My Workshop

I moved in 2005 and had the great pleasure of giving up my basement workshop to now occupy a bay in the garage of the new house. I can't tell you how fabulous it is to be at ground level and no longer need to haul wood and equipment up and down a basement stairs. Believe me, it's a very liberating feeling.

As in the basement shop, instead of standing on a concrete floor, I found these snap together tiles that are commonly used for children's playrooms. They're bright and cheerful, as you can see, and are really comfortable to stand on.

I still use plastic sheeting to somewhat close off the workshop from the rest of the garage. This is primarily to protect the cars parked in the garage from the inevitable chunk of wood that occasionally decides to make a fast exit from the lathe.

This is a picture of my newest tool cart. It's the frame of an old cardiac crash cart from a local medical center. The big wheels roll effortlessly over the floor tiles. I cut shelving to fit. The top shelf has holes drilled to the right to hold my tools. The points are down so they are protected (so am I).

There is a small basket on the left side that holds miscellaneous items that would otherwise clutter up the top and roll off the cart.

The middle shelf holds a sandpaper organizer. I typically buy sandpaper in sheets and tear it into 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" strips. The organizer does a great job of holding everything and keeps the bulk of the shavings out. It has sliding drawers for easy access, too.

The bottom shelf doesn't hold much at the moment, but it'll fill up before too long....

I have 2 stacks of wood. The picture on the left shows 8' long shelves, most of which hold wood, but the two middle shelves hold assorted tools and solvents at eye level for easy access. I use the top two shelves to hold roughed bowls so they can dry. I find if they're out of sight, I'm less likely to rush the turning process and can wait more patiently for them to dry.

The picture on the right is another set of 8' shelves that are hung over my home made work bench. These shelves hold smaller blanks, primarily for boxes and mosaic forms, as well as loads of wood for finials.

The work bench has a sheet of hardboard on top that is surfaced in gloss white. This makes the workspace brighter and I can easily see everything on the workbench. No more losing little screws and assorted other small items on a dark surface.

Also, the workbench is hard wired with outlets on both ends. I've found that workshops always seem to need more outlets, so this was my solution.

I have a 14" bandsaw and slow speed, 8" grinder. I have the wolverine system on the grinder so I can accurately sharpen my tools. I'm not very good at maintaining a smooth grind freehand, hence the jig. The grinder is on a cart that I built. The casters lock, so that if the grinder vibrates, it doesn't wander around the floor while it's running. I have two small sliding shelves just underneath the top which hold the jig for the fingernail grind on the bowl gouges as well as dressing stones. The rest of it is just storage right now.

In between the bandsaw and grinder, I have standard and metric T-handled allen wrench sets mounted on the wall for easy access, as well as a bin to hold power sanding discs. My power sander is also hung on the wall below the bin. Everything is out of the way but easy to get to.

I don't do a lot of outboard turning, but it's nice to have the option, so I have the 17" extension on the outboard side of my lathe. As you can see, right now, I'm opting to use it as a work station rather than for turning. This is where I do the texturing on my mosaic forms. I have a light with magnetic base that sits on the ways, and I have a wooden top that slides onto the ways clamp-style so it will slide on and off, but won't tip when leaned on. I sit the Powercrafter (high speed, turbine, pneumatic rotary tool) on this and it provides a comfortable, stable work station.

At the far end of the bay from the workbench, is the compressor and dust collector. The challenge was to get them far away, but still be close enough to be convenient and not have to worry about tripping over hoses. The quarters are a little tight, but so far, it's working out really well.

And, of course, you can see the garage door. Spring and fall are great for opening the door and letting in the sun and fresh air.

Well, that's the new shop. I know some of you have been waiting for me to get around to updating this page, so I hope you've enjoyed it. Thanks for visiting!

Mosaic Bowls Mosaic Forms Boxes Links Home