Some final thoughts...

If you ever want to do something like this yourself I suggest you aim higher than you think you can achieve. I had little or no idea what I was doing for most of this (and I think it shows) but I do read a lot.

The one thing that I needed more of was time. With time you can plan and develop your ideas to reduce the likelihood of problems. You will also have the opportunity to correct your mistakes.

Things you should have on hand for any project that may come up:

A good Respirator Mask. Protect yourself from sanding/polishing dust, paint fumes, chemical fumes, etc. You wont realize you need one of these until you end up sick for a couple of days because you inhaled some crap this would have stopped. (If your lucky you will only get sick for a couple of days.) You would most likely not need this for simple wood cutting/sanding but watch out if you use any specially impregnated materials.

Get a good pair of Vise-Grips (get the true named Vise-Grips not some cheap knockoff). They will be useful for many things and once you buy a pair you'll be glad you did.

Get a good Bar Clamp. One that has the screw type adjustment. Only get the quick setting type if you have minor things to set and don't need to guarantee a good tight clamp.

A good X-acto Knife set.

A simple Soldering Iron. Get either a couple of cheaper ones or a good one with replaceable tips. That way you can solder electrical connections with one tip and use another for simple wood burning projects.

Lastly keep a 'Parts Bucket'. It doesn't have to be a bucket but keep a box or something where you can keep the scraps and castoffs as you work. You never know when you'll need an extra piece of wood to brace something or an extra piece of leather to tie something down, etc.