# My New Woodshop - A Work in Progress



## Chocdog (Aug 31, 2014)

*Current Status*

Hi all,
This spring was the kick-off for converting my 2 car garage into a dedicated wood shop.
I have always wanted to do this and I am loving ever minute I can spend out there. Most of the time I have been able to be out there has really been for making the shop itself. It has been an experience and a bigger job than I originally thought. I am finally reaching the point for some non-shop builds. On the slate for this coming year are 3 bedroom sets which will include pedestal beds with storage, modular closets with hanger compartment, 10 drawer dresser and shelf compartment on french cleats along with 3 slab computer desks and a traditional woodworking bench. I'll be a busy boy that is for sure.

Anyway, I have insulated my garage door, the back wall and 1/2 of the outside wall. The remaining 1/2 wall will be completed in the spring after I build a shed to house my tractor, snow thrower and the rest of the yard tools. That will free up an additional 15-20% of floor space. I also placed 1/2 plywood over the insulation which has allowed me to freely fasten anything anywhere. On the back wall I created a french cleat and tool holder system. I really love the flexibility to change and fine tune the organization. I have alos ran 2 20 amp circuits which have proved to be a blessing. No more tripped breakers. There is a 30A 120v and possibly a 240v circuit planned for the future.

The new additions to the shop this year have been many, Grizzly 14" band saw with riser kit, Grizzly 6" joiner, Dewalt 12" planer, Rigid oscillating belt/spindle sander BOSCH ROUTERS and several other tools. All have been great performers. I also have built a modified cart for my HF DC (based on lumberjock Corey's design) and carts for my planer and sander (based on lockwatcher's design). That design is cheap, simple, strong and can be modified for everything from tool carts to assembly tables. Really great design. Last fall I made a mobile monster assembly bench. It has been great, but I wish I knew then what I know now. Not the greatest for wood working traditionally, no dog hole or vises.

My current table saw is a Rigid TS2424 with mobile base. I bought it new in '97. I have since added temporary out feed table, extension table, dust collection and a Vega pro 50 fence. It has handle everything I have thrown at it to date, but I have desires for a cabinet saw, think of the Powermatic 52 inch. Probably in the next 2 years. I would like to have a better central DC and dedicated tool drops. Again, that will be in about 2 years. I am planning on getting a drum sander this Xmas. Looking at the Grizzly 12". I should be getting my new Grizzly air cleaner this week. The Performax from Menards just was not cutting it. I use it at the bench.

My current and last shop build (for a while) is a router cabinet. That should be done in the next couple of weeks.

So here are some pics
Back wall and lumber rack









Router Cabinet









Tablsaw









Tool Carts









Monster Bench









Band Saw & DC









Not Sure why I can't rotate the photos.
Anyway, thanks for looking and all the great advice and for sharing your knowledge. Love this site!

Start with 10, end with 10….....that's a good day!


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## Chocdog (Aug 31, 2014)

*Near Ruin - Calling it a day*

I have been in the process of building a router table as this years last major item for my shop. I have spent a lot of time on to make it how I wanted. I am pretty happy with and it looks good. So nearing the finish line I have been working the top for the past couple of days. The top consistist of 2 layers of MDF that were nice an flat, so much so that I could not slide my thinnest feeler gauge underneath my Woodpeckers straight edge, except for one corner. Nothing to be concerned about. I spent yesterday fitting the top with some red oak trim, everything went fine. Glue up did get a little hairy but in the end everything worked out. So today I was planning to flush trim the red oak trim and get the final prep done for laminating. The top was rather large and roomy so I decided to build some supports that would clamp to the top and allow it to stand up on end to make it easier to flush trim the oak. They worked out great and made some room in my scrap bin. Now here is the day took a turn. I started trimming the oak flush to the top, on the second edge I felt a shift in the router and immediately shut it done to inspect. Well, I saw a divot the trim, DAMN, then I looked at the bit. The frickin bearing came of of the new CMT bit. It looks like the screw is stripped. OK, off to Woodcraft, 30 miles one way. Picked a new Freud bit and went back at it. Then the next turn.
As I was routing, the oak split. So much so it was to the point of no return. The trim was 3/4" thick and the offset from the mdf was no more than a 1/4" and it was edge grain. I have never had this happen before. So I had to figure out how to save the panel. It required using my jigsaw to cut kerfs in the trim on either sides of the few brads that were used, then using a chisel to remove the material and then pliers to remove the brads. Then it was of to the table saw to trim and true the panel. Finally, the panel is saved. At this point, I am planning to just laminate the edges, still I wish for wood trim, oh well it is shop furniture and function overtakes form. I am lucky that I was going a little large on the top, which in turn left enough meat to trim and still have a generous amount of table top space. Needless to say after the frustration, I decided to call it a day. Tomorrow is a new day!


