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View Full Version : New Job, which brings a new Shop



Ned Bulken
01-20-2006, 9:21 PM
Hey all,
I've been job hunting for a couple of months now, and just recently got the word that I'll be switching employers!
there is a new warehouse opening up near where I grew up, and I'll be working there for a new trucking company (new employer, established company), managing a dedicated fleet of trucks hauling their freight to the stores. This will bring me back to working Days (which wasn't going to happen at my current job.
I get to fly out to Omaha NE for orientation and training, and then when I return I'll be starting at the new site. Compared with my current employer I'll get more pay, better hours and a nice sign on bonus. The LOML and I have decided to take part of that bonus, pay off some bills, and then invest the remainder in a new shop here at the house! It won't be big, and certainly won't be fancy (not at first anyway). But it will be right out the back door instead of 10 minutes away.

I'll be putting it up come spring time, though if winter continues this mild I may be breaking ground in just a couple of weeks before I leave for my trip. I will keep you posted as I progress. Because i've been sharing a shop space, I'll need to fill in a few major tool gaps, such as a Jointer and a Router table, and a drill press. I'm also going to turn to the dark side, I have a Jet Mini on my short wish list, right next to my G0555. First things first, though. have to build the shell, get it wired and then I'll move my tools into the new space.

Frank Pellow
01-20-2006, 9:53 PM
Congratulations Ned, both on the job and on the shop to be!

The door to my shop is about 8 steps away from the back door to my house and I can tell you that it's a great location.

Planning and building my shop ranks right up there with the projects that I have enjoyed most during my life. I hope that you find your project to be as rewarding and I look forward to seeing and hearing about it.

Jim Becker
01-20-2006, 9:59 PM
Congratulations, Ned!! That's really nice news! (Job AND Shop!!)

Vaughn McMillan
01-20-2006, 10:44 PM
New job and new shop? Where do I sign up? Congrats on both, Ned.

- Vaughn

Dick Parr
01-20-2006, 10:50 PM
Congrats Ned.;)

Ned Bulken
01-21-2006, 2:50 AM
thanks all
I like my current JOB, but my current terminal (I'm in the Trucking industry, as a driver manager) is having some political problems. The company is restructuring a bit, and the pressures on the day shift managers are getting somewhat intense, and even a bit comical. I heard about one relatively new manager who had the audacity to tell the terminal manager that he was a cheapskate and then walk out of his office. To his credit she still has a job, for now at least. I work nights, so I'm somewhat removed from the hullaballoo, but It has me concerned nonetheless. I applied several months ago for a similar job also in trucking, with a different carrier. Well fortune has smiled upon me, and I'm biding my time til the end of next month, when I will be flying out to Omaha for training and getting to know the new company etc... The new jobsite is at a customer's warehouse running a dedicated fleet. Something which I'm familiar with, as a driver and a manager. I won't have to move to take this position, but I get a sign-on bonus which will help fund the new shop structure here at the house.
It will be a small barn, just enough for me and a few tools here at the house. I am going to be paring down from my portion of Madison Woodsmith's acreage (we have 1100 sq ft) to a tiny little footprint of about 300 sq ft, including the loft space for storage. And while the next words out of everyone's mouth should be '300 sq ft?!? Build bigger!' If I could, I would build larger, but the budget is tight, even with the sign on bonus, and I will need to replace a few tools I'll be giving up when I move out of the current shop.; bandsaw, jointer, drill press and router table just to name a few. I'll have my tablesaw, planer and router, plus CMS and workbench, plus some storage cabinetry and some hand tools. Oh, and I'm also going over to the dark side and picking up a Mini in the near future, as well as a basic scroll saw. Not a lot of stuff, but I'm sure I'll soon be overflowing the barn if I'm not careful. Heck, who am I kidding, I'll be overflowing with just what I have now, let alone the replacement tools.
I am more than aware that 300 sq ft is tiny, but I will probably wind up moving in a few years, and will just have to be cozy in there until I move onward and upward on the corporate ladder. While not an entry level job, my new position has the added appeal that advancement is not only possible, but encouraged. I am definitely ready for the opportunities, and everything I've heard and read tells me this is a terrific move for me.
The bonus will come in installments, so the barn will be going up in stages, I expect I'll have it closed in and basic wiring by early spring (if the NY weather stays this balmy, add a couple of months if it stays cold and nasty.)

