What kind of workshop do you have?
- Basement under 500 sq. ft.
- Basement over 500 sq. ft.
- One-car garage
- Two-car garage or larger
- Dedicated building
- Other
- No shop of my own
You will not be able to change your vote.
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Replies
May just be me or my PC but the graph appears all weird. Basement over 500 square feet is 0 votes, but is the longest. Thing is, I voted for basement over 500 square feet.
Does not compute ...
Hmm. third time I looked the graph corresponds to the data ... never mind
Edited 2/15/2006 1:19 pm ET by Piccioni
Wow, I'm amazed at the predominance of basement shops! Makes sense, I guess, just didn't realize that was the majority.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Well - my basement shop is temporary, until I build my dream shop!
Made the mistake of putting money into a Quonset hut. It leaks like a sieve, can't be heated, etc., so I'll have to tear that down and build something else ...
piccioni, unless you just want to, you don't have to replace the quonset hut. use a good weatherproof sealer around all seams and bolt holes. then fasten strips of wood (or metal studs?) to the inside of the hut as a foundation for thin paneling that can be curved. the paneling will allow you a space to hold insulation. newguy2
Thanks, but I figure thats good money after bad. Unless I am completely sure it is sealed (including from condensation) any wool insulation will go bad. I could spray with foam, but mui $$$
I'd rather swallow my pride, admit my mistake, tear it down, and build a proper structure in its place. I had a weathertight, insulated barn of the same size (complete with windows!) built for less than the Quonset hut cost delivered.
Plus the barn has more userful space and an upstairs ...
yeah man, i hear you! the barn w/2nd story is nice, and maybe you can set the hut up for weekend visits from the in-laws? that way it's not a total loss.
health problems for my wife and i has caused a necessary downsizing in our lifetyle the last year. so i have gone from a 20'X24' with covered areas outside the shop for wood storage, to a 9'X14' steel storage shed for a shop. by some miracle, i've almost fitted a working wood shop into this. in the spring( i have emphysema and find it too difficult to work outdoors in the winter) i am going to build a 8'X14' addition to the shed, and then build a frame around the steel shed, and this will give me a 596 sqft shop, which is still workable for custom work. it'll be interesting building a foundation part on concrete, and part on 4X4 posts set on concrete pylons set in the ground.
anyway, i'd be interested in hearing what you end up doing. please post and let me know. jack moore
Girl, don't you know the mushroom theory of management? Keep dem in the dark and feed dem B.S (BASEMENT STUFF). Best regds, Pat
I used to work somewhere like that -- just didn't know it had a name! ;>)forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I just figured most of the responders are NOT from the West Coast - just try to find a basement in Southern California! (LOL)
Bob
"just try to find a basement in Southern California! (LOL)" Heaven forbid they should do something that conserves space and reduces sprawl! (I was born down there; absolutely hate the place and the attitude that everything is infinite. Go down to visit relatives about once every 5 years. Yuck.)forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I too was born here (many decades ago). Actually, I like the place - it's the people I have a hard time with. (Lots of folks down here are extremely self-centered). It was better when I was a kid - and there were basements back then. Mostly in houses built around 1900, and in the Pasadena area.
Bob
"many decades ago" Me too ;>) in Orange County back when there were orange groves. Don't remember too much about our house though. Moved when I was 7 and went back when I was 12.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I have the second floor shop over a 24' x 40' 3 bay garage. It's great, but sure wish I had put in a trap door with a hoist when we built it. Getting a 800+lbs planer and 400# jointer upstairs was a neat trick. I'll leave for my kids to deal with in the far (I hope) future.Chet
"I'll leave for my kids to deal with in the far (I hope) future." Too funny! Can't you put one in now??? Or you just plain want to play that joke on them, LOL
Brings to mind some of the estate auctions I've been to over the years, conducted on-site at the deceased's home. We won the bid on a big storage cabinet once, then after the auction was over discovered that it couldn't be gotten out the door of the basement. There are some pieces (huge pianos and bigger stuff) the auctioneer always makes crystal clear are the bidder's responsibility to remove -- he wants his son to be absolved from volunteering to help.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Well....
From the regular FWW "Shops and Tools" issue it was my impression that all American WWs had one of only two kinds of shop - those that can be seen from space and the bigger ones. :-)
In England, sheds (as we like to call them) are generally about dog-house size and often used by lady-wifes to underline the status of the husband of the household. ("Get to your shed, you old rascal")!
So, it's a surprise to find that some in the States have to make do with a mere one car garage.
