When I look at my woodworking area, devoid of emotion, it appears to be more of a shelter for disobedient trolls, rather than an organized workshop, due to the many huts, tents, and stores filled with tools, benches, lumber, and other supplies.
Everything about the old structure has been changed and arranged in order for it to become a shop that fits my approach to working with wood.
In my opinion, the sole difference between a building and a woodworking shop is the fact that the latter offers a space to complete woodworking tasks and is stocked with various instruments and machines. Any construction can be used as a suitable workshop for woodworking.
Woodworkers all look for and create a space to refer to as their workshop. But that space isn’t always a matter of choice. If the living room is not an acceptable place to use a table saw, then you will probably have to resort to either the basement or the garage for creating wood shavings. Finding a shop space that simultaneously can function as a part-time laundry facility or accommodate a ping-pong table can be a real challenge.
It can be difficult to picture transforming a shed or an existing structure into a workable shop area. Many woodworkers have accomplished praiseworthy tasks within the walls of a loft that formerly housed a flock of chickens. It would be advisable to consider the advantages and disadvantages before investing both time and money into transforming an elderly chicken coop or barn on your property into a woodworking shop.
Advantages of a Home Woodshop
Almost all the woodworkers I have encountered, be it experienced or hobbyists, have a woodworking space in their own house. Being able to easily walk out your door and into the store to cut a few tenons or join together the components of a cabinet whenever you please can be extremely delightful. By not needing to drive, ride, or walk a long distance to purchase goods, you are effectively saving yourself a considerable amount of time.
The expense of having a store might already be covered if you rent or own a property, which means you don’t have to pay extra money for separate store rental. You don’t have to pay a different charge for the essential services (natural gas, electricity, and water), which helps reduce the total cost of running the business.
By having access to your own residence’s amenities (bathroom, cooking area), you may be able to create working designs for workshop projects and manage shop-connected communication in the study or work space. You will likely sleep more deeply throughout the night if you keep your valuable tools close by, within hearing range, rather than in a warehouse that only gets visited occasionally by cats roaming the streets late in the evening.
Before you become too enticed by the ease of having a workshop in your own home, remember to consider the disadvantages. Operating power tools can create an excessive noise level that will very likely irritate your family and neighbors, significantly if you utilize a router or table saw during the night or while a Monday night football game is on. Hey Alice, it looks like that person living next door is using their electric log splitter again. The Packers are all dressed up in white, but they don’t need it – they’re playing in Arizona!
Once you come indoors, you can usually find dust and other particles covering the floors, carpets, and upholstery. If you happen to pause inside to take a nap, the first layer of sealant will dry all over the furniture. If you make a living with your own home business or if you are obsessed with work, it can be extremely difficult to remain away from woodworking activities. For example, you could find yourself in the shop early in the morning, sanding face frames and unable to sleep, which has happened to me on occasion.
If you have opted to set up your shop in a home, the next step is to pinpoint exactly where. In my book Setting Up Shop, there is a diagram that could be useful when contemplating where to establish your workshop.
Setting Up a Shop Inside a House
One might suggest that only extreme necessity would lead someone to contemplate undertaking something as loud, chaotic, and room-occupying as carpentry in a neat and orderly residence. There is no debate that the difficulties related to having a store in your residence can be intimidating. Building a workshop within your space may be your only solution, aside from leasing a workshop area close by. Depending on the layout of your residence, basements, attics, patios, and even wardrobe rooms could be potential areas to explore if you are planning to start intricate undertakings.
Attics
Unless you are fortunate enough to own a sizable loft that is not situated above your living area, generally, the average family attic is not a great choice for a workshop. Attics with a decent amount of space on the floor may be quite restricted in terms of headroom because of the angle of the roof. Using a ladder to reach the attic is usually necessary to get to the space, which makes it tough to move tools and items into it.
The floors in an attic typically cannot handle the heaviness of wood working machines, and the movement of the devices will likely result in the sound reverberating through the whole house. Since hot air rises, and attic spaces usually do not have enough proper ventilation, it is usually too hot in an attic workshop even when outside temperatures are mild.
Basements
If the basement of your house is uncluttered and doesn’t flood during rainy periods, it can be an ideal area for setting up a home workshop. Like an attic, a basement often presents access challenges. A basement shop requires a roomy set of stairs or a sizable entranceway to the exterior so tools and materials can be brought into the shop, and complete items can be taken out. The construction design of the building will determine if the floor is held up by massive pillars or support beams which were deliberately placed in the basement. These structures can occupy space and make it hard to manage lengthy or wide items.
If your furnace is in the basement of your house, you should avoid sawdust collecting to avoid any potential fire risks. Be sure the set-up does not spread dust particles throughout the home.
