Blake's Workshop

Hi all,

Sorry the long wind, I am just enthusiastic about woodworking. I have been thinking for a while that there should be a website where woodworkers can freely share ideas and information. I am glad I have finally found it.

My woodshop philosophy revolves around the idea that you don’t need a ton of space or money to have a successful woodworking hobby and/or career. I like being an advocate for the low-budget shop, and introducing the art to newcomers, especially young people like myself. By being resourceful, organized and patient anyone can enjoy the rewards of woodworking. This is how I did it.

I am a 25 year old part-time firefighter (trying to become full-time) and student. I have been woodworking my whole life but started taking it seriously about two years ago when I acquired a few very nice pieces of equipment from my father-in-law as an early inheritance/wedding gift. He had hopes of setting up shop but unfortunately no longer had the eyes, hands, or space for it. He was happier to see me make use of it rather than sell it for pennies. It was the greatest gift of my life.

From my father-in-law I received the Delta/Rockwell table saw, Delta/Rockwell 14” Drill press, Delta/Rockwell/Milwaukee 14” band saw, DeWalt 13” planer (love it), and a small collection of nice hand tools.

Next, I cleared out an old horse stables (only 11’ x 19’) down in the field at my grandparents property and moved in. I hung pegboard and old cabinets that I bought (for $20 total) from a construction salvage yard.

In the process of cleaning out the tiny “barn” I fond an old neglected radial arm saw rusting away in the corner. I didn’t even know what a radial arm saw was, but did some research and found that it was a 1959 DeWalt 8 1/2”… a very high quality machine and perfect for my small shop.

Apparently my grandfather had inherited the radial arm saw from an old friend who had passed away. The man had been a boatbuilder from Norway, who built a ship with his brother to immigrate to America in the 40’s. He was also a pianist, and the story goes that he cut the bottom corners off an upright piano in order to fit it into the belly of the ship.

I carefully took apart every piece of the radial arm saw and cleaned, painted and lubricated them. I even matched the original paint so well that you can’t tell it apart from the old. It was that classic teal-green with off white speckles, which I applied by flicking a toothbrush with my thumbnail.

When I put it back together I was the oldest but quietest, most accurate, most attractive and most beloved machine in my shop. Later I built a workbench/cabinet for it to sit in (which I consider temporary).

Soon after I set up shop I started working at a used tool store near my house (a woodworker’s dream) and the rest is history. I have built up my arsenal of tools over the past year mostly through the store, where I get a discount on already dirt-cheap tools and I generally get first pick of what comes in (don’t hate me.)

About the same time I discovered the tool store, I also discovered the flea-market and Craigslist. The lesson that I have learned is that it is unnecessary to every pay full price for brand new sparkling equipment. The old stuff is almost always better quality and is not covered with plastic parts. You have to do a little research to know what is good and what the value is, and you have to be patient. But the “deal of the century” will come along if you keep your eyes open. And you can acquire some great tools for pennies to the dollar if you are clever.

The other thing about doing it that way is that almost every tool in my shop from large to small has an interesting story behind it. Either where it came from, the history of the company, or what I had to do to revive it. For example, I found out that the DeWalt radial arm saw that I fixed up was one of the last models that DeWalt, (the inventor of the radial arm saw) came out with before they sold the design to Black n Decker (who cheapened the design.). And in my mind the radial arm saw was in its prime when that particular vintage was on the market. Radial arm saws are now a dying and under-appreciated breed.

Another interesting thing about that era, (according to the old farts) is that when you bought something like that, the salesmen were experts on the tools they sold and would often give you lessons on how to use, calibrate and maintain the tool. Radial arm saws are complicated machines with a lot of potential but a lot of people don’t know what to do with them so they stay locked in the 90 degree position.

Ok, so I ordered the 6” jointer form Grizzly. Sue me.

I spent a lot of time in the first year just working on improvements to the shop. I rearranged equipment several times. I had to learn how to be super neat and organized in order to fit in my tiny space. It is still evolving. The most exciting thing about how a small budget woodshop is how it gradually gets more and more efficient to do the actual woodworking, one piece at a time. An improved bench, a new jig, a better table saw fence, etc.

For example, my router table has changed forms about four times. From benchtop, to table saw-extension, to stand alone, etc. I found that If your table saw fence is shared with the router table, yea, it saves space, but also wastes time. You can’t go from one operation to the next and back again without disturbing the set-up for both. It made me glad that I didn’t spend $500 bucks on some fancy thing only to find it didn’t work well for me. I am working on a new router table now after careful consideration.

When I actually have time to devote to the wood, I mostly build jewelry boxes for now. Some day I would like to get more into furniture, but large projects are costly, and so are large errors. Luckily I live on a property where trees fall naturally every year and often yield interesting lumber. I also know a few local sawyers of whom I try to stay on their good side, (connections through the used tool store). They supply me with good stuff too. I believe there is something even more special about a project built from local woods. Again, more character, and a more interesting story. It also avoids the problem of rain forest poaching and is waaaaay cheaper. Last year an Red Alder tree fell down on my property that turned out to be almost entirely perfectly spalted. It was like a pot of gold fell from the sky. It is amazing wood.

More about my woodshop philosophy:

-I can’t stand sterile, everything-matching woodshops. The shop should be organized but have character.

-Having every tool imaginable is not my goal. I only have what I use and often sell stuff that collects dust.

-Read, read, read. I study every book, magazine, or woodworking website I can get my hands on. I love learning new tricks.

-Read the old stuff. The glitz and glamor of modern woodworking magazines are generally filled with recycled material found in the old “Fine Woodworking” magazines. Woodworking is an oooooold profession. The majority of the good ideas are nothing new.

-Hand tools are good. You won’t believe it until you try it and get it right.

-Clean up after every stage of every project, unless your shop is in a huge wherehouse.

-Woodworkers by law must be innovators, and they should share information, design ideas, and tricks of the trade.

By the way, here are a few more pictures…

My tiny shop: (I only use the left half of this old building)

My Workbench and wall of usable/antique tools:

The RAS bench:

Drill Press with homemade table/fence/storage which lifts off easily:

Bandsaw with homemade fence:

The side room with some lumber storage and compressor on foam blocks to cut noise:

View from the back windows:

A photo especially for MsDebbieP: (plenty of safety precautions here, Deb!)

-- Dust collectors suck.