You'll need a good set of tools to start woodworking. You will certainly want to look for good quality tools that won't fall apart after only a few uses. You don't need to invest a lot of money in tools to begin. You would be surprised at how much you can do with just a good set of hand tools. After all, before the electric motor, people were building furniture, wagons and carts, and even buildings with nothing more than hand tools. You don't need every tool available for every project, so you can just build up your toolbox as needed.
The following will give you the basics of handtools that you should have for your woodshop.Saws:
You probably already know what saws do... they cut things. In woodworking, however, there are many different saws for many different jobs.
Crosscut saws and rip saws look very much alike, however, they are designed for different purposes. The crosscut saw is made to cut across the grain of a piece of wood, while a rip saw is designed to cut in the direction of the grain.
A backsaw is a saw with a rigid blade, designed to make very straight cuts in a piece of wood. Back saws can be used with a miter box, to accurately cut wood at different angles.
Coping saws have very narrow blades, so that you can cut intricate designs in wood. You can use them to cut a pattern in the middle of a piece of wood, by drilling a hole in the wood, passing the saw blade through the hole, and then inserting the blade in the saw frame.
Planes:Planes are sharp blades held in a wooden or metal frame. The end of the blade extends below the frame, and can be adjusted. Planes range in size from 10 inches up to 22 inches, depending on their purpose.
Planes are generally used to smooth the wood or to reduce the thickness of a piece of wood. Some planes also have blades designed to cut a channel in a piece of wood.
When you buy a wood plane, you'll want to buy one with a sturdy frame that holds the blade securely in place. The plane should also be comfortable to hold and to use. Planes come in several different sizes, but you certainly don't need to buy one in every size. One smoothing plane should be sufficient. You can always buy more as you need them.
Chisels:Chisels are tools with a flat blade with a square cut edge. They are used for removing unwanted wood, and for carving. The chisel is held in one hand, while the other hand holds a hammer, striking the handle of the chisel and driving it into the wood.
Chisels come in various sizes, the larger chisels being used to rough out a shape, while smaller chisels are used in finishing the shape, and adding detail.
Other types of chisels, called gouges, are also available. These chisels have a U-shaped blade, rather than a square blade, to create concave carvings in the wood. Other sizes and shapes of chisel are also available for carving and shaping wood.
As with planes, you don't need to run out and buy every size of chisel that you can find. Choose a few chisels that will suit your needs. If you're going to be using the chisels to carve large openings in a piece of wood, you'll need large chisels. If you plan on doing a lot of small detailed work, then a few smaller chisels will do.
Screwdrivers:A good set of screwdrivers is invaluable for
woodworking. A lot of woodwork is screwed together, so you'll want a few different sizes of both flat head and Philips head screwdrivers. A good electric screwdriver will make driving screws a lot easier than using only hand tools.
If you want a quality piece of work, you'll need to make sure that you properly measure your wood, and then you put the pieces of wood together accurately. To do so, you'll need a good set of measuring tools.
A metal straight edge will help to measure and mark the wood accurately. A small straight edge can be used for measuring smaller pieces of wood, while a larger straight edge will serve for larger pieces of wood.
Tape measures are invaluable for measuring longer pieces of wood. You should look for a tape measure 3/4" wide or wider, so that the tape will remain rigid so that you can measure accurately. If your tape is bending and flexing, you won't get an accurate measurement. You can find tape measures with markings at 1 foot or 16 inch intervals. For woodworking, you'll probably want one marked at 12 inches. The ones marked at 16 inches are intended for construction, with the 16 inch markings making it easy to locate studs.
Square corners are essential in many woodworking projects. A carpenter's square will help you to keep those corners straight. A typical square is 24 inches long, with a 16 inch tongue. A try square is a metal tongue attached to a wooden handle. They are small enough to fit into tight areas, and then can assure accurate marks on the wood when you're ready to cut.
A level is an important tool in making sure that things are straight. You can find levels in many shapes and sizes, the most common size being 24 inches. Levels typically have both vertical and horizontal vials, and some have 45 degree vials as well. Inside each vial is a liquid, with a bubble. When the bubble is centered between the two lines, your work is level.
Clamps:Unless you happen to have a few extra hands, you'll need some way to hold your materials. You'll need something to hold the wood while you're working on it, and you'll need to hold pieces of wood together when you're gluing them.
A good bench vise is important to hold the wood while you're using a saw or a plane. It just isn't safe to try to hold a piece of wood with one hand, while you're trying to cut it with the other hand. A vise with a 7-9 inch opening should work just fine. You'll want a vise with wooden jaws or inserts to keep from damaging the wood. If you can't find a vise with wood inserts, you can simply place some scrap lumber between the jaws and your work to keep from scratching or denting the wood.
You'll need some clamps to hold things in place while you're joining pieces of wood togther. If you're gluing the wood together, a set of clamps will ensure a nice tight joint. If you are screwing or nailing pieces together, then a set of clamps will hold things in place while you're working. A set of c-clamps or small hand clamps will hold smaller pieces together. For larger pieces, you can get a set of bar clamps or pipe clamps to hold the wood together. Instead of a fixed length, pipe clamps can be set to any size you need, depending on the length of the pipe you use.
These are the basic hand tools that you'll want to have in your toolbox to begin woodworking. Just buy the tools as needed, rather than trying to stock your toolbox all at once. When you go to buy your tools, make sure that they are comfortable to hold, since you will be using them quite a bit. You certainly won't have fun woodworking if your tools hurt your hands.
Now that you have an understanding of basic hand tools for woodworking, we'll turn our attention to power tools.