Setting Up A Home Woodwork Or Model Shop A Step By Step Guide

Planning is the secret to a successful home workshop. More and more people are setting up a woodworking or model engineering shop, either in their basement or garage.

The first step is to make sure your location is dry. You may need to make repairs to your garage roof, windows or door. If you are planning on using your basement then you will need to waterproof it, so that damp and the corrosion and rot it causes do not become issues.

Your next step is to provide water and electricity supplies. You need to have hand washing facilities if you are going to keep your job clean. An electricity supply suitable for running your machine tools is essential. These tools will be permanently wired in. You will also need lots of switched electric sockets about three feet from the floor. These will be used for plug in tools.

BROAD SURFACE PLANING

CUTTING HOARD

This is a simple exercise in broad surface planing. Procure the material 7/8" x 6" X 13". Plane to the required size, following the rules for planing in three dimensions, step B. A choice of four designs is offered on the drawing. The curve in the working drawing is made with compasses, sawed out with the turning saw and smoothed with the spoke shave. The other designs show simpler treatments. Locate the holes as shown. Remember to bore only until the spur shows thru. Then reverse the wood, finishing the boring from the opposite side. Be sure all surfaces are clean and smooth. No stain or shellac should be used on this project.

NARROW SURFACE PLANING

PENCIL POINTER

This article is used to put the final point on a newly sharpened pencil.
First procure the wood, 3/8"X 1 1/2"X 8" and plane it to the proper thickness, width and length, following the steps in Planing.—(First Method) or (Second Method).
The workman may use the outline for the handle shown on the drawing, or he may design a suitable outline for himself. The handle should be kept symmetrical in outline.
I f the outline shown on the drawing is followed; first, draw the center line, upon which
the hole is located and bored. Next draw off" the taper and plane carefully to the line. All surfaces should be cleaned with sandpaper. The No. O sandpaper shown on the drawing is cut from the larger sheets. Ordinarily sandpaper is torn to size, and not cut, as it may be plainly seen that it would ruin the cutting edge on any tool. In this case an old knife may be used to prepare the paper, as a smooth edge is desired. The paper is glued to the wood with a very thin coat of glue. The handle may be decorated with a stencil design or simple carving.

PLANING TO DIMENSIONS

There are several ways of planing the pieces of wood contained in a project. When the project is a simple one, there are two common sets of steps that may be used. The first is used when the wood for the project is furnished mill-planed to the finished thickness. The second is used when the wood is furnished thicker than the finished dimension. The first set of steps is generally used in most elementary work, on simple objects. It is also followed by the workman who is making very large objects, such as bookcases, large cabinets, etc., when the large surfaces are planed very carefully by machinery to save labor. In such large projects the joints and intricate work are finished before the surfaces are dressed off by hand. In no case is it considered desirable from the viewpoint of a skilled workman to allow machine marks to show on the finished article, whether it is large or small. If one will examine furniture of various types, it will be found that only that which is very inferior shows any machine marks on the surfaces.

TOOLS AND THEIR USES

Knowledge of Tools.—A knowledge of tools and their uses is the first and most important requirement. The saw, the plane, the hatchet and the hammer are well known to all boys; but how to use them, and where to use the different varieties of each kind of tool, must be learned, because each tool grew out of some particular requirement in the art. These uses will now be explained.
A Full Kit of Tools.—A kit of tools necessary for doing any plain work should embrace the following:

1. A Hatchet.
2. A Claw Hammer—two sizes preferred.
3. Cross-cut Saw, 20 inches long.
4. Rip Saw, 24 inches long.
5. Wooden Mallet.
6. Jack Plane.
7. Smoothing Plane.
8. Compass Saw.
9. Brace.
10. Bits for Brace, ranging from ¼ inch to 1 inch diameter.