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My Take on the Restricted Space/Budget Shop.

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53K views 121 replies 81 participants last post by  Bill_Steele 
#1 ·
The Space and the Tool List

When we bought a winter home in Green Valley AZ. in 2007 it didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't spend half of the year without a shop. The problems were that there wasn't any space for one except the semi-enclosed carport and it's hard to justify the price of "two of everything" good quality tools.

This blog is about the solution I arrived at. For starters here's the space I had to work with.

Cabinetry Flooring Floor Building Wood


The bench is 26" x 8' and the cabinet behind it is 30" x 8'. There is a 30" square area behind the cabinet that houses a mobile tool caddy. The DC takes up 30" x 4'. Total is fifty-three square feet. The little building behind the cabinet and the DC is the laundry room.

Wood Beam Hardwood Flooring Building


The other side has a small lumber storage area and a couple of saw horses. They take up about 20 square feet. You can still park two cars in the carport.

Table Wood Kitchen Cabinetry Floor


In the laundry room I have a 6' x 6' marquetry shop. The total occupied space with tools put away is 109 square feet.

The stationary tools I have are:

Table Saw, Drill Press, Lathe, Disc Sander, Belt Sander, Jointer, Planer, Horizontal Boring Machine, Bandsaw, Compressor, Thickness Sander, Marquetry Press and of course my Chevalet de Marqueterie. They are all good quality tools.

The drawers have a number of hand and power tools and in general I can make anything here that I can in my much bigger, much more expensive shop at home.

I may have as much as $2500 invested here but I don't think so.

Gotta run, I have a tee time but next post I'll start showing you the tools.

Thanks for looking in.

Paul
 

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#2 ·
The Space and the Tool List

When we bought a winter home in Green Valley AZ. in 2007 it didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't spend half of the year without a shop. The problems were that there wasn't any space for one except the semi-enclosed carport and it's hard to justify the price of "two of everything" good quality tools.

This blog is about the solution I arrived at. For starters here's the space I had to work with.

Cabinetry Flooring Floor Building Wood


The bench is 26" x 8' and the cabinet behind it is 30" x 8'. There is a 30" square area behind the cabinet that houses a mobile tool caddy. The DC takes up 30" x 4'. Total is fifty-three square feet. The little building behind the cabinet and the DC is the laundry room.

Wood Beam Hardwood Flooring Building


The other side has a small lumber storage area and a couple of saw horses. They take up about 20 square feet. You can still park two cars in the carport.

Table Wood Kitchen Cabinetry Floor


In the laundry room I have a 6' x 6' marquetry shop. The total occupied space with tools put away is 109 square feet.

The stationary tools I have are:

Table Saw, Drill Press, Lathe, Disc Sander, Belt Sander, Jointer, Planer, Horizontal Boring Machine, Bandsaw, Compressor, Thickness Sander, Marquetry Press and of course my Chevalet de Marqueterie. They are all good quality tools.

The drawers have a number of hand and power tools and in general I can make anything here that I can in my much bigger, much more expensive shop at home.

I may have as much as $2500 invested here but I don't think so.

Gotta run, I have a tee time but next post I'll start showing you the tools.

Thanks for looking in.

Paul
That's a great space Paul. Surely you don't plan on filling it up with a car do you?
 

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#3 ·
The Space and the Tool List

When we bought a winter home in Green Valley AZ. in 2007 it didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't spend half of the year without a shop. The problems were that there wasn't any space for one except the semi-enclosed carport and it's hard to justify the price of "two of everything" good quality tools.

This blog is about the solution I arrived at. For starters here's the space I had to work with.

Cabinetry Flooring Floor Building Wood


The bench is 26" x 8' and the cabinet behind it is 30" x 8'. There is a 30" square area behind the cabinet that houses a mobile tool caddy. The DC takes up 30" x 4'. Total is fifty-three square feet. The little building behind the cabinet and the DC is the laundry room.

Wood Beam Hardwood Flooring Building


The other side has a small lumber storage area and a couple of saw horses. They take up about 20 square feet. You can still park two cars in the carport.

Table Wood Kitchen Cabinetry Floor


In the laundry room I have a 6' x 6' marquetry shop. The total occupied space with tools put away is 109 square feet.

The stationary tools I have are:

Table Saw, Drill Press, Lathe, Disc Sander, Belt Sander, Jointer, Planer, Horizontal Boring Machine, Bandsaw, Compressor, Thickness Sander, Marquetry Press and of course my Chevalet de Marqueterie. They are all good quality tools.

