The Essentials for a Successful Woodshop

Woodworking is a hobby that can be practiced by anyone with the right tools and materials. It also requires a safe working environment and proper training.

As a woodworker grows and needs more space to store equipment, they may outgrow their garage or basement workbench and need a dedicated workshop. This article explains some important factors to consider in building your own woodshop.

Workbench

Workbenches are a versatile tool that come in a variety of sizes designed for specific tasks. They can be very complex for engineering design work, complicated machining, and intricate precision tooling or be a highly finished wood table for woodworking, metal work, and project design.

The height of the workbench is important to consider because it affects your leverage over certain tools and machinery. The ideal bench height for handcrafting projects should be about 30 inches, which will provide you with a comfortable stance and give you much-needed traction and control over your workpiece.

Some workbenches have drawers or lockers that can be used for storing supplies and tools. Some benches also have pegboard backs that are helpful in organizing your workspace.

Stationary Machinery

Woodworking is an art that requires a large selection of tools. The most essential stationary machinery for a small shop include a table saw, a jointer and a thickness planer.

A jointer is a milling machine that flattens and smooths the face of a board before taking it to a table saw for cutting to a given width. It also straightens the edges of boards before sending them through a thickness planer for producing a given thickness.

A drill press is another very important tool for any woodshop. These powerful machines bore holes accurately and quickly. They come in a range of sizes, from compact benchtop models to heavy-duty production units.

Storage

As you develop your shop layout and work flow, you will need to think about where you store tools and lumber. Organizing these things is important to keep them close to where you want them, and not strewn all over the shop.

A woodshop is not complete without storage for all of your hand and power tools. At Dragonfire Tools we offer a wide range of drawers and cabinets that can help you keep everything in order.

Our cabinets are also designed with security in mind so you can be sure that your tools and lumber are safe. Our locker-style solutions are a great way to secure your equipment, and our products come at a competitive price that won’t break the bank.

EZ Storage(r) can help you transform your garage into the perfect woodshop for your carpentry projects. Our climate-controlled storage spaces are perfect for keeping your wood free of moisture and humidity, preventing warping or bowing that can ruin your projects.

Lighting

Lighting is a critical component of any shop. A poorly lit workspace can lead to eye strain and reduced productivity, as well as unsafe conditions and safety hazards.

Depending on your needs, you can choose between fluorescent or LED lighting. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

For example, fluorescent lighting uses a glass tube with a chemical reaction to produce light; LED lights use a diode that efficiently uses electricity.

Another important consideration when choosing your lighting is color temperature. It’s measured in Kelvins, and ranges from the warm tones of an incandescent bulb (around 2,700K) to bluish tones of a 5000K-plus daylight bulb.

The color temperature of your lighting affects how clearly you see wood tones, as well as other colors. For accurate visibility, select bulbs with a color rendering index (CRI) of at least 85.