Some of the unique features of the shop include six 3′ x 5′ daylight windows and a 9’ foot ceiling. The shop has color correcting fluorescent lights like those used in paint shops. A dedicated electrical panel provides power to the 110V and 220V outlets that are spaced about every 3’ and 50” off the floor. The shop stays about 60 to 70 degrees year around. Anti-fatigue mats cover the floor. The ceiling and walls have two layers of drywall with sound resilient channel between the layers. There is blown cellulous insulation in the walls and ceiling. The dust collection room has additional sound proofing and also houses the air compressor. All this creates a good sound barrier to the living area of the house above. The shop has a 37” flat screen TV connected to a stereo. The sound can be transmitted via a long range FM transmitter so that I can listen to music or TV thru my headphones even with equipment running.

My primary equipment includes a Steel City 3HP granite top cabinet table saw, Festool Kapex miter saw, Grizzly 2HP 17î bandsaw, Dewalt 20î scroll saw, Grizzly 3HP oscillating edge sander, Grizzly floor standing oscillating spindle sander, Grizzly 12″ baby drum sander, 5HP 38″ Woodmaster drum sander, Delta bench top disc sander, Delta 17î drill press, Jet 2HP full size lathe, 3HP router table, Grizzly 3HP 15″ spiral head planer, and a Grizzly 3HP 8″ spiral head jointer. A collection of Festool power tools compliments the stationary tools. There is a 4í x 8í vacuum press for veneering. The dust collection and air filtration for the shop is an Oneida 5HP cyclone dust collector and two Jet overhead air cleaners.

The work tables include a 20î x 40î sanding table, 4í x 8í worktable with a shelf underneath for storing the current project, a 38î x 76î traditional hardwood workbench with more project storage underneath, a miter saw station with two 8′ wings and ruled stops for quick and repeatable cuts, 7′ x 4′ table saw out feed table with offcut storage underneath, two 48î x 26î rolling cabinets, and 3 Festool multifunction tables. The Festool MFTs are the most used work surfaces in the shop. In all there are 55 shop made drawers plus a few cabinets for storing hand tools and supplies. A couple of long shelves are used for storing veneer. The clamp rack holds over a hundred clamps of varying sizes. The 4í x 8í lumber rack holds stick lumber, sheet goods and two large rolls of waxed and unwaxed paper.

My shop is a work in progress but its constantly developing so I guess that’s good. I share space with lawn & garden, bicycles, camping gear, a canoe, and of course, a LARGE BBQ smoker and a couple of smaller grills.

My major equipment list won’t impress many, but it works well for me so I guess that’s all that counts. The folks who can build fine furniture with a circular saw and a cutting guide without a doubt get TONS of respect from me. My entire shop was/is put together with “bang for the buck” a primary concern. Since this is just a hobby and not my living, not a single woodworking tool I own is what anyone would consider the top of the line, (As opposed to the Snap On stuff I bought when I was a mechanic years ago…) it is all VERY effective, and does exactly what I want.

The list is…
Ryobi BT3100-1 fully loaded up with wide table, router accessory, Shark Guard, custom dust collection improvements, etc. I am working on a wide table top to fill the space between the rails and provide a miter slot for the router accessory table. Primary blade is a Freud Diablo 40T general purpose blade. Also have 24T ripping and 80T Diablo blades. Dado stack is an Oshlun SDS-0630. The saw was used and I got it and all the goodies for it cheap. The blades were on sale (I try to never pay full price for anything). The lumber for the wide table legs was Hurricane Ike debris and the table top was scrap ply from the shop.

-Black & Decker “Firestorm” FS1000L compound miter saw and Firestorm folding miter saw stand. As lousy as the Firestorm router is, it amazes me how well this CMS and stand works. While missing some features of it’s Yellow cousins, accuracy wise, it is right there with the DeWalt. I have it fitted with an 80T Freud Diablo crosscutting blade. LOVE it. The CMS was on clearance, the Diablo blade I paid full price for, but it was reasonable.

Central Machinery #32208 14” 4 speed wood cutting bandsaw with riser block, micro adjustable roller bearing blade guides, Craftsman band saw fence and a variety of Timberwolf blades. 1/2” 3TPI lives on it most of the time. Another HF gem. Again, sale and coupon. A shop built dust collection chute that will tie into the 4” line, and mostly surround the blade and lower blade guide. A Grizzly GO555 tension release modification is on the way too. I have mine mounted up on a Central Machinery universal mobile base which keeps it easy to move on that rare occasion. This in turn keeps me from getting a hernia.

- Old Skil 14 amp circular saw. (Circa 1993). Assortment of blades including plywood blades, Hardi blades etc. I have this all housed in a heavy ballistics nylon tool bag for organizational sanity purposes.

