Stop Complaining About The Shop and Tools you Don't Have - Rant! 

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I started building furniture when the only power tools I had were a drill, palm sander and a jig saw. I bought a circular saw from a garage sale for $10 and bolted it upside down in a plywood table (that I made) and clamped a 3’ level down as a fence because I didn’t have a table saw. This was in a 1 car garage with no electricity so I ran an extension cord from the house. Every time the wife wanted a piece of furniture I made a deal with her that we could either buy the crappy particle board department store item or for the same price I could buy a couple tools and the materials to build a better version of whatever she wanted and it would be custom whatever exact dimension style and finish she wanted. She fell for it. Now 10 years later I have a 40’x40’ shop with electricity and lights and lots of tools. Most of which I bought used or built myself and my house is filled with furniture I made myself. You have to start somewhere. Your spot on about people making excuses for why they “can’t do it”.

You make rant videos look easy

Thank goodness, you're back. You've been awfully calm in the last few videos. I missed you old man.

"I hate John because he is skilled" He made his own bandsaw, I bought mine. He made his own Router table, I bought mine.. etc... Seriously I love you John

I here you John. I have been trying to teach my grandchildren a little about using hand tools, with little success. They want the instant gratification that computers give them. I may have broken through to my young grandson who wants to be an Electrician like I am (retired) so he can do the things that I do. Little does he know that it took me over 40 yrs to accumulate the knowledge Keep being the voice of reason. Cheers.

My first wood shop was an old garden shed measuring 8’ x 6’ (back in 1976.) I had a cheap-o lathe and a tiny “table” saw with a 12”x 12” top and an old fan motor hanging off the back. In that tiny shed I made a three-legged table with a turned spindle, hand-cut sliding dove tail slots for the legs, and a 1” thick top. All from black walnut gifted to me by a lumberjack in central Nebraska. That little table is still in use today. And now I graduated to a 20’ x 20’ air conditioned garage, and over the YEARS accumulated a variety of nice equipment. Woodworking is an evolutionary hobby requiring patience, money, ingenuity, and time.

Thank you for making this video. I hate complainers. I grew up poor and didn’t get to finish college but after 30+ years of providing for a one income household that 4 kids have been raised in I have squeaked out a 24 by 36 shop with the required tools to make furniture pieces. I got there by working my ass off, and never losing track of the goal. Some weeks I only contributed a couple bucks or a part of an hour, but I kept moving forward. This “I’m owed something because you have it” attitude drives me nuts! I commented on the drawer slide vid that I would use the idea. I will use it because when I build my miter saw stand (at 52 years old my miter saw still resides on the floor and I’m finally getting too old for that crap!) I will use it because it allows me to trade some time for money. Probably won’t even make minimum wage doing it, but it allows me to move forward and have cash go where it’s required! Thank you again, and Keep up the great work!

I get the gist of what you're saying and I agree with most of it. HOWEVER, I have a 3D printer. Those same people who bitch about "needing" $10k worth of woodworking equipment are the same type of people that bitch about "needing" a $10k 3D printer to do anything. My printer was $350. I can figure out how to print most things that I want to print that are within a reasonable size (about 6.5" cubed). I fail...A LOT. But that's all part of learning. Using a 3D printer is very much like woodworking. There is a very long learning curve before you can get the idea for a complex project out of your head and created in real life. The one huge difference between most hobbyist woodworkers and hobbyist 3D printers is that you MUST have an exact design figured out and created on a computer before you attempt to 3D print something. Unless you can find a design file for exactly what you want, this is very often the blockade to getting your idea out of your head and physically created. Sure, there's a lot of trial-and-error that goes on with both, but you can't just pull out a spool of filament and start printing without having a design created in a 3D design program and then "sliced" in another program to account for the filament type and printer you're using. In both cases (woodworking & 3D printing) you have to understand the limitations of the equipment you have and how to work around those as best you can. Keep up the good work. We all love a good rant once in awhile.

Brought back memories of doing woodworking in my apartment with shag carpeting. I still have the book cases I built. That was almost exactly 40 years ago. Keep building John. Love to see your creativity.

You should make projects I want, with tools I have and the skill I know, in the work space I'm in. It is Me tube after all. Me me me me me me.....

my first car had backlash, steering took a few inches to register the other direction, made strong gusts of wind and passing trucks a puckering experience.

