Wood magazine best home workshops 2009 by Viktor Yakubovsky

ps C0nte nb ifffftrfiiilrk yourshop showcase $ F lf the shops in this editionof America's Best Home Workshopslook impressive,just imaginewhat the next issuewould be like with your shop included! Here's how. ri

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on the outside means roomy on I the inside,but the smallerdetailsmake this lllinoispole-barnshop a winner.

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{ $ Takinga full year for the design phase even before clearing the workshop site leads to perfect resultsfor this shop owner. -,--t ,s\ &E

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d* A* Everwonder how a shop might look if taken almost entirelyfrom the pages of WOODamagazine?Wonder no more.

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mOdeSt,bUt mighty A Lotsof mobitity, amptestorage,andseveratmuttipurpose t }{ *."/ \Jshop projectsget big resultsout of a smallspace.

tfil u! ?fr[[i,-r.nr,.. L\i work'shop Ame shop location may be the Deep South, but the inspirationfor much of the layoutand shop projects comes from a decidedlymore Nor'easterlydirection.

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builders . + f{ buddy * \*/ Constructing your own shop from scratch can be a rewardingexperience,but buildingit with the help of close friendsand family can be even more rewarding.

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/ \./ The sky may be the limit, but designinga workspace on the second floor of a two-story structure offers resultsthat rise above the ordinary.

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J \-/ Great ideas for organizationcan come from anywhere.For proof,just check out these clever and efficient projects from shops all over North America.

America'sBestHomeWorkshops 2009

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for setting up an organized garage shop: exile everything not related to woodworking somewhereelse.

delphia, a convefted garden-shedshop shows how you can get the most out of only 120 sq. ft.

wall-mounted tool tables, and attractive window treatments team up for a shop that's the perfect home away from home.

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\J \J and extremelyefficient,you'd never guess this woodshop started out as a bait shop in the 1930s. woodmagazine.com

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owner went "all aboard" to create a workspace loaded with railroad-themed details-both insideand out.

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From theoutside, PhilBumbalough's pole-barn shopstands large andproud. Butthemany smaller things onthe inside make it runlikeclockwork.

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or several years, Phil Burnbalough worked in a two-car garage. It was efficier-rt,but he felt squeezed into the srnall space.When he moved, he wantecl just the opposite at his new horne in Mctarnora, Ill.-a larger space where his layout could grow. He designed his new shop from the ground up, starting with a pole-barn structure rneasrrring 28x64' to give himsclf just what he wanted. Arnenities inclucle radiant heating and extensive dustcol lectior-rductwork embeclded in the concrete floor. Two roll-Lrp doors let in lots of natural light in good weathcr

ancl make it easy to rnove Itrmber in and ftrrniture out. A separate enclosed utility roorn stores lurnber and houses l-ris dust cyclone and air cornpressor (and a tractor), and also has its own rollup door. And, of course, it is big. "'fo rne a shop is really all abor,rt spacc,"Phil says."lf you don't have the space to work on things, it's not going to be enjoyable." 'l'hat rnay be true, and altl-rotrghlnany a woodworker rnigl-rtenvy the roominess of P h i l ' ss h o p ,w h a t r e a l l y m a k e s the space so efficient are the littlc thir-rgshe's planned into

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T Y P E :D e d i c a t ebdu i l d i n g . S I Z E :M a i ns h o p : 2 8 x 4 8 ' ( 1, 3 4 4s q f t ) ; e x t e n s i o n : 16x28'(4aB s q .f t . ) ;w i t h 1 1 'c e i l i n g throughout.

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A B O V EP: h i l ' s h o ph a st h r e e f u l l - s i z reo l l - u pd o o r s t; h e t w o o n t h e r i g h ts i d eo p e no n t ot h e m a i n s h o pw h i l et h e l e f t h a n dd o o r e n c l o s eass h o pu t i l i t yr o o m .

i t . J L r sat h a n d f t r l o f t l ' r c i d e a s l'hil carnc up r,r,itl'rcan ntake erren thc snrallc.stshc'r1t ntctre proclr-rctivc, r'riccr looking ancl nravbc cvcn feel a bit ltiggc'r.

With 1,344sq ft in the mainshoparea, Philhasplentyof spaceto maneuver. Amplestorage throughoutnot only givesthe work areaan evenmore spacious feel,but ensuresthat clutter is nevera problem.

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begirt r,r,itl-t,I)hil "r'r.r;rkcs" I u r n b c r f o r s l ' r o pc a b i n e t sb v a p r o c e s sh e c a l l s r i p a n d r o t a t e . H e s t a r t s l x ' p l a n i r - r g2 x 1 0 o r 2 x | 2 lrglllxtr-pine d intensiona I stocksrnooth and scluare,thelr rips it into stripsslightly thickcr than I'ris clesirec'ln'orkltieces. H e r o t a t e se a c h s t r i o 9 0 ' a n d

C ON S TR U C TI O N: P ol ebarn;metalext er ior , r alls. o a i n t e dO S Bi n t e r i ow HEATING & COOLING: R a d i a n th e a t e m b e d d e d c o n c r e t ef l o o r ; o v e r h e a d f a n sf o r c o o l i n g .

