G'day from the Macedon Ranges

Richard here from the Macedon Ranges in Victoria. I recently began my woodworking journey through a workshop course in Melbourne after not having worked with wood since high school. My first project was a two-draw, bow-tie handle bedside table from blackwood.

I'm looking to start my own home shop to make new timber benchtops for the kitchen and laundry. We've found plenty of old timber on the property which I'd like to salvage and use (think sleepers, posts, etc.)

Looking forward to picking your brains and learning more about the craft from the community.

And if anyone in Melbourne is selling any machines, I'm after a jointer, thicknesser, table saw, and dust extraction to start it all off.

Cheers!

Welcome to the forum Richard.

I'm from the Western suburbs and work out near the Macedon ranges. Unfortunately I don't have any machines to sell you but happy to help out with advice etc.

Assuming you have a shed or garage to set up shop in? Large space?

Lot of guys with a lot of experience on this forum (I don't put myself in that bucket yet!) so ask plenty of questions. Dust collection in particular tends to be something that is worth doing right from the get-go if you intend on sticking with woodworking for a long time, and also a topic that can really confuse and discourage people initially.
Cheers, Dom

Welcome.

Welcome to the forum Richard.

Welcome neighbour. ;-)

A newcomer to woodworking, I agree with Dom re: DC. I do not have a DC system, because I am not sure it is worth the money as I may not be using it that much and I do not quite know how to go about installing one. Also I do not have that many of the big machine and manage with a shop vac for the ROS, the router I use very little and a tracksaw. But if I do decide to go "bigger" with machines I would need help with setting up a DC.

Cheers,


Christophe

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DomAU

Welcome to the forum Richard.

I'm from the Western suburbs and work out near the Macedon ranges. Unfortunately I don't have any machines to sell you but happy to help out with advice etc.

Assuming you have a shed or garage to set up shop in? Large space?

Lot of guys with a lot of experience on this forum (I don't put myself in that bucket yet!) so ask plenty of questions. Dust collection in particular tends to be something that is worth doing right from the get-go if you intend on sticking with woodworking for a long time, and also a topic that can really confuse and discourage people initially.
Cheers, Dom

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Welcome to the forum.

Regards
Keith

Welcome to the forum Richard

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DomAU

Welcome to the forum Richard.

I'm from the Western suburbs and work out near the Macedon ranges. Unfortunately I don't have any machines to sell you but happy to help out with advice etc.

Assuming you have a shed or garage to set up shop in? Large space?

Lot of guys with a lot of experience on this forum (I don't put myself in that bucket yet!) so ask plenty of questions. Dust collection in particular tends to be something that is worth doing right from the get-go if you intend on sticking with woodworking for a long time, and also a topic that can really confuse and discourage people initially.
Cheers, Dom

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Cheers Dom. I have a scrappy old garage which will do the trick for a while, and an old horse barn for storing timber. Totally agree on the dust extraction, strange to hear that it's not considered essential by some.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kungsleden

Welcome neighbour. ;-)

A newcomer to woodworking, I agree with Dom re: DC. I do not have a DC system, because I am not sure it is worth the money as I may not be using it that much and I do not quite know how to go about installing one. Also I do not have that many of the big machine and manage with a shop vac for the ROS, the router I use very little and a tracksaw. But if I do decide to go "bigger" with machines I would need help with setting up a DC.

Cheers,

Christophe

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Cheers Christophe. Sounds like you're on top of it with a shop vac, that's all I have right now too. I won't be running the machines inside the garage until I have that sorted.

Do you know of any woodworking clubs or sheds around the area? Google and Facebook didn't help at all.

G'Day & Welcome to a top forum "Richard",
There are a stack of members in Melbourne & across Victoria plus the rest of the world.....
You'll find a heap of helpful & knowledgeable blokes & ladies on the forum and for most very willing to assist.
Make sure you show off your handiwork as everyone loves a photo, especially WIP [Work In Progress] photos with build notes.
Enjoy the forum.
Enjoy your woodwork.
Cheers crowie