The drawers have a number of hand and power tools and in general I can make anything here that I can in my much bigger, much more expensive shop at home.

I may have as much as $2500 invested here but I don't think so.

Gotta run, I have a tee time but next post I'll start showing you the tools.

Thanks for looking in.

Paul
Two shops to keep neat and clean! Poor Paul, lol.
 

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#4 ·
The Space and the Tool List

When we bought a winter home in Green Valley AZ. in 2007 it didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't spend half of the year without a shop. The problems were that there wasn't any space for one except the semi-enclosed carport and it's hard to justify the price of "two of everything" good quality tools.

This blog is about the solution I arrived at. For starters here's the space I had to work with.

Cabinetry Flooring Floor Building Wood


The bench is 26" x 8' and the cabinet behind it is 30" x 8'. There is a 30" square area behind the cabinet that houses a mobile tool caddy. The DC takes up 30" x 4'. Total is fifty-three square feet. The little building behind the cabinet and the DC is the laundry room.

Wood Beam Hardwood Flooring Building


The other side has a small lumber storage area and a couple of saw horses. They take up about 20 square feet. You can still park two cars in the carport.

Table Wood Kitchen Cabinetry Floor


In the laundry room I have a 6' x 6' marquetry shop. The total occupied space with tools put away is 109 square feet.

The stationary tools I have are:

Table Saw, Drill Press, Lathe, Disc Sander, Belt Sander, Jointer, Planer, Horizontal Boring Machine, Bandsaw, Compressor, Thickness Sander, Marquetry Press and of course my Chevalet de Marqueterie. They are all good quality tools.

The drawers have a number of hand and power tools and in general I can make anything here that I can in my much bigger, much more expensive shop at home.

I may have as much as $2500 invested here but I don't think so.

Gotta run, I have a tee time but next post I'll start showing you the tools.

Thanks for looking in.

Paul
Paul, your shop away from home is a grand little shop and I know that you must enjoy it very much.

helluvawreck

https://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com
 

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#5 ·
The Space and the Tool List

When we bought a winter home in Green Valley AZ. in 2007 it didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't spend half of the year without a shop. The problems were that there wasn't any space for one except the semi-enclosed carport and it's hard to justify the price of "two of everything" good quality tools.

This blog is about the solution I arrived at. For starters here's the space I had to work with.

Cabinetry Flooring Floor Building Wood


The bench is 26" x 8' and the cabinet behind it is 30" x 8'. There is a 30" square area behind the cabinet that houses a mobile tool caddy. The DC takes up 30" x 4'. Total is fifty-three square feet. The little building behind the cabinet and the DC is the laundry room.

Wood Beam Hardwood Flooring Building


The other side has a small lumber storage area and a couple of saw horses. They take up about 20 square feet. You can still park two cars in the carport.

Table Wood Kitchen Cabinetry Floor


In the laundry room I have a 6' x 6' marquetry shop. The total occupied space with tools put away is 109 square feet.

The stationary tools I have are:

Table Saw, Drill Press, Lathe, Disc Sander, Belt Sander, Jointer, Planer, Horizontal Boring Machine, Bandsaw, Compressor, Thickness Sander, Marquetry Press and of course my Chevalet de Marqueterie. They are all good quality tools.

The drawers have a number of hand and power tools and in general I can make anything here that I can in my much bigger, much more expensive shop at home.

I may have as much as $2500 invested here but I don't think so.

Gotta run, I have a tee time but next post I'll start showing you the tools.

Thanks for looking in.

Paul
Looks like a first class setup. I know what you mean about not being able to spend half of the year without a shop. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Before I built my current shop I also worked out of a carport for nearly two years…I guess we just make do with what we have at the time. It is not the shop that creates..but it is the person.
 

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#6 ·
The Space and the Tool List

When we bought a winter home in Green Valley AZ. in 2007 it didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't spend half of the year without a shop. The problems were that there wasn't any space for one except the semi-enclosed carport and it's hard to justify the price of "two of everything" good quality tools.

This blog is about the solution I arrived at. For starters here's the space I had to work with.

Cabinetry Flooring Floor Building Wood


The bench is 26" x 8' and the cabinet behind it is 30" x 8'. There is a 30" square area behind the cabinet that houses a mobile tool caddy. The DC takes up 30" x 4'. Total is fifty-three square feet. The little building behind the cabinet and the DC is the laundry room.

