work space

Faraz Bhojani

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6
Hey I was just wondering how I should start woodworking. I bought a book of a bunch of simple things I can make with saws and drills but I am not sure of the best work space.
What is the easiest and an efficient place to work?

thanks :)
 
it all depends.............a person can drive a 63 plymouth to the grocery store as well as they can drive a rolls.
what do you plan on building and with what tools?
what space do you have at your disposal? (working in a one bedroom apt is different than sharing a garage with the wifes car.)
 
Faraz,
I see from your previous post that you are a highschool student living in Alberta. Does your parent house have a basement. If not ask them if you can use a portion of the garage. I made a lot od furniture with just the basic tools before moving up to a full blown shop.
 
I think this is one case where "necessity is the mother of all invention" is really the case. I'd start with figuring out how to make the space you have work best for you. My shop is in the basement because i have nowhere else to work. However, even if i did have a garage, i'd probably still be in the basement because of the cold winters.
Make sure you've got some decent lighting and enough electricity to power the tools you need. I know people who do great work in a converted spare bedroom. I know people with incredibly equiped shops that never come close to getting the full benefit of their investment. Remember that it's the craftsman, not the tools that make fine work.

Some sort of work bench is usually a given. I've got a decent bench, but have done quite a bit on saw horses or a Black & Decker Workmate.

I'd buy only the tools you need for the project at hand, and keep in mind that there are several ways to do any given task. It may be worth while to pick up a tool that is very versatile or will get frequent use. For instance, depending on what you're doing, a drill press or table saw may be a great purchase, but a thickness planer or mortising machine might not be a very practical purchase.
I'd start simple and work up over time. For one thing, you'll probably gravitate towards certain types of woodworking. As you do that, you'll know more specifically what might suite your needs best.
Also, i always advocate buying used equipment if you can find it in decent shape for a reasonable price. With a little homework you can get very good tools at a huge savings over new. And, if you later decide to upgrade or get rid of it, you can generally sell them for what you bought them for. That's simply not possible when buying new.
Have fun with it.
Paul Hubbman
 
Dan Noren works out doors, all his tools are on wheels.

once again, for the pic police...:rofl::rofl::rofl:

i can truly boast that i have the world's biggest shop.:thumb: good ventilation, heat, a/c, you can't see the walls, the ceiling is painted blue, and the only drawback is when someone trips the sprinkler system... :rofl::rofl::rofl:
 

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I made a four poster bed when living in a 900 sq. ft apartment with a 6’ X 12’ deck, where I worked. I got a Craftsman Workmate (google it to see a picture) that I used as a work space. When I needed a larger surface, I got a 2’ X 5 ‘ piece of ¾ ply and glued and screwed a 2 X 4 lengthwise down the middle and clamped that in the jaws of the Workmate. When you are done, it folds up to about 6” thick. This also works great as a wallpaper glue up table. It is my junk collector in my shop now
 
Hey I was just wondering how I should start woodworking. I bought a book of a bunch of simple things I can make with saws and drills but I am not sure of the best work space.
What is the easiest and an efficient place to work?

thanks :)

A workspace can be anything you can work with.

You do NOT NEED anything.

My first project was a bookshelf. I used the attic floor in the apartment we lived in.

ALL the tools I had was a Black and Decker jig saw, a hammer, tape measure, and a borrowed belt sander. I used scrap wood from a pallet that was going to be thrown out. I did not even have a workbench.

That was 30 plus years ago. The jig saw is gone LONG ago - but I still have and use the bookshelf.

I can assure you --- you have what you need.

BEST CASE?

A 30 x 50 heated shop with windows, and a full compliment of stationary tools. Seperate building of course for painting and finishing. Wood storage in yet another seperate building.

Just kidding --- you can work in any area you have available.

I have seen shops that are tucked into a kitchen closet with a fold down workbench. I have also seen 30 x 50 shops.
 
Hey I was just wondering how I should start woodworking. I bought a book of a bunch of simple things I can make with saws and drills but I am not sure of the best work space.
What is the easiest and an efficient place to work?

thanks :)

Welcome Faraz to the family and to woodworking. It isn't all about the space/place we work in although we tend to place a lot of emphasis on this space or place eventually as it mirrors our own personalities usually. We like our shops as that is where we tend to migrate to get away from our daily troubles and think and slow our pace down. We are in control generally of the outcome of what we produce, we don't have to follow an engineer's blueprints, the boss's poor advice, the local community's ideals, we are in control of the pace, piece produced and the atmosphere.
As a youngster, my most creative pieces, a pair of sawhorses for my dad for father's day, came about at my grandfather's garage and with his help. From there it changed with my position in life. I sanded and refinished a cabinet in our kitchen when I was a student at Purdue. I worked in our horsebarn when I was a high school student. On our farm we own and live at now, I have worked in the basement, sometimes in the room I was working on, the garage and now am finishing my own woodshop. So, my long winded answer to your question, "where is the best place?". Where you are working safe, where you can be productive. Don't forget family, there might be an older person in your family just waiting for the next generation to show an interest in woodworking!
 
Anywhere you have a flat surface to work on, a place where you can make a mess without a major conflict with others, and safe in terms of ventilation and light,
 
Hi Faraz

I agree with all the posts here and while it may not be ideal you should not allow whatever space is available to you to restrict your interest in this hobby.

As a youngster i would work in my Dads workshop but i soon decided to secure some left over crates from a second hand lumber yard and built my own "shack" as it was called. Wrapped it all over with thick black poly and put something resembling shingle sheet on the rood to waterproof it. I worked in a hardware store at the time which was my source of funds and my source of tools. The owner I will never forget always traded me overtime for a tool i wanted badly. Still have some of the tools i got then.

So my advice is patience and determination. Many of us have waited a lifetime to have our dream shop and the tools we display here. Dont let that be discouraging to you or create barriers that deter you from making do to the best of your abilities with what you have.

Best of luck with your quest.:thumb: Just dont try out on moms dinning room table that aint gonna go down to good with the family.:rofl:
 
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