I don’t have the space or funds for investment in power tools to be practical. I love working with wood, had a job making D&D and TTRPG wooden accessories out of college, now I’m wanting to get back into the hobby and really learn joinery, etc.

Previously, I did lots of machine work, usually with machine planers, jointers, table saws, etc. As these aren’t feasible for me right now, and I want to learn to work with my hands, I don’t think these skills translate super well to woodworking with hand tools.

The books that I’ve found so far are DK’s Woodworking: The Complete Step-By-Step Manual and Everyday Woodworking by Rex Kreuger. I think the former is the better book of the two, while Kreuger’s book seems to be full of kind of weird projects, not sure if it’s worth pursuing. Any books that are better? Pretty impressed by the step-by-step manual as I’ve reviewed it.

I’ve found local resale, both online and in-person, have been helpful for finding cheap hand tools. I’ve found a bench plane and a jointer plane for like NOTHING that are in pretty good condition. Trying to find a good, cheap tool for sharpening tools. I don’t have a work bench, would like to build it myself eventually, but want to practice the basics first. Any tips for learning hand woodworking? Just joined Beehaw and so far loving these communities. Hope to hear from anyone with more knowlege than me! Also, I’ve been thinking of joining a woodworking guild. Would that be worth it? My local is like 25 dollars a year.

  • loopy@lemmy.today
    1·
    5 days ago

    Rex Krueger, Paul Sellers, and Wood by Wright are all great free options online. My favorite people to follow and I wish I had learned about them sooner are Joshua and Mike with Mortise and Tenon Magazine.

    The M&T guys approach woodworking from a more traditional angle, as opposed to starting modern and working backwards. I really enjoy their mix of philosophy references and practicing traditions for crafting by learning from the past.

    They have some free YouTube videos that are pretty great; Maybe you could watch those and get a feel for what their style is. If their approach is something that resonates with you, the books Worked and Joined are essentially beginners manuals for traditional hand tool woodworking, in the photos are very helpful. They also have other books and magazine authors that specialize in things such as wood carving, green wood, working, and furniture making. They discussed even Native American woodworking with very basic tools, as well as the French group Carpenters Without Borders that only use axes.

    Please let me know if I can help direct you in any other way. I absolutely love that I found hand to woodworking as a craft. It is a lifelong endeavor and so rewarding. The struggles are challenging, but make everything very worthwhile. I honestly feel more grounded and more human, making things with hand tools.