But then your cars are all 50 foot long by 12 foot wide with tailfins, as I remember. And then there's those HumVees and giant trucks! (I was priviledged to ride in such a Monster when last in Nevada - a whole 3 miles to the gallon).
Please excuse the green tinge of this post. As you will have gathered I am entirely envious, especially when I've just taken ten minutes to wriggle from one end of my 18 foot shed to the other and collected another bruise from the bandsaw table corner on the way.
Still, I'm not as badly-off as a friend, who has to unload and repack his 6ft X 8ft shed every time he wants to use a different machine.
Gradually you become hunched and mutter at the machines in a bad-tempered way.
Careful, they might send the governator after you :-)
Wow, that's a blast from the past!!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I had my workshop in basements before and I finally got to build a workshop all by it's self it's not too big but it is seperate. It is 8x32 ft.
that,s okay. i've had whole weeks like that. gets worse with age. newguy2
My shop so small
I have to share it with mice and the 'bugs' in my hardwood!
Hi Ruth,
I responded to Other, as my shop is 16' x 24'. Being on the second floor has the advantage of locating the dust collector on the first floor underneath. Gravity sure helps a lot!
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
Use whatever tool needed to Git 'r Done!
hi
i'm workshop is 6 metre by 20 metre ( SORRY ABOUT THE METRIC)
its great but more machines means more floor space which mean business rates but it would be nice to have a small closed off area away from the machines for a few nice traditional benches to work quietly away on
the biggest problem is i have to share the workshop with my employees who mess it up disrespect it and not just blunt there own tools and leave them unsharpened but mine aswell
but when 5 o clock comes around its all mine till the next day i eat every meal in there and would live there if my girlfriend let me.
if theres one gift in life mine would be a my workshop.
Nice shop size!
My dedicated building has a concrete floor with built-in radiant heat. Shop size is 25 feet X 4o feet. There is a 12 foot X 25 foot covered and enclosed on three sides lumber storage area and the shop has a garage door loading platform at pickup tailgate level for easy access when moving very heavy equipment and/or loading finished goods for delivery to the client.
Mine is a one man operation.
Hi Bob
My shop is in the basement also and I have a long window that let,s in a lot of natural light it over looks the lake here in Mo. .We bulit this houese 8 yrs. ago and this shop is doubled from my other shop I use to have.
All my tools, some are mobeil and some stationary. With a long bench along the window.I read A SHOP BUILT AROUND AN ISLAND by Allan DeVilbiss and beleive I will be redesigning my shop to an islland with a dust collector in it.I realy need a dust collector I do not have one now.
LARRY
Like Bob I voted other. After to many years in the basement when we built a new house I designed it with a below grade two car garage which allowed for a 500 square foot second floor shop with a large loft under the 12/12 pitch roof. It is great to be high and dry. Now the shop is getting to small.
Lyle and Bob,My "other" is also above the garage, about 400 sqft. I am putting in below-the-floor dust collection now. Hey Bob, any pictures of your DC system?Todd
Should have had an option for "Basement under 120 sq.ft." for people like me. :-)
Ditto, my shop is 10X18. Nice and cozy.
I posted a shop basement 500+ but it is really a two car garage and basement under a three b'room ranch 24x48 with an end entry and fully dedicated. I saw no other choice as I assumed the garage entry meant a free standing shop? I am curious how yor can correlate these. Pat
Hi Ruth, I live here in central Georgia & have an old restored Barn as a nice and comfortable working area,wife & self did the restore together,heated & cooled,it is 24' x 48' and still need more room. Rickk
I bet at one time we've all been in a few of those options.
Started in single car garage, then basment, then another basement with only 6 foot ceiling (watch your head), back to a single car garage and presently a beautiful 3.5 car garage with a 14 foot ceiling.......only have to make sure my wifes car gets in and store boating "stuff".... It's a good shop....Love it.
Sailho
I am in the process of moving into a 400 sqft building behind my house--Brand new, outlets on every stud, insulation, drywall, the works. Just bought dust collection. Back off now, Jealousy is a deadly sin.
