Von's shop tour and setup log

[Von]

I've been posting here and there about getting my shop set up, so I thought I'd go ahead and start a thread on it. Mostly for my own sake, as I find it useful to gather my thoughts. Comments, questions and suggestions welcome.

Background: we have a two-car attached garage, a little over 20'x20'. Until a year or so ago, it parked two cars and my shop sat against the walls most of the time. Earlier this year ('23) my wife agreed we can park outside now since we're both retired and I get get most of the space for a shop. Two caveats: one corner is yard/gardening tools and we need to be able to pull one car in for bad weather. So at least some of my stuff needs to be mobile and it all needs to fit into half the garage for storage when needed. I have some deep storage in the garage attic but otherwise no lumber shed or storage in the house. In my prior houses I did have some dedicated shop space, but only about half as much as I have now, so this is the first time I've really had room to spread out and have it be more or less stable.

This panoramic photo is taken from the SE corner of the shop. Behind me are the doors into the house and out to the drive way, so this corner is a travel path when we come and go. On the left side, passed the garage door, you see the SW corner, which is the yard and garden stuff. The rest is "the shop."

This is the southern part of the east wall. Mostly non-tool storage, though you can see the bench-top planer, and I have routers, sanders and other power hand tools in the drawers of the cabinet. The junk on the rolling cart by the cabinet is french cleats odds and ends as I've been doing a lot of re-organizing lately. This cleat wall had really gotten filled with random odds and ends until my current re-organization effort.

Here's the north part of the east wall. Finishing stuff and misc on the pegboard - it also had gotten filled with random stuff and I've really pared it back. Measuring tools, wrenches, socket set, files, etc in the tool chests. Home-build rolling rack with my longer clamps awkwardly shoved back into the corner. (I am have having trouble figuring out what to do with my corners.) Above on the wire shelving are more power hand tools and misc supplies. The step ladder serves as both a way to access the shelves and a seat for deep thinking.

East part of the north wall. I recently extended the cleat wall all the way to the window and I've been spending a fair amount of time getting stuff organized onto it. Again, paring back a bunch of non-woodworking stuff.

West part of the north wall. I want to make the utility table under the window into a sharpening station, but right now it's a horizontal surface to store whatever and off-cut storage. The systainers with my track saw and accessories are looking for a home. Thickness planer at left is also looking for a home. Router table seems OK where it is. And you see about half my lumber storage,.

And here is my NW corner than really needs work. My dust collector is tucked back in the corner and then stuff thrown in randomly around it. The dust collector switchers manually between the table saw and thickness planer. The shelves are full of misc stuff. The empty spot on the wall to the left used to be storage for a ladder which has found another home - I'm thinking about putting up cleats and making the space my long clamp storage. More lumber storage above.

Middle of the west wall. The wall starts getting taken over by non-shop stuff at this point. I'm trying out my miter station and plywood storage back-to-back and perpendicular to the wall (something I never could do with car parking).

Stepping back from the NW corner, you can see where I'm trying out my table saw at the moment.

Stepping further back to the east, my bench is parked in front of my table saw so I can use it for infeed support. I probably spend the majority of my shop time working in front of the bench on the mat you see.

And this is the front of the stop. Two folding tables I use for finishing and other light duty work. Lots of potential here.

So, what's next? In no particular order...

1) Finish getting tools up onto the wall. Build a saw till and some more misc holders.

2) Decide that I want to use the empty wall space in the NW corner. If clamps, add some more cleats and build some more holders. See if I can get rid of my rolling clamp rack and get that floor space back.

3) Figure out what I want to do with the NW corner. I think it could be effective storage for the systainers, finishing supplies, the thickness planer, and other occasionally used tools while still housing the dust collector. Not sure what to put there to organize all that.

4) Figure out what I want to replace the tables in the front of the shop. I'd love a 4'x4' assembly table with storage, but I need to convince myself I can still squeeze a car in when I need to with something that big. Maybe a 2'x4' table with a fold-out extension?

5) Finish setting up the sharpening station. Find a better solution for cut-offs?

6) Figure out what to do with the NE corner, especially if I can get rid of the clamp rack. It's some good floor space, but not easy to get to at the moment.

