HOW TO SETUP A SMALL WORKSHOP: Crafting Big Ideas in Compact Spaces (2024 Beginner's Guide)

By MICHAEL COBB

"How to Select the Right Wood for Your Project" is your go-to resource for mastering the art of choosing wood that aligns perfectly with your woodworking endeavors. This comprehensive guide equips both beginners and seasoned woodworkers with the knowledge to make informed decisions, ensuring your projects not only look stunning but also stand th

• Language: English
• Publisher: MICHAEL COBB
• Release date: Feb 4, 2024
• ISBN: 9783988318077

MICHAEL COBB

Michael Cobb, hailing from the picturesque city of Rochester, is a seasoned woodworking expert and author with a passion for crafting in compact spaces. With years of experience, Cobb has become a guiding force for beginners looking to set up small workshops. His practical approach and attention to safety make him a trusted name in the woodworking community.

Book preview

Michael Cobb

HOW TO SETUP A SMALL WORKSHOP

Copyright © 2023 by Michael Cobb

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

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Contents

1. Introduction

2. Must have Woodworking Tools

3. Basic Safety tips

4. How to prepare your shop against fire

5. How to prepare for electrical safety

6. Must have personal safety gear

7. Must have first aid tools

8. Planning for basic shop layout

9. How to plan electrical power layout

10. How to plan appropriate lighting in your shop

11. How to prepare the floors, walls and ceilings

12. How to prepare the heating and ventilation

13. How to prepare your workbench

14. How to prepare vises and accessories

15. How to prepare bench dogs and hold downs

16. Must have supplementary shop accessories

17. Air compressor tips

18. Portable Generator tips

19. Bench Grinder tips

20. Dust collection tips

21. Portable dust collection tips

22. How to store wood

23. How to store tools

24. Work table tips

25. Sawhorses tips

26. Work support tips

27. Extension table tips

28. List of technical terms

29. Conclusion

1

Introduction

Before you embark on your woodworking journey, it’s crucial to establish robust safety practices whenever you engage with woodworking machinery or hand tools. Always exercise common sense when applying various finishes. Additionally, ensure that you consistently wear safety glasses and adhere to hearing protection protocols when using woodworking tools. Lastly, make it a point to carefully read and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for woodworking power tools and adhere to all safety guidelines.

This book comprises five manuscripts. In the first book, we’ll kick things off by delving into safety tips and gaining a solid understanding of wood fundamentals, including distinguishing between softwood and hardwood. We’ll then explore methods for cutting lumber from logs, lumber cutting techniques, how to select the finest wood, and the advantages of plain-sawn lumber versus quarter-sawn lumber. Subsequently, we’ll delve into wood properties, working with the grain, and determining the optimal planing direction. You’ll also learn how to identify wood, examine wood samples under a microscope, prepare wood samples for lens viewing, cut tangential and radial sections, and employ various wood identification techniques along with wood identification keys. We’ll move on to portable lumber mills, detailing the procedures for converting logs into boards, selecting lumber based on species, quantity, size, grade, seasoning, and surfacing. Following that, we’ll cover creating and using a cutting list for your projects, lumber grading, the four fundamental steps lumber graders take to assess wood, hardwood and softwood grading, and various wood defects. You’ll then learn how to prepare lumber, joint boards, plane stock, rip cupped stock into narrow boards, and joint concave and convex surfaces. We’ll proceed to explore veneering techniques, popular veneer varieties and sizes, and how to apply veneer. After that, we’ll discuss plywood usage, plywood grading, concealing plywood edges, applying self-adhesive edge banding, and molding application. We’ll conclude the first book by covering hardboard varieties like plywood, particleboard, fiberboard, and medium-density fiberboard. You’ll also learn about drying and storing wood, employing resistance-type moisture meters, estimating wood movement, and understanding drying times for different types of wood, such as hardwoods and softwoods. We’ll delve into wood storage methods, including building pipe and cantilevered storage racks, fastening lumber and plywood racks to unfinished walls, constructing freestanding plywood racks, vertical plywood racks, and other storage techniques. Finally, you’ll have the chance to explore 21 wood species in our directory, carefully chosen with cabinetmakers’ needs and interests in mind.

