SettingUpShopTherearesometoolsandmachinesthatarenecessarytocomplete

eventhemostbasicwoodworkingprojects,andlotsthatareoptionalandcanbeaddedasyourskillsgrow.Therearealsosomeissuesaboutsettingupshopthatconcernthephysicalspace,suchasworkflow,wiringanddustcontrol.

Let'sbeginwithsomehousekeepinghabits.It'sareallygoodideatoforceyourselftocleanupattheendof

everywoodshopsession.Somepeoplejustwalkaway,thinkingtheywillcleanupfirstthinginthemorning,butinrealitytheaddictionistoostrong:theywillwalkintotheshopandimmediatelywanttobuild.Acleanshopisasafershop.It'salsomoreefficient,becauseeverythingisinitsplacesoyoucanfindit.Wearecreaturesofhabit,andwecantrainourselvestohaveeithergoodorbadhabits.

Manywoodworkerskeepeverylittlebitofleftoverwood,thinkingitwillcomeinhandysomeday.Theirwidowshaveaheckofatimegettingridofthesehoardedpilesoffirewood.Longscrapsarealotmoreusefulthanshortones.Inourshop,ifit'sshorterthantwofeet,itisusedtomakegiftsorisdeliveredtothelocalcampgroundfor

kindling.Ifit'smorethantwofeetlongandaninchormoreinwidth,itcanbeedge-gluedtosimilarboardstomakeusablewiderones,orgluedtocontrastingspeciestomakecheeseboardsandotherholidaygiftssuchasthemagicwinebottleholdershownatleft.(Yup,itstandsupallbyitself.)Wemakepensandwinebottlestoppersout

ofscrap,too,ifthespeciesissomewhatexpensiveorrare.It'simportanttomaketheseitemsonaregularschedule,ratherthanhoardingpilesofscrapwoodforyears.

Manyhobbyistsdon'thaveaseparateshopbuilding,sotheyhavetomakedowitharoominthebasement,oruseagaragebay.Thebasementoptionhasoneverybigdrawback–dustwillwanderthroughthehouse,especiallyifyouhaveforcedairheatingorairconditioning.Ifthat'syouronlyoption,payspecialattentiontothesectionondustcontrolbelow.Basementscanalsobedifficultwhenit'stimetomovematerialsin,ortakecompletedprojectsout.

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IknewawoodworkerinMinnesotawhobuiltacedarstripcanoeinhisbasement–andit'sstilltheretwentyyearslater,becausetheboatisafoottoolongtonavigatethestairs.What'sreallymind-bogglingisthattheguyisanengineer.

Ifyou'resettingupasaprofessionalandrentingspace,besuretoinstalleverythinginawaythatitcanbeeasilyremovedincaseyououtgrowthespace.Forexample,hangthelightfixturesinsteadofrecessingthem,anduseon-the-wallwiring.Ifyou'rebuildingwallsandyou'llhavetoremovethemwhenyouleave,don'tmudandtapethewall-to-ceilingjoints:justcoverthemwithmolding.

RacksWhenyou'replanning

thewaythatmaterialsandprojectswillworktheirwaythroughtheshop,keepthewoodrackneartheentrydoor.Cuttingandmillingoperations(jointer,planer,tablesawandrouterorshaper)comenext.Afterthatisjoineryandassembly(theworkbench,handtoolsandclamps).Sandingandfinishingarethelastoperations,andittakesalittleplanningtomakesurethatonedoesn'tcontaminatetheother.

Awoodstoragerackisasessentialasatablesaw.Inourshop,weputracksoncasters.Thelargeroneabovehasspaceatthebackfor

partialandwholesheetsofplywoodandothersheetstock,abinatthefrontforshortlengths,andashelfinbetweenforlongboards.Theoneatleftisforshorts–boardsthatwilleventuallybecomegiftitems.

IfyouGoogle™thewords'mobilewoodstoragerack'andthenclickonImages,you'llgetsomegreatideasforbuildingyourown.Besuretousethelargestcastersorswivelwheelsyoucanfind,astherackscangetquiteheavy.

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Havingeverythingonamovingrackmakesaconfinedworkspacealotmoremanageable.

Speakingofracks,it'sagoodideatobuildoneforyourclamps,too.Itkeepsthemallorganizedandsavesalotoffootstepswhenassemblingalargecabinetoracomplicatedpieceoffurniture.Ourrack,shownabove,is8feetlong,holdsaboutfortybarclampsonthefront,ahundredspringclampsontheback(top),andsixtywoodenhandscrewsbelow.

