Whether you’re a veteran woodworker or a relative neophyte, you’ll need the right set of tools. Let’s take a look at some of the essentials, and consider how we might get the best from them.
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Basic tools for woodwork
All woodworkers, more or less, have access to a core of indispensable equipment.
Chisel
A chisel is a fundamental woodworking tool that every aspiring woodworker should have on hand. You’ll find them in a variety of sizes ranging from ¼ inch to 1 ½ inches and upwards. Even if you’re mostly going to be using power tools, you’ll need a set of chisels for essential cleanup work.
Tape measure
Every workshop should include several retractable tape measures. A five-metre tape measure should be sufficient for most jobs.
Hammer and nails
An eight-ounce claw hammer will allow you to join timber with the help of a few nails. Not only that, but it’ll allow you to remove those nails, too. As such, it’s a tool no workshop can really go without.
Clamps
Basic joinery means getting two pieces of timber into position alongside one another while we drill into them, or get an application of glue to set. To do this properly, we need the right set of clamps.
Moisture meter
Warping is a constant problem for woodworkers, but it’s one that can be mitigated by controlling the moisture level in the piece you’re working with. Moisture metres often come with tiny pins designed to penetrate the surface of the timber, or, alternatively, they can do their work via plates that scan without leaving a mark.
While this might be considered more of a niche item, it’s one that can make a considerable difference, especially in workshop environments where moisture control is less than ideal.
Most common woodwork materials
Woodworkers might find themselves dealing with a variety of different timbers and timber-related products. You might be working with solid wood, or you might be working with plywood and other sheet materials.
You can think of plywood as a stack of very thin sheets of timber, each of whose grain runs perpendicular to those of the adjacent sheets. This arrangement helps to ensure that the sheet remains stable, and that any warping is constrained. Plywood is an immensely versatile and popular product, and it’s used in everything from bespoke furniture to structural carpentry.
Fibreboard works differently. It’s instead formed from a compacted paste of fine sawdust and glue. This makes it extremely affordable, as well as being resistant to warping. The most popular variety is MDF (that’s medium-density fibreboard), which is very receptive to paint.
For a natural look, a layer of veneer ensures that the product more or less resembles a solid-wood one. It’s worth treating fibreboard with special care, however: it’s easily damaged and cannot be planed and sanded to size without revealing the interior.
Conclusion
Once you have a basic selection of tools and materials to work with, you’ll be able to get started with the actual business of making things from wood. In doing so, you’ll be able to pick up the skills you need to advance your craft, and produce better and better results!