Here's a pic of mine from the outside. The vines on the end would have grown all the way to the top if the trellis had gone that far up.RonEdited 2/24/2006 8:02 am ET by Ronaway
Edited 2/24/2006 8:03 am ET by Ronaway
Very nice - I like the attention to detail.I will be moving to a farm in tne next 5 to 10 years. Currently, I work in a basement that is not 7 feet tall and is well under 150 SF. It has led to some funny and not so funny episodes. The worst (or best) was my first major project. I in my stupdity bbuilt an insert for a hall pantry in the basement. It was beautiful. The best work I had done to that time and I was so proud of it. Well, my partner and I couldn't get it up the stairs and out the door . . . . . so after much bluing of the air I had to relent and cut the piece in half.So, next year we will rebuild our garage to a 2 1/2 but build it as a shop with the uppper level for storage leaving the main level for the shop. We will build it well and make sure that for the next people we will have a garage for their SUV. But, in the interim we will have work space for my work and for my partner to build his bikes.At the farm, a new dilemma. We will build a house and the question is attached or unattached. I would actually like to have it attached to save heating two spaces and would like to build it like a living space with windows etc. This would again make it usable space for future owners. I guess that initially, I may have the shop attached and then once the majority of the work is accomplished then build a free standing space separate from the house. Lots of work and lots of fun.I would like to see some writing on HOW to plan a workshop and how to think about workshops in terms of flow. Just as an example, I have seen writing about horizontal and vertical alignment in shops where working surfaces are mostly at the same level so that one surface becomes an outfeed table etc.Sorry to be so long windedMark
Mark it's funny that you should mention the correlation between shop and house. We are presenty under contruction of a house that has all the same features and details of the shop. We live in Georgia but have always loved the rural New England architecture, you can probably imagine that structures such as ours sorta stand out in this part of the world. Getting the cupola on the top of the building was quite an adventure.RonEdited 3/1/2006 8:47 pm ET by Ronaway
Edited 3/1/2006 10:48 pm ET by Ronaway
I know what you mean about the outfeed table idea. When I built my worktable I made it just the right height so that I can put my table saw at the head of the bench and have the entire table as an outfeed. Considering the table has a 4 x 8 top this arrangement works well for sheet goods and whatnot. I have a 2 1/2 car garage that I use for a shop. It normally works rather well except that my wife wants to start putting the car in there during the winter, I'm not too fond of that idea myself. We will be moving out of this rental and into our own house next month, I will be downsizing from a 2 1/2 garage to a 2 car garage, so bye bye 4 x 8 table! I'm thinking about cutting it in half lengthwise and using it for new benches along the garage walls.
I had an electrician come out and run an extra circuit out from the panel into the garage, then ran 4 extra outlets down the length of each side of the garage. I dont require a lot of draw, as I am a one man show, and only one tool is on at any given moment. This is in my house i am renting, which doesnt have finished walls in the garage. The new garage has finished drywall already in place, and has the office and spare bedroom above it, so I am not sure how to run good power throught it. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Wow!
What a beautiful building and setting.
Does the building have a cathedral ceiling or have you built in a storage loft?
The building has a very nice storage loft, and it's really a good thing because our children are young adults now and every time one of them passes thru the storage loft accumilates a bit more stuff. Maybe one day they will become property owners and will come get their stuff. Yeah like that's ever gonna happen.Ron
Ronaway, your shop is very similar to mine except the door. I just moved about a year and a half ago to a historic area in Central PA. We were hoping to get one of the historic homes, but eventually bought a newer one. Since one of my requirements was an outbuilding or shop, I got to build one. It also helped that all my tools are in the basement which leaves no room for anything else.
I started building a 16'x24' two story colonial barn in June 05 and am near completion. I had a little help in spots, but for the most part built it myself. Many were telling me to go bigger, but in a way glad I didn't. It was a lot of hard work but definitely worth it. When complete, I'll post some pics. I can't wait to be done and actually doing woodworking.
I still haven't decided on heating type yet. Most likely propane direct vent.
My wife seems to think that I wouldn't move anywhere else now since I built my shop. Actually, I would if I could find the house I really wanted and build another shop like the one I have now.
Greetings to all;
I also built a 400 sq. ft. shop in my back yard about three years ago . Now I'm bursting at the seams. I need another 400 sq.ft. I have dedicated circuits for all power tools (ie) dust collector, air compressor, electric welder, 220, and 110, lots and lots of light. Don't forget safety, you must have fire extinguishers and fire proof cabinets for flammable liquids (code requirements here).
BMW50
I suppose I will be bursting at the seams in 5-10 as well, but when you move from a 12x15 space in a basement with 80 inch cielings to 28X15 with ten foot clearance and real windows one feels like throwing some elbows around. I can actually get an uncut sheet of ply indoors! to get bigger, I'll have to buy the lot next door. First Project--storage for all the new stuff for which I now have room. And that Mare's nest of drop cords is a comedic memory. I'm having fun again after years in a cave. Hope you are, too.
Jim
I have a 3 car garage and mostly use 1 bay, occasionally 2. Starting to outgrow it.
I have 2 shops. One on my 200 square metres "appartment". A little room for manual operations.
The other one is on my mother in law "Finca" just 15 km from my home, where i have all the machines.
regards from Spain.
