Information:
. We are trying to help people save money by building everyday things, without having to pay too much for it . It is also a great way to get into a new hobby. Now here is a question: Have you ever bought something from stores that have manuals to help you assemble the object you had to assemble it yourself? It was hard, wasn't it? What we try to do is to make it so that you can think of your own creations and have fun while creating it. We will give you links to some good sites that can help you
When people built things, like bags or toys, it was all part of being a craftsman and being able to make handmade stuff. Think about it as art, many people enjoy doing it and many others admire or even buy it. You can find many people who still do these things by hand on the internet or even in their own stores. Let's take a craftsman on Youtube for example. Link to his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/emilyr4life. This man is a great craftsman, and that is an understatement. He builds things mostly by hand with minimal use of electric tools. He creates simple and cool complicated stuff.
In the project that we made, we built a coffee table. We both enjoyed the process and it turned out great. Here are the simple steps to building the table. First, you cut the pieces out. Second, you oil it all up. Finally you assemble it. It may sound extremely easy, but it is definitely not. It took us forever to do all of this. When you feel like giving up, think of it like this,
Some material that is good for building a table are listed on this website: https://madebypacific.com/wood-101-the-best-types-of-wood-for-building-custom-furniture/. You can find some of this wood, especially birch, in your local hardware store. There is also this site: http://www.dummies.com/crafts/types-of-wood-for-woodworking/. Not that we are calling you a dummy, we are just trying to help. We self-taught ourselves to make this table. we obviously had some help but we mostly did it on our own. In order to use tools needed for making a table like a saw, sandpaper, oil, file, drill, hammer, nails, screws, and tape measure, you will need to learn how to be safe first. The most important piece of safety are the glasses or goggles. The goggles help protect your eyes and prevent anything to get in contact with your eye. The other is to wear short or long tight shirts in order to keep any chemicals or dangerous items from getting in contact with your body or skin. Make sure to wear footwear that covers your toes. Pants are really important because if you wear shorts, you can get harmful chemicals or sharp objects to harm your exposed area, so make sure to wear long pants if you can. Some things that you should try to keep away are watches, wired earbuds, and anything that can get in the way of your work, It is dangerous because it can get caught up in your tools and might lead to injuries. Finally, use gloves, it protects your hands from any sharp items and some gloves can even prevent harmful chemicals or liquids from contact to your body.
We made a Youtube video series on how to safely work with tools. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxC4ysjjc2LWjNpPorzDFeQ. Another great way of learning is to read books. I recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Carpentry-beginners-workshop-practice-designs/dp/1578987652/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493340317&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+work+with+basic+tools
This may look like a bunch of random links, but these are really helpful for you.
Lets take https://www.etsy.com/ for example. It requires you to make your own creation and sell them. It is a cool site because you can see the great creations built by some people . People have there own little workshops at home that they work in everyday in order to sell. People have different things they like to build that require different tools to use to accomplish what they are trying to make. We really like to spread the word about this art all around the place to get people interested.
When people built things, like bags or toys, it was all part of being a craftsman and being able to make handmade stuff. Think about it as art, many people enjoy doing it and many others admire or even buy it. You can find many people who still do these things by hand on the internet or even in their own stores. Let's take a craftsman on Youtube for example. Link to his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/emilyr4life. This man is a great craftsman, and that is an understatement. He builds things mostly by hand with minimal use of electric tools. He creates simple and cool complicated stuff.
