Basics of Woodworking
The work area
No work space is ever large enough. It is well known that the amount of space required for storage, work and machines is always more than the space available. The amount of space needed very often depends on people's habits. A tidy person who cleans up and hangs up the tools as he goes along can work successfully in a much smaller space than someone who waits until the job is finished before straightening up.
Your workshop area will obviously depend on the amount of available space. With more people living in flats today, space is more limited and very few of us are able to fit out a garage, garden shed or basement as a complete workshop. But no matter how limited the space, there is usually a corner in a spare room or loft that can serve as a temporary workshop.
There are many wavs of solving the workspace problem. To avoid having to cut up large sheets or long boards for example, bring ar accurate cutting list to your timber merchant and ask him to cut the pieces to size. They are then easier to handle and transport and require less room to work with at home.
Initially, tool and timber storage may not he problem. A small box stored under the bed or it a cupboard will hold a few- basic tools but with the accumulation of more tools and a small supply of timber and hardware, you will have to consider ways of storing them in a convenient and safe place, away from the reach of all children. The best solution may be to build a worktable which can be used for woodworking as well as sewing and various other hobbies. A family workroom can become a pleasant place where everyone can take a turn to work.
Alternatively you can easily make a temporary work area with a fold-down work bench or with a pair of fold-up trestles which hang away on the wall. Do not let the lack of space stop you from making things; if you enjoy woodworking you will manage to find the room.
It is important to form the right work habits from the very beginning. Whether you work in the kitchen or in a large workshop you should always try to hang up the tools as you go along. It is maddening to spend minutes walking around the room looking for the hammer that you just put down. Hang it up or put it away in its box, and you will know exactly where it is when you need it.
The same rule applies to cleaning up. If you work in the spare room you obviously can not leave sawdust all over the floor, but will have to I clean up as you work. It is the same in a workshop. Sawdust, shavings and woodscraps left on the floor are a fire hazard and also dangerous as the scraps are easy to trip over.
Keep a cardboard box handy for the larger off-cuts. When the box is full discard all but the really useful pieces. Most workshops have an endless problem with offcuts. Saving too many means lost time looking through a large pile for the right one; throwing them away means having to cut off a new piece when you may only need a small bit. You will develop your own rules as you go along according to the amount of space you have and the amount of work you will be doing.
The temporary work area
The simplest temporary work surface is a sturdy kitchen table on which you can mount a clamp-on hype vice for making small projects such as the trivet dishrack or shelf unit detailed in this book (see *** and ***).
Another useful idea is to use a solid door to make a temporary work surface Nail pieces of hardboard in the panels to make the surface smooth and screw a 6mm sheet of hardboard on top to make a smooth, even work surface. Alternatively you can buy Flush-faced solid doors from a timber merchant. Sometimes they have slightly damaged doors, which are sold more cheaply.
There are two convenient ways to support the door to make a temporary store-away surface. First you can make two simple trestles out of 12mm chipboard, continuous hinges and short lengths of fabric upholster' webbing. Cut out holes near the top for convenient handles and also for hanging the trestles out of the way on a wall when they are not needed. The door and trestle can easily double as an extra desk or a dining table, by painting it a bright, attractive colour.
For storing in a narrow hallway, you can attach the door to a batten on the wall with sturdy hinges and drop it down when not in use. For support along the front edges, attach 50 x 50mm softwood legs with a special bracket which allows you to fold the legs tip under the door.
To hold the work on temporary work surfaces use C-cramps to hold down flat pieces such as pieces of plywood. Cut small pieces of wood with a bunch hook. For instructions on making a bench hook see ***. You can also buy small cramp-on vices which are easy to take off when putting the worktop away.
Most tools and hardware can be stored away in a small tool box made from offcuts of 19mm plywood, or you can make a simple nailed together tool box (to hang on the wall) out of 12mm plywood with 6mm plywood hack and doors. Put in shelves for storing planes, drill bits and hardware. Add racks for hanging chisels, and screwdrivers. A convenient way to hang most tools is to drill a 9mm diameter hole at a slight angle and glue in a short length of dowel to hang the tool.
The workshop
'The ideal workshop has yet to he designed but for those who are lucky enough to have the space in a shed, garage or basement to create a permanent workshop, there are many simple ideas to make it as efficient and convenient as possible.
Every workshop should have a good sturdy workbench. You can buy a beech woodworking bench but these are now extremely expensive. As an inexpensive alternative follow the instructions on page 48 to make a simple but sturdy screw-together workbench.
The workshop should also have ample storage for lengths of wood and pieces of plywood. Site brackets on the wall for storing wood horizontally. Store large sheets vertically against the wall, standing them on battens to keep them clean and dry. A large cardboard box for offcuts is also convenient, and a good rubbish bin is essential.
Some tools, like planes, should be stored away in a cabinet whenever possible to keep them free from dust, but some tools like clamps, screwdrivers and saws are best stored on pegs on the wall or on pegboard within easy reach.
