# Question Of The Week... ( 2019 week 17)



## ripjack13 (Apr 21, 2019)

*When did you become a new woodworker? And What was the first woodworking tool/item you purchased?*
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**Rules**
There is no minimum post requirement,
primates, woodticks, wood spinners, and leprechauns are welcome to post an answer.
And of course the  and the doc too....


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## woodtickgreg (Apr 21, 2019)

I did wood working all through junior high school and high school shop classes. But I guess I really didnt become a new wood worker until I was done with school and started wood working on my own. After I graduated and all my friends where buying cars I rode a motorcycle on the street and didnt really need a car yet so I purchased a brand new in the box craftsman table saw, I still have that saw today! I think I purchased a Craftsman router and jig saw at the same time, those items really got me going on my new wood working journey.
When it got to cold to ride the motorcycle I did eventually buy a good used car, 1962 Chevy Impala 4 door. I dont have the car or the motorcycle anymore but I still have the saw.

Reactions: Like 5 | Sincere 1


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## CWS (Apr 21, 2019)

I started serious woodworking in 2007 when I bought a 1014 Jet lathe on sale for $225. Of course they should have given the lathe because since then I have purchased hundreds of $ for tools, wood and other things that I needed (wanted ).

Reactions: Like 3


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## Nature Man (Apr 21, 2019)

While I took woodshop in Junior High, and have always worked with wood through the years building odds and end things, I didn't really get serious about it as a hobby until about 8 years ago. First major tool I purchased was a used Delta Unisaw, with dust collector. Since then I've added a few more pieces, the latest being a router table. It's been a journey accumulating tools, wood, and knowledge. Chuck

Reactions: Like 3


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## Tony (Apr 21, 2019)

I grew up building things around our house, we made what we needed or wanted. The first woodworking tool I bought for myself was a Montgomery Ward tablesaw I bought from the Classifieds for $50. Used that saw for 10 years, got my moneys worth out of it!

Reactions: Like 4


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## Sprung (Apr 21, 2019)

That's tough to say. I spent a lot of time in my dad's garage as a kid. At 10 years old, I was helping him build a cedar strip boat. At 13 I was starting on a boat build of my own. But once I went off to college and then seminary, I didn't really have a shop to use, and did not do much in that time frame. I did some, when I could or when the need arose. Once I graduated and was on my own, then I started to really get into it.

Not sure what tool I bought first. My first tools were generally gifts from my parents. Even some of my first handheld power tools. I was in school and couldn't afford to buy tools myself, and that's often then what my parents got me for Christmas. First tool I remember purchasing was a Hitachi compound miter saw - which came with a free sander, which was received after sending in a rebate form. I'm still using that sander and just recently replaced the bearings in it. I later bought a Makita circular saw, since the battery powered one in my Ryobi set just wasn't cutting it anymore. First really big tool purchase was, I believe, my Ridgid R4512, which I just sold at the end of 2018, after about 6 years of having it.

Reactions: Like 5


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## Bob Ireland (Apr 21, 2019)

It had to be as a kid but my interest ebbed ad flowed throughout my whole life. Really got back into after my brother died in an automobile accident. He left me parents some money and they told myself and my sister to get something we most likely wouldn't get for ourselves. I choose a lathe and been turning ever since.

Reactions: Like 2 | Sincere 4


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## Lou Currier (Apr 21, 2019)

I started to become serious about 5 years ago and the first item/tool I bought was a scroll saw.

Reactions: Like 5


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## rocky1 (Apr 21, 2019)

Define "New" hell most of us are old as dirt!

Reactions: Agree 5 | Funny 7


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## kweinert (Apr 22, 2019)

I took a shop class in high school (maybe junior high?) but didn't really do much with it for a long time. Bought a Craftsman table saw, then a 6" jointer and a 14" band saw used. I really didn't do much with woodworking until after the divorce. Then the I needed something to do in my now copious free time and the landlady let me fill in the back porch (as long as I restored it when I moved out) and I bought a small lathe and put it on a HF workbench that I added casters to. 

After remarrying I was supported much more in my woodworking and am now in a 2 (sometimes 3) car garage. (During the summer I pretty much use all of it, otherwise it's the 2 car that's set up as my shop.) 

Given all of that I'd have to say that I became a new woodworker about 6 years ago and the first tool was a lathe.

Reactions: Like 4


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## Gdurfey (Apr 22, 2019)

Like some of the other responses, I started with dad, but didn't do my "own" project to way later in life. Was horrible with hand tools looking back on it; got by but.....just not good. Visiting my cousin one summer, saw all of the great items he built, many with one of our uncles. Let me back up. My dad could do some good woodworking, but his interests took him different directions in retirement. He never made a large project like he did when he was younger and "had" to make some furniture; which is still in use by the great grandkids. However, this one Uncle really became passionate about woodworking and he made all of the family different pieces of furniture or something else; such as a flag case. Much of the wood for the family projects were either harvested off one of my aunt's (his sister) farm or off his own property. Back to where I came in; this cousin was living about 30 miles away from the uncle and has he lost his own dad way to early, the uncle became like a second father. Looking at the items such as kitchen table, benches, etc, I got hooked again with the desire. I had heard of pen turning and was fascinated by it and he took me to the garage, threw a kit on him many lathe and off I went. Even though the blank blew up, I was hooked!!!! Borrowed a Grizzly mini-lathe from my brother in law about 6 or 7 years ago and off I went. By the way, I am a young 58 now...

