Grex Do-it-yourself Conference

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Grex Do-it-yourself Item 4: Wood shop
Entered by davel on Wed Jan 14 02:54:58 UTC 1998:

I'm certainly not in a position to give answers on this one, but some of you
are.  If you were setting up a fairly basic wood shop for yourself, hoping
to do stuff yourself, what equipment would you think fairly essential?
Clearly, hand tools like hammers & screwdrivers don't individually run to a
lot of money; but what should someone look for even in these?  But I'm
thinking more of power tools, I admit.

17 responses total.

#1 of 17 by other on Wed Jan 14 05:28:40 1998:

drill, circular saw
jigsaw, router
table saw, band saw
sander (i prefer random orbit)

hand tools i find essential:  chalkline, scale ruler, speed square, tape
measure, plenty of pencils, hammer, wrenches (various types)...

#2 of 17 by n8nxf on Wed Jan 14 12:40:38 1998:

It depends on what you want to do in your woodshop.  A woodshop should
reflect what is made in it.  I have lots of wood working tools as well
as electronic tools, plumbing tools, electrical tools, work-on-car tools,
carpentry tools, arborist tools, machinist tools, heating and cooling
tools, etc.  I just call it a shop  ;-)

#3 of 17 by scott on Fri Jan 16 01:01:04 1998:

Well, the Big Saw is very helpful in doing more precise work without the years
of experience needed with hand tools.  My family got along great with a radial
arm saw, which can even be used in a pinch to rip sheets of plywood (not for
the fainthearted!  Once you start, you *have* to finish the cut).  A table
saw can be used for most of the same things, so I'd really have one or the
other (no space in my house for one now, though).

Aside from the obvious, I recommened a 4 foot straight edge (I've got an
aluminum 4' level with ruler markings that I use for this).  A vise on a bench
is very handy.  I've also got a Black & Decker workbox that makes a big wood
vise, same as their folding workbenches.

#4 of 17 by other on Fri Jan 16 06:52:34 1998:

i usually use the chalkline in lieu of a straightedge.  it requires a little
more labour, but it's easier to pack into a toolbox.  i suppose i also
sacrifice a little precision on long cuts, but it hasn't made much difference
in anything i've built...

#5 of 17 by n8nxf on Fri Jan 16 14:29:43 1998:

A chalkline is very handy when you need to mark long distances.  I use
mine a lot building my house.My only problem is that the circular saw
likes to blow it away as I'm cutting.  Any suggestions?  My builder used
a laser level while they were setting the foundation, etc.  Another very
handy tool when you need a flat reference up to 200' away.  If it's not
freezing, a water level is also very handy.

#6 of 17 by other on Fri Jan 16 18:39:56 1998:

i've used both the laser and water level methods, in different situations.
each has it's own advantages.

#7 of 17 by scott on Sat Jan 17 00:55:09 1998:

Oh, a carpenter's square is handy.  Metal, with 1.5 to 2 foot long arms.  You
can do a *lot* of things with one of these, and be stuck without one.

#8 of 17 by orinoco on Sat Jan 17 04:52:24 1998:

(Clueless question - what, pray tell, is a chalkline?)

#9 of 17 by other on Sat Jan 17 07:45:09 1998:

it is essentially a spool of string inside a case filled with powdered colored
chalk.  as you pull the string out, it gets coated with the chalk.  you
stretch the string tightly between two points, and pluck the string gently.
it snaps against the surface, depositing the chalk, hopefully in a straight
line between the points.  (depends on the angle at which you pluck, and how
flat the surface is.  very handy because the chalk wipes off after you're
finished with the mark, though sometimes before.

#10 of 17 by scott on Sat Jan 17 13:54:50 1998:

(or gets soaked into the cracks, esp. if you get it wet)

#11 of 17 by orinoco on Sat Jan 17 20:49:13 1998:

Aha.  Thank you.

#12 of 17 by scott on Wed Mar 31 01:43:06 2004:

Anybody here got a wood lathe?  I'm currently building a rather retro
microphone, and I need a small (1.25" dia, .75" long) part turned out of wood.

#13 of 17 by keesan on Wed Mar 31 05:13:43 2004:

Someone on a street between your street and Jim's, which might be Fair, which
deadends into a large apartment complex and is 60's split levels, has a yard
full of sections of tree trunk which he says he turns into bowls.  He has at
least one lathe to do that with.

#14 of 17 by scott on Mon Aug 16 22:34:38 2004:

So... I'm figuring on getting my own drill press, finally.  If I'd just bought
one years ago it would have been worth the effort of dragging around as I
moved into different places.  A little one, anyway.  I solved the lathe
problem in #12, but it takes a drill press to get a nice straight hole in the
center.  Plus there are so many other details that would be easier.

So, the question.  Say I want a smallish bench-top model, decent quality. 
Any recommendations as to brand?

#15 of 17 by rcurl on Tue Aug 17 00:58:24 2004:

I have a Shopsmith - with bandsaw: so I have that, table saw, drill press,
disk sander, and of course lathe (which I haven't used yet).  Though since
you have gotten a lathe, apparently, it doesn't make sense, I suppose,
getting another just for a drill press.

#16 of 17 by scott on Tue Aug 17 02:08:13 2004:

I wasn't clear about the lathe... actually I found a way to create the part
without use of a lathe.

#17 of 17 by scott on Tue Aug 17 16:24:26 2004:

So I went to Sears, and found that their smallest drill press (9") was on sale
for $80.  Since it was close, I went to Electric Tool Supply [?] further sound
on State.  The smallest they had was a 12" Delta for $180.  I went back to
Sears and bought the little one - it's big enough for everything I've been
doing lately, small enough to easily carry, and cheap.

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