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When I first got into woodworking in 2017, I have to say I handled things correctly. I started simple - with a miter saw, some drills, some measuring tools, a pocket hole jig and a boatload of screws. The first thing I built was this workbench.
Next I needed to organize my garage, so I built this huge shelving unit. It now houses a lot of my bench top equipment like my router, drill press and other tools.
I also built a couple of saw horses and picked up a few more tools and other equipment like an electric hand planer (which scares the heck out of me to this day), an orbital hand sander (which I use constantly), a small shop vac (way too small, had to get a big one in 2018). I handled building these things the same way I cook. I'm a pretty avid cook - I own a convertible grill and 2 other smokers. When I want to make something new, I will go online and look in books that I have, reading dozens of recopies and methods of cooking whatever it is that I'm interested in. Then, I go do it on my own, in my own way, based on what I liked and didn't like about what I read. For woodworking I do the same thing. I don't know anyone else that does this stuff, so I have to rely on the internet. I watch videos, read web sites, download plans. Then I go do it myself based on what I've learned.
In late September 2017, this is really what I had in my workshop. The bench, the miter saw, some clamps, safety equipment and some measuring tools. I took this pic when I was about to cut down some oak that I had so I could use it in my smoker. At that time I really wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do with the woodshop, and I knew I was very limited with the equipment that I had. I really enjoyed creating the bench, saw horses and shelving unit, but at that point I couldn't think of anything else to make - so I decided to figure out what I really wanted to do. It hit me one day, my son and I (he is in culinary arts) were cooking and my plastic cutting board broke. I thought about how nice it would be to get one of those big expensive wood ones...then I started watching videos on how to make them myself. The decision was made.
For the rest of 2017 I focused on learning - about how to make cutting boards (I've watched literally hundreds of videos) and what equipment I would need. 2018 came and the day I got my tax refund (I file early and fast), I ordered some equipment to be delivered, went to Home Depot and Harbor Freight too. Above is my Wen belt sander, DeWalt table saw, Wen thickness planer, Bosch router (in the case on the far left) and a Microjig grr-ripper pushblock. I got a few more clamps and a lot more pine wood because I had plans to make some separate stands for the equipment. All this equipment had yet to be used...that would change.
I also got the Kreg K5 pocket hole jig, the little one I had was just too much work. I built a quick little base for it and used my router to round out the edges and make a handle. But before that I made something that is so useful I thank myself every time I use it - and I use it a ton. The table saw crosscut sled. I also found a 3D model for a back cover for it (to help protect from the blade if I push it too far - it's the green thing) and printed it on my 3D printer. Notice the stand the table saw is on - since my work bench wasn't on wheels I had to use this little, rickety thing for a while. I knew I was going to be making tables for the tools but hadn't decided on exactly how to make them yet. Not long after I had an idea...
Moving the heavy tools around from bench to floor to that little plastic craftsman table started to become a chore, especially if I needed to use them one after the other, then go back and fix a mistake or something. Building a separate table for each item would help, but I'd still be moving tables around a lot. So I thought I'd make a big table and integrate the table saw and miter saw into it. Video after video, plan after plan - and I squeezed together ideas into a table that I thought could work. On one side is the table saw, which I leave there full time. On the other is the miter saw - which I have on a base that's connected to a steel bar which lets me swing it down under the table and place a board over so I have a solid, flat work space. After making a hundred mistakes, having to remove pieces, cut new ones and replace, after having to remove and replace so many screws, and after having to figure out how the heck I was going to adjust everything (again I went to my 3D printer and printed out flanges for the steel pipe, which I have screwed into the boards on the side so I can adjust them up and down as needed), I built this modular table that works REALLY well. I also measured it to match up exactly with my original work bench (so I can push them together if needed) and put both tables on wheels. This thing is a beast but it's super functional and solid, and I do most of my work on it now.
So in late 2018 I built a rolling stand for my planer (now for my CNC machine, below) , which holds my pre-cut wood (mostly for cutting boards). I've got some baskets hanging on the pegboard to help with organization (more pegboard on the other side.
