This video is an overview of the tools and supplies you’ll need to begin a woodworking hobby.
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49 Comments
Steve, you along with Stumpy Nubs and Paul Sellers ( I am a hybrid woodworker) are the only channels I subscribe to. If you watch too many channels you get so much conflicting advice. You are straight to the point and practical. Just started using a table saw, after watching all your relevant videos ( especially the safety ones), as I am working on a top bar beehive project. It was a revelation on cutting wood after managing with a circular saw for so many years. Thanks for all your output, best wishes and Merry Christmas from England.
Would you consider a video on shopping for used tools? What are good things to look out for, deal breakers, etc?
I've been watching marketplace for a table saw (which I've never had before) but a lot of the ones I see are either exuberantly expensive, or I look up reviews and they're overwhelmingly negative (things like the rip fence is cheap and doesn't hold well) and I'm not sure when things like that can be swapped out for something better, or if the saw itself is the weak point. In relation to the saw, how do I know if a saw can handle dado blades? I saw the table saw video you made and would like to be able to use them, but am unsure of the limitations to being able to use them.
Thanks for your time if you can answer, and thanks for all the awesome videos!
Nailed it. Thanks, Steve.
An excellent video as always. Very informative, keep up the good work.
My table saw gets delivered today! I’m so excited. Of course, now I need to go shower the six inches of snow off my long driveway so it can get delivered. And annoyed it’s winter and my garage isn’t heated so I can’t really use it for a while.
My miter saw was a huge game changer, so I’m really looking forward to my new one!
Steve thanks for posting video's like these. I have been in the construction field for many years and like doing some woodworking from time to time. However my woodworking knowledge is lame. People may find it hard to believe that someone could build a house yet screw up a table. Your last video was a learning experience for me in tabletop mounting, the clips you used. I learn something from every video you post and want to say thanks.
I started watching your videos from my apartment a few years ago. At that time I was making small projects with my Dremel, random orbit sander, and hacksaw. Now that I own a house and a used table saw, I have made your push block and stick, feather board, cross-cut sled, miter sled, and jointing jig. Then I absorbed some of the methods you use in your videos, and I made myself a very tall work bench out of free lumber from the deck I tore down, and I plan to make your BMW as soon as I can!
Thank you for all of your videos! I'm pretty sure I've seen them all!
Love your channel and in fact it really rekindled the hobby for me.
I know that hand tool woodworking can be a very deep dive which there are plenty of videos for. With that being said I think very rudimentry coverage of paring with a chisel, how to break an edge using a hand plane, and how to use a hand saw properly in a machine tool woodshop can be super useful, safer, and time saving in some scenarios. I wish I knew those things much sooner.
Thanks for all you do
Good advice!
I will comment on the battery situation –
At home n my shop, I have all DeWalt cordless tools. Partly because my wife spent almost 18 years working for them, so our house bleeds yellow.
At our race shop (yes, we have race cars, it's a different channel) it is a hodge-podge mix of whatever was on sale at Harbor Freight (We use Harbor Freight with the race team because when they get stolen at the race track we don't really cry too much). None of those drills match, none of them use the same battery. It is a constant point of anger and frustration over batteries because you MUST have the one battery that goes with that drill and it's always dead when you reach for it. So in my opinion, while not an "end all – be all", having all matching batteries is much more than a marketing talking point. Looking back on it, I'm glad my home shop is all yellow and all my batteries work in every cordless tool I own.
As a field electrician, having one battery platform is very beneficial. In my garage I have 4 different platforms I use, no big deal there.
Very very good information and straight to the point. I always look forward to a WWMM video. I miss the lockdown series where a video came out every day, I know it wasn't sustainable but I sure looked forward to those every day during that time so Thank You for that.
Spot on re. batteries. If you're burning through batteries on a job site where time is money it makes sense to have multiple interchangeable batteries, but at home it's not a huge issue
Unless you're getting all that 8 foot lumber precut at the store, a miter saw is definitely not a "borderline" tool.
