled out of the way.


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## Zefrik (May 1, 2012)

ToolSeeker said:


> A bandsaw is a great tool but to save a little money and space when first starting out you can do almost the same thing with a good jigsaw. It just takes longer. When just starting I would suggest looking for tools that serve more than 1 purpose like for instance a good drill press, not only can you drill straight holes and use Forrestner bits but you can put sanding drums in it or you can buy an attachment for making mortices. And as someone already said the workhorse of your shop will be the table saw. A GOOD contractor saw is a good start it will do the job and when done can be wheeled out of the way.


Would a table saw really be better for me to get than a miter saw? It seems like it would be the other way around.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

If your making furniture then a good cast iron table saw, then at some point a mitre saw.
Trim, framing, deck building is where you need a mitre saw as a general rule.
A table saw can mitre and rip cut, but would be a royal pain to try and cut 16' deck boards and long trim.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

the table saw is more versatile, you just cant cross cut long material on it. but it can be used for ripping, and joinery. dadoes. etc. 

the mitre saw is for clean mitre cuts. its not really a neccesity for deck building unless your doing it all the time and doing custom decks with alot of angles or composite decking


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## JasperST (Sep 7, 2012)

Zefrik said:


> Would a table saw really be better for me to get than a miter saw? It seems like it would be the other way around.


I thought the thread was about making furniture. I'd much rather have a table saw but there is no law against having both.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

JasperST said:


> I thought the thread was about making furniture. I'd much rather have a table saw but there is no law against having both.


Your right about having both but starting out usually the budget is pretty tight and in my opinion you would get a lot more versatility from a table saw and a really good book on making jigs than you would from a miter saw and of course when you can upgrade and get a good miter saw. Another thing I would upgrade is on the table saw is the miter gauge that comes with the saw and the blade, the ones that come with them are usually not the best or the most accurate.


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## JasperST (Sep 7, 2012)

ToolSeeker said:


> Another thing I would upgrade is on the table saw is the miter gauge that comes with the saw and the blade, the ones that come with them are usually not the best or the most accurate.


True enough. Good carbide blades are a must. I use a blade stabalizer as well. Triple grinds make an amazingly clean cross cut and panel saw. Also if I was him I would be looking at the used market, an older but good Delta, Jet, Powermatic or Grizzly would be good. As long as it has a flat surface and blade tilts, goes up and down smoothly and holds true it would be hard to beat for the money.


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## brownclark (Nov 19, 2012)

For furniture-making, the two most indispensable tools would be a table saw and a router table. This duo can get a woodworker through the vast majority of cuts and joints: the table saw for sizing and basic joints and the router table for shaping and more intricate joints. If you think you would like to work with lots of curves, then consider swapping out the table saw with a band-saw. Those would be the basics. From there, things will evolve based on your interests.
furniture stores in ocala are superb


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