Small wood turning shop ideas??

Bart Leetch

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Location
Clinton, Washington on Whidbey Island
Thinking about making a canopy type shelter out of wood on the 8'x12' flatbed trailer I got from my Dad designed to haul 5000lbs when we had booster springs we hauled 9200lbs on it no problems. I could have a lathe & a band-saw + wood & heat & electrical & light & sharpening equipment. What more do I need to do wood turning. What think ye my turning friends?
 
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Wood? :D :D

I think you have most things covered. I might add a scoop shovel and a wheel barrow.. oh and of course a chainsaw if you're doing bowls (in which case you could in theory skip the bandsaw but its still nice so..).
 
You are gonna need some turning tools, but you might have covered that with "tools". How are you going to dry your blanks? If a kiln, where's it gonna be? If on racks or shelves, where they gonna be? Besides a regular gas chain saw to add to your list along with the lathe and bandsaw, I recommend a decent electric chain saw. Some blanks need trimming and you don't discover that until you are inside. Gas saw no good inside. Heapum bad medicine. I found an electric one works great for small stuff that occurs and sometimes a reciprocating saw takes forever.
 
I recommend a decent electric chain saw.

Any specific ones you've tried?

I sprang for the Oregon CS1500 and while its quite good for a $150 (down to $125 now apparently) saw with a real metal sprocket and everything I don't reckon its going to last forever as its still fairly lightly built. I was able to rip a 14" wide 24" long chunk of walnut with it though and its been a real bang up handy little rig around the yard :D

Edit: I looked at the stihl saws which look really good but I still have some mental blockage about paying that much for an electric. Ditto the greenworx.
 
The one I use is Worx from Lowe's. It's either 14 or 15 amp. Plenty for the light stuff I use it for. I use it for trimming corners off blanks to make them more round and the like. Any real cutting I break out one of the Stihl's and get with it. But, when I break out the big boys (440 or 880) I map out my cutting so my time and energy with them is better served. That 880 will wear you out real fast.
 
There used to be a youtube guy called, I think, "tiny trailer workshop." Might be worth looking up... or not. I also heard of a guy who traveled around the country attending local meetings all over with a small trailer set up as a woodturning shop. Maybe this will ring a bell with someone who can chime in with some info on his web presence... can't remember his name either. Anyway if you can find some photos it might give you some ideas for your set up.
 
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