Wood Beam Hardwood Flooring Building


The other side has a small lumber storage area and a couple of saw horses. They take up about 20 square feet. You can still park two cars in the carport.

Table Wood Kitchen Cabinetry Floor


In the laundry room I have a 6' x 6' marquetry shop. The total occupied space with tools put away is 109 square feet.

The stationary tools I have are:

Table Saw, Drill Press, Lathe, Disc Sander, Belt Sander, Jointer, Planer, Horizontal Boring Machine, Bandsaw, Compressor, Thickness Sander, Marquetry Press and of course my Chevalet de Marqueterie. They are all good quality tools.

The drawers have a number of hand and power tools and in general I can make anything here that I can in my much bigger, much more expensive shop at home.

I may have as much as $2500 invested here but I don't think so.

Gotta run, I have a tee time but next post I'll start showing you the tools.

Thanks for looking in.

Paul
Paul,
One of the realities of a good woodworker is to have a good workshop however I agree with Greg's… It is not the shop that creates..but it is the person. and to me… you are the person who have the shop that creates wonderful marquetry that in my honest opinion… you can create more than your shop capabilities like doing tools of your own style, shipbuilding, and much more. Keep it up and looking ahead to find out what tools you have in those drawers.

Hope someone will follow your woodworking way.
God bless,
 

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#7 ·
The Space and the Tool List

When we bought a winter home in Green Valley AZ. in 2007 it didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't spend half of the year without a shop. The problems were that there wasn't any space for one except the semi-enclosed carport and it's hard to justify the price of "two of everything" good quality tools.

This blog is about the solution I arrived at. For starters here's the space I had to work with.

Cabinetry Flooring Floor Building Wood


The bench is 26" x 8' and the cabinet behind it is 30" x 8'. There is a 30" square area behind the cabinet that houses a mobile tool caddy. The DC takes up 30" x 4'. Total is fifty-three square feet. The little building behind the cabinet and the DC is the laundry room.

Wood Beam Hardwood Flooring Building


The other side has a small lumber storage area and a couple of saw horses. They take up about 20 square feet. You can still park two cars in the carport.

Table Wood Kitchen Cabinetry Floor


In the laundry room I have a 6' x 6' marquetry shop. The total occupied space with tools put away is 109 square feet.

The stationary tools I have are:

Table Saw, Drill Press, Lathe, Disc Sander, Belt Sander, Jointer, Planer, Horizontal Boring Machine, Bandsaw, Compressor, Thickness Sander, Marquetry Press and of course my Chevalet de Marqueterie. They are all good quality tools.

The drawers have a number of hand and power tools and in general I can make anything here that I can in my much bigger, much more expensive shop at home.

I may have as much as $2500 invested here but I don't think so.

Gotta run, I have a tee time but next post I'll start showing you the tools.

Thanks for looking in.

Paul
Paul,

Mega dittos on Bert's comments. You demostrate something my Dad told me years ago: "It's not so much the tools you have as what you do with the tools you have." I admire your talent and creativity. You continue to be an inspiration to me personally. Thank you for the time you spend in posting your projects and sharing your accomplishments.
 

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#8 ·
The Space and the Tool List

When we bought a winter home in Green Valley AZ. in 2007 it didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't spend half of the year without a shop. The problems were that there wasn't any space for one except the semi-enclosed carport and it's hard to justify the price of "two of everything" good quality tools.

This blog is about the solution I arrived at. For starters here's the space I had to work with.

Cabinetry Flooring Floor Building Wood


The bench is 26" x 8' and the cabinet behind it is 30" x 8'. There is a 30" square area behind the cabinet that houses a mobile tool caddy. The DC takes up 30" x 4'. Total is fifty-three square feet. The little building behind the cabinet and the DC is the laundry room.

Wood Beam Hardwood Flooring Building


The other side has a small lumber storage area and a couple of saw horses. They take up about 20 square feet. You can still park two cars in the carport.

Table Wood Kitchen Cabinetry Floor


In the laundry room I have a 6' x 6' marquetry shop. The total occupied space with tools put away is 109 square feet.

The stationary tools I have are:

Table Saw, Drill Press, Lathe, Disc Sander, Belt Sander, Jointer, Planer, Horizontal Boring Machine, Bandsaw, Compressor, Thickness Sander, Marquetry Press and of course my Chevalet de Marqueterie. They are all good quality tools.

