DIFFERENT TYPE OF SHOP
My workshop is different than the normal I see in wood magazines. Some shops consist of custom cabinets and work benches that in a lot of cases are better than most furniture.
In my work shop I have no drawers and no cabinet doors to hide my tools in. My work bench is not so beautiful I would be afraid to use it and get stains or dents.
My work bench is metal with welded legs, top, and a lower shelf, which allows me to work, paint and weld on it. When it gets filthy or has weld splatter or rust all I have to do is take a grinder with large grit sandpaper and it cleans up nicely.
My work shop consist of stands and shelves from a linen company that had gone out of business. Each stand or shelf is movable and adjustable which allows me to move my tools to the area I am working, and add shelves as I need them.
The conveyer was also bought for less than $200.
My shop only takes up half of the building but has a covered outdoor work area that allows me to move the tools needed outdoors for the project at hand, during the summer I use a large fan. Winters are very mild.
The only problem I have now is to obtain the larger tools that I had to sell to get two children thru college and to replace hand tools my son needed to begin his own shop. But I can’t complain because I did the same thing to my father.
The outdoor temperature today is 106 with humidity.
Comments
Interesting... at first glance, you initial picture looks like a woodworking 'store' more than a woodworking shop! I guess you never have to hunt for you tools wondering "where did I put that..."
Yes, definitely looks like a store! Where'd you get the shelving, carosel, etc?
GEide,Thank you for your comments and interest. All shelves, carosel,wall panels and conveyor were bought when a Linens Plus closed one of their stores. The customers interest were in bargins for linen, bedding and table cloths and my interest was in setting up a functional shop cheaply.
TimR I never thought of it that way, but you are correct. Maybe that was in the back of my mind when I saw all the display cases. It does make everything easy to find and rearrange as needed. When I move my lathe outdoors I also roll out the carosel containing all my skews, gouges, chucks, etc.
I'm curious. What kinds of work or projects do you do? Why a conveyer?
Ron, sorry for the slow response.
The main work I do now that I'm retired is Turning / Power Carving / Welding / Tables. I bought the conveyer because it was cheap and I use it mainly for moving and supporting steel and rebar to align for cutting and support for welding. Most of the tables I currently make are for shop equipment and I put them on welded / rolling stands. This requires no maintanence or worries about dents or dings plus making it easier to roll outdoors during our warm summers ( highest this summer 115 in shade, but with a slight wind and in the shade its rather comfortable) and mild winters ( 70's), and the humidity is generally 35 - 45 % except when the monsoons come in August / September. I have also welded a tool holder to hold 12 gouges / chisels / chucks /eye wear and gages. I have an outdoor 4'x4' welded table and when the rust gets to bad or there is too much paint / oil I just sand it down. There is no warping so the table is always flat. The rest of the tools are for general repairs and fixing continual opportunities around the house.
Guess I rambled too much for just two questions, what would happen with 4. I guess I've been retired to long.
When Linens 'n Things went bankrupt, the stores in our area sold off their carts, shelves, storage bins, slat walls, hooks, etc., for a song. It's cheaper and easier to get good "shop" furniture via this route than spending time building (unless your hobby is building your shop).
In his shop my 90 year old father has a home-made vacuum hose holder made from a piece of gutter on which he wrote, "It's called making do with what you have." Kudos to n2finewoodworking for keeping alive this spirit by building a useful shop with essentially cast-off materials. It is the confluence of originality and economy, two of the top entries in my book of virutes.
A great advantage of your shelving is that wood chips and dust will not accumulate on them as with solid wood shelving. Looks great and seems to be very practical for what you are doing. Congratulations and enjoy!
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