When setting up your woodworking business, there are a lot of things to consider. The place, tools, expenses and a plethora of other important decisions need to be made before you can open for business.
However, having all the essential tools in your arsenal should be high up on your woodwork priority list. Read on to find out whether you have all the items you need to turn a piece of wood into artwork.
How to Pick Tools
Woodworking tools are a vast and confusing world to navigate. There are so many upgraded tools on the market that it can be overwhelming.
To help you get started and decide how to pick it, a multi-functional basic tool is a good option. Once you get the hang of the basic tools and their functions, you can switch to specialised tools when you need them.
Table Saw
The most important and useful tool in your woodworking arsenal will be the table saw. From making straight cuts to trims, the table saw is an indispensable tool.
Ideally used for making rip cuts and crosscuts, the table saw can also be used for resawing lumber that’s less than six inches wide. Additionally, the table saw can alternate as a table as it’s big enough to hold tools and assemble them.
Furthermore grooves such as dados, rabbets and mouldings can also be done with a few adjustments and a profiled cutter. The only drawback to this multi-tasking tool is that it cannot be used for very large pieces of wood. The piece has to be small enough that the saw can cut through as you have to place it on the table.
Research the features you want in your table saw before making the purchase so that it suits both your budget and needs.
Thickness Planer
There are few things as satisfying for woodworkers as passing through rough lumber with a planer.
Even if your lumber is preplaned, you’ll need a planer for all the fine adjustments as you work and customise a piece. A planer is essential if you work on rough lumber.
The planer along with the jointer is effective for cutting through rough-cut lumber.
Jointer
The popular misconception is that a planer cannot straighten rough lumber, that’s what jointers do.
Passing a rough cut piece of wood through the planer will only give you a lumpy piece of wood of uniform thickness. The jointer helps create a straight edge on lumber boards and make final adjustments to the fitting parts.
Spray Gun
Not all your finishing work will need a spray gun but spray guns are a great piece of equipment to have in your arsenal. It will make your finishing easy and fun.
Spray guns help to achieve an even coat of paint on your piece very quickly and easily, making them a useful investment for your woodworking shop.
Compound Miter Saw
The next big purchase after the table saw is the compound miter saw. They’re ideal for making beveled, mitered and combination cuts on your piece.
What’s more, they can be used for pieces that are too large to be cut by a table saw or fit into transports.
Impact Driver
Your woodworking life won’t be the same after using an impact driver. Though it looks and works similarly to a power drill, unlike power drills, they can hammer downwards and sideways so the driving bit doesn’t slip off the screw head and damage the screw.
What’s more, you only have to apply enough pressure on the impact driver to guide the screw, whereas the power drill requires you to apply a lot of pressure. Once you’ve worked with the impact driver, you won’t want to part with it.
Tape Measure
Every piece of wood you work on will need to be marked and measured accurately before making cuts and adjustments for the perfect results.
Therefore, a tape-measure is a must-have tool for anyone who dabbles in woodworking. A 12-foot tape is both long enough for most woodworking tasks and small enough to fit in your apron pocket. Choose one with an auto-locking mechanism for comfort.
Circular Saw
Traditionally considered as a carpentry tool, a circular saw can also be a bonus tool for woodworking. Combined with a clamp on the piece edge, the saw can be used like a table saw, especially for cutting plywood and fiberboard. It’s a handy tool to get started on woodworking if you’re on a budget.
Power Drill
Despite the advantages of the impact driver, having a power drill can be quite handy. For instance, impact drivers aren’t good for precise drilling.
In addition, power drills have a feature called a chuck which allows you to use different size of drill bits. Unlike impact drills which can only fit drill bits of a quarter inch hex shank. You should use them both in combination for the best of both worlds.
Jigsaw
Jigsaws are useful beginner tools. They can be used to cut curved and circular patterns on the wood and are easier to maneuver and change blades.
Random Power Orbital Sander
A cheaper palm sander that uses sandpaper can be quite tempting, but the orbital sander uses random motions which reduces the risk of any marks.
Remember to ensure that your local supplier has sanding disks in a number of grits of your chosen model. This is because finer grits are required when you’re sanding to prevent marks.
Router
Besides cutting fancy edges and designs, routers are used to cut patterns and hollow out wood.
Invest in a quality stationary base model if you’re a beginner. Look for routers with at least two-HP with variable speed controls to help you get started.
Block Plane
An indispensable handy tool that new and pro woodworkers swear by is the block plane. They’re used to smoothen the piece after sawing for a seamless finish.
Waterstones and Grinder
Nothing is as frustrating as working with dull chisels and plane irons. Fortunately, this is where grinders and waterstones come in. When the chisels become dull, grind the edge with the grinder and then sharpen it with the waterstones for precision.
Bar Clamps
A bar clamp is an item you’ll be using on a regular basis. The clamps are used to glue and clamp small blocks together to allow you to use a router on them. Additionally, you can clamp a piece of wood and then cut it using a jigsaw or circular saw.
Woodworking Vise
Any woodworker begins his business by building a workbench which inevitably needs a woodworking vise on it. You’ll need the vise to hold down your piece as you work on it.
Make sure that your bench is built to fit the vise and that they’re both large enough for your piece to fit on as you work.
Conclusion
This list is compiled to give beginners an idea of what tools to gather before setting up business. Woodworking is a skill that builds over time and experience.
Start with small projects to get accustomed to the work and then slowly upgrade, picking up skills along the way. Before you know it, you’ll be working on higher-end projects. But that means there’s progress so keep striving. Good luck!
