I wanted to share this article over at toolcrib.com on Harbor Freight buys:
Buyer Beware, A Harbor Freight Buying Guide: The Good Enough, The Bad and the Abysmal
I'm not sure I agree with everything that is in the article, but it is a good overview. When in doubt, always check out customer ratings on the website.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Sunday, July 12, 2015
STEP 1: Cheap Materials
The first step to cheap woodworking is finding cheap materials. Here's my top ten list of suggestions:
10. Your Own Scrap Pile -- Yeah, you're going to have a lot of wood leftover from building projects. Don't throw that scrap pile away. Anything larger than your computer mouse will have a use. Find a good way to store and sort it so you have it when you need it.
9. Harbor Freight -- I am a big fan of Harbor Freight. They regularly have coupons for good deals, sales, and even a tent sale. You won't find lumber here, but for screws, hose clamps, and other miscellaneous hardware, start here. The quality is limited, but it works for a lot of projects.
8. Craigslist Material Category -- This category is for people getting rid of extra materials, usually leftover when contractors have stuff extra from a project, from cancelled projects, or from DIYers that got too much or got in over their heads. Unfortunately, a lot of these folks are looking to make too much money off these items, so pick and choose to get good deals.
7. Businesses -- Crates from lawnmower shops, palettes from shipping are good for some projects and you can grab them from businesses for free or cheap. The wood isn't great, it will take some work to prepare it to use, but there are lots of plans out there for making stuff out of it. Be careful of the type of wood you get and use, because some of it has chemicals that should be used outside only.
6. Firewood -- There are a lot of folks now realizing that there is good hardwood firewood available that can be converted for projects quickly with a bandsaw, tablesaw, and planer. Make sure you identify the wood before you buy it. As an added bonus, with a small woodburner you can use leftovers to heat your shop.
5. Yard Sales and Garage Sales -- Craigslist and your local newspaper are an excellent spot to look for weekend sales that might have hardware, lumber, used items, etc that you can use for cheap woodworking. Pick and choose wisely, or you can spend more on gas than what you will save.
4. Trash -- A lot of people throw away good stuff. Old furniture is usually the best find, and though it may have issues, it may have lumber and hardware you can use. Watch out for insects from trash. Bedbug infested stuff, in particular, can turn into a big problem.
3. Estate Sales -- This is an excellent place to find used tools, lumber, furniture, and miscellaneous hardware. Most of these people aren't going to argue a over a discount, so haggle your way into a good deal.
2. Craigslist Free Category -- With a pickup truck, a friend or two for labor, and some time, you can pick up a lot of stuff for free. Lumber and hardware are obvious choices. Don't forget that used furniture, especially older stuff, can be a good source for wood and hardware.
1. Hardware Store Scrap Pile and Bulk -- Menard's is my favorite, but lots of hardware stores have scrap piles for cut offs, warped stock, clearance, and last season items. Keep your eyes open and you'll find a good deal. Worst case, grab what you can from their bulk section to get a decent price.
10. Your Own Scrap Pile -- Yeah, you're going to have a lot of wood leftover from building projects. Don't throw that scrap pile away. Anything larger than your computer mouse will have a use. Find a good way to store and sort it so you have it when you need it.
9. Harbor Freight -- I am a big fan of Harbor Freight. They regularly have coupons for good deals, sales, and even a tent sale. You won't find lumber here, but for screws, hose clamps, and other miscellaneous hardware, start here. The quality is limited, but it works for a lot of projects.
8. Craigslist Material Category -- This category is for people getting rid of extra materials, usually leftover when contractors have stuff extra from a project, from cancelled projects, or from DIYers that got too much or got in over their heads. Unfortunately, a lot of these folks are looking to make too much money off these items, so pick and choose to get good deals.
7. Businesses -- Crates from lawnmower shops, palettes from shipping are good for some projects and you can grab them from businesses for free or cheap. The wood isn't great, it will take some work to prepare it to use, but there are lots of plans out there for making stuff out of it. Be careful of the type of wood you get and use, because some of it has chemicals that should be used outside only.
