new shop set up

[sean m. titmas]

i started to move into my new shop this week in preparation for a job i have with the Ringling Museum. i made a list of tools and equipment that i need and got started on the items that required little or no money to complete. the lumber racks were one of those small dollar items that need to be completed first, before much of anything else. so today i finished building the racks and loading it full of lumber. my lumber pile includes;
maple
genuine mahogany
maro macho
lyptus
jotoba
cherry
walnut
radiata pine
cypress
white/red oak
sapeele

my first few projects include a work bench, wall cabinet for tool storage, clamp racks, miscellaneous storage and a few small projects, like cabinet on stand, sideboard and small table.

ill post some updated photos later next week.

[Ed Peters]

Invisible Fire Extinguisher?

Ed

[sean m. titmas]

good eyes ED. i removed the fire extinguisher to load the wood. if my hand wasn't blocking the sunlight you could see the extinguisher sitting just outside the door.
not only are there extinguishers there are smoke detectors throughout the shop as well.

[Jim Kountz]

Looks like a lot of nice space there. Now get those tools setup and make some dust!!

[sean m. titmas]

iv been 5 years without a shop and have been doing all my cabinetry work on site with portable tools. these past 5 years i have become accustomed to setting up my job site shop in less than a 10x15 area. all my tools and processes take up very little space and are very efficient. 1000 sf is not much for a wood shop but to me its freakin' huge. now i need to re-think all my setups and tools to take advantage of the new space. im open to all ideas and suggestions so if you have anything to offer, im interested in hearing it.

[Don Bullock]

Congratulations Sean. That looks like a great space for your new shop. Enjoy.

[Geoff Potter]

Tell us more about the job with the Ringling Circus!!!

[sean m. titmas]

the Ringling Museum is restoring the train car that John Ringling used when he traveled the country with his circus during 1900-1930. part of the restoration involves building 6 chairs that were originally used in the observation room in the back of the car. there is only one surviving chair that i have to use as a template for building the chairs and 2 tables.

anything in particular you want to know about?

[Geoff Potter]

No particulars necessary! Sounds like a great job!

[sean m. titmas]

Geoff, your right it will be great job and i'll make sure to share the process with the forum.

[Rob Russell]

Do yourself a favor. Before you fill the shop up with any more stuff, paint the walls and epoxy the floors. White paint on the walls will brighten the shop up considerably. Sealing both the walls and floor will stop the concrete from shedding concrete dust and will make cleaning up the floor a lot easier.

[Matt Brawley]

Sean, glad to see a SW Florida woodworker is doing good. Venice is just a hop, skip and a jump from me.

[David G Baker]

What Rob R. wrote. Wish I had done the pre-fill work, would have saved me a ton of labor and the work would be done by now.

[Jeff Gleason]

.... and if there is ANY way you can cover the concrete with a wood floor you and your back, knees, hips, etc... will be very glad you did. Big job for sure, but now would be the time.

[sean m. titmas]

no matter how complicated it will be to move things around the epoxy and paint will have to wait a few months due to limited working capital.

i did start on my bench. it is a slight variation on the bench designed by Bob Lang. i used scraps of maple, oak, sapeele, lyptus, and cherry for the 2.75" top. i'll add some drawers and a floor and 2 vises.