Popular Post JohnG Posted August 31, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 31, 2018 I made mention in another thread that I am reorganizing my shop, and I thought I'd post some things here. I currently have a 2 car garage as my shop. We are in a rental house because we had only planned on living in this location for 3 years. The garage doesn't have an automatic opener, so I was able to claim it (but I also need to keep other garage items in it as well). It's got bare studded walls and no insulation. It's not ideal but it gets the job done. I've added some shelves, but nothing serious or permanent, since it's not mine. It has gotten to be quite a mess because when we moved in, all I had was a jobsite saw and some hand tools and a few handheld power tools. I still have a long list of "wants" and "needs" but I find ways to work around them until I can add more. I've cleared out most of my storage space so I can reorganize everything in a better way. This means all of my stuff is on whatever horizontal surface will hold it. The center of my shop is the little Ridgid jobsite saw. I got this to test the waters to see if woodworking stuck. It definitely did. I've got my eye on a SawStop, but for now this does fine, and I built a stand for it with some drawers and storage. The top two drawers are empty at the moment. I made this to serve as an outfeed table and assembly/work bench. It's crude but solid enough. I store tools under it- Oscillating belt/spindle sander, lunchbox planer, bench grinder, router, biscuit jointer, and now a Domino! Often it is a catch-all for when I inevitably have several projects going on at once. I added a crude vise to it, when it was needed for a project I was working on. Otherwise I've been able to just clamp things to the surface of the table. I made pens on this lathe (original Nova Comet) when I was a kid, and my dad has been moving it around with him for years without ever using it. When I got into woodworking, he gave it to me. I built a stand for it and wired up a better switch for it. I don't like the tool rack I put on it, but it's a low priority change. . I just got this HF dust collector a couple days ago. I had been using a shop vac, but had several struggles with it. I am much happier with this setup! I didn't want to go all out on a DC until I'm in a more permanent shop and know what will work. I might add the thien baffle or better filter, but will run it stock for a while first. I have a couple shop made lumber racks on the wall. I mostly use these for current project stock. I had planned on adding more for my actual lumber storage, but didn't get around to it before getting distracted with other things. The rest of my lumber is stacked on stickers on the ground. It's below the racks I made, and I can stand on my lumber pile to access the top rack easier. I've got poplar, maple, cherry, and a bit of walnut. Then I have some sheet goods and 2x4s stashed in the corner. 2x4s are just used for making shop furniture, since they will likely get scrapped when we move. An old desk that was damaged in the move serves as another catch-all and is always messy. It did catch a bandsaw though! Scrap storage under it. Some drawer units I have. Mostly empty at this point. I just recently moved them into the shop. I got the metal ones at an auction in 2004, and got the plastic ones for free when the hardware store I worked at switched fastener suppliers. I had many more of these, but gave most of them away. Glue, finishes, and other supplies on top. My wife got me this heater last winter. It did a great job of making the shop bearable in the cold. I had wired it up quickly to start using it, but recently disconnected it so I could use the breaker space. I'll wire it back up once it cools down. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 31, 2018 Report Share Posted August 31, 2018 John, that is really a neat looking setup you have there. Excellent job on the support tables and storage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted August 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2018 Some interesting finds while I was going through some boxes- I had quite a stock of grinding wheels! I had a specific use for these and needed a nice sharp edge on the wheel, so I would only use them a couple times for that purpose. I didn't have much need for them otherwise. Anyone need #68 drill bits?? Each blue envelope contains 12 and each pack on the left contains 144. I've already given away about 1k of them in the past. These were included with the auction lot that I got the metal drawers in. These are cool. They are some sort of self contained set screw systems. I'm sure there's a better name for them. The screws are stored in the handle, which has a hex socket on the end. The screws have a hex cap that fits into the socket on the handle. Also included in the auction lot. Never found a use for them. Some sort of inspection lights? Also from the auction lot. Yet another auction item. I was told it is an electric metal engraver. I'm always slightly worried it's going to explode while I'm using it. It gets very hot. I had a machinist friend that I gave a lot of the auction items to - hundreds of taps and dies, large drill bits (1-3"), mill tools, metal gears, etc. This was all back when I thought that metal working was awesome and woodworking was lame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted August 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2018 4 minutes ago, K Cooper said: John, that is really a neat looking setup you have there. Excellent job on the support tables and storage. Thanks! It's definitely coming along, and I'm figuring things out as I go. I'm looking forward to the day I have a more permanent setup, and can invest some more time and better materials into my shop