7) Build a new mitre station. The one I have has served me well, but is very lacking when it comes to stops for repeated cuts. Be nice to enclose the dust collection and add some additional storage.

 

 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

@Vonyour shop sure has a warm and comfortable feel too it! The kind of place where the whole day can pass by and you don't even notice it. Best of luck with your list projects and keep the sawdust flowing! 

[gee-dub]

That is a great looking space Von. I could get very comfortable in there.  One giant leap for my shop organization was a garden shed.  I moved everything that could tolerate that environment out there and freed up all that space.  Shovels, lidded barrels of soil and fertilizer, pots for plants, stakes, edging, etc.  At one house I bought a cheap metal garden shed and raised it on three rows of cinder blocks so I could walk around in it.  This made getting garden stuff in and out much easier.

I made a lot of furniture with one of those Delta benchtop planers.  I also had a Ridgid belt spindle sander like yours.  I put mine on a flip top with my benchtop planer on the other side in one iteration. Saved me one tool stand's footprint.  

It looks like you've got some good organization going on there.  I also have an old Craftsman toolbox that comes in really handy for a lot of crossover-type tools. That is a cool looking table on your bandsaw.  Is it shop made? Great looking router table as well.  I passed on the chop saw due to the large footprint they take up but that is a personal choice.  Plenty of folks wouldn't give up their CMS or RAS for anything.

It looks like you have plenty of room to get a good workflow going without permanently monopolizing the whole floor space.  By using the one half of your space for a work area and assembly tasks you almost automatically meet the requirement for a place to put a car; very clever.

[wtnhighlander]

Very nice! A goodly space to work with, even given the need for mobility. I am a bit biased toward the tablesaw as my primary machine tool, so I would suggest building that benchtop saw into a table to extend the outfeed, at least. Added space to either side can be very usecul as well, but depends a bit on how far the fence can travel. The extra table surface makes a lot of tasks much safer and simpler.

[Von]

On 12/28/2023 at 6:21 PM, gee-dub said:

That is a great looking space Von. I could get very comfortable in there.  One giant leap for my shop organization was a garden shed.  I moved everything that could tolerate that environment out there and freed up all that space.  Shovels, lidded barrels of soil and fertilizer, pots for plants, stakes, edging, etc.  At one house I bought a cheap metal garden shed and raised it on three rows of cinder blocks so I could walk around in it.  This made getting garden stuff in and out much easier.

Thanks @gee-dub. Yes, a shed would be helpful. We already got one to store my wife's bicycle which was a big help for me since I was always worried about damaging it somehow. She likes the gardening stuff to be convenient so any shed will take discussion. Our property is on the side of a hill, so a shed is tricky due to the slope.  

On 12/28/2023 at 6:21 PM, gee-dub said:

That is a cool looking table on your bandsaw.  Is it shop made?

I got it from Rockler probably 20 years ago. Doesn't look like they carry it anymore.

On 12/28/2023 at 6:21 PM, gee-dub said:

Great looking router table as well. 

Thanks. Norm Abram V2 that I built.

On 12/28/2023 at 6:21 PM, gee-dub said:

I passed on the chop saw due to the large footprint they take up but that is a personal choice.  Plenty of folks wouldn't give up their CMS or RAS for anything.

You mentioned not having a chopsaw in another post and it did invoke a long think in me. You are right, there is nothing I can think of that I couldn't do between my TS sled, jigsaw, and handsaws. And chop saws are dust spewing, awkwardly shaped things. And it's not like I'm doing framing or trim installation.

That said, habit. My usage of my chopsaw is slowly going down, but it probably still vies for most used tool in my shop - it's so convenient because it's always ready to be used. I'm trying to use handsaws more. And I recognize the risks of using the chopsaw breaking down rough lumber, so maybe I'll break out the jigsaw next time I do that.

So, thank you, you've got this on my mind.

 

[Von]

On 12/28/2023 at 11:41 PM, wtnhighlander said:

Very nice! A goodly space to work with, even given the need for mobility. I am a bit biased toward the tablesaw as my primary machine tool, so I would suggest building that benchtop saw into a table to extend the outfeed, at least. Added space to either side can be very usecul as well, but depends a bit on how far the fence can travel. The extra table surface makes a lot of tasks much safer and simpler.

