Shop Renovation: Ned's Shop gets a facelift: Relocation plans

Looks like you made a tone of headway Ned!

Warms the cockles of my heart to see you back in the saddle.

its amazing how cheap I get when I start cleaning out the wood piles.
Im determined to throw out(into the fire pit) all the strips and shorts I havent touched since last time I cleaned out, maybe 8-10 months ago, but after I sort it all out, I ended up stashing half that pile back on open shelf space.
Just cant get myself to toss the scraps, figuring, well, one day Ill make a board, a pen, a toy, whatever.

so, you tossing anything ned?

Jeff Bower said:

Looks like you made a tone of headway Ned!

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Thanks Jeff,
yep lots of headway indeed!

Rennie Heuer said:

Warms the cockles of my heart to see you back in the saddle.

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Going to have to wait a couple of days to see any more progress...

allen levine said:

its amazing how cheap I get when I start cleaning out the wood piles.
Im determined to throw out(into the fire pit) all the strips and shorts I havent touched since last time I cleaned out, maybe 8-10 months ago, but after I sort it all out, I ended up stashing half that pile back on open shelf space.
Just cant get myself to toss the scraps, figuring, well, one day Ill make a board, a pen, a toy, whatever.

so, you tossing anything ned?

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Actually I was very ruthless about tossing lots of scrap out, we're going to have a merry bonfire with it this weekend, or rather my wife and kids are.

Today everyone but the newlyparents went over to help two good friends move. I thought it was just to load the truck, but when it became obvious they had more stuff than room on the truck, all of a sudden I volunteered to a) drive the truck to TN for them, and b) let them fill my SUV with stuff... as it is, they're ruthlessly tossing out stuff tonight so we can leave in the morning, I will be helping them on this trip and then heading home sunday, arriving sometime on Monday after visiting my parents in Bridgewater and picking up the 'last' of the stuff we left down there.

Well, we had a nice 'start' to the summer last night. Just after I posted, we decided to have a bonfire:

Allen, those boxes are full of scraps I cleared out of the shop





I was editing one of several images I shot last night (over 300... multi frame kills me some time when I get to Post production)... and spotted a fire 'sprite' in silhouette:

I dropped a bit of cash yesterday, pics will have to wait until the DW brings back my SUV however. I picked up a 4' shop light and some bulbs, plus a couple of extension cords. I've worked for years with just one power point and one extension cord in the shop, and my plan is eventually to run a sub panel out there and surface mount some conduit etc (not going to pull down the plywood for wiring at this point). In the near term however I'm tired of tripping over cords, so I am going to run these two cords to my two main work areas. One is going up and over the center of the shop to the east wall to serve the table saw, planer and DC, the other will run along the wall to a point near the lathe and will serve the Lathe, grinder, work light and occasionally the jointer.

Off to make some brackets to hang the work light. Happy 4th of July All!

That sounds like a plan. I've had a 12 gauge 25' extension cord ran to my TS for years. I finally cut the female end off and mounted a 4 gang receptacle box on the back of the saw. It's conveniently under the edge of my out-feed/workbench table too

Darren Wright said:

That sounds like a plan. I've had a 12 gauge 25' extension cord ran to my TS for years. I finally cut the female end off and mounted a 4 gang receptacle box on the back of the saw. It's conveniently under the edge of my out-feed/workbench table too

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Darren, the two cords I picked up are 14 guage with triple outlet heads, I wound up running them both up to my existing light chain, then pulling one across to the far wall and down behind the lumber rack. The other I fed through both of the carabiner clips holding my light chain, and then down to the existing storage rack in the corner of the shop, this gets me power where I need it without tripping over cords, at least until I get the sub panel installed.

On the shop front, this weekend I did get a few more things accomplished:

Friday, I borrowed my son's pickup and picked up some 1/2" CDX, a couple of 2x4's and some rough cut 4/4 pine. The CDX is for shop update, to finish off the walls, plus rebuilding the doors at some point in the near future. The pine will wind up as a set of Jake's Chair Adirondack chairs.


Saturday didn't see a lot of shop time, the heat really kicked my butt this past week. Saturday evening I took a spill going out to dinner, and twisted a knee pretty heavily.
I did manage to start on hanging my chop-saw stand on the wall.

Sunday was a good day though, despite my knee giving me issues.

I found and put together my shop stereo:

It is my old Onkyo tuner plus a pair of bookshelf speakers from my college days. Plenty of power for my purposes, plus I found a patch cord that lets me hook my iPod through it. Pandora and my audible book collection will keep me entertained out there with no problems. I wish I knew what my son did to that one speaker last year, looks like heck, but it still sounds just fine.


Yesterday I finished hanging the chop-saw stand on the wall, when I need the space, I can stow the chop-saw under one of my benches, and then drop it down against the wall, in just about 6" of space. It can also work as an out-feed table for my TS

Cool...looks like you're making progress.

Vaughn McMillan said:

Cool...looks like you're making progress.

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I'm trying. I am going to forego shop stuff today and go to the CNYwoodturners meeting tonight. Hoping to get my mini into action soon.

My big problem is that I'm still sorting out piles and boxes of stuff...

well, that didn't go as planned. Lori was delayed coming home from work, so I wouldn't have made it to the opening of the meeting. ah well, september it is. (next meeting is on my birthday, and is only show & tell).

I will have to join by september though, Andy DiPietro is doing a demo in Sept, and I want to attend that. (met him at Bill G's a couple of years back).

So, I 'stole' the Buick and went in search of something to photograph:





from the historic erie canal near Chittenango NY. (historic vs active waterway)

Very nice...

Nice pics Ned good luck with all the shop reno.

Nice pics Ned. I had a similar experience yesterday. Was planning to attend the WW Guild meeting and take the tool and toy swap items for S&T, hopefully next month, just had to much to get done last night. I did get a trip in to the blue borg and caught some plants on clearance and spent a little time walking the isles.

I wish I could get my camera to act like this.

Brent Dowell said:

Very nice...

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Thanks Brent!

Rob Keeble said:

Nice pics Ned good luck with all the shop reno.

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Rob, glad you liked them, I have loads of shop time right now... enjoying it, but taking it slow.

Darren Wright said:

Nice pics Ned. I had a similar experience yesterday. Was planning to attend the WW Guild meeting and take the tool and toy swap items for S&T, hopefully next month, just had to much to get done last night. I did get a trip in to the blue borg and caught some plants on clearance and spent a little time walking the isles.

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Blue borg has become my favorite of the two lately as well.

Rennie Heuer said:

I wish I could get my camera to act like this.

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Thanks Rennie, makes me want to go shoot some more!

finally got the benchtop cleared... and installed a free window fan I brought back from VA. Made the planing activities today go a bit cooler. I'm in taking a water/interweb break, then grabbing a bite to eat in the AC before I go sweep up and get back to work out there.

I had a fan in my shop the first summer, lasted 3 minutes, as soon as the dust starting blowing into my eyes I had enough.

allen levine said:

I had a fan in my shop the first summer, lasted 3 minutes, as soon as the dust starting blowing into my eyes I had enough.

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Window fans should blow OUT, though, Allen... At least that is my understanding.

this one's a simpleton... only knows one direction. I want to swap it with the one I loaned to my son and daughter in law, which is reversible. (or I could go buy another one...)

the breeze felt good when I was working in front of it. I can see the 'dust goes out' thing though. and I may just reverse it when i get back out there.