My Shop - an old barn with a new purpose

[Edward Garrett]

It has finally come time to post some pictures of my workshop....I had been waiting for "the perfect shots" of the shop - when it is clean, organized, full of all the right tools, etc....in lieu of that day ever coming, I have attached what my shop looks like today - not perfect, but mine!

My shop is on the top floor of an old bank barn on our property that we have been slowly renovating. The barn was originally built in the early 1820's, and had been somewhat neglected since ~1970 until we purchased the property in 2001. Three years ago we had the barn structure itself reinforced and rotten beams replaced, and I finished the lower level for horse stalls, a grain room, bathroom and a tack room (this project included excavating 3 feet down through 180 years of manure!). I also upgraded the electrical to a dedicated 200A service.

Last year I began moving my wood shop into the upper level of the barn and upgrading my tools…and I now share space with tractors, hay and a craft area for my kids. The area is big enough for me right now, very tall ceilings (14’) and far enough away from the house and neighbors that noise will not be a problem. The big downside is that it is not enclosed and insulated, so I am working on a solution to get me through winter with a bit more warmth and comfort. Woodworking is a part-time hobby for me now (until I win the lottery), and I have slowly been building my skills making cabinets and furniture for the farmhouse....I am hoping to do several projects for family as Christmas presents this year.

The big tools are mostly Grizzly….I am only about a 2.5 hour drive away from their factory in PA, (which my son loves to walk around in as much as I do!).

Machinery Roll Call:

* Grizzly 1023SLW Table Saw
* Grizzly G0490 8” Jointer
* Grizzly G0454 20" Planer
* Grizzly G0513X2 17" Band Saw
* Acura 25" Drum Sander (5hp)
* Bosch 5412L 12" SCMS
* Benchdog Router Table on homemade base with Freud FTE3000 router
* Grizzly G0562 3hp Dust Collector
* Rigid oscillating sander
* Delta Drill press on a homemade base
* Worksharp WS3000 Sharpening Station
* Delta 14-651 2hp mortiser (not shown)

I have also include a picture of my Triton wood rack….the bottom three rows are the chestnut planks that I salvaged from the barn and have been slowly cleaning up. Not pictured is my hand-tool and “misc” room….it is not quite finished, and besides - just plain too messy to post just yet!

Next on my list is to try to close-in and insulate…..then add to my hand-plane inventory….then next year sometime I want to either upgrade to Byrd Shelix heads for the jointer and planer, or get a lathe (I have never really used a lathe, so I still have lots of research to do).

Thanks to everyone who has helped me with my myriad of questions and challenges over the past several months! If you are every in the neighborhood (northeast PA just south of the Poconos), feel free to stop in and say hi!

[Edward Garrett]

additional photos....

[Mike Wilkins]

Nice collection of hardware you have. But you may have to do something about the ventilation you now have in those walls. Makes for a chilly work environment in the winter.
I may have to copy your miter saw/bench set-up. I would like to get mine set up in a cabinet instead of dragging it out when needed.

[Paul Greathouse]

Edward

Thats a great looking space, and some great tools too. The one tool you have that I am curious about is the Acura drum sander. I saw it on Ebay several months back and asked here on the Creek if anybody was familiar with them and got no responses. You probably didn't have yours then.

How do you like the sander, how does it perform?
Why did you get it over some of the other popular brands?
Is it easy to find sanding belts for it?
Did you get it off of Ebay or somewhere else? I couldnt find them anywhere else on the web.

[Greg Cole]

Very envious about the space!!!! I am a big fan of barns-old buildings and rededicating them. So long as the bones are still strong and the roof is keeping them dry... these old timber frame structures are great.
Once you can keep the cold air outside, you've got one heck of a shop. Are you going to try to use the shop in the winter? What about keeping snow etc out? Seeing daylight between the siding boards make me wonder about rain too....

