Workshop by Woodcanuck | posted 06-06-2010 04:32 AM | 2081 reads | 1 time favorited | 13 comments | ![]() |
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Toronto, ONT
Canada
I’ve been wanting to post some workshop pictures…but I’ve also wanted to clean the shop first.
Ok…posting the pictures wins. I’ll clean the shop and post an update later.
My shop is roughly 14’x17’ and is an enclosed area in my garage. After years of working in a corner of the garage and covering cars/bikes/lawnmowers/my wife’s stuff in fine dust….I slowly migrated to this enclosed workshop. This has been great. I’ve got the dust under control, better lighting, four walls and the ability to heat (I use the term loosely) the workshop enough to work in during the winter.
I’ve got a workbench made up of some old lab benches (very old, and very well made with 4/4 hardwood of some sort…even dovetailed drawers) that also serves as an outfeed table for the tablesaw. I modified the tablesaw fence rails to fit better into my current configuration.
The workbench also has an adjustable shelf just beyond the tablesaw where I can lower the shelf to allow the bench to act as wings for the miter saw, the router table and the jointer.
Picture 2 shows the lathe bench and two rolling carts I made for the drill press and the planer. These have been awesome…being able to roll things out of the way when you don’t use them is great stuff.
Picture 3 is the dust collection (located outside the workshop, in the garage, keeping the noise down at least a little). I made a Thien separator and dropped it into a garbage can with a 4” port in the side that goes into the workshop. This is by far the best thing I’ve added to the shop. The wooden slats on the side of the plastic garbage can keep the can from doing too much oil-canning. You can also see the obligatory plaid shirts for colder weather along with the ‘Daddy’s workshop’ sign my family made.
Picture 4 is from the back of the shop looking at the doors (and dart board…not that I goof around in the shop and play games…it’s all business!) I painted some chalkboard paint on one door…very handy to just roughly draw stuff out or write down numbers/notes to come back to. ON the right side you’ll see the dust collection hose, which goes through the wall and directly into the Thien separator.
Picture 5 is an abomination. This is where the ‘cleanup’ needs to happen. The scrollsaw (largely hidden) will be moving shortly, the miter saw is going to get a permanent home here with some outfeeds. The benchtop joiner will be moving as well. The shelves above hold various knickknacks, a radio and above that are shelves with all the woodworking books and magazines I’ve got.
Picture 6 is more cabinets and drawers with various jigs and tools in them. Also hiding in the corner is my very old Rockwell/Beaver bandsaw. I’ve got the bandsaw on a rolling base that lets me bring it out when I need it. A couple of years ago my daughter (8 at the time) brought an electronic labeler into the shop and labeled all the drawers. Surprisingly, she had a great time and now I know what’s in all the drawers!
Well…much more to do to the shop, but for now, there it is.
-- Ian - Life's a game, if you don't play, you can't win.
13 comments so far
a1Jim
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#1 posted 06-06-2010 04:37 AM
Wonderful shop will good tools too.
-- https://www.artisticwoodstudio.com/videos wood crafting & woodworking classes
hooky
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#2 posted 06-06-2010 05:16 AM
cool shop
good luck with the clean up
if your anything like me you spend more time trying to keep it clean than actual woodworking
Hooky
-- Happiness is a way of travel , not a destination (Roy Goodman)
sras
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#3 posted 06-06-2010 05:58 AM
Aw the mess isn’t that bad! Nice looking shop!
-- Steve - Impatience is Expensive
ND2ELK
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#4 posted 06-06-2010 05:58 AM
Good looking shop. Thanks for posting.
God Bless
tom
-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa
twokidsnosleep
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#5 posted 06-06-2010 06:03 AM
Nice shop, you are really well equipped….that just doesn’t sound right guy to guy
-- Scott "Some days you are the big dog, some days you are the fire hydrant"
Bearpie
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#6 posted 06-06-2010 06:10 AM
Ian, You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, You have a really fine shop and fine tools!! I have seen shops quite a bit messier than yours and I would classify yours as a working man’s shop. So lift your chin and stick your chest out and say “I da man”. A spic and span shop means it don’t get worked in and you spend too much time cleaning and nothing gets created! Give me a reasonably clean shop and I’m happy and I would be happy in your shop.
Erwin, Jacksonville, FL
-- Erwin, Jacksonville, FL
yarydoc
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#7 posted 06-06-2010 06:20 AM
Great looking shop.
-- Ray , Florence Alabama
Splinterman
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#8 posted 06-06-2010 10:17 AM
Hey Ian,
Sweet set-up and cool toys to play with…nice one.
Scott Bryan
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#9 posted 06-06-2010 02:25 PM
Ian, you have a nice shop in which to work. I think that most of our shops tend to look like picture #5 a lot of the time. As Hooky said it is easy to spend more time cleaning than woodworking. It looks like you have a pretty nice set-up and you have some good looking tools to play with.
Thanks for the pictures.
-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine
lanwater
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#10 posted 06-14-2010 06:52 AM
Great shop. very well equiped.
-- Abbas, Castro Valley, CA
sawblade1
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#11 posted 11-08-2010 03:06 AM
Great shop How’s the rockler unit doing?
-- Proverbs Ch:3 vs 5,6,7 Trust in the lord with all thine heart and lean not unto your own understanding but in all your ways aknowledge him and he shall direct your path elmerthomas81@neo.rr.com
Woodcanuck
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#12 posted 11-08-2010 06:10 PM
I’m really happy with the Rockler DC…I don’t have any real need for a permanently plumbed DC network since most of my machines are portable and/or within reach of the flexible hose. With the Thein separator, I have zero complaints….it’s pulling most of the dust out of the shop.
I recently built the Rockler DC downdraft table…tried it out the other week and it did a great job of keeping the dust down…not perfect, but much better than not having it.
-- Ian - Life's a game, if you don't play, you can't win.
sillac
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#13 posted 11-29-2010 08:54 AM
Great shop nice tools, lets make some dust, good job, Steve in Oregon
-- Steve in Oregon,
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