E T E C T R I C A2 L0 : 0-amp servi cew i th num er ous 1I 0 - a n d 2 2 0 - v o lot u t l e t s . L I G H T I N GC : ompact fl uorescent fi xt ur es. D U S TC OTTECTI O N: 2-hpW oodsuc ker cyclone connectedto duct wor k e m b e d d e di n f l o o r . AIR COMPRESSOR: 5 - h p ,6 0 - g a lP u m a ; d e d i c a t e ad i r l i n e s t h r o u g h o ust h o pw i t h n u m e r o u cs o n n e c t o r s .

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Phildividedhis pole-barnshop into two distinctareas,creatingan enclosedutility room (left)separatedfrom the main shop. Noisemakerssuchas his dust-collectioncycloneand air compressorresidethere,alongwith wood storage.Thereis an 800-sq.-ft.room upstairs currentlyusedfor storage;Philplansto build an office in the space.

arrangesthem for appearance before glue-up to createstable pine boards or panels (see photo, next page) with a riftsawn or quartersawn look at a fraction of the cost you might expect. "It takes more time than iust going out and picking up lumber, but you get beautiful boards for only about $1 a foot," he says.

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Flexibilig andmobility All maior machines in Phil's shop are on wheels. This lets him move tools out of the way if he wants to bring his truck inside to work on it. He also likes to tweak his layout occasionally, which is easier with the added mobility. Shop walls are changeable in their own way. Phil put 45" beveled cleats on each wall; every obiect on the walls hangs from them. Anything on the wall, from the

Amerlca's Best Home Workshops 2009

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L E F TE : v e nl a r g e s h o p s c a n r u n o u t o f w a l l s p a c e f o r h a n g i n gc l a m p sa n d o t h e r t o o l s ,s o P h i lb u i l t s t o r a g eh o l d e r st o a c c o m m o d a t et h e m . " T h i s u n i t b a s i c a l l yg i v e s m e a n o t h e r 8 ' o f w a l l s p a c e . "

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P h i l u s e sa t e c h n i q u eh e c a l l s" r i o a n d r o t a t e " t o c r e a t ea t t r a c t i v eb o a r d s a n d p a n e l so u t o f o r d i n a r y2 x 1 0 l u m b e r .H e c u t st h e l u m b e r i n t o s t r i p sa n d a r r a n g e s them for the best-looking g r a i n , r o t a t i n g s t r i p s9 0 ' a s n e e d e dt o g e t t h e b e s t e d g e g r a i n ,t h e n g l u e s t h e m u p a t w h a t e v e rw i d t h h e n e e d s .T h e r i f t s a w n o r q u a r t e r s a w ne f f e c t g i v e s a u n i f o r m a p p e a r a n c et o a l l t h e d o o r s a n d d r a w e rf r o n t s t h r o u g h o u t h i ss h o p .

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Eventhough he hasplenty of space,Philkeepsall of his major machinesmobile."lf I want to pull my truck in and work on it, I can movethings out of the way,"he explains."Plus,I can play around with the shopconfigurationa little bit." Hismobile basesare made of lVi'pine milledfrom standard2xl0 lumberand usecasterssized to the tool. Note how he usesonly two nonswivelingcasters(obove). When lifted with the wheeledhandlethe unit is fully mobile,but is perfectly stable when lowered'tothe floor to rest on the solid wood supportoppositethe casters.

Philuseswheeledhandlesthat attachto mating bracketson his mobile bases,a method he finds works bestfor heavymachinery. "They'remore maneuverablebecauseyou'removingthe massfrom a different point," he says."lnsteadof pushingthe toolfrom the top, with this you get a lowercenterof gravity."Philand hisdad welded up the handleout of flat iron stockand blackpipe,addingthe 4" caster.When not needed,it hangson a cleat bracketQigh\.

Amerlca's Best Home Workshops 2009

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Pushblocksalwaysadd a measureof safetywhen feedingstockthrough a jointer, but Phildesignedthis massivepushblockto alsogive him better controlof the workpiece."lf you pushdown hard on the top of the boardyou put a lot of English on it," he says."lfound that pushingfrom the end givesa more accurateand reliablecut."The pushstickis madefrom shop scrap.Thethin push pad at the rear shouldbe attachedwith glue only,not screws.

Philused72"plywood with simplebutt joinery and screwsto makethis sandpaperrack.The 7e" hardboardshelvesslideinto dadoes cut1Vq"apart into the innersurfacesso he can rearrangethe spacingas needed.The largerspaceat the bottom holdsstacksof abrasivepadsand wooden sandingblocks.The unit stands2'tall,and hasan 11x12"footprint.

particleboardand edged Constructe d of 3/+" melamine-coated in pine,this rolling partscabinetholdsplasticpartsbins in varioussizeson wire shelving.The wire shelvingweighsless than plywood or other solid material,and the built-inwire ledgeat the backof the shelvescatchesthe rearof eachbin to keepit from slidingout until needed.

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Formaking pictureframes,Philusesthis spline-cuttingjig to createslotsin the framecornersto acceptthe splines.The maple main supportsare set at 45oanglesto the table surfaceand particleboard.A replacement mountedon 3/i'melamine-coated sawhandlehe bought completesthe jig. Although Philalmost alwaysusesthe tablesawfor cutting splines,the jig would be just as handyon a routertable.

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Note: Positionscrewswell above path of blade.

