Legenddc's Shop

[legenddc]

I'm long overdue for some shop improvements and thought I would share the current state of the shop. My shop is 13'4"x11'8"x8' in a townhouse basement. First some pictures of the current state of the shop.

The wall with the pegboard and TV is the wall we share with our neighbor. The 1970's wood paneling behind it makes it hard to find studs so I generally try to avoid mounting heavy things to it.

The green saran wrapped boards at the top is crown molding. There's no other place to store it on our house. Eventually I'll hang it in our bedroom.

Windows are under a deck.

Rough layout of the shop, not fully to scale.

Finally, here's the storage closet in our basement hallway that was originally storage before I started acquiring tools and took over the room above. As you can see, it's busting at the seems and walking between the two to get things is frustrating.

 

[legenddc]

Issues to address include:

• Having to move machines to mill lumber
• Noise - Our neighbor has made a few comments about it but generally seems okay
• Lack of storage in the shop

I found a 48" upper cabinet to stick on the wall above where the jointer currently is. That means I need to flip everything around so here's what I'm thinking.

With the upper cabinets I can hopefully move a bunch of things out of the storage closet and into that, making things easier to access and clearing up that closet some. The wire shelves will go away too so a new scrap-storage system will be needed. Was thinking of Gee-Dub's system but unsure where to put it.

I think I'll move the lathe cart into the closet behind the shop so I won't have to roll it across our new floor to use it. Would give some additional storage I could access without opening the shop doors to the rest of the house and letting dust out.

I don't know what to do with the air compressor. My first thought was under the workbench but I don't use it much and it's LOUD. I really use it for blowing dust off things now that I have a cordless brad nailer and most of the trim in our house is done. I might sell it and buy a quiet compressor. I could go smaller too so I could carry it upstairs and outside to inflate car/bike tires.

The old stereo will most likely go as the new shop lights prevent it from receiving FM radio clearly. I'll probably flip the TV and clamp rack around to make access easier.

That's all the daydreaming for now. Hoping to get my coffee table done this week so I can get the upper cabinet on the wall this weekend.

[Chestnut]

40 minutes ago, legenddc said:

I don't know what to do with the air compressor. My first thought was under the workbench but I don't use it much and it's LOUD. I really use it for blowing dust off things now that I have a cordless brad nailer and most of the trim in our house is done. I might sell it and buy a quiet compressor. I could go smaller too so I could carry it upstairs and outside to inflate car/bike tires.

https://smile.amazon.com/California-Air-Tools-CAT-1P1060S-Compressor/dp/B01LYHYHEA/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2HBXTVDNP4BV3&keywords=california%2Bair%2Btools%2Bcompressor&qid=1673883811&sprefix=california%2Bair%2Btools%2Bcompressor%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-6&th=1

I really like this little guy. It's great in my shop. Under the work bench is a good idea but it's so small you could probably make a little cart to set it inder the left wing of your table saw. Have a cart with wheels to pull out if you need access to that side of the saw.

I'd also be tempted to make a cart if you had the change to go under your bandsaw instead of the meal one. A cart with some drawers could unlock some nice storage and accomplish a similar task. If it's possible.

[legenddc]

On 1/16/2023 at 10:51 AM, Chestnut said:

https://smile.amazon.com/California-Air-Tools-CAT-1P1060S-Compressor/dp/B01LYHYHEA/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2HBXTVDNP4BV3&keywords=california%2Bair%2Btools%2Bcompressor&qid=1673883811&sprefix=california%2Bair%2Btools%2Bcompressor%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-6&th=1

I really like this little guy. It's great in my shop. Under the work bench is a good idea but it's so small you could probably make a little cart to set it inder the left wing of your table saw. Have a cart with wheels to pull out if you need access to that side of the saw.

I'd also be tempted to make a cart if you had the change to go under your bandsaw instead of the meal one. A cart with some drawers could unlock some nice storage and accomplish a similar task. If it's possible.

That's the compressor I was looking at. Might list my current compressor for sale just to see what I could get and decide from there.

I was looking at the Rockler stand components to make a cart for under the bandsaw but it either puts my saw 5" lower or 5" higher unless I cut the supports. I need to go to a Rockler and see how high up the tables are on other models. That cart is such a waste of space, as is the wing under the table saw and under the workbench.

 

[Mark J]

DC are generally loud and run for long periods of time.  Your neighbor may not enjoy having it on the common wall.  

On the compressor topic, it's better for air quality if you vacuum dust rather than blow it off.  Maybe Daddy needs a CT15 or Midi. (and a new compressor)*

In your new configuration how would you use the router table?

