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Thread: Reducing shop size and further reducing machines

  1. #1
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    Reducing shop size and further reducing machines

    The wife and I are empty nesters now that the daughter is off at college in Kennesaw, GA. As it turns out we can live in the North, GA mountains, still pay in state tuitions and remain about the same distance for the daughter to drive home. We have decided on a downsizing move. Part of my wish list for a new home, of course, is space for a shop. I have tons of space in our current home but it is mostly below ground lacking natural light, which I hope to remedy. I may finish/renovate parts of a new house & other buildings myself, which may mean I will need to retain the ability to cut stock lumber & sheet goods rapidly.

    I am working towards an increasingly hand tools shop with a few select electron powered tools. I am eliminating the table saw, which I have not used for years. I am also thinking about getting rid of the big band saw and maybe the smaller one too. I like a few select Festool, electron powered, "hand tools" I have. I plan to keep a Festool track saw and Festool table, which I hope to adapt for: cutting stock lumber, long rip cuts, cutting sheet goods. I plan to keep my Festool Carvex saw which would allow me to make plunge cuts and cut long curves rapidly. I also plan to keep a Festool drill to speed up jobs requiring a large number of screws or drilled holes. My little Festool vac should keep the electron powered saws from kicking up too much dust. I am thinking I may reduce my plane, hand saw, hand drill collection as well, especially now that I know which ones I like using. I am trying to get my reduced tool set organized in Festool type containers that will be easy to move and preserve my ability to work in different locations.

    Any ideas about shop size, design etc. are appreciated. I am excited by the idea of keeping all my tools organized in specific mobile containers. If I could reclaim all the time I have wasted trying to find tools scattered through multiple large areas! I have a small compact work bench which will move fairly easy. I plan to use a second Adjust A Bench base to build a mobile, height adjustable bench that I can move around the new shop as an out-feed table and bench. I'm kinda glad I had physical issues which prevented me from making this bench with the vises I had planned as my bench requirements in the new shop may be different. I had been tooling up to make cabinets for a larger home and business using sheet goods. Now I am hoping to only use sheet goods for building construction. Base cabinets are easy to buy cheap these days and I would rather spend my time making chairs and nicer, smaller, hard wood furniture.

    There are a couple large devises I do not currently have that I will want at the new location. I want a small kiln for drying green wood parts. I also want a steam box fro bending wood. I am thinking these devices could reside in a garage, covered porch etc saving shop space. If there was a covered porch outside the shop it would be a great place for the wood steaming & drying devices and various other mobile devices like a shave horse, setting up to rip long boards or sheet goods...
    Last edited by Mike Holbrook; 01-23-2016 at 1:15 PM.

  2. #2
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    Suggest you keep the big bandsaw for those long rips of narrow pieces that are so difficult with a track saw.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Curt Putnam View Post
    Suggest you keep the big bandsaw for those long rips of narrow pieces that are so difficult with a track saw.
    I agree. Of all my power tools I will likely always have a band saw, a lathe and a drill press.

    Maybe you can find a place with a double car garage as an out building. That is where my shop resides. We do not park our cars indoors. May build a car port someday.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  4. #4
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    I may do that Curt. If I do, I would probably put it in the garage along with some sort of larger wood board storage system. Drive the truck into the garage & off load, have the big ripper there. If I don't I may trade my small Festool saw in for the larger one. I have read others who report ripping lumber with it. There is also a special, heavier blade Festool makes especially for those long rips.

  5. #5
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    In the 60's,when I was making a lot of guitars,the bandsaw was by far the most used machine in my shop. Made less of a mess than the table saw back when I had no dust collection. Even today,dust collection system and all,I still use my 14" Delta bandsaw with height attachment more than the table saw. I have a 20" Delta I'm refurbishing,if I ever get back to it. At least all the parts are there. It has been my favorite model bandsaw for many years(But I never had a Tannewitz!).

  6. #6
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    I don't think I can talk my wife into reducing our mini population down to one Jim, dumb I know. If you saw her mini you might refuse to drive it too. Which means I need space for two or three cars, counting an old truck or four wheel. I may also need a Zero turn and or tractor for what we are discussing. One property we have been looking at has a simple concrete pad, tin roof & slats around the "walls" of a three car "garage'. Some of these mountain properties have a thing called a portico, a kinda open unloading/garage/covered entry which might house a car or two & wood, logs.

    Lately we have been talking to builders, trying to figure out if we can afford to build something exactly like we want it, which is a major reason I am making this post. Fortunately the wife watches all the tiny house building shows so I might be able to talk her into something smaller, more energy efficient, more dog friendly. With a "green" passive heat design, radiant heat in the floor & a wood stove we might be able to reduce: electrical, gas, propane costs to a much lower level than a larger older house. Thus I am trying to think small, compact, mobile in terms of tools.

  7. #7
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    I wish I had just bought an older Delta too George, which is the other reason I have been thinking about selling what I have. I bought a saw with a fancy wood fence system that I don't think actually fits the saw. I was trying to increase my chances of making long accurate rips. I got a deal on the saw at my local Woodcraft store. It was missing pieces when I got it home and a couple things have not worked since a friend helped me move it down steps into the basement including: the belt tension indicator and the table suspension.. I can't prove the move didn't mess it up and I have not been able to get it working right again. If I knew a good bandsaw mechanic.

  8. #8
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    A few years back before I started in on my shop remodel (I have a 22x22 detached cinder block garage that I've converted) I spent hours looking at shops on-line. The Wood Whisperer site has a section devoted to shop tours. One that stood out for me was as "James' Man Cave". A very nice 12x18 dedicated out building. You can see it here:

    http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/shop...ode=posts&ap=6

    James obviously has more power tools than you are envisioning, but I think his shop serves to illustrate that with a mind towards organization, one can fair very well in a small space, and one can build a very attractive outbuilding that can look great in a residential setting. You might check that and other shops out there. I'll vote for keeping the larger band saw simply because it can server so many purposes, and with fine furniture you may want to resaw door or side panels.

  9. #9
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    As far as the steambox goes, an idea I want to try is to make one from foil-backed foam insulation board. It's not my idea, but I don't recall who deserves credit. It should be very lightweight, and if it's held together with aluminum tape, it might even be collapsible for compact storage.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    I agree. Of all my power tools I will likely always have a band saw, a lathe and a drill press.

    Maybe you can find a place with a double car garage as an out building. That is where my shop resides. We do not park our cars indoors. May build a car port someday.

    jtk
    Cars outside? Oh the Horror

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tony Wilkins View Post
    Cars outside? Oh the Horror
    The kind of get a natural camouflage. There are even lichens growing on the side of my truck.

    My theory is the people steeling cars for a chop shop do not want a dirty car.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  12. #12
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    Another vote for a bandsaw - it does not have to be larger than 14". In general, bandsaws have a small footprint.

    The main work mine does is not ripping, but re-sawing. This can take the place of a thickness/planer.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  13. #13
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    Maybe I need to get serious about getting my bandsaw fixed and operational. Over the last year I have been working on how to split wood/logs more than how to saw it. Now that I appear to have solved some issues with my hands, thanks David! I need to get some projects finished. I guess it will be easier to move a bench slab than a bunch of heavy 8/4 boards, for instance.

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