Hello,
My shop is a pre-fab concrete shed about 9'x12' set on ground level. I removed one wall and installed a big window so I can work from inside out. All the machines are on wheels so I can roll them out or set them next to the window.
It's a long process to start working (and closing by the end of the day) but its only a hobby so I don't mined.
Yona
If I had 500 sq. ft., It would be like moving to the Pentagon. I die laughing at the woodworking pubs articles about small shops. The "small shops" they show could swallow three, four or five of mine. If I was truly 6' tall and not 5'11" and some fraction, I couldn't stand up without bumping my head. I still bump it on some of the lower pipes. Better than nothing, though.
Approx. 1000 sq.ft., Basement shop in 1889 house, with bulkhead access. Better than no shop. My biggest " Wine "; even with plenty of overhead fluorescent lights; there's nothing light natural light.
My shop is 36'x16'x9' on the interior. Concrete slab, stick built, wood siding. Three 12"x4' windows laid hoizontaly, evenly spaced out on the lake side 36' wall. Two roll up doors, one on each 16' wall on the ends of the building. 2coats of two part industrial epoxy on the slab. In a light silverish/grey color to reflect light. Peg board walls down both 36' walls. 2 ton hv/ac system. 1000 amp service. Since I'am the only one running equip, I figured that should be fine for now. High out put 8' fixtures. And a 26' long work bench. The shop was a while in the planning stage, mostly where to get the money to build it. But with the loan of a framing carpenter, from a builder friend of mine, we put it up in 11 days. ( The pad was already poured ) I've tried to up load pics but they're too big a file. I need to find a way to up load thumbnails, I guess, so they won't be so big. I've out fitted with Festool, PC, Jessum, and Ridged.
If you visit my website you can see a little of the shop in the gallery pics of a few things that I've built for clients. woodconversionagent.com
Thank you for reading this, as you can tell I'am real proud of this shop becuase it took me years to get it.
Try irfanview. It's a freeware image utility that will allow you to make smaller image files from many different file formats. You can find it by Googling "irfanview".
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
Kidderville, NH
Use whatever tool needed to Git 'r Done!
Thank you Bob, I'll look for it tonight. And maybe I'll figure out how to use it. Some of these programs can be so difficult to me. Just did get the digital camera and printer station from Christmas up and running. Whoa!
I got insanely lucky. I moved into an old farm house with a Civil War Era Country Store on the property. The first and second floors measure approx. 48x20 each, with a 48x10 addition. The main room on the first floor is lined with shelves on both walls. I am still in the process of setting it up. This weekend, I just finished a shopbuilt, ceiling mount blade/dust guard for my table saw. My next projects are to run ductwork for a dust collection system. I am not sure exactly how to run it, but it is a fun problem to have.
This may help someone out there ...
New (smaller) house 6 yrs ago, 1/4 of lot reserved for future purpose-built shop - never in the basement again! With most of the embellishment projects finished, I got serious last year about building the shop at target of about 900sqft. Uh-huh - 900sq ft at not less than $50/ft is about $45,000. Add copious 220v wiring and 200A panel, shelving, and on and on, and I was easily into $50,000+. No way to translate that into net actual increase in property selling value.
$50k just seemed "a bit much" to spend on my private domain, no matter how much time I spend in it. We're in our 60's, and I reasoned that with only 1 car (and my truck outside), our 3-car garage (perhaps 750+/ sqft) was marginally tight but OK for use as shop. And, there it sat fully insulated, sheetrocked, painted, etc., but full of a lifetime's aggregation of lawn tools, fertilizers, sprays ... about like yours, most likely. Not all projects are huge - would only occasionally have to put the car outside when I'm in there.
Compromise? I built a large-ish 10x20x8 storage "shed" (actually rather nice and looks like a miniature house with a gabled roof, 4x10 added porch, paint, etc.) for about $4500 all told, or less than 1/10th the cost of a dedicated shop. Bugproof, waterproof, ventilated, skirted, and has partial heated space for water-based products. Painted interior all white, and added about 400 lin/ft of shelving, plus pegs and hooks and mounts, etc. Even my wife likes to go in there because it's organized, neat, clean, and looks friendly. It's filled to the rafters, and the garage is emptied of that collection of householder necessaries.
When we built the place, I had a 400A service roughed-in, even though only a 200A panel was installed for the house .... so as to leave 200A available for the anticipated shop. It's on a garage wall, and all I need do is add another 200A panel for shop use (and of course add surface troughs to disstribute both 220 and 110.)
