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Tools, Safety, and Woodworking Projects: Become A Woodworking Craftsman Today!
Tools, Safety, and Woodworking Projects: Become A Woodworking Craftsman Today!
Tools, Safety, and Woodworking Projects: Become A Woodworking Craftsman Today!
The Ins and Outs of Woodworking Tools: Hand & Power Tool Options
There is this common misconception that in order to get into woodworking, you need a lot of tools.
Although some more ambitious woodworking projects do require more woodworking tools than others, it
doesn’t mean that you can’t get away with fewer tools on the smaller projects. In addition to this, a
dedicated workshop is not required to enjoy woodworking or to be successful in your projects. You can use
just about any garage, cellar, basement, or backyard (on sunny days) as your work area. With this said, let’s
break down what tools you will need by category, hand tools, power tools, and furniture focused tools.
Hand Tools: these are the most basic and essential types of woodworking tools that you will need
regardless of the project you are taking on. These include the following, a hammer, a layout square,
a tape measure, a utility knife, a level, a few chisels, some nail sets, a block plane, a sliding bevel, and
some screwdrivers. You should already have most of these at home but if you do not, they are
easily picked up at any hardware store and are relatively inexpensive when compared to other
woodworking tools like jigsaws and drills.
Power Tools: if you have the capital to invest into some power tools and want to get some without
completely breaking the bank, focus on getting the following first. A circular saw, jigsaw, a power
drill, random orbital sander, a table saw, compound miter saw, and a router. If you are unsure of
which saw type to go with, take a look at the woodworking projects you are aiming to complete and
see what they call for and go for the one that you’ll get the most use out of.
Furniture Focused: if you are planning on building a lot of furniture projects then you may want
to go with the following. A jigsaw for cutting curves, a circular saw for rough dimensioning, a
thickness planner, a power jointer for flattening rough and reclaimed wood, a handsaw or router for
cross-cutting and straightening edges, a combination square and tape measure for marking, and
either a block plane or random orbital sander for smoothing out all the surfaces. You will also want
a hammer, some screwdrivers, a wooden mallet, clamps, and a chisel or two.
Now that we have gone over what woodworking tools are good to have, let’s take a look at what makes up
a good set of woodworking plans. After all, having the right materials, dimensions, and wood is paramount
to a project’s success.
When looking for woodworking projects online, you want to make sure that the plans that come with these
projects are high in quality, are very detailed, and tell you exactly what you need to know in a step-by-step
process. Keep an eye out for:
A Cut List: the cut list will tell you the amount of lumber you will need for the entirety of the
project and what dimensions it needs to be cut in. If you are using high-quality cut lists, you will
have very little scrap lumber left over as it will have you maximizing the amount of wood you have
bought.
What Tools Are Needed: the plan will outline every tool and accessory you will need to complete
the project. If you are using a high-quality plan, it will also provide you with an alternative tool list.
What Materials Are Needed: the plan will list off all materials needed including glue, screws, and
other hardware components.
Diagrams: pay attention to whether 3-dimensional diagrams are included with the woodworking
project plan as these are incredibly helpful to learn from when you get stuck.
Visual Elements: are great for walking you through a project on a step-by-step basis. You will
want both schematics, photographs, and possibly video.
Time and Difficulty Level: in knowing the amount of time it will take to complete the project
and the difficulty level, you can evaluate whether or not you have the necessary skills and tools to
get the project done.
Where To Get Detailed Woodworking Project Plans for All Skill Levels?
Although a simple Google search will pull up hundreds of results of some great woodworking projects, a
lot of these either come with vague instructions, no instructions at all, or the diagrams that are included are
wrong or so vague that you can’t make out the steps. Instead, Teds Woodwork Plans is a great option for
both amateurs and professionals as it comes with 16,000 plans with step-by-step instructions, cutting and
materials lists, detailed schematics, and multiple angle views. With Ted’s woodworking projects, there’s no
need for guesswork as you are able to see how the build should look regardless of what corner, joint, or
angle you are working on.