Great points John. Another point about people making excuses for not getting things done is about the time involved. When something is important to you, you'll make time for it. Every minute that you've chosen to do something is a minute you've chosen NOT to do something else. Woodworking and "making" in general is very important to me, so I schedule at least 12 hours per week for it. I keep my appointments for time in the shop like I would a dentist appointment. I also have a rule that whenever I'm working IN the shop, I have to do something to work ON the shop, even if it's something small like emptying the dust collector or draining the compressor.

I love the way you tell people that complain,If there's a will,there's a way. I'm very impressed with your extended drawer system,and that I will probably use that on my next project. Thank you very much John,Keep the Videos and Rants coming,You only speak the truth!

Your camera focus in this video is creepily spot on. It probably is normally but, today I really noticed it. Well done. It matters.

A couple of years ago I visited in the home of man who said that he was a woodworker. He pointed out a couple of pieces of furniture that he had build. When we had concluded our business he asked if I wanted to see some other furniture he had build, and I certainly did. We toured his house with him ad his wife pointing out the dressers, cabinets, lamps and other decorative items he had made. Everything was well-made and attractive. My first thought was that he must have a much better shop than mine, and that he must have way more and better tools than I do. Finally, he asked if I'd like to see his shop. I certainly would! He took be out to his garage, where he had to back a car out in order to have room to do woodworking. The tools and benches were pushed up against the wall. The tools were basic as sparse. He had a fraction of the space that's in my shop, fewer and mostly smaller machines than I have. I hope he couldn't tell how ashamed I was for my earlier attitude. I went back to my shop determined that the quality of my work would only be limited by my carefulness, creativity and growing skill, and not by my shop. I'm still improving my shop and tools, but I realize that I do the woodwork, not the shop.

I started woodworking in a 20th floor apartment in Chicago, alternating between the living room (dust wasn't so exciting for my wife) and the 3x8 balcony. Got smart and joined the board and got unfettered access to the 20x30 maintenance room. Made my first skil saw sled and router cuts down there. I don't miss the dust though - zero ventilation 1.5 stories underground. But there's always a way if you want to.

John I get your rant and it is deserved! 20 years ago I started a wood shop with nice tools. Then a divorce. 5 years latter we got back together wanting build up another shop I was gun shy to dump money in tools that I would have to sell again. If things did not work out Finding your channel and Izzy Swann I built a table saw from a circular saw! It worked well. I made a lot of projects with that saw. Then I bought your plans for the router lift! I still use it A long with an Incra Master Lift II 17 years latter I have a shop again allis well. I am guilty of suggesting the nylon bushing over the screw threads not realizing that the screws were only forward and aft stops for the slide travel. I did not understand that the slides had upper and lower guides. Understand your frustration with comments that really do not apply if they had paid attention. Please keep up the wonderful video you produce! You are an innovative thinking person and the world needs folks like you! 😁🛫

It's good to hear you vent. You qork hard on your shop, your technique and your instruuction. I and many more appreciate your efforts and your openness.

About that 3d printing topic. It can actually be a great tool for a woodworker, too. I intend to do router templates and other little helpers for my wood-shop once I have it. It's also nice to print models before doing a full size product. Helps a lot to really see the relative dimensions beforehand and to be able to test ideas. So, for me its basically a prototyping tool, I guess. Keep going, you have skill, creativity and passion. Nothing else is needed to inspire others and have fun.

I don't understand some people. I am amazed at the tools that you have built. I have never in my 35 years in this hobby seen a home made table saw. That is a skill that I admire. Love the videos.

I HAVE THE SMALLEST SHOP, AND I FIND WAYS TO HAVE FUN WITH MANY MANY CHEAP TOOLS THAT I GOT OVER THE YEARS!! THANK YOU!!

Hell, most of what impresses me is how you don't have the fancy tools and make due with what is on hand. It's made me see the excuses I used before as just that. I noticed it most when I saw your router table. I saw what you are using and noted to myself that if you can make it work I can make it work. Thanks for all you do.

