Workshop hardware

[brittonc]

Hi all,

After years of making do with a tiny shed and some basic tools I have ordered a shed/workshop for delivery in January. It's 18' x 8', so long and narrow but I'm after some advice about what hardware I should start with. I'm looking for a long term investment and hope to make this a hobby which I can earn from by attending craft fairs and such in the future. I plan to start by making smaller items of furniture, chopping boards and do some turning. I have already got a selection of decent cordless tools so I'm after advice about things like table saws, planer thicknessers, router tables etc.

Any advice would be appreciated as I don't want to buy things I don't need or have to replace in a few years as they don't have the quality. Have a budget of about £2000.

Thanks.

 

[Deadeye]

Have you made/sold any things yet?
What was successful and what would go faster if you had a different tool?
Rather than tooling up I'd spend a few months (especially given C19) making samples and seeing how long they take and what sells. Then get tools to make it more efficient.
A bandsaw isn't on your list but perhaps should be.

 

[lurker]

First thing you will need is a bench, don’t try to make a posh one, all you need is strong and sturdy with no racking. After a while you can use your new skills and knowledge to build a posh bench on this first attempt.
buy kit as you progress.

 

[LBCarpentry]

Same as deadeye the first thing I thought you would need is a bandsaw. If your doing craft fairs and crafty things then a bandsaw is right up there

 

[Cabinetman]

I wish you every success in your future endeavours. my only comment would be that having been to a lot of craft fairs and seen a lot of very good turners, they produce beautiful things, — lots of them, but I’ve never seen any of them selling much of it, I could be wrong, it’s just an observation.
I know a guy who seems to be successful at craft fairs and he makes things in wood like cutting boards and nameplates etc he uses a CNC controlled laser it’s quite wonderful to watch if not very pleasant on the nasal cavities. Lots of sayings, of the sort like "you don’t have to be mad to work here but it helps", that sort of geegaw. Ian

 

[NewbieRaf]

Check out Steve Ramsey in YouTube although he’s not into the whole crafty thing he does give a very good idea of what you need to get started on a budget. When I started almost 3 years ago he was my go to

 

[NewbieRaf]

+1 for a workbench made from studs and ply cheap and solid. Table saw or plunge saw also up there IMO

 

[Robbo60]

+1 for a workbench made from studs and ply cheap and solid. Table saw or plunge saw also up there IMO

I agree with NewbieRaf. WWMM has a good work bench plan and a "Kit out you shop for a $1000" video. Best tip ever for a small shop - put everything on castors. Much more flexible and easier to clean. Just about to use his plans to build a Lumber (wood) mobile storage unit.

 

[Robbo60]

Peter Millard also worth a look

 

[DiyAddict]

+1 for Peter Millard. His workshop is a similar size to yours and is based around a track/plunge saw and domino jointer. He says he hardly ever uses his tablesaw or mitre saw, and though his main eqpt is high-end, he seems happy to use low end bandsaw and other tools. I recently bought a Mafell plunge saw with rails which is top end, but at £700, is still cheaper than consumer versions of the usual main machines. Get the dust extraction right and the tracksaw is a pleasure to use.

 

[Jameshow]

Hi

I'm in a simalar position to you with a 15x 10ft garage.

The cheapest tools (Screwfix) would be :-

band saw £150
Table saw £100
Pillar drill £50
Thicknesses £200
Router / table £200

Total £700

A longer term investment would be new /sh

Axminster 10" saw / kitty 619 £750/300

Pillar drill 16mm £250/100

Band saw 16" £1k /500

Thinknesser £500/300

Sounder moulder £750 / 300

You might not need all these tools - look at Paul Sellars for hand tool woodworking inspiration.

Cheers James

 

[Peri]

Personally - and everyone's choice will be different - I'd buy a table-saw first, and definitely not the cheapest one I could find.

The table-saw will probably always be at the heart of your shop, you'll use it on every project, and if it doesn't cut accurately and squarely you're going to end up so frustrated it's not even funny.

You'll use it to make your workbench, your shop furniture, your toolstands and maybe your router table.

 

[bp122]

I have been in your shoes not too long ago and I know the itch of buying/ researching / drooling over / dreaming about tools as well.

But like a few have said, this is what I'd do if I were to do it all over again:

1. Get to know your target customers (people who attend fairs, local market stalls, e commerce customers like on Etsy or eBay, friends, wife even) and know or at least predict what you are going to be making in the first six months

2. Once you know what it is you will be making and who for, the question is how many. Either you are going to go for making and selling smaller items (coasters, chopping boards, bowls, vases etc) in large numbers or larger items like classy furniture and sell few of them. This will actually help you determine your first few tools that you need.

3. Regardless of the type work you do, you will need a good workbench with a good vise, and a pillar drill. These maybe the most fundamental things you need first. You can also look at the back end of the projects and predict you're going to need a decent finishing tool (random orbital sander or belt sander, former is more versatile but latter has its place)


Then depending on the work, most versatile tool is a good bandsaw which could be paired with a planer thicknesser for quickly truing up your stock.
Then a router for edge work, profiles and dadoes etc
Plunge / track saw for straight cuts. Trust me, table saw can wait.

Do not forget dust extraction!

But if you are leaning towards hand tools, that's a different thing altogether.

Bottom line is, instead of spending your £2k budget in one go, See what you can get and make things first and the buy tools as and when you need them. You might change your mind about the kind of work you want to do, so getting stuck with a tool which isn't sufficient will only put bigger holes in your pocket and not satisfy you in the end.

