Your kids don’t need to go to college. You’re a woodworker! Buy the damn tools!!
Now, hopefully I have your attention. I could tell you to sell your wife’s furniture, get high interest loans, and only buy high-end tools. I would be very, VERY wrong and that would be crazy. Like, divorce level crazy. I could also tell you to raid your kid’s college fund. Don’t do that, that’s stupid.
When I started my woodworking journey in 2020, I happened to have a 10 year old miter saw and a hand-me-down jigsaw. It’s really all I personally needed to start with. You see, I had never really built anything in my life. I hadn’t taken shop class since Middle School. I had replaced all the windows in my house, replaced all of the light fixtures in the house, and had built a very simple deck with my father, but that was really about the extent of my handyman abilities.
One night in pre-Rona 2020, my insomnia was absolutely kickin' and I couldn't sleep for the life of me. So, I did what any Xennial would do. I turned on YouTube hoping to find something that would blast my mind out of whatever weird mindless bedtime thought loop I was in. What I found was a tutorial video by John Builds It on how to build a flag from pine strips. I. Was. Enthralled. I thought to myself, “I could totally do this.” Remember when I said I had never built anything before? Well, no one was more surprised than I, when I collected the requisite materials and constructed my very first pine flag. In all transparency, I did purchase a brand new $95 (at the time) 18-gauge Brad nailer from a big box store to make the task easier. However, the following day, I held my pine flag aloft so my wife could take a picture of me like a proud kindergartner with his macaroni art. Several of my friends immediately responded with, “I want one,” and the abusive relationship that is woodworking, began.
What I’m trying to tell you is you don’t need all of the brand new, brand name, boujee tools. At least not yet. Not in the beginning. What I’ve learned is woodworking, like many things in life, is a marathon and not a sprint.
With my old miter saw, I began making pine flags. The sales from those flags paid for a nicer miter saw. My uncle Dave, an amazing carpenter and woodworker, saw me taking an interest in his profession. He handed me down his 30 year old table-saw that put food on the table and his kids through school. I cherish that saw. It’s still a part of my shop today. You see, in addition to being a gift from my uncle Dave, that table-saw allowed me to branch out and start making cutting boards and to cut costs on my flags by ripping my own pine strips. It doesn’t seem like much, but remember, I’m a novice. The saw allowed me to hone my skills and make money, which led to better and safer equipment.
There came a point during that first year where I no longer had to take money out of my wallet to pay for my hobby and the “business” began paying for my passion. My entire first year of cutting boards, charcuterie boards, and pine flags made me enough money to level up and purchase my first Onefinity CNC. My CNC made me enough money to buy a second CNC, then a diode laser, then a CO2 laser, then… it just kept compounding. My tools paid for my next tools. The money I made was reinvested into my business.
Nearly all of my first round tools were second hand. I bought my tools from friends, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist. My first bandsaw was salvaged from a dumpster. There were certainly brand new tools, but they were bought on sale, on Black Friday, on Prime Day, with a military discount, and were typically not top of the line. I’ve also found that Matt from 731 Woodworks is always sharing amazing tool deals.
So, what are the tools you “need” to start out with? Well, that’s up to you and what you plan on building. I do agree that you should always have the right tool for the job. Again though, marathon not a sprint. It takes time.
Pro Marriage Tip: When your wife wants something done around the house, make sure you pick up the right tool for the job. You’re welcome. Don’t tell her I said that.
Here are the new tools I picked up one and a time during my first year of woodworking. https://amzn.to/3PiRsnu
Again, watch for sales and don’t overextend yourself. Also, ask for tools and gift cards for your birthday, Christmas, Father’s Day, or Mother’s Day.
The big takeaway from all of this is, don’t break the bank. Be conscientious about which tools you buy and why. Make your tools pay for themselves. Make your hobby pay for your business. Also, your family comes first. As someone who grew up poor, don’t sacrifice the electric bill for a circular saw. You won’t be able to run your saw without electricity anyways.