Abarclampisahugestepupfromtheoldpipeclamps.Insteadofamildlyflexibleroundbar,theyworkoffarigidsteelI-beam.Theydon'ttipoverinthemiddleofaglue-up,andboardslieflatonthem.

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Applybluemaskingtapetothebarbeforeglue-up,andyou'llrarelyhavetocleanupsqueeze-out(excessglue).

Afewyearsago,wepurchasedashelvingunitthathasfivechromedwireshelves.Itcamewithplasticlinersfortheshelves,andthesefoundtheirwaytotheshopwheretheyareusedunderglue-upstocatchthedrips.Waitadayandthelittlebuttonsofdriedgluecanbepoppedrightofftheshelflinerswithanoldchisel.Thishassavedtheworkbenchesfromglueresidueforseveralyearsnow,andthelinersshownosignsofwearingout.Manyhardplasticorlinoleumsurfaceswork,too.

FloorPlansInthesummerof2015,FineWoodworkinghadapageontheir

websitewithawholecollectionofwoodshopplans.I'mhopingit'sstillthere.Thesewerescaleddrawingsofabout300woodshops,andtheURLwashttp://www.finewoodworking.com/workshop-floor-plans

Resourcessuchasthatcangiveawoodworkergreatideasaboutworkflowandlayout.Buteachshopisunique,becauseeachwoodworkerisunique.Weliketobuildcabinetsorbirdhouses,boatsorbedroomfurniture.Whethertheshop'sfunctioniscasework,turning,marquetryorcarving,there'sanarrangementthatwillonlybecomfortableforoneperson.Wecanlearnfromothers,butwecan'tliveintheirshoes.

Perhapsthebestadviceistomakeascaleddrawingofthespaceavailable,andthenmakepapercutoutsthatroughlyrepresentthesizeofeachmachineorfixturethatyouthinkyou'llneed.Forexample,ifyou'reconsideringturningbowls,you'llneedaplacetostoreblanks,abandsaw,alathe(orperhapstwo),acartfortools,somedustcollection,andaplacetoletfinishedpiecesdry.Ifyou'reusingtraditionalhigh-speedsteeltools,you'llalsoneedasharpeningstation.(Ifyougowithcarbideinserttools,youwon'tneedthat.)

Turningisagreatwaytogetintowoodworking,becauseitrequiresrelativelylittleequipment(comparedtofurniture).

Ifyou'relookingatcabinetry,thentheequipmentlistwillincludeajointer,tablesaw,mitersaw,thicknessplaner,routertable,handtools,afewsmalldustcollectors(usuallymoreefficientthanonebigone),adecentworkbench,drillsandarouter,perhapsacircularsaw,abandsaw,varioussanders,adrillpress,somekindofassemblytable,aclamprack,acabinetforstoringportablepowertools,abiscuitjoiner…oh,andasecondmortgage.

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Thehandtoolsincludeadecentsetofbenchchisels,acoupleofmortisingchisels,ajackplane,twoorthreeblockplanes,asmootherandsomesortofsharpeningstation.

Onecan,ofcourse,startawholelotsmallerthanthatbyinvestinginhandtoolsfirst.Well,notexclusively.You'llstillneedatablesawattheveryleast,butusedonesarewidelyavailableinvenuessuchascraigslist™,eBay™andthelocalnewspaper'sclassifiedsection.Checkthatthemotorworks,andthearborrunstrue(doesthebladewobble?).Thentakeagoodlookatthefence.Theonesthatcomewithmanyoldersawsareabsoluterubbish,andoftendangerous.ButyoucantransformabasicoldcontractorsawintoapieceofprecisionequipmentbyaddingadecentaftermarketfencefromacompanysuchasMule(mulecab.com),Biesemeyer,ormypersonalfavorite,Vega(vegawoodworking.com).Youmayhavetofiddlewithanoldersawtomakethebladeparalleltothemiterslots.AndthenyoucanupgradethemitergaugewithonefrommanufacturerssuchasIncra,JessEm,oralittlecompanyinDurant,IowacalledWoodhaven(woodhaven.com).Thepresident,BradWitt,hasbeenbuildingabsolutelybeautifuljigsforwoodshopequipmentsince1983.

Out-feedandIn-feedIssuesIfyou'redrawingafloorplan,don'tforgettoincludefeedareas.

Forexample,atablesawthatsitsinthecenterofacabinetshopwillneedroominfrontandbehindforafullsheetofplywood,soitcancompletelyclearthebladeforrips(alongthegrain)andcrosscuts(acrossthegrain).Therewillalsoneedtoberoomtostandcomfortablybehindthesheet.Woodshopsthatmakepictureframesneedroomforlongmoldingsonbothsidesofthemitersaw.Ajointerorplanerwillneedroomforlongboardsoneithersideoftheknives:alotofwoodworkerswhoseshopsareinthegaragejustopentheoverheaddoorforthis.