Another plus for the miter saw is that it is very useful for home improvement projects beyond woodworking. A relatively inexpensive miter saw will function for 95% of most uses.
Guys & gals is you're new to woodworking and drowning with info and videos, this channel is one of those you can actually trust
Where to buy good hard woods the internet? There is no local places where I live.
I definitely agree with your point on all matching batteries, but even better is when theres adapters available that let you use all the same batteries with different brand tools anyway
What and how did you do that to your drill and impact driver?!
I have found that pocket holes are fantastic for getting people into woodworking. They are so easy to join pieces together with and if you do it right, the holes will be hidden and they will most likely always be your go to for face frames no matter how experienced you are. My first project was my oak desk, its 45 1/4 by 19 1/2 and it has a hutch and a cubby for my pc tower. Looking back, a table saw, miter saw, a drill and pocket holes is all i needed to make this. Just 4 tools and you can make some amazing stuff.
I already knew most of this, but I love how all the information is assembled. This is a very well made video about learning what you need to get going. Thanks for everything you do Steve.
@2:24 There are adapters for using one battery with a different vendor. And while it's not a HUGE deal, it can get more expensive if you need spare batteries. This is where having one vendor helps. There's nothing worse than having just one battery and you forgot to charge it or you run out of juice. And work comes to a standstill until it recharges. Doesn't happen all the time, but it can be frustrating for sure.
Thank you. Your videos really help me.
I've found that for tools that stay in my garage/shop, going with a corded model is usually fine. They are often cheaper and more powerful, too. I have plenty of outlets and an extension cord with 3 receptacles on a reel. So unless it's something that I need to be mobile with, why pay extra for cordless? This is especially true if you are using a dust collection hose with it. If you are going to be tethered by the hose, what difference is a cord going to make? Of course, everyone's use cases vary, so use your own judgement.
This guy says pretty much exactly what my professional cabinet maker dad would tell me as I learned some woodworking back in the 60s and 70s. Love watching his videos. Just reminds me of dad rip.
Steve, it is really refreshing to watch a woodworking video that is not trying to sell a particular brand or type of tool. Thanks
Which one of your courses do you recommend if I am a new woodworker? I am not very good at anything other than the most basic projects, and sometimes struggle with some of those.
Show de bola meu amigo parabéns pelo seu trabalho 💯💯💯
HaHa, I've bought all these tools and accessories and haven't had the time to build or create anything. A lot of my big purchases I've bought 2nd or 3rd hand like the drill press, scroll saw, miter saw, and table saw. all much cheaper and work perfectly fine. hoping to actually make some boxes this weekend? thanks for the videos..
I really enjoyed the rain in the background. It was soothing.
Steve, thank you, another great video.I really appreciate your common sense approach.
the "having all matching batteries" point is usually great, not because having more brands of batteries is bad, but because as soon as you have like 3-5 batteries from a brand, you can just buy the tools without batteries and save some money.
i agree, its not terribly important, but i stuck with one brand, just because i never use up my batteries, and 3 are enough for everything i do. so i just buy tools solo and 'save' 40-60 bucks on every new tool purchase form that brand.
Site giving 404 error for the aforementioned tool list
what about a scroll saw?
Ryobi: Taste the rainbow! J/K! I agree with everything you are saying, especially about yard sale! It's shocking just how many people practically give this stuff away when a loved one passes.
All your videos need rain in the background lol
I’m loving all your tips. I’m new to woodworking & your videos have helped me safely learn to use my table saw & I’m making some jigs & sleds to make it all even more enjoyable. Thank you for all your great content
The only 2¢ I have to add is, regarding the battery thing, that everyone should stop and take a second to consider if having a cordless drill and impact driver is REALLY that necessary compared to a corded one. Yeah, if you're going to a construction site where you may not have ample power than sure, but if it's in your own little shop? Everything else (circ saw, random orbit sander, jigsaw) has a plug, just get corded of whatever brand matches your undies best and enjoy how much more power a corded drill has. And it's always ready. Maybe 1/1000 times the plug will make it hard to fit somewhere, but probably 1/20 times you reach for a battery one and it has no juice or dies on you halfway through.
