woodworking grumbles
"A planer is only $300, everyone should have one, like a table saw."
Ah yes, "only" $300, ie. ten times the cost of an electric hand planer, and that's assuming stationary tools are cheaply available where someone lives, which for many people isn't the case at all...
I really can't with some of these people. Not everyone is making $2000 coffee tables, you know.
low-budget woodworking recommendations
Speaking of which, there's surprisingly much you can achieve even with just hand tools. Get a comfortable(!) sanding block, a pleasant saw (pull saws are easier to handle than push saw), and a strong power drill (these are not necessarily expensive!), and you can already build basic versions of most things.
There's some specific recommendations I have too:
- Parkside (Lidl) powertools are excellent quality for the price, better than most other options at the same price point. This would be my recommendation for a power drill, as well as the bits and drills for it. Expect about 45 EUR in EU for the drill+battery+charger, about 10 EUR for a set of bits, and 10 EUR for a set of drills. HSS ("metal") drills work with all materials.
- Get sanding *mesh* instead of sand *paper*, as mesh lasts much longer and clogs up less easily. They are attached to a sanding block using velcro; a foam block is what I've found most pleasant, easier to grip than a handle design. Don't bother with brand-name sanding mesh, just get it off eBay or so. It's not that expensive, and will be quite a bit cheaper in the long run. Expect 5-15 EUR for a sanding block, and a few EUR for an assortment of sanding meshes.
- Pull saws are usually sold as either 'ergonomic saws' or 'Japanese saws' depending on the style. Either will work. Store brand is fine. Expect about 15 EUR.
- Those cheap foldable 'workstations', you know the ones, with a small surface with some holes and you can rotate a handle to move half of it to clamp something between it, are perfectly adequate for most cases, even for large pieces of wood. Expect about 20 EUR.
- Likewise, cheap quick clamps are totally fine for most purposes. If Action (the store) exists in your country, get them there, they are usually the cheapest source for them, and they lock in both slide directions. Expect about 2-4 EUR each. Get at least 4, but more is better - you will always be one short regardless of how many you need.
- For free or cheap wood, look for old pallets and shipping crates. It's not going to be *nice* wood, but in many places it's easily available, and you can get usable planks out of it. You may need to plane them, though, using either a manual or electric hand planer (expect that to cost about 40-50 EUR).
Most importantly, optimize for comfort and ergonomics, not for tool features or brand name. You can easily compensate for a missing feature by spending a bit more time with your tool that is otherwise pleasant to work with, but no amount of features will make up for a tool that is miserable to handle.
Also, a piece of advice that I picked up at @revspace: buy the cheapest version of something first. If it breaks, that's your signal that it needs replacing with something more durable. If it doesn't break, then clearly the cheap one was good enough. Saves a lot of money.
And finally, pay attention to how you use your tools, to determine where it makes sense to upgrade first - if you find yourself making straight cuts very often, you probably want to get a circular saw at some point. Or if it's frequently curved cuts, you want to get a jigsaw, which *can* also cut straight with some effort. (Usually batteries are compatible between tools within a brand.)
low-budget safety recommendations for woodworking
Don't forget to stock up on PPE either! Sometimes your tools will come with such equipment - especially safety glasses are included with some powertools.
If not, find a cheap local source (again, Action is a good one if it exists where you are), and verify that their PPE meets the relevant safety rating. It should say so on the packaging, and specify exactly what it is certified for.
Minimum safety equipment needed:
- Safety glasses. These are basically just polycarbonate glasses. Also sometimes sold as 'fireworks glasses'. Get them with protection on the side if possible, but cheaper ones often don't have this.
- Work gloves. Either nitrile or latex coated. Cheaply available just about everywhere. Note that they will not prevent any serious cuts, and they are *not* machine-washable at a normal program - it will melt the coating and you'll be left with a sticky mess. Make sure you understand what they do or don't protect you from - with some tools, they can make things *more* dangerous rather than less! The tool's manual will tell you this.
- Facemasks, or some other kind of on-your-person air filtering. FFP2/N95 at a minimum. Yes, the FFP2 masks you've been using to protect from infectious diseases are suitable for woodworking too. Discard after use; sawdust will clog them up over time.
- Either a shopvac (that is safe to use with sawdust), or if you cannot afford one, working outside. Don't generate sawdust indoors unless you have a way to collect it - this is how fires start.
low-budget safety recommendations for woodworking
@joepie91 I'd like to add - n95 does not protect against volatile organic compounds. You need a respirator rated for them if you're going to do any painting or staining that involves them (or, in a pinch, a fan to blow them away).