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65K views 164 replies 31 participants last post by  builtinbkyn 
#1 ·
New Shop in the Raw

Hello folks. Been frequenting LJ for a while, looking for answers to questions, inspiration and to view the many interesting and truly craft worthy and artistic projects posted here. I'm somewhat retired from the construction industry - trained architect turned developer. I've run large scale projects on the Empire State Building to small development projects. However I'm mostly a frustrated woodworker at heart.

My first attempt ever, at woodworking was back in 1978 at the age of 18. With paper route money and some savings from the usual lifetime events, I purchased my first new car - a Toyota Celica, where I proceeded to rip the center console from it in order to make room for my own rendition fabricated from wood. I thought it would add a "classy" appearance to the interior. I have to say it didn't turn out all that bad. The tools I had at the time were inexpensive and manual - a plastic Stanley mitre box and saw, an old electric drill and a few screwdrivers. A local builder who happened to be visiting my folks saw the drawings I produced and what I was accomplishing and asked what I was doing. I told him I was building a console for my car. He said no, he wanted to know what I was doing with my life. I had dropped out of college and that was the reason for my being home at the time. He asked if I had ever given architecture a consideration. Suddenly a lightbulb when on and the rest is the history of my employment career.

Back in 2008 I completed a development project in Brooklyn that I would eventually move in to. Since then I've been doing small projects in the yard when the weather has permitted, as I do not have a suitable space for an indoor shop. Once in a while I cheat and attempt to do what I feel wouldn't be too invasive inside, but always find out the hard way that my sanding and sawing has caused more dust than I'd care to think about.

A few years ago I joined a place in Williamsburg Brooklyn - a community based workshop - had monthly fees for using their well equipped shop. However there were some issues that eventually made the experience more frustrating than enjoyable - jockeying for bench space and machine time became problematic. Some truly first class stuff was being produced there, but the "fight" for space took the fun out of it. I couldn't blame those guys that were grabbing the lion's share of the bench space. They were all younger and hustling for a buck. I was there for other reasons. This prompted me to look to rent a suitable space to be creative and to scratch that itch I think most any woodworker gets when they're not making use of their hands.

Ah, I call myself a woodworker, but really I feel I'm just a novice at best. During the construction of some of the homes I've built and development projects I've conducted, there were opportunities for me to pick and choose what I would want to do myself. That allowed for me to not only keep the real craftsmen doing what they do and moving the job forward, but also let me develop some of my skills and get assistance if needed. It also allowed me to feel as if I were contributing to the effort in a tangible way aside from just managing the project.

Last week I finally found a pretty neat space. It's in an old, reconditioned factory in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Today I moved the first few pieces of equipment into it - two weeks ago I purchased a 6" Rigid jointer for $100 from a local contractor and I've been driving around with it in the back of my pickup since then LOL Said he used it twice and it's been sitting in his garage for the last 6 or 7 years and he wanted rid of it. I was happy to oblige :) Inspected the blades and fired it up. It hummed beautifully. There's a bit of surface scale on it, but no pitting. Should clean up just fine. Maybe I'll replace the blade with helical cutters, down the line.

Well here's a few pics of the space and a few projects completed along the way.

The new space
Window Property Wood Interior design Flooring


My desk of mostly mahogany
Furniture Property Computer Plant Houseplant


A stand for a 50g reef tank using black walnut
Wood Interior design Glass Flooring Hardwood


Working on it in the community shop
Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor Material property


Wood Building Composite material Gas Engineering


Wood Gas Composite material Metal Hardwood


Table Wood Wood stain Hardwood Window


Lectern Floor Flooring Wood Hardwood


This blog will serve as the record of my shop build. I hope to get feedback and guidance from the many knowledgable members here on LJ. It's my intent to build all of the shop fixtures as my initial projects, starting with a station for a Bosch 4100 job site saw. It's a little beat upon, but still makes nice cuts. It'll serve it's purpose for a few more years and incorporating into a saw station should give it more utility.

Well thanks for reading!

Oh almost forgot to post a pic of the layout I intend to build. Most all of the fixtures will be on casters and most all of the equipment served duty on job sites so they're a bit rough around the edges. Hope to get some feedback on the planning as it proceeds.

Rectangle Font Schematic Parallel Plan
 

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18
#27 ·
New Shop in the Raw

Hello folks. Been frequenting LJ for a while, looking for answers to questions, inspiration and to view the many interesting and truly craft worthy and artistic projects posted here. I'm somewhat retired from the construction industry - trained architect turned developer. I've run large scale projects on the Empire State Building to small development projects. However I'm mostly a frustrated woodworker at heart.

My first attempt ever, at woodworking was back in 1978 at the age of 18. With paper route money and some savings from the usual lifetime events, I purchased my first new car - a Toyota Celica, where I proceeded to rip the center console from it in order to make room for my own rendition fabricated from wood. I thought it would add a "classy" appearance to the interior. I have to say it didn't turn out all that bad. The tools I had at the time were inexpensive and manual - a plastic Stanley mitre box and saw, an old electric drill and a few screwdrivers. A local builder who happened to be visiting my folks saw the drawings I produced and what I was accomplishing and asked what I was doing. I told him I was building a console for my car. He said no, he wanted to know what I was doing with my life. I had dropped out of college and that was the reason for my being home at the time. He asked if I had ever given architecture a consideration. Suddenly a lightbulb when on and the rest is the history of my employment career.

Back in 2008 I completed a development project in Brooklyn that I would eventually move in to. Since then I've been doing small projects in the yard when the weather has permitted, as I do not have a suitable space for an indoor shop. Once in a while I cheat and attempt to do what I feel wouldn't be too invasive inside, but always find out the hard way that my sanding and sawing has caused more dust than I'd care to think about.

A few years ago I joined a place in Williamsburg Brooklyn - a community based workshop - had monthly fees for using their well equipped shop. However there were some issues that eventually made the experience more frustrating than enjoyable - jockeying for bench space and machine time became problematic. Some truly first class stuff was being produced there, but the "fight" for space took the fun out of it. I couldn't blame those guys that were grabbing the lion's share of the bench space. They were all younger and hustling for a buck. I was there for other reasons. This prompted me to look to rent a suitable space to be creative and to scratch that itch I think most any woodworker gets when they're not making use of their hands.

Ah, I call myself a woodworker, but really I feel I'm just a novice at best. During the construction of some of the homes I've built and development projects I've conducted, there were opportunities for me to pick and choose what I would want to do myself. That allowed for me to not only keep the real craftsmen doing what they do and moving the job forward, but also let me develop some of my skills and get assistance if needed. It also allowed me to feel as if I were contributing to the effort in a tangible way aside from just managing the project.

Last week I finally found a pretty neat space. It's in an old, reconditioned factory in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Today I moved the first few pieces of equipment into it - two weeks ago I purchased a 6" Rigid jointer for $100 from a local contractor and I've been driving around with it in the back of my pickup since then LOL Said he used it twice and it's been sitting in his garage for the last 6 or 7 years and he wanted rid of it. I was happy to oblige :) Inspected the blades and fired it up. It hummed beautifully. There's a bit of surface scale on it, but no pitting. Should clean up just fine. Maybe I'll replace the blade with helical cutters, down the line.

Well here's a few pics of the space and a few projects completed along the way.

The new space
Window Property Wood Interior design Flooring


My desk of mostly mahogany
Furniture Property Computer Plant Houseplant


A stand for a 50g reef tank using black walnut
Wood Interior design Glass Flooring Hardwood


Working on it in the community shop
Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor Material property


Wood Building Composite material Gas Engineering


Wood Gas Composite material Metal Hardwood


Table Wood Wood stain Hardwood Window


Lectern Floor Flooring Wood Hardwood


This blog will serve as the record of my shop build. I hope to get feedback and guidance from the many knowledgable members here on LJ. It's my intent to build all of the shop fixtures as my initial projects, starting with a station for a Bosch 4100 job site saw. It's a little beat upon, but still makes nice cuts. It'll serve it's purpose for a few more years and incorporating into a saw station should give it more utility.

Well thanks for reading!

Oh almost forgot to post a pic of the layout I intend to build. Most all of the fixtures will be on casters and most all of the equipment served duty on job sites so they're a bit rough around the edges. Hope to get some feedback on the planning as it proceeds.

Rectangle Font Schematic Parallel Plan
Now that I've had some time to spend here in the shop and understand how I might want the work to flow in it, I've made a few minor changes. The saw station, at least for the time being, will be nothing more than a large outfeed table/assembly table/router table. I think I'll have plenty of storage with the miter saw station and a few cabinets above it.

I'm eliminating the freestanding router table and will incorporate it into the table saw. I also realized that I need to have a space for my laptop, a place to just sit and have some lunch, read LJs and to do some drawings. So what was possibly going to be a finishing room, will now be somewhat of an office. I'll be adding a fixed pane window into that wall - just some framed plexi will do. I'm sure I can figure out how to make an isolated area for spray finishing, when the need arrises.

