My garage hasn’t seen a car in many years. What it does see is woodworking.
Here are the key floor and bench top tools that I use. I’ve built everything from our kitchen cabinets to curio boxes. Check out some of my work on my woodworking blog, which is a part of the Lumberjocks website. See my projects, here.
The workbench is the centerpiece of every project in the shop. I built this one with holes across the hard maple top. With the end vise (on the other end), I can clamp large projects using “bench dogs” in the holes to hold the piece in place.
The most important power tool in the shop. The table saw is the most versatile, and the most dangerous, of the tools I use.
My benchtop bandsaw gets the job done, almost, on this 1-1/2″ stock. If only I had room for a real band saw….
Making relief cuts on the radius of the circle makes for a much smoother arc to be cut in the stock.
The router table is a wonderful addition to the shop, but the best thing for better quality of life in the shop is a dust collector, shown inflated to the left. Now, operating the table saw or router table is almost dust free.
The router table also has a mitre guage mounted over the fence for easy work routing at a 90* angle.
This router table top was made by Jessem and sold by Rockler … but it has been discontinued. It’s my # 2 go to tool, after the table saw.
The drill press is essential for drilling holes at a 90* angle to the stock; you can’t match it with a handheld drill. In this case, I was using a 1-1/2″ forstner bit, which couldn’t be used in a handheld drill.
The benchtop sander makes quick work of corners and rough edges.
