I am at the beginning stage of working on a little wood project and have no tools and no experience, so am looking at what i will need. The more basic, the more better. I want to do this exact thing: are there hand tools i can do this with or do need an electric router and a special bit to do this?
Definitely a router, preferably mounted in a table. That would be pretty tough to do with an edge guide on a handheld router. HornHuskerDad
You'd need a router, a special bit, and a router table. I would also strongly suggest some practice with the router and a simpler bit before you go and jam some wood through your particular bit. Due to the bit's shape, it is trapped in the wood throughout your pass down the table. Any movement away from the fence will either cause a kickback, a broken bit and bits of whirling carbide flying around, or both. At a minimum, remove the center channel with a straight bit first, reducing the amount of material the t-slot cutter has to remove. Good luck. Read up, follow the instructions that come with the bit, and practice a lot first. Woodworking is a wonderful and satisfying hobby, but the machines involved can be very dangerous. So, above all, be careful. Hook 'em!
Using a router isnt all that difficult, just pay attention. That bit spins at about 10,000 rpms. No loose cloths or other crap! I had a bit get caught in some loose clothing after I had turned it off and it was still spinning fast enough to do damage. Of course you wil have the the router in a table for this project. That silver and blue thing is the bit you will need.
BTW, what's your project? Looks like you are making shelves, no? & Don't let my abilities confuse anyone here... even though I'm a roofing contractor I suck as a trim (or even quality rough) carpenter. That's why I have a quality crew.
If you need slat wall, which is what is pictured in your example, you can buy it in pre-finished sheets in a lot of different colors or stains.