Working with Wood – How to Get Started

Having woodworking as a skill is incredibly useful, even just to be able to make simple fixes around the home. Alternatively, you may want to tap into your creative side and explore the various projects available to woodworkers, for your home and garden. A new hobby is always fun to start, but where to begin? Here we have collected some simple ways to help get you started as a beginner woodworker.

Start with a simple Setup

When working from home or within your garage, a simple setup is all you need to get started. Set yourself up with a few stable benches and consider enquiring about used tools and machinery to save yourself some money, while you learn the ropes. Here at Calderbrook, we offer a full range of high quality, reliable used machinery. Offering you great prices for great products.

Keep yourself Safe

Safety is incredibly important when working with wood, especially as a beginner! Having the right setup with the correct safety equipment will ensure you are working to prevent accidents and injuries. Which, if you ask any woodworker, they will tell you accidents and injuries are common amongst beginners. It’s tempting to dive straight in, but just prepping yourself by reading safety instructions and user guides on tools will give you the first pieces of knowledge you need to get started.

Personal Protection Equipment:

• Goggles
• Gloves and hand protection
• Face masks or respirators
• Ear defenders

Choosing the right wood

There are many types of wood to choose from. As a beginner we recommend you start with inexpensive woods which you can practice on as you perfect your woodworking skills. Consider purchasing reclaimed woods and old pallets. You may even find people giving these away for free! Starting with wood like this will give the chance to make mistakes without damaging expensive woods.

Once you feel more comfortable as a woodworker and have learnt the basics, you can begin to experiment with different woods from hardwoods to softwoods. Then, you can decide your preference.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Practice makes perfect. As a new woodworker the best way to perfect your skills and become a pro at your new hobby, is to take some time to practice. This could be over the weekend or evenings. You could even begin working on a simple project to put your skills into good use. Take a look at these simple garden projects for inspiration.