Mastering woodworking as a hobby or full-time profession is must more simple when sticking to some basic woodworking strategies.
Woodworking is an art that has been around since Adam vacated the Garden of Eden and had to take care of his family on his own. The first documented evidence of the workbench goes back to the Roman Empire.
In addition, today’s modern DIY woodworkers use not only manual hand tools like chisels and wood planes, but also electric woodworking equipment like wood routers and electric circular saws.
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The Home-Based Woodworking Shop
All DIY woodworkers must have a workshop of some size or another. In most cases, a room in the basement or a corner of the garage is the first workshop the DIY woodworking enthusiast experiences.
No matter the size or location, two things must take center stage; the dust collection system and the air ventilation system. If wood dust and gases build up, then they become both a fire and health hazard for the woodworker and those around the workshop.
The DIY Workshop Storage Solution
Do-it-yourself woodworkers need adequate storage space for both supplies and woodworking equipment. The best way to design storage space without encroaching into other areas of the home is to use ceiling space for wood stock, or seldom-used supplies, and the square footage found under most workbenches.
For hand tools and other equipment or supplies, build wood shelving or cabinets along the wall above the workbench or woodworking floor equipment.
The DIY Workbench
A woodworking shop can be located anywhere, a woodworking enthusiast can place a workbench; a space as small as a closet, and as large as ½ of a two-car garage. However, the best workbench is one large enough to allow the DIY woodworker to enjoy their wood project, without the stress of parts falling off the workbench.
In some woodworking shops, there are two main workbenches, the bench used to build and sand the project and a finishing workbench for the final finish and drying.
DIY Woodworking Safety
The DIY home-based woodworking shop is peaceful refuse, where creative ideas give shape to finished projects. However, it is also a place where accidents will occur based on the very activities taking place. There are a few things, which every woodworker can do, to cut down on accidents.
Read the instruction manuals on each piece of woodworking equipment in the woodshop. Focus on personal safety by wearing eye protection, and thin leather gloves to protect the woodworker’s hands from splinters, cuts from standing saw blades or hazardous finish removers.
Moreover, make sure all electric equipment is in fine working order, and no cords laying in standing liquids.
Woodworking as a hobby or a profession is the most relaxing of all art forms and when mastered can bring generations of joy to the master artisan. Take time to master one woodworking tool at a time, and keep good notes in a journal detailing your mistakes, successes, and unique techniques, so the next generation of woodsmiths can care on the craft.