The two major disadvantages are that 1) the floor is sloped for drainage and 2) the concrete floor is hard on edges if they're dropped. Am using custom shims and adjusters to allow machinery to be moved when needed, and a *lot* of foam mats.
Regards,
---John
=======================================================
"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone
monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."
---Pericles
Edited 3/16/2006 1:35 am by PJohn
My shop for the last 5 years has been a boat shed 18X30. Last year I poured a 49'6"X51' X6" concrete foundation and put up a commercial steel structure on it. There are no interior walls and I am excited to be moving into it in about 6 weeks. It will be nice to have 5 times more space with 12 foot eve heights and of course, new machinery with room to spare. I'll post pics when its finished. aloha, mike
Untidy and TOO SMALL!
two car garage (workshop) fight with wife for shop, her car must go in garage at night and rainy or snowy days, hampers shop layout. But peace and tranquilty is a must.
OK there's my vote.
11x 20 basement shop with 6.5 ceilings. By the way I'm 6'1" , even had to move duct work around! O how I dream of a 2 car garage !
Eric
I'm currently converting a 2300 sq foot garage into my home. reserved about 600 square feet for the shop. With 10-12 foot unobstructed ceilings. I'm still building the house, so the shop is full of materials etc. Can't even set up the tools and organize everything. I have three rescued 19th century grand pianos I am very anxious to restore when the house is complete. But as we all know, You're never done. Just on to the next thing on the list.
Neil
I'm lucky enough to have a 28' x 42' work shop at work. I recentky hired on as a carpenter for a window manufacturer here in the midwest and I get to build plywood boxes, cabinets, anything the lines want, I build it. I also get to build some oak projects from time to time. It's loaded with new and some used tools, the table saw is a Delta Industrial Unisaw 5HP 460 wired. My wood rack holds 20 sheets of 3/4" Plyron, 20 sheets 3/4" AC plywood, 20 sheets 1/2" AC plywood, 10 sheets tempered 1/4" masonite, 10 sheets tempered 1/8" masonite, 10 sheets 1/8" Marlite "dry erase board", 10 sheets 1/4" Lexan and 10 sheets 1/8" Lexan, it is over 6' tall and is made of steel. My deminsional wood rack holds 2"x6", 2"x4", 1"x6" and 1"x 4" all 16' in length and I can stand them on end and not even come close to the ceiling. I even get paid to go there everyday.
Life is good,
Saw
Dear Saw,
And they say Utopia doesn't exist!!!!!!!
Edited 4/21/2006 8:25 pm ET by RyanC
Oh brag, brag---------- Envy Envy.
tinkerer2,
There is a down side to having a job like this, I don't have the urge to go down to my basement shop. There I have two Craftsman Contractor Table Saws and a sliding miter saw. I haven't flipped the switch on my table saws since the 9th of January when I was hired. Another downside is that I now want to upgrade to a cabinet saw for my shop, one reason is I'm comfortable with the one at work and that brings up some safety issues switching between different saws. I don't mean to brag but I do feel lucky having a job that I do enjoy and look forward to going to work.
Saw
600 SQF WON'T BE ENOUGH.
JJBX
Is it ever enough? I'd love to have the whole 2300 square feet be the shop, But each shop I've had was bigger than the last, so I'll enjoy the enlarged space, next time i'll shoot for 1000.
If I could get rid of the snowblower, rotortiller & lawnmower I would have alot more room. But, you buy more things & then you don't have any room. It doesn't help me that I'm a packrat, can't seem to pitch thing out when I should.LOL
JJB
I have a 18X30 ft basement shop. I have some windows, but I'd like more.
I have outside access to through the garage, and a regular stairway to the
living quarters of our house. It's a cozy place to work in the summer or winter.
Ruth,
basement over 1500 sq.ft. could have been listed in leu of a seperate building..
My shop is 36'X14', with a shed roof, from 6' up to 10'. It sits on concrete footings, is heated by wood only, and is powered by batteries powered by solar/wind/generator. It faces south with lots of windows on that side. It is way to narrow, and I plan on adding 10-12 feet on the width. I have a General TS, Porter Cable router, Delta planner, bandsaw and jointer. Numerous hand tools,and Sirius satellite radio, and a comfortable chair.
Edited 12/12/2006 12:48 pm by skidoo
My shop is 28x40 dedicated with a upper storage floor 20x40 and an 8 x 36 foot lean for drying wood.
Inside shots
http://www.superwoodworks.com/Projects/ShopShots.htm
View Image
http://www.superwoodworks.com
Hi Ruth,
I answered single car garage, though I really partitioned off one bay of a three car garage to contain noise and dust. I think I am 11x22 for 242. Still need to add a/c and dust collection to get year round use out of it. Driven to small footprint or benchtop tools. I have access to the woodshop at the local junior college so if I need to plane or joint something big I can do that for about $3.00 an hour. I can't beat that price.