6. Firewood -- There are a lot of folks now realizing that there is good hardwood firewood available that can be converted for projects quickly with a bandsaw, tablesaw, and planer. Make sure you identify the wood before you buy it. As an added bonus, with a small woodburner you can use leftovers to heat your shop.
5. Yard Sales and Garage Sales -- Craigslist and your local newspaper are an excellent spot to look for weekend sales that might have hardware, lumber, used items, etc that you can use for cheap woodworking. Pick and choose wisely, or you can spend more on gas than what you will save.
4. Trash -- A lot of people throw away good stuff. Old furniture is usually the best find, and though it may have issues, it may have lumber and hardware you can use. Watch out for insects from trash. Bedbug infested stuff, in particular, can turn into a big problem.
3. Estate Sales -- This is an excellent place to find used tools, lumber, furniture, and miscellaneous hardware. Most of these people aren't going to argue a over a discount, so haggle your way into a good deal.
2. Craigslist Free Category -- With a pickup truck, a friend or two for labor, and some time, you can pick up a lot of stuff for free. Lumber and hardware are obvious choices. Don't forget that used furniture, especially older stuff, can be a good source for wood and hardware.
1. Hardware Store Scrap Pile and Bulk -- Menard's is my favorite, but lots of hardware stores have scrap piles for cut offs, warped stock, clearance, and last season items. Keep your eyes open and you'll find a good deal. Worst case, grab what you can from their bulk section to get a decent price.
Friday, July 3, 2015
Graduating through Tools for Safety
There are a lot of varying opinions on shop safety. Safety equipment is important. Maintaining focus while you work is important. However, I think the most important part of being safe is gaining skill and comfort with your tools. For me, this means years of transition from easier to use tools to tools that require more skill and that are more dangerous.
First, when working with tools, avoid loose clothing, hair, and jewelry. Wear clothes that protect your body, like long pants. Wear slip-proof, enclosed shoes. Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes. Wear a mask or respirator to avoid breathing in dust. Wear hearing protection around loud equipment. Wear gloves to protect your hands when needed. All of these types of protection will be called out in your tool manuals when needed. Read those manuals and follow the safety instructions. Remember that any tool can be dangerous.
First, when working with tools, avoid loose clothing, hair, and jewelry. Wear clothes that protect your body, like long pants. Wear slip-proof, enclosed shoes. Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes. Wear a mask or respirator to avoid breathing in dust. Wear hearing protection around loud equipment. Wear gloves to protect your hands when needed. All of these types of protection will be called out in your tool manuals when needed. Read those manuals and follow the safety instructions. Remember that any tool can be dangerous.
Starter Tools
Starting out, I highly recommend using manual tools. Using manual tools will help you gain a feel for things before you venture into the world of power tools. Screwdrivers, braces and bits, handsaws, tape measures, squares, hammer and nails, clamps -- all of these tools are effective for building lots of small projects. If you want to cut out intricate shapes, try a coping saw. Get a plane for shaping lumber. Build some simple projects, like saw horses. Learn how to use the hand tools. If you can't control the manual versions of these tools first, the power versions are going to be tough to learn.
As you increase your aptitude, there are a lot of other manual tools to add. Chisels, chalklines, levels, even wrenches, sockets and ratchets, and pliers all have their uses.
By working with these manual tools, you will build your way up to power tools, if you so desire. This progression is a lot safer way to go than just jumping into power tools head first.
Beginning Power Tools
Your first two tools for most projects are a power drill and a circular saw. There are lots of options. Cordless drills and drivers are a good investment for lots of projects and will last years, if you buy a reputable brand. A small cordless circular saw may be more comfortable in the beginning, but a corded large circular saw may be more useful when cutting thicker materials. A circular saw will always be useful for breaking down standard 4 x 8 foot sheets of goods into more manageable pieces.
