rock pots for everything. Every civ will take the pots and I almost always have plenty of stone to spare. I haven't made a barrel in a very, very long time.
My carpenter does usually only two things: make beds, make bins. Oh, and once he's really good, make about 40 shields. from what I understand, the material of the shield doesn't matter other than the weight.
As a fellow newb, I have found a few things that made a few things smoother. Trade prepared food; if your farmer is busy (and solely dedicated to farming) you shouldn't really run out of food ever. Store it in rock pots so you don't have to worry about offending the hippies. Use the trade surplus to buy a variety of food from traders. You will get what you need and then some.
Order steel anvils from the liaison. They will always be a set price and they will not have quality designations to increase costs. If you are really hard up for steel, also request toys, instruments, crafts, and all of the other dumb things you won't really need with the hopes that they will be made of steel and of low quality. Melt every one of these things down.
Fuel! As a newb, I would HIGHLY suggest you bring with you at embark one coke bar and several chunks of bituminous coal. Volcanoes don't grow on trees and the magma sea is a long way down.
Be aware of the power of traps, bridges, and levers. Some times it is best to "turtle up" when things aren't going your way.
Booze is #1 priority. Period.
Ask questions, read the wiki, and read posts here regularly. Often the answer is just a few keystrokes away!