Philtried severalmethods of setting jointer blades, but finds a dial indicatorthe most reliable.Once he'd made the cutout in a pieceof scrapashto accommodatethe gauge,he wasstruckby a moment of whimsywhen he noticedthe shape."lthought, 'Hey,it lookslikea whale.'5ojust for fun I put the little faceon it."

Amerlca's Best Home Workshops 2009

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Note: All stockis Ta"thick Becausethe crampedquartersof a tablesawthroat made it difficult to set up a dado stackright on the arbor,Philcameup with this solutionto movethe procedureup to the tabletop.With the bladesand chippersmountedon this holder,the trial-and-errorprocessof adjustingand measuringthe stacksizewith shimsis mucheasier.Onceset to his satisfaction,Philtransfersthe stackto the sawarbor.

Philripped a 2x4 into stripsto createthis Forstnerbit holderas part of an extensivecleat-based hangingsystem.Eachstrip featuresa dust-reliefgrooveon the backsidethat allowsany chipsor debristhat may land in a nonoccupiedhole to fall out the bottom. The spacerblock attachedto the backsideof the assemblyanglesthe holder slightlyin relationto the wall, keepingthe bits in place.

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Similarin conceptto the dial-indicator holder he madefor hisjointer,Phildesignedthis variationfor the planer.TheV-shapedholder straddlesthe kniveswhile contactingthe curvedsurfaceofthe cutterhead,so he can set the knivesaccuratelyrelativeto the head.

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profile woodworkert hil Bumbalough has been working with wood almost as long as he has with electronicsand computers. Phil trained in avionics and electronics when working on jets while in the Marine Corps (Marine memorabilia and severalphotos of jets decoratehis shop), and now tests software by profession,so it's not surprising that his digital life often overlapshis woodworking life. When not in his shop,Phil is usually at his computer updating or writing articles for his woodworking Web site (benchmark.20m.com).The extensivesite featuresshop tours of both his current and previous shops,plans for jigs and projects,and dozensof his tool reviewsand woodworking articleson a variety of topics.Someof the articles,such as "Woodworking in the Digital Domain" and "The Microsoft-compatible Tablesaw,"serve as good examplesof his technical background. Phil was exposedto woodworking in high school shop class,but feels he got any natural abilities he has from his dad. "The first project I rememberdoing wasan exactreplicaof a battleshipmade from cutoffs of whateverproiect he was working on," he recalls."l was probably about six yearsold, so you can imagine just how'exact'that replicawas."

Philhasmadea numberof piecesof largefurniturefor both home and shop,like the workbench,storage cabinets,and the massive hutchshownobove.Here Philmeasures the hutch doorsin preparationfor mountingglassinserts.

\ On the smallerside,Philalsoenjoysclockmaking. Made of oak (/eft)and figured mapleveneer(right),thesetwo clocksfeaturedouble-strike"bim-bam" movements. Photographer: Phil Bumbalough; CreativeServices feff McSweeney l l l u s t r a t i o n s :R o x a n n e L e M o i n e

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

LearnfurnitureandGabinet making ulithat-home training. +

\7ith PennFoster.vou can leam the skills you need to tum a hobby into a profiiable careerin as little as six months.Leam the advancedwoodworking techniquesused in fumin-rreand cabinetmaking.You can work for an esablishedwoodworking businessor even starta businessof your ov/n. GOnYgnient.Penn Fosterprogramsare designedto train adults for employment in the fastest-growingfields. You choosethe time and place to completeyour coursework, and you work at your own pace. All learning materials are sent directlyto you. Flexible, Studyonline,in print, or a combinationof both. You decidewhich method best suitsyour leaming style. You work independently,but not alone. Expertinstructors and support staff- dedicatedto helping you complete your coursework- arejust a phone call or an email away. And you can interactwith other Penn Fosterstudentstluough our online community,including socialnetworks,blogs, and discussiongroups. ACCredited.Penn FosterCareerSchooland PennFoster Collegeare nationally accreditedby the AccreditingCommissionof the Distance Educationand TrarningCouncil(DETC). In addition.Penn FosterCareerSchoolis regionallyaccreditedby the Middle States :_ Cdmmissionon on Seco nd^ry Schools Second^ry Schoolsfor for is is Ihigh LQ.p.$, cd*-irrion llLEg,g, lEusl school and vocational-technical programs.

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(iesla Before ashovel hitthedirt,Larry planned hisshop verycarefully foranentire year; thenhetookanother fullyeartobuild it.Iheresult isjustwhathewanted.

lanning rnakes perfect, to paraphrase the old saying, and it's an idea Larry Ciesla took to heart when designing his shop. "l thought about this for a year before I did anything," he says. "Part of that vear was figuring out what kind of building I wanted and what I could afford, and then what kind of layout would work with that." l,arry relied heavily on his corrputer to create different test layouts and floor plans, even for his workbenches and rnajor tools. "l could lnove

everything around," he says. "Things like the placernent of doors and windows, where I wanted rnachines, where the dust collection should go. Everything that would make the shop a pleasure to use."

Warm wel(ome Becausewinters in Yorkville, Ill., are harsh, the first shopplanning priority was heat. He considered severaloptions before deciding on a radiant heating systern ernbedded in the shop floor. Consisting of 900' of flexible plastic PEX tubing, the systern circulates

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

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tIGHTING: 8' fluorescent f i x t ur e s . DUST COTTECTION: 2 - h p C r i z z l yw i t h p l e a t e d c a n i s t e r ,c o n n e c t e d t o ductworkembeddedin shopfloor.