Thanks @wtnhighlander. Yeah, good point, I should decide if I'm going to live with this saw or upgrade it. I've cut 4'x8' plywood on my saw, but frankly now that I have a track saw, I hope I never have to again. My saw has build-in retractable wings to the left and back, so side and outfeed support aren't bad. I really would like better infeed support for using a sled.  My bench helps with long boards, but not balancing a sled.

[gee-dub]

On 12/29/2023 at 6:27 AM, Von said:

 And it's not like I'm doing framing or trim installation.

They are great for this though.  Mine lives on its stand in one of the sheds.  When I am going to do a lot of that kind of work I drag it out an am glad to have it.  Mine is just a DeWalt Chop Saw though.

[Mark J]

On 12/29/2023 at 8:38 AM, Von said:

I really would like better infeed support for using a sled.  My bench helps with long boards, but not balancing a sled.

I think @gee-dub has a solution for this.  It's sort of a wooden tongue that attaches to the front of the TS.  But I'll let gee-dub explain (or deny any knowledge of what I'm talking about).

[gee-dub]

Yep.  A Few folks have had versions of this. Here's mine:

 

[Von]

Started work on a saw till yesterday. My own design inspired by the countless designs out there. My biggest experiment is I'm not going to permanently attach the "combs" (what does one call the pieces with all the slots the blades fit into?). I'm going to screw them on so I can change them easily later if I want to.

Here you see the two side pieces, lying back-to-back with plywood spacers in between. On my learn list is sliding dovetails, so I'm using those to attach the rails to the side pieces. I'm cutting the matched pair in the two sides at once to keep the slots aligned.

This is the back of the till with one rail installed. I thought about various ways to route the tails in the end of my rails before deciding to do it by hand. Cutting the tails wasn't hard, the hard part was not damaging the shoulders. I cut the shoulders with a saw and then chiseled the tails to that line, but any slip of my chisel past the line would typically split the end grain of the shoulders. A little sanding "blended" those mistakes, but for next time I need some way to manage this risk.

Drilled holes in the rails to attach the combs and glued it up with a dowel on the front for the saw handles to rest on. Next step will be to cut and attach the "combs."

[gee-dub]

Comb sounds good to me.  I think you are right on with the idea of being able o change / update the combs.  I am enjoying the ride on this.  Thanks for taking the time.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 12/31/2023 at 9:55 AM, gee-dub said:

Comb sounds good to me.  I think you are right on with the idea of being able o change / update the combs.  I am enjoying the ride on this.  Thanks for taking the time.

+1 on 'comb'. And just like that, the lexicon grows! 

[Mark J]

Now I would have said finger board . 

[Von]

Thank you to gee-dub and Mark J for the infeed suggestion. I'm going to do something like that but unfortunately it's a little tricky on the Dewalt saws like mine because there is no gap to hook onto between the fence rail and the saw (see photo below). I know of one (no longer sold) commercial infeed extension and installing it involved drilling holes where you see the measuring tape and having a couple bolts on the extension that dropped into those holes. Assuming I keep the saw I will eventually do this, but want to take time to get over the "permanent modification hesitation."

 

[wtnhighlander]

My TS fence rail also has no slot. I made a variation of this device to assist with infeed support.

 

[Von]

On 1/1/2024 at 10:34 AM, wtnhighlander said:

My TS fence rail also has no slot. I made a variation of this device to assist with infeed support.

Thanks @wtnhighlander. I can see how that works well for ripping long pieces, how does it do with supporting cross-cut sleds and the like?

[wtnhighlander]

Not so much for sleds, unless you can keep the fence close. Extending the support platform too much lets it droop.

An alternative might be a "saddle" that lays across the saw table. The pieces that lay on top should be the same thickness as your sled base or thinner, and below them a cross piece would support your sled. If it was joined by another cross piece on the outfeed side, gravity would keep it in place.

