Ask the Expert
IF YOU HAVE A PRODUCT RELATED QUESTION, PLEASE USE OUR CONTACT US FORM FOR AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. THIS SECTION IS RESERVED FOR GENERAL WOODWORKING RELATED QUESTIONS.
Michael Van Pelt is the founder of American Sycamore Woodworker’s Retreat. He has a reputation as the tool guru. Mike has been in woodworking for over thirty years. His knowledge of tools comes from his many years of intertwining experience in the woodworking industry. Mike’s experiences include being active as an Industrial Arts Teacher, professional instructor of power machinery and tool techniques, tool sales, management and owner of woodworking tool retail store, Delta Machinery representative and technical advisory.
If you have a question for Michael, choose the Submit Question button to the right by November 30th. We will send you a reply with Mike's response in mid-December and then post it to this page for other members to view. You never know...someone else may have the same question
IF YOU HAVE A PRODUCT RELATED QUESTION, PLEASE USE OUR CONTACT US FORM FOR AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. THIS SECTION IS RESERVED FOR GENERAL WOODWORKING RELATED QUESTIONS.
Listed below are questions and answers that have already been submitted.
Questions
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9/20/2009
Dust Collection System - Grounding Wire
Answer Provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
I have read that when designing and building a dust collector system for a wood shop, you should always have a grounding wire attached either internally or externally. I don't plan on running a high scale, busy shop, I am only a weekend warrior and would only run the collector at the most 15 minutes at a time, three times in 8 hour period. Is it a must to be grounded in this situation or would I be OK to leave out the grounding wire? |
| A. |
There is so much information and mis-information about needing a ground wire that I just do not know what is right and what is hype. After reading an article in Fine Woodworking Magazine I believe that in a small shop environment a ground wire is not necessary and you should be fine with out it. If nuisance “shock” becomes a problem you could always add it. |
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4/14/2009
Tools for Shop
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
I am retiring and would like to get into woodworking I have a nice building 20x24 that I am turning into a wood working shop and would like some advice on table saws I have worked with them in the past but I have not kept up with the changes or new comers and would like your suggestions on what I should look at I am willing to spend 800-1,000 dollars |
| A. |
Please
take a look at the Delta contractor saw model with the 30” Biesemeyer fence. In
my opinion this is the best saw for the money. The motor has enough power to do
the job and the Biesemeyer fence is dead on accurate. This is a
USA made saw and holds its value very
well. Building any project or piece of furniture…this saw would deliver
exacting results. |
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4/14/2009
Setting up a New Shop
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
I am going to retire next year and I want to set up a wood shop. I am mainly going to make furniture and cabinetry. What do I need in the shop to get started? |
| A. |
Oh what an exciting time and adventure. This is a lot
of fun and many woodworkers enjoy this phase of woodworking. First I would like
to invite you to attend my school for a week and see and learn about all the
equipment available and how to safely use it. www.americansycamoreretreat.com
If I had the space and wanted to build furniture this is the main tools I would
want:
10” 3hp Unisaw with Biesemeyer fence left
tilt
8” DJ20 Jointer
15” Delta planer
14” USA Delta bandsaw
drill press
dust collection
work bench
miter saw station
hand tools, clamps, and etc
|
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10/15/2008
2-1/2 Car Garage Shop
Answer provided by Mike Heavey
| Q. |
Is it possible to turn a 2 1/2 car garage into a great home wood shop and still have room to park 2 cars? |
| A. |
You can create a great shop with a two car garage. I know Wood magazine did a few articles on setting up the "Ideal Shop". I believe it dealt with electrical and lighting issues, and portability for tools for garage type shops. It could be a great place start. |
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8/26/2008
Organize a Shop
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
How to better organize shop |
| A. |
There are several good books on this
subject that I would recommend.
