Sick of waiting.

tod evans said:

my advice if you`re dying to start building a shop and have some cash to lay out is to invest in good quality handtools first, this includes a bench.
all of these will fit in either a spare room or part of a garage, you`ll literally be months gathering a quality set of bench tools and building a bench.

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This is the best advice here. Wish when I started out someone gave me advice like this. I started off buying machinery thinking that was how someone became a woodworker. I would suggest you take a week long class in woodworking with hand tools. It will get you pointed in the right direction. You need to learn the basics. If you were here in the Pacific Northwest I would direct you to Port Townsend School of Woodworking or the Northwest Woodworking Studio and their beginning handtool class. If you follow Tod's advice you will become a better woodworker than most and faster.

The Reason I joined FWW forum

This single post and the replies says it all. For all the lurkers out there who have not joined this forum and derived the benefit so obvious in this post now is the time to think of joining.

Where else on the web can you get so much help advise and concern for a new guy but here on the Family Woodworking forum.

I would also second the advice Todd has provided. Listen to the masters they are seldom wrong.

I am a newbie and wished I had found the forum before I bought a single tool. Alas I was self reliant and stubbornly independent, did not do too bad in my choices for tools but would have done a million times better if I had asked the question you have and listened to the response.

I sometimes think woodworking is like flying. The train most pilots on a prop plane or jet trainer before they get to fly a expensive fighter jet.

So too with tools. A good stint with quality hand tools and some training will be worth a ton.

Personally I have chosen to buy the best tool I can afford each time. I also thought about the advent of forced resale of my tools in the event of this ever needing to happen. I did not want to be caught in the upgrade cycle. I do believe that there are real good bargains around for good quality second hand tools. I just recently picked up a oscillating sander for Larry for a song and in good condition. Take the time to look around. Some guys have reached the stage where they are wanting to upgrade and in most cases a hobbyist has not used his tools to the extent that a real woodshop would have so there is plenty of mileage still left on them.

My advice would also be to invest in some books. Both in relation to the shop and in realtion to tools and what you wish to build. Then you will get a fair understanding of where you want to take it.

Take a good look at the shop tours here, there are many guys who have been very creative with space utilization.

I second Glenns suggestion that you might want to join the Fine Woodworking site and examine the info there. They have dealt with the subject of space in garage shops several times. In fact one of the editors and writers had a very small shop of his own before getting to build his dream shop. He is featured in one of the books that Taunton sells re small shops.

http://store.taunton.com/onlinestore/item/small-woodworking-shops-070768.html

Just noticed he is on the cover. I think his name is Mathew...

I have this book and studied it before I built my own shop.

Most important remeber a word of advice my wife gave me the impatient one.

" Its not about the desitination enjoy the ride" Take your time and enjoy each part. When I started doing this I took a great deal of pressure off and found I actually got more done and enjoyed what I did do more. One needs to remember you are not at work and so your productivity is in your own hands.

Best of luck. The above threads are all excellent advice from guys way more experienced than me who have been there and done it and got the results to prove it. They will also go out of their way to help as you can see.

Thanks guys, boy I am proud to be in this family.

Stephen Bellinger said:

Mike not sure where your from but if you are any where near south west TN i have a few bench top tools just sitting in the shop collecting dust.If you want them i'll give them to ya for free.I have a 9" delta band saw,12" planer,Old 4"craftman jointer,craftman benchtop roter table,and i'm sure i could find some other things to help ya out with.
Steve

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Wow Stephen, I wish I did, unfortunately, I'm in Vancouver Washington.

Thanks for the other tips guys, all of it is much appreciated. I've been doing woodworking stuff for better than 15 years, but mostly just dabbled in the actual constructing portion of it. I'm familiar with hand tools for sure, and I have a fair amount of them, I'm just wanting something to help speed along production.

I do have a subscription to FWW, and that is a fantastic source for information. I'll check out the other links you guys have posted. All this advice is way more than I could have possibly hoped for, you guys are the best!