My "workshop" is actually a 22' x 21' two car
garage. I'm fortunate in that my ceiling is unusually high, about
11'. That allows me to get creative with the placement of "low
touch" items like the dust collector and my bicycle.
Someday I dream of building a larger workshop. I can't
complain about a 2 car garage but there are simply some machines that I can't
have. I'd love to be able to walk up to any number of dedicated sanding
machines but they aren't worth the space they consume when my space is so
limited.
Finally, if you're interested in my thoughts on my shop don't
forget to click on the links on the top left of the screen. There I
provide more in depth thoughts about dust collection my lumber rack, etc.
| This is a shot from my kitchen door. I
spend most of my woodworking time in this area. Just off the picture
to the right is my old unisaw, which I replaced with a
SawStop. I added the mat after I started getting a sore
back. It's been a great shop addition so far.
 |
This is my shop as viewed from the garage door
area. The SawStop (table saw) is positioned so that I can cut boards
about 9' long which handle nearly all of my needs. For the rare longer
board I can open the garage door.
|
| Here you can see the shelves that I built.
Since this picture I've painted the garage but you get the idea. The
router table is currently pulled out but it fits perfectly in its place
under the shelves.
|
I really like these cubbies. Before I built them I
used to leave my tools on my workbench. Now that I have an good
place to store them it's as easy to put them away as it is to put them
down on the bench.
Originally, the space under the tool was meant for electrical
cords. However, it turns out to be easier to simply tuck the cord in
with the tool. Now I use that space for saw blades, sandpaper,
nails, or whatever goes with the tool above it.
 |
| This was taken while I was standing in the
kitchen. I used to share the power and DC between the table saw, jointer and
planer (DC only). Having dedicated power and DC is such a big deal for
me I should have done it a long time ago. The pink stuff on the garage
door is insulation.
 |
This is workbench 2.2. I spent a few
months building it but now I don't know how I ever lived without it.
 |
|
This is my sharpening area and nut/bolt/screw/washer/etc.
storage. Clicking on the picture will give you more details about it.
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I put my dust collection up by the ceiling so that it wouldn't
take too much room. I store my lawnmower and SmartMiter underneath
it.
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|
My father in law built the mobile base for the SawStop while
teaching me the basics of metalworking. Since there was still a little
welding left to do after I got home and I wanted to have basic metal working
capabilities I decided to get a few metal working tools. This is my
Lincoln ACS225S stick welder, DeWalt grinder, and safety gear. The
idea behind the cart was to have a "metal shop on wheels". I will roll
it into the driveway and away from the flammable dust, finishes, etc. when I
do my metal working. I don't plan to get too into it but it's nice to
have some metal working capability.
|
Norm's Router Table is usually considered the
"King of the Hill" among router tables. It's clearly better than
anything you can buy. You might be able to argue that better tables
can be built. (I cleaned up the area to the right to make room for the metal
working equipment.)
|
| JDS Air Tech 2000 Model 750
I really like having this air filter. It does a good job cleaning
up anything that the DC misses. I run it at low speed when I'm not
doing anything the DC doesn't cover because of the noise. When I
sand away from the downdraft table, clean the shop, etc. I run it at full
power.
 |
My homemade lumber rack. This thing is
stout, I think I could park a car on it. The shelves are very
useful. I love having my books, plans, magazines, sticklers, etc.
right there. That big paper hanging from the lumber rack is a measured
drawing for my mission style bed.
 |
| Jet JWBS-16 16" Bandsaw
 |
If you're interested in shop heat, I wrote a pretty complete article on
how I heat my shop and the decision making process that led me there.
Here's a picture of the guys I hired to run the gas line, it links to the
article.
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I built this quick and dirty box for
my air compressor because I wanted it on wheels and I couldn't stand the
noise anymore.
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Delta 17-965 16 1/2" Drill Press:
It's nice to have full sized drill press.
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| This is my clamp rack. I like hanging
them upside down because the clamp doesn't try to open and hit your hand.
If you have to reach a little to get your clamps, like I do, you don't want
to have to hold the head when you put them away.
 |
This was a quick project that I put together in
a few hours. I should have gotten to it a long time ago. I saw a
picture of something similar and copied the design. I made it from cherry
plywood and used purpleheart for the trim.
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