Dave MacArthur
06-02-2007, 12:31 AM
Hi folks,
I've been a member and reading here for only just over a month, but have found I really enjoy the posts, the friendly attitude, and the fantastic knowledge here. I've made a few posts in the last couple weeks, and after seeing a few "Introduction" threads, thought I would do the same and introduce myself formally. I notice folks seem to know a lot about the "regulars" tool setup, and I myself LOVE reading your posts on shops, tools bought/considered, gloats, etc., so I am including a quick rundown of my shop at end. I hope no-one considers it in poor taste, but I've been so proud of each piece I've acquired and worked so hard to get that I've been dying to tell anyone who understands the joy of a great find/buy... LOML thinks it's nice, but somehow I don't think she fully understands the joy of a good "tool gloat!".
I am 43 years old, have a fantastic wife (LOML appears to be the proper term here!), and two boys ages 2 and 4. I have been woodworking myself for over 30 years, as I was lucky enough to grow up in a house where my father always designed the house around the woodshop. So from an early age I "apprenticed to Dad" by holding boards on infeed/outfeed tables, and my daily chores included shop help and shop/sawdust cleanup. It makes me laugh to think how hard it would be to find such help these days, but I was lucky for it, as it taught me respect for tools, safety, organization and mostly for my father, at an early age. In 7th grade, we built our own house, and I helped on the framing carpentry and finish work, including decks and cedar siding etc., so a bit of construction knowledge but no pro.
When I was in High School in the 80's, I took advantage of a fully equipped shop at home to earn my spending money, and built skateboards with inlaid exotic woods such as kid's initials, as well as making/selling cheese trays etc. up and down my paper-route (all pushed on me by Dad at first, but I learned many business lessons out of it!). Paid for my first car making custom salt/pepper mills on the lathe and selling them to local stores.
When I got out of college, I started putting together my own garage shop in the early 90's, and have done various furniture projects for myself. I've only ever been a hobbyist, and only built items for family, such things as built-ins, desks, beds, and frame/panel cabinets. Nice quality, but so far my only real "fine woodworking" work has been the building of a LesPaul Custom guitar in 1983, with mother of pearl inlay all around the rim and everywhere, all walnut and ebony and maple (my Dad built acoustic guitars, so I had a mentor ;) )
In the last few months, I've sufferred a resurgence of interest in woodworking, and have been upgrading/building my shop to more of a serious level, thus the finding of this great forum and some recent posts of mine on recent purchases. I think I'll put together another thread later on the shop, but here are the basics:
Shop-- 3 car garage, of which I get 1 bay permanently and can use 1 for "outfeed" with cars pulled out.
Just finished installing a sub-panel with 8 dedicated circuits, 20 amp 120v for tools and various 240 volt/20 amp for machines, and lighting--been reading Steven Triggs all week lol...pulling wires in a 140 degree attic was no fun, and that thread on "derating for 140 degree temp" had me worried!
Lighting-6 units of 4-bulb T8 48" flourescent on 2 circuits/3 switches with Daylight bulbs---WOW what a difference!
Tablesaw--Powermatic 66 with 51" Biesmeyer (installed by Bill Biesmeyer himself back in the day, I live in Phoenix).
Old Tablesaw, about to sell it: Delta contractor saw with 51" Biesmeyer extension table, router table and cabinet built into extension, all on Delta mobile base.
Router: DeWalt 625
Jointer: Delta DJ20 8"
Planer: DeWalt 725 with outfeed tables on rolling cabinet.
Dust Collection: Delta 50-760? 1.5 HP mobile (from Lowes), own circuit, 220 volt wired.
Air Filtration: ceiling mounted remote control JET, own circuit.
Drill Press: Delta 17-950L, still in box waiting for me to stop foruming! ;)
Bandsaw: still shopping, had decided on the Bridgewood 18" or possibly ShopFox/Grizzly 17-18".
Handtools: some knowledge of planes/chisels based on instrument making and inlay. Decent setup of most, as well as hand power-tools.
Lastly, for my real job I am an F-16 Instructor Pilot at Luke AFB in Phoenix, AZ, so I have free access to a FULLLLY EQUIPPED incredible 2000sq ft woodshop on the base, where I am usually the only one there, and that really expands my woodworking tool access if needed--I just finally got tired of carting my boards back and forth for planing/jointing etc.
Well, that's me--I hope I didn't sound pretentious, as I am truly awed by the breadth and depth of experience here, and the great attitude of sharing . I already feel I know some of you nice folks from back-reading the forums for a month, and I hope to fit into this great community--just wanted to let you know a bit about me.
