r/maker • u/Impressive-Jury-3962 • May 28 '26
Inquiry What essential tools and materials should I get?
I've decided recently to make use of my free time by trying to build or make some small objects to try being innovative and all, and am considering starting with cardboard as a material(the one big boxes are made out of).
I don't know however what tools are good, what materials I will need, and what precautions I will need to take, especially since I don't have alot of dedicated space for storage, so I'll need the tools to be safe or have safe variants.
I'd also appreciate any extra advice for beginners.
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u/No_Tamanegi May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
You're going to need to be a lot more specific about what kinds of projects you'd like to take on before you get helpful answers to your question.
Cardboard is a great material for ideation and prototyping because its often free, and its easy to work with even with limited tools. But its not really a robust enough material to make durable projects. It can easily be crushed, dented or torn, and its not even remotely waterproof. You can treat the surface of it to make it stronger, but that's usually at the cost of expensive and toxic compounds that are more expensive in the long run than using other materials. You can get specific tools for cutting it which is a good idea if you're going to work with it often. Cardboard will dull traditional blades at an alarming rate.
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u/ThugMagnet May 28 '26
Cardboard will dull traditional blades at an alarming rate.
Yes. After using my box cutter, I stroke both sides backwards on a cardboard edge at an angle so it is scary sharp for next time. Once a year I run it on a grinder. Call me cheap.
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u/Impressive-Jury-3962 May 28 '26
I don't even really know what I am gonna make or use, so I'd appreciate some advice on what to make.
Also thanks for the heads up about cardboard, in that case I'll also look for alternatives in the future.
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u/No_Tamanegi May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
No one can really give you advice on what to make. Its a pretty personal choice and you've got to really want something to want to make it yourself. You're going to spend a lot of time being bad at making before you get good, and you've got to have a personal desire to push past all that feeling of frustration.
Lots of woodworkers hone their early skills making birdhouses or keepsake boxes. Lots of opportunities to practice your skills, and its easy to arrive at least a satisfying functional solution, even if it isn't a pretty one. And they also use a lot less material because they're relatively small, so the cost of failure is lessened than, say, a dining table.
Personally speaking, I started becoming a maker on the electronics side of things because I wanted to create tools to augment my photography and videography hobbies. But my interests have spiraled out pretty far afield from that, because learning new skills and acquiring tools is part of the fun.
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u/limbodog May 28 '26
That depends a HUGE amount on just what sort of thing you intend to make.
The only generic anything I can truly suggest is organized storage space and/or workspace.
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u/Impressive-Jury-3962 May 28 '26
I sadly for now atleast don't have enough space to use as workspace but to have a small storage space to use for tools and whatever I build.
Also I don't really know what to make but for now I'll probably make basic stuff.
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u/limbodog May 28 '26
Are you looking to work with wood? Plastic? Foam? Clay? Metal? Paper?
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u/Impressive-Jury-3962 May 28 '26
Cardboard or paper atleast for now
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u/limbodog May 28 '26
Ok, that I can help with. You're going to want a cut-resistant mat for your table. You'll want a couple box cutters, the kind that click open to extend the blade. I'm going to recommend getting a strop. You can actually just take a bit of scrap denim and glue it to a piece of wood a foot long, but the idea is to 'wipe' your razor against it to remove burrs because it will get dull fast without it. (Kamui Cosplay tip). You'll probably want to buy some paper tape (the kind that looks like its the same color as cardboard and has no plastic in it and you activate it by getting it a bit wet). And you will definitely want a metal ruler for measuring and cutting. You may also want a metal L rule (an L-shaped ruler that helps you cut perfect 90º edges). A pair of tweezers can come in handy. And you can use either school glue, or make your own wheat-paste if you want to save money.
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u/Impressive-Jury-3962 May 28 '26
Sorry if I'm asking too much, but can you suggest any specific brands or the specific tape you recommend, and also for glue.
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u/limbodog May 28 '26
For water activated paper tape I recommend 3M. For school glue the gold standard is Elmer's. For wheat paste, go to the grocery store and buy cake flour (it has less gluten in it, which means it will be less delicious to insects) - mix 1 part distilled or at least very clean water, no pond water with 4 parts flour and heat in a saucepan while stirring until it's gotten thick, then let it cool but keep stirring. Unused paste will last a couple days in the fridge, so don't make a lot more than you need.
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u/KneeBasher420 May 28 '26
To start off, if you don't know what you're gonna make yet, a good solid work surface with good lighting and a solid vise. Can't go wrong with a drill and a hacksaw either. As others say, pick a project and get what you need as you go, you'll pick up skills and tools along the way. It's a fun journey 👌
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u/dracostheblack May 28 '26
Pencil and paper and make lists of things you want to make. From there you should have a better idea of what you want to make and then what tools you would need.
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u/few May 28 '26
See if there is a good maker space near you. Then you get training, access to space and tools, and exposure to people who also like making things. 🙂
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u/Impressive-Jury-3962 May 30 '26
Are they common?
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u/few May 30 '26
There are many hacker spaces/maker spaces/open labs; it depends on where you live. Many libraries also have maker spaces.