setup. At the same time, I'm grateful to have the space I have. The people who got me interested in woodworking would love to have a ~20'x20' space to work with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted August 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2018 I forgot one of the most important parts- I also got this Kennedy toolbox at the auction. I had been using it for years as a normal toolbox, but roust recently switched it over to hold my hand tools (while they still fit in it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 31, 2018 Report Share Posted August 31, 2018 There are plenty of folks on here that would like that size shop as well and they turn out some amazing pieces. Glad you’re hooked on Woodworking. But be aware, as it sounds like you already are, that you can never have enough toys or the best. It’s worse than quicksand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted August 31, 2018 Report Share Posted August 31, 2018 I think you have done a nice job with the shop. I remember how much fun it was. I really like all the auction stuff also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted September 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2018 The shop got really messy and disorganized when I was preparing for potential flooding with hurricane Florence. We didn’t end up with bad weather at all, but better to be over prepared than under prepared. My lumber was about half an inch off the ground, with my Cherry on the bottom. I was worried we would get some water in the garage, so I restacked all of it on my table saw and assembly table. I also put my in-progress desk and (later) put some other tools on top as well. Having my only working surface covered by a couple hundred bf of lumber meant that I couldn’t really do anything in the shop. Plus, the other floor space was taken up by patio furniture and other stuff that’s normally in the yard. Since I was going to need to restack the lumber again, I took the opportunity to make some additional lumber storage brackets and install those. I have more, but was able to get by with two levels. The top level is Cherry and a few boards of Walnut. The lower is Poplar and a bit of Maple. I got a cheap moisture meter and found that my newest lumber was at about 10%, and the same as pieces I’ve had in the garage for about a year. I figured it was safe to stack unstickered, but then put a couple straps on the upper lumber to be safe. I wasn’t sure how much these brackets could hold, but found that one can easily support my weight (195lb), so I will probably run out of height before the brackets fail. After I stacked the lumber, I hung onto the wood and it didn’t mind, so I think they are plenty strong. Next up is organizing the few sheetgoods I have, then probably making a couple flip top carts or another workbench. (And working on the desk) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted September 21, 2018 Report Share Posted September 21, 2018 Glad you got through without any damage! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted September 21, 2018 Report Share Posted September 21, 2018 Wood is on average 3.75 lbs per BF so if you have 100 BF you not over 375 lbs if one bracket can hold 195 you are well within load capacity. That 3.75 lbs is based of maple so and species that is lighter gives you even less to worry about. Nice rack btw It looks like a great lumber storage spot. I'm also happy to hear that you and your shop made it out safe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted September 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Chestnut said: Wood is on average 3.75 lbs per BF so if you have 100 BF you not over 375 lbs if one bracket can hold 195 you are well within load capacity. That 3.75 lbs is based of maple so and species that is lighter gives you even less to worry about. Nice rack btw It looks like a great lumber storage spot. I'm also happy to hear that you and your shop made it out safe. Thanks! Awesome, that is a good reference to know. I made the rack from scraps and tried to minimize waste from the scraps, which is why there are several 'styles' in use. The lower rack uses OSB to sandwich the 2x4, which I was unsure about, but it seems to be strong enough. I have a lot of 12' boards, so I'm glad to have them up off the ground. It frees up a bunch of space, since before I just had dead space above the lumber. It's odd- Some of the people around here that were evacuated, or chose to evacuate based on the original forecast, ended up mad that they left "for no reason." While there is some expense and inconvenience involved, I'd much rather have that than to have my house in 6' of water and trees falling on my house and cars (which would obviously be far more expensive and inconvenient). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted September 21, 2018 Report Share Posted September 21, 2018 19 minutes ago, JohnG said: Thanks! Awesome, that is a good reference to know. I made the rack from scraps and tried to minimize waste from the scraps, which is why there are several 'styles' in use. The lower rack uses OSB to sandwich the 2x4, which I was unsure about, but it seems to be strong enough. I have a lot of 12' boards, so I'm glad to have them up off the ground. It frees up a bunch of space, since before I just had dead space above the lumber. It's odd- Some of the people around here that were evacuated, or chose to evacuate based on the original forecast, ended up mad that they left "for no reason." While there is some expense and inconvenience involved, I'd much rather have that than to have my house in 6' of water and trees falling on my house and cars (which would obviously be far more expensive and inconvenient). I've dealt with a few natural disasters it was probably every other spring as a kid we'd have groups of people that would get together to fill sand bags and then form lines to stack them to keep back snow melt floods. I've found that people are just angry no matter what and the disaster or lack there of brings it out. It's always a small percentage of the population but they are so unpleasant that it seems like there are more of them. They would be angry if they won't a million dollars because they'd have to pay taxes on the winnings and that it wasn't 2 million. I have to share it because flooding was so common some one made a weird octopus machine to aid in the filling of sand bags. here is a link to an article that shows it. