wood work - pocket holes

niko123456 · Post by **niko123456** » Tue Jun 30, 2015 5:48 pm

OK.. so I know nothing about wood work.

But I'd love to be able to knock up a bookcase, for example. Or an outdoor table. Could I do that now? God no. I wouldn't even know how to buy the wood.

And call me naive (I am so naive), but I saw an infomercial for the Join-A-Jig pocket hole system. It looks like even I could do it. Research online suggests there is also the original Kreg K4 pocket hole jig.

Does anyone know anything about this stuff? Could you recommend a pocket hole jig as a way for a novice to get into woodwork and build furniture?

Gumb · Post by **Gumb** » Tue Jun 30, 2015 6:34 pm

I spent a lot of time on the woodwork forums years ago and yes, the pocket hole jigs are easy to use and do the job well. I've still got a lot of my gear, like a good table saw, Triton router (remember those), jointer/thicknesser, drop saw, planer and countless clamps......you can never have too many clamps. I had a Gifkins dovetail jig too but sold it. (Look it up

)

Stevem109r · Post by **Stevem109r** » Tue Jun 30, 2015 7:11 pm

Pocket screws are great.
This is the one I have
http://www.carbatec.com.au/kreg-k4-master-system_c21653

niko123456 · Post by **niko123456** » Tue Jun 30, 2015 9:13 pm

Cool. So $220 seems like the right amount to spend?

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Stevem109r · Post by **Stevem109r** » Tue Jun 30, 2015 10:02 pm

There are smaller and cheaper kits. Just depends on how much work you have for it

niko123456 · Post by **niko123456** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 5:49 pm

Well, not sure.

So I guess I will probably need a few other things to get started. (I basically have nothing already).

Work bench? Mitre saw? Clamps?

Can you think of anything else that will come in handy when knocking up so basic furniture?

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Gumb · Post by **Gumb** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 5:55 pm

Whatever you buy you need to be able to cut true and square. And that ca start getting expensive.....much like a BBQ addiction

chrisg · Post by **chrisg** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 7:06 pm

Welcome to tool addiction

I sort of have, after 40 years or so of denial, what my friends call the toolkit from hell, my wife has a PI shadow me if I go near a hardware store

Seriously though if you want to get into it best thing is decide what it is you are going to build, get a tape measure, might as well get a good one Stanley for my money, measure up where you plan it to go, go get the wood. It used to be find a timber merchant but they are close to extinct. Head to the back of your nearest reason they are endangered, Bunnings, and get it cut to measure.

Now you can plan with the bits and see what you need, however, if you do not even have a bench and a half-decent vice I think that is where to start

I'd say unless you are on a real jag a mitre saw is OTT, but a good handsaw and a mitre box is needed.

I do have an excuse, my family are generations of traddies/builders, I TRY, very hard, to not be part of that industry, but the genetic drag is strong with this one

I can offer an example, just back from a job in my profession, IT. For reasons too complicated to explain there was one piece of very, very expensive kit that was not coming out of a rack to go to a new home, been there a long, long time and some gorilla had crossed up the threads on two of its mounts. Been there, done that, had the necessary in the boot

It's a sickness, but can be productive, I've been thinking for many years of just creating a shelving business, I do so much of it here and at friends places

Cheers

niko123456 · Post by **niko123456** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 8:36 pm

Thanks heaps for that. I read that and took a while to digest it all.

Can definitely see how it can be an addiction. But the tightwad in me had my ears prick up at the cheapness idea of a hand saw and mitrebox. Now you're talking!

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chrisg · Post by **chrisg** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 11:28 am

No problem.

Cheers

JOCKs · Post by **JOCKs** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 5:43 pm

If your gonna spend a considerable amount on a certain "tool" for woodworking. I would strongly suggest a table saw. It can do both rip cuts and cross cuts. You can build sleds to do mitre cuts too.

chrisg · Post by **chrisg** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 5:58 pm

Jocks I'd usually agree but it seems niko has essentially no experience which makes me very un-inclined to want him around a table saw, seen way too many nasty injuries with those not trained in their use.

It was why I said good handsaw and mitre box for starters, much safer, and in involving a bit of exercise sets a pace of if you want to be doing this. Baby steps, and a good handsaw never goes astray anyway.

I actually gave my table saw away a few years back, to a competent guy, Bunnings can do 90+% of that for me, but maybe I just don't want to be doing this and niko does.

Cheers

Gumb · Post by **Gumb** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 7:02 pm

chrisg wrote:

Jocks I'd usually agree but it seems niko has essentially no experience which makes me very un-inclined to want him around a table saw, seen way too many nasty injuries with those not trained in their use.

It was why I said good handsaw and mitre box for starters, much safer, and in involving a bit of exercise sets a pace of if you want to be doing this. Baby steps, and a good handsaw never goes astray anyway.

I actually gave my table saw away a few years back, to a competent guy, Bunnings can do 90+% of that for me, but maybe I just don't want to be doing this and niko does.

Cheers

+1 Sound advice

niko123456 · Post by **niko123456** » Fri Jul 10, 2015 2:14 pm

Good point, I'm not too keen on getting my fingers sliced off!

Tasmaniac65 · Post by **Tasmaniac65** » Fri Jul 10, 2015 10:43 pm

Having built a lot of furniture in my early days of Industrial Arts teaching I have to agree with JOCKs if you are willing to take the time to learn how to use a Table Saw well and safely it will be your best friend in years of woodworking.
The ability to easily and most importantly accurately and cleanly cut any form of end cut i.e. docking, rebates, Tenon shoulders etc is crucial and makes so many construction techniques simple and relatively easy to master but I am reminded often when showing student teachers or similar that it is a tool that takes time to master. I used to spend School holidays on my own in my room at School tweeking my machines to perfection before working on furniture of my own design which was a great time I remember back to longingly now that family means priorities are somewhat different.
The best advice is there is no real shortcut the experience of learning to cut joints with hand tools only is invaluable and will forever allow you pick up a plane, hand saw or chisel and work confidently with it in lots of ways so practice practice practice.
You will find a passion for a particular method of joinery if really interested and then it comes down to space and money as any form of woodworking makes a sh%$load of dust and mess but IMHO a Table Circular Saw (an older model with a very adjustable fence) otherwise a quality Bandsaw that can be tweeked to cut cleanly and accurately, a good Work bench with a vice or two or three. Other tools that are useful are a Dowelling Table or similar much more versatile than Dowelling jigs and easier to use teamed with a few Dowel pins you can join a myriad of pieces. If you can get access to a Jointer or Planer you can then buy Rough Sawn timber in larger sizes and cut your own pieces with matching grain edges and faces... sorry I am rabbiting on as I remember the good old days of my past passion.
Good luck Niko I hope you find your passion, happy to discuss further if you wish
cheers
Coop

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