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New Shop!! About 3 years ago, I found wood. Some people drink and some are workaholics. Me....I found wood.
Well, I decided I was serious about this hobby and started to
eye a 12'x20' single car garage I had out back. A friend had the
now infamous "Why don't you simply....." conversation with me,
and what you see below is the result. My shop is now a 20'x20'
culmination of many lessons and much friendship. Numerous people
helped build it either with manual labor, advice or support. Because
of this, I managed to keep the cost down and was able to build a nice
place to hide....errrr work. There are lots of links on this page
(and others) designed to help you find the same equipment I have. I've
purchased it through various sources but one great place to start is
Rockler's catalogue.
All pictures on this page (as well as the others) are linked to
larger versions of the same shot. Simply click on the one you want
to see, and a new page will be produced with the image.
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This is a bit of a large image so it may take a minute to download if you click on it. This is a panorama taken from one corner of the shop, and shows three walls worth of "stuff". Starting from the left, you can see the double "carriage" style doors I made. These swing on "retro" hardware hinges, and at 2 1/2" thick, they're fully insulated. I had the windows made to fit, and these have a 1/2" airspace. The muntins are fake, and the windows are not a true divided light.The wainscoting is Georgia Pacific 3/8" beadboard, surrounded by baseboard and chair rail that I made myself from 85 bd ft. of poplar. No good reason for it, other than I wanted it! You can also see the four 2'x4' skylights, and the 25,000 BTU Reznor (natural gas) heater suspended from the ceiling. |
Another panorama shot, taken from the opposite corner of the shop. Here you can see some of the 10 fluorescent lighting fixtures I have. These are on two separate switches (six fixtures and four fixtures) as well as on two separate circuits. This way, if one "set" should go out, I'm not left in the dark with sharp spinning things at my fingertips. The "gap" in the wainscoting on the far wall is in preparation for a new cabinet I have yet to build. This will house power tools, glue, sandpaper and other supplies. The switches near the door operate the two lighting circuits as well as the exterior lighting (two sets of flood lights). The other two switches are for the remote (lean-to out back) operation of the compressor and dust collector. |
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I saw this idea for a lumber rack in another fellows shop. I modified it somewhat, and here's the (almost finished) results. The "verticals" are 4" hemlock that has an incredibly tight grain to it. Each one is fastened to the studs behind the drywall with qty. 5, 5 1/2" lag bolts. I then plugged the lag-bolt holes with birch plugs. The pipe "shelves" are 17" long 3/4" black-iron pipe, and simply are placed in the holes that have been drilled at a 1 1/2° angle. These holes are spaced 6" on center, allowing for adjustability. The mitre saw is a Hitachi 10" compound with a CMT blade. To the right of this bench will go an old Sawsmith radial-arm saw that I'm in the process of rebuilding. The edge of the bench will be treated with a wrap of poplar, matching the wainscoting. The bottom shelf will be completed with a full covering of plywood covered with 1/4" hardboard as with the top. The "thing" leaning in the far corner is a plywood cutting jig for my circular saw (Skill 77).The dust collector is temporarily located in the shop until the built in system is completed. |
The 100 amp electrical sub-panel is fed from a 70 amp breaker in the house. The wiring is all underground, and has been run in PVC conduit, 18" deep. The panel is laid out with two 110VAC, 20 amp convenience circuits, and each of these has been wired to one side of the quad outlets in the shop. The other circuit has been wired to the other side of the quad outlet. This allows for 40 amps available per quad, eliminating blown breakers should I decide to use a saw and a vacuum plugged into the same outlet. An additional 20 amp 220VAC circuit is run to many locations within the shop for tools. I already mentioned the two circuits dedicated to lighting, and another GFI circuit is dedicated to the exterior lighting as well as to the five exterior outlets. A dedicated 110VAC 20 amp circuit is routed via the shown contactor (in box below panel) to the lean-to out back for the compressor, and a dedicated 220VAC 20 amp is routed through the other contactor to the lean-to to support the remote dust collector. These contactors are operated by dedicated switches beside the door. Each of these switches has a status light associated with it's condition (on/off). Lastly, I have one other 110VAC, 20 amp "controls" circuit supplying power to ther contactor coils, the Reznor heater, and to the yet-to-be-installed JET air cleaner that will be suspended from the ceiling. All wiring is run in 3/4" flexible conduit and is 12g THHN. yup, it's all commercial grade... |
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Enough of the shop for now, on to some tools. this is a 17" drill press badged "Foremost". It's known as a "Big Red" and this particular drill press, has a pedigree!!. This was purchased by JET tools, and used for a little reverse engineering. It was then re-assembled, and sold out the back door. I picked it up for $250, and it's served well. I have replaced the V-belts with Link Belt, and even though I have a dedicated mortise machine, I also have an attachment for this should I need it. The machine has something like 16 speeds, but I tend to use two; On, or Off....! Those are a few Bessey clamps sitting in the corner, waiting for me to build a rack for them. The slab leaning against the wall, is a nice piece of red cedar from Savary Island off the coast of BC Canada. |
$250 seems to be a popular number, as that's what I paid for this little workhorse as well. Most poeple have a 14" band saw, this is a 12". I usually run a 1/2" 3TPI hooked tooth blade on it, and it will resaw 6" stock all day long. I also run a 1/4" 8 TPI, So far, I favor the Olson All-Pro low-tension blades, though the Timberwolf blades are a close second. On the bottom "shelf" is a high-sided fence I built for resawing, as well as my "firewood" cutter. For those of you thinking about getting into woodworking, let me warn of one of the side effects, you will never again walk past your friends wood pile, without a sideways glance!! It's amazing how much beautifull wood gets burned. I made this little sled to allow me to "slab" small pieces to see what's inside. Yes, the reports of me running back to my vehicle with a piece of w ood under my armpit are all true.... !--end heading_11--> |
