UKC

looking at setting up wood working workshop - just in the garden shed, but will have power. 

wondering any general advice on tools to have, starter guides, general tips etc.

at the moment thinking of small pillar drill for 90 degree holes, vice, tenon saw, selection of chisels. a way of cutting wider pieces at 90 degrees would be great.

projects to include indoor bench, shelving units and the like.

cheers!

Get yourself a decent router-the most versatile woodwork machine ever made.

A mitre saw has lots of uses. I can recommend this one from Screwfix:

EVOLUTION R210SMS 210MM ELECTRIC SINGLE-BEVEL SLIDING MULTI MATERIAL SLIDING MITRE SAW 220-240V

A power orbital sander is good and quite cheap. 
G cramps and sash cramps also worth having. The cheap ones work ok I find.

For the not very fine woodwork I do a compound mitre saw is probably my most used and abused tool. Mine is a cheepie actually bought to make a stainless steel engine manifold, that definitely counts as abuse but a decade on it still gets very regular DIY use and with care, can be pretty accurate.

A router is very useful as mentioned... with it a decent vac and ear defenders! For most work a smaller 1/4" unit is probably the better bet, generally more user friendly and easier to use.

An oscillating multi-tool is stupidly useful despite seeming like a tool looking for a job it is anything but, capable of fine work when used carefully or hacking out chunks with the motor smoking which you'd never get into to with anything else. I re-built my beloved old Bosch 3 times before the motor eventually melted down terminally.

jk

I've got a pretty good table saw but end up using my cordless Makita track saw for a lot of stuff these days. The cut quality is awesome.

I think a lot depends on your source of timber. Will it be planned or rough cut, or maybe you'll have some wood milled yourself at a local mill.

If your getting rough cut wood you'll need a plane of some sort, and maybe a spokeshave. Handheld power planers can be useful, and if you have plenty of space and cash then planer thicknessers save a lot of work. 

Also, the tools I own that a really useful are usually the measuring ones. A good steel rule, set square and adjustable bezel (for marking dovetails and other angles). 

a good circular saw is also very useful if you don't have the space for a table saw. 

I'll go against the grain (pun intended) here slightly.

If your just starting out and doing small projects tables, shelves etc then hand tools are all you need. Power tools just make the cock-ups much faster and bigger, also makes climbing much harder with fingers missing.

Save the power tools for later unless you need to make stuff quickly. You'll work out what is required soon enough.

Except a good battery drill and sander.

Pillar dill could be useful, but I haven't used one on woodwork since college days (I'm now 50) and fitted out/lived on a couple big old wooden trawlers plus numerous projects at houses we've been in.

Tape measure

Speed square

Sharp pencil

Japanese pull saws are awesome

A good hand plane

Decent chisels (make sure you check out the youtube tutorials on how to sharpen them you don't need any special kit just a decent oil stone, diamond stone or scary sharp if your feeling flush)

Many people fail on the sharpening of chisels and planes and go for the power tool option too quickly. 

 Quality drill bits and Countersink bits

Screwdrivers

Clamps, lots and lots of clamps

A mallet or hammer but don't be tempted to bash things together rather than make them fit nicely

Most of the above can be picked up second hand for a fraction of new price (I've just sold a timber framing slick for a third of the new price and still made a small profit)

Good point, however that does involve a level of skill that probably died out, as far as the general population are concerned, about 40 years ago.

I second your comments re: decent measuring tools. However, unless the OP is looking at this as learning to be a craftsman, rather than getting a decent result for DIY, I'd go down the power tool route.

For cutting I'd go for a compound mitre saw. I, like most people on here, have a cheapy "cut any material" one. Absolutely fine for ripping timber or knocking up sheds, workbenches and stud walls. However they're usually well out of true when you get them out of the box and need a bit of faffing with to get them to cut remotely square. If I was making furniture I'd spend a few quid more on something decent.

Power planer. An absolute godsend and dead cheap from Screwfix.

Decent circular saw, or a track saw if you can afford it for cutting sheet materials.

A decent hand saw and set of chisels.

Edit. Forgot clamps, lots of clamps, and a vice.

It really does depend on what you want to do. Personally I have no fixed power tools (other than a table adaptation in my workbench for my router), and I decided to go for corded power tools as they are so ludicrously cheap, especially second hand.

