Start building furniture with less

Let’s all say it together now: Woodworking is an expensive hobby. Sure, one could argue that one well-made table that costs $1,000 in materials is far less expensive long-term than buying a $500 one every few years for the next five decades, and that’s a strong argument. But I should first remind the early 20-something buried deep inside you that $1,000 ain’t chump change. Secondly, that equation overlooks the thousands of dollars in machinery and hand tools in a typical shop, let alone the shop space itself (which, given the current housing market, is hardly “free”). How is one supposed to create the necessary mortise-and-tenon joinery or those classic breadboard ends sans expensive equipment? What is a person to do with an insatiable desire to make furniture and a budget closer to Jiminy Cricket than Jeff Bezos?

One word. Biscuits.