Sow's Ear Update: 05/15/07

[LarryG]

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

More Clamps: Really? You think? Okay, I'll order some more ...

Woodstove: The safety question aside, keeping the stove wasn't an option because the body was all rusted to pieces, making it unusable. The placement of the flue also complicated the tool layout.

Lighting: The building originally had five or six bare incandescent bulbs. It now has 26 (!) four-foot, two-tube fluorescent shop lights. All but five of these use 32W T8 bulbs, which put out more light than T12s (which is what the remaining five fixtures are; I relocated those from my other shop). I wired the lights on two circuits in sort of a checkerboard pattern; the overall light level is not bad even with only half the lights on. With both switches on, I think I could do brain surgery in there if I had a license. (I had all the lights on when I took this series of pictures; I don't think the flash on the camera ever fired.) Also, I bought 6500* daylight bulbs, for the best color rendition when projects get to the finishing stage.

Layout: When I first started drawing up the floor plan in CAD, I wasn't sure I was going to EVER find a workable arrangement -- and this was before I decided to buy the cabinet saw, which obviously takes up a lot more room than my BT, and the drum sander. But, gradually, the current layout began to reveal itself and I think I'm going to be reasonably happy with it. There are a few items that are not optimally located in relation to each other; but given that this space is about 2.4 times larger than my old shop, I'll somehow muddle through ...

[Thom2]

It now has 26 (!) four-foot, two-tube fluorescent shop lights.

HOLY SHIZZOLIES BATMAN!

[JR]

It's really coming along, Larry. That's a very nice space, which should serve you well for a long time.

I also appreciate the VERY stealthy Powermatic gloat!

JR

[LarryG]

HOLY SHIZZOLIES BATMAN!

Eight bucks each at Wally World, so it wasn't as bad as you might think. The danged bulbs cost almost as much as the fixtures (but, as I said, I wanted daylights).

Our electrical consultant ran the numbers and told me 18 fixtures would have given me the same (and perfectly adequate) overall lighting level I had in my old shop. But due to the way the ceiling is framed, in order to get an even distribution over the various workstations, I had to increase this to 25 on the ceiling (the attic hatch caused me to lose one) plus one fixture under the wall cabinets in the background.

[Pappy]

Great looking set up, Larry.

"It now has 26 (!) four-foot, two-tube fluorescent shop lights."

I planned 15 (3 rows of 5) for a 24x27 area and thought that was plenty. Hopefully with the higher overhead and addition of windows I will be OK.

[LCHIEN]

I think its all photoshopped because... a real shop would have some wood somewhere!

Where's the wood?

[TheRic]

I think its all photoshopped because... a real shop would have some wood somewhere!

Where's the wood?

He did say he spent hours on the computer juggling things to get the shop just right!!!

[LarryG]

Where's the wood?

Still at Lowe's. Or maybe it's at Home Depot. Definitely one or the other, because we don't have Menard's here.

Seriously ... look at the miter saw picture. It's right there in plain sight: a half-sheet of OSB, and about a four-foot-long piece of 1x4. And while I realize you can't see it, I'll have you know there's a FULL SHEET of that $25 Chinese birch hiding behind the laminate. Just how much wood does a guy need, anyway?

Okay, REALLY seriously ... my old shop space had an adjoining 6x12 room in which I stored both lumber and sheet goods; most of what I have is still there, and will probably remain there. I also have some rough lumber stacked in an open shed behind this new shop building. And there are a couple other places I can perhaps press into service, too.

To hold smaller pieces, I plan to build a rolling lumber cart that will park in the space between the cabinet saw and the dust collector.

[Thom2]

Where's the wood?

The guy just moved into a shop 2.4 times the size of his old one.

I'm sure there's plenty of it EVERY TIME he walks thru the door

[LarryG]

The guy just moved into a shop 2.4 times the size of his old one.

I'm sure there's plenty of it EVERY TIME he walks thru the door

Shaking his last Luckie from a crumpled pack, the cigarette-smoking cat calmly lit it with his Zippo and said: "Check with your boss, see if he still has my shipping address from when he sent me that last new monitor. 'Cause you're going to need it again."

[LCHIEN]

good one Thom.
Seriously the guy's got 2 table saws, every tool you need, space out the wazoo and he has 1/2 sheet of OSB and a 4-ft 1x4?
We should have a new BT3Central contest, what can you make from
a 16 sq ft. of OSB and a 4' 1x4.

OTOH, If I read correctly, none of those tools has power, either.
Which at the moment gives me enough reason to gloat.

[LarryG]

Seriously the guy's got 2 table saws

For the moment. The BT is for sale.

every tool you need

Hmm, let's see here ... no lathe, no disc sander, no 8" jointer, no air filter, no air compressor except an anemic little pancake, no ... ah, er, hmmm, I guess that's about all that's on the shopping list.

space out the wazoo

This point I'll cheerfully concede. After three years in a 10x19 space, having an entire two-car garage to knock around in is going to take some getting used to!

OTOH, If I read correctly, none of those tools has power, either.
Which at the moment gives me enough reason to gloat.

Better make that a 120V gloat. I took these pictures last Saturday. On Sunday, I finished running power to all the 240V tools (TS, BS, jointer) and they are all fully operational. Zoom zoom!

[Brian G]

It's looking great, Larry. Is there some slick engineering reason that you used metal duct on the exit out of the DC blower? That caught my eye (among other cool things).

Oh, by the way, YOU SUCK!

[drumpriest]

Outstanding workspace Larry. You are destined to have a ton of fun there making things.

I think I recognize that there new table saw, LOL.

[lrogers]

In a single word, AWESOME!