Tools, Safety, and Woodworking Projects

1. Tools,Safety,andWoodworkingProjects:BecomeaWoodworkingCraftsmanToday!Tools,Safety,andWoodworkingProjects:BecomeaWoodworkingCraftsmanToday! Whenitcomestowoodworkingasahobby,forsomeonewhoisnewtothetrade,itcanseemlikeadauntingadventureintoaworldfilledwithconvolutedwoodworkingprojects,expensivewoodworkingtools,andalotofguessworkastowhatwoodtypetouse,whatanglesareappropriate,andwhatmaterialsareneededonaprojecttoprojectbasis.It doesn’t help thatthereare specialty woodworkingtoolsandnumeroustypesofwoodpropertiestounderstand. It’s safe to say thata lot goesintowoodworkingandregardlessofyourambitionordrive, youhavetounderstandthebasicstogetstartedontherightpath.Inthisarticle,wewilltakealookatabasictoolslist,whattolookforinagoodsetofplans,andwhereyoucangetsomewoodworkingplansthatmakeeventhemostcomplicatedprojects,abreeze. • TheInsandOutsofWoodworkingTools:Hand&PowerToolOptions • Thereisthiscommonmisconceptionthatinordertogetintowoodworking,youneedalotoftools.Althoughsomemoreambitiouswoodworkingprojectsdorequiremorewoodworkingtoolsthanothers,itdoesn’t mean that you can’t getaway with fewer tools on thesmaller projects. In addition to this, a dedicatedworkshopisnotrequiredtoenjoywoodworkingortobesuccessfulinyourprojects.Youcanusejust aboutany garage, cellar, basement,or backyard (on sunnydays)as your work area. With this said, let’s breakdownwhattoolsyouwillneedbycategory,handtools,powertools,andfurniturefocusedtools. • HandTools:thesearethemostbasicandessentialtypesofwoodworkingtoolsthatyouwillneedregardlessoftheprojectyouaretakingon.Theseincludethefollowing,ahammer,alayoutsquare,atapemeasure,autilityknife,alevel,afewchisels,somenailsets,ablockplane,aslidingbevel,andsomescrewdrivers.Youshouldalreadyhavemostoftheseathomebutifyoudonot,theyareeasilypickedupatanyhardwarestoreandarerelativelyinexpensivewhencomparedtootherwoodworkingtoolslikejigsawsanddrills. • PowerTools:ifyouhavethecapitaltoinvestintosomepowertoolsandwanttogetsomewithoutcompletelybreakingthebank,focusongettingthefollowingfirst.Acircularsaw,jigsaw,apowerdrill,randomorbitalsander,atablesaw,compoundmitersaw,andarouter.Ifyouareunsureofwhichsawtypetogowith,takealookatthewoodworkingprojectsyouareaimingtocompleteandseewhat they call for and go for theone that you’ll getthemost use out of.

2. FurnitureFocused:ifyouareplanningonbuildingalotoffurnitureprojectsthenyoumaywanttogowiththefollowing.Ajigsawforcuttingcurves,acircularsawforroughdimensioning,athicknessplanner,apowerjointerforflatteningroughandreclaimedwood,ahandsaworrouterforcross-cuttingandstraighteningedges,acombinationsquareandtapemeasureformarking,andeitherablockplaneorrandomorbitalsanderforsmoothingoutallthesurfaces.Youwillalsowantahammer,somescrewdrivers,awoodenmallet,clamps,andachiselortwo.FurnitureFocused:ifyouareplanningonbuildingalotoffurnitureprojectsthenyoumaywanttogowiththefollowing.Ajigsawforcuttingcurves,acircularsawforroughdimensioning,athicknessplanner,apowerjointerforflatteningroughandreclaimedwood,ahandsaworrouterforcross-cuttingandstraighteningedges,acombinationsquareandtapemeasureformarking,andeitherablockplaneorrandomorbitalsanderforsmoothingoutallthesurfaces.Youwillalsowantahammer,somescrewdrivers,awoodenmallet,clamps,andachiselortwo. • Now that we have gone over what woodworking tools are good to have, let’s take alookat what makes up agoodsetofwoodworkingplans.Afterall,havingtherightmaterials,dimensions,andwoodisparamountto aproject’s success. • WhatToLookForinaGoodSetofWoodworkingPlans • Whenlookingforwoodworkingprojectsonline,youwanttomakesurethattheplansthatcomewiththeseprojectsarehighinquality,areverydetailed,andtellyouexactlywhatyouneedtoknowinastep-by-stepprocess.Keepaneyeoutfor: • ACutList:thecutlistwilltellyoutheamountoflumberyouwillneedfortheentiretyoftheprojectandwhatdimensionsitneedstobecutin.Ifyouareusinghigh-qualitycutlists,youwillhaveverylittlescraplumberleftoverasitwillhaveyoumaximizingtheamountofwoodyouhavebought. • WhatToolsAreNeeded:theplanwilloutlineeverytoolandaccessoryyouwillneedtocompletetheproject.Ifyouareusingahigh-qualityplan,itwillalsoprovideyouwithanalternativetoollist. • WhatMaterialsAreNeeded:theplanwilllistoffallmaterialsneededincludingglue,screws,andotherhardwarecomponents. • Diagrams:payattentiontowhether3-dimensionaldiagramsareincludedwiththewoodworkingprojectplanastheseareincrediblyhelpfultolearnfromwhenyougetstuck. • VisualElements:aregreatforwalkingyouthroughaprojectonastep-by-stepbasis.Youwillwantbothschematics,photographs,andpossiblyvideo. • TimeandDifficultyLevel:inknowingtheamountoftimeitwilltaketocompletetheprojectandthedifficultylevel,youcanevaluatewhetherornotyouhavethenecessaryskillsandtoolstogettheprojectdone. • WhereToGetDetailedWoodworkingProjectPlansforAllSkillLevels? • AlthoughasimpleGooglesearchwillpulluphundredsofresultsofsomegreatwoodworkingprojects,alotoftheseeithercomewithvagueinstructions,noinstructionsatall,orthediagramsthatareincludedarewrong or sovague that you can’t make out thesteps.Instead,TedsWoodworkPlansisagreatoptionforbothamateursandprofessionalsasitcomeswith16,000planswithstep-by-stepinstructions,cuttingandmaterialslists,detailedschematics, and multiple angle views. With Ted’s woodworking projects, there’s no needforguessworkasyouareabletoseehowthebuildshouldlookregardlessofwhatcorner,joint,orangleyouareworkingon.