My most frequently used tools by far are: tenon saw (honestly I can't remember when I last used a power saw to cut lumber), power drill, handheld circular saw (I would now also look at track saws) for straight cuts of sheet materials and occasional ripping, jigsaw for freehand/lazy stuff.

A router is great in that it lets you do a wide variety of "neat" work, but I wouldn't get one until you need it. Fixed tools such as mitre saws are great but you can achieve all the same things with a bit of preparation and ingenuity, and much more besides, with handheld tools.

Oh and clamps, as many as you can lay your hands on.

How do you use a mitre saw to rip timber?

Sorry, I was referring the the quality of cut, the supplied blades tend to knock chunks out rather than give a clean cut. Not an issue for the rough but solid stuff I knock up.

No point having all the tools if your not sure how to use or treat them. So I'd say get yourself a good book. It'll pay for itself in the time and money you'll probably otherwise waste on materials you've made mistakes on. The 'Collins Complete Woodworker's Manual' is brilliant and will teach you things you didn't realise you needed to know and give you extra ideas. 

https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/collins-complete-woodworkers-manual-new-...

(Cheaper on Amazon but they don't need any more money!)

Also don't forget your safety gear. Ear defenders, safety glasses/goggles and a good dust mask if you're working with power tools, particularly on man made boards. 

I knew I would get this kind of response.

You do make some sense, but I would say that power tools also require some time to learn properly and the safety requirements hearing/eye protection, dust protection/clean up etc etc  and pissed-off neighbours are the downsides and you will still need the hand tools anyway

A power plane is one of the least used items I own, despite being one of the earliest purchases. A well sharpened hand plane will do exactly the same job, possibly slightly slower.

A hand held circular saw will do everything a compound mitre saw will and more, just takes a little thought to set up. Track saws are one trick ponies (unless doing lots of board cutting) easily replicated with a straight edge and some clamps.

As it's in the garden shed I'm assuming space will be at a premium, especially once you start filling it with the wood for your projects. An oscillating saw aka Fein saw will also double as an oscillating sander and save space, although probably won't collect dust like a purpose built one will.  I find a workmate really useful as I can work outside when the weather's not wet and reduce my dust problems. My best ever tools are a Stanley ratchet screwdriver with multiple bit storage, and a tiny tengtools 6mm drive ratchet spanner / socket, they've made my life easier than many other toys. If you're cutting a lot of square/angled ends and hardly any sheet material a chopsaw will be a better bet than a circular saw.  Power saws generally just make jobs quicker, but a chopsaw will make them quicker and more accurate, saving planing/sanding the ends square. I've never used one, but a drill jig for making joints might be of good use to you?

Ditto all this. I'm currently in the learning phase of woodwork and my only power tools are a mitre saw, lathe and drill. Only the latter two see any use. The rest are all manual tools and have come from a friend and my old man who happens to be a joiner - it was like receiving the family heirlooms when he brought them round! 

I'm learning so that I can build as much furniture as possible myself for the house, can't stand the thought of filling a 260 year old weavers cottage with MDF crap. Currently in the process of cutting dovetails to make drawers for our 'boot room' entrance. Slow going, but keeps my mind busy and it'll be hugely rewarding. Already found the oak slab that'll form the bench top.

As for guides, it's not so much a guide but a learning resource, Paul Sellers on YouTube, he's ace.

A circular saw can make 90deg cuts on wider pieces with a homemade jig such as: youtube.com/watch?v=l0xkvxMUE7M&

If you're short on space a circular saw will do anything a mitre saw or table saw can do, with a little bit more faff.

Don't forget a sturdy bench.

Second Paul Sellers.

Table saw, band saw and as much in the way of sanding equipment as you can muster.

However, it does depend on the projects you're intending on doing. I've a router table also, but don't actually use it much as I tend to use the table saw for many of the routing type jobs.

I’ve just bought a Titan vacc cleaner for dust extraction from Screwfix for £40 - seems to do the job.

thanks all for the thoughtful replies! i was thinking more of hand held than power tools (for space and cost reasons) but there are a few tools suggested that are def worth considering.

like the sound also of the book/youtube channels mentioned.

cheers all! 

As mentioned before, lots of clamps! At least a couple of setsquares, personally I mostly use a combination square, then have a couple of trysquares. I also have a massive T-square which is useful for marking out cuts on sheet materials.

