Allow me to introduce myself & my New/Old Workshop.

[Ken Kimbrell]

I’ve already made one post and am thankful too some of the outstanding members here for very good and timely advice that lead to the cure for my question. Heck, I even had a chance to give a small tip of my own in the Thread.

While hanging out and reading as many of the posts as possible it became apparent that it is common practice here in the Creek to introduce yourself to the membership… so here goes.

This past January 1st my retirement from the state of Florida was completed and Kay & I moved up here to NC (my birth state) so that we could be closer to Kids & Grandkids… we have 8 Kids, 22 G/K and also have 2 GG/K.
And, yes those numbers are correct!

Maybe now, with more time available to me, I will be able to learn a little more about being a ‘good’ woodworker so that the projects we have planned for our “New/Old House” will turn out well. There will be numerous projects, but two pieces that need to be done in the next few months include a chest to hold the leaves/inserts that go with our new dining table, this thing is 9 feet long, so we remove at least two of the inserts except when the G/Ks are here, so a good storage system is needed. The other project is a bookcase for the living room, its main purpose will be to cover the new 200 AMP breaker panel we had installed. More info will be forthcoming about that big ugly panel when the project is posted on my website.

My ‘Tool’s List’ already included a large number of hand tools and power tools, plus an old cheap Craftsman TS, a Craftsman 10’ RAS and a PC router. In the last few weeks there were some other new additions, Delta DP #200 , Delta BS #28-276, Delta TS #36-649 and a Dewalt DW706 CMS.

As you can see in the picture below, my shop is only in the beginning stages, the concrete guy is supposed to be here Monday to start putting in the floor… there will be lots to do after that before it comes anywhere close to being a suitable workspace, like electrial, air, dust control and much more.

If you want to see some of the pictures and details about our New/Old House you can click on my name above... And if you would like to see some of those Kids & GrandKids you can go Here.

After looking around several WW forums I tried to pick the friendliest & most informative to join... the Creek would seem to be that place! good to be here.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ken....Welcome to the 'Creek! I spashed into the waters about a year ago looking for a friendly place! I can't remember the other sites now! From beginners to PROS they are all here! Always willling to share information. I'll warn you about Tyler Howell, however! Tyler has appointed himself as the official "Photo Cop"! Any gloats are not official without photos to prove it! Tyler will hound you without any mercy if you try to post a gloat without photos! Again......Welcome!

[Frank Pellow]

...
After looking around several WW forums I tried to pick the friendliest & most informative to join... the Creek would seem to be that place! good to be here.

Welcome and right you are about this site Ken. I joined Saw Mill Creek just over a year ago and the folks here were a great help to me in the design, construction, and population of my new shop. Like you, I am recently retired, like you we moved back to a place near of children and grandchildren, (unlike you we only had 2 chilren and 6 grandchildren), like you I have an infinite list of projects to tackle.

Ken, you say that your shop will occupy one bay of your garage. My advise is to plan right now to use more than one bay and to wall the shop off from the remainder of the garage.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Welcome Ken. It's looks like your well on your way to having a nice shop space. And with that to do list, sounds like your going to need it servicable pretty soon. Congrats on your family. It sounds like family is very important to you. Your house must be filled with pictures of all those kids! I know mine would be. I'm glad that you could be so close to them. I'm sure that means a lot. I suppose their going to be making their own to-do list for you Again, welcome!

[Jim Becker]

Welcome, Ken! It looks like you have a wonderful opportunity to share your shop development...and everyone always enjoys that kind of thing!!

[Mark Singer]

Ken,
It looks great! Very nice family and pets too! I really like the Boston Terriers!
Welcome and keep us updated!

[mike malone]

All right Ken!!
Looks big enough to hold a Creekers' BBQ (and i see you already have that equipment in there.)
Nice BIG shop (envy ; Enjoy and welcome!!
best/mike

[Ken Kimbrell]

Hey… Thanks for all the warm welcomes!

Ken, thanks for the warning about Tyler, I had already figured out that he seems to be the Simi-Official CoPP, (Chief of Photo Police) and have committed myself to trying to stay on his good side!
A quick check of my Photo Pages will show that I tend to be a little Over The Top when it comes to pictures, so I suspect that Tyler may come to be well pleased with me.

Frank, your take on the garage/workshop space is right on, actually the plan has been changed over the last few days…two full bays will walled off, leaving one separated from the shop, but doing the shop setup so that my P/U can still be pulled in if no really large jobs are going on. More details will be posted on my WorkShop pages (yet to be placed on the site) after the floor is in and the work on the shop starts.

