Setting Up Shop Woodworking

Frank Strazza

etting up your woodworking shop can be a daunting task at rst, with advertising ploys coming at you from

every direction. If you have been to even one woodworking store and signed up for their e-mail newsletter,

the next thing you know, your inbox is lled with advertisements for every imaginable gizmo and gadget,

along with promises to make you a better woodworker! Or maybe you have come away from another woodworking

show with more wonderful jigs and tools . . . . The question is what do you REALLY need to get started?

The answer depends on many variables. First consider how much space you have, then consider your budget, what

you are planning to build and how much time you have to devote to your craft. I will assume that you have limited

space and that you will mainly be using hand tools with a few selected machines. What I write here may not directly

apply to your particular situation, but I hope you can glean some useful information from it.

The rst and most important thing to have in your shop is a sturdy bench with at least one solid vise and a surface

that does not shake or move when you work on it. Although a tail vise is not a must, it is very handy because it

enables you to clamp your work on the face of the bench. I could write a whole article on the subject of workbenches

alone, but as the old adage goes, you get what you pay for. Don’t skimp on your workbench, whether you build it

or buy it. You want a heavy bench—one that would take you and all your neighbors to move; and you want a heavy

Setting Up Shop

Woodworking

Spring 2012

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top that will not vibrate when you chop mortises and

dovetails. On the other hand, don’t let the lack of a good

bench hold you back. Many ne pieces have been made

on something as simple as a bench built from dimensional

lumber from the home improvement center and joined

together with good joinery. That’s what I use in my home

shop—it is not pretty, but it is very functional.

After you get a good bench, I recommend starting with

several hand tools. Spend as much as you can afford,

but don’t let cost stop you from buying something to get

started. You can learn to do beautiful work with very

inexpensive tools. If you have the means to invest in high-

quality new tools, you won’t need to spend as much time

xing up old tools. On the other hand, if you are willing

to spend some time xing up used tools, you can save

a considerable amount of money, and you’ll be amazed

at what you can nd at antique stores, ea markets and

even on Craigslist.com.

Here is a list of tools that should set you well on your

way:

• A set of sharpening stones and a strop—You’ll use

these to sharpen all your edge tools to a razor edge.

$50-155

• An accurate combination square—Don’t buy a

cheap combination square at the hardware store, as

they tend to not be very accurate. Since accuracy is

essential in woodworking, I recommend the Starrett,

which is accurate and built to last a lifetime. $75

• A set of chisels—1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4" and 1" will

do to begin with and will handle any kind of joinery

including mortise cutting. You can get a good set of

chisels for $70-275.

• A strong layout knife—A chip-carving knife is

adequate to begin with, although I prefer to use a

marking knife that we make here at the school.

$20-65

• A combination marking/mortise gauge—You’ll use

this in laying out nearly all your joinery. $37-60

• A small saw (dovetail or gent’s saw)—I recommend

the Lie-Nielsen thin plate. You’ll use this for cutting

dovetails and doing other ne work. $25-125

• A tenon saw—You’ll use your tenon saw a lot when

doing hand-joinery, so I recommend getting a well-

made saw. Working with a sharp saw makes a huge

difference. Although many saws don’t come from the

factory sharp, they can be sharpened easily with a

few simple tools. (We teach how to do that in our

one-day sharpening class.) $85-170

• A panel saw—Often you can nd these at antique

stores. Look for Disston, if getting a used one.