Thanks so much for sharing the rude comment and your excellent response to it. I have a 134 square foot shop and occasionally have ripped 8' sheets of plywood. It takes some finagling but it works. I used to complain about the size of my shop until I decided to start a business making bunk beds out of 2x6 lumber. I quit after making about 5 of them even though I was starting to make money at it. I quit not because my shop was too small (and in the basement to boot) but because I did not want to sort through 2x6 stacks and then haul them home and then muscle them around by myself and then have to haul it to the customer etc. I now love my small shop and have a list I made up of 50 small items I can make and sell. Small and ill equipped is a blessing as long as you have the desire to actually make something!

Great project. Everything will wear over time but those are well made and will last years with little maintnace. You are right about the tools. You get more as you go but get by without until.

The reason your channels are my favourite for woodworking is because a lot of the stuff you've designed and made yourself. I'm a bit confused that someone would complain that you have high end tools so therefore they can't do the same projects. You had a circular saw as your table saw for a while for crying out loud. A lot of your tools you made. I think most of us started out with just a few cheap tools and as time went on we upgraded and acquired more tools. It takes time. If someone enjoys doing this kind of thing then they will do it no matter what they own or where they are doing it. I use to do some woodworking in the hallway outside the kitchen of this place I use to rent years ago.

Any of my friends will tell you I've been working on a Murphy bed for a year. What they can't see is that I set out to accomplish this with a skill saw, a drill, and a second-hand rusty table saw. This year has been a journey of failures, innovations, and discovery as I learned first-hand what i can do well with what I have and what I can't. I owe much to the woodworkers making tools with their tools, and to A LOT of trial and error. Trying to hand cut miters with a skill saw and cobbled guide, finding out why big box store ply isn't right for certain parts, making a level space big enough for a bed frame and what it would take to square it up reliably for glue up n screw up, etc.. Along the way I've made a pocket-hole jig (thanks JSK Koubou) , a new fence I can trust, bought some corner clamps, made some corner clamps (which required making a sled that was within a few thou), raised and secured the tablesaw to save my back and added an outfeed and extension wing, and so much more in my tiny space that I have to work with. I had a pretty good excuse, that my do-nothing roommate had filled the garage with boxes and left me no space, but that wasn't changing and so I build shelves for all her shit and got it up on the walls and carved out a little 8x maybe 15 where I could do SOMETHING at least.

I very much appreciate you putting your content up - I live vicariously through your content ( used to do a lot then developed massive sneezing allergies to even small amounts of wood dust ).

Preach it. I've got a small shop crammed under a 11x16 ft roof out back (no walls on 2 sides). I've gradually built it up to a workbench, vises, drill press, old old metal lathe, bench grinder, and plenty of hand tools. Plus a simple blacksmith shop outside nearby. Many of the tools are inside in the second bedroom. There's more capability in that little shop than I have time, money, or skill. I'm privileged to have this space. But we're going to save up and eventually build a shop too. All in due time!

John, I agree with you 100% on your points except the point on 3D printing. It isn't as simple as you portrayed it. You need to have good CAD skills to design your model, you need to have skills on knowing how to slice the the model, as well as debugging your printer when things don't print quite right. When things don't go right in wood working you need to have the knowledge to figure out why as well. Wood working is no different as you already know. Anyway, thanks for your videosm always informative and educational!

Well said. You don't have to apologise to anyone for the resources you have.

Thanks John for the rant about tools. I kind of reminds me of the Clint Eastwood movie Gran Torino where the kid asks Clint where he got all the tools. It’s over time. I don’t care how many tools that you have, you have the right tool for the job blah, blah, blah, there will always be that awe crap moment when the design didn’t quite work out and you get to do it over again. Thanks again for all the effort you put in to making things look easy.

Ha! I make all kinds of things like you do with a garage sale table saw, cast off routers that I have fixed and cobbled, home made router table, fences and guides for everything, etc. Virtually every power tool I have was bought for next to nothing at yard sales. The only thing I bought new was a $250 drill press from Harbor Freight. Even my planer was bought for $20, which I disassembled and rebuilt for less than another $20. I can testify that you don't need to spend a ton of dough on equipment to have fun and make nice things in your home workshop if you're willing to invest your own time and ingenuity to adapt.

I don't have your space, nor your tools, nor your skills... not complaining, you and other RU-vidrs are inspirational!!! Thank you for that!

