Kevin- you -can- cut rabbit joints with a tablesaw and a wood chisel... But yes, a router's better. Don't even start looking at the rabbit joint guides... you'll be spending money like it's out of style

Well, I still think I will be purchasing a router before a tablesaw so I guess I will be good on rabbit joints then. But, I'm not rushing that. After making some practice cuts on the OSB I bought for practice, I ended up with a bunch on misc. pieces but a rectangular piece and two exactly the same long 2"ish thick pieces stood out to me. I wanted to practice a nice curved decorate cut so I did so on my Bosch jigsaw along the top of the rectangle and then came up with an idea to make a small soccer goal for my sister, who's birthday is in two days. Ahhh! Well I finished cutting the rectangle to shape, finished cutting the angles for the legs, chose colors and decoration for it, and sanded it for too long of a time! Now I need to go paint it. I have colors from various things around the house, but no black, so I am off to HD to get that. I don't think I will be trying spray paint on this project though. While at HD I will be getting the needed supplies for a workbench I will be building. Wow, lots of stuff to do! Anyways, I have to get to it!

Oh and I almost forgot, I absolutely LOVE the tools I picked out with the help of you guys! The Bosch Jigsaw cuts amazingly well and extremely smoothly, the Ridgid RO Sander is really easy and comfortable to use, and the Makita circular saw cuts wood like butter and even with a 24 tooth blade I get a very smooth cut. Now, I'm off to spend more money!

Here's a good article on cutting "rabbets" and dadoes:

http://www.americanfurnituredsgn.com/Rab......ints.htm

I cut that three times and it still too short !!!

Noticed the StopSaw mentioned earlier - it's a shame this saw isn't more well known. It's an expensive tool, but the benefits are well worth the extra cost. This past year they released a contractor model which is portable (as opposed to a cabinet saw) and it's much cheaper.

I finished the construction and now I am waiting for the final touch-ups to dry. I missed my deadline of yesterday (which was my sister's birhday), but that's alright. I will try to figure out how to post photos soon, so that I can show you guys my first ever woodworking project!

Kevin,

I'm looking forward to seeing your photos.

Greatchach,

I absolutely agree with you about the SawStop. Anyone not familiar with it should at least watch the Hot Dog Demo on their site:

http://www.sawstop.com/howitworks/videos.php

cheers

Okay guys, here is the final result of hours of hardwork. My first woodworking project!!!

http://s661.photobucket.com/albums/uu335......lideshow

Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated and welcomed! Just don't be too harsh . I know it's not magical, but it's a start.


P.S. There are captions at the bottom left of each picture. I hope my link works!

Have a Table saw...

Is that a comment or suggestion on the project?...

Anyways, yes I know that, but really I can't have one. It is just to dangerous of a tool for me and if I had it, I wouldn't even go near it. One of my friends just had their tip of their finger cut off and a gash in their next finger from a table saw. I know it was only from misproper use, but I don't even want to risk it. Accidents happen...

Well, I just gave the goal to my sister and she really liked it. She thought I bought it and when she heard I constructed it her jaw dropped. It made me feel pretty good! A big hug followed, and I new my hours of work in the basement paid off.

I have been doing woodworking for more than thirty-five years (with a table saw), and I still have all my appendages. The only two incidents I have experienced were minor and were both due to my being too tired to work safely. One left a perfectly-shaped 1x2 bruise on my lower abdomen, and the other left me with a slightly-sprained left thumb. Both were caused by kickback from something I shouldn't have been trying to do.

Just remember:

1. Make sure your equipment is properly aligned and set up according to the instructions.
2. NEVER try to use a dull blade.
3. NEVER try to carry on a conversation while woodworking. If someone walks up while you are working, turn off the equipment, finish the conversation, and resume when they have left.

There are more, of course, but these are the ones that have served me best.

Guys, I understand that I really should have a table saw, but I have told everyone too many times already that I can't. A router with a good router table would be my next choice as far as the power tools go. And, then maybe a sliding compound miter saw. Again, I know table saws are great, but until I can afford a Saw Stop table saw, I think I will be holding off. Plus, I think I have made enough of an investment for a while now. Instead of obsessing over the tools I have, I want to continue building.

Not to give you more ways to blow your money, but if you want to do more delicate (smaller scale) work, you could look into a scroll saw too. You can get them used pretty cheap, and even a decent new one wouldn't be that expensive (Harbor Freight) - unless you're looking at the higher end RBI Hawk on up.

The good thing about scroll saws are that they are relatively safe (safer than a jigsaw anyway) and you can do some very fine detail work. It's not meant to make very big or fast cuts though.

Hope the building is going well.

Thanks for the tip. I thought about a scroll saw, but instead of buying one, I think a relative of mine might be willing to give one up. Although, I don't really have any need for one right now, but you never know.

My building is going well, I haven't started on my workbench, but I will get to it hopefully soon enough. I am pretty busy at the moment, building a set for beauty and the beast. I will keep everyone updated.