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Thread: Help me outfit my small shop

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    South West Ontario
    Posts
    1,502
    My two basement shops with a young family had several issues, as did a good friend with his shop. Noise is a huge problem, time to make noise strictly limited. Machines and dust equipment make a lot of noise, even chiselling was a problem. Think about some sound proofing in the ceiling. Nothing worse than a shop you can barely use.
    My good friend was only allowed to use his lathe for 4 hours Sunday morning. He moved his shop to a barn; then was allowed to go every other Sunday.
    We both have new shops and new wives.
    ​You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Milton, GA
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    3,213
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    I will mention one more saw that may work well in a small shop. There are many, track saws, being made today. There are even tracks that can be used with about any skill saw. If you plan to use plywood the track saw is very nice to have. The track allows you to make multiple passes with the skill saw if the lumber is thicker. There are also special ripping blades available. You will probably need a worktable for glue ups, longer cuts etc., which can be used to rip and xcut things on as well. You can just have a light, disposable piece of foam sheathing that you use on the worktable with the track saw so it does not cut the worktable top. Track saws are much less expensive than bandsaws, take up less space (the tracks typically break down) and have their own set of advantages and disadvantages.
    Last edited by Mike Holbrook; 12-12-2017 at 9:08 AM.

  3. #18
    I've already got the track saw and use it for cabinets, built ins and other stuff my house needs. I love using it for those kind of things but really don't think it would be able to replace a bandsaw for what I see that I'll use the bandsaw for.

    The noise factor was a major reason that I went down the hand tool route. I think that the majority of machine work will be for stock prep. So it should be a short bit of work at the beginning of a given project and then very little noise after that point. My wife is understanding to a point. Noise all the time would not be ok, but a few hours when starting a project is fine.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    twomiles from the "peak of Ohio
    Posts
    12,120
    Usually...the most noise heard from my shop...is the cussing that goes on.....tends to drown out the bandsaw.....

    Might also look into a cordless mitresaw for your shop....
    test cut.jpg
    You can get a Cardio after a full day using these.....without the LOUD noise of the corded ones...

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    N. Idaho
    Posts
    1,621
    Having been down William's path with kids and spouses and noise as well, I'll also note that handwork is far from silent. A wood is good mallet helps with the noise of chiseling but only to a point. But it sounds like you've been thinking it through so I'm probably telling you what you already know. Good luck and will look forward to seeing your set up.

    Best,
    C
    "You can observe a lot just by watching."
    --Yogi Berra

  6. Hey Gregory. Curious to hear if you have an update with how things went since your last post. I am working with the exact same size shop as you and in the process of making some upgrades to the shop. I have been using a Dewalt table saw and have increasingly been interested in switching over to a bandsaw workflow for ripping and joinery in conjunction with hand tool work. I am also looking to upgrade my dust collection and am interested in the Oneida Mini Gorilla. The bandsaw I've ben looking at is the 18bx. Did you end up getting either of these? Have you added any other big tools to your shop?

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Connecticut Shoreline
    Posts
    336
    I had all the power tools at one time. The first to go was the jointer, using Derek's method of buying rough sawn lumber, cutting roughly to length first, then jointing an edge etc. worked so well that the jointer wasn't necessary. Once I got as many hand planes as needed (a scrub, a jointer, a smoother and a block plane), I got rid of my lunchbox planer. Once I got a nice set of hand saws, I got rid of my table saw (that went to my son, and is still available to me but I rarely use it anymore). I just recently gave him my bandsaw too. Jury is out on how much I will regret that, but again it is available to me and I haven't missed it all that much. So now the only power tools I still have are a circular saw, and chop saw, both used for home renovation, not furniture or craft work, and a nice drill press.

    The drill press I will hang on to for the time being. I am looking for an old high quality bench top one to replace my floor standing Jet, which I will give to my son. But no matter how Neander-centric I go, I will use a drill press. That's where my line is drawn...that is, unless I come across a nice post drill first.