Oh and the mural wall? The wife wants to paint something there. She said she's painting "the tree of life". I told her to have at it :)

Revised plans

Rectangle Font Parallel Diagram Schematic


Rectangle Building Wood Facade Plan
 

Attachments

#28 ·
New Shop in the Raw

Hello folks. Been frequenting LJ for a while, looking for answers to questions, inspiration and to view the many interesting and truly craft worthy and artistic projects posted here. I'm somewhat retired from the construction industry - trained architect turned developer. I've run large scale projects on the Empire State Building to small development projects. However I'm mostly a frustrated woodworker at heart.

My first attempt ever, at woodworking was back in 1978 at the age of 18. With paper route money and some savings from the usual lifetime events, I purchased my first new car - a Toyota Celica, where I proceeded to rip the center console from it in order to make room for my own rendition fabricated from wood. I thought it would add a "classy" appearance to the interior. I have to say it didn't turn out all that bad. The tools I had at the time were inexpensive and manual - a plastic Stanley mitre box and saw, an old electric drill and a few screwdrivers. A local builder who happened to be visiting my folks saw the drawings I produced and what I was accomplishing and asked what I was doing. I told him I was building a console for my car. He said no, he wanted to know what I was doing with my life. I had dropped out of college and that was the reason for my being home at the time. He asked if I had ever given architecture a consideration. Suddenly a lightbulb when on and the rest is the history of my employment career.

Back in 2008 I completed a development project in Brooklyn that I would eventually move in to. Since then I've been doing small projects in the yard when the weather has permitted, as I do not have a suitable space for an indoor shop. Once in a while I cheat and attempt to do what I feel wouldn't be too invasive inside, but always find out the hard way that my sanding and sawing has caused more dust than I'd care to think about.

A few years ago I joined a place in Williamsburg Brooklyn - a community based workshop - had monthly fees for using their well equipped shop. However there were some issues that eventually made the experience more frustrating than enjoyable - jockeying for bench space and machine time became problematic. Some truly first class stuff was being produced there, but the "fight" for space took the fun out of it. I couldn't blame those guys that were grabbing the lion's share of the bench space. They were all younger and hustling for a buck. I was there for other reasons. This prompted me to look to rent a suitable space to be creative and to scratch that itch I think most any woodworker gets when they're not making use of their hands.

Ah, I call myself a woodworker, but really I feel I'm just a novice at best. During the construction of some of the homes I've built and development projects I've conducted, there were opportunities for me to pick and choose what I would want to do myself. That allowed for me to not only keep the real craftsmen doing what they do and moving the job forward, but also let me develop some of my skills and get assistance if needed. It also allowed me to feel as if I were contributing to the effort in a tangible way aside from just managing the project.

Last week I finally found a pretty neat space. It's in an old, reconditioned factory in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Today I moved the first few pieces of equipment into it - two weeks ago I purchased a 6" Rigid jointer for $100 from a local contractor and I've been driving around with it in the back of my pickup since then LOL Said he used it twice and it's been sitting in his garage for the last 6 or 7 years and he wanted rid of it. I was happy to oblige :) Inspected the blades and fired it up. It hummed beautifully. There's a bit of surface scale on it, but no pitting. Should clean up just fine. Maybe I'll replace the blade with helical cutters, down the line.

Well here's a few pics of the space and a few projects completed along the way.

The new space
Window Property Wood Interior design Flooring


My desk of mostly mahogany
Furniture Property Computer Plant Houseplant


A stand for a 50g reef tank using black walnut
Wood Interior design Glass Flooring Hardwood


Working on it in the community shop
Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor Material property


Wood Building Composite material Gas Engineering


Wood Gas Composite material Metal Hardwood


Table Wood Wood stain Hardwood Window


Lectern Floor Flooring Wood Hardwood


This blog will serve as the record of my shop build. I hope to get feedback and guidance from the many knowledgable members here on LJ. It's my intent to build all of the shop fixtures as my initial projects, starting with a station for a Bosch 4100 job site saw. It's a little beat upon, but still makes nice cuts. It'll serve it's purpose for a few more years and incorporating into a saw station should give it more utility.

Well thanks for reading!

Oh almost forgot to post a pic of the layout I intend to build. Most all of the fixtures will be on casters and most all of the equipment served duty on job sites so they're a bit rough around the edges. Hope to get some feedback on the planning as it proceeds.

Rectangle Font Schematic Parallel Plan
Bill, you are really ratcheting up your TS desires. :) I think that is a good thing. I have a 3 HP PM66 and it has always been a great tool for me. If I were ever to be looking for a new one, I would go with a PM again unless a new Bosch flesh sensing saw measured up to a PM. I personally don't like themarketing tactics and strategies SawStop has used so I would not buy one, but that is just me.

I really like having a sink in my finishing room. Is there any way you can use the room as a dual purpose space, i.e. office and finishing room?

Do you intend to make a riser on the cabinets adjacent to the MS so long stock is supported at the level of the MS bed?

Anyhow, you are making great progress and it is fun to watch.
 

Attachments

#29 ·
New Shop in the Raw

Hello folks. Been frequenting LJ for a while, looking for answers to questions, inspiration and to view the many interesting and truly craft worthy and artistic projects posted here. I'm somewhat retired from the construction industry - trained architect turned developer. I've run large scale projects on the Empire State Building to small development projects. However I'm mostly a frustrated woodworker at heart.

My first attempt ever, at woodworking was back in 1978 at the age of 18. With paper route money and some savings from the usual lifetime events, I purchased my first new car - a Toyota Celica, where I proceeded to rip the center console from it in order to make room for my own rendition fabricated from wood. I thought it would add a "classy" appearance to the interior. I have to say it didn't turn out all that bad. The tools I had at the time were inexpensive and manual - a plastic Stanley mitre box and saw, an old electric drill and a few screwdrivers. A local builder who happened to be visiting my folks saw the drawings I produced and what I was accomplishing and asked what I was doing. I told him I was building a console for my car. He said no, he wanted to know what I was doing with my life. I had dropped out of college and that was the reason for my being home at the time. He asked if I had ever given architecture a consideration. Suddenly a lightbulb when on and the rest is the history of my employment career.

Back in 2008 I completed a development project in Brooklyn that I would eventually move in to. Since then I've been doing small projects in the yard when the weather has permitted, as I do not have a suitable space for an indoor shop. Once in a while I cheat and attempt to do what I feel wouldn't be too invasive inside, but always find out the hard way that my sanding and sawing has caused more dust than I'd care to think about.

A few years ago I joined a place in Williamsburg Brooklyn - a community based workshop - had monthly fees for using their well equipped shop. However there were some issues that eventually made the experience more frustrating than enjoyable - jockeying for bench space and machine time became problematic. Some truly first class stuff was being produced there, but the "fight" for space took the fun out of it. I couldn't blame those guys that were grabbing the lion's share of the bench space. They were all younger and hustling for a buck. I was there for other reasons. This prompted me to look to rent a suitable space to be creative and to scratch that itch I think most any woodworker gets when they're not making use of their hands.

Ah, I call myself a woodworker, but really I feel I'm just a novice at best. During the construction of some of the homes I've built and development projects I've conducted, there were opportunities for me to pick and choose what I would want to do myself. That allowed for me to not only keep the real craftsmen doing what they do and moving the job forward, but also let me develop some of my skills and get assistance if needed. It also allowed me to feel as if I were contributing to the effort in a tangible way aside from just managing the project.

Last week I finally found a pretty neat space. It's in an old, reconditioned factory in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Today I moved the first few pieces of equipment into it - two weeks ago I purchased a 6" Rigid jointer for $100 from a local contractor and I've been driving around with it in the back of my pickup since then LOL Said he used it twice and it's been sitting in his garage for the last 6 or 7 years and he wanted rid of it. I was happy to oblige :) Inspected the blades and fired it up. It hummed beautifully. There's a bit of surface scale on it, but no pitting. Should clean up just fine. Maybe I'll replace the blade with helical cutters, down the line.

Well here's a few pics of the space and a few projects completed along the way.

The new space
Window Property Wood Interior design Flooring


My desk of mostly mahogany
Furniture Property Computer Plant Houseplant


A stand for a 50g reef tank using black walnut
Wood Interior design Glass Flooring Hardwood


Working on it in the community shop
Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor Material property


Wood Building Composite material Gas Engineering


Wood Gas Composite material Metal Hardwood


Table Wood Wood stain Hardwood Window


Lectern Floor Flooring Wood Hardwood


This blog will serve as the record of my shop build. I hope to get feedback and guidance from the many knowledgable members here on LJ. It's my intent to build all of the shop fixtures as my initial projects, starting with a station for a Bosch 4100 job site saw. It's a little beat upon, but still makes nice cuts. It'll serve it's purpose for a few more years and incorporating into a saw station should give it more utility.

