Tool (gloats) pics & (re) intro.

[Chuck Dienzo]

Hey Y'all,

I just wanted to (re)introduce myself- now that I've finally gotten around to taking some pics.

As you can see, my name is Chuck. My wife and I bought our home about 10 months ago. After getting all the major "old house" issues squared away, I can finally get started on organizing my garage-based shop. As I had stated in another thread, the space is about 18'x20' so it's not quite a full-sized 2-car garage. Luckily, I'm able to use the entire space, since our lovely SoCal weather allows us to park outside year-round. Oddly enough though, there's an old gas furnace mounted in the rafters. I haven't fired it up and I can't imagine anyone ever needing it- unless the space was formerly someone's living quarters.

I began my (used) tool search right around May and I think I’ve done fairly well for myself. Here we go....

1. Powermatic 64S (used once & fence still in box, wrapped in cellophane) + Powermatic 66 w/ a handful of Amana blades & 2 dado sets, a few shop-made featherboards and 50” Biesemeyer fence (According to serial, from 1983. Used 5 years in a cabinet shop, then put in storage). $500 for both.

2. “Transpower” 14” Bandsaw w/ Jet riser kit. $20

3. Delta TP400LS 12.5” Thickness planer. $120 (Guy also threw in a 7” face vise.)

4. Delta 50-760 Dust Collector, literally used once. $175

5. 10+ year old HF/Frejoth 6” jointer w/ new knives. Free.

6. Delta HD shaper 43-351. Traded straight-up for a Canon digital Rebel SLR.

7. Freud 6" Super Dado, NIB. $80

The bandsaw is a Taiwanese Delta clone, like so many out there. The Jet riser kit fit with minor modifications. The pins lined up fine but I needed to grind away a little bit of the new blade guard in order to clear a guide adjustment screw. It’s the 4-speed, HF style, pulley deal. I’ve gotten a longer link belt and have bypassed the 2nd pulley set, like so many others have done. This one is nice because it's a full 1 hp with a closed stand.
The jointer cut surprisingly smooth and with a little tweaking, has started producing square edges & faces.
By far, I think the pair of PM table saws is my favorite acquisition. It works out well too, since I don’t yet have 220V in the garage. Until then, I have the 64 available, so I can afford to wait on the installation. The 66 does need some cleanup- the usual stuff, rusty table, gunked/pitched up worms, etc. I did get to use it before I took it home though. Appeared to run like a champ and my numerous measurements indicate that it’s still very much aligned. When I finally get a 220 circuit installed, I’ll likely sell the contractor saw- at this point, I can’t justify owning doubles of any machine. The 66, I just noticed, came with a Marathon 3hp 1ph motor. I thought that 66s had always been spec'd with Baldor motors. Could this be a replacement?

I added some pics of the future shop space, too. As you can see, I've got plenty of work ahead of me.

[Chuck Dienzo]

Here are pics of the garage in its current, cluttered state.

[Matt Logana]

I am jelous.... thats a nice setup...

If you ever find yourself with not enough room for that PM66, that shaper, or even the dust collector... I would be glad to take it off your hands...


I would find out about that living quarters thing: A) If its no longer classified as a garage, in zoning, then you can have a combustable floor, which is good for your feet. B) If its not zoned as a garage, and they find out you ever parked a car in there... you could be in a sack of trouble... C) You have more choices for wall covering, should you want to do wall to wall Plywood, to replace the sheetrock.

[David Nelson1]

Good find "Ole Man"! Looks as if your your way to a very useful shop and area. My only suggestion beside long base cabinets upper cabinet storage would be to get the heavy equipment on a mobile cart to optimize work space. I'm in the process of redo my work space. Unfortunately I fell the beginning of June and I'm still off of work but I'm getting better. So the drywall installation or up and my wood rack is built just waiting for the day I can get some help unloading 2000 bdft of oak for my flooring project. Good luck and keep the pics coming as progress increases. It helps everyone (especially us newbies) with ideas.

Here is the link to my shop revamp. Sorry if it seems that I hi jacked your thread. That was not my the intent .

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=145774

[Chuck Dienzo]

Hi guys, Thanks for the replies. Matt, it's pretty common around here for folks to turn their garages into (non-permitted) living quarters. I'm certain that mine is still zoned as a garage. On further investigation, there are chips and gouges on the floor that look like they were caused by ripping up some AstroTurf-style carpet. I'm just glad I didn't have to remove an illegal toilet or shower pan. Oh, and I wouldn't put too much stock in my owning all these tools- Mostly, I still don't know what I'm doing!