Regards,
Ken
"Do as you would be done by." C.S. Lewis
But that is really 1/2 of a two car garage. 1/2 is my workbench, safe, file cabinets, and two refrigerators so not much working room. The other 1/2 is where my wife parks her car at night. So - I have a Shopsmith that rolls in and out of the car spot. I have the jointer, planer, and bandsaw attachments. My drill press is mounted on my workbench. Portable power tools are stored on shelves.
My large assembly 'table' is a 4x8 sheet of plywood leveled on four sawhorses (that also fold out of the way when not in use.
The only problem is that every time I work I have to move something!
I have all of a 1/2 car garage and still in the same problems!
I move stuff every day and learned to live with it,,, I still have fun woodworking..
Edited 8/4/2009 5:42 pm by WillGeorge
I have a small, free standing 4,000 foot shop on the north shore of Greenlake, in Seattle.When Bambi, my main assistant gets in in the morning, she opens the skylights if it's above 75, checks the dewpoint, and records the humidity. When Lola gets in, they go through the wood pile, recording moisture content, and lay out the day's cut list. When Jade gets in, work starts in earnest, coffee is made, and the athlete of the crew, Jewel, keeps the wood coming and the place swept down.I haven't paid much attention to machinery since I turned the operations over to Big Mamma Rose, but as long as we keep up with production orders, I'm happy with the place.
How is it that you resurrected this thread after almost three years of inactivity? I don't even know how to access those old ones.
But I see that I never posted on my new work shop in this thread so here goes. The building is forty by forty two feet with two stories and full basement. It is a separate building and looks like a barn with gambrel roof and all. Two thirds of the main floor is dedicated to the main shop but the other third could easily be used for the shop also.
I plan to post more details on it shortly when I get more pictures and learn how to post them.
Other... dedicated two car garage and 1/2 basement in rear as house is on a slope... TILT.. ha.. ha...
Have a good day, ma'am...
Sarge..
Woodworkers' Guild of Georgia
Other : Converted 24'x48' Quonset style hog barn originally built around 1970, I started working on it in the summer of 2002 completely gutted and refinished the inside over a period of a few years as time and money permitted and still have things I would like to change, my tractor (a must on the farm) that you can see a little bit of in the one picture usually is parked inside great for throwing scraps in the bucket to haul to the burning pile and moving equipment and supplies. Have a great day everyone.
Mike
Holy Cow!
I'd get lost with all that space. What a nice setup, I'm envious.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Thanks Bob, it has been alot of work, but I think it was worth it.
Mike
Sarge - Directly below your plane shelves is an unfinished insert in the workbench. I understand the red drawer, but what is the other section on top of the red drawer? Trying to figure out why it is there. Always looking for great ideas to stea....ummm....borrow.
Kent
Atlanta
Ahh.... I decieved you.. my steath tactics are still there even though maybe not as sharp as they once were. ha.. ha...
I will have to explain this one. That area has been used in a number of ways over the last ten years. A chop-saw was once there.. a bench mortiser was once there and both had a drawer underneath you think you see but... you don't really. That is now a fake drawer front as I used the face of the real drawer when it was really there.
I boxed in the drawer which at this point had an open top after I got an industrial floor mortiser and the chop-saw went replaced by a SCMS on a very mobile cabinet stand. So.. look carefully at the now top and you will see a break line but.. you can't see the small hinges that are inset at that break.
So.. bottom line is the rear of that top to the break line is attached. The front portion goes out to the edge and has a drop-down piece with a handle as that front top now lifts and swings back. It takes less space and is easier to use than pulling out a drawer. I keep router wrenches.. collets.. and a host of other things I don't necessarily use daily there but want to find quick when I do use them.
Just read this carefully and then go back and study the picture. Just a result of evolution over time than an original design with a set purpose even though it serves me well for what I use it for. I am not a huge fan of drawers anyway if there is another way.
Back to my October-fest table... hold the beer while the blades are spinning.. :>)Sarge..
Woodworkers' Guild of Georgia
I hate waking up...
I don't know how you can go on in those working condtions.
Mike
I struggle on, somehow.But then the alarm clock goes off, and I go back to my shop in the basement.
Darn alarm clocks anyway.
Mike
Edited 8/6/2009 12:31 am ET by mikeddd
Other = Patio/balcony second floor condo with primary workbench and tablesaw in kitchen.
And, yes, my friends do find this a bit odd!
