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My Current Shop (2003-Today)

Overview of My Third and Current Shop:
When we decided to move from Westland, one of the major requirements of our new house was that it had the room to support a good sized basement woodshop. Well, I got what I wanted, and I’m now in another basement shop. It’s fantastic. Cool in the summer, warm in the winter, I don’t share space with vehicles, the floor is relatively level, and I’ve even got an egress window to let in plenty of sunlight and fresh air. My only challenge is getting tools and plywood downstairs and completed pieces upstairs, but with a little planning that’s not a big roadblock.

One of the investments that’s given us the most “peace of mind” is a good alarm system. Ours is monitored and covers all areas of our house – including the shop. A smoke detector and fire extinguisher are also a must, and this shop has those bases covered as well. I also installed rubber interlocking mats over most of the concrete floor to help keep my feet warm and cushioned. I feel very comfortable and as safe as can be expected in my shop.

Here’s an overview of the shop layout. Overall size is 20'x22'. This should help put the photos that follow in perspective.

Front and center, my Unisaw with Excalibur overarm blade guard and shop-made outfeed table/downdraft table:

In the center of the shop is a cluster of the most-frequently used dimensioning tools. When you start from rough lumber you need to focus on the jointer, planer, and tablesaw to get things to S4S, so these are the tools that are centered in the shop. I find it makes for a nice workflow to have these three tools close together and readily available with plenty of infeed/outfeed space. So here is a shot from the front corner of the shop that shows the jointer, planer, and tablesaw cluster.

And here's another shot from the rear with a better view of the infeed side of the jointer and planer. It's also a good view of the suction hose for my downdraft table.

Circling around the shop, starting from the SouthWest corner, my utility workbench with pegboard storage, the benchtop mortiser, and the oscillating belt/spindle sander. Note the grouping of cordless drills/drivers that all share the same 14.4V powerpacks, and the cased hand-held power tools stored on the lower shelf of the bench:

And to the right, more pegboard storage, CMS station, my grandfather's old Gerstner tool chest, a PC with internet access and all my MP3s for music, and the scroll saw. The lower shelf under the PC monitor is the home for my Leigh dovetail jig:

Continuing around, here’s the Normie-autographed NYW poster, PSU banner, TwinTwin Bench, Hand Tool Storage, and drill bit storage cabinet:

Moving “right” along (ha ha – get it?), the router table and lathe work area:

Here is the lathe, clamp storage, egress window, and bandsaw:

Another view at the bandsaw, and also the drill press, dust collector, a few other clamps:

Here is a side view of the dust collector, and also wood storage, the drum sander, and the air compressor. You can also see part of the air cleaner hanging from the ceiling in the upper right corner of the picture:

Next we come full circle in the shop to the saw blade storage cabinet, tool boxes, and sharpening center:

And I actually cheat a little bit by keeping some storage outside the shop (as noted by the white shelving units on the outside of the west wall). Here are the shelves where I store finishing supplies and a laundry sink:

And the last picture (again outside the shop) is another lumber storage rack and a filing cabinet for misc supplies and literature:

You can find much more detailed info about the shop equipment on my Tools and Shop Projects & Jigs pages.

Questions/comments? Send me an email!