Help out a new woodworker

http://lumberjocks.com/assets/pictures/members/468306-50x50.jpg

Hello to all lumberjocks!

As the title says, I am pretty new to woodworking. I have a lot of questions about techniques, tools, and ideas for projects. It seems as one question gets answered another one peaks my interest. Right now I am interested in getting and learning how to use hand tools for joinery, planing, and the like. I don’t have a planer or really any good hand tools yet (I borrow my grandfather’s tools, but even his are limited in the hand tool department). My first question, or request rather, from my more experienced lumberjocks who may be reading this is to direct me to where I can find good, cheap, not necessarily new hand tools since I want to learn how to restore/sharpen/clean them etc. anyway. I live in the Dallas, Tx area so any of y’all who know that area can help me out with where you may get some of your tools for a good price.

Another little problem I would like some help with is where I can get some good cheap lumber of nice hardwoods, like walnut, maple or any other y’all may have run across. I have access to the equipment to mill them so they don’t have to be project ready boards or anything. I would prefer a place where I can get quite a bit for a cheap price and you know keep the leftover wood for more projects. If there are any tips and tricks y’all have for finding cut-offs or even salvaged wood would be greatly appreciated. Also, I want to attempt to build my own workbench over time with some reused wood or whatever I can get really. Is douglas fir an okay wood to use for a workbench? I ask because I have access to a lot of fir 2

Help out a new woodworker