Yes well I have no room living in a two bed room unit. I happened to join a locomotive preservation group. This group needed a Foundry Pattern maker. So my shop is shared with a number of 12 inch to the foot scale Locomotives and coaches.
"12 inch to the foot scale Locomotives and coaches."
Come on now. Do you really have full scale locomotives and coaches in your shop?
Dear Tinker3 Yes I certainly do have a Broad Gauge ie 5 Foot 3 inch gauge six Foot Drivered 4-6-4 loco in my shop. Actually one could say that I don't own the ground but it is my shop. The shop started with a 30 inch wheeled Band Saw. This came from a members son who's company could not sell it and it came to us as a gift. I have added a hybrid table saw. A new bench drill which had a table that was not square to the column. I fixed this problem. I have a very substantial overhead router powered by a die grinder. The primary use for this is accurately thicknessing timber for the construction of foundry patterns. A number of projects in progress are a oscillating spinal sander, an 18 inch disc sander and a router table. For the pattern making there is a 4 foot by 8 foot cast iron marking out table which is in two parts. Most of the machines are on wheels to avoid being run over by the locomotive. Yes the Loco does move. As I am from a machinist background there is a Lathe ,a milling machine, a Radial Arm Drill a shaper plus other ancillary gear. The shop is in two roads of the old Victorian Railways workshop at Newport so there is ample room. As long as I don't try to take over the whole joint. Yours N loco.
Now THAT all sounds very interesting- could you do some pictures?
Especially of the shaper which I assume is an engineering shaper. Do you have a surface grinder?Philip Marcou
Edited 8/9/2009 2:42 am by philip
Dear Philip, no there is no surface grinder but I would dearly like a slotter. There is no room for a big one but a 10 inch slotter would just about set the metal work shop up. The shaper has no name on it but I will try for some photos. But being an old fart I am not really up to this fancy IT stuff. But The Radial Drill is a 1956 Asquith in full working order. as is the Parkson NA mill and the lathe is a New Visby. An Australian made beast. The Parkson only has the vertical attachment. I am in the process of building a slotting attachment with a 5 inch stroke. This is an exercise for one of friends who wants to learn a bit about lathe work Yours Rod
Ruth,
Here is a "minority response". Certainly I am a "minority of 1" so I am not worth paying attention to. But in case FWW is interested in diversity of opinion, I'll share mine. If FWW is not interested, just disregard.
If one visits a high school and listens to the conversations, one hears the gamut. You will find girls talking about makeup, boys talking about girls, girls talking about boys, boys talking about cars, kids talking about music, etc etc etc. BUT IF YOU listen carefully, you may also hear some kids talking about the science fair, computer competitions, debate teams, etc.
If I were betting on the future, I'd stick with the kids who are talking math, computer programming, physics, debate teams, etc.
If one goes to Knots, one can find boys and girls talking about how big their shop is, whether or not to wear an apron in the shop, what type of floor covering is best in the shop, etc etc etc. This reminds me of high schoolers talking about rock music and wearing makeup.
The REALLY INTERESTING part of Knots to me, is the part that helps expand one's understanding of what is possible, the part which tets one excited about possibilities that one has not thought of before, the part in which real craftsmen show pieces they have developed, new techniques they have tried, and the results that ensue.
To me, a discussion of what size a person's workshop is, is about as interesting as finding out what lubricant that the winner of the tour de France uses on his bicycle.
Try an experiment:
First, read all of the responses in this thread.
Second, go to Rob Millard's website and peruse his furniture, and read about how he accomplished some of these masterpieces.
Now ask yourself: Which experience did you find to be most useful/fun/rewarding/exciting/provocative?
Knots is part of "Fine Woodworking". I look to FWW to challenge me, to excite me, to entice me to greater capability, and to design and make better furniture. I gotta tell ya: a thread on the size of people's shops does not fit the bill, IMHO.
I am not much on surveys. They are very hard to do well. They seem to be the things that journalists do on "slow news days". If you have to do surveys, why not canvas Knots readers to find out the type of surveys, if any, that they would like to see.
I meant this in a constructive way. I believe that FWW and Knots would be better off without any surveys. I haven't seen any that I thought were worth it. IF FWW wants to get involved in Knots in some way, there are so many wonderful things they could do. One would be to do a series of interviews with OUTSTANDING members of Knots. THese could be done over the phone. They would be as cheap do do as a survey, but the results could be quite interesting.
Why not do interviews with the professionals on Knots? Ray Pine, Richard Jones, Sarge Grinder, Old Dusty, Rob Millard, and ask them provocative questions about their work.