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LEFTL : arry credits his wife, P e g g y ,w i t h m a k i n g t h e s h o p p o s s i b l en o t o n l y w i t h h e r s u p p o r t , b u t b y a c t u a l l yh e l p i n g do every phaseof the work. "5he'salways been like that," h e s a y s ." W e ' v e d o n e a l o t o f remodeling projectstogether around the house."

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Larryplacedhisworkbenchso it couldtemporarilysupport the trailingend of a 4x8 sheet of plywood being fed into the tablesaw.

hot water through the slab, heating the concrete,which in turn heats the shop. A water heaterfeedsthe system. To supplement it, he also planned the south sideof the shop with five windows, plus another in the corner of the east wall. In summer, with leaves on the trees and the sun at a high angle,lesssolar heat comes in, but in winter with the leavesgone and the sun lower,warming sun beams in unhampered."On a bright winter day the radiant heat only runs once or twice during the night," Larry says.He leavesthe thermostat at 60

degreesin winter, but finds All electrical conduits are that on bright days the shop surface-mountedand already risesto around 70-72 degrees. wired for 22o-volt current so he can reconfigure them at any time to add a 220 outlet Larcy,a semiretiredelectrical anywhere in the shop. And engineer,took specialcare in for extra safety, every outlet planning shop power needs. in the shop is doubleHe installeda 200-amppanel grounded. Larcy has posted though he doubted he'd ever an extensivearticle on shop draw that much. "lt gives the grounding on his Web site, capacity for circuit breakers i , r i r t .t l r ' \ 1 , 1 r. r( n l to have lots of individual circuits," he says."lt may seem like overkill, but if you're Larryoften buildslargefurniture, running two things at once so he built hisassemblytablelow or if two people are working to the floor for easierhandling. in here, the chances they're Heconsiders the tableto be his on the samecircuit are slim." mainwork area.

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Larry createdseveraltrial modelsof his shop on his computer before decidingon the final layoutshownobove.Allhis major machines sport mobile basesand are storedon the shop perimeterwhennot in use.The 8' roll-updoor (left)allowsLarryto backhis pickuptruck right into the shopfor unloadinglumber.

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L a r r y ,a n e l e c t r i c a le n g i n e e r , d o u b l e - g r o u n d e d a l l e l e c t r i c a lo u t l e t s for added safety in a shop environment. All the wiring conduits are surface-mounted, allowing flexibility for reconfiguring if needed.

Thelittledetails [ . a r r v c l i s l i k e sc l u t t c r , s o h c k e e p ss r n a l l t o o l s i n c i r a w c r s , not on the walls. (ln fact, a k e . vr c a s o n h c l x r i l t h i s r l i t c r s:rw statiO|t \ rils tct crcatc clrawcrs.)"'l'hat kr-'c1ts cltrstoff thertr ancl lcts rnc logicalh' s c g r e g a t et r ) r ) I s , "h e s a v s . S p c a k i n g o f c l u s t ,e a r l v i n tlie plarrlting proccss l.arrv iuggted his cornputer rnoclels t o g r o u p h i s c l i r t i c s tn t a c l ' r i n c s on thc sarric lvall with ltis clust-collcction clucts. A ciuct en-rbcdclercl in tht' floor ser\/cs I r i s t a b l e s a wa n c l t h e s n t a l l c r

of l'ris tn,o ltandsar,r'sin tl.rc ccntcr of thc rool-n. i\ finaI clctaiI l.arrv adclecl r t , a sl u n r l l e f l n a l t a g c n t e n t ." . , \ s I gct olclcr, clragging arctuncl 6O-lb shccts of plvr,vc-rctc1 gcts c l i f f i c r r l t , "h c s a v s . l o a c l c l r c s s t l r . r t ,h t i r r s t a l l c cai n f l ' r o l l - u 1 t rloor that allows hirn to back l ri s p i c k u l t t r r . r c k i n t o t h e s h o l l r i g h t L r l tt o h i s a s s e n ' r b l v tablc vr,hcrc hc recilrcr.sshcet g o o c l sl r , i t h a p o r t a b l e c i r c u l a r ' s a w . [ . o n g b o a r c l sg o c l i r c c t l r . ' irtto thc rack cortvenicr-rtlv built ncxt to the ckr<tr. .fust thc wav I'rcltlannccl it.

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A water heater tucked into a corner of the shop providesthe hot w a t e r f o r t h e s h o p ' s i n - f l o o r r a d i a n t h e a t i n g s y s t e m .T h e l u m b e r r a c k ,j u s t t o t h e l e f t o f t h e r o l l - u p d o o r ( n o t s h o w n ) , a l l o w s n e w l y arrived lumber to be put away quickly and easily.

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ptqtecbandldeas Larry'smitersawstationis reallyfour separate cabinetslinkedtogether.Although he alreadyhad a portablemitersawstand,the stationgiveshim greatercapacityand lots of storage."Beingableto createa centerwith drawerswas part of my whole motivationfor building it," he says.Onedrawer, for example,holdsall of his cordlesstools (belour). Thecabinetcarcasesuse3/a" melamine,while double layersof 3/a" melaminetrimmed with solid oak makeup the worktops.Larryprefers72"birch plywood for the oak-trimmeddrawers.

