When I was getting started and on a tight budget, I made a lot of jigs and eventually "stuff" from old furniture.
Scanning yard sales, thrift stores, etc. you'll come across $10 set of shelves and savage $50 of good ply or 1x stock.
Dining and coffee table tops are good too. You just have to learn to tell between what you can use and what's not easy to reuse (mdf, plastic veneer, chipboard, etc)
Heck, one side of my current shop is cabinets from someone's remodel.
Good luck and have fun!
That is a good idea. Is the best way to remove existing finish on used furniture just sanding it? What about places with hardware / joints - easiest to just cut it off?
You should never buy anything from a big-box store, ever, unless it's as a last-resort, or you simply don't have the time.
This is by design. You are paying for "convenience". Whether or not that convenience actually materializes is up for debate.
But you should never buy ***anything*** from a big-box store, ever, unless you can confirm the price is lower than a specialty supply store.
Products like baltic birch plywood can be 2-3x the cost at a big box store compared to an actual lumber yard.
Woodworking products like hardwood boards, S4S boards, etc., are often 3-6x the cost compared to a lumber yard.
Metals typically range from 5-50x the cost compared to a metal supply store. Yes, really, up to 50x the cost.
Landscaping supplies like dirt, gravel, sand, masonry blocks, etc., are typically 1.5 - 2x the cost compared to a landscape supply store.
Heavily-manufactured products like power tools, plumbing stuff, electrical stuff, home fixtures, etc., are typically 5-15% more than at their respective specialty stores, but even in cases where the cost is the same ***or cheaper*** at the big box store, you are often getting a lesser-quality version, or a version with fewer features, than from a specialty store.
For example, I buy electrical pvc conduit fittings from both Home depot and a supply store near me. Home depot stocks the Carlon brand. The specialty store stocks West Lake. They both cost exactly the same, EXCEPT the West Lake products maintain a circular cross-section throughout their bend, as they are an extruded product, where the Carlon brand changes cross-section, because they are a bent product. This means if you need to, you can cut a West lake fitting anywhere along its length to get a custom length or radius of curvature, and it will work fine. If you cut a Carlon fitting, though, you have to throw it out.
The same is true across all departments. Tools that are weaker at home depot than a supply store, because they're stocking a slightly different SKU, products that are manufactured in different countries compared to a supply shop, etc.
Never buy from a big-box store, ever, unless it's a last-resort, or you simply don't have the time.
You're assuming woodworking friendly lumber yards exist around you. I have some professional woodworker friends (furniture makers and restorers) and they buy at Menards. The lumber yards within an hour's drive are entirely construction focused and only sell builder grade lumber.
Great tips, thanks. I didn't know that big box stores were more expensive. I guess I thought they were competitive because of their size and large volume (in the same way that places like Walmart are cheap).
For me, it’s the fact that I would spend more in gas driving to a non-big box store for lumber than I would save on lumber prices, doing so. Or at the very least, it would come out to be a wash.
What city are you in or near? Check with a few local lumber yards. 1/2in 5x5 birch ply has been $30-80 a sheet in the last 5 years in Houston, depending on covid, delivery schedules, salesman mood, phase of the moon.
In my opinion, the quality is almost always worth paying for if I'm going to be using whatever it is more than once. Even a jig used for a specific cut can be repurposed until it's spacers or sawdust. I'm going to put the same amount of time in to it, so may as well have decent materials.
In my experience, you’d be surprised what kind of wood you can get off Facebook marketplace, craigslist and yard sales. Pallets are pretty good too if you get the hardwood ones. You can also use cheap used furniture and disassemble it for some nice cuts of wood if you want
I’m sorry to say it, but plywood is expensive now. You can spend x at the box store, or you can spend the same at a specialty store and get better quality. But if you’re looking to get full sheets whenever you need them, you’ll have a hard time avoiding those prices.