Well thanks for reading!

Oh almost forgot to post a pic of the layout I intend to build. Most all of the fixtures will be on casters and most all of the equipment served duty on job sites so they're a bit rough around the edges. Hope to get some feedback on the planning as it proceeds.

Rectangle Font Schematic Parallel Plan
Hi Art. Guess I haven't been attached to the "community" long enough to be effected by SS's marketing. Unfortunately what they show is a reality. I'm thinking this will probably be the only saw I'll purchase for quite some time or ever, so it better have the goods to deliver. I realized that the shop saws I have used all were either 3hp or 5hp, save the various job site saws I've bought and my 4100, which I've bogged out more than I care to say. I can afford a good saw so I'm buying one. My grandmother said to always buy the best. She always did. She was 4'8" and drove a Caddy LOL That was in the 50's thru the 80's when Cadillac was a gold standard of sorts.

I'm kind of really digging the Delta. Of the three saws I'm interested in, I have only used a pre-Type 2 Unisaw and a PM 66. I've never even seen a SS other than on the internet. The last shop had a General if I remember. They also had an Oliver panel saw. I think that was 10hp. To me, the Delta has some of the nicest user features. It weighs a ton and the design is sound. I just hope the manufacturing is sound. If the machining is good then the saw will be great IMO.

As for a place to do some finishing, I am thinking I can either use the "office" space as dual purpose or make a booth that cane be broken down and stored when not in use. I could place it by the wife's Tree of Life :) Some uprights and plastic sheets is what I'm thinking. Have to devise something when the need arrises.

Yes the saw station will have risers to either side of the saw or I was thinking of eliminating the top shelf on the cabinet that holds the saw, effectively lowering it so the bed is equal to the two adjacent sides. In doing this, I can keep those two large surfaces for other tasks when not needed for sawing stock. I was thinking I can even put a bench top drill press at the far end of the right wing. I'll make a fence that slides on T bolts so it can be pushed back and out of the way.

Well I'm having fun and that was the point of this in the first place. Heck I already got a commissioned job from one of the other tenants in the building there. The guy owns a large flower operation and wants something built for his store in the Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan. That could help offset some rent :) I'm enjoying getting out of the house and meeting new people there.
 

Attachments

#30 ·
New Shop in the Raw

Hello folks. Been frequenting LJ for a while, looking for answers to questions, inspiration and to view the many interesting and truly craft worthy and artistic projects posted here. I'm somewhat retired from the construction industry - trained architect turned developer. I've run large scale projects on the Empire State Building to small development projects. However I'm mostly a frustrated woodworker at heart.

My first attempt ever, at woodworking was back in 1978 at the age of 18. With paper route money and some savings from the usual lifetime events, I purchased my first new car - a Toyota Celica, where I proceeded to rip the center console from it in order to make room for my own rendition fabricated from wood. I thought it would add a "classy" appearance to the interior. I have to say it didn't turn out all that bad. The tools I had at the time were inexpensive and manual - a plastic Stanley mitre box and saw, an old electric drill and a few screwdrivers. A local builder who happened to be visiting my folks saw the drawings I produced and what I was accomplishing and asked what I was doing. I told him I was building a console for my car. He said no, he wanted to know what I was doing with my life. I had dropped out of college and that was the reason for my being home at the time. He asked if I had ever given architecture a consideration. Suddenly a lightbulb when on and the rest is the history of my employment career.

Back in 2008 I completed a development project in Brooklyn that I would eventually move in to. Since then I've been doing small projects in the yard when the weather has permitted, as I do not have a suitable space for an indoor shop. Once in a while I cheat and attempt to do what I feel wouldn't be too invasive inside, but always find out the hard way that my sanding and sawing has caused more dust than I'd care to think about.

A few years ago I joined a place in Williamsburg Brooklyn - a community based workshop - had monthly fees for using their well equipped shop. However there were some issues that eventually made the experience more frustrating than enjoyable - jockeying for bench space and machine time became problematic. Some truly first class stuff was being produced there, but the "fight" for space took the fun out of it. I couldn't blame those guys that were grabbing the lion's share of the bench space. They were all younger and hustling for a buck. I was there for other reasons. This prompted me to look to rent a suitable space to be creative and to scratch that itch I think most any woodworker gets when they're not making use of their hands.

Ah, I call myself a woodworker, but really I feel I'm just a novice at best. During the construction of some of the homes I've built and development projects I've conducted, there were opportunities for me to pick and choose what I would want to do myself. That allowed for me to not only keep the real craftsmen doing what they do and moving the job forward, but also let me develop some of my skills and get assistance if needed. It also allowed me to feel as if I were contributing to the effort in a tangible way aside from just managing the project.

Last week I finally found a pretty neat space. It's in an old, reconditioned factory in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Today I moved the first few pieces of equipment into it - two weeks ago I purchased a 6" Rigid jointer for $100 from a local contractor and I've been driving around with it in the back of my pickup since then LOL Said he used it twice and it's been sitting in his garage for the last 6 or 7 years and he wanted rid of it. I was happy to oblige :) Inspected the blades and fired it up. It hummed beautifully. There's a bit of surface scale on it, but no pitting. Should clean up just fine. Maybe I'll replace the blade with helical cutters, down the line.

Well here's a few pics of the space and a few projects completed along the way.

The new space
Window Property Wood Interior design Flooring


My desk of mostly mahogany
Furniture Property Computer Plant Houseplant


A stand for a 50g reef tank using black walnut
Wood Interior design Glass Flooring Hardwood


Working on it in the community shop
Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor Material property


Wood Building Composite material Gas Engineering


Wood Gas Composite material Metal Hardwood


Table Wood Wood stain Hardwood Window


Lectern Floor Flooring Wood Hardwood


This blog will serve as the record of my shop build. I hope to get feedback and guidance from the many knowledgable members here on LJ. It's my intent to build all of the shop fixtures as my initial projects, starting with a station for a Bosch 4100 job site saw. It's a little beat upon, but still makes nice cuts. It'll serve it's purpose for a few more years and incorporating into a saw station should give it more utility.

Well thanks for reading!

Oh almost forgot to post a pic of the layout I intend to build. Most all of the fixtures will be on casters and most all of the equipment served duty on job sites so they're a bit rough around the edges. Hope to get some feedback on the planning as it proceeds.

Rectangle Font Schematic Parallel Plan
Hi Bill - just created an account on LumberJacks but I've been referring back to your blog and postings for a couple of months with regard to the slide saw cabinets and the table saw cabinet, as I get to a point in my life that I can get back to flushing out my workshop. You have really got a great shop and you've done some pretty spectacular work!! My Dad was a woodworker/cabinetmaker (hobby only), so I occasionally did some small projects with him, but I've just not had the bandwidth to do much on my own until now, so I'm just kind of digging in…

I was envisioning a table saw cabinet in my mind and somehow stumbled on your design, which is very similar to what I was envisioning… I noticed above that you used Sketchup to create some of the drawings and I've had friends use that before but I've never worked with it. I assume that the files can be shared around like other apps? Is it possible for me to use your file as a starting point and tweak it for my situation? If so - I'd be very interested in that rather than trying to learn the app and start from scratch.

Also had a question that maybe you can answer with regard to those three braces on the BOTTOM view of the table saw cabinet - do those have a name? They are kind of reminiscent of what might be used in certain shipbuilding or guitar making applications, I guess but I was wondering if they have a name?

Thanks for any guidance that you can provide as I get started here…
Scott
 

Attachments

#31 ·
New Shop in the Raw

Hello folks. Been frequenting LJ for a while, looking for answers to questions, inspiration and to view the many interesting and truly craft worthy and artistic projects posted here. I'm somewhat retired from the construction industry - trained architect turned developer. I've run large scale projects on the Empire State Building to small development projects. However I'm mostly a frustrated woodworker at heart.

My first attempt ever, at woodworking was back in 1978 at the age of 18. With paper route money and some savings from the usual lifetime events, I purchased my first new car - a Toyota Celica, where I proceeded to rip the center console from it in order to make room for my own rendition fabricated from wood. I thought it would add a "classy" appearance to the interior. I have to say it didn't turn out all that bad. The tools I had at the time were inexpensive and manual - a plastic Stanley mitre box and saw, an old electric drill and a few screwdrivers. A local builder who happened to be visiting my folks saw the drawings I produced and what I was accomplishing and asked what I was doing. I told him I was building a console for my car. He said no, he wanted to know what I was doing with my life. I had dropped out of college and that was the reason for my being home at the time. He asked if I had ever given architecture a consideration. Suddenly a lightbulb when on and the rest is the history of my employment career.

Back in 2008 I completed a development project in Brooklyn that I would eventually move in to. Since then I've been doing small projects in the yard when the weather has permitted, as I do not have a suitable space for an indoor shop. Once in a while I cheat and attempt to do what I feel wouldn't be too invasive inside, but always find out the hard way that my sanding and sawing has caused more dust than I'd care to think about.