I heartily recommend a tenon saw. Backsaws are just much better than universal saws (which also have a place) for cutting straight lines. With a bit of practice they are the best saw for lopping lumber (2by2 etc) off neatly.

I have a collection of lumber offcuts for use as sanding blocks, but you can also get dedicated ones. You cannot get a flat surface hand sanding without one.

Some long pieces of wood with known straight edges are useful to keep around. Ply offcuts are more stable than lumber. These are used with the above mentioned clamps as cutting fences or for marking lines.

Chisels are more widely useful than planes - e.g. for cutting hinge pockets, chamfering corners etc. In theory you can use wood rasps but in practice I find you can achieve the same things with a combination of chisels and sanding.

Pencils!

I echo Paul Sellers too, avid climber in his youth..

This guy will wipe away the hype around lost techniques and the need to spend big money etc and you will produce exceptional work without the finger risk, lung risk and cost of power tools. 

My basic hand tools kit:

Jack plane, block plane, good quality chisels and gouges, squares, rules etc, marking gauge, rip saw, tenon saw, coping saw, hand drill, cabinet scraper, bradawls, and the best sharpening stones you can get (I prefer Japanese waterstones). I think that's about it. Maybe a rebate plane too.

Not much you can't do with them. 

Ps, proper workbench, and as people have said, lots of cramps.

Good luck. 

Slight hijack on this - how big of a time saving do you get from using a decent power sander over doing the same thing by hand? And how much faster is a task like (say) chopping a plank into lengths to make shelves if you use a jigsaw rather than a hand saw?

(Sorry if these seem like rather specific questions, there's a whole load of context that I haven't really got time to go into right now...)

A big time saving - but I'd use a plane and cabinet scraper rather than a sander. 

And how much faster is a task like (say) chopping a plank into lengths to make shelves if you use a jigsaw rather than a hand saw?

I'd use a circular saw - again big time saving.

But really, I'd use the hand tools unless I had a lot of shelves to make. Making one of something isn't enough to justify the investment in power tools. 

I don't know how long it will be before they start up again, but the evening woodwork classes at school weren't really people being taught, more people turning up with their own projects and getting to use the power tools. At least that's what Mrs J has told me, when I inquired about the motivation behind going to a male dominated evening class. 

Thanks!

I think the tradeoff of time vs cost is a complicated one, but for someone who has relatively limited windows of free time to play with, the advantage of being quicker isn't having more time to relax once you're finished, it's actually being able to fit a project into the time you've got available...

I must confess, I've bought tools for small jobs before to reduce the hassle.

As always, it depends.

If you have to set up and breakdown the power tools (donning ppe, setting dust extraction etc etc) every time for a few cuts, then hand tools are far quicker.

If you have a lot of similar jobs to do then the power tools can be quicker.

All depends on the tools available and the type of work. Knocking up a work bench,  then a a power saw, speed square, tape measure and a battery drill is all you'll need. 

However if I was making oak knees for my boat then an axe, adze and a draw knife will do the job.

It depends 😉

As with all things it depends on the job and skill levels.

In my case if I'm cutting a few pieces of timber into lengths, or cutting a couple of mitres, I'll do it by hand. If it's a load of lengths for fencing or stud walls I'll probably use a circular saw or the mitre saw.

Same with screws. If it's a few I'll probably use a screwdriver, a lot I'll get my cordless drill out. It it's fixing nearly 200 boards to 30 odd metres of fencing (one of the jobs on Mrs Ridges job list) I'll go hire a Paslode nail gun for the day.

I tend to have a steady supply of various low-skill joinery jobs doing fences, sheds, gates, chicken coops, skirting boards, repairs to garden furniture or the summerhouse. To me they are "jobs" and not a recreational hobby.

I don't want it to look crap, but I don't want to spend hours delivering perfection when I could be out running or something, so for me power tools tend make DIY so much quicker and easier.

I've a Bahco ProfCut Laminator, meant for laminate floors, a sort of universal saw with a thicker blade which I think is good for this sort of thing.  Incidentally I inherited a rusty Victorian? rip saw which I cleaned and sharpened, and am amazed at how effective it is.   

Part of the appeal of a backsaw is that it has a thinner blade, so you remove less material requiring less effort!

I have found that laminate and vinyl flooring destroys normal saws so I imagine the special saw has extra hard teeth which can be helpful.

I enjoy cleaning up and using vintage tools, but I draw the line at saws. Too many teeth to set, sharpen and keep sharp.