Investment for your Woodworking Shop
When a person thinks to start a woodworking shop, it is obvious that the person will visit different forums for opinions on how to invest money for their shop.
With no shortage of opinions on the forum, these opinions will likely create confusion in the head of the person. However, the thing here is that one should know that their woodworking shop is their source of income and they should understand these things to help in prioritizing the purchase of the shop:
1. Buy instruments that are flexible in the sense that can complement other instruments.
2. Taking from the first point, flexible instruments keep the work moving.
Hence, it is important to keep these points in mind while investing. However, the point to note here is that to keep moving the work smoothly and to be flexible as per the needs of the trade, one has to be very careful with their choices in investing.
Nevertheless, in this article, here are a few tips that could help in the making of a good woodworking shop.
Shopping Strategy:
The approach should be simple and should not include buying cheap products. When a cheap product does not perform or fails badly then buying on price often costs a user more in the longer run.
The trick should always be of searching for quality tools that can be bought at pocket price. And, after buying, one should know how to unlock the maximum potential of that instrument.
The strategy should always be, irrespective of the cost, to buy basic and versatile tools before adding any kind of specialized tool.
Types of Tools to Have in the Shop:
There are a variety of tools available in the market. And having each type of these tools in a tool kit is essential for a woodworker. To sort things out, here is a list of tools and things that are essential for woodworking.
● Tools
- Table Saw
- Plane Thicknesser
- Woodturning lathe
- Router
- Circular Saw
- Random orbit sander
- Chisels and saws
Power Tools: Power tools make the life of a woodworker easy. Here is the description of some of them:
Table Saw: Table saw has to be the first purchase for any woodworker. Woodworking is cannot be termed completed if the table saw is missing from the list of equipment. Furthermore, the table saw serves as the focus for many tasks that could come in the future. One has to consider some space in their workshop or home for a table saw as it is quite large compared to a normal saw.
The blades of the table saw are bigger than a circular saw. They consist of a high-speed motor fixed over a flat table beneath it. The blade rises out of the table bed to adjust the depth of the cut. Table saws are pretty good when it comes to preparing identically sized pieces or making several rips cuts.
Table saws can take masonry blades and metals but the thing to keep in mind is that the design of the blade should match the motor’s round per minute.
A table saw, since it is well balanced, can deal with the cutting of various sizes of wood with efficiency and accuracy. This is the reason why it is the heart and soul of a woodworking shop. Furthermore, a woodworker considers this as the centerpiece, hence forming their arsenal around a table saw.
Plane Thicknesser
A woodworking machine which helps in planning and smoothing of large sections of timber to get the right size of wood as per the requirement of the project is called a plane thicknesser.
A plane thicknesser comprises of three parts:
- Drum Cutting Blade
- Feed-in/feed-out rollers
- Adjustable level table
● Drum Blade: It is a metal cylinder holding blades made to rotate at high speed to plane the wood.
● Feed-in/feed-out roller: These supports are placed before and after the planer so that it can support the wooden plank when it is put in and when it goes out from the machine, thus, making the process a lot safer.
● Adjustable level table: The adjustable level table is a platform for holding the timber at a correct distance from the drum blade for trimming the thickness of the wood as per the requirement of the project.
When using the machine, it is good to consider the fact that one must not try to get the required thickness in an attempt as that can make the planner jump, tear and could give a rippled finish. Plane the timber in small amounts to get the thickness as per the requirement of the project.
Moreover, to achieve a flat, smooth and constant plane, one needs to make sure that the other side which slides over the working table should be flat.
Woodturning Lathe
A machine that converts a piece into a chosen shape irrespective of it being a spindle, bowl, or different decorative wood items is called a wood lathe machine. A piece of wood is attached to a spinning arm and multiple tools are used to provide shape to a piece of wood while it is spinning.
The lathe has played and is playing a crucial role in the development of civilization. Production of wheels and making various kinds of furniture such as tableware, and parts of mill and pumps, jewelry-making and many other important developments were some productions where the lathe was used.
Mostly, a lathe comprises a spindle and tailstock where the desired wood, which the woodworker wants to turn, is attached. The use of multiple bladed tools and the tool rest is used to trim the outside of the wood. In doing so, the bark is taken off and is shaped until the desired shape is not attained.
Furthermore, a woodworker can make use of the hollow which comes out of the wood to make vessels such as utensils, vases and decorative items.
