Wow! what a weekend it was. Happy Birthday to me!
Creeker Visit 1
Last Friday night I became the proud beneficiary of fellow Creeker Steve Rowe's generosity. You may have seen his post for a FREE outfeed table. Well, I have to tell you, it is so much more than that. Part outfeed table, part worktable, part storage cabinet.
But, before I show you how well it works in my garage/shop, let me first say visiting his shop was truly inspiring! Lets just say garage bays 4-6 were dedicated to woodworking!
Norm and David Marks would both be jealous. For one, I had never seen a sliding table saw. That thing was bigger than my SUV! Not only that, the whole shop was well lit, incredibly neat, and seemed to have everything you would ever need. I'm pretty sure he's shooting his own DIY Network program in that joint.
It was both humbling and inspiring. He and his sweet wife gave my father and me a tour of the work he (woodworking) and she (quilting) had done over the years. Beautiful and, again, inspiring.
I left convinced I needed to whip my garage into shape. Unfortunately I don't have photos of Steve's shop, but here are a couple of mine.
Gloat
Notice the prominent "outfeed" table in the middle of the room.
5 drawers and a cabinet door on each side. Precut miter slots, which, to my amazement aligned perfectly with the ones I had cut in my Frankensaw 2 years ago. Adjustable feet, to bring it level with the saw. It's perfect!
All I can say is, "Thanks, Steve. You are truly generous."
Creeker Visit 2 and De-Gloat
A secondary benefit of this little pickup is it forced me to let go of a large worktable that had been hanging around for several years. I contacted fellow Creeker Paul Fitzgerald, and turns out he didn't have a workbench of any kind. So I popped in the in truck and dropped it off.
(As you can tell, I came out ahead on this deal!)
Paul's shop was inspiring in a different way. While Steve and his wife have children that have grown up and moved away, Paul is engaged and just getting started. He, like I, is working out of his 2-car garage. When you talk to Paul, see his shop, or read his posts even, his energy and excitement about woodworking is palpable. It is amazing how much he has going in that little space.
He introduced me to his lovely fiancee. They are hoping to craft boxes to use as gifts for their wedding later this year. A great idea, I think. The funny thing is, his fiancee is still trying to find a way to get her car back in the garage. My wife gave up long ago.
Anyway, thanks Paul. Congratulations on your wedding, and thanks so much for freeing up some of my shop space.
In conclusion, it is great getting to be a part of the SMC community. I really enjoy interacting with all of you.
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I had to see what a de-gloat was...
