Why isn't this a Web page?
Sidenote: I want to get started with wood working, can anyone recommend a resource?
Sidenote: I want to get started with wood working, can anyone recommend a resource?
I started with just a circular saw and a drill (would not now recommend [1]) and bought "handy panels" from the local big box store to make crappy book cases and such. I was very much demonstrating the aesthetic of the School of College-Dorm.
Eventually I got a table saw and started making MAME cabinets, dance pads, etc.
When I eventually started seeking out better quality plywood I began to make things like speaker enclosures (and better looking book cases).
I was getting into woodworking when television was still a thing so Norm Abram's "New Yankee Workshop" on PBS was my inspiration. Not only is a lot of that on YouTube now [2], but so too are hundreds of others uploading videos on woodworking. We live in a rich time when it comes to hobby how-to videos.
I think of YouTube sometimes more as inspiration ... where I want to get to. For example I like Paul Seller's videos [3] where he makes everything more or less with hand tools. Ishitani Furniture [4] is my where I wish I were.
But if videos are not your thing, archive.org is back and their Magazine Rack [5] has plenty of magazines on woodworking. Just look around.
[1] Forget the circular saw unless you're doing hime construction. Opt for an inexpensive "panel saw" instead — and also an 8' sheet of 1-inch-thick insulating foam to put down underneath the wood you'll be cutting on the floor of your basement or driveway.
[2] https://www.youtube.com/@newyankeeworkshop
[3] https://www.youtube.com/@Paul.Sellers
A couple of tips: You'll need a lot of clamps. Don't spend much money on tools until you know what you're going to build. It's really easy to get caught up in precision and having everything cut perfectly. This is important in finish work, but for everyday stuff you don't need to worry about it.
If using hand tools is of any interest to you, I highly recommend the Anarchist's Design Book, Anarchist's Tool Chest. All by Christopher Schwarz and available from his press Lost Art Press. I discovered them via a comment here a few years back. His basic philosophy is woodworking for regular people to make stuff that are going to last and usable. Lost Art Press' website has a lot of book samples and full books in PDF form. It's worth checking out.
Good luck!
For me, having the sled "built-in" on a true panel saw makes for a less awkward experience using the tool.
It would be one thing if I went back and forth between using the circular saw and the panel saw but I truly haven't touched my circular saw in maybe ten years now.
* Circular saw: a basic hand-held circular saw that can cut through stuff.
* Track saw: the cousin of the circular saw; comes with (essentially) a big metal ruler which the hand-held saw part 'locks' into. This means it can be super-accurate (to a fraction of a mm) and also do very long straight cuts (limited only by the length of your track). Personally, highly-recommended, and can sometimes do work that almost nothing else can, especially if you're working on a larger scale. Can do everything a circular saw can, but a lot more besides, and can cut boards into larger pieces than a table saw can manage.
* Mitre saw: a circular saw on a tilting rotatable arm, that allows you to do precisely-angled repeatable shorter cuts. For example, great for cutting lumber down into lots of shorter lengths for a project, or creating angled cuts for the corner of a frame, or similar. Recommended.
* Table saw (I think this is what you mean by panel saw?): an upside down circular saw sticking up out of a wide flat table, with an adjustable 'fence'. Great for quick efficient repeatable cuts on boards; for example, if you're making a load of shelves, or drawers, and lots of the pieces have the same width, you set your fence once than then push the board through the saw multiple times. Can also do mitre cuts but not as conveniently as a mitre saw. Can also cut 'rabbets' (slots) in wood more easily than most other tools. Recommended.
In my shop I have a track that my circular saw, jig saw and router can use for long pieces. I can break full sheets of plywood down. I use foam board insulation. Either on the floor for breaking down a full sheet, or for smaller pieces I put foamboard on my 3x5' workbench.
I have a Mitre saw that I use for small 8" crosscuts. For bigger crosscuts back to the track.
All of my tools are Dewalt 20v tools so I don't need to wrangle cables. The only think I can't do easily is rip small widths of long pieces.
Out of interest, which system do you have which allows a jigsaw and router to use your track?
The three sleds took about 45 mins to make the first one (fiddle-fiddle-fiddle-some-more-fiddle) and then the other two took about 15 mins each.
He's got a very nice approachable style (almost the Bob Ross of woodworking?) and has some great beginner videos, including guidance on which tools to prioritise (and deprioritise) at the start of the hobby. He also sells a course with plans for gradually increasingly challenging projects. No affiliation, just watched a lot of his videos when I was first getting started with woodworking.
There are also (as you'd expect) thousands of other Youtubers doing woodwork, too. Steve's just a great starting place.