Tabla de contenidos para Workshop Set Up and Upgrades 2025 en Woodsmith

Sometimes, it’s the simplest things that make your life better. That holds true in the shop as well. Often times, putting in the extra effort to build a simple storage project or shop fixture exponentially increases the “quality of life” in the shop. To begin this book, I wanted to introduce three of my favorite shop storage solutions. These are easy to make and will go a long way toward improving your time in the shop. The first is the clamp rack you see above. It not only holds twenty of your clamps (of course, you have many more than that, right?) but also offers a bit of storage on top in the form of a shelf. The next project is out of left field — a drill bit index.…

A few years ago, I found a dusty, beat-up, three-drawer machinist’s tool box in the basement of my 1900-built farmhouse. Originally made by noted tool manufacturer, C.E. Jennings, it had been modified several times and wasn’t in very good condition. After cleaning out the contents, I’ve used the box to store numerous things over the years, most recently my collection of files and rasps and various other small tools. It’s been a valued part of the way I work but it had some limitations that made it less than perfect for a woodworker. I decided to build a slightly modified version of the chest to address those limitations. The biggest changes are having two drawers instead of three, and a deeper top well. These changes allow me to store saws,…

The adage “there’s no such thing as having too many clamps,” is quite true. But keeping track of such wealth is another matter. The cart you see here lets you organize all things assembly-related. 360° STORAGE. As detailed in the drawings on the next page, every side of the cart is put to use. The front has a trio of drawers for the tools you want to keep close at hand. To the right of the drawers, there’s a storage area for bulkier items that’s hidden behind a door. As for the back — just spin the cart 180° as you see in the lower drawing, it’s designed to hold nail guns and hand drills. The designer, John Doyle has arranged this space to fit standard tools, but you can…

"I have too much space" — said no one ever. Each tool, storage cabinet, workbench, and machine has to earn its place. One common expectation is that important machines require a permanent position. The second tier of tools can be smaller, benchtop varieties. I fell into the permanent tool trap. A router table serves as a joinery station and shaping tool that gets used in nearly every project I work on. However, the catch is that a standalone router table just doesn’t fit in the space I have. I’ve tried several different options, but none were satisfactory. Enter this candidate. Chris Fitch’s design works by keeping the top generously sized. Below the surface, the support and clamping system makes setup speedy. A side benefit: Your router table isn’t tied to…

Lumber storage is one of those shop needs that always seems to be in short supply. Like clamps, you can never have enough of some things. And if you do happen to be lucky enough to have storage space for your wood and supplies, it’s usually at the opposite end of the shop from where you’re working. This little gem is the perfect solution when wrestling with that dilemma. Between bins, shelves, and drawers, this cart has all manner of storage options. It also serves as a staging center for any project that you’re working on. Stout and mobile, the cart is easy to move around your shop so it’s right where you need it. I made my cart from maple and ¾" Baltic birch plywood. But don’t hesitate to…

One of the most overwhelming feelings that a new woodworker can have as they’re starting this hobby is the need for room to work and shop storage. You’ve spent time researching, looking at, and buying tools. Now, you need worksur-faces and a place to store those tools. This plywood shop ensemble is the perfect project for the new woodworker, or the seasoned shop pro that needs additional work space or storage. It includes a workbench, a pair of power tool workstations, and a rolling cart, which you can build with a few sheets of plywood and a couple basic tools. When looking at the group of projects, the logical place to start is with the workbench. A workbench tends to be the center of any shop and this plywood workbench…

Thinking back to my first shop, it was set up in the garage of my house. Living in the Midwest, weather often forced me to move my tools out of the way to make room for vehicles. I must say —when I was in the middle of a project, it was a big hassle. I would have to move everything from my bench to my table saw. Not to mention cleaning up all the dust and power cords that I had strung all over. When I first saw the design for this workstation, and all the features packed into the compact footprint, I realized how much easier my life could have been. Three tools, one footprint. Looking at the photos to the left, you’ll notice this mobile workstation packs (at…

I don’t think there’s a more sparse definition of “default settings” than what you get when you unpack the box containing your new drill press. Once assembled, the chunky cast iron table stares blankly at you as if to say: “What — I’m a drill press, what did you expect?” And once it’s up and running, don’t let the purring of a drill press fool you. Unless you clamp the workpiece — or hold it firmly against a fence — you can get hurt quickly by the bit grabbing the material. Most cast iron tables have slots to hold workpieces to the table while drilling, but it won’t be long before you start daydreaming about a table that makes it a joy to drill holes. Well, you can wake up…

Most of us strive to get our work done in an efficient manner. Having tools and accessories well organized is critical to meeting that goal. That was the inspiration behind this drill bit storage center. It’s big enough to hold all of your drill bit sets and drill press accessories, yet small enough to mount close to your drill press for convenient access. DESIGN OPTIONS. The beauty of this storage center is the multiple ways in which it can be customized to suit your needs. There’s a series of drill bit holders that can be made any size you need to hold your drill bits. The holders slip over the cleats in the cabinet and doors. And speaking of those cleats, they have embedded magnets to hold other metal accessories.…

I find that, as a woodworker, the work I do often expands beyond just the craft of woodworking. Nonferrous metals are an easy pivot, as are acrylics and plastics, and working with steel can be done simply enough with a few additions. It’s in this vein of thought that the anvil stand you see above came about. Our photographer, Chris Hennessey, is a woodworker as well as a metalworker — knives in particular. What you see above is his creation for his own shop. This anvil stand is made of sturdy Douglas fir, and custom fit for his 66-pound, knife-making anvil. Thick aprons add stability to the bottom, while flip-down casters make the stand easy to move as needed. The result is a portable, strong stand that — thanks to…

“Why build a power tool when you can just buy one?” I get that question a lot. The easy answer is to save money. And it’s true that the power tools shown in ShopNotes cost far less than commercial versions. There’s more to it. Building your own tools allows you to customize the features: you can add qualities that improve your work — and leave off the bells and whistles that offer little benefit to you. This sander offers a great case study. As you’ll see in the following pages, the sander is built with a ruggedness that’s tough to match. We use high-quality components inside the machine so that it works right and is enjoyable to operate (thank you McMaster-Carr), We picked a well-made motor that provides plenty of…