A table saw is an excellent investment for your wood shop because you will use it for almost every project/assignment that you work on. It is important to buy the best table saw that you can afford as it is a tool that you will use for many years to come.
Also a very popular tool for a wood shop is a band saw (although very underrated). With a band saw you can do a variety of things such as cutting circles, ripping wood, doing cross cuts, cutting joints, and re-cutting wood.
Many people do not think of the band saw as a necessary tool for the wood shop. However, the band saw is one of the most underrated and under used tools of the shop. If you know of all of the uses for a band saw, you will be amazed at how useful it can be. In fact, many experienced wood workers find that the band saw is one of their favourite tools and a must have for any wood shop.
When you are working with wood and working off of a wood working pattern, it is of course imperative to have a good selection of measuring tools. In any wood shop you will need to measure, adjust, check and re measure before you cut as to avoid restarting the entire project because of laziness ;-). So it is important that you invest in a quality measuring tape, as well as a wooden stick ruler (any will do as long as it is big enough), a right angle in order to get the proper and accurate measurements.
A router is also a fabulous tool for any wood shop because by using a router you will have a wide variety of router bits to choose from to create a number of different looks for any wood working project. Using a router you can create a professional polished look to any project.
A drill press or a drill is also a great tool to have in your work shop as part of your package. You will also use a drill to drill out screw holes for any furniture project that you make. Using a drill you can counter sink the screw holes to create a beautifully finished look.
Of course you will also want a variety of other tools as you start to delve into some projects (what man wouldn't?). As you become more accustomed to your wood shop and begin venturing into more complex projects you will begin adding to your arsenal of tools. When you start adding tools to your shop, some of the items that might be of use to you are a thickness planer, radial arm saw, sanders and chisels.
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