This Viewer Shop is from Gary, a 14 year old woodworker. Let’s hear what he has to say:
Hi, I am woodworker (from the forum). I am 14 and and just started woodworking. My workshop is a basement shop and its right at the bottom of the stairs so I can only get 4×4 sheets down there, 4x8s won’t fit. At the bottom of the stairs is a shelf with some cabinets with drawers which hold screws and nails which are all sorted by size. The shop is about 6′ by 11′. There’s about 8 feet before and after the blade on the table saw with about 2 feet from the left of the blade and 1.5 feet from the right. The table saw is a 10 inch Craftsman contractor saw. It cuts pretty good, not the best. Along side of the stairs I have a Harbor Freight 14 inch bandsaw. It’s a good bandsaw for the price. Next to the bandsaw is my Harbor Freight 21 gallon air compressor. My miter saw is, yes you guessed it, a Harbor Freight 12 inch sliding compound miter saw. The stand is all 2x4s, 11 feet long by 3 feet tall and 1 foot thick with a 1 gal, 1 hp shop vac hooked to the miter saw. Then in front of the fridge next to the table saw is my homemade router table with a Freud 2 hp fixed base router. The work bench is 2×4 frame and legs; the top is just a osb board over the supports with instead of a 1/4 inch hardboard, I used 2 1/8 inch so I could put the top on bottom and bottom on top just one shelf on it. The lathe stand in the picture has steel legs; I rebuilt it with 2×4 legs and I am selling the lathe to get a Steelcity granite lathe. For lights I have two 4′ florescent lights and two heat lamps for spot lights on the miter saw. Lastly I have a 1940 Craftsman scroll saw thats not set up and besides that there are drills and things like that.
17 Responses to “Gary’s Basement Shop – Shop Tour”
looks fantastic Gary. way to go, you’ve got a good start on things.
the fact that you can only fit 4×4 sheets through might be a good thing as it’ll be easier to break sheet goods outside and bring in smaller parts which would be easier to handle in the basement anyway.
Hello Gary,
your shop is great. I think it’s and excellent start for you considering you are only 14. Way to go young man! The only suggestion I might have is you should seariously consider upgrading your lighting. I know you maybe feel like you have enough light but there is NEVER enough light for tasks like woodworking. Especially in the basement.
Hey Gary, spoken like a true woodworker! That shop looks functional, keep it up, good luck
All I can say is WOW, what a NICE shop, lathe, compressor, band saw, Craftsman BT3100 clone, especially for one so young. Don’t give up on the shop, I did without for more years than you’ve been alive, and regretted it. A lot of us have had to wait until our 30s and 40s to get where you are now. Enjoy it, and get good at the use of those tools. Who knows, a young guy with tools and talent can make a great career as a woodworker / artist if he / she is good enough. And if not, it sure is a satisfying hobby.
Dude, when I was 14 I had to beg and plead with my folks to get a B&D jigsaw You are a fortunate young man. Thank your parents often.
Hey that is pretty cool for a 14 YO’s shop. I really should post my shop…
WOW… keep it up Gary. I am 39 and just now getting my shop together. Try not to get distracted by those pesky teenage things like girls, unless their dad has better tools than yours.
Gary;
You are off to a good start. Your parents should be proud. Kids like you are very important to the wookworking community because few youngsters see the value in making things. For your safety, please make sure your electric circuts are not over loaded in the basement and also make sure you are getting good ventilation. A fire extiguisher nearby is a good idea. And don’t foget ear protection. I’ll bet things get pretty noisy down there!
Best of luck;
Steve
Great to see such a young man finding a focus so early in life. Very nice collection and it only gets better as you go as long as you stick with it. Please be safe and patient and tell your friends these are tools not toys. I look forward to seeing your projects please keep us posted.
How I approach woodworking: “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” Winston Churchill
Shane
Gary,
Great use of space! Great name!
Keep it fun.
Gary,
I have been pondering what looked funny about your setup and I figured it out… Your sliding miter table is on backwards…
Take a look at my saw at…
http://inlinethumb30.webshots......600Q85.jpg
You see the black thing sticking out in front of the rails on the left of the miter slot table? That is the frame for the SMT. This allows you to get the SMT fence further behind the blade for effective crosscutting, it’s sort of like having a crosscut sled built onto the saw.
If you want information and resources for that saw, since it is a Ryobi BT3x00 cousin, check out http://www.bt3central.com, the guys there can help you get the most from that saw..
Gary,
Love your shop. … I reminds me I need to stop whining about not having a ‘big shop’ to my wife! … We would all like more space, but doing well with what you have at the time is what we all need to do.
… Keep it safe, we look forward to seeing your project!
thanks for all the compliments and dbhost I have the sliding miter gauge on backwards on purpose. If I don’t it blocks off half the walkway so when I use it I just flip it around.
Ah, that makes perfect sense!
Just make sure when you flip it around to use it, you align the SMT to the blade. You don’t want kickback..
Fantastic shop, Gary!
I had to wait until my 40′s to get my shop together, so I think what you are doing is great!
Hi, You’re on your way. The shop has a great start to it. ALWAYS remember safety first, you’re a young man with alot of years left so keep the safety the main factor in all your time. The quality of your builds will come with age. 14 you have a great start to it. Rob
looking good for a start, I realize those saws are “cheap” in terms of money but you also get what you pay for. I suppose one nice thing about cheaply built tools is they are light and easy to get in the basement, not to say that will keep you from getting heaver stuff down there… check out owwm.org and owwm.com where some guys resort to come-alongs for things like 1 TON 24″ jointers. Cruise Craigslist in the tools section and you may find some even cheaper but more durable and accurate machinery for example a craftsman 113 series table saw can be had for $50 or a really cool 101 series saw might be even cheaper beacuse people think nobody will want that old junk. be careful on the owwm forums, very slippery slope there.