Things I would do differently....

[John Coloccia]

So I'm thinking about my shop, and the things I would do differently if I had it to do again. Here's what I came up with.

1) Would have bought my SawStop with stock fence, and then added a JointTech system with their router lift.

2) Instead of buying a shiny new bandsaw, I would have bought two used bandsaws instead, and dedicated the big one to resawing. I love my 19" saw but I hate replacing blades.

3) I would have very seriously considered a European style slider/combo machine

4) definitely would have sealed the cement floor first....now it will be a ROYAL PAIN IN THE BUTT.

Anyone else have any regrets they'd like to share for us to learn from?

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I would have done the electrical BEFORE moving any of my tools in. I am in 1/2 of a 2 car garage and have been scabbing on whenever I need to for outlets. It shows :)

It's safe, but it could look better.

[Michael Peet]

I would have bought a house with a ground-level shop.

Mike

[Terry Hatfield]

Need many more outlets in my shop. I didn't plan for nearly enough electrical in general.

t

[Al Willits]

Ya, I'd built a 60x80 garage to house everything in...:)


I'd have got a larger band saw than the Delta 14" I have, other than that, not really much else, some upgrading on power tools maybe, but nothing that's really needed.

Space and the band saw are pretty much it.

Al

[Maurice Ungaro]

I'm on my second one, and I would have made it bigger, but the lot wouldn't allow for it. Maybe I should have gone two stories.

[glenn bradley]

Disclaimer; we are all different and do different things; my necessities may only be a passing interest to you and vice versa ;-)

+1 on the floor; the move-in schedule slipped and made it "too much trouble right now" . . . yeah, like now its ever gonna happen.
+1 on electrical, I added way more outlets than I would ever need . . . added one more yesterday.
+1 on bandsaws, I love having two bandsaws.
+1 on skip the 'contractor saw', 6" jointer and CMS steps; two have been upgraded at a loss and the CMS hasn't been used for a couple years.

[Karl Card]

I would have bought a house with a ground-level shop.

Mike

+1 basement here and it sucketh...

[Mike Wilkins]

1. Insulated under the concrete slab before the pour.
2. Insulated the walls and ceiling before placing cabinets, racks, dust
collection pipes all over the place.
3. Let a professional pour the slab; not the most level floor and concrete is a
bear to work with.

[Karl Brogger]

I would've spent alot more money when the used market was depressed by all of the other shops going under. Even if it meant going into debt it would've been a good move to spend at least another $20-30k for a few more items. My justification was that I'm completely out of room in my current building and the money would be better spent on a bigger roof. Buying equipment $.10 on the dollar would have been the wiser choice even though it couldn't be immediatly pressed into service.

[Rob Holcomb]

I would have made my shop bigger. It's a shop/garage 24 X 40 with the shop occupying a 16 x 24 area. I wish I had at least a 24 X 30 workshop. I like space! I would also have had a child whose sole purpose in life was to please his father by cleaning up sawdust :D Instead, I had a child (son) who is now a teenager and whose apparant sole purpose in life is to come into the shop to ask Dad for money :eek:

[Rod Sheridan]

Instead, I had a child (son) who is now a teenager and whose apparant sole purpose in life is to come into the shop to ask Dad for money :eek:

I had a T shirt made that read "Bank of Dad"

Regards, Rod.

[Mark Woodmark]

Let my wife live in the building that is my shop and I would live in the house which I would turn into my shop :( :confused: :rolleyes: :) :D

[Sean Nagle]

I would have bought a house with a ground-level shop.

Mike

+1. 17 years ago I never thought my woodworking obsession would ever get to this level. Nevertheless, I'm thankful for the 400 sq ft that I do have and make the most of it.

[Paul Ryan]

1. Would have insulated my shop before moving into the house and shop.

2. Would have bought a sawstop 5 years ago instead of progressing through four other saws to get to the sawstop.

3. Would have bought old used drill press off craigslist. Or at least bought the jet locally.

4. Would have talked my wife info putting an addition on the shop instead of remodeling the kitchen.:D

[Ben Hatcher]

I would have installed the outlets higher up on the walls, 48"+.

[Paul Ryan]

Ya, I'd built a 60x80 garage to house everything in...:)


I'd have got a larger band saw than the Delta 14" I have, other than that, not really much else, some upgrading on power tools maybe, but nothing that's really needed.

Space and the band saw are pretty much it.