I use candle as lubrication on wood scratch and wipe down , works great for me .

Well said John. I started with a hammer, and a handsaw well over 40 years ago. My first power tool ws a skilsaw. That in turned, let me have a table saw a miter saw and a router by using and learning what a skil saw can do. I think my next power tool was a router. God only knows how many things that taught me. I don't like to brag but I can do more with a tool than most woodworkers can do with a whole shop full of specialty tools. I can take a reciprocating saw and cut straighter cut than a lot of these weekend warriors. It all falls back to learning what you can do with a single tool .

Totally agree with your mild rant. You have a lot more tools and a better workshop than I have. So what. There are still plenty of things that I and others with fewer tools can still learn from your videos. And yes, there are things you can do that I and others with my sort of tool set cannot. Again so what. Your videos are still entertaining and informative. Keep up the good work.

Like many of us, you usually start with second-hand tools & that's power tools and hand tools. Go to auctions, second-hand stores, or tag sales. That is how I started out. I have a 10" Jointer made in 1930 that I got for less than $100.00 dollars at an estate sale. You can't buy a good quality hand planer for that amount. I also got a cabinet saw from the same estate sale for $150.00. That's a far cry from the $2-4000.00 that a good cabinet saw costs today. I bought that 10 years ago and it's still running like the day it was made. Tools that were made in the early 20th century are still around for a reason. They were built with quality and durability in mind. They are made of cast iron and dead flat steel tops. As John said "if you really want to get into woodworking, you will find away. It is just easier for some people to complain and be envious of others! Envy and jealousy make for a bitter person.

Nailed it. "People looking for excuses to not do things" I love your ingenuity and use of your space. So thankful you share your skills and process and shop with us.

BRAVO! Those without the 'will', there's no 'way'. I'm opposite. I look at a person's shop and strive to attain the same setup. I find your shop even more inspiring, to me, because of your self-made tools. I just finished extending the 'on feed' on my 18-20 year old Ryobi job site table saw. Of course when I did this I needed to make a new fence. I bought your plans and BINGO! Fence done and it came out great. I was going to buy a fence and rail system but thought it would be more satisfying if I made my own. It was quite nerve-wracking cutting the materials, adding to the front and then assembling the fence but it was worth it. Your channel is awesome! Thank you for your videos.

"Where there's a will, there's a way" should have a corollary: "Where there's no will, there's a troll in the RU-vid comments." 😂😂😂

I watch you to learn ... you have a skill which you freely share. Keep it up John 😀

John -- you're a gift and inspiration to all of us trying to make nice stuff and improve our skills and knowledge. You don't need to apologize for anything -- you've earned everything you've attained. Anyone who has built anything understands that what we see in your videos today is the result of years of trial and error, and the humility that comes with this kind of work. I'd be willing to wager that if you give this yahoo $10,,000 worth of tools, you'd produce a more thoughtful, beautiful, functional piece with just a few hand tools. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and artistry with us.

Thanks for explaining the runners, I always thought the screw was the runner. Try UHMW low fraction tape, life changing

I couldn't agree more!! If u want to wood work or anything they is a way... hell when I first started I was cutting dovetails with a store bought irwin saw from lowes setting in the floor of my living room. And a update on that, now I have a work bench like a full kn wood working bench in my living room.. I live in a trailer and thats the only option I have right now but I like to wood work... yes I'm a mainly a hand tool guy.. but... they is a table saw and small miter saw in my living room also lmao!!! So u don't need all them tool to make stuff....

Don't let the haters get you down. Your work and videos are great. Keep on making things. You're a very handsome fella!!

John, there is a massive difference between the woodworkers/makers who have some mid-grade or nicer power tools and shop equipment, and the people who have projects using outlandishly expensive single use equipment. Most of us don't fault woodworkers and makers for doing a project using a table saw, a miter saw, a router, a drill press, a spindle sander, palm or a disc sander. We understand those tools are doing jobs that could be done by hand or by a less expensive power tool. Ninety percent of the work done by a drill press can be done with a hand drill. A circular saw can do some of the work a table saw can; not everything, but enough. Belt, sheet, palm, corner sanders just make sanding faster, not perform a whole new, unique job. Where we start getting upset is when a woodworker or maker whips out the $7,000 X-Carve or $2,500 shaper origin and makes it clear that's the only way the project can be done at all. An X-Carve or Shaper Origin should be shown as making the upscale or premium version of the project; the embellishments; but the basic project should be doable with a tools that don't cost more than most/many high end desktop computers. I'm on the fence right now on all the projects by some woodworkers and makers who require a 3-D printer for some critical part: for some of the us that's still out of our price range; but it's not so far out as thousands upon thousands of dollars. While it's currently a pain in the butt and on hold due to Covid, I can in theory have single jobs/parts run off by my local library system (for a nominal fee): a tedious process if multiple parts are required for a build, but single part might not be so bad.

