It started with a loaf of banana bread and too much time.
Like many people, I stumbled into woodworking during the Great Indoors Era—aka lockdown 2020. After weeks of sourdough failures and YouTube spirals, I saw a video of someone making a bookshelf from scratch. No kits. No Swedish hex keys. Just real wood, real tools, and a lot of sawdust. Something about it hit me right in the chest. It looked… satisfying. Tangible. I wanted that.
The First Cut (Is the Deepest)
I bought a cheap saw from B&Q, some pine boards, and dove in. My first project? A simple box. Just four sides and a bottom. Easy, right?
Wrong.
I attempted my first dovetail joint with a carpenters saw, a pencil, and blind optimism. The result looked like a beaver chewed out the corners. But weirdly, I was proud of it. Each crooked line taught me something: how wood behaves, how tools slip, and how to hold my breath when starting the cut. That Frankenstein box still lives in my shop. It’s ugly and not straight—but it’s mine.
Tools I Wish I Had bought sooner
Every beginner makes tool mistakes and buys the latest shiny tool never to use it. Here are the tools I wish I’d bought sooner as I use them all the time.
- A Japanese Pull Saw – They cut on the pull, rather than the push and have a much finer blade. I find them more controllable and give a better finish than the carpenters saws you get at the big DIY stores.
- A vintage bock plane – These small planes are so useful for chamfering edges and for cleaning up end grain. I only say vintage because the quality of the plane and blades seems to be so much better than modern equivalents for the same low cost price. You can find them on Ebay, in antique shops or at local car boot sales.
- A good tri-square – the ability to mark and cut right angles will markedly improve your projects both from a visual but also structural perspective. Don’t assume squares are accurate – you can check this by drawing a right angle line using the square against the edge of a piece of wood and then flipping it over (left to right) and drawing another line next to the first. If the lines aren’t parallel (The same distance apart along the whole of the line) then the square isn’t at right angles.
Lesson? Buy tools as you need them and buy the best quality you can afford. Your future self (and credit card) will thank you.
What I’ve Learned (So Far)
Woodworking taught me patience in a way yoga never could. You can’t rush a finish or force a board to stay flat. The wood doesn’t care about your schedule.
I’ve learned that:
- Mistakes are part of the process—keep the scrap bin close.
- Pick the right joint – Dovetails are wonderful but not always necessary. Simpler joints can get your project done and allow you to learn other techniques.
- Sanding is like meditation, except louder and dirtier. – face masks are your best friend here unless you like coughing up tree bits.
- Finishing is harder than building. Seriously. No one tells you this.
- Every project teaches you at least one thing you didn’t expect.
- Sharp tools make life a joy – dull tools make you want to burn down your shed and everything in it. Learn to sharpen your tools.
What I’m Still Learning
Right now, I’m figuring out how to improve my sharpening skills (shout out to everyone who’s ever ruined a chisel on a bench grinder because they were too lazy to ‘go through the grits’ with sandpaper). I’m also learning how to see the wood before cutting—visualizing grain, tension, and how pieces come together. That feels like the next level.
But the biggest thing I’m learning is that woodworking isn’t just a hobby—it’s a mindset. It’s the joy of solving problems in three dimensions. It’s turning raw material into something useful, beautiful, or both. And sometimes, it’s just about making planing curls and sawdust.
Final Thoughts (and a Little Glue)
If you’re new to woodworking, welcome. Don’t let perfectionism stop you from starting. Your first dovetail might be terrible. Celebrate it anyway. That’s how you build—not just furniture, but gain confidence and skills.
And if you’re an old hand reading this? Why not share your advice and thoughts with our community – You can submit a blog or answer some of the questions in the forum.
Until then, I’ll be in the shed—with sawdust in my soul.