In early 2019 my son and I went to Pittsburgh's Strip District for lunch and a little shopping. While we were walking around, we found a restaurant that was being gutted out for a new business - and outside on the sidewalk was a bunch of chairs, signs, artwork, and more with a sign that said "Free, please take!". I realized that a table that had a box of signs on it was ALSO being given out for free - a big stainless steel topped prep table that was in really good condition (ok the legs were rusted, but I wasn't interested in them!). I had my son stay there while I went and got the car. I loaded the table up, took it home, removed the legs and built a new table for it. It's now the home for my planer. I've since replaced the router table.
Over the 2018-2019 winter I really missed working in the woodshop. I even used points that I had been awarded in my day job to purchase an electric heater made for garages and had it (and a new 220 line) installed. I spent time re-organizing the shop a bit, and cleaning, oiling and performing other general maintenance on my tools. The whole time I kept thinking that I really missed working on stuff, but I did not miss the hours and hours of sanding. So....I splurged on this guy. This is a Jet 16-32 drum sander. It can sand surfaces up to 32" wide (16" each run, just flip it around for the other 16") and flattens everything similarly to what a planer does (but slower and at less depth at a time). This doesn't replace my sander at all...but it sure as heck takes a LOT of time sanding off of my plate. What could take 1.5 hours for a single cutting board now can be done in 5-10 minutes. Worth it! I've since put this on a rolling stand and have used it quite a bit!
Like most people, I'm prone to impulse buying at times. This is the biggest impulse buy I've ever made in my life - it's a CNC machine, but a bit different than any others on the market. This is a Carvewright CX 3D machine - and it has a belt system that moves the wood back and forth which is very different from the stationary machines most people have. I can carve a board up to 15' long and 14" wide, and the PC software I have for it can match up different boards so they can be put together later which really makes the size of the signs, plaques or whatever I make unlimited in size. This is also the most intimidating piece of machinery in my shop - the software and the intricacies of the hardware can be pretty complicated and I've had to do a lot of learning - with a long way still to go. That said, I've made some great signs for friends and some other varoius inspirational type plaques for myself and others. This machine gives me a lot of potential and the ability to engrave and personalize items for people. It's also the loudest machine I have too.
If you've been reading this far you can see I have come a very long way in a short time with my woodshop - at least as far as the equipment that I have. In 2017 I had a few drills and a miter saw. In 2018 I got a table saw, router, planer, jointer, and a few other things that I use constantly. 2019, though, saw me take a few huge leaps forward - starting with the 2 pieces of equipment above (the Drum Sander and the CNC Machine - which is my most expensive piece of equipment). I also got a portable photo studio that I can take much better pictures of my crafted items - if you see pictures of things here with the pure white background, that's where they were taken. All that said, the one thing I'm the most proud to own is my new router table system. This is an Incra LS SuperSystem, which took well over a month to receive from them. Everything about it is ridiculously precise - down to 1/1000th of an inch - and repeatable so if I want to make several of a single type of item (for example, all of the wooden trays I have posted on my boxes page), I can do it so much faster than I ever could have without this machine. As soon as this was put together, I traded my old router table from Bosch for a couple slabs of wood. Putting this together took a lot of time, would have been quite a bit shorter if I had help but honestly I was so excited for this I really enjoyed just doing it myself. Along with the table and the Incra LS SuperSystem (the sliding fence system on top), I also got a new very powerful router (Porter Cable 75182 3.25 HP), a bunch of new box and dovetail joinery bits from Whiteside and I set up a 2-part dust collection system for it (one for under the router itself, another that collects from the fence). I got the stand from Incra too, along with their wheel kit - which is the ONLY thing about the whole purchase that I did not like - the wheels were hard to work with and I found myself having to lift the whole table often to get it pointed in the right direction - so I took the wheels off and built another stand for it, using my own favorite castors that I have on all of my other tables and stands. Like most things, this system has a pretty steep learning curve but during my 6 week wait for delivery I watched probably every single video every made about this system...so I was (mostly...) ready. To say this is easily my favorite piece of equipment in the shop is an understatement - I don't even put anything on top of this table that doesn't belong there...ever. This is a huge game changer for the quality of stuff that I want to make - and I've already made some very beautiful pieces from it (as can be seen on the Boxes page). Stay tuned for a lot more items I'll be making with this!
If you have any questions about anything on this site, please email me at don@pghrare.com
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