Woodshops is a woodworking workshop space dedicated to the processing, shaping, and assembly of wood into finished products or components. Woodshops can be found in schools, makerspaces, fab labs, flex spaces, homes, garages, community centers, and professional manufacturing environments. They typically include a combination of hand tools, power tools, and stationary machinery for cutting, shaping, joining, and finishing wood.
Educational use
In schools, woodshop classes are part of industrial arts, technology education, or career and technical education programs, where students learn tool and material use, measurements, project planning, and craftsmanship. In fab labs and makerspaces woodshops often serve as a skill sharing environment for hobbyists and entrepreneurs.
Safety Woodshops pose hazards including sharp blades, airborne dust, and noise exposure. Proper training, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and adherence to safety protocols are critical in personal, educational, and professional woodshop settings.
Types of PPE
Chainsaw safety clothing Coveralls Dust mask Eye protection Face shield Fire extinguisher Hard hat Hearing protection Powered air-purifying respirator Protective clothing Push stick Respirator Safety boot Safety glove Woodworking apron
Common tools Common tools and machines found in a woodshop Tool Description Image Table saw A stationary saw with a circular blade protruding through the surface of a table, used for ripping and cross-cutting wood with precision. Band saw A saw with a long, continuous blade that runs over wheels, useful for cutting curves and irregular shapes. Drill press A stationary mounted drill Radial arm saw Saw mounted on a sliding horizontal arm Router Handheld or table-mounted tool for hollowing out an area in wood, often used for decorative edges or joinery.
Other woodshop tools
Screwdrivers – list of screw drives Wrench – list of wrenches Hammers – list of hammers, nail gun, staple gun, nailset, punch Measuring tools – speed square, ruler, calipers, tape measure, protractor, plumb bob, combination square, laser rangefinder, level Drills – hammer drill, drill bit Cutting tools – hand saw, bow saw, coping saw, utility knife, chisel, hand plane, jigsaw, circular saw, scroll saw, router table, miter saw, reciprocating saw, thickness planer, jointer, wood shaper, mortiser, spokeshave, drawknife Abrasive tools – files, rasp, sandpaper, grinding wheel, belt sander, orbital sander, hand scraper Holding tools – vise, clamps, pliers, bench hook, biscuit joiner, locking pliers, tool belt Marking tools – carpenters pencil, marking gauge, scriber, chalk line, scratch awl Miscellaneous – workbench, sawhorses, dust collection system, paintbrush, shop vac, air compressors, wood lathe, rotary tool
Products used
Brackets Dowel Hinges Lacquer Lumber Masking tape Mineral spirits Nails Paint and spray paint Paint thinner Polyurethane Plywood Rag Saw blade Screws Staples Varnish Wood filler Wood glue Wood stain
Types of woodshop work
Boat building Carpentry CNC machining Framing Furniture making – list of furniture types, cabinetry, upholstery Instrument making and luthier Intarsia Joinery Laser engraving Marquetry Model building Wood carving Wood engraving Wood veneer Woodturning
See also Do it yourself (DIY) Glossary of woodworking List of building materials List of building information modeling software List of computer-aided manufacturing software List of 3D modeling software Maker culture SketchUp and SketchUp Free Superwood
Woodshop magazines American Woodturner Journal Canadian Home Workshop Craft (American magazine) Fine Woodworking Lesnaya Industriya Popular Woodworking Wood
References
External links Woodwork Career Alliance of North America