First off, welcome to the rabbit hole of woodworking; or even thinking about it!
Right now, there aren’t any comments here but I imagine as the comments pile up, you’re going to get a variety of answers that may seem overwhelming or contrary to each other. That’s been my experience with these kinds of questions in the past, at least.
Part of the reason for that is that we all have different interests, budgets, priorities, values, and more.
So let me stay start by offering you some concepts to work through to help you come to the answers that are right for you.
At the highest levels, you’re going to need some method of cutting (a saw) and fastening wood (joinery of some kind), and probably something to smooth it with (so you can apply finish and make it pleasant to touch and look at). You’ll likely also need something to make holes in it (also for joinery, and a place to hold the material down while you work it.
But to decide which direction to go in to accomplish these things is where everyone will diverge. Here are a few questions I usually ask people to get them to some conclusions that are right FOR THEM. Everyone will give you the answer that was right for themselves, but nobody is you, right? ;)
First, what do you want to build? Small simple crafty things like pencil holders and coasters? Ornate decorative pieces like fretwork clocks? Big pieces of furniture? Each of those kinds of things require different tools and/or capabilities. I find starting with the end in mind brings a lot of clarity. Someone who makes massive tables will tell you an entirely different thing than someone who turns pens and bowls on a lathe, you know?
Second, do you value peace and quiet and tradition in your work? If so, hand tools like planes, hand saws, and chisels may be the direction to look in. Do you value speed and efficiency and modern technology? Power tools like a circular saw, random orbital sander and a drill might be a good start instead.
On the work holding front, you’ll likely be able to get by with a simple work bench or even sawhorses for a bit, but once you get a feel for your style and preferences, that will be something you’ll want to upgrade. My very first project was a workbench that I spent a lot of time researching. I built it on sawhorses which sucked but it was all I had. I learned a ton from that project, which I took into future ones.
If you have some thoughts on these topics, I’m sure that I, and others, may be able to provide more insightful answers that will feel more applicable to you and your situation
I have a circular saw, impact driver, a drill, and a set of screwdrivers. But honestly I would like to do small furniture and birdhouses MOSTLY . Would LOVE to get into bigger furniture and furniture flipping (occasional though, I would want more of a quiet time using my hands)
Item number 1 would recommend then is a bench with a face vise.
Also, regardless of whether you prefer hand tools or power tools or a combination of both, you will need a
Straight edge,
Compass which holds a pencil,
Square edge,
Marking gauge,
Marking knife,
After that a table saw.
Ok, with that in mind, here are a few suggestions I would offer, but think of these more as pointers than as hard answers that you HAVE to do. Feel free to ask more questions if you need to.
First: the biggest limitation I noted in your post was the size of your shed. Once you put a few tools in there, that space will fill up FAST. Unless you have the option to work outside of that shop (e.g. in your backyard, etc), then, regardless of how essential anyone tells you a tool is, you will HAVE to weigh its benefit against the footprint that it will take up. There are all sorts of videos and resources out there with ideas around setting up a shop in a small space. They generally fall into the categories of making everything serve multiple purposes, putting things on wheels so you can wheel them out of the way when not being used, or creating fixtures that can collapse or fold out of the way.
Additionally, a shed that size sounds like the kind of thing that is intended for back yard storage of lawn mowers, shovels, rakes, etc. Assuming I'm correct, then power is going to be your next limitation to consider. Depending on what kind of power is available to you, the size, type, and number of tools you can operate (or operate at once) will be something to consider.
With those things out of the way, I'm going to use your birdhouse idea as a means to highlight some tools you might want or functions that you will need to perform in one way or another (there's almost never one way to do a thing in this craft!). I'm also recommending the cheapest and fastest way to get you to making sawdust.