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nunwithaplan When host DavidMarkspresenteda torsion-boxprojecton his "Wood Works"show Larrythought it wasa good idea."lt struck me asa logicalthingto do," he explains."Youreallyneeda flat assemblysurfacewhen you'rebuildingfurniture,and part of makinga torsionbox is all about getting it asflat asyou possibly can."The 4x5'top is3/e" MDF,while the baseis 3/a" birch plywood. The whole table is trimmed in quartersawnwhite oak.A seriesof 1",1y2", and 2" PVCpipesmountedthrough the basefunctionas holdersfor clamps,hammers,and other tools.Becausepipes from one sidepassdirectlyabovethose comingfrom the adjoiningsides,Larrycan storedozensof clampsin a relativelysmall arearight where he needsthem.

prcfile woodworkert I n Polish, the word "ciesla" means "carpenter." I That'scertainly the casefor Larry Ciesla'sfamily. I His grandfather,father,and son areall carpenters. Everyone,in fact, except Lany himself. "l was the black sheep of the family and became an electrical engineer,"he admits. "But I've been drawn to woodworking all my life; it's in my blood." Lany bought his first power tool, a radial-arm saw, when he was 18 and has enjoyed woodworking as a hobby ever since.Now semiretired,he spendsat least three full daysper weekin the shop.Not surprisingly, his family often ioins in his efforts. His wife, Peggy, helped him build the shop and joins in on homeimprovement projects when she can. The younger generationsalso take part. "l try to build projects with all my kids, and even my grandkids," he says. Son Chris has becomeespeciallyadept."He neededa set of dining chairs and we were looking for a project we could do together,so we built four of them." Chris took his dad's mentoring to heart, becoming both a carpenterand electricianin his professionallife. Larry enjoys making chairs,like those he did with Chris, but his true shop pleasurelies elsewhere."My favorite proiect is one that's different from the last one I did," he says."And I like doing things that are just a little beyond what I think my abilitiesare."

Larryand hissonChrisvisitin the furnished,15'-diametergazebothat Chrisbuilt for his parentsadjacentto the Cieslahome.

Amongthe manyhome remodelingprojectsLarry hasdone isthis bathroom vanity madeof solidoak and oak plywood.

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lfthisVirginia basement shoplooks more good thanalittlefamiliar, there's aperfectly reason why:Iheshopowner based itsdesign andcontents almost entirely onplans and ideas fromW00D' magazine.

h r i s l r i nn c r t r L n o r v s a g o o c l i c l c . ri v h c n h r s c e s o n c . I I i s . \ s l r b t r r n \, ' a . , shopisfillcd rlitlr thcnt. " l n r o v c c li r r t l t r c c v c ( l f sa l g ( ) . rn c l n i r ' f i r s t p r o j c c t r r ' . r st o f i n i s l rt l r c b a s c n r c n t ,I"t r s a v s . []or shop pnrjccts,hc foLrncj t h c I l ' O O 1 ) I c l c aS h o p 5 t o b c lu goocl starting point. "lclra S h o p 5 , i n a r n a t c r i a l sl t c r s p c c t i v ca l o n ! r v i t l t t h c t o o l s I l r a c lo r . tl t . r n c l ,. r l l o n ' c c n l rc to . r c l . r pct v c f v t l r i r r gi r r t h c s l t o l r t o t l r c s l ) a c r I h ; r c ia n r l t l t c r r ' . t vl t v o r l i . "

Making it hisown \ \ 1 i t l tt h c f r u n r i n gi n p l a c c ,l r c sturtrclrvitlt pinc [rc.rclboarcl p l v i v o o r l f o r t h c n ' . r l l s ,t l t c n a l t r r t c l t l r c I c l c aS h o p 5 c l c ; r t s v s t c n rt o n r c c t l r i s n c c c l s(. - h r i s r c l o c a t c so c c a s i o r r a l l va n c l l t c r v a n t c c lc a s r ' - t o - r c r n o v c a b i r t u tr r , : o r ' . l t l t ut rl t i u )l ' u n r t i r t g c l c . r t s. r l l l r r o u n c lt l t c s l t o p , h c s i z c r lt l r c r n t o h l r n c l l cs p c c i f i c c a b i n c t s ." l f I n r o v c I c a n j L r s t t a k r t h c s v s t c r r ros f f t l r c c ' l c a t s , u n s c r c \ \ ' t l r c c l c . r t sf r o r n t h r r v a l l , . r n rllu t r c a c l c a nr r , a l l f o r ' b c t t c r l c s i t l cv a l i r c . "

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ABOVE:Chris'tablesaw/ routing center offers separatedust-collection portsfor eachmachine.