Spooky reflections in your window behind ya,added value .

My daughter saw me watching your video ... "Oh my god dad ... he's just like you, he has that underlying grumpy teacher guy vibe." LOL, I think it's because we're about the same age and from Ontario.

I can't do what John does for one simple reason - I haven't been willing to devote the time and energy to developing the skills that he has. That being said I watch a lot of his videos and enjoy them even though my power tool collection consists of a battery drill and circular saw. When I see him using some fancy do-da to make something is where my real fun and enjoyment starts. I'll sit and watch it over and over again trying to work out how it would be possible for me to do it with just some cheap hand tools. I get hours of fun from that. I don't look on John's videos as a definitive list of instructions to be slavishly followed but rather as a sort of 'here is a concept for you to sit down with and explore'. The vast majority of the things that John makes are not things I'll ever try but boy have those videos given me a lot of fun. RU-vid is full of lots of highly skilled people (because they have spent the time becoming highly skilled) in a wide variety of disciplines that are willing to teach us for free (which is good for those of us with no money). Personaly I'll continue watching and enjoying their content even though I'll never even attempt most of what they do. Please continue doing what you do John because I for one enjoy watching you.

Lmao, I knew someone was going to say something about that hand wheel. I saw that and thought that's exactly the sort of thing that would trigger a comment if it were my video. Sure enough, lol. The tool comment too, it is a bs excuse for a lack of will. Absolutely true. Get it in every video, multiple times. It's pretty insulting, actually. Some people talk as if you were born with a shop full of tools and all the skills you need. They don't consider that most builders started with absolutely nothing but a few hand tools, a circ saw and bucket loads of persistence, and built what they have over years if not decades of dedication to their craft. Half of my tools are home built. I've built houses in Edmonton Ab with nothing but a hammer and handsaw at times. If you're serious enough about getting something done, you won't make excuses for not doing it...

you have vision and imagination and lot of people do not and it bothers them, keep up on what you're doing

All I got to say about this video is ,,,Yup. Keep up the good work and thought process John. Keep on smiling.

I agree with your predictions about 3D printing, but have to say that there WILL still be skill involved. However, as you said, it will not be physical/manual skill, but the mental skills involved with computer design and programming, which may appeal to a different type of person.

I've always liked using soap to lubricate drawer slides. However, most soap today (ironically) has too much oil in it to work properly. You want the cheapest, hardest stuff you can find. Same for waxing drawer runners. Soft wax like bee's wax seems to be too "sticky". Hard paraffin candles seem to work better. I love your comment about the hand tools. Just look at old furniture at someplace like the palace at Versailles- it's all made with hand tools. A saw, a plane, a chisel. It's still all you really need. The rest just makes it all faster. And don't get me wrong, you can have my unisaw when you pry it from my cold dead hands.

Well said, if you want to do something you will always find a way

5:20 My Dad used graphite powder for wooden runners and it seems to work well.

Right on John. The great thing about your channel is you always tell it like it is. Thanks!

The drawer slides plan is super useful to have in your arsenal. You can learn something about mechanical design or engineering by building it ... Leveling up that side of things ... Maybe. That router table with lift rocks. I know, I built it. Next to the cnc and tablesaw, it's one of my favorite tools in the work area. Are the drawer slides design going to the makers mob or into bigger project? Also ... 3D printing vs hand tools ... We got some years before that happens. I got cnc because I'm not mechanically or craftsmen like inclined. My Dad is, I'm not. So got cnc. Your comments about craftsmen skill vs automated cnc ... Are absolutely right, can't argue with that because it's true. Best case is to have both sides and understand how to apply them in each working method. Would be curious to see what you would do with a cnc or 3D printer.