I'm starting with a tl;dr list of stuff, but if you want my rationale for each, see below:
* plastic sawhorses x2
* 10' or 12' measuring tape
* speed square
* forstner bits
* 12" clamps (f-style or similar)
* drill bits
* fasteners (nails, screws, etc)
* sandpaper variety pack for your sander
* spray finish (paint, clear coat, etc)
You can probably get some relatively straight and flat pine boards in your desired width from Home Depot/Lowes, or whatever your local equivalent is, but you'll need to cut them to specific lengths, which you can do on 2 sawhorses, which I didn't see mentioned in your list of tools. You may be able to do this even simpler by putting the boards on some blocks on the ground and cutting them to length there, but you'll likely find sawhorses to be useful in the future anyway, so they're a good investment. I built my entire workbench on two plastic Stanley sawhorses [like these](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-31-in-H-Plastic-Folding-Sawhorse-2-Pack-060864R/301457796?MERCH=REC-_-pip_alternatives-_-316729544-_-%7B%7BproductId%7D%7D-_-N) with a sheet of plywood on top as a makeshift work surface.
Regardless of how you support the boards, you'll want to cut them to specific lengths, and you'll want to make sure that you make straight cuts. You'll want a measuring tape, pencil, and a straight edge for this. You aren't going to be framing a house, so don't worry about getting a fancy 25' tape made for a construction site. Look for a little 10-12' measuring tape [like this](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-Powerlock-12-ft-x-3-4-in-Tape-Measure-33-312L/100123236). You can often find them on endcaps or other places where they store cheap things to tempt you into dropping them into your cart. For a straight edge, I like the cheap plastic speed squares [like this one](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Empire-12-in-Polycast-Rafter-Square-396/100142464) you find all over the place. They may not work for fine woodworking, but for making a straight and perpendicular line where pinpoint precision isn't super important, they're great. Additionally, they make for a great makeshift straight edge to run your circular saw along to cut on that line.
Next, you're going to need to put a hole in that birdhouse so the birds can get in. Maybe also to attach a perch on the front? Both of those will require holes bigger than a drill bit is going to make. A hole cutter bit will do the trick, but if you're going to get into finer work eventually, you may want to consider forstner bits instead. They come in a variety of common sizes, and you can usually find them in sets [like this one](https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-Steel-Forstner-Drill-Bit-Set-8-Piece-A9FS8R1/202078676). I bought a set by Ryobi that served me well for a long time, but at the low end of the market for tools like this, any brand is about as good as another.
Normally, I would say that a drill press is the best tool for the job when using a forstner bit, but I'm trying to keep this list cheap for you. Without one of those, you'll need something to hold the board in place while you drill the holes you need. If you have a sheet of plywood over the sawhorses, you can clamp the board to the plywood to stabilize it. There are tons of clamps out there, but you don't need anything big and bad. Simple f-clamps, or even some trigger clamps will likeyl work. Tons of people swear by the cheap f-clamps at Harbor Freight because they're cheap, and perfectly fine for light-medium duty work. Get a few of those and you'll be good to go for a while. Spoiler alert: in a few steps from now, I'm going to suggest you might want to clamp the wood together, so get some clamps that can extend to the size of your project. Likely 12" or so will work.
Since you have a drill, I'm going to assume you have an assortment of drill bits to pre-drill holes before you start assembling your birdhouse, but if not, look for a cheap set of bits with different sizes, along with nails or screws to put it all together. For a simple birdhouse, you may not need to glue the pieces together, but you will want to glue wood together eventually, so look for some of that, as well. I've used Titebond for years, but there are other brands out there, as well. Glue usually comes in different types, depending on the use case (interior use, exterior use, etc), so get the right type for your project.
Sandpaper is also going to be key on most projects. Most places that sell it will sell it in sample packs where you can get a few pieces or discs in a variety of grits. You may not need them all for a birdhouse, but you'll want to have some on hand.
Lastly, you may want to put some kind of finish on the wood to make the birdhouse look good, and hold up to the elements. Whether you use paint, or apply a clear coat, I suggest looking for something in a spray can for easy of application and so you don't need to buy anything else to apply it until you decide how/if you want to proceed in your woodworking career/hobby/addiction.
Ok, wow...this comment went on way longer than I thought. I'm going to stop now.
There are obviously tons of bigger, fancier, and better tools to do the job, but right now, you don't even KNOW if you are going to like making things out of wood. My focus with this list was getting you to that answer by spending the least amount of money as possible. There may even be more ways to trim the list down, but I was trying to be thorough, and get you thinking through the process, at least.
Let me know if you have any more questions!