LEFT:A tablesaw/routing center-based on one presentedinWOOD magazine'sldeaShop5holdscourt in the centerof Chris'sshop.Seethe original planat woodmagazine. com/workcenter

Chrisusesseveralpneumatictools in his shop."After a lot of repetitivework all the time, I find that my wristsachea little bit and so l've gone to air tools,"he says.Healsorelieson pneumatictools for hisother hobby of automotivemaintenanceand restoration.

woodmagazine.com

Some of his shop fixtures, such as his tablesaw/routing center,follow the WOODplans closely; others don't. Chris took the plan for a worktable/ storage drawer unit and replaced its flip-top design with a solid top, then added drawerswhere doors were on the original. His version of a roll-around lumber cart nearly doubles the capacity of the original project. One of the things a visitor first notices is a lack of clutter. Chris dislikes open shelves, and relegatedsmaller tools to drawers and a storageâ&#x201A;Źloset. Hardware,fasteners,and other small parts reside in orderly, cleat-mounted cabinets. He built the central wall with an eye to easierresaleof his home, but found it also added to shop cleanliness.In that way, he came up with a good shop idea of his own. "I really like the idea of having a workshop and a separate clean room," he says of the divided shop arrangement shown in the floor plan on page24. "That way the dust is confined to one room and the tools I may be running in there. The dust doesn't travel far, but it does travel. If you have an opportunity to have a clean room, do it."

TYPE: Basement. S IZE :22x39'( 858sq.f t . ) , with9'ceiling. CONSTRUCTION: 2x4 framing coveredwith pine beadboardplywood. HEATING& COOTING: Sharesheatingand cooling with housesystem. ELECTRICAL:Dedicated 100-ampserviceseparate from house;110-volt outletsevery6'; available 220-volt serviceon two walls(currentlyunused). IIGHTING: Mix of 4' twotube fl uorescentfixtures and recessedcan lights. DUST COLTECTION: 1Yz-hpPennStatecollector, ceifi ng-mounted Grizzlyair cleaner. AIR COMPRESSOR: 3Vz-hp,25 -gal.Craftsman 2-stageunit with dedicated air linesto 100' hosereels in main shop and garage.

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Byconstructing a centralwall,Chriswasableto createa dedicatedclosetfor hisdustcollector, aswell asone for tool and supplystorage.Thedesignalsocreatestwo distinctwork areas-Chrisdoesmostof hisheavyconstructionin the mainmachineroom on the right sideof the shop,while initialdesignand finishworktakeplacein the left-hand portionhe callsthe "cleanroom."

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Chris's wall cabinetsfrom ldeaShop5 hang on a versatilebeveled-cleatsystem,and can be removedor rearrangedas needed. Theleftmostcabinetholdsrouterbits and accessories, whileall the restcontain fasteners and othersmallhardwareitems. Clearacrylicdoorskeepthe contentsvisible, but dust-free. Findplansfor the cabinetsat . r r . r t : i - { n . . ' , 1 { L l : . r ' |( ( r : ' t

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Thetop portion and the rolling baseof Chris'smitersaw stationcamefrom ldeaShop5, but he electedto mount hison a pair of verticalcabinetswith drawersto expand shop storage.Made of 3/c"MDFand hardwood trim, the unit measures48" long and 42" high.

Chrisusedto keep his radioon the workbench,but alwayshad to work aroundit. "Youcan build anythingto go on the cleat system,"he says."5o Ithought l'd lift it up and get it out of the way." He built it usinga mix of 3/a"-thick MDFand plywood,and solid wood trim.

Chrisadaptedhisworktable tromWOODmagazine's ldeaShop5. Wherethe original had flip-topsfor mounting tools that stowedinsidethem, he adaptedhiswith two columnsof drawers."lalso built the top's lip out on the backsideof it so it givesa very largeworksurfacein general,plus a surfacein the backthat you can clampto," Chrissays.Similar cabinetplansappearat woodmagazine.com/shoptools

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l&as@ ChrisfikedWOODmagazine'sroll-aroundplywood cart, but the original'sone-sideddesignhandled-as its name implied-plywood only.He came up with an alterationthat made the unit even more versatile. "BasicallyI did a mirror image ofthe endsand flopped the two halves,then madethe lip on the bottom of the plywood side 6" wide insteadof 4" so you couldcarrymore sheetgoods," he says."On the other sideI put trim piecesrunningacrossand spacedthem verticallyto be well sizedfor 2',3',or 4'and longer pieces."The unit, constructed of plywood,hardboard,and dimensionallumber,measures 8'long and standsabout54"tall with 3" casters.Get free plansfor the originalversionof the rackat woodmagazine.com/lum bercart

qq or Chris Finnerty, woodworking began with a set of canisters. While in the Air Force in the mid-'7Os, he saw a set of wooden canistersat a friend's house. 'And I thought, 'You paid a hundred bucks for those?"' he recalls. "I can build those." He started using the base woodshop, and as his skills increasedhe got some equipment of his own. A program manager for defense acquisition programs after leaving the military, woodworking came easily to him with practice. "I'm an engineer by trade, so it's not hard to translate what I seeinto a design, and to modify it how I want." Although he makes a variety of proiects, he admits that his favorite pursuit is cabinetry. He's done a lot of work throughout his home, plus he frequently visits a brother-in-law to work together on his house. Next up on his woodworking to-do list is an entertainment center,plus some additions to his shop. When not in the shop, you'll find Chris in his garagekeeping his Harley-Davidson in shape. Of course, all work and no play can make any woodworker a dull boy, so you often won't find him home at all. "Over the last spring and summer, I rode almost daily throughout western Virginia in the Blue RidgeFoothills, iust having a ball!"

