Replies

1. 
   DougF | Jul 17, 2006 11:55pm | #1

   More than once I've hunkered down on the shop stool with a cup of fresh hot coffee, NPR in the background, not a project on the bench and simply enjoyed the early morning quite.  If I got even more comfortable I'm afraid I would start to feel really guilty :-)

2. 
   joinerswork | Jul 18, 2006 12:25am | #2

   dcp,

   The professional's name for this is "the moaning chair".  I was using mine just this afternoon for example- when I discovered that the mahogany veneered and inlaid demilune table I was stripping to refinish has a PLASTIC molding around the bottom edge of the apron.  Had to sit down for a bit after that revelation, before rising to pull it off and run a couple strips of mahogany astragal, one of which I hope to bend, glue and nail into place without splitting it.

   Cheers,

   Ray Pine

1. 
   Floss | Jul 18, 2006 02:37am | #5

   Ray,Sometimes I would consider myself lucky to find "PLASTIC" on some of the repairs I do. There have been more than several, say 5 times in as many months, that I have run into folks using mortar to fill cracks in pieces.Not to mention the multitudes of failed lacquer finishes that I run into which are all but impossible to repair.I often times find myself pacing outside while I determine what would be the next reasonable course of action. If I had a chair I may very well use it to...Oh well, suffice it to say that "PLASTIC" aint all that bad.Besides, I find a 25 year old Macallan much more soothing than any old chair would be, and after a few of those I wouldn't need one anyway.J.P.

   Edited 7/17/2006 7:41 pm ET by JP

1. 
   rivertoms | Jul 18, 2006 02:55am | #6

   I actually have two seats in the workshop.  A stool claimed from our kitchen after the remodel, which is a perfect countertop height, and fits up well against my TS outfeed/assembly table.  I also have an old castered office chair, which was wonderful when painting a lot of lattice work stock on a pair of low sawhorses. I could just roll around the stock with a paint brush and a small bucket.  Saved my back from constant bending.  However, both seats need to be moved around a lot, as my basement shop is quite small.

1. 
   sapwood | Jul 18, 2006 04:32am | #7

   I wouldn't be without a comfortable chair. Sometimes the work requires quiet sketching or simple contemplation on a design point or next step. Sitting down is nice. There are also a couple of outdoor chairs just outside the shop door.

3. 
   BG | Jul 18, 2006 12:44am | #3

   dcp,

   I chop all my dovetails sitting in a kitchen chair...it's essential to production...(ahem!) 

1. 
   philjohnwilliams | Jul 19, 2006 05:47pm | #14

   i use a roll around desk chair while chopping dovetails. never have to get up to get another tool, just roll. and i thought i was the only one who sat to chop dovetails

   -pjw

1. 
   deirdresm | Jul 20, 2006 09:40am | #18

   I sit to do a lot of things, including planing smaller pieces. And chopping dovetails, though not usually when sawing them. I can't stand for a long time, so I make do. :)

1. 
   philjohnwilliams | Jul 20, 2006 05:36pm | #20

   i tried sawing dovetails seated not long after realizing i could chop them this way. one bad cut convinced me to get off my butt for the saw work.

4. 
   SawdustSteve | Jul 18, 2006 12:46am | #4

   In my shop I have an old 'bar-stool' with a padded seat and swivel top, but no back to it. It's just the right height that I can use it at my workbench to take the strain off my feet, but it also serves as a good place for visitors to sit and stay out of the way while I work. I found this particular, chrome-leg, over-stuffed seat at the curb one day. It was a bit too tall, but 5 minutes with a pipe cutter brought it to the exact height that is comefortable for me.
   So... Yes, a seat is needed, but it has to take up very little floor space. SawdustSteve

5. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jul 18, 2006 04:58am | #8

   When your hungry.. eat! When your thirsty.. drink! When your tired.. sit down in your shop chair and rest!

   Regards...