rest assured that I'll be posting pics and asking loads of advice on the new shop. Thanks again tho!

edit, spelling

John Bailey
01-21-2006, 3:56 AM
Ned,

Congratulations on both the new job and the new shop. I'm building a new shop and I also chose a small shop. (400 sq.ft.) I like the small shop because everything is handy and I can keep things well organized. For years I worked out of a small (150 sq.ft.) shop in my basement. I loved it and built some fairly large projects like a dingy for my sail boat. Take a look a Bob Nole's shop. I thinks he's done a great job. Of course he got one of those spinny things, so it may have gone down hill recently.

John

Ned Bulken
01-21-2006, 1:17 PM
John,
Here's my latest sketch of what I hope will be a good starting point for my floor plan. The left half will have a loft above it for lumber storage and so forth, which I'll reach using a 'ships ladder' I'm also going to tack on a small shed for the DC to live in, but I'm not sure where I'll put it just yet, so I didn't add it in to the design yet.


my benches are 42" tall, and the 'insert' section will allow a router table, chopsaw, downdraft sanding station or planer to be used, obviously not all at once.

My Ridgid 3612 has wheels already, so it is definitely Mobile, and the outfeed table will fold down for storage. The spinny thing in the corner is a 'wish list' item, as are the g0555 and Jointer, but might as well plan for them while I can.


http://www.woodworking.org/photo/albums/userpics/12900/barn_floorplan.JPG
(http://www.woodworking.org/photo/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=0&pos=0)

Jim Becker
01-21-2006, 1:26 PM
Ned, check the WOOD Magazine site and the "Idea Shops". There was a small shop project awhile back that may give you some additional ideas for arranging your space.

Ned Bulken
01-22-2006, 1:13 AM
Jim,
hey I had forgotten about their idea shop series. I've also got the FWW annual from 2003 which had a bunch of great ideas in it. I especially like the 12 x 16 basement shop. Not sure I'll use all of their ideas, but they sure will help.

Fred Voorhees
01-22-2006, 7:10 PM
Yeah, sure, just when I know where the coffee is served, you go and pull the rug out from under me. Sheez!

Oh yeah, congratulations Ned on all of the new news.

Ned Bulken
01-22-2006, 10:34 PM
Yeah, sure, just when I know where the coffee is served, you go and pull the rug out from under me. Sheez!

Oh yeah, congratulations Ned on all of the new news.


Thanks Fred! You can still visit John at the old shop, and I'm not moving out til I get the new one built... so... spring? thereabouts... I just want to cut out the 'commute' to the shop. That and have a 'Man cave' where I can hang out and be creative. I'll have a coffee maker in there, fear not.

Robert Mickley
01-25-2006, 9:00 AM
Ok so what are your construction plans? Type of framing? exterior finish? Heat? Type of floor? Roof Materail? Type of roof?

I can tell you right now I am the king of cheap. I can make one suggestion right off the bat. Make your bench the same height as your table saw. this way you can use the bench to help support sheet goods. If you get the bench higher than the table saw its going to interfer with it.

Since your going with a small building I would suggest going with a Gambrel roof. Margianly more expensive than a regualr roof and you would gain a ton of storage space. Add a 12 foot deck to the left side extend the roof over it.
Gives you a great outside area in the summer time to work in. Plus a place to roll tools out of the way while your working inside.

Ned Bulken
01-25-2006, 2:12 PM
Robert, in no particular order:
oh yeah, gambrel roof Mini-barn. I got the plans off of barnplans.com. It will look something like this:
http://www.barnplans.com/gallery/lish.jpg

Only minus the windmill.
Typical stud walls on top of pressure treated joists and floor, walls are going to be 8' to the top of the sill, possibly 9', with a loft above 1/2 of the structure. 84 lumber sells a pre-primed exterior plywood (I forget the trade name off the top of my head, which I was going to use for the exterior of the buildiing. The roof will be asphalt shingle over roofing felt. INsulation will be celotex (silvery roll insulation) over a layer of pink batting. I'll insulate the floor with pink or blue solid insulation sheets between the joists. Heating is to be announced, but I'm leaning towards a propane fired 'greenhouse furnace' or one of those through the wall propane units with a decent sized tank standing next to the structure. I just scored several 4 bulb flourescent lights, which I have to go pick up from a buddy, he got them out of a school building which was being gutted. I'm also going to put in a couple of incadescent units for good measure.