First "real" tool I bought was the Nova 16-24 lathe, then shortly afterward the Laguna Twelve14 bandsaw, I already had the drill press for the mechanic work, and I am off and going. Six to seven years ago my life changed again and I have a very supportive wife who dreams up some pretty neat projects. As we start building the house, well, having it built, I want the large table saw so I can do some of the cabinet work (I hope). Sorry for taking so long, but fond memories of Uncle Wayne and my dad made me type more. And, in this process, I have built a great relationship with this cousin!!!

Reactions: Great Post 4 | Way Cool 2


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## justallan (Apr 22, 2019)

Like others here I've just always messed with making things since I was probably 4-5 years old and throughout the years tried new things. Forts, tree houses, soap box derby cars, Etc. 
I gained a stepfather when I was 8 that taught me one major rule that has always stuck with me, "If it was built once, it could be built again." Along with different things we built and rebuilt together, he taught me more about looking something over and figuring out the steps involved BEFORE diving into any project. My father was anything but lazy. We stayed busy rebuilding a few boats and built a 3 story 8 bedroom house amongst other things.
I'd say the first craft like stuff that I made alone were in the 7th grade in woodshop. I remember making wall hangings to hang your keys on and turning a salad bowl of glued together pine boards.
As for tools.....I have no darned idea!

Reactions: Like 5


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## Mark. (Apr 23, 2019)

Not sure what year it was but my first tools ever for wood working, or the other way around. Wood working me. I was in Natchez Miss. & was hired to run a Lul fork lift, when I left Frog Eye the owner of the company told me, running the lift was all I had to do. Turned out on the second day he came to me and said, "You need to go & get a hammer & apron & tape measure, all the basic tools for framing. I got a 28 oz hammer, apron, speed square. 25' tape & chalkline. I gave the man at the checkout a fifty dollar bill, he gave me my change & it was about 22 bucks. I don't have any of the original tools, but that was in the early 70's, 3 weeks after I bought those tools, I was put to running a full crew of framers. That was my start, & still going today. Not framing, Thank God

Reactions: Like 2 | Way Cool 1 | Sincere 1


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## ripjack13 (Apr 23, 2019)

Mark. said:


> run a Lul fork lift,



Ha! I was doing that on my first job too. The super broke the boom carrying a framework of symons form panels. So I was asked to go get another one across the lot (never drove one,) But I got it over to him and loaded up the panels and drove off. They kept me on as the lull driver for about a year or two till I got bored with it.

Reactions: Like 3 | Thank You! 1 | Way Cool 1


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## Mark. (Apr 25, 2019)

After thinking back in time & the purchase of my first tools I bought & how much they cost me then. It is almost telling on me for how many days I been hanging around. Without buying those first tools, I may never had came across this site we call, "WoodBarter & all of Y'all"

Reactions: Like 4 | Way Cool 1


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## Blueglass (Apr 25, 2019)

My dad and a friend's dad both had us doing little woodworking projects about as far back as I remember. The palms in our backyard had husks for the fronds shaped like a boat. I remember cutting off the back and making a fitting piece for the back of the boat with a coping saw. Played with them in the canal. I have no memory of the first tool I bought.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Mark. (May 3, 2019)

Sprung said:


> That's tough to say. I spent a lot of time in my dad's garage as a kid. At 10 years old, I was helping him build a cedar strip boat. At 13 I was starting on a boat build of my own. But once I went off to college and then seminary, I didn't really have a shop to use, and did not do much in that time frame. I did some, when I could or when the need arose. Once I graduated and was on my own, then I started to really get into it.
> 
> Not sure what tool I bought first. My first tools were generally gifts from my parents. Even some of my first handheld power tools. I was in school and couldn't afford to buy tools myself, and that's often then what my parents got me for Christmas. First tool I remember purchasing was a Hitachi compound miter saw - which came with a free sander, which was received after sending in a rebate form. I'm still using that sander and just recently replaced the bearings in it. I later bought a Makita circular saw, since the battery powered one in my Ryobi set just wasn't cutting it anymore. First really big tool purchase was, I believe, my Ridgid R4512, which I just sold at the end of 2018, after about 6 years of having it.


Seeing Your post it put me to thinking. I have always wanted to build a cedar canoe . Only dreams now, but still want to & problem is no idea where to get a print

Reactions: Like 3


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## Sprung (May 3, 2019)

Mark. said:


> Seeing Your post it put me to thinking. I have always wanted to build a cedar canoe . Only dreams now, but still want to & problem is no idea where to get a print



Mark, if by print, you mean plans, well, there are lots of places that sell boat plans of all kinds. A quick Google search will yield many results. Then it's a matter of taking some time to determine what exactly you want in a canoe - what your intended use of it is, what kind of waters you'll use it on, how many people in it, what kind of a load, etc - and researching those plans until you find the right one. But, there are lots of plans for sale out there.


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