Wood Planning

My family and I are looking at the end of a very long journey with some real excitement. At the end of this month we close on our new home in LaCrosse. We have basically been "homeless" for several months as we have been searching for the right place at the right price. My parents have been generous and patient and let us live with them while we worked this problem out. Its been a long few months.

We found a nice, three bedroom house on a double lot in an older part of town. Enough room for our family of five to all fit and thrive. As far as Im concerned the best thing of all . . . the two and a half car garage in the back yard.

Im moving shop again. You would think Im getting exceedingly good at it by now.

Ive been hitting the graph paper hard in the last few days. Figuring out different configurations of tools, deciding where I want my wood storage to go, and wondering why my wife is insisting that she be able to park her car in "her" half of it. The truth is this is all dreaming and playing around and until I start pushing my workbench through the doors, I wont know for sure where everything will go.

This will be the fifth different studio space Ive worked in since I started writing this blog. First was the basement shop in Northern Maine. (1) Then we moved back home to Wisconsin and I basically ended up in a 5x9 closet at the bottom of our duplex stairs. (2) From there my father offered a significant section of the steel shed in his back yard (3). A space Im still working out of right now. In between, I moved a small amount of the shop into the dining room of our old apartment for a winter. (4)

This will be the more permanent shop home Ive been looking for for a long time and that is an exciting prospect indeed. Something Ive been looking for since we left Maine in our rearview to come back home. Almost feels like Im getting ready to stand on two feet again.

Ratione et Passionis
Oldwolf

A viewer asked that I post a video of my shop, but since I’m not really into live action videos (and the shop is in the midst of being rearranged), he suggested that I label the drawing that I posted of my workshop layout in the post about designing my custom PBB.  Well, I have changed the layout and am currently working on carrying out my new plan (as I have time).  Below is the current plan with a brief description of what all is there.

The center piece of the shop is my PBB (A).  My trusty 30+ year old Craftsman 10” Contractors Table Saw (B) with home built base, is still used for rips when I need to do a bunch at the same width and they are longer than 60”.  The extended base of the saw also contains the router table (C) I discussed building here.  My venerable Parks-Belsaw 12” planer/molder (D) is not used as much as it once was.  I inherited my fathers Dewalt lunchbox planer (G), which has much less end-snip, and since I attached a digital depth gauge, it gets used a lot.

Another traditional and old tool, is the 6” Craftsman Jointer (E).  It also gets used a lot.  My latest non-traditional tool it the Router Power Bench (F) that I am currently finishing up.  Pictured next to the lunchbox planer is my project cart (the drawing shows it with two shelves, but it no longer has the top shelf).  A shaper (H), rarely gets used and may be gotten rid of some day.  The dedicated mortiser (I) is also not a high use item either, but does come in handy from time to time.

The traditional workbench (J) was built by my father, but has not yet made it from the “barn” since I have not yet made the space for it ready.  The clamp storage area (K) has wall mounted racks and a roll around rack so I can bring the clamps to the work when need be.  Next to that is the desk and small parts storage area (L).  Beside the PBB is a cabinet with cubby holes (M) for power hand tools that are mostly used at the PBB.  This is not yet in place because I have to remove the current occupants of the area.  Also along this wall will also be either cabinets with doors (N) or another cubby hole cabinet that I have.

My tool box (O) for hand tools (mostly mechanical in nature) is next to the door to the mechanical room that houses the HVAC and water systems for the house.  Around the corner is more storage.  Under the window are base cabinets with bench top drill presses (Q) mounted.  A floor model drill press (R) is opposite against a column.  Opposite the drill press is the band saw.  These last two items have not yet made it to the shop either.

In the corner next to the door is a very heavy lathe (T) that I also inherited.  It too is not yet in place.  Built in to the long counter top are my Dewalt Miter Saw (U) and Craftsman Radial Arm Saw (V).  The miter saw sees lots of use, but not very much for the RAS.  My big Oneida Dust Collector (W) comes next, followed by the oscillating drum sander (X), and a narrow belt sander (Y).  My plywood cart (Z) is pictured in front of some mobile tools that are stored under the lumber rack (AD).  These include, a large belt sander (AA), and a 24” shop built drum sander (AB), my mobile project assembly cart (AC), a little used and not pictured ShopSmith.  On the wall is a yet to be built panel clamping station (AD).

If I ever get the shop nearly done, I might shoot a video, but that is a very big MIGHT.