Welcome back.

Power Tools. a band saw gets used a lot in my shop. A combo disk and belt sander also. Don't forget a nice drill press, for most things, a 3/8" capacity chuck is OK. A scroll saw is also a frequently used tool. One I use a lot is a Fordom Flex Shaft. Ilike the feel of it better than a Drumel and Ialso control the speed with the foot pedal. If your budget allows a Taig or Sherline lathe is nice to have. I have a Taig and it gets used a lot.

You can get by with a good 6" building table but an 8 ft table would be my choice. There is a good article in the Jan 2011 issue of Model Aviation on building a table/bench. In that article, they point out the drawers. A couple long drawers for holding balsa, 4' ply sheets and rolls of covering would be very nice. My Garage is my shop and it had cabinets along one wall. Not a single bay will hold a stick of balsa though. Some drawers or covered shelves at least 3ft and 4Ft would be better will be appreciated down the road. I've a 4 drawer file cabinet that is stuffed with engines, plans, manuals, etc. It makes good use of the floor space. Don't forget and arrange everything along the walls as you will need someplace to hang planes and wings later, epically if you have a low ceiling.

Hand tools that come to mind are some home made sanding sticks. Bulk roll sanding cloth from a wood workers supply, 1" width held to long straight boards by carpet tape are a must. Ihave one 4" wide made from the biggest belt sander belt Icould get at the hardware store. It is great for putting a straight edge on balsa among other things. Some Xacto Razor saws, the off brands are not that good and the price difference isn't that great. Another thing I find I use quite a bit is a Jewelers saw with some 4/0 and finner blades. Get one with a three or four inch throat. A small miter box comes in very handy also. A fine India Or Arkansas stone is kept on my bench to sharpen xacto knife blades. If I'm cutting covering, the blade gets a few swipes on the stone after each cut. It is surprising how long the blades last.that way. When they start to round on the tip I grind off the back to get to a sharp point again. That brings up a power tool I forgot to add. A bench grinder. Actually a 6" lapidary grinder with diamond wheels is a great addition.

On the bench, a 4" or so vise is a great tool to have. Ialso have a 4 ft length of 4 x 6 that is my engine building bench. It stands on end and makes a good platform to work on. I have a kiln ( I used to be a Jeweler) that Iuse for heating engines and that piece of wood makes a great platform for tapping out or in bearings. I've drilled a couple holes for crank shaft clearances for different engines.

Last, lights and power outlets. Lots of overhead lights and three times to many outlets. My garage came with three outlets, one on each wall and two special outlets for central vac and water softener. Five times that many would be about right, including some 20 amp ones. Speaking of vacuums, a good low noise shop vac is good to have.

This is in addition to a good selection of Metric and Imperial wrenches, sockets and Allen's. A set of small screw drivers is mandatory also. C clamps and bar clamps, along with some small spring clamps comes in real handy. A big box of rubber bands and masking tape Scotch Blue painter tape is preferred. These are holding things while the glue sets.

I'll think of a hundred things later. Don't forget the storage that can be blocked off from the balsa dust. A big build table makes the place to store stuff, See the above article.

Don