Moderator
I just finally did the ceiling thing, Jeff...with a "real" HVAC system it became necessary to insulate and cover the bare joists that have been that way since I moved into my shop in early 2000. (I actually have a little more ceiling work to do when I get home from some personal travel)
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
You likes the old 'arn my man!Originally Posted by Jeff Heath
Would you share some details on that deep throat bandsaw?
Edwin
Contributor
Interesting question, Osvaldo. My answer has several facets. I enjoy making things that work - things that perform a function, and are efficient at it. So that could be the kitchen island made from reclaimed wood, or the simple little geegaws I made to hold my fishing poles on the garage door when it goes up. I just made a mortise jig because I could have used it on the project I just finished, and I want to do more mortise and tenon projects. And making the jig was just as much fun as making a lamp - thinking it thru, weighing options, being efficient in my use of wood, etc. I'm happy with most things I make, but of course take more pride in the "real" accomplishments, like the island, clock, cremains boxes, lamps etc. (next up, a Greene and Greene rocker) But I don't value the effort I put into those things more than the effort I put into jigs, cleaning and sorting lumber, or setting up a new (or old) tool. To me it's all a part of this woodworking bug I got bit by 50 years ago.
Put to answer your question directly, I would say 40% of my time is in improving the environment I work in - in other words, shop shit.
But I gotta tell ya I'm really proud of those geegaws: I've been waging war on the fishing poles for years: they always seemed to be in the wrong place, or under my feet, or tangled with something else. But now - I'm Attila the freaking fishing pole Hun!! They have been tamed and conquered.
Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.
Member
We share almost an identical modus vivendi in the shop! I have lots of jigs on the wall or in the shed, but every one of them was made because of a project's needs. I hardly need a new jig or see one that I think would help my work.
Simon
Member
Same here. My last shop, I spent 17 years with bare joists and insulated walls and it didn't bother me at all. The new shop was complete moving in so I didn't have to worry about it.
Contributor
I was thinking about this one more today as I was hanging out in my shop, not really working on anything, just messing around.
The shop is an important part of the living space for me even outside of the hobbies I do there. Even going back to high school if we were at someones house where were we hanging out? In the shop, garage, or barn. In all three houses I have owned if a buddy is coming over to have a beer where do we hang out? In the shop or the garage. If I am with my wife I am in the family room or dining room, if I am spending time alone or with friends its in my office or my shop (or maybe on the lake), and if in the office its a pretty good bet I am working.
So given that I spend a reasonable amount of my discretionary time in the shop, spending time making it how I want it and making things for it makes sense. At my first house I even had a recliner out there. It is also the one area of the house that is fully mine, not that I dont have say about how the living room, family room, or kitchen are set up, but the wife has a bigger say. The shop is the place that I set up however I want so I spend time making it how I want it.
Contributor
Sometimes, I will spend a day building a jig, that will only be used for an hour. But without such jig, I couldn't do the paying job that I'm doing. The time and materials to make jig is included in my cost estimate, so I'm doing both. Several of my brain pharts have been bought by the magazines, which helps to off set time costs. It's like when I say I don't have any tools in my shop that cost me anything. They have all paid their way over the years. My schedule "C" on taxes reflect it.
Member
Yep. It's the good stuff.
Which bandsaw? The one on the left is a DoAll V36, which is my metal cutting saw. The one stripped down in the back is my Yates American 30" woodworking bandsaw, under restoration. What details would you like to know?
Jeff
Member
Jim,
I know I've been losing tons of heat through the ceiling for years. I heat with wood only (the wood burning stove is an old school Fisher), and I know I'll use a lot less wood with a proper ceiling to help seal it up. Having a sawmill, there's always tons of firewood around here, and that has made it, unfortunately, less of a priority. I hope to get it done, finally, this year. I need more pine logs to make the ceiling lightweight, though. I have 1000's of bf of ash cut and ready, but it's too heavy. I don't want my ceiling sagging from the weight.
Jeff
Contributor
I have a rule, after each piece of household furniture is completed, I get to make something for the shop.
It can range from a new cabinet to something simple like a drill bit tray.
I have a very small shop, organization is really important so that I'm not wasting valuable shop time moving things out of the way.
I also like a shop that looks nice, so the base cabinets are Baltic birch, the drawer and door fronts are trimmed with walnut to give a nice look, and the cabinets have a semi-gloss polyurethane finish. overkill for sure, however it looks nice and I like that.
I have a friend whose father has a shop that looks like a tornado visited it, he can find everything in that mess, and work there as well. I couldn't, looking at it would drive me crazy........We're all different...............Regards, Rod.
Moderator
That's exactly why I finished the ceiling since I now have a "real" HVAC system and want to take advantage of how little energy it will use with a properly insulated envelope. With your wood heat, you should also benefit, but may need to provide a means to further regulate things if the heat off your wood burner starts to, um...accumulate.
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
Building jigs and fixtures for the shop as well as building the shop itself (dust collection, spray booth, workbench, assembly table, mobile carts, sawhorses, etc.) is a necessary part of the process. This isn't needle point...though even for that you still need a hoop frame, a place to keep your needles and thread, and so on.
I still have the three sheets of 3/4 birch plywood that I bought to make my shop cabinets with...three years ago. They're leaning against the wall along with parts and pieces for several other shop construction projects that I haven't gotten around to quite yet. Because I've been building my shop around the projects that I've been tasked to make, it's been a slow process. I've only had time to make jigs and other shop items as their needed to support one project or another--tapering jig, shooting board, crosscut sleds, spline jigs, and the list goes on.
Member
Oh, yeah! Quite often it's 20° and I have to open a couple of windows because it gets to upper 70's in the shop. Some woods, like oak, produce a lot more heat than others, and I have to pay attention to what I'm feeding the stove.That's exactly why I finished the ceiling since I now have a "real" HVAC system and want to take advantage of how little energy it will use with a properly insulated envelope. With your wood heat, you should also benefit, but may need to provide a means to further regulate things if the heat off your wood burner starts to, um...accumulate.
Jeff
Reply With Quote
