Shop Changes

[ken hatch]

Moving 10 lbs. around the 5 lbs. space.


I've been trying to figure out what to do with the table saw for some time, I hope to never see a full sized sheet good in the shop and I've a track saw to break it down if one ever shows face. That makes the table saw obsolete except for cross cutting and a hand saw can do most of the cross cutting. The problem is my saw is a pretty good 3 HP cabinet saw and if I sold it the return would be pennies on the dollar.


For now I refuse to give it away but it sure has taken up some valuable real estate in the shop. A couple of days ago I was trying to figure out how to run the workbench 7' stretchers through the jointer. The only way was to move the jointer. That lead to moving all the machines to new places in the shop and the table saw with rip fences removed pushed against the west wall where it can still be used to cross cut if needed but very much out of the way and taking up little space. BTW, those are the workbench leg blanks leaning on the table saw and the workbench slab against the north wall.

395880

395881

395882

From left to right are the bandsaw, planer, and jointer all outfeeds go out the door and there is ok infeed room. I gave it a go this morning while dimensioning the workbench leg blanks. Seems to be a little less monkey motion.

ken

[James Pallas]

Good idea Ken. Now when the planer or jointer takes out a big hunk on the final pass of a finished piece you have the whole Sonoran to throw it into instead of possible shop damage. You need more room for more benches anyway.
Jim

[William Fretwell]

If the table saw is worth ‘pennies’ that is sad as the first major tool people buy, your other tools will be in a similar position. Everyones tool preference varies based on their projects and likes.
Organising ones space to create a pleasant, efficient work area is something I obsess over. People looking at my space may wonder!
It is a battle! Wood finds, projects, and more tools fight for space. The battle takes up time and energy.

[ken hatch]

Good idea Ken. Now when the planer or jointer takes out a big hunk on the final pass of a finished piece you have the whole Sonoran to throw it into instead of possible shop damage. You need more room for more benches anyway.
Jim

James,

Busted, I keep telling MsBubba there are never enough benches. I usually get a side eye.

ken

[ken hatch]

If the table saw is worth ‘pennies’ that is sad as the first major tool people buy, your other tools will be in a similar position. Everyones tool preference varies based on their projects and likes.
Organising ones space to create a pleasant, efficient work area is something I obsess over. People looking at my space may wonder!
It is a battle! Wood finds, projects, and more tools fight for space. The battle takes up time and energy.

William,

The table saw was brought about 10 years ago for the kitchen rebuild and served well. The only problem is then what. I expect someday I will find someone that needs a table saw and can't afford to buy one and I will give it to him/her.

My major problem with work space is a major tool jones and it is hard to let one go once it is on the shelf. I'm getting better and will cull the herd some next week but still there will be too many left.

ken

[Christopher Charles]

Looks good Ken. I too am considering a rearrange but don't have the luxury of an outfeed into the desert... it will be white stuff out there soon here!

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Ken

I posted before, then deleted this as I offered examples of space saving in my own shop. I feel conflicted about this as it is a bit too much like show-and-tell. I am back, because it may help.

The biggest issue you face is that you have large equipment and could use your space better. I am not sure what size your garage is, but it looks to be a double. Yes? That is what I have, and I still park one car (mine! :) ) inside at night ... which means that, if I do not want to have to move equipment around, the single garage space needs to be used as well as possible. And I do have all the major pieces of equipment: table saw (mine is a slider, which requires a different approach), bandsaw, and a combination jointer/thicknesser-planer. There's also a lathe to one side. None of this moves around. It is set up to work with 90% of what I am likely to do, and to do so with the garage door closed (to keep any noise down).

The differences in our set ups is that (1) you have a very large planer and a large jointer. Both occupy a lot of real estate. By contrast, I have a combination machine that takes up less space than your jointer. (2) your bench dominates the work space (probably so you can move around it), while mine is tucked away at the end. I do not feel limited by this - and I do most of my work there. The bench is positioned in such a way that I have a sharpening station alongside, as well as easy access to all hand tool storage. It is not clear where yours is. (3) when I move the car out of its dedicated spot, this is freed up for movable assembly benches. Assembly space is extremely important. Where is yours?

Everyones shop is constructed and organised to meet a specific need, be it a preferred method of working, or a preferred order of working. In mine, I group the combo J-P together with the bandsaw, and both are alongside the dust collector (I wish I could put this outside, but cannot). The table saw is away from these but in the centre of the shop, where it has access to the DC. I can work in the power section to prepare boards, then spend all the remainder of time in the hand tool section. This is efficient for me. You need to do what is efficient for you.

Here are some photos. Keep in mind that this workshop took 30 years to create the way it is ...

https://i.postimg.cc/76FDZ9tw/11a.jpg

There is a drill press as well, and this acts as a control centre for the DC and hoses ...

https://i.postimg.cc/4yCV5vM3/7a.jpg

Looking back to the hand tool area ...

https://i.postimg.cc/fyX08D1z/Overhead1.jpg

Hope this gives some ideas.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[ken hatch]

Looks good Ken. I too am considering a rearrange but don't have the luxury of an outfeed into the desert... it will be white stuff out there soon here!

Chris,

There are not too many days when the door can't be open down here. MsBubba thinks she will die every summer, I think the same every January :).

Someday most (jointer and table saw) of the machines will be gone. It is strange, as I get closer to retirement and more free time I become more protective of that time and pare down to fewer and fewer things to maintain. Go figure.

BTW, come on down the living is easy in the desert.

ken

[ken hatch]

Hi Ken

I posted before, then deleted this as I offered examples of space saving in my own shop. I feel conflicted about this as it is a bit too much like show-and-tell. I am back, because it may help.
...

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek,

Nothing wrong with show and tell.

I've been slowly weaning myself off the machines. Nothing pure about it, Mostly it's safety and joy of working, the older and more forgetful I become the less comfortable I am using both the table saw and the joiner. The other aspect, even though I'm near deaf as a post, the noise from the machines drives me to barking at the moon. That said I expect the bandsaw and planer will hang around to the end because of usefulness.

I hate moving things around to work, so my shop is organized around 4 benches, a shave horse and a small lathe. The main French/English bench has the sharpening bench a step off the left end and most hand tools stored behind it in either tills, wall cabinets, or a large tool chest. I have a secondary bench in front of the main bench that is used when I want a lower bench to work on (it is being replaced with a shop sized Moravian style bench, current build in process) and a third bench along the east wall where I keep the sticking board/long shooting board set up. I had a rollaround assembly table for years but as I have been migrating to building more vernacular furniture it was sent to the fire pile.

Thanks for taking the time and thought to share,

ken

[Jake Rothermel]

Ken, nice to see Dubuque clamps in other people's shops! I frigging love those clamps. Now, if only I could get the *rest* of my shop to look like yours...

[ken hatch]

Ken, nice to see Dubuque clamps in other people's shops! I frigging love those clamps. Now, if only I could get the *rest* of my shop to look like yours...

Jake,

Be careful what you wish for :p. Shops seem to grow topsy-turvy on their own over time.

I'm with you on the Dubugue clamps, light and easy to use plus cost effective.

ken