 

*Disclaimer:  talk is cheap, especially when your talking about someone else's money.

[legenddc]

On 1/16/2023 at 12:43 PM, Mark J said:

DC are generally loud and run for long periods of time.  Your neighbor may not enjoy having it on the common wall.  

On the compressor topic, it's better for air quality if you vacuum dust rather than blow it off.  Maybe Daddy needs a CT15 or Midi. (and a new compressor)*

In your new configuration how would you use the router table?

 

*Disclaimer:  talk is cheap, especially when your talking about someone else's money.

The DC is on the other wall. I'm shocked at how quiet that old Jet is. It's so much quieter than my dad's Harbor Freight one.

I'm trying to improve dust collection at the source. I picked up the Rockler Dust Right adapters a couple of weeks ago. I need to get it hooked up to my table saw and figure out an above-saw dust collection method as well. I'm going to need to add a new circuit to the shop if I want to run the dust collector, shop vac and table saw at the same time.

A Festool dust extractor and 6" ROS are on my list to buy at some point. Would like to get them, and a Domino, soon but there are some external forces at work (economy) that are putting that on hold.

The router table rarely gets used and I'm not sure what to do with it. Right now it lacks a fence and isn't secured in the table saw wing. Part of me wants to build a separate stand for it and put a cabinet under the table saw wing. If the saw is blocked in by the jointer it's going to be hard to move it out to use the router table.

[Chestnut]

What kind of tasks do you do with your router table? It might be possible to just make a bench top router table and store that under your work bench or table saw wing as previously mentioned having space. Then you can just pull it out when needed.

[legenddc]

I haven't used it much, at least lately. For that TV stand I made and the coffee table I'm working on I did the mortise with a handheld router and the tenons on the table saw. Up next on the list will be some picture frames. Haven't decided on how they will look but I could see using the router table for that. 

Was thinking of getting the Taytools fence for it the router table when the time comes.

[legenddc]

On 1/16/2023 at 12:43 PM, Mark J said:

DC are generally loud and run for long periods of time.  Your neighbor may not enjoy having it on the common wall.  

On the compressor topic, it's better for air quality if you vacuum dust rather than blow it off.  Maybe Daddy needs a CT15 or Midi. (and a new compressor)*

In your new configuration how would you use the router table?

 

*Disclaimer:  talk is cheap, especially when your talking about someone else's money.

How much quieter are the Festool dust extractors compared to shop vacs? Caught my wife with subtitles on last night after I was sanding for an hour.

[Chestnut]

50 minutes ago, legenddc said:

How much quieter are the Festool dust extractors compared to shop vacs? Caught my wife with subtitles on last night after I was sanding for an hour.

Significant. Espically considering your sanding with the vac on low. Quick google says traditional shop vac 80 db CT midi is around 62 on low, which should be the same as the ct 26 etc.

[Mark J]

My 16 gal Rigid is quite loud.  I would say my CT 26 on high is quieter than the Rigid, and even more so on the lower settings.  

It's also a lot easier to roll around and parks in a smaller footprint than the typical shop vac, which I thought would be plusses in your shop arrangement.

[Chestnut]

I should note as well that all the CT vacs, except for the SYS vac, have the same level of suction, auto on feature, and adjustable suction. The only big difference is the capacity of the bag. I have a CT mini, CT 26E and CT SYS vac. There are some additional features on the CT 48 but those are geared more towards drywallers.

I have the CT mini running on my miter saw. I can't hear the sound of the vac over the rushing of air at the miter saw port.

[BillyJack]

I set up shop the same way as I set up professional shops. I look at how it enters and how it leaves. 
 

I started putting things I use the most at my bench. Miter saw directly behind the bench. Nail guns, routers, etc behind the bench. 
 

The older you get the less you want to cross cross your shop.

 

[legenddc]

Y'all are making the hard sell for the Festool, not that I need much of a push. Was thinking the Midi and getting my Dust Deputy set up to make it easier to empty. I know you can reuse the bags but dumping out a 5 gallon bucket seems easier.

On 1/17/2023 at 8:37 AM, BillyJack said:

I set up shop the same way as I set up professional shops. I look at how it enters and how it leaves. 
 

I started putting things I use the most at my bench. Miter saw directly behind the bench. Nail guns, routers, etc behind the bench. 
 

The older you get the less you want to cross cross your shop.

 

I'm trying to work on this. That's one good thing about a 155 square foot shop, nothing is ever that far away...

[legenddc]

Can't believe it's been almost 3 months and I haven't updated this post. I finished up the coffee table around the end of January, started to take apart the shop, traveled for a week for work and then have spent the last 2 months either avoiding the shop or at kids sports. In-between all of that I've made some progress.