Al

Al,

I have come to the understanding no matter how big the building is it will never be big enough. The more room you have the more toys you have, it never ends.

[mreza Salav]

Built our first house in 2005; at the time we thought it was enough for the two of us even though I could purchase a much bigger one.
Now I want a bigger house to have a larger shop!!

[Paul Atkins]

I'd finish the sheetrock and paint before "i'll just move a few things in". I'd put in heat. I'd put in 2 more skylights.

[John Pratt]

No matter the size of the shop, it is never big enough. It is the same reason I insist LOML use a small suitcase. The more room there is, the more stuff she will put in it. Same goes for me and the shop.

[Paul Ryan]

No matter the size of the shop, it is never big enough. It is the same reason I insist LOML use a small suitcase. The more room there is, the more stuff she will put in it. Same goes for me and the shop.

That is so true John,

When my wife and I went on our 1st vacation she wanted to pack so much crap we would have needed to hire a sherpa. After 10 years now many times she packs lighter than I do.

[Ray Newman]

In 2001, I had a dedicated 30'X36' shop built. The wood shop is approx. 30'X24'; remanining is for The Squeeze -- ceramics, doll making, etc.

> Make it bigger -- probably 30'X50'. There is room to do so.

> Heating --there is a Hot Dawg propane heater in the wood shop area. Now, I would install a propane heater that draws in floor level colder air and blows warmer air out at the top to improve warm air circulation. Maybe even a ceiling fan.

> Better and more celiling lighting set up in banks so as not to light the whole shop is when not needed.

> As built, the floors are R-21, ceiling R-43, I would increase the am't of insulation in the slab floor.

> Pull down ceiling-mounted electric extension cords.

> A tankless hot water heater for the sink.

I didn't and I still would not intsall DC and electrical in the floor as I think it impedes the ability to change/move machinery, work station locations, etc.

[Jim Rimmer]

4. Would have talked my wife info putting an addition on the shop instead of remodeling the kitchen.:D
Like that's gonna happen. :eek::D

[Paul Ryan]

Like that's gonna happen. :eek::D


I can dream cant I.:)

[Doug Mason]

I would have gotten a 14 inch bandsaw and an older 24 inch bandsaw instead on my MiniMax 16. I would be much better off with a small & large bandsaw.

On the other hand--I am thankfull I didn't by a slider--as I was seriously contemplating it when I was first starting out. What a waste of money that would have been.

[Neil Brooks]

I'd finish the sheetrock and paint before "i'll just move a few things in".

Ayup.

That's me, too.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_WVVYjLCNo2w/S5MoSe6kKpI/AAAAAAAAAyo/jTO2Qq_Afh0/s512/Shop_Tour_030510%20011.jpg

At some point, the notion of painting, epoxy'ing the floor, or furring out the walls for OSB sheathing ... seems like WAY too much work :p

[Steven Green]

1. Triple the number of square feet
2. Seal the concrete and put sleepers then t&g plywood down for my knees
3. Run a couple more 220 drops for tools I'm running extentions for now.
4. Better lumber storage with more room,,,, LOTS more room.
5. Built a single car garage attached to the house for the LOML. She's making noises when her Mini is oak dust orange instead of white.
6. More dedicated cabinets fewer shelves.
7. An office with a good desk chair and a window opening on to the shop.

[eric eaton]

Things I did wrong !!!

My first tablesaw was a craftsman zip code saw (I still have shudders about the fence !)
Didn't test the runout on a used Jet DP, my bad !
Got a nice craftsman router package, or so I thought !
Bought a 1 HP Dust Collector :(
Ordering Frankenplanes from Ebay instead of nice users from SMC.
Got a deal (haha) on a used Ridgid Bandsaw , $100 in parts later and it finally runs just OK.
Spent $500 on a Kreg router table and fence, should have made my own and saved for a shaper.
Got a 12" Ridgid CMS because it was a good deal, would have been if I intended on framing instead of woodworking!
Got a Kreg TS miter gauge, it flexes and a sled would have been better.

Things I did right.

