Tom LaRussa
10-04-2004, 6:35 PM
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
***********
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
***********
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
********
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
********
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
********
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
********
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
********
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
********
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
********
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
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
**********
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
***********
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
***********
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
********
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
********
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
********
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
********
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
********
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
********
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
********
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