The drawers have a number of hand and power tools and in general I can make anything here that I can in my much bigger, much more expensive shop at home.

I may have as much as $2500 invested here but I don't think so.

Gotta run, I have a tee time but next post I'll start showing you the tools.

Thanks for looking in.

Paul
I can't believe you are down south missing all this wonderful wind and rain
God, retirement is a long ways away for me.
Enjoy yours to the fullest
 

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#9 ·
The Space and the Tool List

When we bought a winter home in Green Valley AZ. in 2007 it didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't spend half of the year without a shop. The problems were that there wasn't any space for one except the semi-enclosed carport and it's hard to justify the price of "two of everything" good quality tools.

This blog is about the solution I arrived at. For starters here's the space I had to work with.

Cabinetry Flooring Floor Building Wood


The bench is 26" x 8' and the cabinet behind it is 30" x 8'. There is a 30" square area behind the cabinet that houses a mobile tool caddy. The DC takes up 30" x 4'. Total is fifty-three square feet. The little building behind the cabinet and the DC is the laundry room.

Wood Beam Hardwood Flooring Building


The other side has a small lumber storage area and a couple of saw horses. They take up about 20 square feet. You can still park two cars in the carport.

Table Wood Kitchen Cabinetry Floor


In the laundry room I have a 6' x 6' marquetry shop. The total occupied space with tools put away is 109 square feet.

The stationary tools I have are:

Table Saw, Drill Press, Lathe, Disc Sander, Belt Sander, Jointer, Planer, Horizontal Boring Machine, Bandsaw, Compressor, Thickness Sander, Marquetry Press and of course my Chevalet de Marqueterie. They are all good quality tools.

The drawers have a number of hand and power tools and in general I can make anything here that I can in my much bigger, much more expensive shop at home.

I may have as much as $2500 invested here but I don't think so.

Gotta run, I have a tee time but next post I'll start showing you the tools.

Thanks for looking in.

Paul
You are living MY dream, you live in a beautiful place in Canada and spend your winter in Arizona. People have asked why we do not go south ? I would like to get away from the cold, THE BIG question is what to do for 6 months ? You have answered that. Keep posting your work, we enjoy it very much ! Thanks
 

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#10 ·
The Space and the Tool List

When we bought a winter home in Green Valley AZ. in 2007 it didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't spend half of the year without a shop. The problems were that there wasn't any space for one except the semi-enclosed carport and it's hard to justify the price of "two of everything" good quality tools.

This blog is about the solution I arrived at. For starters here's the space I had to work with.

Cabinetry Flooring Floor Building Wood


The bench is 26" x 8' and the cabinet behind it is 30" x 8'. There is a 30" square area behind the cabinet that houses a mobile tool caddy. The DC takes up 30" x 4'. Total is fifty-three square feet. The little building behind the cabinet and the DC is the laundry room.

Wood Beam Hardwood Flooring Building


The other side has a small lumber storage area and a couple of saw horses. They take up about 20 square feet. You can still park two cars in the carport.

Table Wood Kitchen Cabinetry Floor


In the laundry room I have a 6' x 6' marquetry shop. The total occupied space with tools put away is 109 square feet.

The stationary tools I have are:

Table Saw, Drill Press, Lathe, Disc Sander, Belt Sander, Jointer, Planer, Horizontal Boring Machine, Bandsaw, Compressor, Thickness Sander, Marquetry Press and of course my Chevalet de Marqueterie. They are all good quality tools.

The drawers have a number of hand and power tools and in general I can make anything here that I can in my much bigger, much more expensive shop at home.

I may have as much as $2500 invested here but I don't think so.

Gotta run, I have a tee time but next post I'll start showing you the tools.

Thanks for looking in.

Paul
What a great little shop!! I wish I had one like this in Florida!!

Thanks for sharing
 

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#11 ·
The Beating Heart of the Shop

There are two institutions to be given credit for how well I have been able to equip my shop for so little money and in so little space. They cannot be separated. They are ShopSmith and Craigslist.

I was for most of my life one of the "pros" who have all the tools and looked down my nose at multi-function tools in general and ShopSmith in particular.

I was wrong. If you can justify the money and have the space, fine, you don't need to consider them and can go on in blissful ignorance as I did but when the time comes that space and budget demand creative solutions, it is time to give them a look.