David, I very much appreciate the link documenting your shop's progress. I always enjoy seeing how others go about it. It looks like you've got plenty of toys, too! I hope your health continues to progress to where everything feels normal again. If you're receiving rehab, hopefully your PT has been nice to you- but not TOO nice, haha....

[Bob Elliott]

Ahhhhh.....the California Basement. I am a California transplant from Illinois and I have a friend from Michigan who calls his garage the California Basement. Makes perfect sense to me. I wish I had a basement so bad...

I parked my truck in my garage for 1 month after I bought my house in 2001. There hasn't been a vehicle in it since. Enjoy your garage and let the sawdust fly!

Bob in Santa Cruz, CA

[Chuck Dienzo]

That's a good way to think of it, Bob. I haven't seen too many basements around here, but my friends who do have one (pretty much 75% of the home's total footprint) use it for storage- some people are just hard to figure out....

[Dan Karachio]

Chuck, you absolutely rock! There was a thread a while back about how much it costs to start a shop and you raised the bar on finding deals. Fantastic! You have all the commonly noted essential power tools and dust collection! That's huge.

I have a basement shop, but it always isn't as great as it seems. Imagine carrying all that stuff down steep narrow stairs! I know you only have to do it once.

One comment. I know two saws might seem excessive, but having one set up with for dadoing... that would be living the dream!

[Van Huskey]

YOU SUCK! Very nice haul!

[Dave MacArthur]

Really nice work on the acquisitions! You'll love the PM66, start wiring that 220 now!
Indeed, you do suck! Nicely acquired.

[Norman Hitt]

Hey Y'all,

The 66, I just noticed, came with a Marathon 3hp 1ph motor. I thought that 66s had always been spec'd with Baldor motors. Could this be a replacement?

Chuck, ALL the PM 66's did come with Baldor motors, (all the older ones anyhow), but if it was used by a commercial shop, it is very possible that it had a 3 phase motor originally, and someone changed it to a single phase to make it easier to sell and bring more money. On the other hand it is always "Possible" that they wore the motor out, but highly unlikely I would think.

I bought mine new in June of 1991 and it came with a 3 hp single phase Baldor motor.

Congratulations on the terrific deals you have found.
Keep both saws if you possibly can, 'cause it really is nice to have one set up for Dados and the other free to do other things without having to change the setup. (I have my PM 66, the Craftsman contractor saw I gave my dad for xmas in '59 or '60, and also keep a Friend's Rigid for him in my shop, and I use it too, gotta get a little rent somehow, right?).

PS: If you were planning on doing Woodworking as a Hobby, I don't think you should waste your time, because I think YOU need to take up TOOL Trading as a Hobby, 'cause you won't have to go through ANY Learning Curve to do that.

[Don Jarvie]

Some have added the contractors saw to the extension table next to the 66 and set it up for dados. Then you can use the same fence for both saws and save space.

[Chuck Dienzo]

Norman, thanks for the 2nd career advice- I could start a tool brokerage firm for SMC'ers, haha! I'm happy to receive my 1st "YOU SUCK" on the here, too- I feel like my initiation into woodworking has officially begun.

Don, your suggestion sounds great, but ultimately, since I rather enjoy the process of setting up and dialing in my machines, the 64 will be for sale as soon as my cousin and I upgrade the shop's electrical. Besides, I'll likely end up using the proceeds to buy wood- something of which I am currently in short supply....

[Mike Cruz]

Wow, great deals on your equipment. The best part about it, believe it or not, is that you will likely be getting even better stuff in the future! For example: You can probably sell your BS for $100-$150 bucks. You might find an upgrade for that or maybe just a few bucks more. That's what I've done. I've gone from a HF 7" jointer to a Delta 6" Jointer to a Delta 8" Jointer. Getting deal after deal. I found a Grizzly single bag 2 HP dust collector for $125, new that it was a good price, ended up selling it for $200 when I found a Grizzly double bag 3 hp for $200.

Your shop will be ever evolving. Enjoy it!

In the meantime...somebody's got a bunch of organization to dooooooooo....

Hehe, as do I.