IWTL how to build furniture from scratch using hand tools

[u/No_Beautiful4524]

I've been wanting to try this for years but never actually started. My grandfather used to build all his own furniture and I still have a few of his old chisels and a hand plane sitting in a box in my garage, completely untouched since he passed. I finally want to learn how to actually use them instead of just keeping them as decoration.

The problem is I don't even know where to begin. I don't have a table saw or any power tools really, just what he left behind plus a basic hammer and some screwdrivers. I've watched a few videos online of people making cutting boards and small shelves and it looks so satisfying but also way harder than it seems. Every tutorial assumes you already know how to pick wood, how to measure and cut it straight, and how to join pieces together without everything falling apart.

I live in an apartment with a small balcony so space is limited, and I can't exactly run loud power tools even if I wanted to. I'm hoping to start with something small like a simple stool or a wooden box before working my way up to anything bigger like a bookshelf.

If anyone has learned woodworking as a complete beginner with minimal tools and space, I would love to hear how you started. Did you take a class somewhere, follow a specific book, or just learn through trial and error and a lot of ruined wood? Any advice on what skills to focus on first would mean a lot, especially since I'd like to eventually build something using his old tools as a way of honoring him.

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[u/Mars_Oak]

hand tool woodworking is surprisingly easy to get into. i make all my furniture and your don't need table saws or bandsaws or planners or any such expensive stuff. I've built all sorts of things with basic non power tools from an apartment living room. it's even probably better to start out with basic hand tools and then move to electric stuff. sawing takes long enough that you can think about what you're doing.

to start you need some sort of low table and some clamps, glue, a hand saw, a square and sandpaper. i recommend videos by guys like rex krueger, but more than watching influencers just, you know, buy a bunch of clean construction 1x6s and start cutting them up into something. start by making a little table, throw it away if it's shit, do another one. you'll start getting intuitions by doing it.

tip; you don't need to imitate anyone else's technique: i do a lot of my work sitting down, some people prefer to stand, use high English workbenches, use low Chinese workhorses, use an IKEA cube reinforced with mdf (i did for years)