Setting Up
Shop",
by Sandor Nagyszalanczy, - "The Workshop
Book" by Scott Landis and "How to
Design and Build Your Ideal Woodshop" by Bill Stankus. My shop is
always changing and it takes a lot of discipline to keep everything in place and
to return tools when the job is done. I believe one must first make a promise
to himself that cleaning and organizing is a part of being a
woodworker.
|
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6/27/2008
Shop Tools
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q. |
I am making a list of needed equipment to start setting up a wood shop. I am soon to retire and would like to expand my use of wood and tools to shape it. I have a table saw, band saw, drill press and belt sander. What machines should a moderately equipped shop have for working with wood? Whenever I work on wood I always am missing one tool or other necessary to speed the work along. The wife would like me to complete at least one project before I take the great sleep. I have may unfinished items from previous projects lying about. |
| A. |
Miles to go before we Sleep! Ken pick up a good planer, jointer, drum sander, impact driver, more hand planes and chisels, three accurate squares , a German style heavy workbench, a 1200 cfm dust collector, an ambient air cleaner and you have everything for the foundation you need. I still am adding tools after 42 years of woodworking. And I still feel like a kid at Christmas every time I pick one up.
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6/25/2008
Which, Is the Question
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q. |
Please tell me in which order, would you buy tools & equipment, to outfit your own workshop. I am new at this, presently, I am doing most things backwards, Please help. |
| A. |
Know that all tools are eventually used so you have invested in the future. In my shop here is my order:Table Saw, Planer, Jointer, workbench, cordless drills, random orbital sander 5", 690 routers, 3 1/4 router,miter saw with support fences (I like sliders for 12" cross cuts), Hand tools by the ton, drum sander,drill press, 14 band saws with top blades, 3 wood lathes, and most of all a fine place to work in. This is a fine start. |
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2/25/2008
14-Year Old Student - Building My Shop
Answer provided by Marc Adams
| Q. |
I am a 14 year old student of Boston Latin
School living in Boston, MA. I
love woodworking and i am in the process of building a shop and I wanted to ask
you a question about a few bench power tools that I need. I wanted to see if
you could point me in the right direction. I have a small shop so the tools
can't be too big but they must be quality tools and hopefully not too expensive
because I am only 14. I already have a power drill, circular saw, jig saw,
router, miter saw, and a few different sanders. Like all woodworkers I generate
a lot of scrap wood. Since most wood isn't cheap I like to joint it and
laminate it together for numerous projects. Jointing wood with a hand plane can
get to be a little tedious after a while so I was wondering if you could point
me in the right direction toward a jointer. It will only be used lightly but my
uncle just gave me some of a mahogany tree that he cut down so the jointer will
be used to mill lumber at some time. The same applies to the thickness planer
and the bandsaw that I would like to buy. They will only receive light use but
will be used for milling lumber some time in the future. Last but most
importantly a table saw. I would like to get one with a 40+ inch fence but for
no more than $1000 dollars. Don't be afraid if you think that things are too
expensive because I am not going out and buying them all right now. I will
probably be making these purchases over the next couple of years at about 1 big
purchase a year. I hope that you can get back to me and point me in the right
direction toward building my shop. |
| A. |
I applaud your approach to building and improving your
shop. I will suggest this. There are
bench top jointers that would do a good job for you, however before I would say
that should be your first purchase I would suggest you consider what kind of
woodworking you plan on doing. Then look at those pieces of equipment that give
you the most versatility. Without knowing what you are working with I would
suggest this. First a bandsaw, then a planer, then a jointer and last a table
saw. More importantly then all of these are this; make sure you find someone to
show you the safe and proper way to use this equipment so that you can enjoy this
wonderful craft your entire life. |
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2/25/2008
Heating System for Workshop
Answer provided by Marc Adams
| Q. |
What type of heating system would you recommend for a
work shop (garage)? In floor heating is not an option. The garage is fully
insulated, drywalled etc. Also, I live in northern Ontario
Canada.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. |
| A. |
There are a lot of concerns about heating a shop. Especially around fine dust and explosive
finishes. I do have shop hung propane
units and I just love them. They are in
a corner and work quickly and efficiently.