Router:
A high-speed process in which wood is cut, trimmed and shaped is called routing and the machine used for this process is called a router. Wood routing is a process that is used to shape the wood by producing finished edges and shapes. Materials that are difficult to shape can be shaped neatly using a router.
A CNC router is a convenient tool to use in comparison to a spindle moulders when it comes to fishing light work. A router has a higher conversion rate than a spindle moulder as it works at a high speed thus, finishing the job much quicker.
Circular Saw:
Circular saws mainly use a toothed blade which is usually between a 7-¼ and 9 inches in diameter. They are also referred to as a buzz saw or the most popular name of a circular saw of called Skilsaw.
Circular saws are very much like table saws. It is a very common workshop equipment. It is a very flexible tool with a high level of portability. It is a handheld power tool with a rotating blade that is pushed across the wood to cut it through.
The prime purpose of a circular saw is to cut the wood and soft materials, thus, it can also act as a table saw. Moreover, this saw can be used to cut very tough materials like metals with the use of a suitable circular saw blade.
Random Orbit Sander:
A random orbit sander works alternatively by spinning the sanding disk and moving it in an elliptical path. The random sanding action helps in preventing the swirl marks. However, the direction of the grains is not an issue when sanding is being performed.
Usually, the random orbital sanders come in 5 or 6 inches sizes that are as per the sanding disk in use. A 5-inch sander, because of their better mobility, is mainly used for DIYers purpose. With circular pads, the round orbital sander is different from an orbital finish sander.
This sander is controlled by the palm of the woodworker’s hand and a light touch is all these sanders need to make them do the desired work.
Mostly, the round orbit sanders come with a vacuum system that gets activated when the sander is turned on. The fine particles coming out of the wood are sucked through the holes that are embedded in the surface of the sander. These particles get deposited detachable canister.
Although there is a vacuum system, woodworkers are advised to use safety goggles and respiratory masks as a safety measure for their health purposes.
Chisel: There is a need for a chisel to clean out saw cuts and joints. Thus, a woodworker must possess a chisel in his/her arsenal. Built of high-alloy carbon steel or chromium-vanadium alloyed steel, chisel requires a hardwood grip with metal caps, which are the best, for holding purposes. This type of grip prevents the end of the handle, which is getting hammered by the woodworker, from becoming distorted.
Chisel is one such tool that requires the use of both hands. Because of this, a woodworker can enjoy the power and control over a chisel while cutting wood away. One thing to keep in mind is that the claw hammer will destroy the end of a chisel if not used properly.
● Health, Safety, and Workwear (PPE)
Workshop Vacuum System:
Once you start woodworking, you will soon realize that sawdust gets everywhere and a broom alone is probably not enough of a solution. Not only is having a system in place to deal with dust important for the air quality of your shop and what you are breathing, but I feel more productive in a clean shop without sawdust all over everything.
It will not take time for any woodworker to realize that sawdust will be a pain in his/her eye. In some cases, the broom alone will not be enough to get rid of the widespread sawdust. For this reason, a woodworker is advised to have a vacuum system to deal with this massacre. With a vacuum system, the air quality will be taken care off and the shop will be much cleaner in comparison to the brooming one.
Since large workshops have large dust extractors but there are custom vacuum cleaners available in the market that can fit the size of a workshop under a planned budget.
Other Equipment:
Apart from the aforementioned things, a woodworker must make sure that he/she has covered the basic aspects of the woodworking workshop. Small things can pull stunts that even power tools cannot pull off. Hence a woodworker should make sure that they are covered with the below-mentioned items in their store.
● Bench Vice and storage:
A heavy-duty wood clamping vice that is attached to a workbench is called woodwork vice. Due to its design, it is capable of heavy-duty work. It has a strong metal construction and wide jaws, a woodworking vice can withstand large amounts of pressure when the work is on.
For any bench, there is a need for easy-access storage otherwise things will clutter over the benchtop making it a messy affair. Thus, having drawers that mount directly under the benchtop fits the scheme of things very nicely.
● Abrasives, cleaners, and finishing:
After working hard to get the desired shape and size of the wood, a woodworker needs abrasives, cleaners and finishing materials to get the finishing right.
However, the choice matters a lot when it comes to these items. A look-out for cheap stuff can get the finishing wrong. Hence, it is advised to research properly about these materials and understand the surface the project is involved in before investing in these materials.
Putting money in a woodworking shop can be a rugged effort and will require substantial thinking from the woodworker. However, if one inclines with the thoughts mentioned above then it will become easier for the woodworking companies to understand where they want to lay out their money.
