The tools you need depend on what you plan to make. This post covers how to decide what to buy, hand tools versus power tools, the essential hand tools, the first power tools and machines, joinery jigs, tools to add later, and three starter kits based on the kind of work you plan to sell, with what to look for and search for when buying each tool.
Tag: wood-shop
Where to Learn Woodworking: Mentors, Classes, Schools and Online Resources
There are many ways to learn woodworking, from a mentor or a local club to a weekend store class, a week at a woodworking school or a nine-month programme. This post covers each option, with established schools, online and printed resources, how to choose, and the business skills you will need to sell what you make.
Woodworking Hand Tool Basics: Saws, Planes, Chisels and Sharpening
Saws, planes and chisels are the core hand tools of woodworking, and sharpening keeps them working. This post covers the main types of hand saw and how to choose one, bench, block and shoulder planes and what each does, bench and paring chisels and how to hold them, how to sharpen, and where hand tools save time and add value in a small woodworking business.
Woodshop Dust Collection and Respirators: How to Keep a Small Shop’s Air Clean
Fine wood dust is a health hazard and the hardest dust to catch. This post covers why wood dust matters, how to collect it at the source with a shop vacuum or dust collector, which filters to look for, air cleaners, choosing a respirator for dust and for finishes, ventilation and cleaning habits, with a simple plan for each size of shop.
Wood Finishing for a Small Shop: Sanding, Supplies, Pre-Finishing and Safe Practice
The finish is the first thing buyers notice, and it can make or spoil weeks of work. This post covers sanding before finishing and choosing sanders, the main types of finish, the supplies a small shop needs, how to brush and thin finishes, sanding between coats, pre-finishing parts before assembly, safety with fumes and oily rags, and finishing for products you sell.
Types of Wood Joints: Common Woodworking Joints, Their Uses and How to Cut Them
The joint you choose decides how strong a piece is, how it looks and how long it takes to make. This post covers the common woodworking joints, from butt and miter joints to rabbets, dados, lap and splice joints, mortise and tenon, dovetails and box joints, with what each suits, how each is usually cut, and tips for gluing and choosing joints for products you sell.
Starting a CNC Woodworking Business at Home: Machines, Software, Products and Costs
A CNC router cuts, carves and engraves wood under computer control, repeating the same job exactly every time. This post covers what a CNC router does, the products a home CNC business can make and sell, choosing a machine, the software and skills you need, design file licences and trademarks, the costs to plan for, pricing CNC work, and safety.
How to Convert a Garage Into a Woodshop: Layout, Power, Dust and Safety
A garage is the most common place to set up a home woodshop. This post covers why a garage suits a small woodworking business, the rules to check first, layouts for one- and two-car garages, and how to plan power, lighting, dust control, climate, noise, storage and fire safety.
Power Tool Battery Care: How to Make Cordless Tool Batteries Last Longer
Cordless tool batteries wear out with age and use, but how you charge, use and store them makes a large difference to how long they last. This post covers the battery types found in cordless tools, care for lithium-ion and for nickel batteries, what reconditioning can and cannot do, storage, safety, when to replace a battery, and how to recycle it.
Woodworking Jigs and Batch Production: Make More Pieces in Less Time
Jigs, templates and fixtures make cuts faster, safer and the same every time, which is what lets a small woodworking business make pieces in batches. This post covers safety jigs every shop needs, cutting, drilling, sanding and assembly jigs, templates and stop blocks, how to plan a batch, and how to work out what batching saves.