Can't say corded is nec. cheaper anymore though.
Love it especially the shop vac on saw dust while in the background you had a light dusting on the floor lol, spot on fantastic video like how you keep it real 👍
Stripping off all negative meanings, and leaving it naked in its original intention as "opinion leader", the word "influencer" defines someone who built trust on s matter over a population group.
The net tends to mislead us faking quantity over quality as a measurement unit on "influencerness", so the level of promotion on search engines never reflects the real value of a channel or creator.
That's how I tried to humbly explain why (again IMHO) creators as Steve Ramsey need more implication from us who really appreciate the real value of his channel and should support him in the way, means and quantities available to each of us.
I can't emphasize enough how all of this is honestly explained in the first minutes of this video. It's so honest that shows how fragile, rare, valuous, and worthy, all at the same time, it really is.
Steve, thank you so much, sincerely, and please: keep it UP!
If i were to start over again, id get a track saw. Even at the low end you should break even with a good job site saw. Its a different way to do things than when i learned but i think its advantages for a new woodworker are many. Its accurate for cutting parts to size, smaller to store, and much less intimidating than a table saw.
That said, the best advice i got was purchase tools as you need them for what you're working on. Don't buy cheap/low quality tools. As your skills grow, add the bigger purchases. Also, sometimes you have to trade money for time (buy instead of build).
One thing I never see mentioned when buying gear is to shop pawn shops. They usually always have tools, and their prices are usually negotiable, especially if you're buying multiple items at once.
Loves hearing the pitter patter of the rain 🌧 on this one Steve. "We need it" as all the Californians say 🤣💕👍
My husband (Mike) is always mentioning you after watching your videos. He showed me this video to justify the tools he has purchased for the beginner. Thank you, he now stays in the garage all the time, and out of my hair! 🤪. He really enjoys your down to earth videos.
A tip on spending money on quality, spend money on the tool which does the job you like the least. I used to hate sanding. Then I decided to buy a good sander and now it's not that bad.
It's fast, light, and doesn't make my hands go numb. If you really have to know it's a Mirka, but I'd bet you find other brand quality tools if you wish.
We bought a large Craftsman air compressor when we moved into our house to blow out our inground sprinkler system in the fall that has 26 zones when we learned how much sprinkler companies charged. It paid for itself and saved us hundreds of dollars over the years and served as a reason for me to buy a brad nailer and a pin nailer. I also fix flat tires on our five family cars.
Love your videos Steve! They helped me get back into woodworking 3 years ago and I've learned a lot from them. This video was spot on and straight and to the point, no BS. You're correct that you should buy the tools if you need them for a project. It's very easy to buy a bunch of tools that you genuinely don't need. GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) is very real.
What are you thoughts on real compressed air nailers vs the battery electric air nailers? I have a Ryobi 18ga pin nailer and really want a 23ga pinner and a 18ga stapler might be nice. But I go back and forth about whether to go air or electric air. Most manufacturers have a ~$300ish 5-6gal compressor + 2-3 tool bundle and I'd probably spend about that to add an electric 23ga pin nailer and 18ga stapler. In theory air opens up other tool possibilities but the small 5-6 gal compressors are not well suited for tools like HVLP sprayers, air driven sanders and so on. So aside from 2-3 nailers and a blow gun/tire inflator what does air really add? Thanks!
Thanks for taking the time Steve to show you don't need all the expensive toys to begin woodworking. So many make it seem you need the big tools to make things, you however show the truth. Passion and creativity make the woodworking, tools help.