Who needs a bigger shop?

[Ronald DeWeese Sr.]

I wish I had a bigger shop so I could build something a little
bigger for a change. Well I never got one so I tried to build
something big. This project was from Wood's Mag "Towering Tumes
Bookcase" 42"W x 16"D x 7'H. I made all the trim in the shop
(Is this a gloat?).:) See attached pictures.

[tod evans]

nice job ronald! i`d say you`re getting along fine in your shop. tod

[Kurt Forbes]

I have a 5'x5' Section of our storage shed to get my tools out of the weather in. Otherwise I have the whole outdoors So my shop is pretty big but in poor weather it shure feels small.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ronald......With the attached photos to prove what you stated.........

This is a First Class Gloat!


What kind of wood and finish did you use?


Excellent work....wish they were in my home!

[Shelley Bolster]

That is one fine looking bookcase. :D I can't imagine anything better coming out of a big shop Ronald......the end result would be the same. It is the journey to that end that is much faster and easier in a large shop. Did you make your cove for the crown on the TS/shaper/molder :confused: Great job!

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Nicely done Ron! Sure looks like you made good use of the extra space. I am in a 16'x20' these days, but I could sure use another 140-200 sq.ft.

I recently changed plans for a future carport so that I will have a full 60' to play with out the right side of my shop...that means more than one addition over the years!

[Travis Porter]

Regardless of shop size, you did very well. I have come to the conclusion that a shop is like a closet. Somehow when you first put stuff in it, it is huge and you are amazed at the space. Over time, it becomes packed and you wish it were bigger. I don't think I will ever have a big enough shop. My goal at the moment is building and rearranging my shop. Cabinet under tablesaw for storage, stand for bandsaw with drawers to hold stuff, cabinet for mitersaw with storage, and reworking my lumber and scrap storage. It is going to help, but only enough for me to add a few more stationary tools.

[Frank Pellow]

Ronald, yes it's a gloat, and it a good gloat. Nice job! A big shop is a good thing to have, but skill such as yours is a much better thing to have.

[John Dingman]

Ron,

You must have done some time in the Military :) That is one very organized shop! Great work on the bookcase too. Keep up the good work.

John

[Bruce Page]

Beautiful work Ronald! The warm color and finish are outstanding!!

[Tyler Howell]

Great Job Ron,
An inspiration to small shops everywhere.

TJH

[Jay Knepper]

Great job, Ronald. And congrats on the design -- that's the nicest thing in memory that I've seen in Wood Mag.

I'm embarassed at the things that people turn out in smaller shops, and at the same time I wish that my shop was larger....

[Jim Becker]

Nice work, Ronald. It really is possible to build big pieces in smaller shops with a little forethought and creativity. Sometimes it requires modularily; sometimes it just requires adjusting one's mindset in the vertical plane.

I remember when I was building the bedroom furniture for my nieces...this was before I expanded the shop and I was also working on the kitchen island that became the prototype for the cabinets for the 2003 kitchen renovation. I still don't know how I pulled it off in a 17' x 21' shop space filled with tools. The beds were assembled on top of the table saw as there was no place on the floor that could fit a full-sized bed frame. Example shown below...

[Don Dean]

Nice bookcase. As a new woodworker I am inspired by the work you did on this piece.

[John Bailey]

Nice work Ronald. As for your small shop. I'm working on my "Dream" shop right now, and I intentionally kept it small, 20x20. I never did like having to maintain anything larger than I really needed. So, with the type of work you proved you could do, I think you've got just the right sized shop.

John

[Bob Noles]

Ronald,

That bookcase is magnificient!

As for small shops, mine is only 12X17, but when I really think about it, I don't think I would have it any other way. It keeps my organizational and innovative juices flowing and that is a good thing at my age :D

Thanks for sharing your inspiration on both counts.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Beautiful bookcase, Ronald. As others have asked, what did you use for the finish?

I could always use a larger shop. I've got about half of a 2-car garage for floor space, and built-in cabinets on two walls for storing a combination of shop and yard stuff. If I could only get LOML to stop storing things neither of us needs, I could pick up another decent chunk of floor space. ;)

- Vaughn

[Ronald DeWeese Sr.]

Thanks for all the kind words. The carcus is birch plywood, maple trim and the fluted wood is alder. The finish is Minwax, Special Walnut, wiped as soon as it was applied, covered with a couple coats of polyurethane gloss.
The cove molding was made on the TS since I have no more room for a shaper/moulder, in a 12 x 20 shop. My tidiness in my shop comes from the Air Force.

[lou sansone]

excellent looking bookcase. shop looks pretty decent as well..

lou

[Dennis Peacock]

Very nice work Ronald......You made very good use of the space you had for assembly work. Congrats on a project well done.