Ifspaceisanissue,makingtheworkbench1/16"lowerthanthetablesawallowsittobeusedasanout-feedtable.Thisarrangementworksbestwhenthebenchhaslockingcasters,soitcanbemovedintopositioneasily.However,itmeansthatallthecutsneedtobedoneonthesawbeforethebenchisfreetobeusedforassembly.

Projectsbeingputtogethertakeupanawfullotofroom,especiallyifthereismorethanoneunit(suchaskitchencabinets),ortherearelotsofdrawersordoorsinvolved.It'snotjuststorageroomthat'srequired:onemustalsoallowelbowroomforthewoodworker.

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LightandPowerThebetterthelighting,thebetterthework.Youcanalmostneverhaveenoughlighting.Iftheshopislituplike

alandingstrip,theneverytinyflawwillbevisible.Whentheprojectthenmovestoaroomwithnormallampsordaylight,thefitandfinishwilllookimpeccableinmutedillumination.

Usingjustonetypeoflightingcanberestrictive.Forexample,halogensarewarmandsomewhatconfinedorfocused,whilefluorescentbulbsthrowlightthatisoftencoolandabundant.Daylighthasatemperatureofabout5800k(Kelvin),andgettingclosetothatworkswellinawoodshop,especiallyifyou'redoingphotographyasyougo.Yellowlightinthelowerranges(3000k)givesawarmandcomfortableglow,butitcanmisleadyouwhenitcomestostains,finishes,paintandothercolorortoneissues.ManybulbswilllisttheKelvinrangeonthepacket,oryoucanGoogle™it.

It'sagoodideatopaintthewallsstarkwhiteinaworkspace.Thatwillallowlighttobouncearoundandamplify.Darkwallsabsorbthelight,andoff-whitesdistortit.

You'llneedatleastoneportablelightsourcesoyoucanhavearakinglight.That'salampthatshinesacrossasurface,andanyimperfectionsshowupastinyshadows.LEDsworkwell.

Provideextrabrighttasklightinginanyareawhereinjuriesmightoccur,suchasaroundrouterbitsandtablesawblades.

Extensioncordsarenotagreatideainawoodshop.Theycancausecircuitoverloadingandfires.Plus,youwouldn'tbethefirstwoodworkertotriponacordandreachintoaspinningcutterwhiletryingtocatchhisbalance.Extensioncordsfray,getslicedbycircularsawblades,andhaveoftenbeenrepaired.Anyofthoseconditionscancausesparks,andthatcanbeseriousaroundairbornedustordustcollectors.Itdoesn'tcostalottohaveafewoutletsinstalledexactlywhereyouneedthem.Mostbuildingcodeswillrequiregroundfault(GFIC)orarcfaultprotectedoutletsorcircuitsinshopsandgarages.Ifyouhaveacoupleofcircuitsadded,it'salsoniceifthebreakersarerightthereintheshop,incaseyouneedtokillthepower.Plus,ifoutletsarebeinginstalled,theelectriciancanaddafew220Vones.Thentheshopcanbeoutfittedwithmachinesthathavelarger,morepowerfulmotors.Manycommercialwoodshopmachinesrunon3-phasecurrent,andfewresidenceshavethatavailable.Ifyoudo,there'salotofinexpensive,used3-phaseequipmentoutthere.Chatwithanelectricianaboutyouroptionsbeforebuyinganything.

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DustCollectionIfyou'reaprorunningwidebeltsandersandshapersalldaylong,

thenyouneedacentraldustcollector.Ifyou'retheaverageserioushobbyist,acentralsystemmaynotalwaysbethebestchoice.

Let'slookatafewcommondustcollectionterms.Asinglestagecollectorhasahosethatdeliversdebristoacollectionbag.Atwo-stagemodelhasadeviceonboardthatsortsheavyparticlesfromlightones.Theideaisthatthebigbitswon'tdamagethefan(impellor)blades,andthelightdustgathersontheinsideofthetop(filter)bag.

CFMmeanscubicfeetperminute.It'sthewayairvolumeismeasured.Alittle1HPcollectorwillmovemaybe400-500CFM,andabig2HPunitwillpushcloseto1,500CFM.

