The Wood Whisperer » shop setup

125 – Shop Evolution Update

thewoodwhisperer — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:32:16 +0000

In the past, I’ve discussed how shop improvements are never done. As our needs and tool preferences change, the shop has to be able to adjust accordingly. If not, you will likely be faced with an inefficient and potentially unsafe work environment. If you can believe it, its already been over a year since Nicole and I moved into our new house. And for those that don’t know, we are indeed still carrying two mortgages. So the “dream shop” must wait. But until then I will continue to improve this space and make it as comfortable and efficient as possible. This video shows some of the areas I am frustrated with and what I plan to do to improve them.

I also mentioned the Wood Whisperer Guild in the video. If you are interested in joining, you can check out the details here. And don’t forget to visit the new Wood Talk Online Forum!

Here are some links from the past that involve the evolution of my shop:

92 – A Moving Experience

thewoodwhisperer — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:11:24 +0000

Moving an entire wood shop is no fun. But you can save yourself a lot of back ache if you hire some help. Money well-spent if you ask me. In this episode I show you everything I did to get my shop ready for the road trip. By no means is this meant to be a guide of any sort. Rather, its just a peak into my personal experience. And if you ever have to move your own shop, you’ll know what you’re in for.

Ten Shop Tips – Powermatic Website Exclusive

thewoodwhisperer — Fri, 30 May 2008 18:18:16 +0000

In cooperation with Powermatic, we recently filmed 10 “shop tip” videos. The videos are a Powermatic website exclusive, but they are really like a bunch of short Wood Whisperer episodes. In fact, this is almost an updated shop tour, which a bunch of folks have been asking for. And as an added bonus, you get to see my best Zoolander impression! Enjoy!

PM Shop Tips – Featuring The Wood Whisperer

Evolution of a Workshop

thewoodwhisperer — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 21:55:36 +0000

I recently had a question from a viewer concerning my shop setup. The gentleman was building a new shop and had questions about equipment arrangement. He stressed that he wanted to get the setup right the first time. This made me laugh a little. If I only had a dollar each time I thought my shop was FINALLY setup perfectly. Well, I wouldn’t be rich but I would have at least 20 bucks.

Whether minor alterations or major rearrangements, my shop has seen its share of modifications. New tools are usually the culprit. You just cant drop a new tool in the middle of the floor. You need to find the perfect spot. Preferably a spot that fits into the shop work flow and is located near an appropriate outlet. For most of us, this is the biggest challenge. Most of our garages and basements are inadequately wired for a shop. But for the viewer who emailed me, there was still time to increase the number of outlets, and that was the advice I gave him.

It is important to recognize the fact that the setup WILL change and you need to be able to adapt. So if possible, its always a good idea to have multiple 220v outlets and numerous 110v outlets throughout your shop. Today, in my own shop, I had a work-flow dilemma. My shop, while generously-sized, has limited wall space. Most walls either have doors, garage doors, or something else in the way. And walls are a natural place to put a large tool. So some of my tools are positioned in the middle of the floor in a group of three. The group in question consisted of a drum sander and a planer sitting perpendicular to one another, and a 14″ bandsaw wedged between them. This worked for a while, but there were two major issues. First, when going from the planer to the drum sander (the usual work-flow), I had to pick up the whole pile of boards and walk around to the other side of the little triad. Once there, I had no place to sit the boards as I sent them through the drum sander one by one.

The fix was rather simple and involved putting the drum sander and planer side by side so the out-feeds were going in the same direction and finding a new home for the bandsaw. So now the drum sanded pieces can rest right on top of the planer and I don’t have to carry them around when moving from one machine to the other. It will probably save me a few seconds per board and makes the whole operation easier and safer. The workflow just makes sense.

Now I have been in this garage for almost 3 years now and none of these tools are new to me. So why did it take this long to come up with an ideal solution? I wish I knew. But the moral to the story is there is no reason to think of our shops as static entities. Our equipment changes, our needs change, our tastes change. Heck, I sometimes like to move things around just for the sake of seeing something different. I find it very inspiring. Just ask my wife who recently came back from a work trip to find our office completely rearranged just for fun.

Shop Setup

thewoodwhisperer — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 18:38:36 +0000

If you are setting up shop for the first time, or just rearranging things for more efficiency, these links will be very useful to you. I’d like to thank Gina over at FineWoodWorking.com for providing us with the links.

Smart Shop in a One-Car Garage- Space-saving solutions for a small work area

A Layout Kit for Small Shops- Modeling in two or three dimensions is a lot easier than moving around your heavy machinery to get a shop plan you like. By: John Yurko

Workshop Tour: An Efficient Garage Workshop-With wheel-mounted tools and cabinets, a two-car garage transforms into a versatile workshop

Rock-Solid Plywood Bench-Build this simple but versatile workbench in a weekend for less than $250. And you don’t need a jointer or planer. By: Cecil Braeden

An Island Workshop- A central island for power tools, work surfaces, and dust collection makes the most of this two-car garage shop. With Alan DeVilbiss

All About Lumber Storage

All about Tool Storage