Well I gave ShopSmith a look and now I'm like a reformed smoker. You can't stop me from singing their praises. At this point I have to bring up the other institution, Craigslist. ShopSmith makes very high quality tools for what they are and unfortunately new they just aren't in the budget that I'm talking about here. Enter CL.

Remember that 30" x 8' cabinet in my carport shop? Well here it is open to expose the machine that makes the whole thing possible. You can also see the "built in" spot for my HF compressor.

This is a 1993 ShopSmith Mark V 510. It is like new. I got it on Craigslist for $800 with the bandsaw and jointer special purpose tools (SS's term for add on tools that drop into place and run off the main unit's powerhead).

Cabinetry Wood Kitchen appliance Wood stain Floor


This machine is a good tablesaw, an excellent lathe,a very good drill press, a disc sander with amazing side benefits and a first class horizontal boring machine.

Next space is the 30" square area at the end of the cabinet. It houses the cart that carries the jointer, belt sander, planer and bandsaw. All these tools simply and very quickly drop into place and are driven by the powerhead.

Gas Wood Machine Fixture Machine tool


The drawers hold lathe and bandsaw accessories. All of these pieces came from Craigslist and cost far less than new prices.

Wood Flooring Floor Office equipment Gas


I would be remiss if I didn't add another fine but much maligned institution, Harbor Freight to my list of benefactors. There are real jewels among the chaff in that store and for the woodworker on a budget, particularly one who won't be putting tools to "commercial" use, they are a real resource.

This is my DC, a modified HF model that all LJ's know well. It is an amazing value.
Cylinder Fixture Gas Automotive tire Engineering


For those familiar with ShopSmith, we're about done, but for those of you who want to see how all this works, here are some pictures of the shop in action.

The Planer
Motor vehicle Automotive tire Bumper Automotive exterior Wood


The Jointer
Wood Automotive tire Bumper Automotive exterior Gas


The Band Saw

Wood Gas Machine tool Workbench Hardwood


The Drill Press, Nice table

Wood Gas Machine Metal Engineering


The Lathe
Automotive tire Machine tool Gas Auto part Machine


The Horizontal Boring Machine

Motor vehicle Automotive tire Machine tool Gas Auto part


The Table Saw

Interior design Flooring Wood Gas Machine


The Drum Sander

Office equipment Automotive tire Wood Motor vehicle Gas


The Belt Sander

Motor vehicle Gas Machine tool Milling Engineering


Sorry I don't have a photo of the disc sander in service but suffice to say that it goes on where the table saw blade goes and benefits from the extendable quill in the headstock and the multi-adjustable table to perform things my stationary Delta at home can't touch.

So this is the beating heart around which my very small, low budget shop away from home revolves.

If you are short of space and cash but you want a quality shop that can turn out anything the big boys can, get on the computer and start looking on CL for a ShopSmith near you.

Incidentally, I have no connection with any of the organizations above. I just tells it like I sees it.

Hope this will help some of you have more woodworking fun for less.

Thanks for dropping in.

Paul
 

Attachments

#12 ·
The Beating Heart of the Shop

There are two institutions to be given credit for how well I have been able to equip my shop for so little money and in so little space. They cannot be separated. They are ShopSmith and Craigslist.

I was for most of my life one of the "pros" who have all the tools and looked down my nose at multi-function tools in general and ShopSmith in particular.

I was wrong. If you can justify the money and have the space, fine, you don't need to consider them and can go on in blissful ignorance as I did but when the time comes that space and budget demand creative solutions, it is time to give them a look.

Well I gave ShopSmith a look and now I'm like a reformed smoker. You can't stop me from singing their praises. At this point I have to bring up the other institution, Craigslist. ShopSmith makes very high quality tools for what they are and unfortunately new they just aren't in the budget that I'm talking about here. Enter CL.

Remember that 30" x 8' cabinet in my carport shop? Well here it is open to expose the machine that makes the whole thing possible. You can also see the "built in" spot for my HF compressor.

This is a 1993 ShopSmith Mark V 510. It is like new. I got it on Craigslist for $800 with the bandsaw and jointer special purpose tools (SS's term for add on tools that drop into place and run off the main unit's powerhead).

Cabinetry Wood Kitchen appliance Wood stain Floor


This machine is a good tablesaw, an excellent lathe,a very good drill press, a disc sander with amazing side benefits and a first class horizontal boring machine.