Here's the storage closet with the lathe cart moved out and the shelves that were in the shop installed. I need to make something to hold spray paint cans and rolls of tape the gap between the cabinet and shelves. That will allow the rest of the junk on the work table to go into the cabinet.

With that out of the way the lathe stand has rolled into its new home of the closet attached to the shop. Should make accessing things in it easier and hopefully soon some actual turning projects will happen.

Finally onto the shop. Unfortunately the second cabinet was just too big for the space I had so I improvised and moved the drill holder to that space.

Most scrap wood storage is now under the workbench along with my new, barely audible, compressor and the cord reel.

 

That leaves the rest of the shop still in a bit of despair. Sadly the wall with the pegboard is 2x4s installed sideways with a layer of drywall and wood paneling overtop. There's no easy way to add more outlets. I think I will end up installing some French cleats so I can be sure I hit the studs. I need a place for clamps and table saw sled storage.

I haven't moved the machines into their new positions yet as I'm not sure where to put them. Next project will be some picture frames and the sleds to go along with that. Hopefully as I work through it I will decide what goes where. The wood to the right of that bucket will be thrown out unless I can use it in the jigs or storage. A bunch of that scrap wood will be made into frames as well.

 

[Ronn W]

On 4/24/2023 at 12:16 PM, legenddc said:

There's no easy way to add more outlets.

My shop used to be my office space, so naturally the ourlets were in the wrong place.  I made heavy duty " extension chords of 14- 3 gage wire. Each ended with a 4 outlet metal box.  I then mounted the boxes wherever I needed them.  Made each length exacly what I needed to run it from an existing outlet, along the baseboard and up to the height I wanted.

[BonPacific]

On 4/24/2023 at 10:16 AM, legenddc said:

There's no easy way to add more outlets.

I can't recommend retractable cord reals highly enough. Big shop or small, there's always going to be a spot you need an outlet, and being able to pull a cord and pop it back into easy access storage without having to coil or uncoil it is fantastic.

[pkinneb]

On 4/25/2023 at 10:26 AM, BonPacific said:

I can't recommend retractable cord reals highly enough. Big shop or small, there's always going to be a spot you need an outlet, and being able to pull a cord and pop it back into easy access storage without having to coil or uncoil it is fantastic.

I agree. I have one near the center of my shop and use it all the time. One word of advice this is one area where I would not go cheap mine is nearly 20 yrs old and still works great. My brother is on his third one in the same time frame and while he paid less originally he has since surpassed what I paid and had to deal with the retract failures along the way, buy once cry once 

[Mark J]

Makes me wonder if there's such a thing as a 240V reel?

[legenddc]

I've been thinking about pulling everything but the machines and whatever is on the wall out of the shop and just moving the tools around until I find the right layout.

On 4/27/2023 at 4:15 PM, pkinneb said:

I agree. I have one near the center of my shop and use it all the time. One word of advice this is one area where I would not go cheap mine is nearly 20 yrs old and still works great. My brother is on his third one in the same time frame and while he paid less originally he has since surpassed what I paid and had to deal with the retract failures along the way, buy once cry once 

Any you can recommend or recommend to avoid?

On 4/28/2023 at 9:37 AM, Mark J said:

Makes me wonder if there's such a thing as a 240V reel?

We need to look into replacing our electric panel before I can add any 240v tools. There are 240v reels but you don't want to look at the price of them. 

[Mark J]

8 minutes ago, legenddc said:

There are 240v reels but you don't want to look at the price of them. 

shocking, ehh

[pkinneb]

On 4/28/2023 at 9:46 AM, legenddc said:

I've been thinking about pulling everything but the machines and whatever is on the wall out of the shop and just moving the tools around until I find the right layout.

Any you can recommend or recommend to avoid?

We need to look into replacing our electric panel before I can add any 240v tools. There are 240v reels but you don't want to look at the price of them. 

I'll look at mine and pull a name and post it. I know the ones my brother has been buying are from Menard's and Harbor Freight he is getting 3-5 years out of them.

[wtnhighlander]

9 hours ago, Mark J said:

shocking, ehh

Ohhh, that was soooooo bad... 

[Mark J]

Seriously though, a couple of 240V reels might be more cost effective than having to put in several 240V fixed circuits.

[pkinneb]

On 4/28/2023 at 11:05 AM, pkinneb said:

I'll look at mine and pull a name and post it. I know the ones my brother has been buying are from Menard's and Harbor Freight he is getting 3-5 years out of them.

Here you go.