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Contents
How To Get Started Setting Up A Work Shop
When setting up a workshop, there are three problems that new woodworkers face. The first questions’ that get asked is where and how to go about setting up shop. Do I have the room, what tools do I need and lastly how much is this woodworking hobby going to cost me? These are all good questions and It’s important to sit down and put some thought into them.
Luckily there’s an E-book written by Ralph Chapman who has a lot of experience on setting up small shops for woodworking. He goes through all of the tools needed to get started on a 1,000 dollar budget. Right now you’re probably sitting there rolling your eyes and saying to yourself “yea right” this is probably a scam.
Well I understand that because I would be skeptical too. What if I told you up front that this book only costs a whopping $39.00 with a 60 money back guarantee? Wouldn’t it be worth the while to at least take a look at it and if you don’t like what you see you can return it. The ultimate small shop book comes with many tips on not only what tools to buy but more importantly where so that you can get the biggest bang for your buck.
Module #1: Tool Selection
The biggest thing that discourages new woodworkers’ is tool selection, they just don’t know what to buy because they probably don’t know anybody to show them the ropes and educate them. I’m a firm believer in not buying anything unless I’m positive that I will put it to good use over and over again. That’s why the tool selection module is so valuable. It explains very clearly and in such a way that it’s easy to understand what to buy, what not to buy and where to buy it. Here are some of the highlights that is covered:
- Figure out what the essential tools are to get you started making wood projects before you spend your hard earned money on unneeded tools that will never get used.
- On a $500 dollar or less budget? No problem, most projects can be built just using hand tools. Ralph Chapman will even give you direct links at the best price to purchase them
- If your into power tools, well there’s a list for that on a $1,000 dollar budget along with direct links for affordable prices.
- An entire list of contacts will be provided to purchase hand tools, power tools and even replacement parts if you ever find yourself in need.
All of the tools that you’ll gain through the use of the tool selection module have been used by Ralph or somebody that he knows personally. He also guarantee’s the life expectancy as well as the quality of the tools that are on his tool lists.
Module #2: Space Selection
Once you’ve found the space for your intended workshop no matter if its going to be a small shop or a big one, you’ll need some guidance on how best to set it up. That’s where the space selection module comes in handy. In it you’ll find all kinds of different layouts that you can choose from. Here are some of the things that this module will help you with.
- You’ll get to look at ideas and layouts for different scenarios’. How to set up a small shop in a basement, attic or a one car garage.
- The space selections step will also give you advice on where you could build a workshop and why it makes sense. It will also keep you from making a bad decision on a space. Just because it looks good doesn’t mean that it is. Some choices just don’t work no matter how hard you try.
- There are safety concerns when choosing a space for your workshop and this step has a lot of information on what’s safe and isn’t especially concerning fire hazards.
- If all the rooms in your home are really pressed for space, why not split it up into more than one room? The space selection step can give you ideas on how to do that. It’s not perfect and you’ll have to do a little more walking but it’s doable.
Each floor plan has a list of pros’ and cons’ to help you choose the right one for your small shop that will meet all your needs. Try to get this step right the first time so you don’t have headaches later on. Keep in mind that this will be a permanent decision.
Module #3: The Shop Layout Templates
By the time you get to this step hopefully all of your hand and power tools have been picked out, ordered and on the way. This is a pretty cool step and aside from tool selection it happens to be one of my favorites. Here you actually get to see all of the options that are available and how they can work for your intended space. Below are some of the things that come in the shop layouts module:
- Shows how to plan and design your small space without giving up tools and other machines that are crucial to project building. It doesn’t matter how small your space is, there will be a layout template for it. Even for a space that’s 7′ X 7′ ( 49 square feet )
- The diagrams and drawings that come with the shop layouts module will guide you on how best to position your larger tools and where it makes sense to do so in each shop space.
- Each template not only focuses on tool placement but also safety, productivity and enjoyment so that you can get the most out of your workshop.
- This step also teaches you a handy dandy little trick. It shows you how to make even the heaviest of tools mobile so that you can move them around or get them out of the way altogether without it being a hassle.
So the floor plans that come with it will advise you on how to utilize every square foot of your small shop. At the same time you’ll save on space to make it easier when doing different woodworking jobs.
