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Thread: New Member and Garage Shop Tour

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Thedford, NE
    Posts
    17

    New Member and Garage Shop Tour

    Howdy. I found this forum when shopping for a new bandsaw and enjoyed reading all of the advice and opinions on here.... so I joined.

    It's a work in progress, but here's my shop. I've been doing this about 6 years teaching myself as I go. Two small kids and the responsibilities they bring mean my progress comes slowly these days. Oh yeah, and the job thing - thankful for that in this day and age, but it is definitely demanding time-wise. I'm an engineer at an oil refinery.

    I have most of the garage to myself but my wife has a cabinet for her inventory of stuff that can be kept outside of A/C. Also I have forced myself to set it up in such a way that we can park her car unless I'm in the middle of a big project.

    Thanks for the advice - this my attempt to give back for the help I got picking the bandsaw and blades.

    Ricky
    __________

    Redneck A/C - it is hot here in S. Texas pretty much year round. Someday I'll have an air conditioned shop but not yet. I just added two 20A circuits... last several years have been spent running all of my tools (DC plus sawdust creator) off of one outlet. After many nuisance trips I finally sunk some money into electrical infrastructure. Also added lighting. Truth in advertising - I paid for this stuff to be added. Money well spent - I didn't spend multiple weekends crawling around in the attic... a couple guys knocked it out in a little more than half a day. Craftsmen are worth their money. What you see hanging down there is a 3' extension cord... it has a piece of hose wrapped around it and clamped to the ceiling to keep it from coming out of the outlet. Allows me to plug things in without reaching too high.
    DSC_0010.jpg

    Wood storage. Plywood storage isn't ideal - wish it were flat. But floor space is precious. The caddy is attached to the wall with a 12" standoff, hinged there. It swings out on ball bearings which ride on the floor. Cut plywood pieces are stored on stickers off the floor in the 12" space behind the caddy. On the wood racks above I have a pretty big stock of walnut and lyptus. Also some maple and spanish cedar. The lowest shelf is 24" deep and is where I keep the cut stock for my current project.
    DSC_0009.jpg

    backed off view of the storage wall - this is the side where the car parks so no tools other than the DC, which is mobile. No dust collection header - that's for my next shop.
    DSC_0008.jpg

    Wife's storage area plus some shelving for miscellaneous items.
    DSC_0007.jpg
    DP and BS. New BS came in two days ago - I've been waiting a few years to get this baby. It's a Grizzly G0513X2F. Worth every penny. It's the only tool I have running on 220 - so I had to install a new outlet for it yesterday.
    DSC_0006.jpg
    Last cabinet I built is for paint and stains - probably should be metal but I don't store the real volatile stuff there. The compressor sits in there for noise abatement. 6" Grizzly jointer tucked in there too. That really rough looking cabinet there is my rolling workbench - my first project a few years ago. It is MDF and building it is when I realized dust collection was worth the money. It has fold out wings which make it about 10' long when both are extended. Since I built my new cabinets the storage underneath is not critical but the workspace on top is... so I've kept it.
    DSC_0005.jpg
    Craftsman hybrid table saw - has been good for me. Router table and new work bench with lots of drawers. Better pic of the work bench later. I have some more work to do on that wall, including finishing the drywall repairs after the electrical work - then I'm going to paint everything.
    DSC_0004.jpg

    Cabinets are made based on the advice from Tom Clark's "Practical Shop Cabinets". Under the miter saw and to the left is a big pull out shelf with my benchtop planer on it. I'm working on a dust collection system for the miter saw and will put up more pegboard behind it. Then finish out the benchtop to the left so it's flush with the miter saw bed. Will end up being 12' of workspace that's 32" deep (not the most economical dimensions for plywood economy but I wanted deep drawers). That black fan and the other one you saw earlier are just residential... not sure how long they'll last given the motors aren't sealed. They're mounted high but came with remote controls so I can turn them on easily.
    DSC_0001.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    In the foothills of the Sandia Mountains
    Posts
    16,619
    Ricky, welcome to the Creek! Nice shop, it looks like you have all of the bases covered.
    Congrats on the new bandsaw.
    Please help support the Creek.


    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
    Andy Rooney



  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Sweetser,In
    Posts
    326
    Welcome to the creek Ricky. I am fairly new here myself.
    Looks like you have most of the machines you need to make lots of saw dust.
    Your shop is about the same size as mine. Mine is a little more cluttered I see.

  4. #4
    Don't know how you guys handle a shop in the garage. My wife thinks she owns anything attached to the house. So a dedicated shop is my only option. Have to remind her she doesn't own the shop. Or it would be full of her junk and would have cat inhabitants. Went in the shop a while back and there was a plastic swimming pool. Had to remind her that the shop is mine.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Middleton, Idaho
    Posts
    1,018
    Hi Ricky,

    Welcome to the Creek. You have a great shop. I like the way you mounted the fans. They sure help out, and make a difference.

    Sam

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Thedford, NE
    Posts
    17
    Sam, Dale and Bruce - Thanks for the welcome. It's fun reading the back and forth on here. I'm getting the bug to build my own cyclone now - but my wife insists I turn out something furniture-like before more shop-centric projects can begin.

    Dale - welcome back at you. A cluttered shop is usually a shop in use, so kudos for that. I think it has a lot to do with personality, but when I finally built the cabinets it became easier to motivate myself to get out in the shop and make something. Some people thrive in a cluttered work area; others have to have everything perfect all the time. I'm probably a little off center toward the "prefers perfection" side.

    Sam - Mounting the fans like that was my wife's idea, I think. It works really well, but I still move around a big floor fan to wherever I'm working - it gets HOT here. Have I mentioned that I live in a hot climate?

    Jim - I wish I had a separate shop! With air conditioning. And a cyclone. And... and... and... Someday that will happen. For now I have to move the car, stroller, bicycle, tricycle, scooter, etc. out of the garage before kicking on a machine. However, Phase I of my long term vision for actually having a "shop" was to build a little 6x10 shed in the back yard for lawn equipment and other storage. Did that a few years ago and it has worked well. That's where things like the plastic swimming pool end up! Also... getting sawdust all over everything is a pretty good deterrent. However, I'm envisioning another little outdoor closet in the backyard for all the rolling stock that the boys have... There's an unused corner in the back yard where grass doesn't grow anyways.

    RR

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Stony Plain, Alberta
    Posts
    2,702
    Welcome to the Creek Ricky..
    Thanks for the peek at the man cave and congrats on the new bandsaw.
    Looking forward to seeing a few projects.

  8. #8
    Hey Ricky, welcome to the Creek. This is a great place to hang out and learn. I have been a member for just over a year and really enjoy all the great people.
    Best Regards,

    Gordon

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Middleton, Idaho
    Posts
    1,018
    I'm getting the bug to build my own cyclone now - but my wife insists I turn out something furniture-like before more shop-centric projects can begin.

    Ricky, I have had my shop for some time now. I could work on shop stuff all of the time. I have two old Dewalt radial arm saws, and an old Davis and Wells bandsaw to restore. In addition, I want to remodel my shop, build more cabinets, etc. However, things for the house need to be built. I am just trying to work everything in...

    Mounting the fans like that was my wife's idea, I think. It works really well, but I still move around a big floor fan to wherever I'm working - it gets HOT here. Have I mentioned that I live in a hot climate?

    I have air in my shop. However, I try not to use it. I also have a fan that I move around that makes a big difference. I have often though about mounting it, but have not got around to it. Seeing yours mounted has inspired me to do the same to mine.

    Sam

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