Handtool Shops

Hello Brett!

I have one of them. Frankly spoken this is not real shop – this is kitchen. I put two stapled between long boards – 2 meters on my kitchen table – one end and the other end put to an other kitchen cabinet. Board thickness is 35 mm. Enough rigid for planing, sawing and width nice too near 40 centimeters.
Just because I can work or play with wood only after 9:00 p.m. – daughter goes to sleeping and until 11:30 p.m. – I would like to sleep – I use only hand tools – japanese saws, hand drills, even with chisel I don’t use a mallet.

My appatment is situated on the 3 floor so we need respect our neighbors.

Among power tools I have bandsaw, now she – my nice Green Lady – is situated in the other appartment and waiting for some refurbishing in my garage. After she will live there.
And other tools which I would like to buy – power grinder, but for the garage too.

Probably palm router will place the third rank. No more.

But if you would like make woodworking for eating, it seems to me you need more power tools.

I wish I had one like that. I’ve still got the big beasts, but they’re getting taken over by the little ones.

-- My dad and I built a 65 chev pick up.I killed trannys in that thing for some reason-Hog

Brett: Check out Mafe’s blogs. He has some good ideas you might like. He is danish like me, so you know he is a nice guy. :)

-- Thor and Odin are the greatest of Gods.

I started by going down the power tool route… I started with routers, jig saw, circular saw, etc. Then I moved into an apartment, and have begun the swing the other direction… using only hand tools, saws, planes, chisels and the like. You’d be surprised what you can do with just a few planes, saws, a T-Bevel, and some chisels, and a workmate :-)

Once I do have an actual shop, I would like to do something like you are asking. Mostly hand tools, but the occasional power tool from time to time. I’m interested in the responses you’ll get. Thanks for asking the question

-- Mos - Twin Cities, MN -- Stanley #45 Evangelist - www.youtube.com/MosquitoMods

I think some French guy named Roubo had a pretty good plan.

-- Michael :-{| Diapers and politicians both need to be changed often; and for the same reason.

My grandpa had one ;-)

-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence Wake Up America!! Please read; http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0

Hi Brett:

I have an all hand tool shop. It’s in a spare bedroom that is 11×13, but the layout could easily transfer to a stand alone shop. Check out my profile and you’ll see my workshop. Also, there are two books that have good ideas on this topic. “The Practical Woodworker” by Bernard E. Jones. He has plans for a stand alone 9×12 shop that is great and talks about natural lighting, etc. The whole book is great for hand tool woodworking. It is out of print, but can be found pretty easily used online for a good price.

A newer book is “Chisel, Mallet, Plane and Saw” by Tony Konovaloff. Tony is a professional cabinetmaker that only uses hand tools. The book is excellent and talks about small shops. He has a layout of a 8×10 stand alone shop that he used to use. He also shows his current shop that is in a one car garage that could be adapted to stand alone.

I think you could pretty easily fit a bandsaw and drill press in most of these.

Good Luck!