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Stupot_

Stupot_

Stupot_

Soldato
Joined
20 Sep 2009
Posts
2,921
Location
Portsmouth
I've always been pretty handy with a screwdriver, and fancy making some furniture. I've made the odd table, shelf etc before but I want to try my hand at a couple of bedside tables. Have quite a few tools - Sanders, Hand planer, Mitre saw, Circular saw and all the usual drills screwdrivers etc. So, a few questions...


I'd like to draw them up first so I know how much wood to use. We only have a Focus nearby, which is very expensive, so i'd rather get wood from builders merchants dotted around. There's a build centre, and a few local ones with a good reputation. Are there any resources online that tell you standard wood sizes? Or does it vary from place to place? I'm just looking at softwoods, will be painted. I'd rather draw it up based on standard sizes rather than making it up and then bodging it when I can't get the right size.

Any other tips you guys can give me?!
 
There are standard sizes, just find a wood place on line and find there price sheet, should list the standard sizes.

You might find it cheaper to buy online even with shopping costs. I certainly found this with metal.

Not sure how much you know about joinery, but thing about strength and durability. Again should be easy lists on line about different joints and how to do them.

You got a good set of chisels?
 
AcidHell2 said:
You got a good set of chisels?
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Do have a set but they're not great! Csn they be sharpened on a typical spinning grinder thingy or do I need a finer stone?

TBH depending on what I draw up I probably won't need to mess about with fancy joints. I can either use dowels (have a dowelling kit) or screw from the side and then fill the hole afterwards (will be painted). Sounds bodge but I'm not a complete tard! Fairly confident I can do a good job:) May post up progress shots in here.
 
If I was you I'd design around standard timber sizes to make life easier :) i.e. if you can get timber in 150mm widths, use multiples of 150 :)

edit - remember you only sharpen one side of a chisel, the straight back edge should be left alone :)
 
it would help if you have access to proper machinay like lathes and planers and so on .

makes work a lot easier and quicker.

wood shouldnt be to dear if its pine your doing or something simple.
 
Well I'm hoping I won't need to plane anything if I buy the correct size, planed woods expensive though:( bought 2.4m batten from focus the other day and I think it was at least a fiver or so...

Not turning anything so don't need a lathe:)

I do feel I need a router though, would be good to cut a rebate out the corner of a post so I can fix an MDF panel flush with it to make side panels of bedside table...

i.e so I can route a square post to this kind of shape... Does that make sense?!
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lol... My ascii skills are lacking:)
 
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A router is handy to have, pretty versatile tool from doing the likes of your rebate above or notching out hinges, moulds and so on.
 
Stupot_ said:
Well I'm hoping I won't need to plane anything if I buy the correct size, planed woods expensive though:( bought 2.4m batten from focus the other day and I think it was at least a fiver or so...
Click to expand...

What are you making the table top out of? Cuz if your going to be joining multiple lengths of timber say 10-15cm wide, glued together your going to have to plane it to get each run level so whole table top is level.
 
Hank_Marvin said:
What are you making the table top out of? Cuz if your going to be joining multiple lengths of timber say 10-15cm wide, glued together your going to have to plane it to get each run level so whole table top is level.
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It's only a bedside table:p Not big. Top will either be MDF (couple of sheets laminated together to increase thickness) or strip timber (i.e. floorboards)

It's going to be painted so a timber top will have a nice texture seeing as thats the bit you look at...
 
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This is roughly what I'm going for

http://www.johnlewis.com/230227526/Product.aspx

But don't fancy making draws so perhaps a square door at bottom with an opening at top for magazines etc.

They are for either side of my bed so I fancy making them both slightly different, i.e. one could be a draw in the top third, opening in the bottom two thirds, the other could be opening at top third, door bottom two thirds.

Then Painted gloss white, going for a kind of colonial look;)


platypus said:
I would get a router personally. I want one so I can build stuff, but the other half says I have too many power tools.
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Yeah I do want one. But I want to build up a decent collection of quality tools that will last me a lifetime rather than cheap tat. And I can't afford a makita router at the moment:D Screwfix are currently selling a router for 22 quid though... Very tempting as they are only down the road, can go pick it up now and get on with it..!
 
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Stupot_ said:
This is roughly what I'm going for

http://www.johnlewis.com/230227526/Product.aspx
Click to expand...

I would suggest not having the draw fronts sitting inside the unit cause you will have to be almost perfect with your cuts, I would have the front drawer front as one solid section then cut it into sections and stick it onto the drawers :)

like this ..
thuka-kids-beds-2-drawer-bedside-table.jpg
 
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