Hmm... Woodworking is a lot of things- everything from picnic tables made outta 2 x 4s to period reproductions. I don't want to discourage you- woodworking is a fun and practical hobby. But like any other hobby, it's easy to jump in with both feet and get discouraged by taking on projects more involved than your skills and equipment can complete successfully

I don't know how many bar stools you need, but there's some rather tricky engineering and construction involved. By the time you gear up to do them well, $250 each might not seem so expensive after all- especially if you factor in your time (most hobbyists don't, of course). Everything in the typical bar stool is at some angle. Any piece of furniture that people sit on is subject to special stresses, and those stresses multiply the higher the sitter is in the air and the narrower the footprint, such as a bar stool. Construction complete, it's time for a good, durable finish and maybe a cushion on the seat (or not)…

We don't make rockets out of wood, so it's certainly not so esoteric that a person who's good with his hands can't do and enjoy. If you do gear up to do the work, you have the expense of the equipment up front, but you have the equipment left when you finish- ready for your next project. As a mechanic, you know very well how expensive 'cheap tools' can be, and you also know there's always that next tool that will really make things happen. It's a slippery slope! There are guys out there that can make bar stools with "a knife, an axe, and $40", but those are the guys who have been doing it for many, many years. Investing in tools is a way to 'buy' the skill you lack at this stage. Invest in accurate tools. That table saw that's basically a circular saw flipped upside down just isn't gonna get you to bar stools you'll be proud to let your friends fall off of.

If you've never done any woodworking before, I strongly urge you to try something a bit easier to begin, such as a table- any kind of table. Surely somewhere in that new home needs some kind of table.

Don't think you can 'get into woodworking' just to save money on bar stools. How many hobbyist mechanics can do the level of work that you do? Can they go out, buy a book and a few tools and cut you out of a job? I doubt it. Is the savings the best use of your time? Only if you really enjoy it.

Second another poster's recommendation of Fine Woodworking. Good Luck!