$10-220

• A small hammer for joint assembly—I recommend

a 10 oz. Warrington-style hammer. It has a at head

that doesn’t mar your work easily and is just the

right weight. $10-25

• A solid joiner’s mallet—At our shop, we make high-

quality joiner’s mallets by hand. These are quite a

bit larger and heavier than the carver’s mallets that

are commonly available, and they are much more

effective for joinery work. $45

• A #4 or #4½ smoothing plane—The smoothing

plane is the rst plane that I recommend and is

one of the most used planes in my shop. I use it

for smoothing the surfaces of the wood after it has

come out of the planer. I also use it to shape wood. I

recommend the Lie-Nielsen, or you can nd a used

Stanley on eBay. $75-325

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Spring 2012

• A low angle block plane with an adjustable mouth—

This plane is very handy for trimming end grain and

easing the edges of your work. The adjustable mouth

enables you to do very ne work. I recommend the

Lie-Nielsen. $165

• A Stanley #5—for roughing stock down. $25-275

• A jointer plane either #7 or #8—Make sure that

you get one that is at. I recommend the Lie-Nielsen

because it’s the only one that I know that is perfectly

at; or you can buy a used plane and atten it. You’ll

need this for getting edges perfectly at and square

in order to join larger pieces like table tops and

dresser sides. $80-475

• A brace—these are a “dime a dozen” on the used

market. $20-100

• A set of bits for the brace—I prefer the Russell

Jennings. $40-100

• A router plane such as the Stanley #71—Although

you can do a lot of joinery without the router, it is

really handy for cleaning out the bottom of dados. A

smaller version of the traditional router plane can be

used for small dados and inlay work. $55-80

• A at-bottomed spokeshave—You’ll use the

spokeshave for shaping curves and spokes on

different furniture elements. You can also use it for

other types of carving, including spoon-carving. The

old Stanley #151 is great. $28-97

• A card scraper—I use this tool for all my nish

work. You can smooth wiry grain and gured

woods. This tool is quite inexpensive but invaluable

in the shop. I recommend either the Lie-Nielsen or

the Bahco. $10-15

• A Stanley #80 cabinet scraper—This tool works

wonders when smoothing out a glued-up tabletop

where you have differing grain direction. You can

also use it to smooth wild grain where a plane just

will not work. The only good ones are the old used

ones. $25-55

• A burnisher—for sharpening scrapers. $21-45

Many of our students ask what machines they should

buy. Because I am building furniture for a living, I mill

most of my wood using large machines, but I do most of

my joinery and nish work by hand. I have given much

thought to what machines the average woodworker,

working in his home shop, really needs. I have come

Bench Plane Low Angle Jack Plane Drawknife

Vise Bandsaw Dust Collector Table Saw with Outfeed Table

Spring 2012

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to the conclusion that you really only need a couple of

machines, and those are primarily for roughing down

stock to close dimension prior to working it. In the day

before those machines existed, this would have been the

work of the apprentice, using hand tools.

The rst machine I recommend is a bandsaw. With it

you can rip down stock, cut large curves and do light

re-sawing. Get at least a 14” saw. A bandsaw is fairly

safe and does not take up much room. Second, I would

also invest in a planer. You can nd a new 13” planer for

around $500. You will need to get a small dust collector

for the planer. You can get one that is fairly portable.

Although a tablesaw is pretty handy for the serious

woodworker, there are several reasons I hesitate to

recommend it. The rst is safety. It is the number one

power tool in terms of causing shop accidents. It also

takes up a lot of space. Instead of using a tablesaw,

you can rip your boards on either the bandsaw or by

hand. On the other hand, if you do decide to invest in a

tablesaw, you must, and I will say it again, you must have

an outfeed table. Do not run the saw without an outfeed

table. An outfeed table supports the stock so that when

you are ripping, the piece you are cutting does not fall off

the back of the saw. Without the outfeed table it is very

easy to put your hand into the blade while trying to hold

up or catch your stock. If you decide to get a tablesaw,

take some time to build a crosscut sled as well. A simple

crosscut sled will enable you to make crosscuts easily,

accurately and safely.

You can mill rough wood using a few simple hand planes.

I have two #5 Stanley planes for roughing my stock. I

think you can pick these up for around $30 to $40 each.

If you sharpen one with a convex blade, you can use it

for “hogging” off stock rapidly. You then come back with

another more nely set #5 for getting the high spots off.

After you get one face at, and free of any bow, cup or

twist, you can run it through the planer to make both

faces parallel. The whole process goes pretty fast. If you

don’t have access to a planer, you can plane your wood

at, square and free of cup and twist using hand planes,

a marking gauge, a straightedge and winding sticks. This

is how boards were attened for many years.

The simple list of hand tools above is a good place to

start; then as you progress you will nd you need more

tools for specic projects. Some of those could include

a plow plane, a low angle jack plane, a travisher and a

drawknife.

As I mentioned before, buy the best tools you can afford,

but don’t let the high prices of the best tools hold you

back. I have purchased most of my personal tools in

used condition from antique stores and estate sales. Even

though I think there are some very ne tool makers now,

every time I pick up one of my old tools with its rich

patina and the well-worn feel of the handle, I feel a sense

of connection to the craftsmen of old. It makes me aspire

to do my best to carry on the craft.

Remember, if you are using only hand tools, you can turn

a spare bedroom in the house into a workshop. Working

with hand tools is quiet and doesn’t require much space.

When you work with hand tools you don’t make much

dust, just shavings!

For a list of tool suppliers, visit:

http://www.sustainlife.org/blog/wood-tool-suppliers

Frank is an award-winning craftsman at The Ploughshare who teaches woodworking classes, builds furniture and continues to

develop our woodworking classes and curriculum. Frank has been building furniture for over 20 years, and his work has been

featured in local and national publications, including Fine Woodworking, Woodworker West and Woodwork Magazine. Frank has won

multiple awards at the Texas Furniture Makers Show and rst place at the International Design in Wood Exhibition in California.

He has also participated in building furniture for the permanent collection at the White House in Washington D.C.

Crosscut Sled Travisher

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Spring 2012