A few years ago I joined a place in Williamsburg Brooklyn - a community based workshop - had monthly fees for using their well equipped shop. However there were some issues that eventually made the experience more frustrating than enjoyable - jockeying for bench space and machine time became problematic. Some truly first class stuff was being produced there, but the "fight" for space took the fun out of it. I couldn't blame those guys that were grabbing the lion's share of the bench space. They were all younger and hustling for a buck. I was there for other reasons. This prompted me to look to rent a suitable space to be creative and to scratch that itch I think most any woodworker gets when they're not making use of their hands.

Ah, I call myself a woodworker, but really I feel I'm just a novice at best. During the construction of some of the homes I've built and development projects I've conducted, there were opportunities for me to pick and choose what I would want to do myself. That allowed for me to not only keep the real craftsmen doing what they do and moving the job forward, but also let me develop some of my skills and get assistance if needed. It also allowed me to feel as if I were contributing to the effort in a tangible way aside from just managing the project.

Last week I finally found a pretty neat space. It's in an old, reconditioned factory in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Today I moved the first few pieces of equipment into it - two weeks ago I purchased a 6" Rigid jointer for $100 from a local contractor and I've been driving around with it in the back of my pickup since then LOL Said he used it twice and it's been sitting in his garage for the last 6 or 7 years and he wanted rid of it. I was happy to oblige :) Inspected the blades and fired it up. It hummed beautifully. There's a bit of surface scale on it, but no pitting. Should clean up just fine. Maybe I'll replace the blade with helical cutters, down the line.

Well here's a few pics of the space and a few projects completed along the way.

The new space
Window Property Wood Interior design Flooring


My desk of mostly mahogany
Furniture Property Computer Plant Houseplant


A stand for a 50g reef tank using black walnut
Wood Interior design Glass Flooring Hardwood


Working on it in the community shop
Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor Material property


Wood Building Composite material Gas Engineering


Wood Gas Composite material Metal Hardwood


Table Wood Wood stain Hardwood Window


Lectern Floor Flooring Wood Hardwood


This blog will serve as the record of my shop build. I hope to get feedback and guidance from the many knowledgable members here on LJ. It's my intent to build all of the shop fixtures as my initial projects, starting with a station for a Bosch 4100 job site saw. It's a little beat upon, but still makes nice cuts. It'll serve it's purpose for a few more years and incorporating into a saw station should give it more utility.

Well thanks for reading!

Oh almost forgot to post a pic of the layout I intend to build. Most all of the fixtures will be on casters and most all of the equipment served duty on job sites so they're a bit rough around the edges. Hope to get some feedback on the planning as it proceeds.

Rectangle Font Schematic Parallel Plan
Bill do you a trick for keeping the blocks in place as your trying to use those heavy bar clamps? Your shop is just a fantastic space and shows your vast experience for such a great layout.
 

Attachments

#32 ·
Continuing Build of Miter Saw Station

Whew! Finally figured out this whole blog series thing :O

Yesterday and today was all about building the casework for the miter saw station. Realizing that the floor is less than even across it's surface, not level from side to side and the casework is almost 10' long, I decided to make the assembly in three parts. This will allow me to use leveling feet on each cabinet to compensate for the unevenness of the floor across the length of the whole assembly. I'll first level the cabinet that holds the miter saw and then level the wings on either side to that. Then the whole thing will get bolted together.

Here's what I accomplished over the last two days. The tops still need hardwood edging and the drawers are yet to be started. Hopefully I can finish this by mid-week so I can put away some tools and clean up the space.

 

Attachments

#33 ·
Continuing Build of Miter Saw Station

Whew! Finally figured out this whole blog series thing :O

Yesterday and today was all about building the casework for the miter saw station. Realizing that the floor is less than even across it's surface, not level from side to side and the casework is almost 10' long, I decided to make the assembly in three parts. This will allow me to use leveling feet on each cabinet to compensate for the unevenness of the floor across the length of the whole assembly. I'll first level the cabinet that holds the miter saw and then level the wings on either side to that. Then the whole thing will get bolted together.

Here's what I accomplished over the last two days. The tops still need hardwood edging and the drawers are yet to be started. Hopefully I can finish this by mid-week so I can put away some tools and clean up the space.

Furniture Table Writing desk Computer desk Wood
Coming right along, congrats on the progress
 

Attachments

#48 ·
Much Needed Clamp Rack

Today I took a break from working on the miter saw station. Only had a few hours to spend in the shop so I decided to knock out as much as I could on a wall-mounted clamp rack. My clamps have been residing on the lumber cart I built, but that does me no good when needing the cart to move in new sheet goods and lumber from my truck in the loading dock to the shop.

So after viewing a few renditions done here on LJs, I had at it. It's a quick and dirty solution, but it should serve the purpose well and besides it's a clamp rack :)

After laminating two pieces of 1/2" birch ply, I set up a little jig and hogged out some holes with my Porter Cable drill and Forstner bits.

Wood Wood stain Rectangle Floor Flooring


Table Mitre saws Wood Saw Workbench


Wood Musical instrument String instrument Musical instrument accessory String instrument


Wood Engineering Gas Cameras & optics Machine


Then it was time to strike some lines to connect the dots.

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Gas


And mark the edge so I could see where the cut line would be made using my crosscut sled.

Wood Door Material property Beige Hardwood


One side, which will be pointing down, is pretty.

Wood Circle Flooring Wood stain Pattern


The other, well, not so much :)

Rectangle Wood Natural material Flooring Hardwood


I think this went way faster than using a jigsaw, which I had forgotten at home. However I'll never see that top surface again until I pull the rack down to move :)

Just need to repeat this one more time, make some brackets to connect the two runners and mount the whole thing using French cleats. The rack is 48" long and holds 21 clamps - pipe, F style and Bessey K clamps. There's ample wall space to add another rack of the same length.

Oh I got all the cuts made but forgot to take a last pic before I left for the day. Wife wants to go out for dinner and I couldn't dally LOL

Thanks for looking :)

PS That crosscut sled has been used and abused. Need to make another - for the new table saw - whenever that happens :)
 

Attachments

#49 ·
Much Needed Clamp Rack

Today I took a break from working on the miter saw station. Only had a few hours to spend in the shop so I decided to knock out as much as I could on a wall-mounted clamp rack. My clamps have been residing on the lumber cart I built, but that does me no good when needing the cart to move in new sheet goods and lumber from my truck in the loading dock to the shop.

So after viewing a few renditions done here on LJs, I had at it. It's a quick and dirty solution, but it should serve the purpose well and besides it's a clamp rack :)

After laminating two pieces of 1/2" birch ply, I set up a little jig and hogged out some holes with my Porter Cable drill and Forstner bits.

Wood Wood stain Rectangle Floor Flooring


Table Mitre saws Wood Saw Workbench


Wood Musical instrument String instrument Musical instrument accessory String instrument


Wood Engineering Gas Cameras & optics Machine


Then it was time to strike some lines to connect the dots.

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Gas


And mark the edge so I could see where the cut line would be made using my crosscut sled.

Wood Door Material property Beige Hardwood


One side, which will be pointing down, is pretty.

Wood Circle Flooring Wood stain Pattern


The other, well, not so much :)

Rectangle Wood Natural material Flooring Hardwood


I think this went way faster than using a jigsaw, which I had forgotten at home. However I'll never see that top surface again until I pull the rack down to move :)

Just need to repeat this one more time, make some brackets to connect the two runners and mount the whole thing using French cleats. The rack is 48" long and holds 21 clamps - pipe, F style and Bessey K clamps. There's ample wall space to add another rack of the same length.

Oh I got all the cuts made but forgot to take a last pic before I left for the day. Wife wants to go out for dinner and I couldn't dally LOL

Thanks for looking :)

PS That crosscut sled has been used and abused. Need to make another - for the new table saw - whenever that happens :)
Great build and you are right it will be there for a good while, well made
 

Attachments

#52 ·
State of the Shop

Ha! The state is a little better organized, a little cleaner and I'm a little more sane again.

In preparation for the Unisaw delivery this week, it was a good idea to better organize things and get some of the boxes and tools out of the main part of the shop and into my future napping room for temporary storage. So I spent an hour or so, moving, sorting and sweeping. Felt much better about everything after doing so. It was getting a little sloppy as I've only been able to spend a few hours there and cleaning wasn't on the agenda. Today I chose to spare myself from watching the Jets lose to the Giants and went to the shop to clean. I guess my good intentions of cleaning first and sawing later, were rewarded - THE JETS WON!

Well anyway, after cleaning things up I got back to the miter saw station. I want to be mostly finished with it by the time the Unisaw shows, so I can spend time putting it together. I also have a Bosch 10" glider coming tomorrow night, so I want to have the final resting place for it ready. Then I can move the other two miter saws out - have the 12" Ridgid listed on CL for $325 with the riser stand and 3 blades and no takers, just some low-ballers. I'll keep the 10" Kobalt for working around the house. Same goes for the 4100.

