Tools and Tool Buying

[knotscott]

Welcome to Wood Online Brian, and welcome to woodworking!  There are several acceptable ways of accomplishing things.  The most important ingredient is desire, which you already have....beyond that, where there's a will there's a way.  I'll suggest reading a couple of good books on woodworking methods...your library should have some.  Then decide which methods have the most appeal to you.  Regardless of which approach you choose, a decent workbench is important, and is a great wwing project.

I'm more of a conventional power tool junkie (aka "Normite), though I definitely grab for my handplanes and chisels often enough.  My table saw reigns supreme in my shop.  My router is also very important to me...actually all 4 are important, but I'd be willing to narrow it to two if I had to!  I do have a jointer, and a planer which are a great tandem approach to rough sawn wood.  My bandsaw and drill press see less action, but are handy when needed.  Good setup and good quality cutters are important in any tool, so learn how to make them work.  The used market can provide budget friendly options if you're patient. 

Have fun and be safe!

[Vibart2]

First of all you need a wood workers shop not a garage. If you keep calling it a garage you'll always expect to see cars or trucks in there & not wood working  tools.

[LibertyWW]

I recently built a new home and woodshop that is half of my 32x50 attached garage.  As far as the physical space, make sure you have enough power.  I have a dedicated 200amp panel to my shop.  There is a 400amp service to my house with a 200amp panel to the house and a 200amp panel to the shop.  This lets me have 220v circuits for each of my tools and sever 110 circuits for handtools.  Also allow provisions for lights.  It is easy to add outlets in the ceiling that are on a switch.  Then you can always add flourescent lights that have cords and plug them into the outlets and they are on a switch.  Ceiling fans are great to have in the summer.  Make sure you have an outlet in the ceiling for a hanging air filter.  I also added an outlet with a switch next to my chop saw.  That switched outlet is for my shop vac, when I am at the chop saw, I can flip on the switch and turn on the shopvac DC that handles my smaller tools.

Once you have established enough power, I would focus on climate control and insulation.  If you live where it is cold, frame your garage in 2x6 walls and insulate it just like the house.  Spend the money on doors taht are at least R12.  Make sure you add provisions for a furnace, even a simple hanging garage furnace.  You can really splurge and make a spot for a thru the wall air conditioner.

Nice to have things are wiring for a radio, cableTV wiring, lots of windows and/or skylights, and a spot for a beer fridge.

Fred

[MSWOODcraft]

Here are some add-in's that are realistically MANDATORY in a wood shop.  Honestly, they're not optional:

• A good dust mask
• Eye protection
• Hearing protection that's rated for at least 25dB in noise reduction.

You don't want to be horking up sawdust, and your eyesight and hearing are precious.   Woodworking machinery can get LOUD, and the dust can fly in your face. Especially when doing things like routing operations where you tend to want to get close sometimes in order to better see the cut line.

[tomsteve1967]

lots and lots of pencils. and some good measuring tools welcome to the forum and to woodworking.

[Warped and Twisted]

This thread makes a guy wonder what the responses would be if the question was asked 150 years ago.

[firejohn]

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Warped and Twisted wrote:

This thread makes a guy wonder what the responses would be if the question was asked 150 years ago.

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Axe, stone to sharpen it with.  Woman who can cook (need good vittles to be able to work).  Neighbors that ain't trying to shoot pointed sticks at you.  Oh yeah....trees.

[MSWOODcraft]

150 years ago?   

For general shop duties (and not building pole barns, boats and ships or making casting patterns...) then I'd think that the list might include:

scrapers, scratch stocks, a suite of butt, sash and paring chisles, mallets, about six different types of hand saws, a suite of eight or ten different types of block, plough, rabbet, router and compass planes, a thousand different molding planes,  a workbench, a saw buck, draw knives, spoke shaves, a suite of (standard!) screw drivers, a leather punch, a scratch awl, a claw and a ball peen hammer, a small anvil/vice, a suite of squares, mortise guages, auger and spoon bits for a brace and bit set, sharpening stones, first and second cut patternmaker's rasps, four-in-hands, bastard mill files... and probably thirty other things that I can't think of off the top of my head right now.

But your point is VERY well taken.  The world of woodworking has changed very, very substantially in the last century or so!

[Trimax5]

Hi Brian

 2 things I might suggest that wont drain the bank are the Kreg Master system  about 135.00

and the Incra Miter 1000 SE  on Amazon for 104.00

The kreg makes joining the wood a no brainer  and once you zero out the miter to the blade with the Inca

There's no question if its at the angle you need.

[Rich Luna]

A lot a good advice here from people that know. I would recommend dreaming about it for a little while and decide what it is you want to come out of your shop. Pick up one of the Wood Magazine's best workshop books - they are cheap and contain a wealth of info and great examples of shops that some guys have built for themselves. Planning is probably the most important starting point to getting a great shop. And there are a lot of great ways to go.