I've a great project idea...but not the tools for it.

[mjr]

I've a great idea for a project, but I don't have the tools to do it. I have a great idea as to what I want to do (chessboard), but I don't have any of the tools to cut the wood to the sizes I want.

Aside from buying the tools (saws, sandpaper, etc.) to do this, where could I go to get wood cut? A "big box" home improvement store? A lumber yard? Is that expensive?

I know about what I want, and about the sizes I need. I don't mind buying the sandpaper, glue, etc. I just don't have the time/money/room right now for saws and such. And I don't have a "maker space" near me.

Although I know a guy who goes to a maker space. Maybe I can just pay him some $$$ and ask him to cut the wood for me.

[csquared]

Most home improvement stores will not do precision cuts. Too much liability. The chess board will need lots of precision.

My only other advice is:
There is one thing better than owning a boat. Having a friend who owns a boat.

[50 mission cap]

Some of the bigger stores rent equipment

[Kittish]

Also, you might check with places like craigslist and freecycle for wood (and maybe even your local dump), you can sometimes get reclaimed wood for cheap or even free. Would wood or bamboo flooring sample tiles work for your project?

[mjr]

Also, you might check with places like craigslist and freecycle for wood (and maybe even your local dump), you can sometimes get reclaimed wood for cheap or even free. Would wood or bamboo flooring sample tiles work for your project?

Well, what I'm really kinda wanting to do isn't so much the actual "playing surface" (i.e. the squares). I have a different idea for that, which I think would go really well with the wood, depending on the wood and how I stain/paint it.

But I will need a square of wood approximately 1 foot by 1 foot for that. And the other wood I'm going to use will essentially be a "border" for the board. So for the border, I'll probably need some angle cuts and/or some joints cut.

[TheSHAD0W]

Power tools are expensive, hand tools can be significantly less so. Harbor Freight Tools is a place to get so-so (hit or miss) tools for pretty low prices. Sign up on their web site and they'll start throwing 20% off coupons at you (which you can also find elsewhere).

[Aislin]

See if your city has a hackspace. Where I live we have zero craft which is basically a big wearhouse of fun. They have 3-d printers and welding tools, A smelt for casting metal, a small forge, tables and workspaces for felting and sewing and a whole huge room of power tools, lathes, saws, and such. When my dad eventually oases sometime in the next 30 years I will donate all his crazy woodworking stuff there. It is pretty cheap to use, like $10 a visit or a yearly membership. You have.to pay to be safety certified but it isn't much and the resources are amazing. They have a laser engraver and people.make some amazing projects.

[mjr]

See if your city has a hackspace.

That sounds a lot like what a co-worker and friend of mine refers to as "makerspace". There's one near where he lives, but that's like 50 miles from where I live. I don't think there's one in my area, but I'll check to see if there's one closer.

[wolfie]

Check if your local school board or community college offers adult continuing education classes in shop as night school. If they do, see if you can arrange with the instructor to sign up for a class but use the time for a self-directed project. You'd need to already have the appropriate skills in order to make such an arrangement.

[protege]

Is there a "salvage" place in your area? We have Construction Junction in the east end of Pittsburgh. They sell mostly things that were salvaged from buildings being torn down or remodeled. Things like marble columns, wooden church pews, old bank counters, furniture, and other things someone could reuse. Usually, they have a huge section of scrap wood, paint, hardware and other things--all of which were donated. Anyway, they sometimes have tools, available for very little outlay. Hand tools for a few dollars are usually fine. Power tools, unless reasonably complete and you can test them, can be risky. Ask if you can plug them in, and you could land a bargain.

Harbor Freight is a bit of a mixed bag. I don't buy tools there unless I have to. They're great for "consumables" --disposable paint brushes, sanding discs, that sort of thing...but not for power tools.