I started with a radial arm saw and a Makita drill/driver. I had some other stuff, I can't enumerate, but the radial arm saw and the Makita were the thing. I got out of the Navy and had some used furniture. Bought a house and went to buy furniture. There were no discount furniture stores around at the time and I went pale looking at prices. I decided to build my own, why not!? LOL!! So I went to Sears and they had radial arm saws. The thing was you could see the blade, not like a table saw where the blade is partially hidden. I liked the idea. I still have one, my second one. I have a table saw I use for ripping and various things. So where am I going here? I would get a chop saw or miter saw as radials are dead and gone. I would get drill/driver and a router. I would stop there and see what I could do with them. A router table may be of use. Then you wait and see what you need for your next project before buying anything more. To buy stuff to buy stuff is wasteful. I have a surface planer, I have NEVER used in 30 years!!!! You don't buy anything unless you need it and buy Harbor Freight and not Festool either. Give me a break. I buy a tool for $100 vs $600 and I use it 40 times, which has the best Return On Investment. You aren't a shop, you are not building stuff 10 hours a day! You are a hobbyist!! I buy cheaper stuff and it has lasted me 40 years!!! I still have a 40 year old MAKITA drill/driver that still works though I seldom use it. Don't go crazy over tools, just line up a project and ask, what do I need. How often am I gonna use it? I haven't used the band saw in like forever. The drill press? All the time. No one can tell you what you need, you have to find a project that you want to do and ask what do I need for this project. That is the way to go.
Anyone who mentions budget and what you want to build are the absolute right path.
I had three specific projects in mind, starting with new flooring that I was installing myself. The money saved from doing that went to power tools. I started with a miter saw, jigsaw and multi-tool. Each big helps in doing my flooring.
My second project was going to be a corner banquette with storage, so I got an impact driver, drill, random orbital sander and table saw. Now I have a ton of tools, all of which I have used for the above and smaller projects I've come up with along the way.
I'm getting a joiner this fall for my third major project, which will be the dining room table to go along with my banquette. That and a bandsaw will be purchases late this summer.
First off, welcome to the rabbit hole of woodworking; or even thinking about it! Right now, there aren’t any comments here but I imagine as the comments pile up, you’re going to get a variety of answers that may seem overwhelming or contrary to each other. That’s been my experience with these kinds of questions in the past, at least. Part of the reason for that is that we all have different interests, budgets, priorities, values, and more. So let me stay start by offering you some concepts to work through to help you come to the answers that are right for you. At the highest levels, you’re going to need some method of cutting (a saw) and fastening wood (joinery of some kind), and probably something to smooth it with (so you can apply finish and make it pleasant to touch and look at). You’ll likely also need something to make holes in it (also for joinery, and a place to hold the material down while you work it. But to decide which direction to go in to accomplish these things is where everyone will diverge. Here are a few questions I usually ask people to get them to some conclusions that are right FOR THEM. Everyone will give you the answer that was right for themselves, but nobody is you, right? ;) First, what do you want to build? Small simple crafty things like pencil holders and coasters? Ornate decorative pieces like fretwork clocks? Big pieces of furniture? Each of those kinds of things require different tools and/or capabilities. I find starting with the end in mind brings a lot of clarity. Someone who makes massive tables will tell you an entirely different thing than someone who turns pens and bowls on a lathe, you know? Second, do you value peace and quiet and tradition in your work? If so, hand tools like planes, hand saws, and chisels may be the direction to look in. Do you value speed and efficiency and modern technology? Power tools like a circular saw, random orbital sander and a drill might be a good start instead. On the work holding front, you’ll likely be able to get by with a simple work bench or even sawhorses for a bit, but once you get a feel for your style and preferences, that will be something you’ll want to upgrade. My very first project was a workbench that I spent a lot of time researching. I built it on sawhorses which sucked but it was all I had. I learned a ton from that project, which I took into future ones. If you have some thoughts on these topics, I’m sure that I, and others, may be able to provide more insightful answers that will feel more applicable to you and your situation
I have a circular saw, impact driver, a drill, and a set of screwdrivers. But honestly I would like to do small furniture and birdhouses MOSTLY . Would LOVE to get into bigger furniture and furniture flipping (occasional though, I would want more of a quiet time using my hands)
Item number 1 would recommend then is a bench with a face vise. Also, regardless of whether you prefer hand tools or power tools or a combination of both, you will need a Straight edge, Compass which holds a pencil, Square edge, Marking gauge, Marking knife, After that a table saw.
