Keith’s Woodshop - Shop of the Week
This week’s shop is submitted by Keith. Let’s check it out and see what he has to say:
“The shop is about 13×22, it was a garage that was converted into livable space, then converted to a shop by me. As such, it has a separate heating system from the house. The tricky part about laying out this shop was the size of the tools I own compared to the space. The table saw capacity is limited because it had to be positioned so that the rails go around the DC hose. I didn’t want to cut the rails down, surely this won’t be my last ever shop space. I used the Grizzly shop tool to draw up the shop, then made it happen.”
“I added the 220v service by branching off of the dryer, with what I call my ‘mad scientist switch’, a giant disconnect throw so that you can either run the dryer or the shop. This way the shop tools don’t have power most of the time, helping keep kiddies safe since most of my 220v tools don’t have lock-out features. It’s a bit of overkill, but my wife works for an industrial electrical manufacturer, so it was cheap.”
“The shop is a bit of a mess in the photos as I have about 3 projects going on in there at the moment. I think the only thing I’d like to have is a bigger lathe and some more lumber storage. Other than that, this shop is pretty functional.”
The tools:
PM2000 table saw w/ router table in extension
8″ Jet jointer
1 3/4 hp canister dust collector (also jet)
Performax 16-32 drum sander
Dewalt 13″ planer
el cheapo M Power 1018 mini lathe
Jet 18″ bandsaw
Dewalt 20″ scroll saw
Delta 16″ drill press
Makita LS1013 sliding miter saw
Lots of hand held power tools, and a good number of hand tools.
This Old Shop ~ Circa 1962 - Shop of the Week
This week’s shop comes from Robert in Boise. Let’s check out what he has to say:
“With all the “new” shops that we have seen, I thought some of you might be interested in a wood shop that was built by my father in the basement of our Long Island, New York home around 1962. I still remember, as a young boy, holding a star drill as my dad manually pounded holes in the concrete basement floor to set the footers for framing the shop walls. I don’t know if I was really “helping” but my dad let me think I was!”
“The first picture shows my dad’s Craftsman table saw in the center of the shop. The saw had a “big” 7″ blade and “gravity feed” dust collection. (Sawdust just dropped into a big drawer in the cabinet base he constructed for the saw.)”
“As you can see from Pic 2, every tool in the shop had a place and my dad could always tell if a tool was not placed back where it was supposed to be! The chisels consisted of a large array of different sized flat chisels and gouges. Along the top were a number of “braces” for drilling holes as well as some antique specialized molding planes and spoke shaves. The “bits” available for the “braces” were located in drawers as seen in the Pic 3.”
“My father was primarily a “hand tool” guy, but did have a few power tools as seen inthe next Pic. Note how all the tools, with the exception of a router acquired in later years, are all constructed with metal cases—no plastic! Other power tools (Pic 5) consisted of a bench drill press, a grinder, a Unimat metal lathe, and a homemade disc sander.”
“In another corner of the shop (Pic 6) you can see a 1930s version of a multipurpose power tool. This combination tool was given to my father when he was a teenager. You can see the wood lathe and a removable “jigsaw” (now called a scrollsaw). This jigsaw could be removed and replaced with a very small table saw when needed. My father was still using this lathe in the 60s and 70s as you can see by the number of turning tools he acquired and maintained. To the right you can see his set of handsaws and block planes.”
“In the final work area of the shop is what he called his “metalworking” area (Pic 7). This area consisted of a variety of rasps, files, metal cutting tools, pliers, and hammers.”
“Many of my father’s older tools were inherited from his high school wood shop teacher. They formed a strong friendship when my dad was in high school and became lifelong friends. Many of these tools were originally stored in a tool chest (Pic 8) passed down from his family. The outside this tool chest looks pretty old and worn. Once opened you can see the entire inside was beautifully constructed of inlaid diamond shaped pieces of wood with the owner’s name dated 1890. Within the chest are several sliding panels and compartments which held an entire set of “wood” molding planes (not shown). The story is that this chest used to be hauled around New York City by wagon for custom cabinet work by the owner.”
