Getting Started: from WoodCentral
“I finally bought a home where I have a little bit of room to work in a garage. I have made a few very crude projects and decided that I want to do some more woodworking. I am on a very limited budget and I have nothing save a few very crude hand tools. What would be the best piece of equipment for me to buy to get started in this?” – Jonathan
How many times have you heard that question? Still, it is one worthy of a good and thoughtful answer, and the Internet provided a wealth of suggestions, some conflicting. – Editor
“For home repair and improvement, I'd list drills and a miter saw at the top of the list. For cabinetmaking, I'd put a decent table saw at the top.” – Lee
“A good used table saw.” – Bill
“It depends on what you wish to do, but I would put a table saw at the top of the list. You'd be amazed what you can build with that and some screws.” – Nat
“I agree with table saw for sure. Then let your projects tell you what you need. But think things through and read all you can about woodworking. One of my first projects had raised panel doors. I told my wife I needed a router, but did not know I could have cut the raised panels on a table saw, which I had. The router has come in handy.” – Dale
“My table saw is the most versatile piece of equipment I own or have ever used. The second most important tool is a good combination square. All that said, I started out in the Iraqi ‘No-fly’ Zone with a pocket knife, hacksaw blade and packing crates. Turned out some good stuff, too, although rather crude.” – Steve
“You should be able to build almost anything with a table saw and a router. I hope you already have a drill, a jigsaw and a hammer.” – Serge
Clearly, most agreed on a table saw, but these last two entries offered a different slant on things. – Editor
“Go over to the hand tools side and ask the same question. You will be amazed what you can do with a good Stanley No. 5 jack plane and a Disston crosscut saw, properly tuned up.” – Roy
“Just as a thought, there is a group that promotes woodworking in poor countries. They promote a two-tool shop. A table with a portable circular saw turned upside down under it making it a table saw, and a router mounted in the same table. Literally a $500 shop. A lot of fine woodworking could be done with that setup.” – Barry
Drawer Sides: from WoodCentral
This thread started out with a question about the appropriateness of ash for drawer sides, then took a quick detour into the subject of finish on drawer interiors before returning to wood choice. – Editor
“Is ash a good wood to use for drawer sides and back? I usually use soft maple, but
Rockler in Mesquite [Texas] has ash on sale.” – Tom
“I used it for all the drawer sides in my kitchen about six years ago. I thought it smelled horrible when milling it, but other than that, it worked out well.” – Joe
“Ash is fine for this, but I would recommend spraying some kind of sealer on it to plug up the pores and keep the wood from getting dirty-looking over time.” – Ellis
Once the subject of sealer was raised, that led to questions about which finish to use as sealer. – Editor
“Would polyurethane work?” – Tom
“I used polyurethane on a desk that I made for my son 25 years ago. I can still catch a slight odor when a drawer is opened. I only use shellac for drawers now.” – Dick
“Try SealCoat shellac.” – Dave
Soon, the thread returned to the topic of the drawer wood itself. – Editor
“I use poplar, but poplar is inexpensive for me. If the ash is cheap, go for it.
I personally don't like using any larger pored wood for interior drawer sides. I never feel that I've completed filled or packed the pores, but that is my personal preference.” – JL
“If the drawer rides on wooden runners and drawer divider, as in period furniture, it makes better sense to use a soft wood for the drawer side and a hard wood for the runner. The idea here is that it is easier to fix a worn drawer side (plane it square and glue on a strip to replace the worn part) than it is to fix the worn parts the drawer rides on. But, if the drawer is mounted on metal slides, then it matters not what the drawer is made of. Ash looks very nice in this application. Strangely, there is little demand for it so it is a very cheap hardwood now. Years ago it tracked the price of cherry.” – Bill