Chrisis an avid motorcyclist,and often spendstime out of the shop riding his Harley-Davidson in the Virginiacountryside.

Photographer: Mehranfalall, lmagesfrom the Heart lllustrations: RoxanneLeMolne

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T a b l et o p : 1 % "t h i c kw i t h 2 " t h i c k e d g e s k i r t Benchlop:623/o"Lx 30"W D o u b l er o w o f r o u n d b e n c hd o g h o l e s D r a w e r s(:2 ) 1 3 % L x 1 4 " Wx 2 3 / o " Hw i t h b a l l b e a r i n gs l i d e s Frontand end vises:13"Lx Tls/to"W x3e/a"H M a x i m u mj a w o p e n i n g : 4 " I n c l u d e s4 b e n c hd o g s a n d s t o p b l o c k Legs:squaretube steel Adjustablebench height:32" - 39" A p p r o x .s h i p p i n gw e i g h t :1 6 4l b s .

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you'llhaveplentyof roomfor With 13%squarefeetof work surface, any project!An end viseand sixstoragedrawerswith ballbearing s l i d e sm a k et h e s ew o r k b e n c h et sr u l yf u n c t i o n a Ll .a m i n a t esdo l i d maplegivesexcellentstabilityand durability. . Edgethickness: . Overallsize:78"Wor 48"Wx 25"Dx 3 8 " H 23/q" . Sm.drawerdimensions:161/q"W x 131/q"D x31/c"H . Med.drawerdimensions:161/q"W x 131/q"D x 43/q"H . Lg.drawerdimensions'.161/q"W x 131/q"D x 51h"H . Approx.shippingweight: N7721-203lbs. |. | *" '" T 1 0 0 1 - 1 8 9l b s .

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9 DRAWER EUROSTYLE BIRCHWORKBENCH Thisworkbench hasmassive features and9 feltlineddrawers withballbearing slides forkeeping allyourbenchtoolshandy. Stable laminated birchworkbench hasbotha frontandendvise, .Tabletopthickness:4". Overall size:841/z"W x2411/o"D x34rA"H . Drawers . Storage measure: 15%"W x 13%"D x 4"H shelfsize:551/z"W x 1B%"D . Frontvisesize: 193/q" x7" . Endvise: 6"x 6' . Approx. shipping weight: 367lbs.

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fuW#j nderson, S.C., a city with Southerncharm, boastsone spot with a touch of New England. Stan Crenshaw credits TV's "The Ncw Yankee Workshop" for his love of woodworking, so it's only natural he'd borrow ideas from the show to enhance shop efficiency. Taking a cue from the layout of Norm Abram's shop, Stan placed both his benches in the rear of the shop. "l liked the idea of having the

benches in the back so I could lay plywood on the tablesaw and back benches to start the cut so it's easier to control," he recalls. "Everything else pretty much fell into place along with that." Stan doesn't mind making a few changes in things inspired by Norm, however. Even though his router table is a near copy of one built on the show, he altered it to suit his shop. "Norm's had a large drawer but I didn't want one,"

he says. "He keeps sleds for the table'smiter slot in there and I had no need for that, so I left it open."

Twice theroom Although he hasn't moved, Stan's current shop isn't his first. His original shop was 2Ox2O',but he doubled the length a few years ago so he could spreadout and add the tools and bencheshe needed. The extra spacealsogavehim more room at the front of

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t I G H T I N G: Hi g h - i n t e n s i t y fluorescents. D U S TC O L T E C T I O N : 2-hp,220-voltCr izzly col l ectorconnect edt o 4" d u c t i n gt h r o u g h o ust h o p ; c e i l i n g - m o u na ti rc l e a n e r .

StanCrenshaw's shopmaybe intheSouth, based buthislove ofwoodworking andmany ofhis shopprojects have some definite Yankee roots.

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A B O V EW : hile he does most of hiscutting and working in t h e r e a r a r e a ,h e k e e p st h e front of the building nearthe g a r a g ed o o r o p e n f o r l a r g e s c a l ea s s e m b l yw o r k , a u t o m a i n t e n a n c e ,a n d h i s w e l d i n g equipment.

R I G H TS : t a n l i k e sm a k i n g p r o j e c t s f o r o u t d o o r u s e ,a s e v i d e n c e db y t h e A d i r o n d a c k c h a i r sa n d p e r g o l a e n t r a n c et o hisshop.

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the shop that functions as a swing area for any work requiring elbow roorn, such as working on his car. At the saffle time, Stan added an extension on the back of the shop to hold loud equipment such as his air cornpressor and dust collector. A copper air line feeds compressedair outlets at the front and back of the shop area, rvhile PVC ducts remove debris from his rnaior machines. His Norm-inspired mitersaw bench is an even better fit for the enlarged shop. "Before I remodeled I thought

about downsizing it," Stan says."But I really didn't need the space there for anything else so I never got around to it. Now, with the bigger shop I went with the same thing, and it's worked out great." His shop pleases him so rnuch that Stan's probably one of the few woodworkers you'd meet rvith no plans to change a thing. "The room I added out back for the dust collector and compressor was the last thing I did, and I have no real need tor anything else" he says proudly. "l'm perfectly satisfied with it."

