partial shop tour

Tom Bussey

Member
Messages
145
Location
Nashua Iowa
DSC02364.jpgMy shop is in a separate building. It has a total of about 1900 sq. feet. Lighting is florescent with daylight bulbs. It has wooden floors with tile on top. It has 200 amp service and no heat or air conditioning other than a couple of space heaters and a couple of fans, so it is only useable about 9 months out of the year. As far as I can find out the building is 114 years old with no insulation what soever. Being on a fixed income I can't afford to heat is even a little, but I do have a small bench lathe and a scroll saw at home so I don' have complete withdrawl.

I do happen to have a couple pictures of my bench and which is kind of in the middle of the room. I like to be able to work all around it. It has 2 20 amp retractable drop cords and one retractable air drop line over the bench. The few machines can be seen against to wall behind it are from left to right, a router table with a home made lift, a 15 thickness planner, a 13 inch thickness planner. A drum sander, and a shaper can also be seen if one looks closely. And I also have one unfinished project still waiting for me. The machines are on wheels and are pulled out for use. The dust collection goes through the wall and then down basement where the dust collector is. There is a 55 gallon trash can with a cyclone lid on it to get the chips before going to the basement. I will take some more as soon as I open my shop more to the end next month if there is any interest

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Usually it is a mess just like every one else's. I try to really clean it just before I bed it down for the winter. With dropping stuff off and getting things I doubt if I can find the bench top at this time. The last couple of days I was working on a shooting board and it is still right where and how I left it.
 
That is indeed a pretty sweet looking bench. Love the floor as well.

The leg design on the bench is interesting, I'm guessing the cabinet is essentially self supported underneath?

Neat idea on the screw in/out lower for the leg vise.
 
Great space and wowser bench Tom. Bit of a bummer u cannot use it in the winter. That's when I find a shop time is more on my mind than any other time. Being cooped up is NOT for me.

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I built the legs first. The stretchers are through tenens and tightened with a wedge I added a couple of pictures so you can see them better. The build kind of got away from me when I decided to add the leg vise, so some of the mess at the bottom is making something work that wasn't in the original planning. The cabinet was an after thought also. If I had to do it over again I would put the stretchers lower and put the leg vise at the other end so I could plane long stuff either right or left handed. I would keep it on the back side because I like shoulder vises and I am not a fan of leg vises, but to each his own.

The top takes 4 men to carry it. The top is not fastened in anyway to the main frame but it is cleated so it can't move. Provisions were made so the top can expand and contract. that takes place at the tool tray. The legs are an assembly and were made in such a way that blocks can be added at the bottom to raise the bench height or lower it. To lower it the top, the assemble just goes against the rip fence and the blocks shortened. That kind of take care of the question about bench height. One can easily add or saw off and get what ever height pleases you. Height is easily changed for the next owner.

After 45 years of woodworking I kind of ran out of room in the basement. And it was much cheaper to buy an old building in town than to even build a 2 stall garage which I didn't have land for. Yes I have room but I have kind of filled it up
Love to look at others for ideas.

Dave wrote: Love to look at others for ideas. Keep em coming. So I thought I would give someone some ideas maybe.

I can't seem to add pictures, Anyway idea.. I was able to add to the original post.
 
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