Qualified, however, yes--I had some things built for my garden but I did build a path/walkway with a form. Had a vision in my head what I wanted the garden to look like and set out to achieve it. Over a few seasons I did.

I used whatever resources were available. My son offered to bring me a truckload of mulch one year. I asked him to bring me a truckload of granite from a nearby quarry instead. He did (he had a larger truck than mine). I now have a granite path from the edge of the driveway across the lawn to the front door.

Sorry I can't post photos since I no longer have a photo sharing site.

Advice? Only that I envisioned/visualized the gardens as I could see them in my head before I started working to create them. Now I just enjoy them.

Fear? None. I just pursued what I saw in my head and decided to plant it.

Did I make mistakes? Who judges? I don't consider failure as a result. It's just Ma Nature letting me know I don't know all I need to know.

Congratulations on your new acquisition - you've started down a slippery slope since one tool is not enough IME. I grew up in a household that called the plumber to change a faucet washer and during a time that girls weren't allowed in the school woodshop, so I was comfortable with nothing other than a screwdriver before I began using power tools in my thirties. My advice would be to find a woodworker who is competent and have them give you a lesson or two in both the use of the saw and its maintenance or take a basic class through your local adult ed classes or join your local woodworking guild - there are at least a couple in TN from a quick web search. I've done all three for several pieces of equipment (woodworking and welding) so that I'd know what not to do safety-wise, as well as what my tools were best suited for. For instance, most saws/blades cut best for certain types of cuts (ripping vs cross-cut, etc.)

There is also a LOT of info out there on the web: plans for trellises and obelisks, how-to videos, etc.

Also, I strongly suggest using appropriate safety equipment; invest in a good pair of safety glasses that are comfortable (and have bifocals if needed) and wear them religiously. I'd also suggest respiratory protection of some type. I also have learned that there are some pieces of equipment that are just too large for me to use comfortably (though the miter saw isn't one of them.) If after proper instruction I still am unsure of my ability to control a piece of machinery (like the monster radial arm saw that's both too tall and too heavy) I don't use it.

Enjoy!

Garden weed , how awesome that you built your own path ! And I am also at the planning stages , trouble is I can't seem to get much vision yet ! I have done a lot of staring out there , not much ideas. I have been waiting so long to have my own garden again after 2 years of renting when we moved here , that I am afraid to mess up ! :)
Nhbabs, I actually turned 30 past may and I wonder if it's a thing that happens around then! I just decided it's time to learn to do things on my own if I want to make things . And so so cool that you also learned welding ! I have a thing for old metal things in the garden and maybe one day can expand to that .
I am going to start with the basic obelisk and see how that goes ! Going to buy my supplies today . :) if things turn out well I will post a pic .
This is perrenials related , as it will go in my perrenial garden ;)

I agree with nhbabs - have fun playing but do pay attention to safety. Even experienced woodworkers have accidents (there are a surprising number of professional carpenters missing a finger-joint or two!) But it's definitely fun to build things for the garden. I have both built things and done the drawings so someone else could build them for me when the construction/fabrication was beyond what I could do myself, even with help.

Over the years I've posted here, I've posted lots of pictures of things built for the garden. They include:

The first thing I built was a planter-bench and coffee table for the patio (the basic plan for the bench is in several places on the internet, but I modified it to make one side longer so it fit the space better - and that made it look less 'stubby' too. I 'cheated' a bit since a friend's boyfriend did some of the difficult cuts (i.e. 'ripping' wider boards into narrower pieces.) We haven't bothered putting the bench out (it goes into the shed for the winter) in the last couple of summers as we now mainly just use the back porch for sitting outside.
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The success of the bench project encouraged me to try something else - next up was a screen for the air conditioner:

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Closely followed by the copper fence and gate for the end of the north alley: (The original construction drawing for the fence was done with pencil and paper - the fancy version is one I later did with CAD software for a course I was taking....) A friend helped me build it and DH and a neighbour installed it.

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and on and on.... :-)

Once you start doing things, you quickly get hooked on it! One handy thing I've learned is that it's easiest if you prime and paint the wood pieces before you assemble the structure. Touch-up painting (if necessary) is much easier than painting the whole thing when it's outdoors. A good quality primer and two coats of paint last a long time.

A fun project I like to do, now and then, is to make my own sawhorses. I figure if I'm wanting to do so many wood projects around the place, I should be able to make my own wooden sawhorses, right? And then make more for friends, family, etc.

But also, I used them (and other standing objects that fit the role) as the things I can put around my garden area and drape any cloths on it to help protect a particular area if it gets an unexpected cold temperature, especially in early spring when late cold temps might roll through as plants are starting to come out of dormancy.

I make a living building furniture for others so I know my way around tools. I think starting with some saw horses is a good idea. Keep your eyes on craigs list for scraps of wood, and rock and MORE TOOLS.. Things are often given away. I got all the rock for free and half my wood. I did get the 4x4 wood at 1/4 price on craigs list.. The cedar planks I got for hauling away. The rock i got from a ranch that was being torn down and made into a mall. here are a few pics of different projects. I am not a professional rock person and I do this by myself. Things have to be done quickly and cheaply. I am a bottom feeder. I keep things simple.
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I call this the Backwards garden because I planted the garden and then built the deer proof fence and raised beds. Still not bad for a middle aged broad.

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