I will "one day" relocate back to Vermont and I am going to make it a VERY HIGH priority to find a place with an old building or space to build one. Thankfully my family has a couple hundred acres of retired dairy farm that hasn't been chopped up for development & won't be for a lot of years.

Greg

[Bob Slater]

That looks like a great space to spend a lot of time in. Very impressed.

[Phil Gabbard]

Great looking space: wish I was out there instead of in Houston, where my sweat during the summer months leaves plenty of rust spots on everything, no matter how careful I am! One question on your dust collection system. I'm going to be hooking up a new MM16 band saw and a Bridgewood 20" planer to dust collection, and have considered the 'up and over' pathway to the collector. I noticed much of yours is on the floor, instead. Is there a benefit for that? I might be concerned about the tripping hazard or eating up too much floor space. Perhaps it performs better on the ground?

Thanks - and keep up the good work!

[Edward Garrett]

Thanks for the comments....to address some of the questions:

Paul - I love the sander. I chose the Accura b/c based on what I was able to determine it is the exact same machine as many others, just with different paint schemes...at 25" wide, it was the best deal for the money. I saw it on e-bay, but ended up calling the dealer directly - Hamilton Tool in Beaver falls, PA - to ask questions, etc. I spoke with Fred who was a great resource and very accommodating. I also saved money on shipping since we were both in PA. In terms of belts, you can get the sanding belts on-line, and the drive belts can be purchased at an auto-supply warehouse. The following is the link for my "gloat" when I rec'd the DS....
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=77733

Greg - Yes, I do work out there in the winter. Using tarps, I essentially create a "room within a room" to keep out as much cold as possible, and I use a torpedo heater (sparingly) to try to keep the temp ~50F. Rain and snow has not been an issue - the roof (all slate) is pretty solid, and the way I have the machines situated keeps them away from anything that blows through the slats. My top priority (when $$ allows) is to make the top floor weather-tight.

Phil - I struggled quite a bit with whether to put the DC on the ground or run it across the ceiling...and I still think about it. My concerns with running it up and over was whether or not I would get enough suction to the 20" planer given the "climb" it woul need for the 14' ceiling (maybe someone here can help me with this equation for the 3HP collector?). My other consideration is that I may need to re-build the ceiling, and do/did not want to have to revamp the duct-work. Running this across the floor does get in the way, but I have learned to work around it....but, as I spend more time in the shop, I am beginning to lean towards running it across the ceiling....all things being equal, I would probably do it differently today.

Thanks again everyone!

[Jack Camillo]

Wow, that's a dream! I think you better get moving on closing it up and insulating though, before you have to move everything out and de-rust.

[Jim Becker]

What a wonderful building for your shop, Ed!! Congratulations on a very nice shop build, too.

[Gene Michael]

Wow!!! Very nice shop and a unique building to boot. In spite of your description, it looks clean and well organized. Congrats on a nice project!!!

[Jerome Hanby]

So that's what having room to move in a shop looks like! You've got a great setup!

[John Eaton]

I'm no expert, but I don't think you'd have a problem running the DC "up-over" - try to keep your heaviest dust producers as close to the DC as possible (like your sander) - you may need to add some extra gates if you have pressure loss through any of the existing runs (but that shouldn't really be happening anyway if everything is sealed up proper). You could flip your collector (build a frame so the motor is at the top) to reduce the distance between the ceiling and floor.

As an alternative, have you considered piping under the floor to get it all out of the way? It looks like you have the space.

-- John

[Jim Becker]

John is correct. The effects of gravity are nearly immaterial for dust collection purposes. Dust is nearly weightless from a practical standpoint and dust collection is based on moving large amounts of air at a specific velocity and at low pressure. The air, in turn, moves the dust and chips. But good duct design is necessary to minimize the additional friction that changes in direction will cause.

[Don Bullock]

Edward, that's a great shop. It sure looks like the shop is well equipped. I'm especially envious of the 14' ceilings. Congratulations and thanks for posting the pictures. I need all the shop ideas I can get as I plan the arrangement of my new shop.