Well here's a little shop tour of sorts,

My future lounge :)

Building Wood Floor Flooring Window


That sink was probably put in place by the prior occupants. It's a shower pan with constructed sides. It's acutally kid of nice to have such a large sink with a sprayer. It also has a frosted Lexan panel at the back that's illuminated from behind. Prior tenant did silkscreening so maybe it was used in their production in some way. But it has to go. Landlord is installing a box store slop sink so I can have some space to put a desk and a recliner :)

Here's a repurposed discard from a neighbor. It's a rolling file system I repurposed to keep my handy tools handy.

Wood Gas Machine Flooring Hardwood


I think it's a keeper. Going to make some mods, but it's working well just the way it is. The baskets slide so I can reach stuff in the bottom basket.

My current office and the rest of the shop.

Wood Building Interior design House Luggage and bags


Wood Shipping box Flooring Workbench Hardwood


Wood Building Flooring Floor Plant


Cut the doors for the left side cabinets, finished up the maple edging on everything and leveled it all up again. It just needs some carriage bolts to hold it together and it's serviceable. Oh yeah, the drawers. Have to do the drawers and the fence. Drawer glides were delivered over the weekend, so they should happen tomorrow.

Shelf Shelving Wood Rectangle Yellow


Rectangle Shelf Shelving Wood Cabinetry


Big week coming for the shop. Unisaw, Bosch miter saw and HF dust collector should all be on site by mid-week. :)
 

Attachments

#53 ·
State of the Shop

Ha! The state is a little better organized, a little cleaner and I'm a little more sane again.

In preparation for the Unisaw delivery this week, it was a good idea to better organize things and get some of the boxes and tools out of the main part of the shop and into my future napping room for temporary storage. So I spent an hour or so, moving, sorting and sweeping. Felt much better about everything after doing so. It was getting a little sloppy as I've only been able to spend a few hours there and cleaning wasn't on the agenda. Today I chose to spare myself from watching the Jets lose to the Giants and went to the shop to clean. I guess my good intentions of cleaning first and sawing later, were rewarded - THE JETS WON!

Well anyway, after cleaning things up I got back to the miter saw station. I want to be mostly finished with it by the time the Unisaw shows, so I can spend time putting it together. I also have a Bosch 10" glider coming tomorrow night, so I want to have the final resting place for it ready. Then I can move the other two miter saws out - have the 12" Ridgid listed on CL for $325 with the riser stand and 3 blades and no takers, just some low-ballers. I'll keep the 10" Kobalt for working around the house. Same goes for the 4100.

Well here's a little shop tour of sorts,

My future lounge :)

Building Wood Floor Flooring Window


That sink was probably put in place by the prior occupants. It's a shower pan with constructed sides. It's acutally kid of nice to have such a large sink with a sprayer. It also has a frosted Lexan panel at the back that's illuminated from behind. Prior tenant did silkscreening so maybe it was used in their production in some way. But it has to go. Landlord is installing a box store slop sink so I can have some space to put a desk and a recliner :)

Here's a repurposed discard from a neighbor. It's a rolling file system I repurposed to keep my handy tools handy.

Wood Gas Machine Flooring Hardwood


I think it's a keeper. Going to make some mods, but it's working well just the way it is. The baskets slide so I can reach stuff in the bottom basket.

My current office and the rest of the shop.

Wood Building Interior design House Luggage and bags


Wood Shipping box Flooring Workbench Hardwood


Wood Building Flooring Floor Plant


Cut the doors for the left side cabinets, finished up the maple edging on everything and leveled it all up again. It just needs some carriage bolts to hold it together and it's serviceable. Oh yeah, the drawers. Have to do the drawers and the fence. Drawer glides were delivered over the weekend, so they should happen tomorrow.

Shelf Shelving Wood Rectangle Yellow


Rectangle Shelf Shelving Wood Cabinetry


Big week coming for the shop. Unisaw, Bosch miter saw and HF dust collector should all be on site by mid-week. :)
Bill, with all the new toys, you won't have time to take any naps in your lounge chair. I always find cleaning the shop after a project to be very satisfying. Enjoy!
 

Attachments

#58 ·
"Uni" = One - a very heavy one

After considering asking some friends to come help me move the Unisaw and drop it from the furniture cart to the floor, which was a total of five inches, I decided to take this task on myself. I have no doubt they would have had no issue in doing so, but I figured I'd save everyone involved the risks of crushed toes, fingers and the possibility of a hernia. The saw cabinet and top probably weigh in at about 525lbs or so. Besides it's close to the holiday and I'm sure they all have other commitments.

Uni in Latin means one and I decided I was the one to do this alone. Architects are inventors and solvers of design problems. During my career in construction, I've had the opportunity to participate in projects that involved placing very large machinery into buildings and so I used that experience to do the same here.

I got to the shop in the late afternoon after picking up a few 2Ă—4s that I needed. I also had some 4Ă—4 cedar posts in the back of my truck that were left over from constructing raised planter beds in my yard two summers ago. Those items along with four 18" lengths of threaded rod, some washers, nuts and screws was all that was needed to set my new Delta Unisaw down on the shop floor very gently. The whole event took a little over 3 1/2 hours from start to finish and that was including assembling the Shop Fox mobile base and cleaning the Cosmaline off of the top. In the end I chose not to use the mobile base as I won't have a need to move the saw about the shop at any time.

The following is a photo essay, from start to finish, of how this was achieved.

Wood Gas Table Engineering Kitchen appliance


Waste container Gas Wood Engineering Machine


Wood Milling Gas Engineering Machine tool


Wood Gas Hardwood Workbench Machine tool


Wood Hardwood Wood stain Gas Machine


Wood Hardwood Gas Wood stain Machine tool


Wood Hardwood Engineering Wood stain Machine


Wood Wheel Automotive tire Tire Bumper


Wood Gas Engineering Hardwood Machine


Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain Wall


Automotive tire Wood Automotive design Floor Audio equipment


Table saws Wood Automotive design Table Gas


Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Hardwood


In the end, this was actually a very fun project. There's a certain satisfaction in overcoming what at first seemed like a somewhat difficult endeavor. On the way home I stopped at one of my favorite craft brew distributors and had them fill up a jug to celebrate. So cheers everyone :) I'm enjoying my porter and a pizza for dinner :)

Tableware Liquid Drinkware Bottle Barware


Tomorrow I get to set the saw up and make some sawdust!
 

Attachments

#59 ·
"Uni" = One - a very heavy one

After considering asking some friends to come help me move the Unisaw and drop it from the furniture cart to the floor, which was a total of five inches, I decided to take this task on myself. I have no doubt they would have had no issue in doing so, but I figured I'd save everyone involved the risks of crushed toes, fingers and the possibility of a hernia. The saw cabinet and top probably weigh in at about 525lbs or so. Besides it's close to the holiday and I'm sure they all have other commitments.

Uni in Latin means one and I decided I was the one to do this alone. Architects are inventors and solvers of design problems. During my career in construction, I've had the opportunity to participate in projects that involved placing very large machinery into buildings and so I used that experience to do the same here.

I got to the shop in the late afternoon after picking up a few 2Ă—4s that I needed. I also had some 4Ă—4 cedar posts in the back of my truck that were left over from constructing raised planter beds in my yard two summers ago. Those items along with four 18" lengths of threaded rod, some washers, nuts and screws was all that was needed to set my new Delta Unisaw down on the shop floor very gently. The whole event took a little over 3 1/2 hours from start to finish and that was including assembling the Shop Fox mobile base and cleaning the Cosmaline off of the top. In the end I chose not to use the mobile base as I won't have a need to move the saw about the shop at any time.

The following is a photo essay, from start to finish, of how this was achieved.

Wood Gas Table Engineering Kitchen appliance


Waste container Gas Wood Engineering Machine


Wood Milling Gas Engineering Machine tool


Wood Gas Hardwood Workbench Machine tool


Wood Hardwood Wood stain Gas Machine


Wood Hardwood Gas Wood stain Machine tool


Wood Hardwood Engineering Wood stain Machine


Wood Wheel Automotive tire Tire Bumper


Wood Gas Engineering Hardwood Machine


Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain Wall


Automotive tire Wood Automotive design Floor Audio equipment


Table saws Wood Automotive design Table Gas


Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Hardwood


In the end, this was actually a very fun project. There's a certain satisfaction in overcoming what at first seemed like a somewhat difficult endeavor. On the way home I stopped at one of my favorite craft brew distributors and had them fill up a jug to celebrate. So cheers everyone :) I'm enjoying my porter and a pizza for dinner :)

Tableware Liquid Drinkware Bottle Barware


Tomorrow I get to set the saw up and make some sawdust!
Bill, that is an elegant solution to a very common problem for woodworkers. I think many will benefit from your knowledge.

