How to get into woodworking during self isolation

Chances are you’re stuck at home right now, and you could use a new hobby. Maybe you’re trying to learn a new language. Maybe you’re getting into new kinds of personal fitness. Maybe you’re finally clearing out that backlog of unfinished video games.

Or maybe you’re like me and have small children at home, so you’re ignoring all of that stuff to watch Frozen II again.

But even kids eventually go to sleep (usually), and you can only watch Tiger King so many times. If you need something else to occupy your brain during quarantine, I’d like to suggest one of my favorite pastimes. Now is actually a great time to pick up woodworking!

Wait, why would anybody want to start woodworking? Why on Earth is that fun?

If you’d like to become more handy in general, woodworking is a great way to gain the basic skills and confidence needed to tackle all sorts of repair jobs. If you can teach yourself how to build a small bookshelf or table without cutting off your arms, you’ll be a lot more confident in your ability to tackle another project. Now you have an excuse to learn how to use the tools gathering dust in your garage!

Another fun side effect of getting into this stuff? You’ll be able to say stuff like “rip cuts” and “cross cuts” and “joinery,” asserting your dominance over other neighborhood dads. Sure, they may have nicer cars, and their kids are apparently all on the honor roll at St. Expensive’s Academy, but do they know how to rip some plywood and cross cut some hardwood? Huh, DARRYL?

For me, learning to build stuff also engaged a new part of my brain. If you’re like me, and you write or do spreadsheets or push paper for a living, there’s a good chance that nothing you create will last more than a few weeks. But that side table I built for my office — even with its dings, weird grain patterns and a screw that I couldn’t hide completely — will last for decades. I can step out of my garage after a few hours, covered in sawdust, and create something. For me, that’s immensely satisfying.

Plus, power tools are loud and fun!

Yeah, but I watched an episode of This Old House once and that guy has a gazillion tools. Don’t I need to spend thousands of dollars to actually make anything useful?

Listen, I love Bob Vila too. But you don’t need to own every single tool in order to have fun woodworking or to build interesting stuff. You really only need a few tools to get started, and you might even have some of them already.

As far as power tools go, for the absolute beginner, here’s what I’d recommend:

A power drill *and* an impact driver. Even apartment dwellers would probably benefit from a drill, which makes basic tasks like hanging pictures or assembling furniture much easier. You CAN get by with just a drill, but I really recommend springing for a separate impact driver and using the drill just for making holes. That way, you don’t have to fuss with changing bits as often (which means you’ll be less likely to lose them). And the extra power from the impact driver can make driving screws cleanly and quickly a little easier.

You can find a brand new set for around $100 bucks at most hardware stores, but you can find them used for much cheaper.

power drill go brrrrrr

A circular saw. This is about the cheapest saw you can get that will break down just about any kind of board. Nothing else breaks down large sheet goods, like plywood, as easily, making circular saws handy for household DIY-type projects. And if you don’t need boards to be exact, a circular saw is still very effective at making crosscuts (cutting boards vertically), though it can be cumbersome if you’re trying to “rip” boards (cutting them horizontally to make them more narrow) or do any sort of precise cut. I’ve built garden beds and rough shop furniture using nothing but my circular saw, but more often I use it for household projects.

You can find a circular saw new for $40, and for under $20 used.

A miter saw. Miter saws are used for cross cuts, or cutting boards vertically. They’re super easy to use, very safe, fairly precise and a great first tool for anybody new to woodworking. All you have to do is pull the saw down to the board where you want to make a cut, and a second or two later: boom, you have two boards and some sawdust. You can do some fancy joint work with these if you’re really patient, but even at a basic level, this may be the only saw you need to build your first workbench and other projects that rely on using dimensional lumber from a big box store.

You can get new miter saws for under $100, but I’d personally recommend you spring for at least a 10’’ blade, and those usually go for around $130 new.

A note about table saws: Most woodworking enthusiasts will tell you that the most important tool in the shop is the table saw, and that’s true. It is by far the best tool for making horizontal cuts, and just about any kind of joint that doesn’t involve a screw. But it’s also a more intimidating tool, and a little more expensive. If you play with the other tools and decide you really want to get into woodworking, a table saw is a must-purchase, but I don’t think it’s required for a newbie. My advice is the same for other useful tools, like routers, jigsaws, belt sanders, planers, jointers and more.

There are a few other things you’ll probably need that aren’t power tools, like wood glue, screws, clamps and sandpaper, but none of that is expensive or takes up much space. And it’s all stuff you might want to just own, anyway.

But I don’t have a garage, or space to store all these tools. Can I still build stuff with wood?

If you have electricity and a yard or common space, all of the tools I mentioned are very light and can be easily used outside (although you should probably double check with your landlord). You can also build all sorts of things with hand tools instead of power tools. Hand saws, chisels and planers can do a lot of the same stuff as electrical saws, and usually at an even more precise level. They just require more time and patience.

Personally, I think hand tools are more dangerous than power tools. I’ve never been injured in any way from any of my power tools, but I do have a big ‘ol scar on my left thumb from when a chisel skipped over a knot in a spoon I was making and plunged directly into my finger.

If your workpiece is properly secured, and you’re paying attention, you’ll probably be fine. But power tools make a lot of noise and force every cell in your body to give them proper respect. It’s a little easier to get lulled into a false sense of security with hand tools.

Personally, I use power tools for most of what I build, but I’m also a dumb caveman sports blogger. If you want to channel your inner Ron Swanson and learn to cut dovetails, live your best life. Your furniture will probably look better than mine.

I’m stuck in my house, how am I actually supposed to learn how to use any of this?

Youtube University is your friend. Just about every power tool has videos explaining how to unbox, assemble and safely operate it, and DIY Youtube is full of helpful explainers. When I was first getting started, I really enjoyed the Woodworking For Mere Mortals channel, but there are loads of other good ones, like Wood Work Web and This Old House. Even stuff directly from your tool manufacturer can be great. A quick search for “how to build X” is often really instructive.

Figure out what you’d like to build, find some plans online (there are loads of free ones), and give a basic project a shot! You’ll be surprised by what you can create.

Here’s some stuff I’ve built!

The coffee table and the two bookshelves were things I made. The plants and all the books? I didn’t make those.

Am I ready to quit the internet factory and pivot to carpentry? Absolutely not! Everything I make has tons of flaws, and I’m still a beginner myself. But is this a fun hobby that forces me to stay off Twitter, think differently and help keep my house properly outfitted? Sure!

And hey, if I have the power tools running, I can’t hear Frozen II again. These days, that’s a pretty big plus.

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