- Ryobi variable speed reciprocating saw with an assortment of the decent BiMetal blades from Milwaukee.

- Old Skil jig saw. Not the best saw, but fitted with some decent Bosch blades, it cuts acceptably for a jig saw. This was a WalMart special back when I was in college, and WalMart was proud to be selling “Made in America”.

- 2 @ Hitachi KM12VC routers, 1 fixed base in the router wing on the table saw. Got both of them on DEEP sale. The second one was an Amazon lightning sale at $99.00.

- Black and Decker Firestorm plunge router. Unreliable non-standard pile of junk. I messed up and paid for this. This is one of those tools that has me wondering what I was thinking.

Wide assortment of router bits and accessories including MLCS 66pc 1/2” shank bit set, mitered frame raised panel bit set, Rabbeting bit set, and Skil 30 piece 1/4” shank bit set. I also have a few Freud, Amana, and Rockler specialty profile bits in there. I can’t say enough good about the MLCS bits and the service from the company though. I wish all WW companies treated their customers this well.

Northern Tool 16 speed floor model drill press. Basically the same thing as the Central Machinery #43378 but with Burgundy and black paint. This is fitted with a Grizzly drill press table, Rockler DP accessory tray, and Rockler DP chuck key retractor thingamajig. The Grizzly table is great for the $$, but it leaves a LOT to be desired. Specifically the table material is melamine coated MDF, and it receives the mounting clamps with simple wood screws. Not exactly a good recipe. I plan on redoing this soon with a combination MDF, tempered hardboard, sanded plywood, SYP trim, and Rockler T-track. Too many other irons in the fire for now, and this works fine. The DP was a CraigsList special that was dirt cheap, the table came from a fellow member of BT3Central.

- Craftsman 3/8” VSR corded drill with case. Not sure of the model. I got this after I burned up an old B&D my dad gave me. I’ve probably had it for 20 years now.

- Ryobi 3/8” VSR clutch driver drill with cord. I had the Craftsman dedicated to a Vermont American drill press jig for the longest time. I got the Ryobi because it didn’t overdrive screws. A deep sale Father’s Day kind of thing as I recall… Love this drill. Not as powerful as the Craftsman, but I haven’t blown out any screws with it yet either.

Central Machinery #34706 lathe with shop built tool shelf and ballast box/shelf. Wood River Chuck, Benjamins Best lathe tools. The shop built tool shelf has holes that SNUGLY hold the tools without cases like the knockout bar, faceplate, spanners, etc. I know Harbor Freight gets a lot of flack, but this thing is a total gem. Been a hoot learning on it, and have no plans to sell it even if/when I upgrade to a bigger/better lathe. It’s cheap enough I will pass it on to a woodworking friend or relative that wants to start turning. I got this lathe on sale and combined that with the HF 20% off coupon. The turning tools and chuck were also on sale. The ballast box is really no box though, I just have a couple of bags of concrete on the plywood shelf to hold it down.

Central Machinery #97869 2HP Dust collector fitted with Wynn 35A cartridge filter. Plumbing is 4” S&D (Yeah I know, but 6” is out of my price range for now). Blast gates are Lee Valley Self Cleaning models. Unfortunately the plumbing for my DC system is scattered throughout the floor of my shop right now. This is one of the in-progress pieces of the shop. Sale and coupon again (see a trend?) and sale on the plumbing fittings and blast gates. For the time being, I am dragging a single long hose to each tool as needed. Sorry I don’t have a better picture of it. It is crammed into a back corner of the shop. I have to roll out the toolbox to get to it to change out the lower bag.

Shop built Thien Cyclone pre separator based on plastic 55 gallon drum. I whipped this up in about two hours with lots of distractions. It could be better, but overall, I am happy with it. All I would redo is the baffle, and it works great so who cares? Not like anyone sees inside my dust bin right?

-Ridgid 12 gallon wet/dry vac plumbed to a Thien Baffle equipped trash can separator. Currently this rig is set up using a Shop Vac Sawdust Collection System. One of my shop projects is to migrate as much as I can off the vac, and onto the DC. The vac and separator can are stacked using a shop built cyclone stacker, which was built using debris lumber that was in my yard after Hurricane Ike. This thing works stupendously well. You can almost get by without a real dust collector. Almost, but not quite…

- Cheapo Lasko 20” box fan with a 3M Filtrete allergen filter duct taped as an air dust cleaner. I am praying it works right, the 4” hose to my DC slipped out of its clamp while I was cutting some MDF in the shop tonight!

