Does anyone ever finish setting up their shop?

[Knottscott]

I did once, but then I changed it.

[Pappy]

I think this is a lifetime endeavor.

And I hope to spend a lot of years working on it!

[Tom Slick]

"Finishing" the shop wouldn't be very kaizen. If I did finish I'd have to move on to something else. why would I want to do that?

[drumpriest]

I'm finished for now, how about that? I'd like a bigger lathe, but I have run out of power tools to buy for the moment. I have gone to rockler and woodcraft for the past year for sales, and just cannot think of anything to buy other than project materials at this point. The shop is pretty well filled up, space wise, as well.

Now is it DONE, no....I'm sure new innovations will arise, and that as my projects change, I'll need more stuff, perhaps less stuff, different stuff, etc... When it goes into a new building, it'll start all over again. Shops are meant to be fluid, because we are beings of constant change. One key feature of my mostly done shop is everything being mobile, so it's flexible for the project that I'm doing.

[LinuxRandal]

I'm waiting on Whaler to chime in.

He decided to move into a different housing situation, and sold off his shop. Then he got the opportunity to have a small one with some other members there. Then marriage, and now back into a house again.


I think his actions pretty well sum it up.


Not if we are lucky!

[docrowan]

Shoot, I'm setting up TWO shops. I'm still setting up the 12X20 I own now, plus my imaginary 16X32 that will be my retirement shop.

[TB Roye]

If I finish the shop, I die. Kinda like the women in San Jose with the Winchester Mystery House. May shop is 10x12 and I am alway trying to find a better way. Some time when I get bored I will rearange it and find it doesn't work and move everything back. I am thinking of doing something again but have to many projects at the moment. The BT3, jointer, planer and miter saw are in the garage while the router, table, bandsaw, and drill press are in the shop along with my lathe and two work benches.

Tom

[Tom Clark]

I finished setting up my shop 10 years ago.
However, I still keep adding things to it!

[TheRic]

Nope

[dbhost]

I'm waiting on Whaler to chime in.

He decided to move into a different housing situation, and sold off his shop. Then he got the opportunity to have a small one with some other members there. Then marriage, and now back into a house again.


I think his actions pretty well sum it up.


Not if we are lucky!

Huh, kind of funny, I have a sort of similar story, I started collecting tools, setting up what I could for a workshop in the patio locker thingy on the balcony of my first apartment. My neighbors must have thought I was nuts ripping lumber on a set of folding sawhorses with a circular saw and a straight edge... I never have sold off my tools, but I never set up what I would honestly call a workshop, or mostly dedicated space to work, until the mistake of my life left.. When I was with her my tool purchases were kept at an absolutely must have to complete this specific task SHE wanted done kind of thing... I then became again, and finances were better, and I was certainly free to do what I wanted, and I did... Some promotions came, a wonderful woman came, and you know what she says? Not going into debt to do this? Fine, buy the best tools you can come up with so we don't have to do it again...

I'm the cheapo here, not her...

Oh yeah, I am still known occasionally to rip sheet goods on the sawhorses... I cut a lot of my window boards for the hurricane that way...

[eezlock]

does anyone ever finish setting up their shop?

Naw...I don't think so, at least from where I come from. I'm always thinking
about ways to re-arrange things and make the shop more useable, easier to get around in and do my projects. Just recently, I have been doing more of the mobility projects for my machines. I really like it a lot better than before,
I can move any or all of them around, easier to use and also keep the shop a lot cleaner. My next idea is to make my heavy, heavy work table mobile and
maintain stability!

My biggest problem is one half of my shop is devoted to metal working (12"x12')and the other half is devoted to woodworking (12'x12'). It is not only the
machines but their storage and workbenches and that take up a lot of room!

I have spent several days in the last two weeks, doing nothing but clean up, clear out, relocate,and re-organizing most of my entire shop. Now I can get some things done that I wanted to do for a long while.

So to answer you initial question....I doubt that will ever happen at least to me! eezlock

[LCHIEN]

Do you really think I can quit arranging my shop in this lifetime?

Can you even find it? (I should talk)

[charliex]

YES!! I have....... 27 times so far and still counting.

[dbhost]

Naw...I don't think so, at least from where I come from. I'm always thinking
about ways to re-arrange things and make the shop more useable, easier to get around in and do my projects. Just recently, I have been doing more of the mobility projects for my machines. I really like it a lot better than before,
I can move any or all of them around, easier to use and also keep the shop a lot cleaner. My next idea is to make my heavy, heavy work table mobile and
maintain stability!

My biggest problem is one half of my shop is devoted to metal working (12"x12')and the other half is devoted to woodworking (12'x12'). It is not only the
machines but their storage and workbenches and that take up a lot of room!

I have spent several days in the last two weeks, doing nothing but clean up, clear out, relocate,and re-organizing most of my entire shop. Now I can get some things done that I wanted to do for a long while.

So to answer you initial question....I doubt that will ever happen at least to me! eezlock

I know the feeling about a "split function shop", and even if you have a dedicated shop space, you might have several, uh, hobbies going on in there. While mine is PRIMARILY woodworking, it splits time being an auto repair / hot rod shop, electronics shop, and R&D for some ideas for fishing equipment i have been playing with space...

[shoottx]

Can you even find it? (I should talk)

Yup and I even spent the weekend out there making drawers for the new router table and a shop storage cabinet