Windows... planning on three or four vinyl units. doors, going to build my own. The entire stucture is going up on deck piers over crushed stone, and a Deck is in the works,b ut may have to wait awhile.

gotta run, but i'll post more late.

Bob Noles
01-25-2006, 2:31 PM
Ned,

I like the looks of that little barn style woorkshop. I think you will be pleased with that. Have you made a firm decision on the foot print size yet?

Jeff Sudmeier
01-25-2006, 2:36 PM
Ned, I would imagine that you are talking about smart siding. It is a trade name for a pre-primed 30 year warranty product. We build all of our sheds out of it, I can attest that it is a high quality product if that is what you are using.

Good luck with your project, don't forget to keep your eyes out for the 10 percent off sales at the boxes, if you can save 10% on your materials you may be able to afford another tool.

That barn will offer a great loft space and the ability to expand the shop if you are interested in the future.

Robert Mickley
01-25-2006, 8:43 PM
Ok, I have a suggestion, thats probably going to sound out in left field. Especially for the guys not raised on farms. Find yourself a sawmill, specificly one that saws Hemlock. The reason I'm telling you this is we build out of, hold on to your hat, GREEN Hemlock all the time. The amish and menonites have been doing it for years. It's dimensionly stable shrinks very litttle, you can buy it for around $.50 to $.65 a bf. And you can bet when you buy a 2x4 it will be 2x4. While not any chaeper than stuff you buy at the borgs its just about a sure bet it will be better quality.

I think you should go for 16 X16 myself. 4 feet in width will make a huge differance. 8 more feet added to the length later on wold give you a 16 X 24 which is a fairly respectable shop. I would give up a couple windows to make the extra size happen. Windows can be added later fairly easy, especially of you plan for it and frame the holes now

Ned Bulken
01-27-2006, 7:15 AM
Yep, 12 wide x16 long is about all I can fit due to zoning and site constraints. I may be able to fit a bit longer, but cannot go any wider at this point. 16' wide would be great, but with set-backs and such, I'm pushing the envelope at 12x16. It will be tight, but it will be enough, at least until the corporate ladder climb helps with moving to a new location.

As for materials, I'm definitely going to go with a package from a local sawmill, have to get the cut list straightened out, and Hemlock is available from what I'm told. I just have to get my list ironed out.
This is my 'work' weekend, so I'll be checking in later if I have time. For now, though, g'nite time for me to get some sleep.

Robert Mickley
01-27-2006, 4:30 PM
Well shot my idea out of the water. :rolleyes: I'm not used to having to deal with zoning requirements. ;)

Ned Bulken
01-28-2006, 3:49 PM
Well shot my idea out of the water. :rolleyes: I'm not used to having to deal with zoning requirements. ;)

Oh trust me, there's a nice patch of lawn which COULD fit a 16x24. HOWEVER the LOML saw me out measuring it and put her foot down, I can have my little shop in the little corner of the yard I originally planned it. *sigh* :eek:

On the plus side, the electrical service to the house is right there, so I'll be able to pull power to the shop easier/cheaper than the other corner of the lot. I"m going to just love when the inspector is here, and I'm proving that my shop is set back enough, and I point out that the neighbor on the other side of the yard has not one but two sheds RIGHT on the property line. :rolleyes::D:D

I put my notice in at work yesterday, so the new job is a 'reality' (still have to pass a drug screen, which is a non issue, unless the check is for caffeine)

Ed Breen
01-30-2006, 6:32 PM
Ned,
Congrats on the new job! bSounds like you're off to the races. I like the new shop plans and would roger on Jim's suggestion to check out woods site for their small shop coverage. Hey, I don't know what night shifdt you put in but it should be a lot easier to get to lodge now.
Ed;)
"from the west traveling east"