In the second book, we’ll begin by discussing essential woodworking tools and basic safety precautions. You’ll learn how to fireproof your workshop, ensure electrical safety, acquire necessary personal safety gear, and assemble a first aid kit. We’ll then delve into planning your workshop layout, covering electrical power layout, appropriate lighting, preparing floors, walls, ceilings, and heating and ventilation systems. You’ll also discover how to prepare your workbench, including vises and accessories, bench dogs, and hold downs. We’ll touch on supplementary shop accessories like portable generators, bench grinders, and dust collectors. Wood and tool storage techniques will also be explored. Finally, we’ll address the fundamental requirements for work tables, sawhorses, work supports, and extension tables.

In book 3, we’ll kick off by building various tables, including end tables, dining tables, open pedestal tables, card tables, and tea carts. We’ll move on to crafting breakfast tables, gate-leg tables, sofa table complements, and even delve into creating a convertible table. Following that, you’ll learn to make coffee tables with glass tops, trestle tables, and modest coffee tables.

Book 4 will focus on outdoor furniture. We’ll begin with an overview of outdoor tables and proceed to construct a patio table and a joynt stool. Next, we’ll explore outdoor chairs, including the Adirondack chair, curved chair, and lounge chair. We’ll also cover the creation of a porch swing, glider base, park bench, and tree bench. Finally, we’ll delve into crafting a serving trolley, garden arbor, bookcase, and blanket chest.

In book 5, we’ll start by building various chairs, including side chairs, rush seat chairs, shaker rocking chairs, tape seat chairs, and meeting benches. We’ll then shift our focus to tables, specifically crafting trestle tables, drop-leaf tables, candle stands, and step stools. Afterward, you’ll learn to create a wall clock, pie safe, adjustable shelving, panel doors, and pegboards. We’ll conclude with a comprehensive guide to making drawers, desks, frames, legs, rails, and tabletops. If you’re as eager and ready as I am, let’s embark on this woodworking journey.

2

Must have Woodworking Tools

Tools for measurement and marking:

• Tape measure

• Steel ruler

• Precision square

• Multi•purpose square

• Carpenter’s square

• Straight edge

• Spirit level

• Chalk line

• Bevel gauge

• Trammel points

• Marking gauge

• Cutting gauge

• Mortise gauge

• Awl

• Dovetail marker

Cutting implements:

• Assorted chisels (paring, firmer, butt, mortise)

• Sharpening stone

• Honing guide

• Wood gouges (wood carving set)

• Router and router bits

• Utility knife

• Single•edged razor blade

• Scissors

• Wire cutters

• Tin snips

Sawing tools:

• Hand saws (rip, crosscut, backsaw, coping, compass, flush•cutter)

• Miter box with an integrated saw

• Hacksaw

• Circular saw

• Saber saw

Supplies:

• Nails (finishing, common, box, ring•shank)

• Brads

• Screws (flat, round, and oval head)

• Sandpaper

• Pumice stone

• Steel wool

• Various adhesives (woodworker’s, white, contact cement, epoxy, instant)

• Wood putty

• Masking tape

• Pencils and markers

• Wood finishes and suitable solvents

• Household oil

• Penetrating oil

• Sponges

• Rags

Boring tools:

• Push drill

• Hand drill

• Brace

• Gimlet or screw starter

• Electric drill (cordless and corded)

Smoothing tools:

• Hand planes (block, jack, jointer)

• Scrapers

• Files (flat, half•round, round, triangular)

• Patternmaker’s rasps

• Sanding blocks (flat and contoured)

• Orbital sander

Striking tools:

• Wooden mallets (square and round heads)

• Rubber mallet

• Claw hammer

• Nail sets

• Utility bar

• Tack hammer

Fastening tools:

• Screwdrivers (offset, stubby, cabinetmaker’s in flat•, Phillips•, and square•tip varieties)

• Nut drivers

• Pliers (standard slip•joint type)

• Locking pliers

• Channel•joint pliers

• Wrenches (adjustable, open•end)

Clamps:

• Trigger clamps

• Quick•action bar clamps

• Bar clamps

• Pipe clamps

• Spring clamps

• Web clamps

• Hand screws

Finishing tools:

• Foam brushes

• Lint•free cloths

• HVLP sprayer

• Paint scraper

• Molding scraper

• Putty knife

3

Basic Safety tips

For the majority of individuals engaged in woodworking, their home workshop serves as a tranquil haven where their craftsmanship breathes life into imaginative concepts. Simultaneously, it