So im looking to get back in the space and I just wanted to ask fellow woodworkers if you have any ideas on a project suitable for a complete beginner. Perhaps something which you made yourself when you began woodworking
I dont really mind what I make. I kind of just want to increase my confidence with woodworking and I think actually making something as oppose to just practicing joints would help me do that
If you guys have projects with instructions/video of how to make it (i dont know if that would be needed?), please let me know guys. Preferably a useful household item like a bedside table/stool etc.
It depends how much space you have and what sort of direction you want to go in.
If you have space at home and want to do some woodworking there too:
-Small tool box (Japanese toolboxes are fun and can be as simple or complex as you like, joinery wise, or make a traditional English one to practice different techniques)
-Saw horses - great in lieu of a workbench
If you’re strictly a space woodworker:
-Small boxes (you can go buck wild with this - do you have stuff in your house? Is it in a small box? If not, it could be!)
-Practice joints in softwood and hardwood
-Sofa arm rest coasters (I did a couple of these a long time ago)
-Small coasters
-Desk tidy
Etx
More generally there are lots of woodwork resources for this kind of thing. Paul Sellers is a good starting point (lots of free and paid courses on his YouTube channel and website) or the book Good Clean Fun by Nick Offerman has a load of projects in it, but they tend to be more for machine tools.
I dont really have much space (or the tools) at home so would have to be at the centre.
Regarding what to make. Taking into consideration the little experience I have, I am interested in making something easy which comes with instructions. I may have a look at that book you suggested. Thanks
I have also seen on Youtube a couple Paul Seller tutorial videos and other tutorials of how to build specifically small things like a cabinet, tiny boxes etc. These should be fairly easy to follow and recreate… i hope lol
If you’re just getting into hand tools then I also strongly reccomend you get hold of anything by Chris Schwartz, particularly The Anarchist’s Toolchest, The Anarchist’s Workbench, and the Anarchist’s Design Book. The Workbench book is available free as a PDF. He’s the most sensible hand tool writer there is I think.
come in for a couple evenings and use the hand saw/chisels/hand planes to make straight lines/small rebates/flat boards, and get forcefully educated by Joe. YouTube videos are good too, but ignore when they try to sell you tools. If you want to actually build a good foundation for woodworking, know how to use those 3 tools, plus a ruler, marking knife, and square. Learn to sharpen chisels/planes as well.
From there, each project I did I set out to focus on one or two skills, building on what I’d learned previously:
next I made a desktop using pre-planed wood. This one was more about tweaking flatness, doing glue-ups, getting comfortable with a project.
laptop stand for hand joinery
small table for hand joinery and mortise and tenons
bookshelf for the squaring of boards, accuracy, and router work with templates
In short, if you’re having trouble thinking of a project to do, just come in and try to make some boards flat. The important part is to understand what the tools can do, and if you’re a complete beginner, it can be overwhelming to know what is reasonable at your skill level and make a project come together. I know it can seem boring to just come in and make a joint, but especially starting out, but I can’t stress enough how satisfying it is to go “I’m going to cut a straight line”, then actually do it.