Dave
I've been a member and reading here for only just over a month, but have found I really enjoy the posts, the friendly attitude, and the fantastic knowledge here. I've made a few posts in the last couple weeks, and after seeing a few "Introduction" threads, thought I would do the same and introduce myself formally. I notice folks seem to know a lot about the "regulars" tool setup, and I myself LOVE reading your posts on shops, tools bought/considered, gloats, etc., so I am including a quick rundown of my shop at end. I hope no-one considers it in poor taste, but I've been so proud of each piece I've acquired and worked so hard to get that I've been dying to tell anyone who understands the joy of a great find/buy... LOML thinks it's nice, but somehow I don't think she fully understands the joy of a good "tool gloat!".
I am 43 years old, have a fantastic wife (LOML appears to be the proper term here!), and two boys ages 2 and 4. I have been woodworking myself for over 30 years, as I was lucky enough to grow up in a house where my father always designed the house around the woodshop. So from an early age I "apprenticed to Dad" by holding boards on infeed/outfeed tables, and my daily chores included shop help and shop/sawdust cleanup. It makes me laugh to think how hard it would be to find such help these days, but I was lucky for it, as it taught me respect for tools, safety, organization and mostly for my father, at an early age. In 7th grade, we built our own house, and I helped on the framing carpentry and finish work, including decks and cedar siding etc., so a bit of construction knowledge but no pro.
When I was in High School in the 80's, I took advantage of a fully equipped shop at home to earn my spending money, and built skateboards with inlaid exotic woods such as kid's initials, as well as making/selling cheese trays etc. up and down my paper-route (all pushed on me by Dad at first, but I learned many business lessons out of it!). Paid for my first car making custom salt/pepper mills on the lathe and selling them to local stores.
When I got out of college, I started putting together my own garage shop in the early 90's, and have done various furniture projects for myself. I've only ever been a hobbyist, and only built items for family, such things as built-ins, desks, beds, and frame/panel cabinets. Nice quality, but so far my only real "fine woodworking" work has been the building of a LesPaul Custom guitar in 1983, with mother of pearl inlay all around the rim and everywhere, all walnut and ebony and maple (my Dad built acoustic guitars, so I had a mentor ;) )
In the last few months, I've sufferred a resurgence of interest in woodworking, and have been upgrading/building my shop to more of a serious level, thus the finding of this great forum and some recent posts of mine on recent purchases. I think I'll put together another thread later on the shop, but here are the basics:
Shop-- 3 car garage, of which I get 1 bay permanently and can use 1 for "outfeed" with cars pulled out.
Just finished installing a sub-panel with 8 dedicated circuits, 20 amp 120v for tools and various 240 volt/20 amp for machines, and lighting--been reading Steven Triggs all week lol...pulling wires in a 140 degree attic was no fun, and that thread on "derating for 140 degree temp" had me worried!
Lighting-6 units of 4-bulb T8 48" flourescent on 2 circuits/3 switches with Daylight bulbs---WOW what a difference!
Tablesaw--Powermatic 66 with 51" Biesmeyer (installed by Bill Biesmeyer himself back in the day, I live in Phoenix).
Old Tablesaw, about to sell it: Delta contractor saw with 51" Biesmeyer extension table, router table and cabinet built into extension, all on Delta mobile base.
Router: DeWalt 625
Jointer: Delta DJ20 8"
Planer: DeWalt 725 with outfeed tables on rolling cabinet.
Dust Collection: Delta 50-760? 1.5 HP mobile (from Lowes), own circuit, 220 volt wired.
Air Filtration: ceiling mounted remote control JET, own circuit.
Drill Press: Delta 17-950L, still in box waiting for me to stop foruming! ;)
Bandsaw: still shopping, had decided on the Bridgewood 18" or possibly ShopFox/Grizzly 17-18".
Handtools: some knowledge of planes/chisels based on instrument making and inlay. Decent setup of most, as well as hand power-tools.
Lastly, for my real job I am an F-16 Instructor Pilot at Luke AFB in Phoenix, AZ, so I have free access to a FULLLLY EQUIPPED incredible 2000sq ft woodshop on the base, where I am usually the only one there, and that really expands my woodworking tool access if needed--I just finally got tired of carting my boards back and forth for planing/jointing etc.
Well, that's me--I hope I didn't sound pretentious, as I am truly awed by the breadth and depth of experience here, and the great attitude of sharing . I already feel I know some of you nice folks from back-reading the forums for a month, and I hope to fit into this great community--just wanted to let you know a bit about me.
Dave