In the project that we made, we built a coffee table. We both enjoyed the process and it turned out great. Here are the simple steps to building the table. First, you cut the pieces out. Second, you oil it all up. Finally you assemble it. It may sound extremely easy, but it is definitely not. It took us forever to do all of this. When you feel like giving up, think of it like this,
Some material that is good for building a table are listed on this website: https://madebypacific.com/wood-101-the-best-types-of-wood-for-building-custom-furniture/. You can find some of this wood, especially birch, in your local hardware store. There is also this site: http://www.dummies.com/crafts/types-of-wood-for-woodworking/. Not that we are calling you a dummy, we are just trying to help. We self-taught ourselves to make this table. we obviously had some help but we mostly did it on our own. In order to use tools needed for making a table like a saw, sandpaper, oil, file, drill, hammer, nails, screws, and tape measure, you will need to learn how to be safe first. The most important piece of safety are the glasses or goggles. The goggles help protect your eyes and prevent anything to get in contact with your eye. The other is to wear short or long tight shirts in order to keep any chemicals or dangerous items from getting in contact with your body or skin. Make sure to wear footwear that covers your toes. Pants are really important because if you wear shorts, you can get harmful chemicals or sharp objects to harm your exposed area, so make sure to wear long pants if you can. Some things that you should try to keep away are watches, wired earbuds, and anything that can get in the way of your work, It is dangerous because it can get caught up in your tools and might lead to injuries. Finally, use gloves, it protects your hands from any sharp items and some gloves can even prevent harmful chemicals or liquids from contact to your body.
We made a Youtube video series on how to safely work with tools. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxC4ysjjc2LWjNpPorzDFeQ. Another great way of learning is to read books. I recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Carpentry-beginners-workshop-practice-designs/dp/1578987652/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493340317&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+work+with+basic+tools
This may look like a bunch of random links, but these are really helpful for you.
Lets take https://www.etsy.com/ for example. It requires you to make your own creation and sell them. It is a cool site because you can see the great creations built by some people . People have there own little workshops at home that they work in everyday in order to sell. People have different things they like to build that require different tools to use to accomplish what they are trying to make. We really like to spread the word about this art all around the place to get people interested.
- How to use a saw: Get into a comfortable position where there is no risk of the saw swinging down at you and start off slow, make sure to maintain that speed throughout the process. It will be tedious, but worth the time. Remember to always cut straight and not diagonally.
- How to use sandpaper and file: When working with sandpaper, make sure to wear gloves. On sandpaper there is a number that represent the roughness of it. The lower the number the rougher it is and the higher it is then the smoother it is. You can wrap the sandpaper around a block of wood or use it by hand. If there is an uneven side, you can just apply sandpaper to it to even it out by rubbing it against the surface. The same thing applies to a file but you go in one motion in order to not pick up material when rubbing. Remember to hold the tip and handle of the file with both hands in order to effectively use the file.
- How to use oil: There is a specific type of oil that you can use on wood. You can find this in your local hardware store. The oil protects the wood and gives it a good finish. When applying oil, you can use a brush, towel, rubber gloves, or a paper towel. First you pop off the lid of your oil can and grab your choice of brush, Then dip your brush in the can with a fairly good amount of oil. Finally apply it to the wood. When applying it, make sure to give it a gentle rub in order to let it soak in, but do not over do it, because once it dries, it can create oil bubbles. Let that dry and apply a second layer to fully seal the wood.
- How to use a drill, driver, or hammer: Using a drill is similar to using a saw. Get into a comfortable position that is safe and drill a hole by pulling the trigger and pushing it. The reason you drill a hole first is so that it creates a guide for the screw or nail. When using the driver, it is the same as using a drill, but with a screw at the tip. Place the screw at the tip of the driver and place it in the hole the drill made then pull the trigger while pushing to apply the screw. I do not really like using electric tools because it is not unique and fun. My favorite way of connecting parts is by using nails and a hammer. The same thing applies though. You drill a hole first and place the nail in the hole. Finally get into a safe and comfortable position then grab the hammer from the handle and start off with light taps, then work your way up. You do not have to drill holes first but it is recommended.
- Assembling: When assembling a table, you will need to build an outline for the tabletop which will act like a guide. It is basically a square in which all the pieces of lumber can fit into for the tabletop. If the wood falls straight through then you will need to add a spacer to align the wood flush with the top. You are not dropping in the wood so that it lies on the bottom. You then drill or hammer into the wood in order to finally assemble the the pieces. For the legs it is as simple as placing them in and driving or hammering them in from all sides to secure them.
