Beginner-Tools and SketchUp

[Tim T]

Hi all
Just bought my master system jig in mid December and have just made the workbench from the website. I have been reading through the forums for advice as Im new to woodworking and my tools only include a kreg jig, a circular saw and a drill. What other tools do I need?
I was thinking of buying an electric sander and a router. I watched a good dvd about routers and think that it would make all the difference to the finishing touches of a project.
Im going to try make a cabinet for a dart board next. After reading on the forum about SketchUp I tried to make a model of the design which I will attach. Is there anyway of getting a cutting list or parts list from this model?
Any advice would be much appreciated

[Russ Scheer]

Hi Tim; Something to remember is that powertools are just evolved handtools. Look around your area for retired contractors or estate sales for handtools with experience and history.........in other words "USED". Its nice having a big shop with lots of powertools but you learn the basics best by starting with the basics. Using handtools takes longer and uses "elbow grease" and effort but the satisfaction is imeasurable when you look at the project and can say,"I did that!". As far as tools go your on the right path, for sanders a "random orbital" is very forgiving and easy to use, consider a 5" for more control. The router issue can be a little complicated, for edging a smaller handheld unit with a larger aftermarket base gives you the flexability and is easy on the hands and arms. You may have to take an extra pass or two to finish your edge but its better then struggling with a unit thats too heavy and cumbersome and more likely to cause mistakes. Later on you can build your own router table and purchase a large "plunge router" to install in it. As far as Sketchup is concerned...I love it. The cutting list and material list is not in the free version that I could find but the $500+ versions have a number of printout resources if you pay the license fees.
Good luck and enjoy

Russ

[Jens Jensen]

I bet you have garage sales at your town Go there for deals

David Roberts said:

Sounds like a lot of tools to buy. I've looked into craigslist alot for some tools, also amazon has some killer deals sometimes. i bought a 2 base router brand new for half price. what's also nice is that amazon has reviews so you can take some of the guess work out of figuring out whether a tool is good or bad. my last tidbit is that usually with each project, you discover which tools you actually need so don't feel like you have to buy all this at once. have fun.

actually, one more tidbit. i find that lowes will cut sheet goods into manageable sizes so don't feel like you need to run out and buy a super expensive table saw.