If you are like me, going into a store that has tools is like being a kid in a candy store. You want them all. So where do you start when you are actually equipping your workshop? There are so many great tools calling out to you – how do you decide what you need next?
As Steven Covey asserts in his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People; “Begin with the end in mind.” Consider the projects you want to work on and inventory the tools you already own. The next tool you need is dependant on the woodworking operations you can’t currently accomplish well.
One under-appreciated variable is that many tools have overlapping functions. For example; a basic woodworking task is to ‘joint’ a board – machining a straight, true edge at a 90 degree angle to the face of the board. The most common tool for doing that is, not surprisingly, called a ‘jointer.’ It is a basic woodworking tool and yet if you only occasionally need to joint boards I can give you two very workable alternatives; you could edge joint on a router table or you could use a circular saw with a rail guide and a quality blade. There are trade-offs with the latter two methods but you can also perform many other woodworking functions with them. The jointer is a dedicated machine – you get only one function.
Do some research to find out which tools are favored by woodworkers who build similar projects. You can look for magazine articles and books, check on-line, talk to knowledgeable woodworkers and quiz the sales staff in your favorite “candy store” to get ideas and answers.
Once you know your next tool, how do you decide which one?
Again, do your homework. Look for tool reviews on-line and in magazines that give you side-by-side comparisons. Go shopping and see the tools. Ask questions about the features of each alternative. For hand tools, try holding them – a highly rated tool with a grip that is uncomfortable is not going to be a good fit.
Ask if you can plug the tool in and turn it on. You would be amazed at the difference in vibration and sound levels in the same tools from different manufacturers. It will give you a sense of the quality and tolerance levels built into the tool. You can expect a quality tool to last longer, deliver better results and it certainly will be less fatiguing and more enjoyable to use.
I recommend that you always buy quality. Select the level of tool that matches your needs, but go with the best quality tools that you can afford. They will serve you better in the long run with longer life and fewer repairs. And in the short run, quality tools will help you achieve better results.
Ultimately, isn’t that what the inner kid in the candy store really wants? – a workshop that will allow him to create outstanding projects.