I am building a new 10,000 square foot facility and it will have hanging
units as well. |
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2/25/2008
Equipment
Answer provided by Marc Adams
| Q. |
I am a disabled veteran with a family of 5 to
support, so money is the issue here, and I am looking for a most bang for the
buck kind of answer. I own a L-side cut Porter cable circular saw, a 10"
miter saw, and a Bosch jig saw. I am now looking at larger equipment. I want to
purchase a table saw, bandsaw, router, and drill press in this order, and would
like some suggestions. I grew up using 1950's Delta equipment, that has been
used for 3 generations now, and I want to buy the same brand. |
| A. |
Delta makes a great table
saw that should be in the $ 1,200 and up range. Look for a nice locking fence
and an easy to use splitter and friendly blade guard. I recommend at least a 3HP motor. Band saw
choice might be the Delta 14” with 6” riser block. I like soft start routers
with variable speed and my favorite is any made by Porter Cable. You can get a good quality drill press
anywhere. I have a staff member who
swears by his 16 speed with laser light tilting table etc. |
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2/19/2008
Workshop Equipment
Answer provided by Mike Heavey
| Q. |
I'm ready to buy woodworking equipment for my
24'X 24' workshop. I want the equipment
to be the best it can be for high quality woodworking like cabinet making. I want to buy the necessary equipment to get
started such as a dust collector system, table saw, joiner, planer, sander,
shaper, router, drill press, and perhaps a band saw and miter saw. I'll spend up to $6,000 to $10,000 to get a
well equipped shop. What would you
suggest? |
| A. |
Well the first tool would be 10” 3Hp Single Phase table saw
with a rip capacity of 50” to the
right of the blade for working with sheet goods, with a top of the line rip fence. I’m a left tilt person,
but left or right tilt is just a personnel preference. As far as a jointer is concerned, I would say an 8” 1 ½ Hp
single phase unit. The more
important part would be a parallelogram support system for the table, plus a bed length of 70 + inches. That would give you better chip collection and
less tear-out by its design. As
for a planer, I would recommend a 15”, 3 HP single phase, with a 2 speed feed rate model. When it comes to sanders, I
would recommend 3 different types.
First would be a drum sander that’s 18X36. Second is a combination 6” belt/9” disc sander. The third is a bench
oscillating spindle sander. I know that
sounds like a lot of sanders, but trust me you will use all three. I am a
router table person over a shaper. I believe you have more versatility with a router table. If you plan on producing
production amounts of raised panels, the shaper
has its place. Next, is a 14” band saw, for most home woodworkers, this is all you
will need. A drill press that’s 16” with laser crosshairs will work fine. Consider a 12” slide compound miter. The
last item is really the first, and that’s dust
collection. I think a great idea is if you have not already done so, and that’s
go to the internet to www.oneida-air.com
and use the free shop layout design plan, so you know exactly
the size of pipe and when you need to taper that pipe. When you finish the layout, it will tell you the size of the dust
collector that you will need. I
would hesitate to tell you what size of a collector until you know for sure what you need. Also you will need a
ambient air cleaner to mount on the ceiling to
collect the dust you can’t see, but breath in. I
hope this helped. Enjoy shopping.
|
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2/19/2008
Best Tool to Start With
Answer provided by Mike Heavey
| Q. |
My wife really wants to have a nice home
workshop. She has built some cabinets in
a pro. shop with a friend. She now has a
place to create her own shop. She has an
older craftsman table saw, a combi. cut/mitre saw, an old drill press, a ryobi
router. What would be the best tool to purchase to help get her shop started? She will want to build frames for pictures,
cabinets and shelves, tables. |
| A. |
I think the next tool should be a router table.
When making picture frames or rail and
stile doors, those functions are performed on a router table. Next would be a band saw, thickness planer, and then a
jointer. |
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2/19/2008
Setting up Shop - Accessibility
Answer provided by Mike Heavey
| Q. |
I just bought a house with a beautiful 30x50
shop. I am in the process of outfitting the shop now. I have one little problem
though. I was shot up in Iraq
about 2 years ago. I am now in a wheel chair. I need some advice on some good
bench top tools. The drill presses and bandsaws that are full size are to tall for
me to work safely. So, if you could give me some options on the little problem.
