Shop Pics

[Tom LaRussa]

Here are a few pics of my shop (on a particularly messy day) showing how I attempt to deal with the twin problems of low budget and not much space.

First, here is a semi-to-scale diagram of the layout. Being a fan of Bill Pentz, as well as being from a family with a history of pulmonary problems, I have tried to keep all of the major dust producing machines clustered as close to the DC as possible.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/shop01.jpg

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Starting from the upper portion of the diagram. That black hose hanging down connects to my shop-built overhead blade guard/dust collector for the table saw.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/shop02.jpg

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Moving to the right a bit.

This pic does not match the diagram because there is a big pile of junk (to the right of the pic) waiting to go to the dump. It is taking up the space which is normally allocated to the clamp cart and sharpening cart (the thing with my grinder, bench sander, and mini-drill press on it). Also, the infeed/outfeed/assembly table portion of what I call my SUV -- for Saw Utility Vehicle -- is covered in junk waiting to be put away. Finally, those sheet goods don't live there, they are just squatting.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/shop03.jpg

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From left to right:

the front of the router table portion of the SUV
planer on its skybox
DC pre-filter (and future support for BS outfeed table)
DC
http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/shop04.jpg

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A shelf unit/utility bench I picked up at Lowes for $59 holds a lot of assorted stuff, including extra DC fittings, hand held power tools, hand planes -- which have tripled in number since I took this pick a few weeks ago, my low-tech (but extremely accurately) CMS, and my little jig saw, (which I grabbed for only $49 via online no shipping sale at the borg).

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/shop05.jpg

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An alternate view of the SUV and overhead TS blade guard. In the background you can see the blue plastic covering of the rigid styrofoam insulation I used on the garage doors.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/shop06.jpg

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Being short of space, I intend to fill every nook and cranny with storage. Above one side of the main roll-up doors I built this little wood rack. There isn't much clearance between the ceiling and the door, so the rack is only about 5" high. It doesn't hold much, but it's a start.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/shop08.jpg

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Another view of the rack, showing the six 7'6" roller rails I picked up on ebay for less than $10 apiece. I can't remember the name of the ebay seller I bought them from, and I cannot find anything similar either online or locally at less than $100 per rail, so I am hoarding these until I find just the perfect use for them. I know that use will be some kind of infeed and/or outfeed type thingie, but I'm not sure what exactly.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/shop09.jpg


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Here's a closer pic of my shop-built blade guard/dc pickup, showing that it's cobbled together out of some polycarbonate sheeting, some leftover plywood scraps, and a few pieces of jig/fixture hardware. I doubt I spent more than $50 on it, even figuring new prices on all the components.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/bg01.jpg

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A wider view of the guard, showing its attachment to a piece of 1" steel rod (left over from a project that never quite got past the design stages) threaded through two pieces of plywood screwed and glued to the box that holds my little AC unit.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/bg02.jpg

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Finally, here are a few pics of the clamp cart I slapped together when we first moved in so that I could get at least some stuff off the floor. In these pics it has my bar clamps on one side and, except for the top shelf, which is holding glues, it is filled with drills, routers, and the like on the storage side. I have since decided to use the storage side for assembly and finish supplies, and shove all the hand power tools into the storage shelving from Lowes.

I need to modify the clamp side as well, because I have added a half dozen each of 5' pipe clamps and 4' aluminum rail/bar/thingie clamps. Also, I need to install larger casters because the weight of the thing has crushed one of the little ones I used originally. :o

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/cc01.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/cc02.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/cc03.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/cc04.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/cc05.jpg

[Jim Ketron]

Nice set up How do you like your table saw station?
lots of storage space I may use some of your ideas for my new shop!
Jim

[Frank Pellow]

Thanks for the shop tour Tom. It looks like you have been quite inovative and, like Jim, I may "borrow" ideas for some of the things that you have done. I will definately be studying the pictures more in the future.

Now the most important thing: How did you manage to embed the pictures in the text?

[Boyd Gathwright]

.... Not bad Tom looks very functional. Thanks for the tour and like Frank said, “How did you manage to embed the pictures in the text?” What kind of filter is that on your DC?


Boyd :cool:


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[QUOTE=Tom LaRussa]

[Rob Russell]

Tom - nice tour and you've made goo duse of your space with some neat ideas.



Thanks for the shop tour Tom. It looks like you have been quite inovative and, like Jim, I may "borrow" ideas for some of the things that you have done. I will definately be studying the pictures more in the future.

Now the most important thing: How did you manage to embed the pictures in the text?

Tom's pictures aren't on SMC - they are on his personal website. If you "View, Source" and search on "JPG" you'll find the links that bring in the pictures.

Rob

[Frank Pellow]

Tom's pictures aren't on SMC - they are on his personal website. If you "View, Source" and search on "JPG" you'll find the links that bring in the pictures.

Rob

Thanks for letting us know how Ton did his magic Rob. I guess that I should be getting me a website.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I sure like that clamp cart! Nice shop. You did a good job on the blade guard!

[Dave Right]

Thanks for tour. I can only dream to have a shop like that some day.
Nice job on the blade guard too!

[Tom LaRussa]

Nice set up How do you like your table saw station?

Thanks Jim!

The saw station works great.

It's got both over and under dust collection, so there is hardly any loose dust to speak of.
It gives me 36" rip capacity to the right with complete support about the same distance to the left. I was shortening 4x8 sheets of 1/2" ply yesterday by my lonesome with no big problem, except for getting the dang sheets up onto the saw table surface. (I'm only 5'5" tall, so I can't exactly wrap my arms around the buggers.)
By sliding the fence most of the way to the right, it becomes the attachment point for my router table fence, (also shop-built but not pictured). The router table also has both over and under dust collection.

[Tom LaRussa]

I guess that I should be getting me a website.
I don't have a web site, per se. That is, I don't pay anything for it. I just get so much web space free with my Earthlink account. Check with your ISP -- you may have some freebie space you've never used just because you didn't realize it existed when you signed up.

[John Miliunas]

Nice outfit there, Tom! Many neat ideas in utilizing the space you have! :) BTW, you do NOT refer to it as "messy"; It's got the "lived in" look, right?! :cool:

[John Shuk]

I was lookin for that new to you Stihl.

[Tom LaRussa]

I was lookin for that new to you Stihl.
Unfortunately, I'm the sole remaining person on the planet who does not own a digital camera, so there is quite a lag between when the pic gets taken and when it's available to post. These particular pics are at least 3-4 weeks old.

The Stihl will most likely get featured eventually, along with my new Bosch hammer drill and several hand planes that have shown up lately. :)

[Tom LaRussa]

.... What kind of filter is that on your DC?

It's a 300 square foot point-something micron from Wynne Environmental -- the guys that Bill Pentz recommends so highly.

[Jim Fancher]

I have the same shelf/bench!! I grabbed an 8' countertop from Lowes and screwed everything into the walls. I wouldn't hesitate to drop an engine on the thing.

I'm definitely gonna borrow a few of your ideas. :D

[Chris Padilla]

Looks good, Tom! I'm gettin' there...I'm gettin' there.... :)