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2013/04/03/news/fargo-sandbags-red-river-flooding. Glad i don't have to do that any more but there were some fun times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted September 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2018 2 hours ago, Chestnut said: I've dealt with a few natural disasters it was probably every other spring as a kid we'd have groups of people that would get together to fill sand bags and then form lines to stack them to keep back snow melt floods. I've found that people are just angry no matter what and the disaster or lack there of brings it out. It's always a small percentage of the population but they are so unpleasant that it seems like there are more of them. They would be angry if they won't a million dollars because they'd have to pay taxes on the winnings and that it wasn't 2 million. I have to share it because flooding was so common some one made a weird octopus machine to aid in the filling of sand bags. here is a link to an article that shows it. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2013/04/03/news/fargo-sandbags-red-river-flooding. Glad i don't have to do that any more but there were some fun times. Very very true. As an accountant I find a lot of humor in some of the common money/tax complaints. Interesting contraption! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip Sawdust Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 It's always Inc of fun to set up a shop. But I find after two years in my new house I'm still setting up. Never quite done I have the Ridgid contractor saw, I forgot the model number. It's quiet, smooth, and has plenty of 110V power for a 10" saw. And a 4" dust port on the bottom. I have the same DC; put a Wynn Nano filter on it and it suits,y hobby fine. A cyclone would be smart, but also takes a little CFM from the system so I haven't done that yet. I'm not likely to spend the $$ tbh. I can empty the bag into a lawn and leaf bag and after three years owning it I'm still on the first bag You can never make enough use of wall space. I don't envy you having to move in three years.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjeff70 Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 JohnG, I like your approach in seeing if the bug would bite you and then proceeding from there. What sort of pieces will you be making in your shop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted October 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 13 hours ago, Chip Sawdust said: It's always Inc of fun to set up a shop. But I find after two years in my new house I'm still setting up. Never quite done I have the Ridgid contractor saw, I forgot the model number. It's quiet, smooth, and has plenty of 110V power for a 10" saw. And a 4" dust port on the bottom. I have the same DC; put a Wynn Nano filter on it and it suits,y hobby fine. A cyclone would be smart, but also takes a little CFM from the system so I haven't done that yet. I'm not likely to spend the $$ tbh. I can empty the bag into a lawn and leaf bag and after three years owning it I'm still on the first bag You can never make enough use of wall space. I don't envy you having to move in three years.... I’ve been happy with the DC. At some point I’ll get a Thien baffle and try it that way, but it’s been doing well so far. After planing down some 3/4+” boards to 1/2”, my bag is 3/4 full. And we have been here for a year alsready, so it’s just two more till we move. Not looking forward to packing up. 44 minutes ago, sjeff70 said: JohnG, I like your approach in seeing if the bug would bite you and then proceeding from there. What sort of pieces will you be making in your shop Mostly furniture projects for the house, and some smaller projects for our daughter. I made a large executive desk for myself, working on a desk for my wife, plans for a bookshelf, bed frame, and maybe the gaming dining table or some variation of it. For my daughter I made a bassinet stand, bookshelf, small step stool, the TWW kids kitchen step stool, etc. I’ve also done turning projects like pens, pull knobs, small bowls. Whatever catches my interest or that we need. I’m also considering doing some batches of small projects to help fund new tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip Sawdust Posted October 10, 2018 Report Share Posted October 10, 2018 Yeah if I can get decent performance from a Thien setup I'll do it. The Dust Deputy for $200 isn't a bad deal, I've almost pulled the trigger a few times. But I'd rather spend the money on quartersawn white oak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted October 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2018 Woodcraft has this, I might give it a try at some point. Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip Sawdust Posted October 11, 2018 Report Share Posted October 11, 2018 I've looked at those John, and after reading Thien's page I didn't think they quite came up to par with what his théories were. Then again, it's gotta be better than the straight shot you get with a HF DC. *shrug* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.