Setting up a woodwork shop at home

If your hobby is woodworking and looking to set up a wood shop at home, there is a list of things you should consider before delving into it. Not to worry! You don’t need a 5000 square feet woodworking shop with many machineries and tools to create the perfect DIY workshop in your garage. In this article, I will list some of my woodshop tips. You can also find great tips and advice from an array of woodworkers on Redfin’s article “Expert Tips for Creating the Ultimate Woodworking Station”.

Consider your space and what woodworking machineries you need

You can start from measuring the space you have in your garage. This will determine what large machineries you will be abel to fit. If you have limited space you may realize you may have to utilize the walls to maximize the space you have.

Decide which woodworking machineries you will need.

Depending on what you are going to build, the required machineries and tools will differ. Having a table saw, a chop saw and planer is a great start for a beginner but think about what you will be building and then back track what machineries and tools you should get. Remember you don’t need to have everything from the start. You can take it step by step and make purchases as you continue your woodworking journey!

In woodworking, safety always comes first!

Make sure to get a pair of safety goggles, ear protection (planers can be very loud!), and some gloves. Get a dust collection system and shop vac too. Wood dust is harmful to health!

In a small wood shop, consider making things portable

If you live in Hawaii and have limited space, consider having your workbench and potentially some of your machineries on casters so they are mobile. I, for instance, do not have a stationery bench in my woodworking studio. I utilize dollies as well as compact saw horses (see photo)

Considering having a lumber rack

If you will have considerable amount of lumber. It would be useful to set up a lumber rack. You could possibly put some metal racks on the wall to maximize space too.

You will need both 110v and 220v in your wood shop

Your wood shop will require both 110 volt and 220 volt outlets. Hand power tools will use the standard 110 volt outlet but the larger machineries will need 220 volt outlets.

And most importantly, enjoy creating custom woodworking pieces!