Next space is the 30" square area at the end of the cabinet. It houses the cart that carries the jointer, belt sander, planer and bandsaw. All these tools simply and very quickly drop into place and are driven by the powerhead.

Gas Wood Machine Fixture Machine tool


The drawers hold lathe and bandsaw accessories. All of these pieces came from Craigslist and cost far less than new prices.

Wood Flooring Floor Office equipment Gas


I would be remiss if I didn't add another fine but much maligned institution, Harbor Freight to my list of benefactors. There are real jewels among the chaff in that store and for the woodworker on a budget, particularly one who won't be putting tools to "commercial" use, they are a real resource.

This is my DC, a modified HF model that all LJ's know well. It is an amazing value.
Cylinder Fixture Gas Automotive tire Engineering


For those familiar with ShopSmith, we're about done, but for those of you who want to see how all this works, here are some pictures of the shop in action.

The Planer
Motor vehicle Automotive tire Bumper Automotive exterior Wood


The Jointer
Wood Automotive tire Bumper Automotive exterior Gas


The Band Saw

Wood Gas Machine tool Workbench Hardwood


The Drill Press, Nice table

Wood Gas Machine Metal Engineering


The Lathe
Automotive tire Machine tool Gas Auto part Machine


The Horizontal Boring Machine

Motor vehicle Automotive tire Machine tool Gas Auto part


The Table Saw

Interior design Flooring Wood Gas Machine


The Drum Sander

Office equipment Automotive tire Wood Motor vehicle Gas


The Belt Sander

Motor vehicle Gas Machine tool Milling Engineering


Sorry I don't have a photo of the disc sander in service but suffice to say that it goes on where the table saw blade goes and benefits from the extendable quill in the headstock and the multi-adjustable table to perform things my stationary Delta at home can't touch.

So this is the beating heart around which my very small, low budget shop away from home revolves.

If you are short of space and cash but you want a quality shop that can turn out anything the big boys can, get on the computer and start looking on CL for a ShopSmith near you.

Incidentally, I have no connection with any of the organizations above. I just tells it like I sees it.

Hope this will help some of you have more woodworking fun for less.

Thanks for dropping in.

Paul
Nice read - I enjoyed reading about the aspects of the shop. Nothing wrong with Shopsmith machines as far as I am concerned. Thanks for sharing.
 

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#52 ·
What Can You Turn Out in a Shop on the Cheap?

All of the stationary stuff that I described in the last post cost around $1500 or less with a little shrewd horse trading and not really a lot of looking on CL. I said that my investment might be as high as $2500. The rest is all standard stuff like drills, sanders routers, grinder etc. and far too boring to go into. The main gist here is that you can do it with quality tools and still not spend a fortune. Maybe more importantly, it needn't take up a lot of space.

The ShopSmith comes with very good casters that lift and lower and it is very easy to move around . The SPT cart is on casters and of course so is the HF DC. I can set up in a minute or so and put things away just as easily. There is no feeling of "Oh I have to drag all that stuff out" at all.

As for the quality that you can achieve in this space on this budget, I'd say you'd be hard pressed to tell which of my projects were made here and which at the big shop at home. And incidentally, the most highly rated project I have posted since I joined the site (http://lumberjocks.com/projects/37820 ), while built at my home shop was done almost entirely with the old 1950 ShopSmith 10ER (http://lumberjocks.com/projects/38909) and a router.

I've never been a believer in the high end tools. I have no problem with those who love them. They just aren't worth it to me. I think that the quality has to be in the hands of the craftsman and if it's there, he can produce fine results with less than fine tools. If it's not there, the finest tools money can buy won't improve his quality much at all. Why do I feel like I shouldn't have said that?

Anyway this is a wrap. I hope I have helped in some way to get some of you into better organization and better tools for your space and budget.

Thanks for looking in

Paul
 
#62 ·
Garage to Shop in 2 1/2 Minutes

This is a fun little video I've been meaning to do for a while now. It is what I do every morning (with slight variations) when I'm in Green Valley. In this case I needed the belt sander first but it could just as easily have been the bandsaw or one of the other SPT's. I always set up the SS for table saw when I first pull it out. That accounts for a couple of extra moves in this case.

Building Wood Table Beam T-shirt


I was going to do another one when I put it all away tonight but you can just run this one in reverse and imagine me sweeping up under the SS for a minute or two. The one thing that SS is bad at is dust collection on the TS. The dust collector gets the fines but a fair bit of the heavier sawdust escapes. .... no big deal.