Layed out my shop arrangement on the floor with chalk and practised walking from station to station with a 6' piece of wood before I did wiring and moved tools.
Bucked up for a 3 HP Grizzly 691 TS with extended fence with Forest WWII.
Ran new EMT with plenty of room for upgrades and multiple lighting and circuits for different tools. Dust Collection on it's own circuit is a must imo.
Bought precision measuring tools, fractional micrometer and Starret straightedge and combo square.
My planer is a DW735, at least I got that first buy right !
Found a couple of hundred of board feet of 12/4 and 8/4 Mahogany and another couple hundred in various 8/4 Bobinga and Walnut for about $2 a board foot. This was all unmilled and really helped me learn how to dress lumber.
Bought, used and sold a 6" Harbor Freight Jointer and made a few dollars. Now when I get my 8" Grizz I know to get a Spiral head because setting jointer knives is way too much fun for my tastes.

I started a year ago and am about $15K into the hobby. I was playing computer games but after a heart attack (at age 39), I decided I needed to make a few changes. If I had that money back it I would have definitely been more patient and spent the money differently.

So let's turn this into a fantasy discussion, pretend gypsies stole your whole shop and you had $15,000 from the insurance and you were going to rebuild. How would you spend it ? For me it would look like this.

3K - SAWSTOP PCS ... I love my Grizzly but you just can't look past the power of the hot dog video.
1K - Grizz 8" Jointer with Spiral
1K - Grizz 513X2 bandsaw
1.5K - Grizz 15" Planer with Spiral
1K - Lie Nielsen Block, Smoother and Jointer plane ... just dandy !
4K - Festool CT22, 1400 Router, Domino, AT55 Tracksaw, 2 Sanders and C12 Drill.
1K - For a Good Stash of different Project wood and BB Ply for jigs.
1.5K - Clearvue Cyclone
The rest I would use for quality tools, blades and all the extras that seem to add up, but I would buy keeper tools that I can give my son when I shed this mortal coil.

Anyways, now all of my tool purchases are planned way in advance and I do my research before I spend. I don't justify spending money on mediocre tools anymore because I "need" it, I just look for work arounds until I can do it right.

Good topic though, especially since my new motto is "Cry once ... Smile forever !", quite fitting since my April buys are going to be Festool.

Eric

[Rob Hough]

I would have found a cheaper hobby! :)

[John Towns]

I started into woodworking very gradually, but the first large tool was my radial arm saw. If I could have a 'do-over' I would get a table saw first. While I still have my RAS, it gets very little attention these days.

John

[Sean Nagle]

I would have found a cheaper hobby! :)

This is a cheap hobby. I know guys that are into bikes, boats, cars, gliders and planes. Woodworking just pales in comparison.

Recently I bought a new Laguna bandsaw. After making the purchase and before the delivery I thought I would inform LOML abut my moment of weakness. I told her that I bought something. When I mentioned that it was a bandsaw, her reply was "Oh that's all, I thought you'd bought a new car." :o

[Rob Hough]

I dunno man, girl watching can be a bit cheaper and you still produce w.... eh, nevermind. :D:D:D

[Sean Nagle]

I dunno man, girl watching can be a bit cheaper and you still produce w.... eh, nevermind. :D:D:D

As long as you contain it to just watching. Otherwise, that could get more expensive than just about any hobby you could imagine ;)

[Mike Zilis]

I've only been at this for 2 years as a hobbyist but I've managed to get a few things right so far thanks to the ideas and experiences shared on forums like SMC.

The Right...
Before buying any big power tools my Dad (a retired electrician) and I installed double duplex outlets every 8 feet all the way around my shop as well as a few dedicated outlets/circuits

Sawstop as my first table saw

Built my own router table cabinet and installed a dedicated PC 7518 on a Jessum lift

Started with a Jet JJP-12 combo jointer/planer - doesn't everyone start with a 12" jointer? ;-)

The wrong...
I wish I could have talked my wife into letting me put up 2x4 stud walls all the way around my shop instead of keeping the bare concrete basement walls

My bandsaw is a Jet 14" Deluxe which is capable of 12" resawing but I would have preferred an 18" model with more power.

The very first shop tool I ever bought almost 4 years ago was a Craftsman 12" benchtop drill press. It's barely adequate for most things and sometimes not at all. It's on the eventual "upgrade" list.

I invested in the Ryobi One-Plus cordless tools. I have found them generally weak, with poor Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. I've just recently spent some cash to upgrade to Makita compact LXT drill driver and hammer drill. The impact driver is next on my wish list. These babies are great.

-------

The thing I'm so surprised to hear so often are the folks sorry they bought an SCMS. I've had the Bosch 4410 for almost a year now and there's nothing better for quick cross cutting IMO - especially long boards. I use mine at some point for just about every project I do.

-Mike