[gee-dub]

Other supports can work.  Before I made "the tongue" I used a roller stand.  You do need to be cautious that the legs of a floor standing . .. er . . . stand . .. do not get in the way of your own feet while performing an operation. Safety first, always first.  This:

Plus this add-on:

Let this stand do all sorts of odd jobs.

There is always the juggling act of having things in the shop that are useful BUT that store out of the way when not in use.  You may already have a roller stand around that could be modified.

When I was in my smaller shop I was always looking for ways to make items do multiple tasks.  Ever onward

[Von]

gee-dub - I like the Jawstand stand because of its flexibility. Looks like they are about $120 now, but I'll put it on my "watch for a sale list."

I do have a couple roller stands right now and with my bench now situated in front of my saw, I think I'm good for long stock (8' is I believe the longest I've ever cut).

The specific challenge I have is supporting my cross-cut sled. This isn't a huge deal, but it would be nice to have more support for those times I'm cutting multiple parts and having to clamp them in turn and the blade is up high enough to be in the way so the sled can't rest fully on the table because the blade and setup for the cut interfere and then I'm having to brace the sled while get the cut set up. I've used a roller stand, but it feels really in the way - as you say, feet collision.

There is also sheet goods, but I think with the track saw I'm done cutting those on the table saw. Time will tell.

[gee-dub]

Sorry Von, I wasn't clear.  I was trying to give you an alternative for sled support using what you may already have.

 

[Von]

Hey gee-dub - thanks for clarifying. I've tried that approach and found the stand gets in my way (specifically my feet's way), but yes, it's worth it if I'm cutting larger pieces.

[legenddc]

Very cool shop. I'm super jealous of the amount of space that you have.

It appears you have lots of storage possibilities under a lot of your tools like your planer and workbench. An assembly table would also be a good place to store things out of the way.

Another thing I noticed is most of your wall storage on the french cleat seems very flat. The items on the north-east wall seem like they could all fit in a hand tool cabinet. I know some people prefer things not to be hidden.

[Von]

On 1/2/2024 at 2:18 PM, legenddc said:

Very cool shop. I'm super jealous of the amount of space that you have.

Thanks - it's a great experience to have.

On 1/2/2024 at 2:18 PM, legenddc said:

Another thing I noticed is most of your wall storage on the french cleat seems very flat. The items on the north-east wall seem like they could all fit in a hand tool cabinet. I know some people prefer things not to be hidden.

Agreed. My plane storage in particular is inefficient right now.

One thing I'm trying not to recreate is to over-stuff the shop. Before my re-org the walls and horizontal surfaces had gotten filled with every tool, scrap of wire, piece of rope, bungee cord, doohickey, etc that I "might need some day." For my personal taste it had gotten unpleasant for me aesthetically. So I'm trying to find the balance between "stuff I need" and "pleasant to work in."

I attach a couple of "before pictures" from the NE corner last April. 

 

[legenddc]

On 1/3/2024 at 8:10 AM, Von said:

Agreed. My plane storage in particular is inefficient right now.

One thing I'm trying not to recreate is to over-stuff the shop. Before my re-org the walls and horizontal surfaces had gotten filled with every tool, scrap of wire, piece of rope, bungee cord, doohickey, etc that I "might need some day." For my personal taste it had gotten unpleasant for me aesthetically. So I'm trying to find the balance between "stuff I need" and "pleasant to work in."

I attach a couple of "before pictures" from the NE corner last April. 

Totally understand. It's why I like having that cabinet in my shop instead of the open storage I had.

I don't know why woodworkers seem to be so hesitant to use mechanics tool boxes in their shops. Clearing off that whole wall and putting it in the toolbox like you did seems like a much better use of space.

You could build a small closet/fake wall for the yard stuff. Then you would have additional wall space and could prevent further encroachment. 

[oldman_pottering]

Von, I'm late to the party as usual and can't offer any help as I am in exactly the same situation as you. I too have a seat for 'deep thinking' which I call the metric conversion of 'where the hell do I start' .

I am following this to get some ideas for my own $hit show,

I did watch a Youtuber who explained his process of organising his shop by just making projects and working out his workflow rather than working out the area and placement  by diagrams, this made sense to me

Good luck with your project