If possible provide a surface along a wall with cabinets underneath for keeping larger tools such as power saws out of the way. Old kitchen cabinets are perfect for this. Paint them and add a solid top for a very useful workshop cabinet.
It is also convenient to have a couple of trestles or a Workmate hung on the wall to he used when cutting long pieces of timber or large sheets of plywood.
Everyone will work out his own workshop according to the available space, time and money but provide plenty of storage and shelf space for the hundreds of small objects that accumulate around the shop.
Whatever the size of the shop, keep it clean. A dirty, messy shop is difficult and dangerous to work in and it is also a fire hazard. If possible forbid smoking in the workshop, and keep a bucket of water or an extinguisher handy in case a small fire should start. Remember that burning plastics give off poisonous fumes.
It is also important to make sure that there is adequate lighting and ventilation. If dust accumulates it can form an explosive mixture which can flash over a considerable distance. When working with finishing materials and some glues such as contact adhesives, keep a window or door open to let out the funks. Chemicals, paints and glues should always he stored away out of reach of children when not in use to prevent accidents.
These safety measures are only common sense,. always a requirement in woodworking. They also make the job easier.
A well-fitted workshop requires ample storage space. sturdy benches, good lighting and pl,dy of space to cut up large sheets of plywood. It is always convenient to hang the tools on peg-boards within easy reach. To establish the general layout, trace an outline of the toads which will be placed on the pegboard immediately behind where each will go. Screws and nails are best stored in jars with the lid screwed to the underside of a shelf.
Storing timber and large sheet materials can be a problem. The best way is to store the sheets vertically on their sides, placing there on battens laid on the floor to keep them dry. If possible store all timber away from the work bench to minimize the danger of having it fall on you or your work.
Project: Making a workbench
This workbench is ample size for almost all types of work. The sturdy top is made up from three layers of plywood. The bottom two 19mm thick layers are screwed down to the rails and also hold the vice and bench stop. The replaceable top 6.5mm layer is simply pinned on top so that it hides the screws and the coach bolt fixings for the vice. It can he replaced in minutes when the surface gets old and dirty.
There is a well along the back to keep tools and shavings out of the way when working on a large project.
The bench is fitted with a sturdy woodworker's vice bolted to the top and a retractable bench stop for use as a stop when planing lengths of wood.
The tool rack along the back is convenient for storing saws, chisels and other tools within easy reach.
The difficult part about making the bench is cutting the pieces to length. If possible, take the cutting list to a timber merchant and have him cut the timber, but he sure to take along a tape measure to check his work. Do not accept pieces if they arc not correctly cut.
Cutting list
Material Description Size or length
A 19mm plywood top 450 x 1450mm
B 19mm plywood top 600 x 1450mm
C 19mm ply wood shelf 415 x 1220mm
D 19mm plywood back 440, 1220mm
E 65mm plywood top 450 x 1450mm
F 75 x 75mm softwood legs 800mm long, 4 pieces
G 32 x 100mm softwood long rails 1180mm long, 3 pieces
11 32 x 100mm softwood end rails 550mm lung, 4 pieces
1 38 x 150mm softwood front rail 1360mm long, 1 piece
1 12 k 50mm softwood tool rack 1450mm long, 2 pieces
K 12' 50mm softwood tool rack spacers 75mm long, 3 pieces
The workbench.
1 A retractable bench stop fits into a square hole in the bench surface.
2 with the vice as a guide. cut out a recess in the front of the bench rail to hold the vice in position.
3 you can store small tools in the well anti larger ones in the tool rack.
4 the side and back rails of the bench screen into the leg for more support.
5 The leg and side of the bottom shelf are joined together by a halving joint.
Hardware
40 No. 10 steel c'sunk screws, 63mm long
3 No. 12 steel c'sunk screws, 25mm long
16 No- 10 chrome cup washers
15 No. 8 brass c'sunk screw's, 38mm long
15 No. 8 brass cup washers
10 panel pins. 32mm long 20 panel pins. 19mm long
Simple workbenches
A fold-down work table (1) hinged to a batten screwed to the wall makes an excellent working bench that can be folded flat against the wall when not in use. A slatted wall rack above it is easy to make and provides ample storage space for tools. The fold-down table legs (2) are supported by a special bracket (3) which allows the legs to be folded up when the table is not in use. 4 A tool box hung on the wall with hinged doors fitted to hold additional tools is a convenient place to store hand tools, hardware and small this. 5 A small portable tool box made from softwood offcuts is always handy for keeping tools together and transporting them from place to plait while you work.
A panel door makes a perfectly good surface for woodworking, but if you use one you should fill in the recesses with hardboard or chipboard to ensure that the surface is flush. Supporting the table is a pair of sturdy fold-away trestles, useful additions in any workshop. This trestle is made of chipboard pieces joined along the top inside edge with a continuous hinge screwed into the edge of the chipboard. Upholstery webbing glued to the centre gives the trestle support.