Make no mistake -- a circular saw is a very dangerous piece of equipment. Read safety instructions and watch some videos online. In particular, understand what causes kickback and how to avoid it.
If you just aren't ready to go the circular saw route, consider a jig saw instead. It generally feels a lot easier to handle and the oscillating blade is far less intimidating that the circular blade of death on a circular saw. In addition, a jig saw is easily adapted to cutting both wood and metal, which comes in handy.
Power sanders, especially small orbital sanders are also a nice beginner tool to move up from tedious sanding blocks.
Once getting comfortable with these tools, consider moving up to some shop tools.
Starting Shop Tools: Bench and Drill Press
Once you get beyond your first hand power tools, it might be time to start gather a small shop. Your first addition should be a bench. These can be built very inexpensively and will be covered in another article.
I recommend a drill press as your first purchase. A drill press gives you an immediate improvement in the ability to drill straight, square holes, which are handy in a lot of projects. In addition, add a drum sanding attachment and you have a very useful edge sanding capability.
Compound Miter Saw
Which should I start with -- a compound miter saw or a table saw? Most woodworkers on the professional side of things prefer a table saw to a miter saw. Table saws are far more flexible and precise. However, for us cheap woodworkers, a descent table saw is going to run over $500, while a good compound miter saw can be had for even less than $200. Sure, you can pick up a cheap contractor table saw, but the fence and miter gauge will be crap, and it will be very difficult to cut straight with. On a table saw, a cut with a crooked fence is a dangerous cut, so steer clear. There are ways to fix this, but I'll save that for another article.
Generally, a good compound miter saw is going to be awesome for those everyday tasks of cutting boards to length, and it is a safer, more convenient upgrade over a circular saw. Generally, higher models of miter saws will improve precision and cutting capacity, but often cheaper models can be tuned to good precision, especially if you are just cutting straight right angles.
A compound miter saw is also an excellent tool to have for building benches.
A compound miter saw is also an excellent tool to have for building benches.
Scroll Saw or Band Saw
Scroll saws are for cutting intricate parts, and as such, they aren't bought cheaply to cut thick lumber. For more versatile operation, consider a bandsaw. They can be used for a wide variety of operations and handle large and small pieces fairly effectively. They usually don't have quite the tight cutting radius of a scroll saw, but few projects really require that.
Other Tools
Beyond these starter tools, you are on your own to figure out what you need for your projects. Planers, shapers, routers, grinders, lathes, and other tools may come in handy, depending on what you want to do in your shop.
Buying
Buying tools is a tricky prospect. There are 3 classes of tools you buy -- tools you need all the time, tools that you need good quality, and all the rest. For the first two classes of tools, spend a bit more and get something good. Examples might include a solid driver and drill and a quality table saw with a good fence. Examples where you might not need the best could include tools like a drill press or a handheld electric planer.
I highly recommend looking at Menards and Harbor Freight for lower cost tools. Harbor Freight, in particular, has a good warranty exchange program. When buying, check reviews online to make sure you aren't getting a known lemon.
For higher end tools, consider buying from Home Depot, Lowes, and Sears. All three carry solid tool brands and sales and discounts often pop up, especially online. For example, I bought my 10" bandsaw from Sears on clearance. The craftsman version I have is nearly identical to the Rikon, but $200 cheaper. Also consider refurbished tools, which are often available online with a full warranty and a substantial discount.
Craigslist, estate sales, and even garage sales are good resources for tools. Always check the operation before buying. Squealing bearings or motors are often something to pass up. Overlook worn blades and bad plugs, as they can be easily replaced.
One More Option
One additional option I'll be exploring throughout future article is building your own shop tools. Look for future articles to hit on this topic.
Monday, June 29, 2015
The Cheap Woodworker
Woodworking is one of those hobbies where you can spend way too much money on everything. This blog is dedicated to finding inexpensive ways of building things so you don't have to sink a fortune into your hobby.
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