the wee shop-ette

We moved into our tiny house in Jan and I'm finally getting the small shop set up. (I call it a shop-ette) I went from over 600 sf to 210 sf, only giving up the big Laguna band saw, which I will miss but I won't be doing any really large projects anyway after the cancer battle. But just getting the shop to the point where I can make some drawers to store tools in is great - fun building anything, ya know. Fortunately the house we bought had a 200 amp service so I was able to add 5 20 amp circuits for the shop, with plenty of space left over. Placing the tools was a lot like a game of tetris with the added restriction of how much weight I can move now, and I hope what I set up works - time will tell.
Attachment 502105 Attachment 502106 And the mascot: Attachment 502107

After the drawers and more organizing, I'll return to the antler table I started 3 years ago, but abandoned when I got pancan. When I get to it I'll post it in the projects forum.

Looks good- no extra steps walking around a big shop.


The thread title made me think of something one old guy had- a funnel stuck into garden hose that went through the wall and out into the garden-

a shop wee-ette.

There are actually a lot of videos on youtube for "single car garage shops" that may influence how you do your shop layout/organization. They may be helpful.

Cameron, I think the Boss would not look kindly on a wee-ette. And the videos of small shops all have something I don't - a decent budget.

I've found that the shop projects I can do are determined by which boxes I unpack. I didn't have the dovetail tools yet when I made the drawers so they are just screwed together but they work fine. And then I unpacked the dovetail stuff and the Bontz saws and the mortiser so next is the mobile base for the router table. My jointer is still in storage so I picked the best of the left over 2x6's for the base and decided that it would be more fun to use mortise and tenon rather than screw it together, so the mortiser (and my right arm!) got a work out, and then I got to use the Bontz tenon saw to cut the tenons. What a nice tool that saw is - a real pleasure to use. (but more wear and tear on the right arm)
Attachment 502515 Attachment 502516
When the mobile base is done, I'll be taking my moxon work station ( Attachment 502517 ) apart and setting the moxon vise up for use on top of the router table or work bench, and then I'll have a bit more room to bring in some more tools. There is still the small matter of clamp storage.............

Looking good! There appears to be a bit of overhead space- maybe clamps can go there.

Looks like a nice, functional shop Bill!

The Phoenix rises! Mortises are excavated and the tenon saw sings...Bill is living big in his small shop! Keep us posted.

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Originally Posted by Cameron Wood

Looking good! There appears to be a bit of overhead space- maybe clamps can go there.

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Actually my wife came up with a great idea. I built a 2x4 wall the length of the shop to keep dust, etc from the house mechanicals, and she suggested putting a dowel between the studs and hanging the clamps there. They will be outside the shop, but I'm pretty anal about clamping and glueing setups, so I'll have everything I need at ahnd when the time comes. Pictures to follow.

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Originally Posted by Mark Rainey

The Phoenix rises! Mortises are excavated and the tenon saw sings...Bill is living big in his small shop! Keep us posted.

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I don't know about the phoenix analogy, but I'll tell you this: being able to go into the shop, pick up the Bontz saw and get to work after 2 1/2 years of doing no woodworking at all is beyond incredible. It's 11pm, the hockey game just ended in OT, and I went out to the shop in my pj's and cut another tenon. Just cuz I could. Take nothing for granted, folks, it can all go away in a heart beat. Do not go gentle into that good night, but go full tilt boogie until the end. (a tip o' the hat to Dylan Thomas)

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Originally Posted by Bill Carey

I don't know about the phoenix analogy, but I'll tell you this: being able to go into the shop, pick up the Bontz saw and get to work after 2 1/2 years of doing no woodworking at all is beyond incredible. It's 11pm, the hockey game just ended in OT, and I went out to the shop in my pj's and cut another tenon. Just cuz I could. Take nothing for granted, folks, it can all go away in a heart beat. Do not go gentle into that good night, but go full tilt boogie until the end. (a tip o' the hat to Dylan Thomas)

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Wood shavings in the bed- classic.

Also, I keep the larger bar & pipe clamps in the adjacent room- works OK.

got most of the clamps situated between the studs in the wall separating the shop from the house mechanicals, and half the base for the router table is glued up.

Attachment 502613

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bill Carey

got most of the clamps situated between the studs in the wall separating the shop from the house mechanicals, and half the base for the router table is glued up.

Attachment 502613

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Nice...........
Ron

finished the router table base - in this small a shop everything has to be on wheels.
Attachment 503025

made some progress on the placement of the sander, small band saw and miter box bench, carefully planned to allow as much walking room as possible. The miter box is on a pull out full extension base so it clears the other tools. Those heavy duty slides from Rockler are heavy duty indeed - fully extended they hold my full weight with only a slight deflection. To finish I need to put a skirt on the slide table so saw dust doesn't ruin the slides.
Attachment 503026 Attachment 503027 Attachment 503028
Once that's done, the final (ha - who am I kidding. Shop with evolve over time) will be to install the dust collector in the corner, and set up my memory shelf.

Finished the miter box slides, with the cover to keep the sawdust etc from gumming up the works.
Attachment 503248

Even managed to get a wee out feed table included in the mix.
Attachment 503249

Now I can finally get back to the antler table I started 3 years ago. When I'm done - next week maybe - I'll post it in the projects forum.