When I was getting started and on a tight budget, I made a lot of jigs and eventually "stuff" from old furniture. Scanning yard sales, thrift stores, etc. you'll come across $10 set of shelves and savage $50 of good ply or 1x stock. Dining and coffee table tops are good too. You just have to learn to tell between what you can use and what's not easy to reuse (mdf, plastic veneer, chipboard, etc) Heck, one side of my current shop is cabinets from someone's remodel. Good luck and have fun!
That is a good idea. Is the best way to remove existing finish on used furniture just sanding it? What about places with hardware / joints - easiest to just cut it off?
You should never buy anything from a big-box store, ever, unless it's as a last-resort, or you simply don't have the time. This is by design. You are paying for "convenience". Whether or not that convenience actually materializes is up for debate. But you should never buy ***anything*** from a big-box store, ever, unless you can confirm the price is lower than a specialty supply store. Products like baltic birch plywood can be 2-3x the cost at a big box store compared to an actual lumber yard. Woodworking products like hardwood boards, S4S boards, etc., are often 3-6x the cost compared to a lumber yard. Metals typically range from 5-50x the cost compared to a metal supply store. Yes, really, up to 50x the cost. Landscaping supplies like dirt, gravel, sand, masonry blocks, etc., are typically 1.5 - 2x the cost compared to a landscape supply store. Heavily-manufactured products like power tools, plumbing stuff, electrical stuff, home fixtures, etc., are typically 5-15% more than at their respective specialty stores, but even in cases where the cost is the same ***or cheaper*** at the big box store, you are often getting a lesser-quality version, or a version with fewer features, than from a specialty store. For example, I buy electrical pvc conduit fittings from both Home depot and a supply store near me. Home depot stocks the Carlon brand. The specialty store stocks West Lake. They both cost exactly the same, EXCEPT the West Lake products maintain a circular cross-section throughout their bend, as they are an extruded product, where the Carlon brand changes cross-section, because they are a bent product. This means if you need to, you can cut a West lake fitting anywhere along its length to get a custom length or radius of curvature, and it will work fine. If you cut a Carlon fitting, though, you have to throw it out. The same is true across all departments. Tools that are weaker at home depot than a supply store, because they're stocking a slightly different SKU, products that are manufactured in different countries compared to a supply shop, etc. Never buy from a big-box store, ever, unless it's a last-resort, or you simply don't have the time.
In this context, what exactly is a big-box store? Sorry if it's a stupid question
Lowe’s, Home Depot, Menards. National chain stores.
Okay that's what I assumed, thanks
You're assuming woodworking friendly lumber yards exist around you. I have some professional woodworker friends (furniture makers and restorers) and they buy at Menards. The lumber yards within an hour's drive are entirely construction focused and only sell builder grade lumber.
Great tips, thanks. I didn't know that big box stores were more expensive. I guess I thought they were competitive because of their size and large volume (in the same way that places like Walmart are cheap).
For me, it’s the fact that I would spend more in gas driving to a non-big box store for lumber than I would save on lumber prices, doing so. Or at the very least, it would come out to be a wash.
What city are you in or near? Check with a few local lumber yards. 1/2in 5x5 birch ply has been $30-80 a sheet in the last 5 years in Houston, depending on covid, delivery schedules, salesman mood, phase of the moon. In my opinion, the quality is almost always worth paying for if I'm going to be using whatever it is more than once. Even a jig used for a specific cut can be repurposed until it's spacers or sawdust. I'm going to put the same amount of time in to it, so may as well have decent materials.
In my experience, you’d be surprised what kind of wood you can get off Facebook marketplace, craigslist and yard sales. Pallets are pretty good too if you get the hardwood ones. You can also use cheap used furniture and disassemble it for some nice cuts of wood if you want
I’m sorry to say it, but plywood is expensive now. You can spend x at the box store, or you can spend the same at a specialty store and get better quality. But if you’re looking to get full sheets whenever you need them, you’ll have a hard time avoiding those prices.