I sure would be grateful. |
| A. |
First, THANK
YOU for serving our country. We owe the men and women who keep us safe the world. Now, I know what will work. I have done this
for somebody already. I picked a corner
of the shop and placed full sized equipment on the floor in the order he wanted. Then I built a 5’ deep platform (stage) in
front of the equipment with a ramp for access. This way you get the benefits of
the full size models that the desk tops models don’t offer. |
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2/19/2008
Shop Setup
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q. |
I
have bought a house and preparing to set up a shop in the 1-car garage that is
small. The table saw is the hub and highly used tool in my shop as well as the
router and Miter Saw. I do have band saw, jointer, planer, radial arm saw and
router table. Because of size I have to decide what gets to be permanent and
what gets wheeled in/out per use. What is your recommendation so I can at least
have a set-up that can me modified to suit my use of the tools? |
| A. |
Mobile
bases…. mobile bases…. mobile bases. I
would put everything I owned on a mobile base: Even my work table and bench! This will allow you to use your shop and the
room that you have in the most productive manner. I would suggest that you
build a set of cabinets down one wall with your miter saw and radial arm saw
built in. |
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1/29/2008
Shop Setup
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q. |
I
would like some advice on setting up a shop. I am slowly buying some used and
some is new. I had a left lower leg amputation 1 1/2 yrs ago. This is about the
time I got interested in woodworking. I watch shows as well read a lot of books
and magazines. I live in West Chester,
Ohio. |
| A. |
I
think that all shops are different because woodworking has to fit the space. So
here goes a big step. Depending on the work you do - put the most important
tool (usually the table saw) in the shop’s center. Next, build a great
workbench that is comfortable for you. The bigger, the better! Put the bench by
a window with excellent lighting. Get a planer, a jointer, a band saw, a dust
collector and a lathe and grow from there. Bench top tools can be customized to
work on shop made stands that allow easier woodworking. Let me know how you
shop comes together! |
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8/6/2007
Woodshop Startup
Answer provided by Mike Van Pelt
| Q: |
I am in a lovely new home with a full walk out basement just
waiting for a magnificent wood working shop. The area devoted to my shop and
office area is a full 30' x 50'... lovely space with a 9' ceiling under the
steel and joists. The walls are unfinished cinderblock.
I had all the power I'd ever need brought to the area... not
to individual machine location yet... and, strip fluorescent ceiling fixtures over
all. Additional wiring and lighting will be relatively easy.
I
would like advice on a good source to help me in first laying out the shop...
and, am thinking that a smart move would be to start with the installation of a
good dust control system that will serve my needs as the shop equipment slowly
grows. Can you help to point me in a good direction to get started. Beyond the
dust control, my first thought would be a tilting arbor 10" table saw...
cabinet if affordable... and, maybe a cut-off saw as well. Beyond that, it will
be the usuals... band saw, joiner, planer, drill press, scroll saw, sanders,
etc. |
| A: |
Congratulations on your new
shop. Setting up a new shop can be exciting
and yet at the same time a little stressful.
Your local Delta dealer can be a great source of knowledge and help in
setting up your new shop. Be sure to
visit Delta’s web site. The shop planner
is very helpful. I would also seek the
help of local woodworkers and friends.
Visiting other shops will give you lots of ideas. There are several good books on this subject
as well.
It
has taken me over 5 years to finally find the perfect footprint and efficient
layout of my tools and equipment. I have
re-arranged and moved my equipment several times until now I believe I have
found what works for me. I am now ready
to hard pipe my dust collection system into place. I suggest that you keep your shop “mobile and
flexible” until you have had an opportunity to work the shop and find what
works best for your personal needs and work habits. |
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6/5/2007
Building a Shop on Back Lot
Answer provided by Scott Phillips
| Q: |
I'm close to retirement and my wife and I are planning on building a shop on the back lot of our property. I've searched for years for just the right book or plans and have yet to find one that just deals with the plans and building the actual shop. Do you have any suggestions. I have room for a 20 or 22 x 30 (approx. size) shop. Thank you for your help and support. |
| A: |
Congratulations James, remember once you have a woodshop life gets fun! I have built four shops in my 39 years of woodworking so I think These thing are important: Lots of space, 10 foot ceilings that are insulated, lots of natural sunlight (big windows), a huge door or garage door, daylight florescent shop lights, lots of electrical outlets. And a luxury item that I wish I had – wood shop floors. Believe me when I tell you that standing on concrete for 8 hours a day 6 days a week is hard on you.
I wish I could say that there was a great resource for setting up you personal shop. I have learned that every single shop has to be customized to fit the needs of the woodworker. I do know that a great workbench and my Unisaw are at the heart of it all.
Remember James; never let your neighbors know how handy you are! If you do, expect to be starting that new woodworking business just when you though you might retire.
All Blessings! |