Family comes before all else Jason, yes we have some photos… thousands.
Aside from the 'hard copys' of photos we also have several dozen CD's & DVD's filled with photos and movies, as well as several gigabytes loaded onto my computers.

As the shop is built I will be sharing notes and photos Jim… and seeking lots of advice from fellow members here at the Creek on layouts & equipment, of course.

Mark, Kay had Boston's when she was growing up in upstate NY, so we have had them for many years; they receive the same love as do our children.

We have already tested the BBQ grill Mike and it were good.

[Mike Vermeil]

Welcome Ken. I hope you'll find the Creek to your liking - actually I know you will so no hope necessary!

One quick shop suggestion. Since you haven't yet poured the floor, I'd highly recommend adding in-floor dust collection even if you don't yet have a dust collector, and also in-floor electrical. Shops look soooooo much cleaner with the dust collection duct work in the floor, and I hate stumbling over my TS's cord!

Again, welcome.

Mike

[Ken Kimbrell]

One quick shop suggestion. Since you haven't yet poured the floor, I'd highly recommend adding in-floor dust collection even if you don't yet have a dust collector, and also in-floor electrical. Shops look soooooo much cleaner with the dust collection duct work in the floor, and I hate stumbling over my TS's cord!

Mike

Funny you should mention that Mike... I've been reading up on just that, trying to figure out how big to go on the underfloor PVC and how to lay it out. At first I had thought about placing the pipes inside the ceiling, but under the floor seems better. At some point a cylcone system will be installed, so the pipe size needs to be able to handle that kind of draw.
Any and all sugestions are welcome.

[scott spencer]

Welcome Ken! That looks like a great start to a retirement shop! Enjoy the time in the shop and with the family. Hope to hear updates on the shop as you go.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Hey Ken,

THanks for the post, looks like your shop is going to be SWEET! As far as in concrete DC and electrical goes, I would not do it. Sure it looks cleaner, but as you read posts on SMC, you see people changing the DC and their shop and I have realized that it is not an option for me. I have already changed my DC network twice and it is only about 3 months old!

Anyway, it would be very very clean looking to have the electrical and DC plumbing in the floor, I just would not like the permanant nature of it.

As far as the electrical goes, I would think about putting an outlet in the crete where you think your TS will go. You can always put a cover over it if you don't use it, and it would be nice to have that outlet in the floor, as the TS is normally right in the middle of the shop.

Good luck!

[Tyler Howell]

Welcome Ken,

Don't believe all that stuff the other Ken says. Just gotta uphold the law.

[Ken Kimbrell]

Hey Ken,

As far as in concrete DC and electrical goes, I would not do it. Sure it looks cleaner, but as you read posts on SMC, you see people changing the DC and their shop and I have realized that it is not an option for me. I have already changed my DC network twice and it is only about 3 months old!

As far as the electrical goes, I would think about putting an outlet in the crete where you think your TS will go. You can always put a cover over it if you don't use it, and it would be nice to have that outlet in the floor, as the TS is normally right in the middle of the shop.

Good luck!

Thanks Jeff...
At this point my thinking is to build a 'box' into the floor where the TS will generally go and equip it with outlets for electrical, DC and air. The box would have a recess built into the top so that a cover could be dropped in, making it flush with the surrounding flood if it was not being used. The cover is important because I plan to build a rolling cabinet/table that will hold my TS and other stuff, like a built-in router station for one.

Then along two walls, including the one where the DC system would be, do two-four drops next to the walls where cabinets will go for stuff like the MS, RAS, sanding stations and that sort of thing. From those two to four drops stubbed up out of the floor you could go off to wherever the suction was needed.

That brings up a point that so far I am unable to decide for sure, would it work OK to use just screws to secure the pipe joints (those that are above the floor) instead of the PVC glue that would normally be used???
If that will work OK then the system layout could be changed around pretty easily if the need were to arise.

[Frank Pellow]

...
Frank, your take on the garage/workshop space is right on, actually the plan has been changed over the last few days…two full bays will walled off, leaving one separated from the shop, but doing the shop setup so that my P/U can still be pulled in if no really large jobs are going on. More details will be posted on my WorkShop pages (yet to be placed on the site) after the floor is in and the work on the shop starts.
...

Good decision Ken! I look forward to seeing pictures of your progress. And, when you would like advise along the way (as I certainly did), don't forget what a great help folks on the Saw Mill Creek forum can be.