Staticpressure(SP)isatermthat'sthrownaroundalot,butdon'tpaytoomuchattentiontoitwhenbuyingadustcollector.That'sbecausethemanufacturersgenerallyquotetheCFMatanextremelylowSP.Ifyouwanttoreadupalittleonit,visitBillPentz'swebsite(billpentz.com//woodworking/cyclone/dc_basics.cfm).It'sagreatresourceifyou'redesigningawholesystem.AndyouneedtounderstandSPifyou'reinstallinglotsofductworkandports.Aportisaholeinthemachineorthecollector,towhichahoseisattached.

Thesimplestcollectorshavetwobags.Thebottomonecollectsthedustandthetoponefilterstheairbeforereturningittotheshop.

Acycloneisaveryefficientcollectorthatswirlstheairinagyre(vortex,spiral–somethingakintothewayairmovesinatornado)andusesgravitytosorttheresidueintofineandgrossparticles.IfequippedwithaHEPAfilter(ratherthanasimplebag)itcanbeextremelyefficient,trappingdustdownto1micronorless.

Amicron(µm)isone-millionthofameter.Ahumanhairisabout60microns.OSHAsays:"respirabledustreferstothosedustparticlesthataresmallenoughtopenetratethenoseandupperrespiratorysystemandgodeepintothelungs.Particlesthatpenetratedeepintotherespiratorysystemaregenerallybeyondthebody'snaturalclearancemechanismsofciliaandmucousandaremorelikelytoberetained."

Essentially,thatmeansthathairandmucouswilltrapdustaboveabout10microns.Excessivedustistheproblem.Noteverylittleparticlewillkillyou,butover-exposure,especiallyovertime,canoftenbecarcinogenic,especiallyinthenose.Evenifyourcollectorisn'tscrubbingtheairsothoroughlythatit'scompletelydevoidofparticles,aslongasit'sremovingmostofthedust,it'shelpingalot.

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Dedicateddustcollectors(oneforeachmajormachine)canbequiteinexpensive.Forexample,grizzly.comusuallysellsabasictwo-bag,singlestage,1HPdustcollectorwitha110Vmotorandasingle4"portforabout$200.AtrightistheirmodelG8027from2015,whichgenerated500CFMat2.76"ofstaticpressurewitha30-micronbag.Forahobbyist,thatshouldhandlemostofthewastefromjustaboutanymachine.

A2HP,2-stagecycloneunitcostsabouteighttimesasmuchforabasicmodel.Yes,itcanhandleseveralmachinessimultaneously,andifyou'resettingupacabinetshop,thatiswhatyouneed.Butifthere'sonlyoneguyinahobbyshop,thentherewillonlybeonemachinemakingsawdustatatime.Byinstallingoneofthesesmallcollectorsoneachmachine(threeorfourtotal),thehoserunswillbeveryshort.Longrunscreateresistance,cuttingdownonthevelocity(speed)andpressure(SP)oftheairbeingmoved.Plus,asmallcollectorusesalotlesselectricitythanabigone.Dedicatedcollectorsmeanthere'snoneedforblastgates.Thosearesimpledevicesthatshutdowntheductworktooneormoremachinesthataren'trunning,sothereismoresuctioncreatedattheonethatis.

Thereareseveralinexpensiveelectricswitchsystemsonthemarket,fromcompaniessuchasRocklerorWoodcraft.Thesewillautomaticallyturnonthedustcollectorwhenamachineisturnedon.Justplugthecollectorandthesaw,sanderetc.intothemodule.

Ifalargercentralcollectorisbeingused,thereareelectronicallycontrolledblastgatesystemsthatwillautomaticallyopenandclosethemasthemachinesareused.Theseareonlyusedwhereseveralmachinesarehookeduptoasingledustcollector.

Mostsmallshopswillneeddustcollectionattheplaner,jointer,tablesaw,mitersaw,routertableandbeltsander.Bycombiningthejointerandsaw,andthemitersawandroutertable,you'relookingatfourunits.Ifyouonlyhaveonebigcollectorandthemotorgoesout,you'resunk.Butwithfourlittleones,youcangetbyuntilareplacementarrives.Plus,thinkofallthetimeandmoneyyou'llsavebynothavingtoinstallallthatductwork.Ortheblastgates...

CourtesyGrizzly.com

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Sizingadustcollectorisprettybasic.Fordedicatedsmallunits,justlookattheCFMratingforeachwoodworkingmachine(intheowner'smanual),andbuyacollectorthat'salittlebiggerthanthat.Ifyou'regoingtoattachmorethanonemachinetoalargercentralunit,thenyouneedtotakealookathowtodesignaductworksystemonairhand.com/designing.There,you'llfindinformationonhowmuchstaticpressureislostinductworkruns,andhowtocompensateforthat.AirHandlingSystemshasbeenaroundsincethe1950sandthestaffisextremelyhelpfulandknowledgeable.