More importantly, this is a huge milestone in your new shop. Congratulations!!!
 

Attachments

#73 ·
State of the Shop Part 2

Yesterday, New Years Eve day, I had a few hours to spend in the shop to finish up some stuff and organize for the beginning of the new year. It's been difficult getting all the time in the shop I'd like with the holidays here and having two very elderly parents who now have a lot of need of assistance, but it's all good as long as they're still here.

I finally completed the miter saw station to the point where it's fully functioning with the fence system, all drawers in place and finished up a dust collection hood. The dust collection hood became a bit of a Rube Goldberg. Doing things without a plan on paper and lots on your mind is just a recipe for trouble. I took measurements of the Bosch, but somewhere along the way to completion, I got lost in the weeds. I made some pretty big errors in my measurements and well, the saw and the hood weren't going to work together. My dimensions were way off so I had butcher it up a bit to eliminate the top, which seems pretty consequential. The hood is also a bit shallower from front to back than I originally intended, but well, the dust collection is actually pretty impressive for making such a screwup. I may, down the road, make another, but other than bruising my ego a bit, it works as intended. Not sure it could be much better.

Here's a few pics of the finished miter saw station and the dust hood. I'll post a video of it in action when time permits.

Saw Cabinetry Mitre saws Table Miter saw


Cabinetry Wood Hardwood Flooring Audio equipment


The dust collection is provided by a single slot on the bottom and at the back of the hood. I made an internal baffle that funnels the dust to the 4" port on the bottom of the enclosure. When the DC is running, there's a perceptible breeze created by the 5/8" x 24" slot.

Rectangle Wood Shade Wood stain Floor


Office equipment Automotive design Machine Automotive tire Wood


Since the DC has a Siamese connection, I'll leave one section of hose connected to the miter saw hood and just cap the Siamese when not in use.

Cabinetry Wood Table Flooring Floor


The finished station. Need to put some edge banding on the hood to protect the plywood veneer from chipping off.

Window Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood


I also had the opportunity to set up the HF dust collector that had been sitting in my basement for the past two weeks or so. I got to use it while finishing up the dust hood. It's doing a very respectable job. It's a short run from the collector to the table saw and even shorter distance to the miter saw. At this point in time, for the size of the shop and the idea that it will be used with just one machine attached at a time, it's pretty much all I need at the moment. I received a Wynn filter and will be installing it along with separator when time permits. That should pretty much take care of my needs until I move into my own permanent shop, when ever that will be.

I finally got to reassemble the Grizzly bandsaw I pick up off of CL. The saw was separated from the base and was getting pushed around the shop on a furniture dolly for the past month. Just didn't have time to deal with it until yesterday. I couldn't lift it alone to get it onto the base, so I laid it down on it's side, fastened it to the base and tilted it upright. It's now in it's intended spot in the shop. It needs some cleaning and tuning. I'll get to that soon, but probably after finishing an outfeed/cabinets table for the table saw.

I moved most of the tools to where I think they'll work best for me, hung up an air hose reel ( was tired of tripping over the 20' hose I had been using ) and cleaned an organized. I'm ready to start off the new year with a mostly functioning shop :)

Just a few pics around the shop.

Property Kitchen stove Wood Cabinetry Gas stove


Table Furniture Curtain Building Floor


Computer Personal computer Laptop Table Computer desk


Furniture Wood Musical instrument Flooring Floor


The last thing I want to tackle before starting on a real workbench is turning the small room into an office of sorts. I'll be cutting an opening into the larger shop space and placing a fixed plexiglass panel in it for some natural light. Install a standard slop sink in place of the large shower pan turned slop sink and bring in a small drafting table and fridge for some coldies :)
 

Attachments

#74 ·
State of the Shop Part 2

Yesterday, New Years Eve day, I had a few hours to spend in the shop to finish up some stuff and organize for the beginning of the new year. It's been difficult getting all the time in the shop I'd like with the holidays here and having two very elderly parents who now have a lot of need of assistance, but it's all good as long as they're still here.

I finally completed the miter saw station to the point where it's fully functioning with the fence system, all drawers in place and finished up a dust collection hood. The dust collection hood became a bit of a Rube Goldberg. Doing things without a plan on paper and lots on your mind is just a recipe for trouble. I took measurements of the Bosch, but somewhere along the way to completion, I got lost in the weeds. I made some pretty big errors in my measurements and well, the saw and the hood weren't going to work together. My dimensions were way off so I had butcher it up a bit to eliminate the top, which seems pretty consequential. The hood is also a bit shallower from front to back than I originally intended, but well, the dust collection is actually pretty impressive for making such a screwup. I may, down the road, make another, but other than bruising my ego a bit, it works as intended. Not sure it could be much better.

Here's a few pics of the finished miter saw station and the dust hood. I'll post a video of it in action when time permits.

Saw Cabinetry Mitre saws Table Miter saw


Cabinetry Wood Hardwood Flooring Audio equipment


The dust collection is provided by a single slot on the bottom and at the back of the hood. I made an internal baffle that funnels the dust to the 4" port on the bottom of the enclosure. When the DC is running, there's a perceptible breeze created by the 5/8" x 24" slot.

Rectangle Wood Shade Wood stain Floor


Office equipment Automotive design Machine Automotive tire Wood


Since the DC has a Siamese connection, I'll leave one section of hose connected to the miter saw hood and just cap the Siamese when not in use.

Cabinetry Wood Table Flooring Floor


The finished station. Need to put some edge banding on the hood to protect the plywood veneer from chipping off.

Window Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood


I also had the opportunity to set up the HF dust collector that had been sitting in my basement for the past two weeks or so. I got to use it while finishing up the dust hood. It's doing a very respectable job. It's a short run from the collector to the table saw and even shorter distance to the miter saw. At this point in time, for the size of the shop and the idea that it will be used with just one machine attached at a time, it's pretty much all I need at the moment. I received a Wynn filter and will be installing it along with separator when time permits. That should pretty much take care of my needs until I move into my own permanent shop, when ever that will be.

I finally got to reassemble the Grizzly bandsaw I pick up off of CL. The saw was separated from the base and was getting pushed around the shop on a furniture dolly for the past month. Just didn't have time to deal with it until yesterday. I couldn't lift it alone to get it onto the base, so I laid it down on it's side, fastened it to the base and tilted it upright. It's now in it's intended spot in the shop. It needs some cleaning and tuning. I'll get to that soon, but probably after finishing an outfeed/cabinets table for the table saw.

I moved most of the tools to where I think they'll work best for me, hung up an air hose reel ( was tired of tripping over the 20' hose I had been using ) and cleaned an organized. I'm ready to start off the new year with a mostly functioning shop :)

Just a few pics around the shop.

Property Kitchen stove Wood Cabinetry Gas stove


Table Furniture Curtain Building Floor


Computer Personal computer Laptop Table Computer desk


Furniture Wood Musical instrument Flooring Floor


The last thing I want to tackle before starting on a real workbench is turning the small room into an office of sorts. I'll be cutting an opening into the larger shop space and placing a fixed plexiglass panel in it for some natural light. Install a standard slop sink in place of the large shower pan turned slop sink and bring in a small drafting table and fridge for some coldies :)
It is O.K. to have a cold one in the shop when you are done working for the day, but you should never have one before you do your layout, math and measurements. Don't Drink and Derive!
The shop is looking great, that stool is a nice addition, love the urban industrial feel. Have fun making it dusty.
 

Attachments

#84 ·
Unisaw Outfeed Table

Started this a few days ago, but haven't had much opportunity to be in the shop to get it finished. I ran into an issue of my own making. I saw it coming, but thought "Ah maybe it won't happen."

I used a piece of 3/4" AC for the bottom of the torsion box. It was a little warped but thought it would get pulled back when it was glued and screwed to the MDF that already had the center cells glued to it. Figured the 3/4" MDF with the grid was pretty rigid and the plywood would just conform. Well nope. Wasn't happening. Put a bow in the top of about 1/8" or more at the center. I should have used another piece of MDF or a 1/2" sheet of finish grade ply, but I had the 3/4" AC and wanted to use it so it wasn't hanging around the shop.

Now I was at a loss to try and figure out how to make this not a total loss. The 3/4" AC was glued and screwed and wasn't coming off. It was either fix it or cut the whole thing up. Cutting slots across the plywood that went 2/3rds thru the board relieved most of the stress that caused the bow, but not 100%. The remainder was done by rabbeting the maple skirts to fit over the edge of the top. Had to router the edge of the MDF to accept the rabbet.

Well I lived and learned from my hasty laziness. Here's some pics of the unfortunate event that just added more work to something that shouldn't have been that much work :)

Wood Table Flooring Gas Automotive exterior


Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Automotive exterior


Finally got a chance to use my miter saw station for some fabrication.