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## WoodNSawdust (Mar 7, 2015)

Chocdog said:


> *Near Ruin - Calling it a day*
> 
> I have been in the process of building a router table as this years last major item for my shop. I have spent a lot of time on to make it how I wanted. I am pretty happy with and it looks good. So nearing the finish line I have been working the top for the past couple of days. The top consistist of 2 layers of MDF that were nice an flat, so much so that I could not slide my thinnest feeler gauge underneath my Woodpeckers straight edge, except for one corner. Nothing to be concerned about. I spent yesterday fitting the top with some red oak trim, everything went fine. Glue up did get a little hairy but in the end everything worked out. So today I was planning to flush trim the red oak trim and get the final prep done for laminating. The top was rather large and roomy so I decided to build some supports that would clamp to the top and allow it to stand up on end to make it easier to flush trim the oak. They worked out great and made some room in my scrap bin. Now here is the day took a turn. I started trimming the oak flush to the top, on the second edge I felt a shift in the router and immediately shut it done to inspect. Well, I saw a divot the trim, DAMN, then I looked at the bit. The frickin bearing came of of the new CMT bit. It looks like the screw is stripped. OK, off to Woodcraft, 30 miles one way. Picked a new Freud bit and went back at it. Then the next turn.
> As I was routing, the oak split. So much so it was to the point of no return. The trim was 3/4" thick and the offset from the mdf was no more than a 1/4" and it was edge grain. I have never had this happen before. So I had to figure out how to save the panel. It required using my jigsaw to cut kerfs in the trim on either sides of the few brads that were used, then using a chisel to remove the material and then pliers to remove the brads. Then it was of to the table saw to trim and true the panel. Finally, the panel is saved. At this point, I am planning to just laminate the edges, still I wish for wood trim, oh well it is shop furniture and function overtakes form. I am lucky that I was going a little large on the top, which in turn left enough meat to trim and still have a generous amount of table top space. Needless to say after the frustration, I decided to call it a day. Tomorrow is a new day!


Sorry to hear of your misfortunes. Yes tomorrow will be a better day.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Chocdog said:


> *Near Ruin - Calling it a day*
> 
> I have been in the process of building a router table as this years last major item for my shop. I have spent a lot of time on to make it how I wanted. I am pretty happy with and it looks good. So nearing the finish line I have been working the top for the past couple of days. The top consistist of 2 layers of MDF that were nice an flat, so much so that I could not slide my thinnest feeler gauge underneath my Woodpeckers straight edge, except for one corner. Nothing to be concerned about. I spent yesterday fitting the top with some red oak trim, everything went fine. Glue up did get a little hairy but in the end everything worked out. So today I was planning to flush trim the red oak trim and get the final prep done for laminating. The top was rather large and roomy so I decided to build some supports that would clamp to the top and allow it to stand up on end to make it easier to flush trim the oak. They worked out great and made some room in my scrap bin. Now here is the day took a turn. I started trimming the oak flush to the top, on the second edge I felt a shift in the router and immediately shut it done to inspect. Well, I saw a divot the trim, DAMN, then I looked at the bit. The frickin bearing came of of the new CMT bit. It looks like the screw is stripped. OK, off to Woodcraft, 30 miles one way. Picked a new Freud bit and went back at it. Then the next turn.
> As I was routing, the oak split. So much so it was to the point of no return. The trim was 3/4" thick and the offset from the mdf was no more than a 1/4" and it was edge grain. I have never had this happen before. So I had to figure out how to save the panel. It required using my jigsaw to cut kerfs in the trim on either sides of the few brads that were used, then using a chisel to remove the material and then pliers to remove the brads. Then it was of to the table saw to trim and true the panel. Finally, the panel is saved. At this point, I am planning to just laminate the edges, still I wish for wood trim, oh well it is shop furniture and function overtakes form. I am lucky that I was going a little large on the top, which in turn left enough meat to trim and still have a generous amount of table top space. Needless to say after the frustration, I decided to call it a day. Tomorrow is a new day!


It happens. Your blog would be so much more interesting with photos.