One advantage of a basement is built-in temperature control. The house is usually pleasantly cool during the hot days of summer and it stays toasty warm due to it being situated on higher ground even during wintertime.
Essential Woodworking Tools for Setting Up a Shop
When I began this activity, I realized that it would take some money to get started. I allocated approximately one thousand dollars to obtain the tools necessary to begin and supposed I’d buy more tools as needed. This was effective for me, however you don’t have to spend a lot of money right away.
Getting Essential Woodworking Tools on the Cheap
Let’s discuss some ideas for stocking your store at a lower cost than the regular rate. You could try a yard sale, posting your item on Craigslist, going to an estate sale, or looking in a thrift store, but the results may not always be satisfactory. Not all people reside in a place where these options are available. When you are just starting out in woodworking, it can be challenging to judge the worth of a tool that you are purchasing used. I’m not going to give out any specifics in terms of the channels for procuring second-hand equipment in this article, but I will say that if you take time to look for used tools, you can find good quality stuff that’s marked down by 50 to 75 percent.
Raise.com provides an interesting service where people can purchase and sell giftcards for less than their face value. Gift Cards from stores such as Lowe’s and Home Depot typically have a price which is 3-5% lower than their face value, not providing a very exciting discount. Sears and Harbor Freight typically offer discounts ranging from 10 to 20%.
Raise.com
Raise is a fascinating platform where people can buy and sell gift cards with a price reduction. Gift cards for places like Lowe’s and Home Depot are usually discounted by 3-5% from their original value, which is not very impressive. However, typically, Sears and Harbor Freight have discounts of 10-20%.
Ebates.com
I will use Ebates after I have identified a great bargain that I would like to take advantage of. The incentive is not typically strong enough to motivate me to buy on its own. If you take advantage of their link to an online store, you can earn an extra 3-5% cash back on your entire $250 budget, which could get you an extra hand tool.
The Tools for the Job
Now that you’re aware of where to search, let’s discuss what should be searched for. Think about the basics of the activity you will be performing. You will have to form your material, unite the pieces together, and put the finishing touches on it.
In order to complete the three aforementioned tasks, there are not many resources that you will require. A basic carpentry tool list would include the following:
- Saw w/ Miter Box
- Power Drill
- Screw Driver Set
- Sanding Block
- Chisel Set
- ?Drill Bits
- Clamp Set
- Hammer
- Measuring & Squaring Tools
Why You Need These
Although it may be convenient to use an electric miter saw, it is not necessary for producing quality work. A miter saw of good quality would probably cost something in the range of $150-$200, which would be far too expensive for us. Using a hand saw with a miter box will accomplish the task with much less expenditure. This top-rated Stanley model costing around sixty dollars will accomplish the job, although it will require a bit more hard work.
A drill is going to be a requirement. Fortunately, only a low level of instruction is needed to complete almost all of your desired tasks. For around $40, Black and Decker offer a product with adjustable speed capabilities which will do the job perfectly. In order to make full use of it, you’ll need to spend about $20 for a suitable collection of bits.
There are some reasonably priced additional tools required in the workshop. Do you already own some of these items? If not, you should have an idea of how much they will cost. These tools—a hammer, sanding block, chisel set, and screwdrivers—can all be purchased for a price between $10 and $20. In total, the entire lot will cost you ~$45.
To achieve satisfactory outcomes from these tools, you will have to take precise measurements and ensure that your work is straight. In order to complete this task, you’ll need to get a roll of tape, a combination triangle, and a triangle ruler. The cumulative cost of these items will be approximately twenty-five dollars.
It will be difficult to find someone to help at a reasonable cost. It’s a piece of luck that a high quality collection of clamps can be purchased for around sixty dollars.
This is all the equipment you will need to begin your first project at a cost of $250. Remember that the price I set for this gear did not factor in any of the possible reductions we looked at previously.
If you already own a few of these items, search through yard sales, and take the time to check out Slickdeals, Raise, and Ebates- you should be able to get enough money to purchase something else.
Projects You’ll be Equipped to Handle?
Remember that your current selection of tools will enable you to complete certain projects. You should concentrate on projects that don’t require you to cut the stock into different measurements than what you originally bought. At the moment, you are only equipped to use your miter saw for making crosscuts. Hence, it is impossible to split an 8′ 2×4 into two 2x2s, though it can be divided into two 4′ 2x4s.
Joinery techniques such as mortise and tenons and dovetails are not available at this time. You must concentrate on how pieces of wood connect, which can be achieved using traditional glue and screws.
It is doubtful that you will be able to craft exceptional pieces of furniture, but you can still construct some interesting projects. Looking to outdoor furniture until you can get more specialized materials in your workshop may give you some ideas to get your started until you have more experience.