My father made a kitchen and all our incidental furniture with about as minimal a tool kit as you could imagine. A crosscut saw, a tenon saw, a brace and bit,a hand drill, hammer,mallet (home made) two chisels, a couple of decent cabinet screwdrivers and of course the ubiquitous no 4 Stanley smoothing plane and a 4 in one rasp. Just after the last war in the UK that is about what everybody had, and huge amounts of furniture and home improvements were done with this kit. What everybody is missing is that this was mostly done slowly, as skills built up or as people could afford some materials, most non tradesmen re used screws and straightened nails. I don’t think my father would have ever owned an electric drill if the family had not ganged up on him and bought him one, (didn’t need it !) My son has it now for a spare ! There is no excuse for not trying to make stuff you want to make just because you do not have a professional workshop. and there is no way you can make it in a weekend ( whatever it is) mostly because you have to finish it. But you CAN make it.

Dear Mr. Heisz, Never have I thought “you make it look so easy.” My god, your work (and the other pros like Sellers, Cosman etc) make it look so involved and so complicated BUT OH SO ALLURING! I’m a rookie and tool challenged, but I do like trying to figure out work-arounds for not having certain tools. I must admit, there are many projects I cannot even attempt without a surface planer or a jointer ... maybe some day (sigh). I do enjoy watching your creative instincts.

Nothing beats a good Sunday morning rant.

LOVE IT I my self live in an apartment and have become very creative and problem solving

Totally agree.... only reason why i did a shop tour of my tiny 8x10 shop. Just to show people to make due with what you got because trust me, its nothing impressive lol

Have to agree. Don't worry if you don't have fancy wood. Go out to your garage and pick up a tool. It is that simple. And by the way, I understand most 3D printing is done in plastic. Wood is much more eco-friendly and sustainable.

I've worked on cars for more than 30 years. I've operated my own shop for 16 years. If I make it look easy its not because of the thousands of dollars worth of tools I own, it's because I've done the job thousands of times. Keep up the good work John, I've learned a lot from you.

The thing I liked about your channel vs all the others is you used normal “construction” tools and materials. You don’t stand in front of a wall of planes or Festool boxes stacked floor to ceiling. Your work and thought process is badass. I don’t even bother to watch the others. Also your plans are so great, easy to follow and error free even I can build from them. I’m Almost done with the ultimate box joint jig.

Good stuff. Smoker's have allways money to smoke, but after a few years that makes a lot of money. I have been collecting tools for about 17 years. I did not buy them all at once. Sorry about my English.

The problem is not the lack of tools, is the lack of money! I hope you get back to making more videos, there are other woodworkers but i always learn something from your videos, is the creativity and the way you think that makes this chanel one of the best!

if you can build a box with a budget circular saw you can understand.. i have a circular saw on a sled that i make and i can do plenty of stuff even big speakers!!! thanks John for inspiration!!! cheers from Greece!!!

The rant was more of an observation in my opinion. I recently heard somebody else say the same thing, just phrased a little differently: "if you truly want a (blank), then you will get yourself a (blank). If you don't really want a (blank), that's the reason you don't have a (blank)". The other piece of this puzzle (in my opinion) is that a lot of folks want you to teach them in 15 minutes the things you spent a lifetime learning. You were spot on with the comment about learning to use the tools that you do own - I have made a LOT of very nice firewood! Keep up the good work and rant away!

As someone who has a 3D printer, I totally agree. I often find myself modelling something up in Fusion and about to send it to the printer, then realise in the time I spent modelling it, I could have already made it out of wood, never mind the hours it takes to print. I also have a small CNC, but I rarely use it because of the time it takes setting up, it's faster to just quickly knock something out on the bandsaw, or if it's particularly delicate, the scroll saw. Having said that, they're different tools for different things. I just use what's best for the project. I've plenty of things made of both wood and 3D printed parts. I'm in the process of making a Festool MFT knock off using a 3D printed hinge because of the accuracy. Sure, I could make it out of wood, but it'd be a lot of trial and error making it fit. Whereas if I model it and print it, I know it'll work!

Great video, I look forward to the scrap bin videos more than your regular videos these days. Keep up the good work!