Wood Tool Hand tool Flooring Engineering


Wood Circuit component Flooring Engineering Hardwood


Wood Table Rectangle Hardwood Bumper


Wood Tool Motor vehicle Auto part Machine


I realized I forgot to buy some pipe so I could make longer clamps for glueing the edges to the darn thing. Had to jury rig it, but it actually worked pretty well.

Wood Automotive exterior Engineering Composite material Flooring


Made a nice little purchase from CL the other night. Sold my 12" Ridgid miter saw to a soon to retire NYC cop who makes wood toys and stuff to sell at fairs and picked up this Shop Fox mortiser from a different cop for $170 including the set of Grizzly bits that have yet to be used. Think it was a good score. I'll be using it to build my workbench, when ever that may be :)

Wood Camera accessory Audio equipment Flooring Hardwood


Oh one more thing. Picked up some flat neodymium magnets to make a jig for setting the knives on the jointer. Bought extra and used one on the fence to hold up the lever. Works great! :)

Light Hood Gas Automotive tire Automotive lighting


Automotive design Musical instrument Audio equipment Electronic instrument Keyboard
 

Attachments

#85 ·
Unisaw Outfeed Table

Started this a few days ago, but haven't had much opportunity to be in the shop to get it finished. I ran into an issue of my own making. I saw it coming, but thought "Ah maybe it won't happen."

I used a piece of 3/4" AC for the bottom of the torsion box. It was a little warped but thought it would get pulled back when it was glued and screwed to the MDF that already had the center cells glued to it. Figured the 3/4" MDF with the grid was pretty rigid and the plywood would just conform. Well nope. Wasn't happening. Put a bow in the top of about 1/8" or more at the center. I should have used another piece of MDF or a 1/2" sheet of finish grade ply, but I had the 3/4" AC and wanted to use it so it wasn't hanging around the shop.

Now I was at a loss to try and figure out how to make this not a total loss. The 3/4" AC was glued and screwed and wasn't coming off. It was either fix it or cut the whole thing up. Cutting slots across the plywood that went 2/3rds thru the board relieved most of the stress that caused the bow, but not 100%. The remainder was done by rabbeting the maple skirts to fit over the edge of the top. Had to router the edge of the MDF to accept the rabbet.

Well I lived and learned from my hasty laziness. Here's some pics of the unfortunate event that just added more work to something that shouldn't have been that much work :)

Wood Table Flooring Gas Automotive exterior


Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Automotive exterior


Finally got a chance to use my miter saw station for some fabrication.

Wood Tool Hand tool Flooring Engineering


Wood Circuit component Flooring Engineering Hardwood


Wood Table Rectangle Hardwood Bumper


Wood Tool Motor vehicle Auto part Machine


I realized I forgot to buy some pipe so I could make longer clamps for glueing the edges to the darn thing. Had to jury rig it, but it actually worked pretty well.

Wood Automotive exterior Engineering Composite material Flooring


Made a nice little purchase from CL the other night. Sold my 12" Ridgid miter saw to a soon to retire NYC cop who makes wood toys and stuff to sell at fairs and picked up this Shop Fox mortiser from a different cop for $170 including the set of Grizzly bits that have yet to be used. Think it was a good score. I'll be using it to build my workbench, when ever that may be :)

Wood Camera accessory Audio equipment Flooring Hardwood


Oh one more thing. Picked up some flat neodymium magnets to make a jig for setting the knives on the jointer. Bought extra and used one on the fence to hold up the lever. Works great! :)

Light Hood Gas Automotive tire Automotive lighting


Automotive design Musical instrument Audio equipment Electronic instrument Keyboard
You are going to love that mortiser! They are so great.
 

Attachments

#95 ·
Making a Functional Workbench

One of my goals in renting the space for a shop is to build all of my shop fixtures in anticipation of moving them to my own permanent shop in a future home where I'll have the dedicated space for one. I cannot make a move now as my folks are elderly and in need assistance at this point. However, renting the space for this shop has offered me some time away from the stresses that unfortunately accompany the aforementioned. I come here and tune out other issues until I return home. Really, without this as a diversion, I'd go stir crazy as I'm no longer taking on outside work. It was just too difficult to commit to contract work and worry about the issues my folks are dealing with at this stage of their lives.

Today I started on building a bench that will enable me to utilize hand tools more. I would like to build a nice hardwood bench like the many that have been shared here on LJs, but right now I need something heavy, stable, large enough for assembly as well as having work holding ability for milling by hand and one I can knock out in relatively short order.

So this morning I picked up some Burrill kiln dried, white fir 2Ă—4s to get started. I'll use the 4Ă—4 cedar cuts I had left over from a yard project two summers ago, for the base. The same 4Ă—4s I used to lift the Unisaw. Before starting, I discovered that I can only rip stock that is around 7'6" where the Unisaw is placed in relation to the miter station. That's pretty much what it would be no matter where the Unisaw is placed in the shop as the maximum dimension across the shop is 20'. That is fine as the bench will be 84". This just caused one more step in stock prep. After shortening the boards to 7'6" I milled them to a little over 3" in width. I'm going to try an maintain a top thickness of between 2.75" and 3"after planing. I was going to build a Nicholson bench, but now I'm thinking of some kind of hybrid. I guess I'll let the progress of the project dictate what it will eventually become.

Wood Wood stain Flooring Hardwood Composite material


Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Table


Bumper Wood Automotive exterior Motor vehicle Machine tool


I hope to have all the boards jointed, thickness planed and glued by the end of the day. We'll see how that goes :)
 

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#96 ·
Making a Functional Workbench

One of my goals in renting the space for a shop is to build all of my shop fixtures in anticipation of moving them to my own permanent shop in a future home where I'll have the dedicated space for one. I cannot make a move now as my folks are elderly and in need assistance at this point. However, renting the space for this shop has offered me some time away from the stresses that unfortunately accompany the aforementioned. I come here and tune out other issues until I return home. Really, without this as a diversion, I'd go stir crazy as I'm no longer taking on outside work. It was just too difficult to commit to contract work and worry about the issues my folks are dealing with at this stage of their lives.

Today I started on building a bench that will enable me to utilize hand tools more. I would like to build a nice hardwood bench like the many that have been shared here on LJs, but right now I need something heavy, stable, large enough for assembly as well as having work holding ability for milling by hand and one I can knock out in relatively short order.

So this morning I picked up some Burrill kiln dried, white fir 2Ă—4s to get started. I'll use the 4Ă—4 cedar cuts I had left over from a yard project two summers ago, for the base. The same 4Ă—4s I used to lift the Unisaw. Before starting, I discovered that I can only rip stock that is around 7'6" where the Unisaw is placed in relation to the miter station. That's pretty much what it would be no matter where the Unisaw is placed in the shop as the maximum dimension across the shop is 20'. That is fine as the bench will be 84". This just caused one more step in stock prep. After shortening the boards to 7'6" I milled them to a little over 3" in width. I'm going to try an maintain a top thickness of between 2.75" and 3"after planing. I was going to build a Nicholson bench, but now I'm thinking of some kind of hybrid. I guess I'll let the progress of the project dictate what it will eventually become.

Wood Wood stain Flooring Hardwood Composite material


Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Table


Bumper Wood Automotive exterior Motor vehicle Machine tool


I hope to have all the boards jointed, thickness planed and glued by the end of the day. We'll see how that goes :)
Wood Window Floor Tool Flooring


One face and one edge jointed. (16 boards) Except for one or two stubborn boards, they look pretty good. Hopefully the planer will deal with them.

I plan on doing the glue-up in two steps for a split-top, but it may not remain as a split-top. I'll glue four boards up and then glue them together in pairs to make two 8 board panels of about 11" each.

Man I'm kid of tired LOL Hope I can at least get the 4 board gluing done today. Ah, maybe not enough clamps for that :(
 

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#137 ·
Hand Tool Storage/Sharpening Station

With the workbench complete, it's time to make some kind of storage system for the hand tools I'll be using on the bench. I've amassed a small collection of older Stanley planes, a couple of LN block planes, a few chisels of different varieties and various other tools that I'd like to have readily accessible from the bench. I've chosen to make a stand that will sit next to the bench. The design is still not solidified, but I did start on the section dedicated to the planes. I'm using wood I have on hand. This component is made from 1/2" birch ply, poplar and edged with mahogany.

Window Wood Natural material Wood stain Hardwood


Wood Hardwood Metal Glass Electric blue


Now for that vacant slot …........ that's where a Stanley 604 1/2 is supposed to go. Not in a rush for it as I still have to clean up the #7, #8, the 12 1/2 scraper and the little 110 block plane. So no hurry in contacting me to say you have one at a very reasonable price ;) Ah, I've been looking for the last two weeks on the Bay, but haven't found a suitable candidate.
 