Ok, with that in mind, here are a few suggestions I would offer, but think of these more as pointers than as hard answers that you HAVE to do. Feel free to ask more questions if you need to. First: the biggest limitation I noted in your post was the size of your shed. Once you put a few tools in there, that space will fill up FAST. Unless you have the option to work outside of that shop (e.g. in your backyard, etc), then, regardless of how essential anyone tells you a tool is, you will HAVE to weigh its benefit against the footprint that it will take up. There are all sorts of videos and resources out there with ideas around setting up a shop in a small space. They generally fall into the categories of making everything serve multiple purposes, putting things on wheels so you can wheel them out of the way when not being used, or creating fixtures that can collapse or fold out of the way. Additionally, a shed that size sounds like the kind of thing that is intended for back yard storage of lawn mowers, shovels, rakes, etc. Assuming I'm correct, then power is going to be your next limitation to consider. Depending on what kind of power is available to you, the size, type, and number of tools you can operate (or operate at once) will be something to consider. With those things out of the way, I'm going to use your birdhouse idea as a means to highlight some tools you might want or functions that you will need to perform in one way or another (there's almost never one way to do a thing in this craft!). I'm also recommending the cheapest and fastest way to get you to making sawdust. I'm starting with a tl;dr list of stuff, but if you want my rationale for each, see below: * plastic sawhorses x2 * 10' or 12' measuring tape * speed square * forstner bits * 12" clamps (f-style or similar) * drill bits * fasteners (nails, screws, etc) * sandpaper variety pack for your sander * spray finish (paint, clear coat, etc) You can probably get some relatively straight and flat pine boards in your desired width from Home Depot/Lowes, or whatever your local equivalent is, but you'll need to cut them to specific lengths, which you can do on 2 sawhorses, which I didn't see mentioned in your list of tools. You may be able to do this even simpler by putting the boards on some blocks on the ground and cutting them to length there, but you'll likely find sawhorses to be useful in the future anyway, so they're a good investment. I built my entire workbench on two plastic Stanley sawhorses [like these](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-31-in-H-Plastic-Folding-Sawhorse-2-Pack-060864R/301457796?MERCH=REC-_-pip_alternatives-_-316729544-_-%7B%7BproductId%7D%7D-_-N) with a sheet of plywood on top as a makeshift work surface. Regardless of how you support the boards, you'll want to cut them to specific lengths, and you'll want to make sure that you make straight cuts. You'll want a measuring tape, pencil, and a straight edge for this. You aren't going to be framing a house, so don't worry about getting a fancy 25' tape made for a construction site. Look for a little 10-12' measuring tape [like this](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-Powerlock-12-ft-x-3-4-in-Tape-Measure-33-312L/100123236). You can often find them on endcaps or other places where they store cheap things to tempt you into dropping them into your cart. For a straight edge, I like the cheap plastic speed squares [like this one](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Empire-12-in-Polycast-Rafter-Square-396/100142464) you find all over the place. They may not work for fine woodworking, but for making a straight and perpendicular line where pinpoint precision isn't super important, they're great. Additionally, they make for a great makeshift straight edge to run your circular saw along to cut on that line. Next, you're going to need to put a hole in that birdhouse so the birds can get in. Maybe also to attach a perch on the front? Both of those will require holes bigger than a drill bit is going to make. A hole cutter bit will do the trick, but if you're going to get into finer work eventually, you may want to consider forstner bits instead. They come in a variety of common sizes, and you can usually find them in sets [like this one](https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-Steel-Forstner-Drill-Bit-Set-8-Piece-A9FS8R1/202078676). I bought a set by Ryobi that served me well for a long time, but at the low end of the market for tools like this, any brand is about as good as another. Normally, I would say that a drill press is the best tool for the job when using a forstner bit, but I'm trying to keep this list cheap for you. Without one of those, you'll need something to hold the board in place while you drill the holes you need. If you have a sheet of plywood over the sawhorses, you can clamp the board to the plywood to stabilize it. There are tons of clamps out there, but you don't need anything big and bad. Simple f-clamps, or