Silicone oil has worked well on my wooden drawers, you may want to give it a try. Perhaps even graphite would work well here. Love your videos, btw.

Hahahaha i love that you hit the nail on the head with regards to people complaining about shops, tools and space. Just an excuse to do nothing. My work space is exactly 2'×5' and I still do plenty of work with my handtools and the 4 power tools I own. To do one project I have to start with break down of stock and getting things to roughly the exact size, then I have to clean everything. After that if I need a power tool I have to take the big metal working vice, which also happens to be my only vice, off the bench set up use the tool then clean everything all over again, then put the vice back on so I can do the joinery, only to remove it again, clean again. Then I get to do the test fit, maybe start over at step 2 for some things and finally glue up, then go outside and do finishing. Space and tools are not what stops people its the limits they have placed on themselves so they don't have to do anything. Great point

I'm in a fairly bad place economically and been there for a while. I've been struggling with stress for almost a decade. It's no fun. And I live in an apartment. But over the past six months I've been slowly putting up a hand tool "workshop". It takes a lot of time because I can't afford buying too much at a time. Luckily I already had a lot of basic tools and crap lying around. So now I'm getting nearer to a point where I'm going to get more serious and get some proper materials. My big project (that I'll probably won't get to until next year) is a tiny but proper woodworking workbench. I've been designing it for months and keep updating, simplifying, etc. I do have a mobile workbench that I've updated with a bigger table, and it serves me alright right now. So, my point being, you don't need the big setup, but you have to now your limits in what you're able to actually make in your setup. I'm inspired by Rex Krueger in going the hand tool way-and it's what I can do where I live.

Good rant, John. Don't let the trolls get to you.

In addition to all you mentioned, wood is sustainable, it grows from nothing but sun, soil and water and it even captures CO₂ 3D printing is awesome but in many situations really time consuming. Is it durable? Not really. It’s called rapid prototyping for a reason. I wouldn’t worry, especially when it comes to things made of flat stock material like plywood. Wood will always have its benefits.

I have 6 3D printers and I have designed and printed a variety of objects, some novelties and some practical, I try to do mostly practical things. But, for some things, actually a lot of things, you just can't beat wood! The personal satisfaction from 3D printing, at least for me, is only in the designing. With wood working there is satisfaction in designing, building with your hands and knowing that whatever the item, you built it and not a machine. Again, for some things you just can't beat wood

I went to see a large boat being built. The boat was a bit more than 100 feet long, made of tropical hardwood. The ¨shop¨was a warped over bit of beach with a table saw, planer, and drill press. made me think hard about people not working because they don't have a ¨professional¨shop.

3D printing is great, I have 3D printers, I use 3D printers, but it won't replace woodworking. The number one reason is speed. 3D printing is slow, and will continue to be slow for the foreseeable future. e.g. Need a specific one of a kind bracket for a thing. You could spend 3 hours modeling it in CAD, another 5 hours printing it, and then another 5 hours printing it again because the print failed, and then another 2 hours redesigning it because it was the wrong size... rinse repeat... or you can go out the the shop, grab a scrap of wood out of the bin and just make the thing in less time than takes to cook a TV dinner. :)

I've been using a cheap Ryoby jobsite tablesaw for years. Yeah, accuracy sucked, but I managed quite a few projects using it. Now with a new to me King saw with a much flatter surface to work with, my projects will come out just that much flatter and squarer.

John, 3D printing is a long way off from ever replacing wood working. As a 3D printer person, it's really for making prototypes. It takes an incredibly long time to print things and as far a durability, it sucks. Resin printing is the only viable option and that is expensive. Even the cheapest of machines are over $300 and have a print bed the size of a cell phone. I think all the wood craftsmen are safe for a very long time.

You need tools to build and repair, and if you enjoy doing that you will experience tool evolution...a concept that only skilled people realise , and you’re a prime example of this mob Johnny 🇦🇺👍

To heck with people who think you can only make the things you do because you have a bunch of tools. You have made so many tools and shared your knowledge and plans with us. If he wants to have those same tools, he needs to get off his butt and make them.