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#138 ·
Hand Tool Storage/Sharpening Station

With the workbench complete, it's time to make some kind of storage system for the hand tools I'll be using on the bench. I've amassed a small collection of older Stanley planes, a couple of LN block planes, a few chisels of different varieties and various other tools that I'd like to have readily accessible from the bench. I've chosen to make a stand that will sit next to the bench. The design is still not solidified, but I did start on the section dedicated to the planes. I'm using wood I have on hand. This component is made from 1/2" birch ply, poplar and edged with mahogany.

Window Wood Natural material Wood stain Hardwood


Wood Hardwood Metal Glass Electric blue


Now for that vacant slot …........ that's where a Stanley 604 1/2 is supposed to go. Not in a rush for it as I still have to clean up the #7, #8, the 12 1/2 scraper and the little 110 block plane. So no hurry in contacting me to say you have one at a very reasonable price ;) Ah, I've been looking for the last two weeks on the Bay, but haven't found a suitable candidate.
Well this didn't become part of a tool stand. It's just too heavy and awkward with the pitch it requires. So it found a place on the wall.

Window Building Wood Brickwork Material property


Wood Brickwork Brick Building Window


Guess I'll make a tool rack to sit below it to hold chisels, saws and other tools. I'll make the top a sharpening station.

I found a #4 1/2 I'll give a home to. The pickin's on flat bottom 604 1/2 are slim. The prices are crazy and most are corrugated and more than a new LN. I'll keep an eye out, but for now, my little collection is complete.
 

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#161 ·
State of the Shop Part 3

I wasn't getting much shop time over the last few weeks due to my Dad's health and issues. He's somewhat better and holding his own thankfully, so I've had some time this week to get back here and work on a few little projects.

I've been wanting to install the Wynn filter I bought for the DC and make a cyclone of sorts, so that's just what I did. I had a 15g fiber drum hanging around and some Dustrite fittings I purchased for this, so that's what I used. There's an internal elbow that directs the flow in a centrifugal, which seems to be working well. The clear bag is empty save some dust that must have been residual from the hoses and connections. All of the chips and dust I've created since, have accumulated in the Rubbermaid can. I may have to add an internal baffle, but for now it is working and the flow is much better than the dirty cloth bag allowed for. I also made a hook for some shop vac hoses I use to clean up with the DC.

Furniture Wood Table Interior design Window


I have also needed some additional lumber storage for hardwood stock. An easy project made with 2Ă—4s and some 3/4" EMT conduit.

Wood Shelving Interior design Shelf Wall


There was time for a few little projects. I've been wanting a smaller mallet for chisel work, so I used up some scraps for this. It's the right size and just what I wanted, but here's an example of what happens when your head isn't fully in the game when you have other things on your mind. I laid out all of the pieces, orienting the end grain for the impact zone and then I cut the blank the wrong way so now it's the edge grain hitting the chisel handle. Not a huge error in terms of material or even use, but I was unhappy I made such a stupid error, none the less. After I realized my error, I didn't spend much time in sanding and finishing it. I'll make another down the road.

Hand tool Wood Tool Wood stain Hardwood


Wood Wood stain Table Flooring Floor


The last little project was a sharpening template. It works well with the LN sharpening jig, allowing me to hold it and the chisel or plane iron in one hand and set and tighten the jig with the other. I have to say, my chisels and irons are doing much better :)

Rectangle Wood Font Wood stain Plank


I'm making a prototype of a step stool I've seen here on LJs and a modified version of it I found on the net. I'm making the modified version, for now, out of some poplar. I purchased some cherry and walnut for the finish piece. The wife didn't approve of the last design and realized she wanted one that folds. LOL The prototype will stay here in the shop after I get the final go-ahead on the design.

Here's the design.

Wood Chair Floor Flooring Hardwood


Here's my progress today.

Wood Floor Flooring Table Hardwood


Well that's the state of the shop as of today.

Edit: I also made this port for the DC that services the miter saw. Used to just leave the hose on the ground and then pull it around and hook it up to the DC. This is a much nicer solution.

Cabinetry Furniture Mirror Chair Drawer
 

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#162 ·
State of the Shop Part 3

I wasn't getting much shop time over the last few weeks due to my Dad's health and issues. He's somewhat better and holding his own thankfully, so I've had some time this week to get back here and work on a few little projects.

I've been wanting to install the Wynn filter I bought for the DC and make a cyclone of sorts, so that's just what I did. I had a 15g fiber drum hanging around and some Dustrite fittings I purchased for this, so that's what I used. There's an internal elbow that directs the flow in a centrifugal, which seems to be working well. The clear bag is empty save some dust that must have been residual from the hoses and connections. All of the chips and dust I've created since, have accumulated in the Rubbermaid can. I may have to add an internal baffle, but for now it is working and the flow is much better than the dirty cloth bag allowed for. I also made a hook for some shop vac hoses I use to clean up with the DC.

Furniture Wood Table Interior design Window


I have also needed some additional lumber storage for hardwood stock. An easy project made with 2Ă—4s and some 3/4" EMT conduit.

Wood Shelving Interior design Shelf Wall


There was time for a few little projects. I've been wanting a smaller mallet for chisel work, so I used up some scraps for this. It's the right size and just what I wanted, but here's an example of what happens when your head isn't fully in the game when you have other things on your mind. I laid out all of the pieces, orienting the end grain for the impact zone and then I cut the blank the wrong way so now it's the edge grain hitting the chisel handle. Not a huge error in terms of material or even use, but I was unhappy I made such a stupid error, none the less. After I realized my error, I didn't spend much time in sanding and finishing it. I'll make another down the road.

Hand tool Wood Tool Wood stain Hardwood


Wood Wood stain Table Flooring Floor


The last little project was a sharpening template. It works well with the LN sharpening jig, allowing me to hold it and the chisel or plane iron in one hand and set and tighten the jig with the other. I have to say, my chisels and irons are doing much better :)

Rectangle Wood Font Wood stain Plank


I'm making a prototype of a step stool I've seen here on LJs and a modified version of it I found on the net. I'm making the modified version, for now, out of some poplar. I purchased some cherry and walnut for the finish piece. The wife didn't approve of the last design and realized she wanted one that folds. LOL The prototype will stay here in the shop after I get the final go-ahead on the design.

Here's the design.

Wood Chair Floor Flooring Hardwood


Here's my progress today.

Wood Floor Flooring Table Hardwood


Well that's the state of the shop as of today.

Edit: I also made this port for the DC that services the miter saw. Used to just leave the hose on the ground and then pull it around and hook it up to the DC. This is a much nicer solution.

Cabinetry Furniture Mirror Chair Drawer
Glad to hear your folks are doing okay! I like the way your shop is looking, really nice. I havent had much shop time either lately, hopefully that will change. Did you ever get to look in your storage yet?
 

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#164 ·
Good Day in the Shop

Most of them are, but it's such a nice day here, it felt better. Put a few coats of spray-on Minwax fast drying poly on the prototype step stool while it was still unassembled and then went and grabbed some lunch at a nearby foodie place. There's quite a few in the area you wouldn't even know they exist if you weren't looking. Kind of makes you think they're trying to keep them a secret for just the young hipsters that occupy many of the artsy community shops that abound around here. I'm an old guy, well maybe older guy lol, but I have no fear of the unknown so I seek out where all of this stuff is hiding. Hope I don't scare the little critters LOL

Picked up a delicious rosemary focaccia sandwich with prosciutto, manchego, tomatoes and a pesto sauce, then headed back to the shop to eat my sandwich and wait for the stool components to dry.

Food Ingredient Recipe Fast food Staple food


I made a few dowels to pin the stool together, and then assembled it.

Wood Pneumatic tool Office ruler Gas Hardwood


Wood Table Flooring Floor Automotive design


Here it is, finished and assembled. It has a few extra patches as I was working without plans. Just had to make some assumptions on dimensions and go from there.

Window Fixture Wood Wood stain Floor


Furniture Wood Rectangle Chair Wood stain


This version will become my shop stool for getting to the upper reaches of the lumber rack. I like it, but after making this, I know what I do and don't like about it. The changes will be reflected in the one I'll make for Christine from some cherry I picked up.

All in all a good day, a good sandwich and a completed project of sorts. :)
 

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#165 ·
Second Step Stool Started

Today I broke down and clean up some of the cherry I purchased for Christine's step stool. After seeing the Shaker stool posted here the other day, she said "I like that one". So that's what it will be. No arguments here. If she's happy the world is a great place ;)

I'm going to try and do as much of this with just hand tools, as I can. I certainly made a lot of curly shavings getting things squared up. However, I think my hand planing skills still need work, but I think I'm off to a decent start. I used a #5 1/2 and #4 1/2 intermittently to flatten and square and a #3 to smooth. I have a Stanley 12 1/2 cabinet scraper with a new Hock iron. I think I'll use that to polish the boards before final dimensioning.

Some pics to get things going.

Table Window Wood Desk Flooring


Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood Flooring


Wood Rectangle Flooring Wood stain Plank


Wood Floor Flooring Cuisine Hardwood
 

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