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## Chocdog (Aug 31, 2014)

Chocdog said:


> *Near Ruin - Calling it a day*
> 
> I have been in the process of building a router table as this years last major item for my shop. I have spent a lot of time on to make it how I wanted. I am pretty happy with and it looks good. So nearing the finish line I have been working the top for the past couple of days. The top consistist of 2 layers of MDF that were nice an flat, so much so that I could not slide my thinnest feeler gauge underneath my Woodpeckers straight edge, except for one corner. Nothing to be concerned about. I spent yesterday fitting the top with some red oak trim, everything went fine. Glue up did get a little hairy but in the end everything worked out. So today I was planning to flush trim the red oak trim and get the final prep done for laminating. The top was rather large and roomy so I decided to build some supports that would clamp to the top and allow it to stand up on end to make it easier to flush trim the oak. They worked out great and made some room in my scrap bin. Now here is the day took a turn. I started trimming the oak flush to the top, on the second edge I felt a shift in the router and immediately shut it done to inspect. Well, I saw a divot the trim, DAMN, then I looked at the bit. The frickin bearing came of of the new CMT bit. It looks like the screw is stripped. OK, off to Woodcraft, 30 miles one way. Picked a new Freud bit and went back at it. Then the next turn.
> As I was routing, the oak split. So much so it was to the point of no return. The trim was 3/4" thick and the offset from the mdf was no more than a 1/4" and it was edge grain. I have never had this happen before. So I had to figure out how to save the panel. It required using my jigsaw to cut kerfs in the trim on either sides of the few brads that were used, then using a chisel to remove the material and then pliers to remove the brads. Then it was of to the table saw to trim and true the panel. Finally, the panel is saved. At this point, I am planning to just laminate the edges, still I wish for wood trim, oh well it is shop furniture and function overtakes form. I am lucky that I was going a little large on the top, which in turn left enough meat to trim and still have a generous amount of table top space. Needless to say after the frustration, I decided to call it a day. Tomorrow is a new day!





> It happens. Your blog would be so much more interesting with photos.
> 
> - stefang


I know. I'll be posting pictures of the shop hopefully later this week. I keep forgetting to post them


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## Chocdog (Aug 31, 2014)

*Victory - Router Table Finished*

I finally finished my router table today, minus the dust collection hose for the fence. I'll pick that up tomorrow.
Here are some pics from the build;

*Carcass assembly* - no finish applied
- maple plywood
- red oak trim
- full extension slides

























*Top Deck Glue-Up*
- use bolts in corners for part registration
- put countersinks in top and bottom of top panel only, provided crumble space and maximum thread engagement

















*Carcass with Arm R Seal Topcoat*
I ending up changing the door design - see following pictures









*Mods to Router Cut-Out*
- added some aluminum sheet with 90deg bend 
- done to prevent the leveling screws from digging into the mdf
- used CA glue to hold aluminum in place

















*Finished Assembly - Finally*









































I really like how this has turned out. It has taken a lot longer than I thought but life gets in the way and I could not work on it as much and when I wanted to. At least I can now get rolling on the Christmas goodies I want to make for my loved ones. 
I really learned a lot while working on this project. I have really enjoyed the whole process, including the changes mid-stream, some mistakes, some failures and especially the successes. It is really rewarding to see something come to life from creating the model in sketchup to powering it up and rolling it around.

Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving!


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

Chocdog said:


> *Victory - Router Table Finished*
> 
> I finally finished my router table today, minus the dust collection hose for the fence. I'll pick that up tomorrow.
> Here are some pics from the build;
> ...


Kurt that is an outstanding looking router table. It's obvious that you put a lot of time and care into it. A job very well done.


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## DonB (Jan 11, 2011)

Chocdog said:


> *Victory - Router Table Finished*
> 
> I finally finished my router table today, minus the dust collection hose for the fence. I'll pick that up tomorrow.
> Here are some pics from the build;
> ...


Really nice, neat job. I like it. Now its time to get it dirty and dusty. Have fun.


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## tmsbmx (Jul 3, 2014)

Chocdog said:


> *Victory - Router Table Finished*
> 
> I finally finished my router table today, minus the dust collection hose for the fence. I'll pick that up tomorrow.
> Here are some pics from the build;
> ...


Really a perfect router table this on my to do list and on the priority list. I do love your final results and was wondering if you were considering posting your sketch up plans. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to build your router table.


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## Chocdog (Aug 31, 2014)

Chocdog said:


> *Victory - Router Table Finished*
> 
> I finally finished my router table today, minus the dust collection hose for the fence. I'll pick that up tomorrow.
> Here are some pics from the build;
> ...





> Really a perfect router table this on my to do list and on the priority list. I do love your final results and was wondering if you were considering posting your sketch up plans. I m sure I m not the only one who would like to build your router table.
> 
> - Thom


I do have to update the model since some of the changes were on the fly. When I have them updated I will post a link to them.

Thanks all for taking the time to take a gander and comment.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Chocdog said:


> *Victory - Router Table Finished*
> 
> I finally finished my router table today, minus the dust collection hose for the fence. I'll pick that up tomorrow.
> Here are some pics from the build;
> ...