    Steven mentioned a miter box. I have a nice one, but don't have the space to leave it set up permanently. Back when I did, I really liked using it and I still drag it out from time to time. If you can find room for one, then its worth picking one up second hand.

    Good luck and have fun!

    DC

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Peoria, IL
    Posts
    4,443
    Quote Originally Posted by Gregory Keller View Post
    So I’ve got half of an unfinished basement that my wife is allowing me to turn into a shop.
    Better ask her what your budget is for machinery and tools.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
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    Hi John and welcome to the Creek.

    Leave the power tool guilt for others. My mainly neander shop will always have a bandsaw, drill press, lathe and a power sharpening set up along with a few other random, seldom used power tools.

    jtk

    Quote Originally Posted by John Nelson - San Diego View Post
    Hey Gregory. Curious to hear if you have an update with how things went since your last post. I am working with the exact same size shop as you and in the process of making some upgrades to the shop. I have been using a Dewalt table saw and have increasingly been interested in switching over to a bandsaw workflow for ripping and joinery in conjunction with hand tool work. I am also looking to upgrade my dust collection and am interested in the Oneida Mini Gorilla. The bandsaw I've ben looking at is the 18bx. Did you end up getting either of these? Have you added any other big tools to your shop?
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  10. David and Jim, thank you for your insights. I have a 4 year old and my time is immensely precious in the shop, so being able to square and dimension lumber quickly is very important to me. Maybe once the little one grows up and I get more time in the shop, then I can move away from needing a jointer. Hard to imagine getting rid of a thickness planer. Space constraints are an important consideration for me. That's why I don't plan to go for anything big beyond the bandsaw, dust collector, planer, and jointer. Was hoping I could get a response from Gregory as his shop dimension is literally the same as mine and it sounded like he had a similar workflow as mine too.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Fairbanks AK
    Posts
    1,566
    Quote Originally Posted by John Nelson - San Diego View Post
    Was hoping I could get a response from Gregory as his shop dimension is literally the same as mine and it sounded like he had a similar workflow as mine too.
    I am moving into 12x24, which will be my biggest shop ever. I was getting warmed up in this thread and the realized had an older front end on it, now I have read the whole thing.

    My main concern with both y'alls plan is indoor air quality. There is dust collectors, and then there is dust collectors that are effective.

    Here is a local thread you might find interesting: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....uality-Monitor

    In that thread I posted a picture of the particle counter I was using at the time. I have since upgraded one step up from that model to a current product from the same manufacturer, looks identical powered off, that also has a homeowner grade robust CO2 monitor in it. The particle counter only (Plantronics S50 series sensor) is still about $60 on the big river, the upgrade with the CO2 monitor is about $75.

    No matter how much you spend on your dust collector, I think it is prudent to measure your actual air quality when you think the air is clean.

    Humping a lunchbox planer up and down basement steps is going to get old very very fast.

    My new 12x24 shop is grade level, and it is really tight. Right next to the over head door is going to be my 6" jointer that can roll right out onto the driveway pad. Adjacent indoor storage for my lunchbox, and adjacent my RAS on a pretty nice cart. Next to that will be (it fits on the scale model of paper cutouts) will be my homebuilt filter array for particles under 50 microns. All of the RAS, planer and jointer are strictly outdoor tools at my new place.

    My setup has two short comings, I cannot resaw anything much bigger than a 2x2 with my 9" bandsaw, and I do not have room for effective dust collection. However, I do have room for all the homeowner tools I will ever use, and a fairly well equipped hand tool set for jointed furniture.

    I am going to be probably pretty happy in my new space. However, if my next shop is a two car garage, perhaps 24x24, I would likely continue to use the RAS, planer and jointer outdoors and use the new found space for lumber storage and to have room to build something bigger than a refrigerator, like a canoe or two.

    I do not have a tablesaw. At my age, with my rotator cuffs, I am keeping the jointer and the planer and just hand planing the machine marks off my dimensioned stock. I think of them as my electric apprentices.

    God bless you for taking on furniture in 12x18. There are going to be some days when you will know you have been working.

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