Thanks for Looking in

Paul
 

Attachments

#63 ·
Garage to Shop in 2 1/2 Minutes

This is a fun little video I've been meaning to do for a while now. It is what I do every morning (with slight variations) when I'm in Green Valley. In this case I needed the belt sander first but it could just as easily have been the bandsaw or one of the other SPT's. I always set up the SS for table saw when I first pull it out. That accounts for a couple of extra moves in this case.

Building Wood Table Beam T-shirt


I was going to do another one when I put it all away tonight but you can just run this one in reverse and imagine me sweeping up under the SS for a minute or two. The one thing that SS is bad at is dust collection on the TS. The dust collector gets the fines but a fair bit of the heavier sawdust escapes. .... no big deal.

Thanks for Looking in

Paul
Shopsmiths are great! Yours seemed to roll really easy…do you have the upgraded wheels?
 

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#77 ·
We've Moved ...... My New Smaller Shop

The low Canadian dollar made this year a great time for us to downsize our investment in Az. real estate…. and we did well! The best part is that we like the new place even better than the old (more expensive) one. The other best part is that I got to plan and build a new shop to replace the pieced together, make shift shop/garage that I had been using. This one is all indoors and will be heatable in the cold months too,

It is smaller but so much better laid out and organized that it is much nicer to work in. The main shop is only 12' x 14' but I have packed three benches, my ShopSmith, and all the other stuff in and I can still walk around. For this one I built two walls to enclose part of a large Arizona Room.

Wood Floor Building Hardwood Flooring


Wood Table Hardwood Ceiling Room


Window Cabinetry Wood Floor Wood stain


Cabinetry Wood Shelving Interior design Shelf


Picture frame Shelving Shelf Wood Gas


The smaller room that was a windowless storage room is about 12'x7' and houses my dust collector, compressor, and marquetry shop ….. complete with lots of veneer storage.

Table Wood Floor Drawer Hardwood


Furniture Table Building Cabinetry Wood


Building Wood House Hardwood Table


Wood Hardwood Gas Flooring Countertop


Wood Window Floor Flooring Hardwood


Wood Automotive exterior Gas Bumper Tints and shades


Bottom line, I'm a happy camper with a great new place to work and live in the winter months. The only downside is that I've had to spend most of this winter season renovating the new place and building the shop. I haven't got a lot of marquetry done but I am getting back to it now.

Did I mention how much I love ball bearing full extension drawer slides? I installed twenty six pairs between the shop and the new kitchen and it is a joy to put things away!

Thanks for looking in,

Paul
 

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#78 ·
We've Moved ...... My New Smaller Shop

The low Canadian dollar made this year a great time for us to downsize our investment in Az. real estate…. and we did well! The best part is that we like the new place even better than the old (more expensive) one. The other best part is that I got to plan and build a new shop to replace the pieced together, make shift shop/garage that I had been using. This one is all indoors and will be heatable in the cold months too,

It is smaller but so much better laid out and organized that it is much nicer to work in. The main shop is only 12' x 14' but I have packed three benches, my ShopSmith, and all the other stuff in and I can still walk around. For this one I built two walls to enclose part of a large Arizona Room.

Wood Floor Building Hardwood Flooring


Wood Table Hardwood Ceiling Room


Window Cabinetry Wood Floor Wood stain


Cabinetry Wood Shelving Interior design Shelf


Picture frame Shelving Shelf Wood Gas


The smaller room that was a windowless storage room is about 12'x7' and houses my dust collector, compressor, and marquetry shop ….. complete with lots of veneer storage.

Table Wood Floor Drawer Hardwood


Furniture Table Building Cabinetry Wood


Building Wood House Hardwood Table


Wood Hardwood Gas Flooring Countertop


Wood Window Floor Flooring Hardwood


Wood Automotive exterior Gas Bumper Tints and shades


Bottom line, I'm a happy camper with a great new place to work and live in the winter months. The only downside is that I've had to spend most of this winter season renovating the new place and building the shop. I haven't got a lot of marquetry done but I am getting back to it now.

Did I mention how much I love ball bearing full extension drawer slides? I installed twenty six pairs between the shop and the new kitchen and it is a joy to put things away!

Thanks for looking in,

Paul
Looks like a cozy 'lil place to work Paul…..
 

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