Hope you found this potentially useful. If I didn't care, I would not have taken the time to write. FWW is by far the best woodworking magazine in the world, and Knots is by far, the best woodworking forum. I'd like to see it be even better. That is why I took the time to make some suggestions.
Have fun.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
Come on, Mel. Lots of people like to see and hear about other people's shops. I wouldn't want a whole forum on them, but a thread or so and some pictures is fun.J
Can't tell you how many times I've stood in someone else's shop, looked at a jig/shop built machine/method/series/clamping system/bench or other mechanism and thought "oooh, I need me one of them... Of course, it will have to be a little taller, and the color's wrong, but when I build MINE..."
Mel,
" But in case FWW is interested in diversity of opinion, I'll share mine."
Breaking news, Mel has an opinion.
Pity us poor fools Mel who do not debate , who have limited math skills, Who can not write software, I had no idea how bleak a skilled tradesman life would be .
Mel you seem to consistently exhibit contempt for those whose interests you do not share, you deem their interests as shallow and in need of guidance. Why, could you not just scroll to the next topic that peaks your interest, that is what I do.
"Why not do interviews with the professionals on Knots? Ray Pine, Richard Jones, Sarge Grinder, Old Dusty, Rob Millard, and ask them provocative questions about their work"
What provocative questions would you ask the above mentioned in an interview that could not be asked in the current format on Knots any day of the week and has not been asked? Before the Internet the protocol for asking questions was to write the magazine and hope for a reply.
"Knots is by far, the best woodworking forum. I'd like to see it be even better. That is why I took the time to make some suggestions".
Nice backhand Mel, you are an expert at this. It is declared by you to be the best woodworking forum by far, yet your suggestions have the potential to elevate it to a utopian level.
"Now ask yourself: Which experience did you find to be most useful/fun/rewarding/exciting/provocative? "
Both, I enjoy doing both although according to you I should only do one.
All is not out of favor for you and I as I do enjoy a fair amount of your posts and have found your sense of humor most entertaining. ( The before and after Freddie pics with his new glider killed me.)
Well I must go back to my big shop / tool corral and continue my bleak existence.
Tom.
Mel you seem to consistently exhibit contempt for those whose interests you do not share, you deem their interests as shallow and in need of guidance.
I do NOT agree! I would never pass a test to get a job at NASA.. Not that smart!
Contempt from Mell.. Hardly.. I would think..
I for one that thinks he is NOT the bad man sits on the back porch with 12 gauge shotgun waiting for the devil to come onto his property as I thing you may do!
Far from it! Mel is a family man! That loves his grandbabies..
And you Gofigure ,, I hear the words but I do not uindersand your hate?
WillGeorge:Mel likes to stir up trouble. He apparently gets bored. He seems to really enjoy the threads where people tear into each other or some third party. He once somewhere said words to the effect (or at least I think I recall him saying), that he didn't learn much at Knots, but enjoyed the verbal cut and thrust.Anyway, that is what he is up to again. Why else would he make it his business to butt in and say that he thinks a thread that others enjoy is boring and unworthy? After all, it's no skin off his nose. All he has to do is ignore the thread. Joe
Edited 8/8/2009 7:49 pm ET by Joe Sullivan
Joe.. I do the same thing... But with poor English!
Will,
" I hear the words but I do not uindersand your hate?"
Hate is a very strong word, none here for Mel. As I said in my post I tend to enjoy Mel and always have. I have no doubt Mel is highly intelligent and personable as well as a sincere family man.
I personally do not care for it when the thread topic is What kind of workshop do you have? and Mel sees the need to point out in his opinion how mundane a topic he feels it is. If one has opinions and feels a strong enough desire to let the editors of FWW know them, then my thinking is to post them in the magazine feedback section.
Example: When the long thread was in its day I go in and post, We could as a whole be more adept woodworkers if we did not waste so much time on non woodworking issues. I would not do this as I feel it would be inappropriate. Many participated in that thread and to be honest I enjoyed reading in on it from time to time. That said, I do not see the need to stir the pot with broad statements referring to other members as boys and girls and comparing them to the behavioral patterns of school children , It is condescending at best.
Mel is no dummy , and I have no hate for him. It is apparent to me that others might have similar feelings on this issue.
Tom.
I hate MEL? Far from it..
He is the most amazing man... I like women better though..
I am sorry IN PUBLIC... No hate here to anybody...
mundane a topic .. I bet my wife thought it of me.. I thought she was a perfect woman.. I was just the mundane topic . We still got along for some reason...
I see by your post that even you are interested in so called meaning less surveys and others shops because you also are reading these posts.
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