Ryobi AP1301 13” planer. A great little planer for the money. Knife changes are easy. Very little snipe when used right. This one was a Valentine’s Day gift from my lovely bride on our first married Valentines Day. I cherish this tool!

Sunhill Machinery SM-150B 6” Bench top Jointer. This appears to be discontinued now. Too bad, this is a nice little benchtop unit. A great piece of gear for a small shop! The same jointer is sold under the Wilton name and is colored gray & blue instead of blue. I got this on the $99.00 sale. I am waiting for a Harbor Freight sale and 20% off coupons to add the stand and mobile base.

Ridgid EB4424 Oscillating belt/spindle sander. Sale again… Father’s Day deal at Home Depot last year. A LOT of folks love these things, and for good reason! They do exactly what they are supposed to do!

Shop built clamp hangers with a dozen each 6, 12, 24, and 36 inch bar clamps (mostly HF, but a few Jorgensons), plus spring clamps, corner clamps, cargo straps with shop built corners, and a few, but not enough hand screws. All those clamps….On sale!

-Ryobi Corner Cat detail sander, Skil Random orbit sander, Ryobi Biscuit Joiner, Ryobi 6” buffer, and a Ryobi 6” bench grinder.

On top of this I have and use most all of the obligatory bits, blades, hand tools, personal protective equipment, storage bins etc. that I need. What I don’t have I add as need be, and as money makes itself available.

Heating and cooling in the coastal Texas environment is a bit tricky in this currently uninsulated space. For heat, a standard 1600 watt oil filled electric radiator keeps the shop in the 70s on the rare occasions that the overnight lows dip below freezing. Cooling right now is simply blowing air conditioned air from the house into the shop with a box fan, and working as fast as I can so I can get back inside before I fry my skull off…

I was well on my way to getting approval, and breaking ground on a 12×16 – 8 foot wall mini barn for a workshop when the economic downturn hit too close to home. So for now I make do, cramped in the garage along with the lawn and garden tools, bicycles, camping gear, and other misc junk.

Several space saving, or at least space maximizing projects are under way. Most of them designed as skill builder projects. A proper woodworking workbench is being built that will double as an outfeed table, and storage for bench top power tools.The existing formerly automotive workbench is getting modified to have uprights on the wall side legs that will support a top tier shelf. The lower shelf will hold the remaining bench top power tools. Those bench top power tools are to be mounted on 3/4” sanded ply bases (20×24”), which in turn get clamped to the workbench when needed to be used. I am also in the process of building cabinets to house the plastic small parts cabinets in my shop, as well as hold my measuring and marking tools, router bit cabinets, and other small woodworking items. Lockable cabinets will be built to hold chemical stuff that I do not want youngsters getting into. I am considering replacing the existing shelving system with lockable shop built cabinets for neatness, and juvenile safety sake.

I put off building a workshop and enjoying woodworking during a lousy, uh, prior domestic situation. I have since been blessed with the best wife in the world and she has actually not only allowed, but encouraged me to pursue woodworking.

Upcoming improvements to the shop that are not listed above:
-60 amp sub panel run to the garage; dedicated circuit to the Table saw; a dedicated circuit to the dust collection; and the remainder going to everything else. Lighting will stay on the current 20 amp circuit. Addition of two more 4 foot lighting fixtures, and a few magnetic task lights will help finish up the electrical.
- Spray in foam insulation in the ceiling and walls, and finish insulating the doors.
- Air Conditioning improvements.
- Small non WW stuff that can be put in totes and stored in the attic are on their way.
- Get the canoe and canoe related stuff into storage elsewhere.

I am a novice woodworker. I started acquiring the tools needed before I really knew what I was getting myself into. I traveled with some friends to a Grizzly scratch and dent sale and ended up coming home with my table saw and planer, before I even had a shop to put them in. I slowly started collecting the tools I would need, such as routers, mitre saw, biscuit joiner, drill press, etc. Then I began to build my first shop as an edition to my garage. I had to tear down the 8’ X 24’ shed attached to the garage, it was starting to fall over; and constructed a 24’ x 16’ shop in its place.
Over that time I have purchased tools as I found a use for them, like the dust collector, band saw, 6” jointer, and numerous miscellaneous hand tools. I am currently in the process of selecting projects that are building my skills in different areas, such as work benches, book cases, cast iron radiator covers, etc. My main interests are furniture building, but before I can get there I am trying to find smaller projects that are going to build upon my skills and knowledge.

For dust collection I have a Harbor Freight ’2HP’ dust collector and a box fan that I tape furnace filters on as a air cleaner.
I use flexible 4″ hose run one at a time to each machine, I hope sometime in the future to find a way to run some 5″ dedicated lines around the shop but the low ceilings are a problem with clearance.

