Handicapped Accessible!

This is an interesting dilemma so to speak. As one who has a Brother in a wheelchair and former woodworker in his family, This only just came up in the last week, when discussing him moving into a new house. He wants a shop, but not anything big. He has no need for using the table saw or bigger tools, so we never got as far as discussing how he could roll under certain tools if needed. I’ll be interested in what ideas people have though.

-- Respect your shop tools and they will respect you - Ric

Me as well. oldskool.

I hope there are LOTS of great ideas that I can engross myself in and compile them all together to make a Great Small Shop with.

I’ve had some Great ideas on “The Wood Whisperer Forum” About redoing my kitchen Cabinets, We are redoing the Kitchen also to suit it for Handicapped Access, But I need my Shop with access so I can work on the Kitchen, the Kitchen is Manageable right now, but the Shop is not.

So hopefully we have a lot of Creative people out here that are willing to Join in on the Discussions to throw ideas around and juggle them to see what we can come up with.

Handi

-- Jimmy "Handi" Warner, http://jwarner75.etsy.com, http://handisworkshop.blogspot.com

Handi,

Welcome to LJ !

With regard to the particular challenges of your workshop, I’m IN.

Several of my friends are either DSUSA athletes or instructors and as such I have had (and have) at least a passing acquaintance with adaptive needs, wants, requirements and ambitions.

I am also a boorish loudmouth and tactless slob, so if I make a seemingly insensitive remark(s), I apologize in advance.

I have some ideas as to the size and location of your work bench, as well as mods to standard off the shelf tools. I would like to share these upfront and online so that others might benefit from them, if they prove to be at all useful.

Best Regards,
gc

Hi Handi. Welcome

I would look in our projects section and look for some designs on the mobile bases. It’s a lot to look through but I have seen some great ideas like the swivel top cabinet. A tool on both sides and the top locks in place. That will save space down low as well.
It sounds like your on the right path.
Good luck

-- Bob K. East Northport, NY

Bob: I will take a Gander at that in the process, I stream threw some of the project sections Daily, so I will eventually make it threw them all!

Grumpy: All I got to say is Bring it on. I do not get offended easy or actually none at all, well depending on what it is. But you will be ok. I heard every handicapped joke, Disabled Joke, I got friends that Joke with me, I embarrass them in the stores and everything.

I don’t let nothing get me down, I try to get ontop of my Game everyday, but some days are harder then the next. Always in pain from the Rods in my Back, but I let it go, No use in staying at home and wasting away, Go outside, Challenge yourself with something, show the Uprights that you can do it, that you are willing to do it, and Stop Blaming yourself and others for what happen.

Just the way i feel. And the fact that my lovely Mother, Always told me That “I Can” Do something and to never use “I Can’t” because it wasn’t in my Vocab. And this edged me on to better things and Hopes and Dreams.

So anyway about that Spew lol, You have no chance of Offending me. Slap whatever you want in here Don’t care, I just want to see Ideas and some progress.. I got all winter to compile these ideas while I scroll Saw on my kitchen table lol

Handi

-- Jimmy "Handi" Warner, http://jwarner75.etsy.com, http://handisworkshop.blogspot.com

Hello Jimmy,

I’m in a wheelchair as well and I have a woodworking shop. It’s actually 2 1/2 bays of a 3 car garage. (wish I had 50 AC outlets like yours).

I also have struggled to get my tools either elevated or lowered depending on the machine. I actually have everything the way I need it right now with the exception of my, spindle sander and 12” disc sander.

I saw some great looking scroll saw work on your web site. For my scroll saw I simply made a table with a 3/4” ply top with a 2×4 frame and legs and built it to the right height to sit right up next to it and allow my knees to sort of be under the table. We all have different mobility “abilities” but I don’t use foot rests and can sort of scoot out and sit forward in the chair to work.

For my Drill press I have a Delta bench top and I built an elevated mobile base for it and used 5” casters from Woocraft that provided some good height as well. Again I just arranged the height to be at a comfortable level for me. The large casters made it easy to just turn if I need to get to the back of it to crank the table etc.

I modfied a Rikon Mini-Lathe stand to bring my lathe down to a working (sitting) height.

For my Compound miter saw again, I built a table but this time with two 3/4” ply sections glued and screwed for the top but I used 4×4 or the legs and have Wodcraft 3 1/2” double lock casters under it. This particular table top was made large enough to also hold a dual wheel bench grinder and a Zyliss vice. I also store ALOT of cutt-offs under this table. The height for this table (after I added the casters) is a little high right now for me to reach up and grab the CMS handle but I’ll get around to fixing that.

