Welcome to the Woodguy's Woodworking page. I've been mucking about with wood for about 10 years now. I build custom furniture, usually furniture that I design. My shop is small, it's located in my small two-car garage. There is NO room in my garage for any vehicles, but then again, it's a shop.
This is not my primary source of income, it's just a step or two above a hobby. I mostly build furniture for friends, family, and myself. Currently, I don't have any photographs of my work, but intend to rectify that one of these days (read that as, "when I can afford to purchase a scanner").
I build a few pieces of furniture per year. I work primarily in hardwoods, with my favorite woods being cherry, maple, walnut, and oak (in that order). I've worked with some exotic woods, but found out that I'm exceedingly allergic members of the rosewood family.
The Tools I Use
When it comes to tools, I'm serious. I do not purchase cheap tools. I did at one time, but found that with the type of work that I do cheap tools either won't stand up or don't give me the type of precision that I require. Don't consider the the following list to be an advertisement for any particular tool manufacturers, it is not. It's only a list of tools that I use and have found that serve well. You may disagree with my choices, that's what makes a horse race. Whatever you do, don't by cheap tools. You don't have to buy the most expensive tools on the market, I didn't, but you should purchase the best tools you can afford. They are investment.
| Table saw | The table saw is the heart and soul of any shop. My table saw is a Delta Uni-Saw with a 52-inch extension table. It has a 220-volt, 3-horsepower motor. If you're wondering if the extra power is worth it. Wonder no more, my previous table saw was a 1.5-horsepower, 110-volt unit and there is just no comparison. |
| Workbench | An indispensile tool I rank just behind a good table saw. I built my own woodworkers bench and because of that it's an even better tool than if I'd purchased it. Every time I use it I get the satisfaction of using a tool that I made myself. My workbench has a large, Jorgenson woodworkers vise, a Swedish-style vise with bench dogs that runs the width of the bench, a tool tray, drawers to hold sandpaper and tools, and an underneath cabinet where I store my dovetailing jig. It has a 2-inch solid maple top on a poplar base. It wasn't inexpensive to build, but worth every penny. |
| Jointer | I have a Delta 6-inch tabletop jointer. I'd love to have a larger, floor model, but I just don't have the room in my shop. A carefully maintained jointer is a great addition to any shop. I do a lot of panel work for furniture and the jointer assures perfect joinery. |
| Router table | I made my router table from plans I got from Woodsmith. It has a fully adjustable fence, mitre slot, chip drawer, a large, high-pressure laminate table, and bit holders inside the doors. I use a Porter-Cable router in this table. Usually I use 1/2-inch carbide bits. |
| Routers | I have 3 routers that I use all the time: the Porter-Cable router in my router table (this router is dedicated to the router table), a Porter-Cable with a D-handle for most of my router work, and a DeWalt plunge router for applications that require that type of router. |
| Surface Planer | I have a Delta 12-inch surface planer. A useful tool if you purchase hardwoods as I do; finish 3-side, non-dimensional lumber. |
| Mitre saws | I have a Delta power mitre saw which is sufficient for most of my applications. However, when I need precise mitres (for example, picture frames), I have a Jorgenson hand mitre saw that seems to do the job. |
| Scroll saw | I use a Delta scroll saw. It's certainly not a top-of-the-line model, but it serves. It's not a tool I use a lot, but when you need a scroll saw, nothing else will serve. |
| Shaper | I have a small Grizzly shaper. Like the scroll saw, it's not a tool I use a lot, but when I need to work on things that my router table can't handle, the shaper is perfect. However, unless you're a serious woodworker, you can get by without one. I got a great deal on mine (it's used), so I couldn't pass up adding it to my shop. |
| Band saw | I have the Craftsman band saw with the tilting head. I'm not overly happy with this tool and will eventually replace/upgrade to a better band saw. However, it does serve its basic purpose as of now. |
| Plate joiner | I have the DeWalt plate joiner. It's an excellent tool and one I use a lot. It's great to have such a precision piece of equipment for joining up panels and joints. Whatever plate joiner you decide to buy, buy a good one. |
| Hand planes | Nothing is as satisfying to use as a finely-tuned, perfectly-sharpened, hand plane; I have several ranging from a chisel plane I made to a large jointer plane I purchased in an antique store. Almost all of my hand planes are old, Stanley-Bailey planes. Several were given to me by an older cousin who spent most of his life as a handy man. A few I purchased at antique stores (a much better buy than purchasing a new plane, if you know what to look for). All of these planes I tuned and sharpened myself. I completely disassembled the planes, cleaned them, trued the soles, sharpened the blades, reassembled them, and tuned them myself. |
Woodworking Links
There are lots of good woodworking links out there, here are just a few that I like for various reasons. Some because of the information available, some because I just like to look at the tools, others because they are just fun.
Garrett
Wade
Garrett Wade is the best company I've had first-hand experience with
for ordering tools. All of the tools they carry are top-of-the-line.
I have complete confidence that any tool I order from them will be
of excellent quality. No junk tools here. Their catalog is the best
I've ever seen (for any product) and worth owning as a wishbook.
The Woodworker's Store
I'm lucky enough to have a Woodworker's Store in my area. I rarely
purchase large tools from them, but for cabinet hardware, blades for
all of my saws, books, and accessories they can't be beat. Whenever
I get to Denver, I try to stop in and take a stroll through the
store.
Woodcraft
Like with the Woodworker's Store, there is a Woodcraft store in the
Denver area. They carry quality tools and accessories and have a
great catalog.
Delta Tools
Maybe not the best power tools made, but excellent none-the-less. I
use a lot of Delta tools and have no complaints.
Porter-Cable Tools
Very good power tools. I use a lot of Porter-Cable tools and have no
complaints with them either.
Schlosser Tool and Machinery
I'm lucky enough to have a Schlosser's in Denver. I purchased
several large power tools from them, including my table saw. Great
people and a great selection of tools.
The Woodsmith Store
A source for fine tools and plans for woodworkers. I built my router
table and a cut-off panel for my table saw from their plans. They
publish two excellent magazines: Woodsmith and ShopNotes. I
subscribe to both and they are filled with plans and how-tos that
are great. Next time I'm driving through Des Moines, IA, I plan on
stopping in.
W5 Woodworking on
the World Wide Web
If you don't know about this site, shame on you. Rectify it now and
go there. It has almost EVERYTHING you could ever want in
information about woodworking!
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