If you’re only starting out in the field of carpentry or if you already have some knowledge and plan on making your own small workshop, I suggest you start with the homemade table saw.
In both scenarios, I recommend looking for a carpentry shop that not only sells the materials, but also cuts and marks all the pieces required for its construction.
This will be easy if you show them the cut list included in the woodworking plans, plus they don’t usually charge much per cut. To avoid any nasty surprises, get a quote first.
Ordering precut materials will speed up the process and make the assembly easier. If you already have some experience, you can cut the pieces yourself with a circular saw, although the result may not be as accurate. I also order precut materials in some of my larger projects.
Once you’ve gathered all the required parts at home, you can complete the table saw with hand tools and some screws following the instructions in the plans and the videos on my website.
You must also take into account how much space you have. Some people’s workshops double as a garage or storage space.
In that case, I recommend starting with the Portable Workshop. It’s much more compact and can be folded and stored when you’re not using it. It’s also easy to transport if you need to take your table saw somewhere.
Another good option is the workbench with a table saw and router table. The advantage of this design is that the table saw is a little more accurate than in previous models.
Besides, this design will allow you to have a robust workbench to work on, as well as a router table. This design is a little more complicated to build than the other table saw or the Portable Workshop, but I think it’s worth a try.
In these cases it’s also advisable to build rolling stands for all of your tools so that you can keep them handy and move them around in your work space. Here you can see some examples of DIY tool stands I built for my tools.
Once you have your own table saw, like me, you can use it to build the rest of your projects and tools. Keep in mind that the tools you’ll end up using depend on your needs or working methods.
For example I barely use my sliding miter saw at all because of the way I work, but in many workshops, they can’t do without one.
In my opinion I would continue making the DIY tools in this order: First, the DIY band saw, then the lathe with its sanding station, the 3D router and, lastly, the multifunction workbench if you have space in your shop and need a large worktable.
Next article in the series:
5- Choice of materials and cost of DIY woodworking tools