The large tools in the shop are:
Craftsman Hybrid 10″ table saw
Harbor Freight 14″ band saw
Harbor Freight 12″x36″ lathe
Craftsman 12″ drill press
Dewalt 12″ chop saw
Harbor Freight mortising machine
Delta 12 1/2″ Planer (called it a 12″ in the video)
General International 6″ jointer.

I also have a fairly full complement of Craftsman, Makita, Milwaukee, and Porter Cable, power hand tools. As well as a smattering of older/cheaper hand tools.

My workbench is about 8 years old and needed some shoring up and I am always looking for add more storage to the shop, so I recently added some pegboard and some 1/4″ ply to the back to stiffen the frame up some. This lets me add places for extension cords, drills, air guns, etc…. On the back of the bench I have put my chisels and layout tools, we will see how well things stay there with me hammering on the bench.

Heating during the winter is handled by a kerosine heater and a couple of electric heaters. I will generally use the kerosine heater to get the shop up to a comfortable temp then rely on the electric heaters to maintain the temp. Cooling in the summer is shorts and a couple more box fans.

David Marks finishes up his tour with a review of his wood boiling apparatus (used for drying out turnings), and his art gallery. The gallery contains many beautiful pieces by David as well as other amazing woodworkers. David caps off the tour by showing us his skills on the drums! And believe it or not, we have a few outtakes!

Also, David recently released his Scrapers DVD. It contains everything you need to know to properly sharpen card scrapers, cabinet scrapers, and gooseneck scrapers. I watched the DVD a few weeks ago and I instantly felt like I was watching a new episode of Woodworks (only more REAL!) You can pick the DVD up here.

Want to see more from David Marks? Check these out:

David & Victoria Marks Interview
David Marks Shop Tour
David Marks Project in Progress
A Guild Chat with David Marks

Here are a few pics of my garage shop as it is every day. We have a three car garage and the third space is all mine and, as you can see, I use every inch. The tall rack by the jointer holds my chop saw, oscillating spindle sander, planer and scrollsaw. All are mounted on plywood bases that I just slide in and out as needed. The rack is an old bakery cooling rack from a grocery store that I repaired after finding it by a dumpster and is probably the most useful thing I have in my shop.

I used to have my shop in just one bay of the 3 car garage, but since we never park in one of the other ones, I started eyeing the combination of two bays. So after getting the green light to switch the garage around, I finally have a nice functional space. I was able to make some built-in bench space that allowed me to rid myself of a few annoying stands. I gained a great deal of storage space to boot. And as a bonus, our workout area is separated enough that I won’t be tempted to start assembling large furniture in that space.

I added one more light, but I have a total of 4 units in the whole garage. Each one has 4 T8 bulbs. I think I need to add one more and I will be satisfied. I painted the whole garage several months ago and it is amazing what it does for the space. It really gives the light something nice to reflect off of. It has become a very inspirational space. Looking back from the drill press area, there’s the workbench and my thinking area for planning and drawing. I even do my homework in here. (I was taking courses for an MBA at the time- Future Marc)

Looking toward the front of the shop. You can see my jointer and the exercise equipment in the background. The Jet air cleaner does a really good job of keeping the air clean. But then again, most of my tools are connected to the dust collector or shop vac during use so very little hits the air to begin with. Overall I am very satisfied with its performance.

There is a closer view of my drill press, as well as my miter saw and my oscillating spindle sander. Also note the table saw top. What you can’t see in the pictures is the small pin that serves as the splitter. It is just as effective as the full size units and has proved its worth many times over (especially when I recently ripped a 6ft maple board that started to bow as I cut it. Without the pin the wood would have pinched the blade…yikes. For now, I forgo the guard until I can get the overarm style. Unfortunately there aren’t any aftermarket, easy on/off standard models that work on my saw.

I do feel lucky to have this much room. But as we all know, we always find a way to make it messy, so what it looks like here is no guarantee of what it will look like when the next project gets going. I almost always have the TV on while I am working, but rarely do I watch it. Its kind of annoying to others because I will watch the same movies like 3-4 times in a row just because I like the background noise. But usually I put in my DVD recordings of Woodworks and Norm. It is very handy when I need to copy a technique or idea.

Here’s my shop photos. I built this shop about 3 years ago after working out of a single car garage for a few years before that. The shop is 24 x 36 and has an interior dividing wall at 22 feet. On the garage side I house my dust collection and do my finishing (when the dust settles). I installed in-floor heating for the cold Canadian winters and I have A/C for the summer months to keep it quite comfortable. The nice thing about the in-floor heat is there is no open flame. My ceilings are at 10′ high which is handy for those long boards or sheet goods. Hope everyone likes it as much as I enjoy it.