Workbech is just two sheet’s of 3/4” ply glued and screwed and edge banded in oak that I actually stained and drenched in polyuerethane and it looks great after I periodically run the ROS over it and give it another coat of poly. Height is 29” and sits on steel legs.

I also have a Unisaw that I was most concerned about. I REALLY needed to make sure it was situated for safety. It was too hight out of the box so I removed the plenum sub base, added a 1/4” full plate to the bottom to add strength back that the plenum was providing. Now that it was lowered I had to make it mobile. I tried the delta mobile base for the Unisaw and absolutely hated it. To move the saw on that base with the little casters and the center elevating caster meant that I had to move the thing 3 feet in one direction in order to move it 1 foot in another. I got tired of dancing with that thing and decided to design and build my own. I actually built it using aluminum extrusion from a company called faztek and used LARGE casters and now it rolls around the shop as easily as I do.

Another thing I did to make the saw safer to use was add a Jessem Sliding table. Sitting in a wheelchair I did want want to lean up and over the blade when making cuts as that just felt like bad juju to me. I have low upper body strength and didn’t want to give out right at the end of the cut and make dado cuts in my forehead.

Using the Jessem I can secure the material with clamps and actually sit to the side of the saw and push the material through.

For convenience and space saving I also added a Bench Dog router wing on the right side of the saw.

With everything I’ve done, safety has been the number one consideration. None of this bobby is worth loosing a finger or eye or anything like that which would mess up my life and those around me.

When I need to make a cut and I’m not comfortable that somethings not gonna slip or nail me in the head I just don’t make the cut. I clamp everything before a cut if possible.

I hope I’ve at least given some ideas and I’ll post some pics here. Safetly and ease of movement are what’s most important to me. I hope to hear back from you on your shop.

Here are some not so great pics. I don’t have a pic of the CMS or scroll saw but can get that.

Ken

-- I'm in it for the parking

Ken,

Those are very nice tools, and nice Mobile Bases.. You have giving me some stuff to work with. Although since money is still short, most of my Stuff will have to be built from wood or whatnot to be mobile.

I’ve seen this neat little trick before from wood it’s self. Imagine this if you can or will!

A mop looking device, It’s got a Staff, attached at the bottom is the wooden base, Simular to a Shop broom without the bristles. 2 2” Casters Side by side in the middle, and on top a L Hook. This is the Handle.

Now the Bottom, Just a normal Base, but on the Back corners of the base, there are some Insets for 3” Casters to fit so they are flush with the sides, bottom corner is beveled at a 45 Degree, on the front side, there is a heavy Duty Eye Hook, Your tool goes in the middle of the Base. When you want it moved, You hook the L Hook into the Eye hook, pull down on it “Leverage” and then you pull it or push it, when you pull down, it lifts it up just enough to raise it off the ground/floor and onto the back casters, then you can roll it around where you need it. Lay it down where you want it, then move the Handle somewhere else, that way, you don’t have to fondle with Lockable wheels, some can’t reach that far to engage the locked wheels to unlock them or even lock them.

This what I was thinking for at least the ones that are the right height, for the ones that were not, use cabinets or something to put them on and have the same concept. If you look at my Workshop you can see the tools that I have, and I explain where they are placed. All of mine are Craftsman Sept my Compound Sliding miter saw. And it’s a Chicago Electric from harbor Freights, my Ole Lady got it for me, and it’s sitting on an Particle Board End table that I found, not very stable, but the location of the saw you see, I’m thinking of making a permanent station for it on the wall, So it is attached to the wall, and I can roll under it to do my cutting and all, and use storage under it for what I need.

And the right side of the Garage is where I’m going to put all of my Tools, I need some Cabinets for the wall it’s self to hold the smaller tools, Sander, Dremel, Drill Etc. I would like to build a Sandpaper station for my Orbit sander to store all of my Grits and sheet paper, the whole 9 yards… Mainly right now, I need benches and out feed tables for my Saw.

Oh and I don’t really have 50 outlets, I’m not sure how many i really have, but I can tell you that I have at least 25, there are about 5+ on each wall, and about 5 or so on the ceiling. The only bad thing thou, before I get started too big, I’ve got to rewire a Breaker box in there, it’s still on Fuses… I’ve been ok with it so far, if I could afford it, I would have the elec. company come out and put a electric box on the outside and just have it on it’s own box and pay what i use out there, and not to mention there is a Loft out there in the garage that someone could live in.