   SARGE.. g-47

6. 
   gmoney | Jul 18, 2006 05:22am | #9

   a nice stool of the right height can also be used at the scroll saw.

7. 
   PADDYDAHAT | Jul 18, 2006 09:01am | #10

   DCP, I have an old office chair for reading and contemplation, an auto store cheapie short rolling adjustable stool for machine set up and assembly, a plaster pail with a hard plastic seat stuck in the top and a Home Despot wood stool for the bench when sharpening etc. When the day is done it's the porch swing and a little 12+ year old Irish Red Breast single pot still. Regds, Pat

8. 
   BarryO | Jul 18, 2006 11:22am | #11

   I lucked out in Goodwill a couple of years ago.  Got an adjustable-height stool, complete with wheels and an adjustable back, for about $20.  'probably would have been ~$150 new.  It's been a pretty handy shop chair.

9. 
   TrueGentleman | Jul 18, 2006 12:18pm | #12

   The very first thing I made was a  Table/stool to sit on!!! I also use it as a squat assemble table.  It comes in handy.  The very first thing I do in the morning is sit in my chair, drink my coffee and think of the tasks for the day.  It is one of my favorite times in the day.   Lets face it... we all love to sit and think about our work...It is a pre requisite to being a woodworker I think.  While I am not married...It still is my space and escape...How do I get the fridge in there I wonder????

   Best of luck in your new shop :)

   Rich

10. 
    pmmatty | Jul 19, 2006 02:47pm | #13

    I wouldn't be without a chair in my shop. No big deal; just one of those fold up outdoor chairs you can buy for cheap.   But when I want to look at plans or just thing about a little problem I like to take a load off for 5 minutes, put my feet up on the workbench, figure it out, and go back to work.  Where is it written that you can't relax for a couple of minutes.  It is supposed to be fun, not work.

11. 
    Cheatah | Jul 19, 2006 09:16pm | #15

    DCP:

    I have an old wooden chair that is at least 50 years old-- covered in about 12 layers of paint. It is the shop chair and I sit in it all the time to contemplate projects. Often I find myself in the shop thinking and thinking on all types of subjects--not related to woodworking.

    My shop is my space and I feel quite comfortable there. I find myself reflecting all the time on my life, family, and the future.

    I was glad to see you start this thread and get responses. I thouhgt I was only fool that sat in the shop and did my thinking there.

    Take care,

     

    Cheatah

     

    Thank you,

    Cheatah

12. 
    Rennie | Jul 19, 2006 09:47pm | #16

    I must be missing out on something. I have no chair in my shop.

    Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral.
    Frank Lloyd Wright

1. 
   dcp | Jul 19, 2006 11:11pm | #17

   Thanks to all that have responded. I was wondering about how common it was because for all of the research I've done and all of the shop layouts I've reviewed, I've never seen space allocated to a chair.

   I certainly wish I could respond to BG and philjohnwilliams and say that I use the chair to sit while I handcut dovetails. Unfortunately, I am no-where near that sophisticated in my joinery. (MT joint using a router is as far as I've gone.)

   Instead, I am more likely to sit to think about plans for the shop or the imaginary project I would like to build. I can relate to DougF and Cheatah that I use the chair in the shop as a place to relax and ponder things related to wood or not. The shop itself has become a wonderful escape. Earlier this year, after I Drylok-ed the walls, but before I moved any tools downstairs, my 7 year-old came down with the phone. She said to the caller... "Yeah, mom's here, she's in the shop staring at the walls". Technically, she was right... It did appear that I was just staring, but to me, I was dreaming of building great things.

   I'll keep the chair and I think it'll be well worth the space.

   Thanks for your replies.

1. 
   philjohnwilliams | Jul 20, 2006 05:34pm | #19

   just because i hand cut dovetails doesn't mean i'm any good at it!  lol

   just for the record, i use the veritas dovetail guide and saw. some will say that a guide is cheating, but it has allowed me to do handcut joinery.