AnotherfineresourceisaTauntonbookbySandorNagyszalanczytitledWoodshopDustControl(ISBN978-1561584994).Sandorwritesfromthepointofviewofserioushobbyistsandsmallprofessionalshops,andhecoversalotofgroundingreatdetail.

Ifyoualreadyownacollectorandwanttomaximizeitsefficiency,talktotheexpertsatAFF(americanfabricfilter.com).Theycustomsizefilterbags,andtheycanexplainhowasmallcollector'sperformancecanimprovedramaticallybyincreasingthefilterarea.It'sveryinexpensiveandmakesahugedifferenceinperformance.AFFhasspenttwodecades"designingandfabricatingoptimizedcustomdustbagsandsleevestogooncollectorsrangingfrom1/3HPdrumtophobbyistunits,to100+HPfactorybaghousesystems".Theyreallyknowtheirstuff.It'snotjustaboutsize:theweaveandthefabricthreadmakeadifference,too.

PneumaticsIfyou'regoingtouseanaircompressorinthewoodshop,hereare

afewthoughts.Don'tleavethecompressorpluggedin,orifyoudo,haveitonaswitchedoutletthatyoucanturnoffatnight.Alotofwoodshopshaveburneddownbecausetheairsystemhadaleakthatcausedthecompressortoruncontinuallyandoverheat.

Insteadofinstallingexpensivemetalcompressedairlinesintheshop,youcanjustattachacheap,flexiblehosetotheceilingwithpipeclipsandhaveitrunfromthecompressoranddropdownrightabovetheworkbenchorassemblyarea.

Don'tplugaportablesmallcompressorintoanextensioncord.Resistancewillcauseintermittentproblemsforthepump(voltageloss),andthemotorwillnotlikehavingtooperateonhalfrations.ItisALWAYSbettertorunairhoseinsteadofelectriccords.Andheavy10-gaugeextensioncordsarenotasolution,astheywillbepluggedintoahouseholdcircuitthatiswiredwith12oreven14-gaugewire.

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It'sagoodideatoputapermanentairfilteronthecompressor,andthenplugthehoseintothat.Oryoucanattachamoisture/dustfiltertotheshopwall,andplugthecompressorintoitwithaveryshortlengthofhose,andthenplugthelineintothat.

Drainthecompressorregularly(seethemanual).Ifyou'reinahumidpartofthecountry,thetankcanfillupquiteabitinaveryshorttime,andevenstartrustingfromtheinside.Moisturewilldefinitelycontaminatefinishes.Andifyou'reusingthecompressortosprayfinish,locateitinanotherroomsothatairbornevolatilesdon'tcomeincontactwiththehotmotor,orgetsuckedintothetank.

Ittakesareallybigtanktokeepupwithpneumaticsandersandothertoolsusedinauto-bodyshops,andthetoolsareabitunwieldybecauseoftheairhosesattachedtothem.Electricsandersandcordlessdrillsseemtoworkbetterinawoodshop.

FinalThoughtsMulti-functionmachinesrarelyliveuptoourexpectations.Ifa

machineisdesignedtoreplaceseveralstand-alonepiecesofequipment,itcanprobablydoallofthethingsthoseothermachinescan,butinmyopinionitcan'tdoanyofthemquiteaswell.Iusedtoownoneonce,whichIthoughtwasanincredibledrillpressandithadaveryfunctionaldiscsander.Butthetablesawfunctiononitscaredthelivingdaylightsoutofmebecausethetable–andnottheblade–tilted.Itsoverheadrouteronlyranat5200RMPattopspeed:ourstandardvariablespeedshoprouter,Hitachi'sM12VC,topsoutat24000RPManddeliversextremelycleancuts.Amulti-functionmachinecanbeawonderfulsolutionifyouhavenospace,butI'malothappierwithmystand-alonemachines.

Getthelongestandwidestjointeryoucanafford.Alongbedmakesboardsstraighter.Awidebedmeanstherewillbeawholelotlessgluinginyourfuture.Old-fashionedhigh-speedsteel(HSS)knivesdeliverresultsthatare–inmyopinion,whichisbasedondoingthisprofessionallyfor35years–everybitasacceptableasheadswithsmallsquarecarbideinserts,andtheydosoatafractionofthecost.Thetrickistokeeptheknivessharpandproperlyadjusted,andfeedtheworkslowly.

Asnotedbefore,anydecenttablesawwithagreataftermarketfenceshouldgiveyouyearsofsatisfaction.

Oh,andIalwaysfeelawoodworkershouldbuildhis/herroutertable,ratherthanbuyingone.