Anyway thanks for the Tips and all, Love the pictures, Would love to see more from you and some projects if you’ve got any in your projects!

handi

-- Jimmy "Handi" Warner, http://jwarner75.etsy.com, http://handisworkshop.blogspot.com

Hey Jimmy . . .

Interesting thread.

Have you looked to General Tools for ideas. They have a line of tools for those with mobility issues.
- http://www.general.ca/Access/pagemach/ang/welcome.html

Got any pics of your “shop to be”.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

Pretty nice Site, i didn’t see any prices thou. I’m looking for a Lathe.

I have some pictures in My Workshop section. And how it’s setup, I don’t have a Picture of the whole Garage, so I took pictures of the Individual Tools and explained where they were sitting

Handi

-- Jimmy "Handi" Warner, http://jwarner75.etsy.com, http://handisworkshop.blogspot.com

I contaced General about the pricing on this Access line of theirs a few months back. They referred me to a distuibutor near me in Dallas who sent me the pricing. All I have to say is their ACCESS lone is not ACCESSIBLE to anyone without a ton of money. We’re talking over $2,000 for the drill press alone. It’s theire top of the line General tools that they put into this “Access” offering but I had to laugh at the prices.

The other equipment was equally vulgar in price. I’ll never give them another thought.

-- I'm in it for the parking

Ken,

I would have to say the same. Being disabled and I’m pretty sure you know very well and first hand that the Government do not give us enough money to help support ourselves let alone our hobbies.

And as much as I would like to have a Lathe, I will just have to Settle with a Cheap model with my own Accessible Mods to it to give me what I need.

Only if it was easy enough for us to get jobs and all, we could afford such a shop with the top of the line tools and all, Unfortunately, we got to settle for less, which as long as it gets us by and maybe makes us a little money, we are good to go to pay that extra bill that the gov won’t pay.

Anyway, thanks for the heads up, I really appreciate it.

Handi

-- Jimmy "Handi" Warner, http://jwarner75.etsy.com, http://handisworkshop.blogspot.com

That is expensive.

I guess it is much cheaper if you bought regular equipment and modified the height.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

no more reply’s, Ideas or the likes circulating around here for a Handicapped Accessible Shop?

Man Oh Man, I thought I would have a Winner for a Forum Topic on Accessible in the Shop lol.

oh well, if anyone else has any more ideas drop them by…

Handi

-- Jimmy "Handi" Warner, http://jwarner75.etsy.com, http://handisworkshop.blogspot.com

Handi,

There is a Yahoo group out there called Freecycle. You could log onto that and see if there is a chapter in your area. Here in CT I’ve seen many power tools exchange hands (and for free, hence Freecycle), including lathes, table saws and drill presses. It could be source for you to find some good tools that you could modify for your needs.

Just a thought.

-- Chip -----------http://www.penmanchip.com-----------------Micah 6:8

Handi,
The freecycle is a pretty good idea. Last week I just missed a delta 12” band saw. It needed work but I have more ideas than money so it would have been neat to get.

-- Gary, South Central Wisconsin. So much to learn, so little time!

Have you considered creating a local woodworkers guild for people in wheelchairs? Perhaps even approaching a local Woodturners Guild and asking about how they might be able to help widen their membership base by extending their line of tools that are available. A coop would create a greater pool of money to facilitate the purchase of your tools. As for pricing, the General tools are just out and have been sold to institutions however, the price tags for the general public have not yet been set. Should you find a group of people to go in on a purchase you might want to consider another Canadian innovation from Oneway – The 1236SD (sit down) Lathe. These guys are out of most peoples leagues however, the flexibility of this tool to be used in a standing or sitting position would tweak the interest of any guild particularly if their population is aging and are looking to give up the love of their life because they just can’t stand at a lathe.

Get the veterans out there in on this and you’ll find the largest group with money that may well be interested in a full access line of tools are your seniors with retirement funds.

Check it out:
http://oneway.ca/

We have a Scroll Sawing Guild basically Here at the local area if I’m not Mistaken.

But creating another Guild, I would have to check into that, See what’s involved, What it would take, The time invested and everything… And even finding trusting people…

I think it might be a Great idea to have something like that in my local area, maybe even get some kids and parents involved in the craft or something to help keep teens outta trouble and all…

Thanks for all the Great Ideas and the likes…

Handi

-- Jimmy "Handi" Warner, http://jwarner75.etsy.com, http://handisworkshop.blogspot.com