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Glues
Shop Supplies
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6" Stationary Jointer
Shop Machinery: While there are 4" and 6" table top jointers, these are light duty machines that are really only suitable for craft work. They use loud universal motors, and can't deliver solid, vibration-free performance. For furniture building, a 6" floor model (stationary) jointer will better suit your needs. Optimally, it should weigh over 200 lbs., and have a 2 ½" diameter 3-knife cutterhead.
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Stationary Drill Press
Shop Machinery: Bench top drill presses are nice machines and can certainly drill accurate holes. But their heavier counterpart, the stationary drill press, will allow you to do so much more.
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Easy Steps to Gluing
Skill Builder: Successful gluing depends on many factors. Good surface preparation is key, as is correct glue application. You also need to choose and apply the right number of clamps for the correct length of time.
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Mid-Sized Routers
Shop Tool
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13" Benchtop Planers
Shop Machinery
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Random Orbit Sanders
Shop Tools: If you've never tried a random orbit sander (ROS) before, you'll be amazed. It is the one sander I use most in my workshop for finish sanding. In fact, with the proper technique, a random orbit sander gives you finish-quality results without any hand sanding at all. If you prefer, finish up with some 220 grit hand sanding after taking your random orbit sander through its paces, one grit level at a time.
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Contractor Style Table Saws
Tool Purchasing: A "contractor" saw is generally a 10" table saw with an open stand and outboard motor. The motor hangs out the back and drives the arbor with a belt. It is called a "contractor" saw because it can be loaded into a truck for on-site work, although this is a bit of an exaggeration. While a contractor saw is lighter than a full-sized cabinet saw, it can still weigh upwards of 300 pounds. It would take three strong contractors to lift it out of a truck!
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14.4 Volt Drill/Drivers
Shop Tools: One of the most useful tools you can own is a drill that can both drill holes and drive screws. Drill/drivers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, both corded and cordless. They are equally useful in a workshop, on a construction site, or out in your yard where you are building that new deck or fence.
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Belt Sanders
Shop Tools: If your main need for a hand plane is to flatten glued-up panels, you just might get by with a quality belt sander and a sanding frame.
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Jig Saws
Shop Tools: Nothing beats a jigsaw for on-site portable curve cutting.
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Corded Circular Saws
Shop Tools
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Gluing Techniques
Skill Builder: Gluing is critical to a project’s success. Sloppy gluing can lead to open joints, out-of-square corners, and lots more. At the very least, it will lead to poor staining and finishing results - so learning proper gluing techniques is sure to pay off.
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Shop Vacuums
Tool Purchasing
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Benchtop Mortisers
Shop Machinery: As your woodworking interests evolve, it isn't long before you want to make mortise-and-tenon joinery. But how to cut those mortises?
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Tuning a Block Plane
Tool Care. Table saws, jointers, planers and other machines are vital tools in a furniture making shop.
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Part V - What Do Clients Want?
Hobby to Business
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Scrapers
Tool Techniques
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Waterstones
Sharpening Technique
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Making Money
Hobby to Business
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Table Tops and Wood Movement
Wood Science: Most people have seen one form or another of failed table tops. Sometimes they crack down the middle. Sometimes they are so badly warped that they’ve pulled screws right out of the aprons below. These failures can be attributed to one phenomenon: wood movement.
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Solutions to Cross-Grain Problems
Wood Science
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Part I - Follow Your Dream
Hobby To Business: So, you want to start a woodworking business?
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Part II - Business Basics
Hobby To Business: Before you can hang out your shingle, you will need to decide on the form of legal entity that you want your business to be.
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Wood Movement
Wood Science: We didn’t invent wood. We invented plywood, particle board, oriented strand board, medium density fibreboard, and a whole host of other materials, but wood, in its simplest form, was not invented by us.
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Part III - What Will I Build?
Hobby to Business: If you are considering the idea of starting your own woodworking business, the first question you have to ask yourself is: "What will I build?"
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Part IV - Pricing Your Work
Hobby To Business: Pricing your work is one of the most difficult things to do, especially in the first year or two of operation. Every project is different. Once you have done a few projects you'll have a better sense of how long things take to complete. You will need to know how to estimate material consumption and to keep track of the cost of materials.
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Frame and Panel Design
Wood Science
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Wood Cuts and How They React to Moisture
Wood Science
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Wood Cuts and Where They Come From
Wood Science: Many of you have heard of such terms as “flat-sawn”, “rift-sawn”, and “quartersawn” lumber. Yet you might not understand what these terms mean, or where these various cuts of wood come from.
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The Router
The router is an incredible machine that opens up new horizons on your woodworking.
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The Drill Press
SAFETY TIP: The drill press is a very versatile machine to have in your workshop. If you are just getting into woodworking, this is one machine you will not regret adding to your shop.
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The Table Saw
Pro Tips
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The Thickness Planer
Pro Tips
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The Jointer
Pro Tips
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The Bandsaw
Pro Tips
