Woodwork 101

If you have a decent timber merchant nearby you can visit in person, do so - they're a godsend.
They'll help you find what you're looking for, cut sheets to size, offer alternatives and generally be 2/3 the price or less of the DIY stores with a far better selection.

If you can find one that regularly supplies hobbyists, even better.

For general 'commercial joiner' timber I use my local http://nytimber.co.uk/ - they have general carpentry-style woods. For more specialist wood, or just to have a better range to choose from I use https://www.duffieldtimber.com/

Going to them means you can check stock for straigtness, knots etc. which you can't do online. You also biuld up a relationship with them that means they'll often sell you offcuts etc. cheaper.

cheers! very happy with it!

the panels are simply the planks joined with biscuits and glue, everything is made from the planks shown except anything moulded (bottoms of cabinets and the cornice at the top. Oh and some rounded mouldings on the front edge of the shelves - the leds are stuck behind them).

The inserts for the doors was some ply I had hanging around.

The man is right.

For English hardwoods, I stumbled across a couple of ex-policemen who run a forest near to Andover. You will need extensive wood preparation capabilities as it is straight off the tree mill, but very well priced.

http://www.hampshirewoodsuppliers.co.uk/about_us.h...

Softwoods, I just suffer the pain of local generic wood suppliers as my man who I used to buy trees off moved to a forest in Wales some years ago. Could really do with a new contact for decent priced softwood.

I actually drove past NYTimber last night and had a bit of a 'oh they're only down the road' moment. I'll probably use them in the future.

For softwood I use Travis Perkins, simply because I've shoveled so much cash at them over the last 6 years that I get a monster discount. I can usually get enough straight clean stock once I've sorted through the rubbish.

I tend to do home renovationy sort of projects, too much to do to have time usually to spend ,ots of time on extravagant stuff, but here's a few things I've made over the last few years:

This was a birthday present for my Wife, made from the bathroom mirror that she dropped and chipped and off-cuts from a few other projects:



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Four months of solid work to build a pair of these wardrobes. Not entirely sure I'd do them this way again and I've still not filled in the gap (can't put a drawer in because of the bedside cabinet) with a sock dispenser:

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Last year I turned the corner of our bedroom into an office, it's a great use of the space, but I was supposed to do a better desktop and hide the computer and all the wires and add a small set of drawers, but I'm miles off having time for that!



I started this next one back in November, then got side-tracked by a loft conversion, but I'm back on finishing this at the moment as the missus is giving me grief over it. I have glass coming to keep the kids in the top bunk, the insides need paneling finishing (and some cables running for lights) and there's some sort of ladder to build:



I've spun a few off-cuts on the lathe, but not had time to properly fill the house with wooden bowls yet, though I have a load of wood drying somewhere that should come out well in the future. And a list with loads more projects to get through.

Would there be anything wrong with using MDF for my tv unit? I want an oak top on it so that looks nice but the front face with the doors will be painted.

It's for this alcove which is 2675mm wide inside the skirting:



(ignore the council telly box that is not the TV that will be sat on it)

Depends on the design and how many supports you have.

MDF will sag a little bit more than other board materials, but if you keep it well supported, it'll be fine.

I'm with Paul on not really liking MDF. I would prefer Birch ply, but if it's being painted, MDF will be much cheaper.

Like SeeFive I learned a lot watching Norm Abram in the New Yankee Workshop, you can find it on Youtube. The US programmes and magazines are much more fun than the UK ones, I think they're aimed at a younger audience - I did woodworking evening classes when I was in my 30's - the next youngest people were in their late 60's. Woodwork can be quick & easy (like Norm) or the heights of perfection (like Fine Woodworking magazine). Both types are inspirational, it depends how much time you have to get the job done - a 30 minute job using every possible power tool, or hand cut dovetails which take many hours (and if you're like me, quite a few attempts).

I also bought almost everything in the Axminster Power Tool Centre's catalogue . Once you have power tools, you'll find 8 out of 10 jobs are quicker with hand tools - a modern pullsaw, hand planes, decent chisels, most of the time the only power tools I use is a 10.8V drill and a 10" table saw, maybe the circular saw and biscuit jointer (a Norm speciality) and a router although it's been ages since I used one. It's nice knowing I have the planer thicknesser, radial arm saw, a morticing machine and all sorts of other tools, but you can live without. One thing I'd like to spend more time on is sharpening, it's about time I got my waterstones out again.

That bloody catalog. I used to have my salary paid straight to those buggers instead of my bank - just cutting out the middle man. I met Norm many years ago at the Axminster show when they did it in Exeter. He was promoting the (then) new Gorilla glue range. I have stuck by them and Titebond ever since (DYSWIDT?). He is such a meek gentle bloke, I honestly thought he was selling bibles. Came home with a lot of glue, a new cast table bandsaw and a workshop filter, chisels, diamond stones... etc etc. Thank goodness they don’t do that show any more.

Ahhhhh Pete, take me back to O level woodwork. Hand cut dovetails. Lovely pastime. The master at work, no dovetail gauge, no messing, just scribble on wood and cut freehand. I give you Frank Klautz

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lrAAglKLPh8

If you are getting the stones out and you have way too much time on your hands, you may consider doing what a mate of mine did - the David Charlesworth tool tuning course. Basically, take your most expensive and beautiful plane along and spend a week making it work properly. My mate had spent about 450 quid on a block plane which he was incredibly proud of. Charlesworth took one shaving and suggested putting the plane in the bin. At the end of the week, he was using it to take off complete see through end grain shavings. Fascinating, astonishing results but quite a pedantic approach to making fine tools absolutely magical.

I am getting the bug again. Hurry up retirement.

I found when I was starting out that I lacked the time and confidence to learn hand tools. I could spend the time getting the router set up perfectly, making a jig or whatever and get perfect results first time every time. Now I have more time I prefer not to cover the place in dust, ps off the neighbours and work on skill instead.

Although it was forced on me by circumstance, I do think it's a good way to get into it, you still learn about wood, joints etc, but you're not risking making stuff that's a bit st and giving up. And worse case you can just sit in amongst all your power tools with a beer and soak up the atmosphere while watching Norm on Youtube. (You can download the whole lot btw if you get on the torrents)

In that context the most important powertools for me are the ones that let you quickly get wood ready to be jointed, especially as you go on and you have a pile of odd-sized off-cuts to make use of. Sliding Compound Mitre saw for cross cuts, bandsaw for *everything*, planer-thicknesser for quickly squaring up stock.

Beyond that broadly you're looking at tools that let you work quicker, but they won't necessarily give you more enjoyment. I watched a review of a Lamello jointer yesterday, impressive kit, but I don't think I'd be as happy with a piece of furniture I'd made if it was just held together with plastic fixings. You'd make more money doing it for a living though.

My workshop is a former Blacksmith's, it's roughly 5m x 9m, but a double garage is plenty of space if you're organised. It's only really cluttered by on-going projects and I have a car in mine. I'll go get some picture.......