Jim Budlong‘s shop was featured in the Winter 2007 issue of Fine Woodworking, #195.

Since Budlong’s home and shop are located miles from accessible utilities, they are completely off the grid, powered by a solar/generator combination and heated with woodstoves. Budlong, who has been teaching woodworking for the last 18 years at the College of the Redwoods and producing commission pieces at the same time, spent almost three years building this shop with the aid of former students Eric Owen and Richard Haak.

All the redwood lumber (not old growth, of course) was milled from the site. Budlong carefully chose 25 logs (20-36 in. dia. by 16 ft. long) from the surrounding wooded area, keeping the lower logs and selling off the tops to help fund the project, which he financed paycheck to paycheck. The 1,200-sq.-ft. lower level houses a small bench room, a storage area, and a machine room. A 400-sq.-ft. loft overlooks the machine room and serves as guest quarters.

For more on shops like this one, read Dream Shops.

For more by Jim Budlong, read Display Cabinet, the Krenov Way and Krenovian Details Make a Big Difference.

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