By Joshua Farnsworth
Welcome to my beginner’s guide for getting started in traditional woodworking! Traditional woodworking with hand tools is my great passion and the passion of millions of people around the world. However, it can be very confusing trying to learn traditional woodworking if you don’t have the right resources. So I’ve worked hard to create the most simple and understandable resource on traditional woodworking to help people just like you.
What is a Traditional Woodworker?
So what is the definition of a traditional woodworker? Is it someone who builds furniture only by candle light and scoffs at the use of modern power woodworking tools? To me, traditional woodworking is about using traditional joinery, finishes, and methods to create beautiful and quality furniture that will last many lifetimes. Yes, here at Wood And Shop we focus mostly on using woodworking hand tools, but in my opinion, quality traditional style furniture can also be built using woodworking power tools. I personally love using woodworking hand tools, but I incorporate a mixture of woodworking hand tools and woodworking power tools to balance personal enjoyment with productivity. But whichever balance you decide to strike between power tools and hand tools, I strongly encourage you to learn the fundamentals of hand tool woodworking so that you can better understand traditional furniture making. And you’ll also discover that some woodworking tasks are actually faster with woodworking hand tools!
Below you’ll find and index with summaries that will help you navigate through each of my 10 steps pages. Enjoy!
STEP 1: Understand & Buy the Right Hand Tools
Learn which traditional woodworking hand tools you need to get started, including workbenches, hand planes, hand saws, chisels, and marking gauges.
STEP 2: Setup Your Workshop & Tool Storage
Learn how to setup a small, quiet, & clean traditional woodworking shop, even in small spaces like an apartment loft, a basement, or even in a garage or shed.
STEP 3: Learn how to Sharpen, Tune, & Refurbish Tools
Learn how to setup and sharpen your own new and used woodworking hand tools, and discover the joy of bringing quaity vintage tools back to full use.
STEP 4: Learn how to Use Woodworking Hand Tools
Learn how to actually use different traditional woodworking hand tools, including tools like a dovetail saw, a spoke shave, a jack plane, or a compass & square.
STEP 5: Learn how to Design Woodworking Projects
Learn how to design woodworking projects in different ways, including sketching, using traditional furniture ratios, and even free woodworking design software.
STEP 6: Learn how to Choose Stable, Strong, & Beautiful Wood
Learn all about wood, including which types of wood to use for furniture, how to select stable wood from the lumber yard, and even how to get wood from logs.
STEP 7: Learn how to Square & Flatten Rough Boards
Learn how to turn rough lumber into square, flat, smooth, dimensioned boards using only traditional hand saws, hand planes, & marking and measuring tools.
STEP 8: Joinery: Learn how to Layout & Cut Joints
Learn how to join your freshly dimensioned pieces of wood together using traditional layout & marking methods combined with strong and beautiful wood joints.
STEP 9: Learn how to Assemble, Fasten, & Glue-up
Learn how to properly assemble & fasten your joinery together using different methods including traditional animal hide glue, clamping, and traditional cut nails.
STEP 10: Learn how to Traditionally Finish the Wood
Learn how to bring out the beauty of your finished wood projects using traditional furniture finishes including shelac, linseed oils, varnishes, and waxes.
Shortcut to 10 steps:
- Step 1: Buy the Right Woodworking Hand Tools
- Step 2: Setup Your Workshop & Tool Storage
- Step 3: Learn how to Tune, Refurbish, & Sharpen Tools
- Step 4: Learn how to Use Woodworking Hand Tools
- Step 5: Learn how to Design Woodworking Projects
- Step 6: Learn how to Choose Stable, Strong, & Beautiful Wood
- Step 7: Learn how to Square & Flatten Rough Boards
- Step 8: Joinery: Learn how to Layout & Cut Joints
- Step 9: Learn how to Assemble, Fasten, & Glue-up
- Step 10: Learn how to Traditionally Finish the Wood
I appreciate all the content you provide. It is helpful for a person like me who is new to woodworking and trying to navigate the craft. I would be very interested in the bow saw video, a black shirt (size L) and damstom panel clamps. Nashville, TN
Just surfing through. I really like this site, subscribed and look forward to sharing beginner woodworking information and ideas where as volunteer, I teach woodworking at “SHAREING MEADOWS FOUNDATION” an organization for adults who can’t function in mainstream society. My new found friends are a real joy, so many talents within these people just waiting to be let out and used..
Joshua, FYI: your hand tool link goes to the power tool guide and vice versa. I do websites too so I know how easy that error creeps in. Great site!
Yeah, I noticed it too. The link was correct, but there was some temporary WordPress glitch that I couldn’t figure out. It resolved itself somehow!
I try to subscribe to your newsletter, but it doesn’t accept my name. It says incorrect value in the Name field. I tried using different combinations of my name, with no success.
So sorry Rick! Which page were you trying to subscribe on?
Hi, I am from Malaysia and I am hoping to start a woodworking business in my country. Hope to hear from you
Good luck!