Beautiful build Kurt, it is very classy. I think you did the right thing using all drawers instead of a cabinet at the bottom as so many of us have done. It keep my other routers stored in the bottom and it would be a lot easier to get at them if they were in a drawer.


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## Texan_Carpenter (Dec 4, 2016)

Chocdog said:


> *Victory - Router Table Finished*
> 
> I finally finished my router table today, minus the dust collection hose for the fence. I'll pick that up tomorrow.
> Here are some pics from the build;
> ...


Great router station, did you upload your sketchup to the warehouse?


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## Chocdog (Aug 31, 2014)

Chocdog said:


> *Victory - Router Table Finished*
> 
> I finally finished my router table today, minus the dust collection hose for the fence. I'll pick that up tomorrow.
> Here are some pics from the build;
> ...





> Great router station, did you upload your sketchup to the warehouse?
> 
> - Texan_Carpenter


Unfortunately,
I never did update the model with the changes.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

Chocdog said:


> *Victory - Router Table Finished*
> 
> I finally finished my router table today, minus the dust collection hose for the fence. I'll pick that up tomorrow.
> Here are some pics from the build;
> ...


Kurt, this is an outstanding router table and it displays a lot of ingenuity and craftsmanship. It will be a great addition to your shop.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

Chocdog said:


> *Victory - Router Table Finished*
> 
> I finally finished my router table today, minus the dust collection hose for the fence. I'll pick that up tomorrow.
> Here are some pics from the build;
> ...


a very nice router table that you have built …......GREAT JOB :<))


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## Chocdog (Aug 31, 2014)

*Continuous Updates and Prep for Next Build *

I have rearranged the shop this spring to make room for a traditional woodworker's bench, based upon Matt Kenney's "Monster Work Bench". I have received 200 bdft of hard maple and have already broke it down into rough sizes. I'll start milling next week. Here are some pictures of the shop updates and lumber


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

Chocdog said:


> *Continuous Updates and Prep for Next Build *
> 
> I have rearranged the shop this spring to make room for a traditional woodworker's bench, based upon Matt Kenney's "Monster Work Bench". I have received 200 bdft of hard maple and have already broke it down into rough sizes. I'll start milling next week. Here are some pictures of the shop updates and lumber


That looks really nice. Great organization.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

Chocdog said:


> *Continuous Updates and Prep for Next Build *
> 
> I have rearranged the shop this spring to make room for a traditional woodworker's bench, based upon Matt Kenney's "Monster Work Bench". I have received 200 bdft of hard maple and have already broke it down into rough sizes. I'll start milling next week. Here are some pictures of the shop updates and lumber


Well done, thank you for sharing


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## steiner (Mar 24, 2009)

Chocdog said:


> *Continuous Updates and Prep for Next Build *
> 
> I have rearranged the shop this spring to make room for a traditional woodworker's bench, based upon Matt Kenney's "Monster Work Bench". I have received 200 bdft of hard maple and have already broke it down into rough sizes. I'll start milling next week. Here are some pictures of the shop updates and lumber


Just happened to glance through these photos. Great organization. What system did you use for insulating your garage door? Do you like it?


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## Chocdog (Aug 31, 2014)

Chocdog said:


> *Continuous Updates and Prep for Next Build *
> 
> I have rearranged the shop this spring to make room for a traditional woodworker's bench, based upon Matt Kenney's "Monster Work Bench". I have received 200 bdft of hard maple and have already broke it down into rough sizes. I'll start milling next week. Here are some pictures of the shop updates and lumber





> Just happened to glance through these photos. Great organization. What system did you use for insulating your garage door? Do you like it?
> 
> - steiner


I can't remember the brand but I picked it up at Lowes. I really wanted to get the kits that were rigid foam style, I felt that kit was to much many. It has helped, now all the exterior walls are insulated and covered with plywood it all does make a difference. Here in Michigan winters can get pretty cold and the garage is unheated. except for when the most bitter cold hangs around the shop will seldom dip below 35. Still chilly. The only complaint I have about the insulation kit is at times it folds over itself around the edges.


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## steiner (Mar 24, 2009)

Chocdog said:


> *Continuous Updates and Prep for Next Build *
> 
> I have rearranged the shop this spring to make room for a traditional woodworker's bench, based upon Matt Kenney's "Monster Work Bench". I have received 200 bdft of hard maple and have already broke it down into rough sizes. I'll start milling next week. Here are some pictures of the shop updates and lumber


Thanks. I researched online and will install a package similar to yours from ADO. Performs at R8, so they advertise. I've also got two pallets of R38 insulation on the way to my driveway for the attic, and I'm going to get a mini split AC system installed soon. Will be nice. We definitely live in opposite ends of the world. It will be very, very hot here soon. It's perfect in the garage in the winter here.


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