Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Woodworking). This thread is read-only.
Hey guys I’ve been really really wanting to get into & learn wood working …like tables, cabinets, that kind of stuff. I have the majority of the tools, Craig jigs, nice work benches, clamps, table saw, etc. I’m just not sure what is the best kind/type of wood I should be buying to learn to make things like a coffee table or end table.
I am really into the reconditioned wood look but I figured normal wood would be better to learn with… I also really want to learn how to build a tabletop with multiple strands. I see guys pocket hole & glue or wood dowel etc. just trying to get advice to get started
Here is some I saw I liked and want to learn eventually:
[External image (mocphat.vn), not copied]
That is a cool looking table. My first table I did was a mission style table with oak. I would just jump in and built with whatever wood you really want the final piece to be. Just have some scrap around because if you are nervous about a pocket hole or another aspect of the building process, just practice on some scrap. I would just take your time and have fun with it.
The one thing I learned with reconditioned wood is understand what finish you want before hand. I built a Mantle, shelves and more for my house. I took a ton of time building everything. I used old cedar because I loved the way it looked when it was weathered, it has a cool looking gray. However I never thought ahead of time that I would need to finish it because people would set drinks etc on it. When I went to finish it, it was a real pain because it made the wood dark and took away the gray look. I finally found a guy by me who could seal it with a certain chemical and didn’t take took much of the gray away.
Other than that, have some fun.
A low cost hardwood available in your area is probably the way to go. Oak is common in my area. Poplar is another common one. You could even use framing lumber except it might take more machining and would be much softer.
How about mahogany?
When my husband learned to work with wood, he took maple and poplar. From these types of wood, we got bookshelves, benches under our feet. All these products are intact and fulfill their function. Now my husband works a lot with oak, and sometimes with rare tree species. At his leisure, he makes furniture to order. No clients have complained yet.
Pine & cedar are some of the best woods you can buy to get started with your wood work.
It’s best to buy the least expensive and easy to work with woods , like soft maple, poplar, pine and fir. I used to work with soft maple when I was a beginner.
Keep an eye on FB Marketplace. I regularly pick up free hardwood cutoffs and lumber useful for repurpose builds. You’d be surprised what woodworkers consider “cutoffs”. I can easily pick up 100’s of dollars worth of usable hardwood from one person.
if anyone iss beginning woodworking and expecting to make mistakes, best is to choose some of the least expensive woods, like soft maple, poplar, pine and fir. and select wood identified above that is easy to work with and won’t wear down your tools quickly.