 

[bp122]

Another thing I have seen is most American YouTube channels on woodworking have table saw as their main tool. But most UK ones have bandsaw and planer thicknesser (check out Paul Sellers, Matt Estlea)

 

[billw]

I've bought a planer (£180), bandsaw (£310), and thicknesser (£380) and need a chip extractor so I've have done it all for around a grand. Not the best kit, nor has it that much capacity but I'm not making kitchens or doors so it doesn't matter, and most of the stuff I make will be for my own home so if it's slightly off perfect I'll probably learn to live with it - I managed it last time!

 

[Ttrees]

I'd buy a used, three phase dual voltage 20 " bandsaw for 6 or 700 quid, and get a hundred quid VFD/inverter to run that bandsaw from a household plug, rather than needing an electrician to install a consumer unit and 16a plugs, a VFD has an adjustable soft start to make it easy on your supply, so something like 3 hp/2.2kw motor would be about the norm for a machine that size.

If you chose a single phase machine of similar size, the starting draw of it would likely need 16a plugs to get it to start, slightly smaller @ 2 hp
on 13a household plug would be the max, and it might eat fuses starting.

The same thing with a lathe might be an option, but with fancier VFD to cope working with lower speeds.
I suggest you look on the lathe section if your into craft turning, as that might be
your main source of income, especially if you can get local trees around.
Folks there could give suggestions on good machines to look for.

Going back to the big bandsaw it will rip as well as a tablesaw, less dusty,less waste and quieter if you don't fool yourself and go smaller than a 20" machine.
That size is manageable for one person lift (with table off of course) weight of 200kg, I'd look for no less...weight being the best way to know that a machine is stout enough to handle a decent blade,
which will have enough "beam tension" to run without deflection, meaning your trust guides won't be screaming and need to be replaced often.

For everything else do with hand tools like Sellers does.
Get a hand drill locally secondhand for buttons for now, and another secondhand pillar drill for about 50 or 60 quid if you wait.

A few old hand planes off of the bay, some cheap diamond hones new from the likes of Ultex/ITS @ half price annual sale, some marking equipment from Axi maybe,
That will take care of dimensioning, and get the router after that.

Tom

P.s .... an example of a dual voltage motor added to clarify what one is looking for.
Notice 220-240 D on the Voltage
This is household voltage which is Delta (D symbol or a triangle)

Notice its 2.2KW or a 3 horse induction motor and not massive, I don't know what the limits are in regards to your 13a plug.

Many three phase motors are NOT dual voltage and it seems the good brands of VFD/inverters, have much higher prices for their "step up" to 400v models compared to the standard versions they sell.

 

[Sean33]

Hi all,

After years of making do with a tiny shed and some basic tools I have ordered a shed/workshop for delivery in January. It's 18' x 8', so long and narrow but I'm after some advice about what hardware I should start with. I'm looking for a long term investment and hope to make this a hobby which I can earn from by attending craft fairs and such in the future. I plan to start by making smaller items of furniture, chopping boards and do some turning. I have already got a selection of decent cordless tools so I'm after advice about things like table saws, planer thicknessers, router tables etc.

Any advice would be appreciated as I don't want to buy things I don't need or have to replace in a few years as they don't have the quality. Have a budget of about £2000.

Thanks.

Hi,
might be worth looking at axminsteroutletstore on eBay. I was in similar position a few yrs ago and managed to get one of there industrial machines for the same price as a craft machine. For me the bandsaw is the work horse of my shop, if i had a much bigger space i probably would(budget permitting)get a table saw but to be fair i got a mafell plunge saw which is an incredible piece of kit. Other than that imho you can't beat using hand tools

 

[brittonc]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. Lots to think about. I haven't made anything to sell as of yet. It's just something I'd like to do further down the road. For now I want to spend time improving my knowledge of woodworking by making things for the home, gifts etc. and finding out what I enjoy making. It's the first time I've had the space to do things properly and by some decent kit so I want to try and get it right by getting what I need.

I've watched a few of Steve Ramseys videos and will look for the others mentioned too. It's interesting to see how others go about using limited space, especially when trying to squeeze in large tools. This was a concern I had when looking at table saws. Contractors saws were cheaper and compact but I wasn't sure what they would be like long term compared to a solid unit - but then they are very wide. But if I'm not likely to be making anything larger than a coffee/side table do I need anything bigger?

I'm quite happy to buy used equipment as I can hopefully get better quality kit. It's interesting to hear some of you say a bandsaw is used more than a table saw. I had planned to get one but not as big as Ttrees mentioned. Another thing to rethink, especially if it saves space in getting a larger table saw.

Maybe time to start drawing up some plans to see what I can fit in.

 

[Jameshow]

I'd suggest a kity 619, aximister ts200, charnwood 619

Small footprint high accuracy so I'm told.

Cheers James

 

[Terry - Somerset]

An 18x8 workshop is a little larger than a single garage (but not much).

The amount of large kit you will get in there is limited however attractive large lumps of 3 phase cast iron are. A table saw to cut 8x4 sheets will just about fill the place on its own.

So unless you have a very clear idea of what you want to make I would tend to go for a wider range of smaller lower capacity machines. A minimum I would suggest:

• bandsaw - 10"-12" - will rip cut most normal sizes
• pillar drill so you can drill with adequate precision
• lunchbox thicknesser or planer thicknesser - avoids buying PAR
• belt and disc sander
• bench grinder - sharpening chisels etc
• bench top lathe if you think woodturning is on the agenda
• proper small but solid workbench with vice(s)
• small router table and router

This will just about fill your workshop depending on other tool storage.

Put some machines on castors as you will otherwise find that the 2m thing you want to drill some holes in or cut will foul adjacent machinery.

When you know better what you want to make you can upgrade kit selectively. If you buy reasonable brands even s/h they will be easy to sell on without too large a loss.