Woodworking Cost

How Much Does Woodworking Cost?

Basic Supplies: $100-$300

Many people enjoy creating beautiful and functional items out of wood, carefully crafting raw lumber into something that will fit their specific needs or serve as a gift for others.

Typical costs:

Many experts recommend starting primarily with hand tools plus a power drill. For $100 -$300 you can get the basics -- an electric drill and bits, chisels, clamps, saws and more. Choosing top-of-the-line tools can bump the total price to $350 -$650. The Oregon State University Extension program describes a few basic hand tools.
You'll probably also want a workbench at $150 -$500 and up; a vise starting around $50 -$150 but running as high as $500 -$700; and saw horses at $10 -$40 or more. Drawers, shelves and cabinets to store tools and supplies can add anywhere from $100 -$1,000 or more.
Once you've mastered the hand tools, the basic power tools you might want to eventually acquire include a circular saw (start around $30 -$50, average $100 -$300 but can be $400 -$600 or more), jigsaw ($20 -$200), random orbital sander (3-inches to 11-inches, $50 -$500), table saw (home models $400 -$1,000; professional models $900 -$2,000 and up), compound miter saw (start around $50 -$150 but can run $500 -$750 and up) and router ($90 -$200 but can run $300 -$500 and up), for a total of $640 -$3,550 or more. Hobbyist Kevin Brady provides a detailed discussion of power tools.
One of the best ways to get introduced to woodworking is to take a woodshop class from an adult education program, military service facility or local woodworking club. For hands-on instruction in a shop full of hand and power tools, classes start around $50 -$100 but can run $150 -$350 or more, depending on the length of the course and the equipment available. Professional woodworking schools offer intensive weekend and week-long classes for $500 -$1,000 or more. Some classes include the cost of materials (wood, nails, glue, etc.) in the fee and some don't.
AbsolutelyFreePlans.com posts a wide range of free woodworking plans, from boats to toys and everything in between. How-to woodworking books, DVDs and magazine subscriptions can run $10 -$75.

What should be included:

For those who like working with lumber, woodworking can be a relaxing and engrossing hobby. Wood-Working-Hobby.com gives an overview of typical woods used in projects and hobbyist Kevin Brady provides tips for beginning woodworkers .
You can pick and choose among AbsolutelyFreePlans.com's long list of detailed how-to articles, from all about nails to safely using a circular saw and more. And WoodNet.net provides links to a wide range of home woodworking websites.

Discounts:

The Washington Post gives instructions for building your own workbench for little or no money.

Shopping for woodworking:

First, decide what you might like to make. Grampa's Workshop posts photo galleries of completed woodworking projects. Many woodworking clubs or guilds offer classes and a chance to interact with experienced woodworkers; Woodworking.com lists links to woodworking associations, clubs and guilds. For everything from one-day classes or how-to videos to a bachelor degree in woodworking, lists of woodworking schools are available from DMOZ.org and WoodworkingNews.com.
WoodNet.net gives descriptions and links to more than 30 tool manufacturers, as well as major stores and catalogs. Hobbyist Kevin Brady shares his beginner's guide for selecting power tools.