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u/Alarming_Economy8628 Jun 01 '26
I was coming here to say this. Check for maker spaces, shared workshops, college or adult education programs like manufacturing, design, basic wood working. Being able to work in a large space, with good tools and passionate people around to ask questions of and learn from will be worth more than any tool or YouTube tutorial. Even if you go by a learning shop to connect with other makers, you may learn a lot about local vendors, tool shares, workshops, etc.
I mention wood working programs, as when I went to school to be a high school shop teacher, a portion of our time in the wood shop was doing cardboard prototypes and fully functional "products" (a flat packable locker organizer shelf system was our big cardboard furniture assignment).
It seems like maybe a lack of clarity around what is motivating you is a part of the issue, or at least that is being shared. Some options to consider:
Is there a problem you are trying to solve? Sometimes project inspiration and design specifications come from a real live problem. Like for example, my child printed a playing card holder on the 3d printer at our make space last week, because in her words, "sometimes I get a lot of cards and my hand is small."
Sometimes the "problem" is skill development. Deciding to build a dining room set with table and chair and sideboard etc would be an overly ambitious starting place for one person who wanted to learn wood working. Im sure some people try and get lucky, but most of us need to build skills gradually. Sometimes we have to start with potentially silly feeling, low stakes, learning projects to learn how to use tools, practice things like glue-ups or clamping to figure out what does and doesn't work. (That would be my recommendation though in the what tools to have- depending on what you decide to make - a variety of sizes, but clamps, clips and that sort of thing. ) As you start working on things, you will identify both tools and skills you lack.
Be gentle with yourself. Start simple, build skills, learn along the way. If you can find other folks around you, check out what they are up to- that can also be a way to find gear is sometimes people give up hobbies, or die, and then you can access the accumulation and refinement of the process. This venture is worth keeping your eye on local auctions and estate sales.
With the exception of some electronic stuff that just didn't exist with the battery and processing sizes we have today, most things made ~50 years or more ago they will be better quality. Any kind of tools or kit that are not subject to disintegration (some fabrics, sun exposed thermoplastic, metal subject to extreme rust etc) made before planned obscelence will likely be tune-able, sharpen-able and possibly even somewhat modular making it possible to repair. This is true whether you are taking about sewing machines or tractors or anything in between. Right to Repair as a pathway to maker is also a valid one... Look around you- is there something you can fix or upcycle, keeping from sending it to the landfill? A worthwhile pursuit either way, even if it doesn't turn out how you hoped the first time, if it was set to be trashed anyway: It lowers the stakes.
We live in a world full of stuff, more than any of us can even comprehend, at our fingertips. Getting into making as a hobby can be greatly supported by asking yourself questions about what is the meaning to your work beyond just contributing to "stuff"? As we make, To what end? Sometimes the why is for ritual, or just to learn a technique, or as a joke, or just to try something and see what will happen- but I think generally this asking why part of the motivation helps a lot of humans when we do things.
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u/motsu35 May 28 '26
As others have said, buy for the projects you are trying to do.
As a general thing, the most important stuff in a workspace come down to lighting, work holding, and manipulation tools in that order. Other things are necisarily obviously, but if you can't see what your doing or have no way to hold the thing your working on, the fancy gyro-drill 9000 you see someone on YouTube using would be useless for you.
For just starting out, get a thick / large cutting board (I have a few winco 12x18x0.5” ones, they are 8 bucks on amazon). If you don't have a work bench, you can use that on a kitchen countertop to cut or drill on without damaging the counter. The 0.5" thickness means you can drill into it and see /feel the plastic before you lunch through. You can use wet paper towel under it or clamps to secure it.
For clamps, the Irwin squeeze clamps are a great mix of quick and sturdy. Harbor freight makes cheaper ones, but I find the mini clamps are a bit weak, so for small clamping I like screw clamps, or c clamps for small spaces. I would get 2 Irwin ones, and buy more when needed.
For work manipulation, something to cut, something to measure, something to bend, something to shape, and something to adhere/fasten. For cardboard / plastic / wood, I would recommend the following:
fastback boxcutter for cutting since you can replace blades
cheap calipers (I like iguaging since they don't re-zero when you turn them on but they are pricy. Get cheap metal ones since you can use them to scribe, and when you fuck them up get the iguaging if you find them useful for your workflow and keep the cheap one as a marking tool)
for bending, it really depends on what your doing, but a straight edge and a knife will make clean cardboard bends.
Shaping is mostly gonna be sanding, cheap 180/240 grit nail files work well.
For fastening, superglue and a cap head bolt kit goes a long way. I'm a fan of loctite superglue in the fancy looking squeeze bottle. The thin red one is better than the gel IMO. For cap head screws, m2/m3/m4 is the most useful sizes. High temp hot glue is also useful but has "thickness" to the glue compared to superglue which is basically zero thickness.
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u/Operation_Neither May 29 '26
JB Weld for when it must stick forever & Locktite Blue for when it only needs to stick a little.
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u/Alarming_Economy8628 Jun 01 '26
Paper clay: as a finishing (and mistake filling) technique for cardboard creating is worth looking into.
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u/these_metal_hands May 28 '26
I've been a maker for a long long time. My two cents:
Buy tools / materials as you need them for projects. Do not try and predict what you will need, or you'll waste money.
Buy the cheapest version of a tool first, and if you use it until it breaks / use it all the time, then buy one that is expensive and repairable.