“Mantown” - Shop of the Week
This week’s shop comes from Mike in Pittsburgh, PA. Let’s check it out!
“It all started in Aught-Five, when my lovely wife and I decided it was time to add on to our 3 bedroom colonial. With two little girls and a whole lotta Fisher Price stuff, we were starting to feel cramped. So I took advantage of my very handy retired-architect dad and we built ourselves a 1,100 sq. ft. three-story addition. During this project, I managed to reserve a 12′x12′ plot of space in the basement that has since been dubbed Mantown.”
“Mantown is on the cozy side and has a very low ceiling. But I put in double doors that open out under the deck. This allows me to get things in and out easily and to cut larger items on the table saw, which rolls into place when I need it. The doors and window also give me plenty of natural light to work with. I even thought ahead and had the window made with tempered glass, for when I accidentally put a pipe clamp through it. Also, rather than drywall, I put pegboard up directly onto the studs, an idea that seemed great at the time, but frankly I’m starting to think pegboard is overrated.”
“Mantown has a long way to go before being complete. Tool-wise, I’m just getting started. Delta 10″ contractor’s saw, Delta drill press, and a Makita sliding compound miter saw are the major tools. I also have been doing a lot with my Kreg pocket hole setup. The wall containing the miter saw is pretty much temporarily thrown together, but I’m working on a master plan for it to improve storage, utility and all-around coolness. I’m also planning to incorporate a router table into the right side of the table saw and am debating dust collection options while currently using a shop vac connected to the tools wherever possible. The alcove next to the interior door is handy for storage as well, though I had to make sure to position the shelves at the right height to allow a 8′ board to be cut on the miter saw.”
“Despite the size and small tool collection, I’ve been quite productive with the space, mostly building what needs to be built for the addition. In the pictures you can see an entire built-in unit and new fireplace mantle, made of a combination of ply and pine with a tile top (and, okay, Dad helped). My most recently completed project is a student desk and bulletin board for my eight year old daughter, with love from daddy.”
“I’ve started work on built-ins for our home office, and have so far put together a desk for my lovely wife, which will eventually become a full wraparound suite of cabinets once we get rid of that gawdawful wallpaper (and yes, a gadget station included!). The desk was actually one of my first projects, during which I learned things like paying attention to grain direction, book-matching panels, and how to stain wood correctly (all after the fact, of course). Building the desk was also a strategic move on my part to convince said lovely wife that Mantown is really “all for you, honey”. So far it seems to have worked. Wait till I tell her I want to knock out that wall behind the miter saw and make it bigger!!! I appreciate any commentary, especially suggestions on how to turn my 7′ ceiling into a 9′ ceiling.”
Ryan and Mason’s Workshop - Shop of the Week
This week’s shop comes from Ryan in Jacksonville, Florida. Let’s see what he has to say:
Here are some photos of my shop. I claimed the two car garage as my room, and the rest of the house is all my wife’s (it would have been hers anyway). I feel like George Kastanza when I go to this room. I usually say “serenity now” to myself. After working for about a week, I decided to install the HVAC due to the heat and humidity. The room is about 18′ square. I found it very difficult to fit everything in the room, including the yard tools, the water heater (electric), the water softener, and the refrigerator. You will notice Mason, my little shop buddy, in the clamp drawer. He is a huge help.
Small Shop Tribute - Shop of the Week
This week’s shop comes from Pierre-Alexandre who says: “Hi Marc, here is my tribute to the small shops. I share my shop with my wife’s car and my bike so every thing must fold away and when I want to produce some sawdust, the same ritual applies: Get the car out, put the rolling table saw, get the saw horses and the top of my assembly-toolrest-router-outfeed table. My shopvac and compressor sit under my “workbench” and the little fan is my air supply system for the very hot Florida summers, I’ve covered the walls with shelves but I always need more space!”
Setting up the shop : 1/2 hour
Cleaning the garage and putting the car back : 1h
One hour or two of sanding/sawing after work : priceless
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