Module #4: Electricity, Lighting And Sound Proofing
Once you’ve chosen your work space the next thing to tackle is electricity, lighting and possibly sound proofing. Electricity and lighting are crucial to any work shop no matter if it’s a small shop or a large one. In this step you’ll learn about all the ins and outs of electricity and lighting.
- If you do decide to tackle running electricity and lighting yourself there is $41.00 dollar solution to light your entire shop which is a money saving bonus.
- You’ll also get advice on what the best circuit breakers to buy that can power many or all of your power tools. The circuit breakers are very affordable and you won’t have to worry about tripped breakers’.
- If your interested in sound proofing your shop there is a lot of information on what to buy and how to do that in this module.
- Are you concerned about noise escaping your work area and disturbing the neighbors? There’s a tool list in here that specializes in quieter tools for an affordable price.
Once you’ve figured how much electricity, lighting and possibly sound proofing is needed you’ll have a ball park figure of how much it will cost you to do this yourself. If you feel uncomfortable doing it yourself you may want to hire a professional that does this for a living.
Module #5: Heating, Cooling, Ventilation & Dust
Heating, cooling, ventilation and dust control are all important things to consider for you work shop. If you come from a state like mine where it can hot in the summer and really cold in the winter heating and cooling can definitely play a role in your workshop for a few reasons.
Besides the obvious reasons, there are some health issues pertaining to good ventilation and dust control. When you’re applying that final finish such as stain or a varnish, you need good ventilation so that you don’t breathe in the fumes which we all know isn’t a good idea. Same goes for good dust control when cutting wood or sanding down a surface, you don’t want to be breathing that in either.
- There’s a $3.00 dollar trick in this module that you can use to make sure that you always have fresh and clean air. As a bonus this method can also heat and cool your small shop.
- You’ll get quality advice on what type of shop vac to buy for your dust collection at a very affordable price.
- Buying quality heaters is important and there’s a section that explains what not buy and why. Plus it shows you which heaters to buy that will save you money in the long run.
- Humidity control in woodworking is very important where wood is concerned and it doesn’t take long for wood to get ruined if the climate in your workshop isn’t controlled. So there is a section in this module that walks you through the steps to make sure that you buy and install it the right way.
All in all woodworking is supposed to be fun and exciting and not harmful to our health. It’s also supposed to be a comfortable working environment as well not just for us but for the materials that we use to build things. Some stains and or varnishes as well as wood glue don’t react to well with severe climate change.
Module #6: Work Shop Safety
Ah yes workshop safety a very important module and probably the most boring but we gotta go through it. This step focuses mainly on fire hazards, tripping and falling hazards.
- In this module you’ll get 2 tips and tricks on how to keep your power cables organized and off the floor so that you gain the maximum freedom of movement in your small shop as possible.
- You’ll also learn about the most common fire hazards that can set your shop ablaze and how best to avoid them.
- Along with this you get 10 step safety check list that will help keep all of your body part intact and also keep you from burning the house down.
- There’s also a list of the 4 most common things that will start a fire so that you can prevent that from happening.
I’ll just say this right off the bat, plan on doing a little house cleaning at the end of the day so things don’t pile up on the floor and cause tripping hazards. You can save yourself a lot grief if you just pick things up and put them in there proper place.
2 Free Bonus Items
Ralph knows that his e-book might be a little expensive for some people and that’s why he’s decided to throw in a few extra’s for free to sweeten the pot a little bit. He likes to deliver good quality content to woodworkers especially the newcomers. The way to get them is they’ll be delivered directly to your inbox once the transaction for the Ultimate Small Shop is complete.
Free Bonus #1 The Work shop Cheat List
With the work shop cheat list you’ll get even more advice that will save a bunch of money when buying lumber and also ever more discounts on tools.
- You’ll be shown how to get free lumber from stores.
- you learn how you can get 80% off of premium lumber from sawmills.
- you also learn how to get 70% off of brand name tools to fill your arsenal.
- This is a $50.00 gift to you for free that will save you even more money.
Free Bonus #2 Deal Alert Service
The deal alert service is a free monthly subscription to discounted items that pertain to tools and supplies. The alerts show up in your inbox notifying you when there’s a deal happening and it’s best to jump in these deals quickly since a lot of them only last 1 to 2 days.