even some trigger clamps will likeyl work. Tons of people swear by the cheap f-clamps at Harbor Freight because they're cheap, and perfectly fine for light-medium duty work. Get a few of those and you'll be good to go for a while. Spoiler alert: in a few steps from now, I'm going to suggest you might want to clamp the wood together, so get some clamps that can extend to the size of your project. Likely 12" or so will work. Since you have a drill, I'm going to assume you have an assortment of drill bits to pre-drill holes before you start assembling your birdhouse, but if not, look for a cheap set of bits with different sizes, along with nails or screws to put it all together. For a simple birdhouse, you may not need to glue the pieces together, but you will want to glue wood together eventually, so look for some of that, as well. I've used Titebond for years, but there are other brands out there, as well. Glue usually comes in different types, depending on the use case (interior use, exterior use, etc), so get the right type for your project. Sandpaper is also going to be key on most projects. Most places that sell it will sell it in sample packs where you can get a few pieces or discs in a variety of grits. You may not need them all for a birdhouse, but you'll want to have some on hand. Lastly, you may want to put some kind of finish on the wood to make the birdhouse look good, and hold up to the elements. Whether you use paint, or apply a clear coat, I suggest looking for something in a spray can for easy of application and so you don't need to buy anything else to apply it until you decide how/if you want to proceed in your woodworking career/hobby/addiction. Ok, wow...this comment went on way longer than I thought. I'm going to stop now. There are obviously tons of bigger, fancier, and better tools to do the job, but right now, you don't even KNOW if you are going to like making things out of wood. My focus with this list was getting you to that answer by spending the least amount of money as possible. There may even be more ways to trim the list down, but I was trying to be thorough, and get you thinking through the process, at least. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Very good comment
I started with a radial arm saw and a Makita drill/driver. I had some other stuff, I can't enumerate, but the radial arm saw and the Makita were the thing. I got out of the Navy and had some used furniture. Bought a house and went to buy furniture. There were no discount furniture stores around at the time and I went pale looking at prices. I decided to build my own, why not!? LOL!! So I went to Sears and they had radial arm saws. The thing was you could see the blade, not like a table saw where the blade is partially hidden. I liked the idea. I still have one, my second one. I have a table saw I use for ripping and various things. So where am I going here? I would get a chop saw or miter saw as radials are dead and gone. I would get drill/driver and a router. I would stop there and see what I could do with them. A router table may be of use. Then you wait and see what you need for your next project before buying anything more. To buy stuff to buy stuff is wasteful. I have a surface planer, I have NEVER used in 30 years!!!! You don't buy anything unless you need it and buy Harbor Freight and not Festool either. Give me a break. I buy a tool for $100 vs $600 and I use it 40 times, which has the best Return On Investment. You aren't a shop, you are not building stuff 10 hours a day! You are a hobbyist!! I buy cheaper stuff and it has lasted me 40 years!!! I still have a 40 year old MAKITA drill/driver that still works though I seldom use it. Don't go crazy over tools, just line up a project and ask, what do I need. How often am I gonna use it? I haven't used the band saw in like forever. The drill press? All the time. No one can tell you what you need, you have to find a project that you want to do and ask what do I need for this project. That is the way to go.
You and the other commenter were so helpful thank you so much, I now know what to do and what to look out for!
I am happy you liked mine and I liked the other comment too, but thought I should put in my two cents.
Anyone who mentions budget and what you want to build are the absolute right path. I had three specific projects in mind, starting with new flooring that I was installing myself. The money saved from doing that went to power tools. I started with a miter saw, jigsaw and multi-tool. Each big helps in doing my flooring. My second project was going to be a corner banquette with storage, so I got an impact driver, drill, random orbital sander and table saw. Now I have a ton of tools, all of which I have used for the above and smaller projects I've come up with along the way. I'm getting a joiner this fall for my third major project, which will be the dining room table to go along with my banquette. That and a bandsaw will be purchases late this summer.