Who has a pc in the shop?

[Jose Kilpatrick]

As in your workshop? It all started with A/C for the workshop (two car garage) and now that it's comfortable enough to hang out, A stereo has been added, and I even built a stool to sit on. Now I'm moving a spare pc into the workshop for those times I need to reference something.
But where does it end? The only logical progression points to a fold out cot and a refrigerator.

[Jason Beam]

Well I have it pretty good ... no cars ever go into my shop. I have a small fridge (have had it longer than i've had any shop). I also have A/C. Last month I installed a nice big heater. A few weeks ago, I moved my wireless router so I could get better signal to the shop and put an old laptop out there. The next stop may be a printer so I can print out patterns or part lists, etc. I also have a sink out there.

Having the computer in the shop is a BOON, by the way. I do almost all my designs in SketchUp and having to run into the house in the middle of a focussed building operation to find out a measurement I forgot to print out is frustrating and stalling. So that's the main purpose I put one out there. I don't think I'd buy a machine to put out there, but thankfully I have plenty of leftover systems to pick through. :D

I'm also planning on getting a TV out there someday - once we replace one of the house ones, I think. That's a ways off.

After that, I'll i'd need is a toilet and a microwave. I'd never have to go in the house! :P

[Matt Meiser]

My shop had a small room in one corner when I moved in, so I insulated it separately, added a window into the shop and put a small office in there. Its roughly 8x6 and has a PC and the shop stereo. If I had a bathroom out there, I'd actually make it my work office so that I could get out of the house.

And I do have a fridge out there, but there's nothing in it since I've pretty much stopped drinking soft drinks and don't think its a good idea to drink beer in the shop.

[Ward Probst]

I carry a notebook out pretty often, with a wireless router I can access the web, etc. Pretty handy for a lot of things as the others mentioned.
WP

[Joe Pelonio]

I suppose this is not fair since mine is a sign shop, where I do some woodworking too, but I have 3 PC's, TV on one of them, and a CD stereo,
but if I need a bathroom I have to walk down the hall, to eat go down the stairs.

[Bernie May]

I put an old laptop in mine and a set of speakers to listen to classic rock on I-tunes over the web. As I finish my renovation I will probably use it more for surfing, although I have my computer room very close to the shop. I also have AC and heat; time to stop suffering the temperatures of the CA Central Valley now that I am in my 60s.

[Joe Cowan]

I put in a TV this fall and already have a full size frig with my collection of beers. Never have any while woodworkiing though. I have a stereo/radio and one day will have heat:). No computer yet.

[Leo Graywacz]

I have a 5 x 10 office and I built it to house the computer. I put in a desk with 2 pen drawers and a 2 drawer file cabinet. I have a microwave and a small dorm fridge. It has a window to outside. The shop does not, well, it does have 3 very small windows in the garage door, hardly worth mentioning. The computer is old, PIII 500MHz running windows 98. I bring in my laptop [P4 2.8GHz, XP] and use my cell phone for a high speed modem. I need the computer for normal operation of my business/shop. I use it to run eCabinets, to do CAD drawings, write contracts/proposals, talk on forums to get info and to order parts/tools off the internet. No TV, but I have satallite radio.

[Jim O'Dell]

I have a computer set aside for the shop, but I don't have a place to put it yet. I doubt that I'll have a need for a TV out there. I do have a fridge that needs to go out there, but it is for storing finishing goods in. (It doesn't work.:rolleyes:) I also have a place in the wall for a PTAC a/c heater to go. Hoping I can find a motel remodeling that I can get one cheap from. If not, I have found heat pump units for about 800.00. No running water allowed according to the covenants for this sub division. Seems the original owners of the land didn't want multiple families living on one property. No MIL buildings. Jim.

[Brad Wood]

PC, Stereo, Fridge, Motorcycle, Car, home storage, dog hair, dehumidifier, I've got it all in my shop... except decent insulation and heat :(

[Rich Lightfoot]

It's not really a fair comparison but right now my shop is much more of a computer shop than a woodworking shop so right now I have a couple of servers, an HTPC I'm working on for a client, 3 laptops I'm working on for my day job and a veritable museum of old computers and parts dating back to about 1978. Don't even get me started on gaming systems. Now that I'm thinking about it if anybody knows of a source for static column zips I could use 2 megs worth..............

[Kevin Stobb]

I have wireless internet in the shop I access with the laptop. I have a stereo with Sirius satellite radio, forced air heat, central air conditioning, cable television, and my favorite is my late sixties Pepsi machine filled with soda and beer, works great.

I do everything but sleep and cook in my shop, I eat many meals there too, just order out, or the wife brings it out for me.

[Steve Clardy]

PC in my shop office

[Leigh Betsch]

3 computers. One to draw, one to program, and one to run my cnc milling machine. Non of them on line. Heat, A/C, hot and cold running water, spetic system, no toilet but I live in the country so you know what that means, thinking about adding one for visitors. Next up is a couch, so my hounds have a place to watch the action from.

[glenn bradley]

I have a near-dead laptop with a wireless card out there. It powers on, boots up Win2K, opens a browser and goes to Radio Paradise for internet music. That is its sole function and it can't do much more. I keep it in a cupboard and leave the door just a bit ajar when it is running.

[Bob Slater]

I bought a used Lampshade Imac to run my music through. A couple of weeks ago I noticed a wifi system with no password in the Hood, so ....I am bad. I Started poaching. Now I have installed a wifi card in the Imac. ANyway I just use it for checking the Creek and listening to music. Since my wife cannot stand my choice in music nor my stereo equipment collection, I have moved it all to the shop. I have Ten speakers and 4 amps running the place. Probably don't need to heat the room they are in.

[Sonny Edmonds]

In this shop, I have a home office with a door to the shop. Better than a PC in the shop, to me.
My compooter junk is inside where heating and AC is, but away from the mess in the shop.
I "pipe" music out there from a stereo set-up in the office and have a long range remote that works through walls up to 150' from the signal to IR receiver aimed at the components.

I made it clear I had two prerequisites. One was a shop. The other, a room for my compooter junk. She has made sure I've always had those two things.
Cars live outside.
And she will not allow anyone to disturb me when machines are running.
She has seen too many bloody things in the trash to let someone distract me. Up to a half sawn off little finger from my band saw mishap. That was gory.
I'm lucky in many ways. Wounds heal, but my wife is one in a million! :)

[Michael Schapansky]

I have an old PC for the shop. CPU is in the living room. Monitor in my wife's "junk room" (she calls it her office, but it's not like you can walk in it) There's a keyboard somewhere, I think. And more mice than you can shake a stick at. As soon as my shop is built the computer will go in it. Somewhere.

[Steve Southwood]

2 1/2 car garage split down the middle. Heated and AC on one side. Do all my reloading and gun hobby there. Other half is for wood working, with heat only. Router in house drives laptop and a desktop that has a wireless antenne attached to it. TV in both halves. Surround and DVD in AC'd part.

[Michael Peet]

I really want a computer in mine. I'm considering just running a video cable and mouse and keyboard down there so I can leave the PC upstairs away from the mess. I use sketchup quite a bit and it would be very handy to have in the shop.

[Charles Seehuetter Panama City]

Here is mine.

http://picasaweb.google.com/chuckinpc/WorkshopComputerCabinet#

The cabinet is filtered to keep the dust out of the components.

[john taliaferro]

if i had a pc and tv in the shop i would not have any thing to do at work:D john t

[Chiz Eisenhuth]

Yep, a laptop - old but functional kinda like me - with a wireless connection to the house. I'm trying to find a small footprint recliner so that me and the crapped out back can take a load off for 5-10 minutes at a time.