Hand Tool Boogie, Power tool sashay
So, you want to outfit a wood shop. You want to do it really well but, cheap. The common question is can you do it for a grand? Gee, uh, let me waffle here a bit, the answer is yes, and no.
The question of outfitting a shop for a grand or less is similar to the question, how high is up? It all depends on your perspective. A more important question would be to ask yourself what you intend to build in your shop, THEN you have the beginning of a starting point. You also need to know yourself and your tendencies to foolishness. IF you want to wow your friend, neighbor, relative, with the best of the best, my saw is bigger than your saw, then NO, you can't do your shop on the cheap. Ego costs money. IF ego is an issue for you, go ahead and fill out the papers for a home equity loan, you are going to need the cash. IF you enjoy the concept of working hours and hours in your shop crafting unique, handmade items and aren't concerned over the time invested in producing them and don't care about snickers from those with "real woodshops" there is hope for your self imposed budget.
Woodworking on the cheap can be done. TIME becomes more of the issue than actual money. If you can spend the time rather than the money your shop can be done cheaply and your work can be outstanding. The investment is more about how much of YOU, will be spent making an item. ALL of the high tech, expensive tools that make up the budget crashers that we all dread revolve around time and convenience. Power tools save time. Less setup involved, ease of performing tasks, ALL of this translates into a bottom-line of time. If your bottom-line doesn't require profitability, a cheap shop can be done.
Realistically, the majority of woodworkers do NOT make a living from their woodwork. You probably need to read that sentence again. The majority of woodworkers just enjoy working wood. Yes, you may make a few bucks on the side from what you do but, you aren't likely to make a living from it. MOST hobbies, don't pay. Ouch. I can see the flames coming at me already.
Begin with the basics for your shop. You need a way to saw your wood. Handsaws can do this and costs less than circular saws. Personally, I would go with the circular saw, a good one. A few homemade jigs and learning to use your saw will enable you to make accurate cuts. I would get a speed square, large, and a conventional square so, between the two you can do your layouts and check your work. A tape measure has to come in there somewhere so you can size your work. I would haunt the flea markets until I had acquired a few hand planes, a small block plane and a large jointing plane would ideal. A good router and a bit assortment would be high on my list as well as a jigsaw and a drill with a full set of drill bits. The above will give you a solid core to work with and you CAN do woodwork.
The first thing you need to build is the biggest, baddest workbench you can. Equip the bench with a minimum of one vise, preferably two. The next project should be a router table for your router. With these two projects under your belt you need to knuckle down to the chore of LEARNING your tools, your wood, and yourself. Your core expenditures are under the fabled 'grand' mark and the rest is up to you. A hammer, pliers, screwdrivers, and general tools will need to be gotten if you don't already have them and you can springboard yourself into whatever project you desire.
The real key is understanding what YOU want to do in your shop. Any specialty you are truly interested in is going to cost money. YOU are the only one can decide what you want to do and how much you are willing to spend. A woodshop will never be complete. The woodshop budget over time will eat up more than the initial target of a 'grand'. The enjoyment and self satisfaction is worth the cost.
You can start your shop with as little or as much as you want to spend. Don't buy junk for tools or you will simply have junk. LEARN each tool and know HOW to use it. Woodworking takes time and must be learned. DON'T buy into the frame of mind that better tools will make your work better unless you know in your heart that it is true. Blaming your tools for a poorly executed joint is just not accepting that the joint was made badly by YOU. Operator error is more times than not the root cause for bad woodwork, NOT the tool. Learn from your mistakes and accept them as your responsibility. Don't just blame the tool then go flash the plastic for a replacement.
Successful woodworking is a journey that can last a lifetime. Each step you take on the journey should bring you closer to where you want to be. There WILL be detours and sidesteps that will wind you every where you don't won't to be, like your first dovetail, box joint, tenon, they might not be as good as you want but, keep chipping away and you CAN get there from here.
Why are you still here? Why aren't you out in the shop making chips?
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Last update : 05-02-2008 16:12
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