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When designing the shop, I gave a bunch of thought to the work flow. In a nut shell, the rough stock comes in the double doors, and is stored on the lumber rack. It is then cross cut to rough length either via the miter saw, or the (yet to be installed) radial arm saw. It is then jointed on one edge, and if required, on one face. following jointing, the stock is planed, and ripped, moved to the workbench where the final cutting to length and detail work is done. With this in mind, and also keeping in mind that the shop has three dimensions, I was able to place equipment. Here you can see the Delta 22-560 12 1/2" planer and the Rigid oscilating spindle/belt sander. Just behind these, you can see the fence of the JET 6" jointer (yup, paid $250 for that too...). The work surface of the planer is over the jointer, allowing them to share a common space. The Uni-strut from the ceiling carries both 110VAC and 220VAC in 3/4" flexible conduit, and will also carry the dust collection piping when I finish the install. As the layout will be "dynamic" for a while, I've chosen to use portable work tables instead of a "real" cabinet. When the layout is final, I'll build everything in. |
Like many of my tools, this lathe has a story. It's an older Rockwell model 46-111 4-speed lathe, and it was given to me by a friend and fellow woodworker. Yup, given. It didn't look like this though, for it was one of the few survivors of a house fire in his home. He fell victim to the spontaneous combustion of (linseed) oily rags, and his shop was totalled. The house survived, but all the contents needed replacing. He gave me the lathe, but it was in sad shape. I rebuilt it, with new bearings and other components, cleaned it up and painted it (yes, the colors are original!!), and gave it a new home. This same lathe has since spawned a "garage" based business in Vancouver, Canada, (He came, he played, he smiled and he left) so it's not done with us yet. I'm new on the lathe, and have learned the hard way about it's propencity to toss perfectly good wood at you if you don't pay attention, but I enjoy every minute spent at it. |
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Hey, you'll never guess what I paid for this JET 6" jointer!! OK, I told you earlier so you had a hint. This little thing, like the 12" band saw, is a workhorse. It took me a while to figure out how to set it up, and there are times I wish I had a longer bed on it, but if I open the door (yes, I said open the door) I can joint the edge of an eight foot stick straight as an arrow in no time!! I've re-wired it to use 220VAC because, well, because I could... What you don't see, are the two cow magnets stuck to the back side of the jointer fence. These are cylindrical magnets, about 1/2" in diameter and 2 1/2" long, with spherical ends. I use them to set the jointer blades, the cows had to swallow them so that any wayward iron they happened to chew on, clung to the magnets, and didn't get "passed". Yes, mine are used....If you look to the right, you'll see a Shop-Vac sticking out. This was a great deal...I picked it up for $10 at a garage sale last summer and I was mighty proud. Then, I spent $25 on a HEPA filter to keep the dust down, and another $24 on the hose kit. Leave it to me to "hop up" a beater vacuum cleaner... |
The heart of the shop... My JET 10" Table saw was also purchased "used" and was a great buy (no, I didn't pay \$250 for this one!!). I run a Forrest 10" Woodworker II thin kerf blade most of the time, and I use a CMT ripping blade if I'm serious about narrowing down a bunch of stock. I also swing a Freud 6" Super Dado, and I love all three blades. When using the WWII, I use a zero-clearance insert. the fence has been drilled and tapped for yellow Board Buddies. I use these every time I rip long stock, or run sheet stock through it. The JET fence, although stock, is well tuned and dead accurate. There may be better fences out there, but this one's never let me down. I built an extension wing on the right side of the saw, and have mounted my Bosch 1617EVS router in it permanently. The phenolic table insert (shown) will soon be replaced by an aluminum one as the phenolic has sagged. I use Rocklers fence, and let in a couple pieces of T-track to the table to clamp the fence down to. I can also use the table saw fence if I choose. Bit storage and "stuff" storage is in a couple of drawers under the table. Keen eyes will notice the floor mounted power (110VAC and 220VAC), as well as the under-floor dust collection. The bench in the background is the one featured in Fine Woodworking Magazine, and has served me well. When I consider I spent $130 in material for it, it's served me even better! |
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I picked this brute up at a show and got a good price on it. It's a Grizzly 1029 2hp unit with 1500cfm, and 10.3"WC static pressure. It's in the shop temporarily utill it moves out to the lean to (next photo). Out there, it will have two of these cyclone separators and will be remotely operated by one of the switches I mentioned above. Look closely, and you'll see the pipe heading into the floor. This is the run that come up under the table saw. This unit replaced one half it's size, and does a great job of keeping the shop clean and my lungs void of wood chips. |
And this is the out-building's outbuilding. In here will be housed the compressor (shown) as well as the dust collector (look left). I have yet to insulate the space, but have all the materials. You can see the hole for the return air just inside and up. All the spiral pipe (5" and 4" diameters) at the end of the lean-to is for the dust collection system. It's all commercial grade spiral, and I'm having all the fittings made up over the next month or so. The outlets on the wall are switched remotely from the switches inside the shop; one for the compressor, and one for the dust collector. |
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