Well said John! Like everything else in life, learning a skill like woodworking takes time & effort. Personally, I am not a big fan of those CNC machines. However, if that's your thing, I have no problems with that........... 😉😉👍👍

Totally agree. I have the dream tool shop, 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC etc, but that stuff rests on top of a foundation of knowledge built making stuff from wood. Every time I make something on the printer in Fusion I am drawing on my experiences using my woodworking tools and things I picked up along my woodworking journey. I work in the film industry doing visual effects. My job is a visual effects supervisor and the movies I work on all use insanely high end equipment, but the same things apply there... the best artists know about photography, light and cocaine use. Sorry, typo, I mean er... colour use... yeah... color use. Anyway, making a good line of color and knowing which edge of a credit card to use, and how to angle the mirror is essential... this whole comment went south fast. Just keep being you John. Fame means every knob jockey on earth is going to assume your actions belong to them. I and many others recognize the skill you have and the time it takes to look like you just rolled out of bed and sneezed out a homemade drawer slider... cheers. Mark Breakspear.

I don't have a degree in engineering but surely anyone with some common sense knows that screw won't wear out because the force (or weight) is not on the screw, the supports hold the weight. So yeah it was after I thought about this, I realized how good the build was, which is why I threw you a huge compliment on that build. And yeah I agree with you about the whole excuses thing. I don't even own a table saw, neither a miter saw. I have a circular saw and jigs. Problem with the whole excuse thing is once you start making excuses you develop a defeated mindset, and it's hard to get out of.

Hey you’re right... we love you here in South Georgia

Where there is a will there is a way ....I was told that when growing up..and now i use the same words. But I like your saying "The problem originates with you" ..👍

At the end I meant to said u are 100%right

John love your work but 3D printers do take learning a skill set too between cad and setting and like materials knowing woods and textures is a skill knowing filaments for prints is a skill I love doing both and I find using some 3D printed parts in design dose help make up for where I'm lacking in wood working. I also agree 100% that where there is a will there is away. Thanks to you and Izzy my first 5 by 7 shop had a home made table saw router table and drill press lol Keep up the good work

I tell people that complain about tools to locate or start a makerspace or other woodworking club. Also, 3D printing your own pieces requires a fairly complex skill set, one that is just different from woodworking. The same goes for desktop CNC - you can't just throw a piece of pallet wood on a CNC and get a bunch of benches or a cool carving. You have to know how to use a router and choose bits to use a CNC. And don't get me started on all the sanding required for common plastics like PLA! As long as there is wood, there will be woodworking.

You're right. Spot on. I wondered if something was wrong a whole ago when there seemed to be so, so many of these woodworkers building their dream benches with fine furniture woodworking techniques. The need for content? A bench fetish? Keeping up with the Joneses? It just seemed silly - as well as sending the wrong message. I don't claim to be a good woodworker, but I do claim to be someone who can do it better than he ever managed to as a teenager by a bit of saving and a few carefully chosen tools - and learning how to sharpen chisels and plane blades. And I am still learning. It's honest, and it is cool - and wood is beautiful.

There's more to 3d printing than getting the machine tuned. You really have to understand the limits of the process to design something that's actually functional. The parts essentially have a grain direction like wood, for example. A power tool centric woodworker is really mostly about getting the machines setup to give us the accuracy we need. Power tools are about increasing efficiency and accuracy without having to develop the hand skills to do it. Cnc and 3d printing are just further abstractions of that. And the more abstract it is in some ways the harder it is to design. You can't tinker around with a 3d print to get it to work right. It's got to come out of the machine working or you have nothing. You have to wait a day for the next version of your design to come out of the machine.

I think the guy with the hat did something terrible. You crack me up😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

I appreciate ya John! Sorry about the trolls!

10k worth of tools. Well, have a look at John's videos of 5/6 years ago. A lot less tools then and he still built some awesome things. So by the way, most of the tools in his workshop were "built at home". If one wants to be a hobbyist/ DIYer, one has to at least gets some basic tools. Take it from there and the skill will improve. For those of us who lack some design skills, we can always follow John's channel.

I would disagree with the comments about not needing skills for 3D printing. You need skills to keep the machine running and to design parts if you design them yourself.

U are right about that cause I'm here in my porch and this is what I'm doing now working in my porch I have 6×9 space ... But I can make anything but what I need now is the skills and learning ... I have been looking in to table saw in small with fenced... But I are 100% right!!!!!