Set Up Shopfor $5,000 ost furniture makers would welcome a few more chisels, Mplanes, and clamps, and prob- ably a wider jointer, but there is a critical mass of tools that allows you to get fine woodworking done in an efficient way—a point when the balance tips from struggle to satisfaction. It’s easy to charge past that point, be- coming obsessed with building or buying every jig and having the best of everything. Choose wisely and your first In the meantime, you’re probably not pro- ducing much furniture. Space is one important factor in decid- set of tools could be your last ing when to stop buying and start building. There is no point in adding another ma- chine to save time if you no longer have the B Y A S A C H R I S T I A N A room to move projects around efficiently. I’d like to make a case for my essential tools, with two goals in mind. For one, I’ll Machines These require the biggest investment because they do the most work, turning rough lumber into precisely sized JOINTER furniture parts. They also drill clean Whether you buy holes and cut joints. new or used, wider is better, but an 8-in. model will handle most workpieces. BANDSAW A 14-in. or 15-in. bandsaw TABLESAW is enough, and a riser- Get as powerful and block accessory is a good heavy-duty a saw as way to double the resaw you can afford, with at capacity to 12 in. This least 30 in. of ripping tool is indispensable for capacity. For safety, use ripping, resawing, and a splitter or riving knife cutting curves. and put an outfeed table on the back. Photo: Michael Pekovich; drawings: Jim Richey COPYRIGHT 2006 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted. Set Up Shopfor $5,000 provide beginners with a shopping list for can’t fill your house with bass—unless they will get curves, joints, and final surfaces this lifelong hobby. Also, I hope to reas- are stuffed or singing. I’ll take furniture. very close to perfect before hand tools and sure more experienced woodworkers that Of course, my own way of working has sandpaper take over. they may already have what they need to informed my list of essential tools. I am not However, if your machines lack capac- make beautiful projects. a professional woodworker. Almost every ity, power, or accuracy, you’ll find these To arrive at a bottom line, I’ve assembled piece I make is different. And I do a fair preliminary stages frustrating. If the first a list of specific brands and models, most bit of woodworking to beautify my home, surface of a board isn’t flat and straight, the of which have been winners in recent tool such as built-ins and trim. Join our Knots opposite one won’t be either. If edges and reviews in Fine Woodworking. I won’t cov- discussion at www.FineWoodworking.com/ ends aren’t square, you’ll chase those inac- er a few categories of tools that are truly toollist to share your opinions about my curacies all the way through the project. necessary but vary too much to pin down: tool choices. When it comes to setting up shop, a plan- marking and measuring tools, sharpen- er and jointer often mark ing gear, and clamps (they say even God Machines do the heavy lifting the moment needs more clamps). Hand-tool purists might argue, but ma- when a wood- The street price for all-new equipment chines are the backbone of an efficient worker gets se- is about $5,000. Buy used equipment, and shop. With a set of plans in hand and the rious about the you can cut that in half. I consider this a rough lumber chosen, most woodworkers hobby. These reasonable investment for a lifelong hobby. turn first to machines to straighten, flatten, machines al- Consider the cost of a bass boat (not to square up, and cut off precise workpieces. low you to mention the truck and trailer). And you Well-tuned machines and power tools also mill stock PLANER Today’s small planers leave a great finish with minimal snipe on boards up to 13 in. wide. Get one with indexed knives for easy blade changes. DRILL PRESS Whether you get MITER SAW a benchtop or floor- Aside from roughing stock quickly standing model, go to length, this machine can make for a 5⁄8-in. chuck quick miter cuts that are clean and at least eight enough for many uses, like speeds, 3 in. of built-in cabinets and trim. Non- spindle travel, sliding, 12-in. “chop saws” offer DUST COLLECTOR and 7 in. between the best value. Get a 11⁄2-hp, single-stage collector the spindle and at a minimum. To collect the finest the post. dust, opt for a cartridge filter or a felt bag. A 2-hp collector is better because it can be located farther from a tablesaw or planer and still can do its job. TOOLS & SHOPS 2007 47 COPYRIGHT 2006 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted. Power tools Like machines, these speed up the more tedious woodworking tasks: drilling, sanding, sawing, molding, mortising, and some other joinery. TWO-AND-A-HALF ROUTERS Today’s router kits offer one motor that changes quickly between a plunge base designed for handheld use and a base that can stay mounted in a router table. Throw in a smaller, detail router and you have the equivalent of three tools. CORDLESS DRILL/DRIVER A 14.4v model has enough power for big bits and enough control for small screws. quickly to any thickness, which means you its big chips just fall down random-orbit sander, a cordless drill/driv- can buy rough lumber. Bottom line: You’ll a ramp into a bucket. er, a circular saw, and a biscuit joiner. need a jointer and planer wide enough to Mortisers and lathes are optional—I I can’t imagine woodworking without a handle most workpieces. made a tough call on these tools. Whether handheld router and a router mounted in You’ll also need a heavy-duty tablesaw hollow-chisel or horizontal, a mortiser a table. The good news on routers is that that can make smooth cuts in thick hard- makes the joinery process quicker and eas- there are multi-base models that will allow woods; a medium-size bandsaw that keeps ier, but is essential for pros only. A router, you to keep a fixed base mounted in your its blade on track; a miter saw to rough-cut in tandem with shopmade jigs, will make router table and a plunge base free for lumber to length and to cut moldings; and great mortises. handheld routing, such as mortising. You’ll a drill press to cut clean and accurate holes Choosing a lathe is complicated. If most have to switch the 2-hp motor from one to with large and small bits. of your woodworking is turning, my list the other, but that takes only seconds. Machines need dust collection—If only of tools is not for you. But even if you As for a router table, it can be as simple to keep machines running right, with less dabble, and ever want to try big bowls and as a piece of plywood clamped to the end maintenance, you’ll need dust collection. vessels, you’ll need a large-capacity lathe of a workbench, with a shopmade fence Tablesaws and planers work better when with enough mass to control vibration, and that has a dust port tacked on. dust is being sucked away. Then there’s speed that is variable on the fly. So you’ll I also recommend a small fixed-base the latest government data about fine wood be out $1,000 or more for a tool you’ll use router (the “laminate trimmer” type) for dust causing nose and throat cancer. It takes only once in a while. However, if all you detail work. They are easier to handle for very fine filtration to capture the smallest, turn is knobs and spindles for furniture, inlay and light edge work, and there are most insidious stuff. Finally, it’s just more you can get by with a benchtop (mini or times when it is nice to have a second pleasant to work in a clean shop. midi) lathe. Newer models are solid and router loaded and ready to go. I keep a tight cluster of the worst of- offer bed extensions. Though I’ll make a case later for a fenders (tablesaw, planer, bandsaw) per- smoothing plane, there are woods and manently connected to my dust collector Power tools give speed and precision situations for which a sander is simply the with a simple blast-gate system and flex- The next row in your arsenal is the power easiest way to go. A random-orbit palm ible hoses. I don’t bother with the jointer; tools: two-and-a-half routers (you’ll see), a sander is aggressive enough to remove 48 F I N E woo D working COPYRIGHT 2006 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted. SANDERS Get a 5-in.-dia., palm-style, random- orbit sander with variable speed and hook-and-loop disks. A 3-in. by 21-in. belt sander offers a great combination of size and CIRCULAR SAW maneuverability.