October 2009 Shop Tour

Sorry to hear about that Marc. I hope things start improving for you on the housing front.

-- "Everything that is great and inspiring is created by the individual who labors in freedom" -- Albert Einstein

You are going to regret putting the router table on the out feed table of your table saw – been there done that – bad idea – you will blow a cut on the router table and then have to use your table saw to make a new piece but your router fence will be in the way…

Can’t argue with that. But right now, space is more important than convenience. I definitely don’t plan on having this setup forever. Plus the MFT is easy enough to move around if I need to make room for a tablesaw cut. And I already destroyed the stand alone router table, lol.

-- For free video tutorials and other cool woodworking stuff, check out http://www.TheWoodWhisperer.com

Marc, you have managed to organize your new shop space well. I am sure that moving it twice was not something that you anticipated when you signed the contract on this home but at least you are up and running and can take your time with building the new shop. I like the idea of combining the functions on the MFT table. You probably could have gotten by without it in your shop but for those of us with small shop footprints something like this is an excellent idea which looks promising at conserving shop space. And, when it is built, I like the concept of a stand alone shop. You can run power tools and apply finishes without getting yelled at by other household members. :)

I wish I knew what your secret was in getting Nicole to give up her space in the garage. I have often said that I am glad we added a third garage in the walk-out basement when we built our home. If I asked my wife to give up HER garage space I can guarantee you that I would be out in the weather before her vehicle would be. :)

Thanks for the video, Marc. I enjoyed touring your shop.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine

Marc

Your video on how you accommodated your tools into your new shop is enlightening. How did you run your 220V power to the center of the garage to the saw, overhead or on the floor? I am getting a new 220V saw and am debating on whether to run the power from the wall outlet, up to the rafters and down to the saw, or just drape the cord across the floor and unplug it when I am not using it. I am afraid if I run it from overhead the cord will get in the way.
Good luck on the sale of the house. My parents are stuck with their winter home in your area they can’t sell.
Thanks
Jim

-- Jim, SE Tennessee, "Don't spare the kindling Dear, we have plenty"

Hey Scott, to be honest man, the secret is that we live in a very mild climate AND Nicole doesn’t commute. If we actually had real winters and she had to drive to work at 7am, I think she might be a little less understanding, lol.

Jim – I had the electrician run two circuits up and over the first garage door, with one drop between the doors and one drop on the far end. The drop between the doors is where my tablesaw is hooked up. There happens to be an expansion gap in the concrete right in this area and I just “bury” the tablesaw cord in the crack, cover it with duct tape, and its all setup. Personally I like this better than ceiling mounted power. Not to mention the saw is only 4-5 feet from the outlet on the wall, so its a short run. And I too am concerned about the cord getting in the way with an overhead run.

-- For free video tutorials and other cool woodworking stuff, check out http://www.TheWoodWhisperer.com

Good job on the tour Marc.
Having a big shop now, I can’t imagine having to to downsize. You’ve done a great job with the space
you have. Just be glad it’s a 3 car garage and not a single.

I do have one major question. What do you use a bass drum for in your woodworking? I have a set and have not yet used them in any project. LOL—-amazing what ends up in our shops -huh? I have a sound system and a set of electronic drums in mine right now.

Again, thanks for the tour
Kent

-- She thought I hung the moon--now she just thinks I did it wrong

hi Marc i always like your vids .nice shop

-- gagewestern

Marc, thats a nice small shop!

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

Good video, thanks for the update. It is absolutely none of my business but why did you sell the first shop uhhh house?

-- "Checking for square? what madness is this! The cabinet is square because I will it to be so!" Jeremy Greiner LJ Topic#20953 2011 Feb 2

STORM SHADOW! BAUGH!!

-- "Democracy is by far the worst system of government. Except all the others that have been tried." ~ Winston Churchill

Marc, I am gonna be interested in what your feeling is of the Jet SCMS. I have a Crapsman and the new Jet is an exact copy with the only difference being the colors. I have had nothing but trouble with mine, good luck.

-- My job is to give my kids things to discuss with their therapist....medic20447@gmail.com

The move was just family drama and nothing really “strategic” on our part.

Ken, I have been working with the Jet for the last week. To be honest, I have never used the Craftsman but I did read your review. So far, I would have to say my experience with the Jet is nothing like what you describe with your Craftsman. The fence is perfectly square to the table, and the saw was nearly perfect right out of the box. I use a wide piece of baltic birch to do a few test cuts and made the slight adjustment to the fence, which was incredibly easy. In fact, I found that getting the blade to a dead on 90 degrees was far easier than on the Kapex. It might just be me and my work methods, but I prefer making adjustments to the fence. I usually put a piece of tape down on the table and I can easily see when the fence moves ever so slightly. So within 2-3 shots I had it dead on square with the widest board I could cut. The one negative so far is that the laser is not lined up perfectly and there is no simple adjustment. As a matter of fact, they manual says to contact a repair center for laser adjustments. So of course that’s the one things that is out of spec, lol. But other than that, in the first week of use, I am just as happy with this saw as I was with my old Makita 12” that was stolen out of my garage.

Oh and Kent, the drum is good for getting my frustration out when I screw something up! lol. Actually I was moving the drums over to the old house for storage, so it was hanging out in the shop for a few days. :)

-- For free video tutorials and other cool woodworking stuff, check out http://www.TheWoodWhisperer.com

Hope you get to unload your old house soon. Can’t wait to see the construction of the new shop.

-- If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail!

finally! i’ve been checking in at your site more frequently to see if you had your shop up and running. good to see you getting organized in your new space. good job on the sub-panel. that’s on my list, some day. sorry to hear how cramped you are in a THREE CAR GARAGE. but i can understand having a 2 car garage and not enough room to turn around. hate to see than assembly table go. that was a great project. good news, home sales were reported today at the highest in the past 2 years. hang in there.

-- david roberts, spinning Tales from Topographic Oceans, no, really.