ABOVE: Thislathestandstartedlifeasa workbenchStanbought specifically to get the woodentop, whichhe usedto builda kitchen island."lt wasactuallycheaperto get that top prefinishedthan for rne to orderit, plusI got a baseout of it for almostnothing,"he says.Stan addeddrawers,then shortenedthe metallegsto get a good working heightfor the lathe.

Shop Tip: "Buildit bigger thanyouthinkyou'lleverneed. Mine started outat20x20',and I doubled thelength ofit. Take whatever sizeyouthinkwillwork,andincrease itasmuch asyoucanpossibly afford." America's Best Home Workshops 2009

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By keepingthe front of his shopopen (nearestthe garagedoor at left in the floor plan), Stanhasthe option of bringing hiscar into the shopfor maintenanceif needed.At other timesthe spaceservesasan assemblyand stagingareafor building largefurniture,or for keepinglargecompletedcomponentsout of the way while he continuesworking.

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LEFTStan'scrosscuttingarea groupshis mitersawbench and the radial-armsawasa tag team-the table surface of the mitersawalsoactsas a workpiecesupportfor the radial-armsaw.The drawer cabinetunderthe rightwing of the mitersawstationhas its own worktop,and can be rolledout for useanywherein the shop.

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"lf l'minthemiddle of something, I come out hereevery dayl'moff work. IfI don't have aproject inprogress I might notbeinthe shop forawhile, but thenl'llgetfiredupto getback outandmake something."

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R I G H T : T h ee a s t w a l l s e r v e sa s a major work area with jointer, r o u t e r t a b l e , d i s c s a n d e r ,a n d t h e l a r g e r o f S t a n ' st w o b a n d s a w s . H e a l s o k e e p s h i s s e v e r a lc r o s s c u t s l e d s ,j i g s , a n d o t h e r a c c e s s o r i e s f o r h i s t a b l e s a w h e r e .T h e w a l l c a b i n e t h o u s e sf i n i s h i n g s u p p l i e s .

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wFffiMkk Stanupgradedhisassemblybenchby keepingthe old leg basefrom one he'd made severalyearsearlier,scrappingthe old top and replacingit with a sturdy new torsionbox worktop. "lt's dead flat and unbelievably strong," he says.'?nd it's heavierthan my old top, becausethe top and the bottom of the torsion box are y2"MDF,and you have the 72"MDF grid inside;the outside is3/e"oak, pfus another Vq"sacrificialtop of tempered hardboardthat can be replacedwhen worn. Thatt a lot of mass."

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i1 Usinga low-voltagedoorbell transformer,Stanadded control switchesto most of the shopmade blast gatesattachedto his dust-collectionducting.When switchedon, the 24-volt system firesup hisdust collector,which residesin an extensionhe built onto the rearof hisshop.Stan usedshopscrapto makeall the gates."They'reidenticalas far asthe design,but they vary dependingon the materialI had at the time," he says."Someare cabinet-gradeplywood and some are construction-grade."

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st#ek*-*kk Becausethe originalfenceon his 18"bandsaw flexed when resawing,Stanmade his own by sandwichingtwo piecesof 3/d'MDF.He then cut standardC-clampsand attachedthem to the ends using metal channelscrewedto the fence. For resawingchores,he bolts on a higher fence of 7+"MDF.The pushblockwas a refugeefrom the routertable next door. "The workpiecewants to pop through at the end of the cut when resawing becauseof the pressureyou're applying," he says."l had actually made it for the router table, and it turned out to be a lot more useful on the bandsaw."

When he started woodworking, one of the first things Stan learnedwasthe difficulty of cutting large sheetsof plywood on the tablesaw.He addressedthat issuemore than 15yearsago with this support outrigger,one of the oldest projectsin his shop.The twist knobs loosenthe upper support beam for adjustment if he usesit elsewherein the shop,but he gencrally leavesit set to match the tablesaw.When he does work on the tablesawwith a sled,he quickly adjustsfor the height differenceby dropping a long strip the samethicknessas thc sled baseonto the top of the support beam, bringing the height up to match the extra thicknessof the sled.Dowelson the undersideof the height adjustment strip fit into matching holesdrilled into the beam.

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"My mitersawbenchis obviously another'NewYankeeWorkshop' inspiration,"Stanadmits."l really likedthe way hisworked."He placedthe workpiecesupports so that they would line up with the radial-armsawto the right, allowinghim to usethe mitersaw table asa supportfor the other tool. "Thefencefor the radialarm sawis aheadof the mitersaw supporttablesby about 2",so ljust turn the mitersawto 45o and whateverl'm cutting on the radial-armsawclearsthe handle."

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The oak top of Stan's28x72"workbench featuresa wide strip of bookmatchedwalnut runningdown the center,while yellow pine makesup the leg base.Stanmadea largerclamp blockfor the Grizzlyviseon the front, and useda Veritasclampscrewto create a capturedsliderin the benchtopthat actslike a tail vise.A tool trough on the backand a row of benchdogsalongthe front edge completethe bench.

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w$ffiMkhffi Stanmadethis cabinet yearsago for all his handtools.lt works well, but if he ever makesanotherone he'll do it differently."l never closeit for one thing; it works better for me as open storage.I keep a couplespringclamps on it most of the time to keep the doors from moving at all."

Stanfirst sawa Multi-Routerin actionon David Marks"'Wood Works" show on the DIYnetwork. "l really liked that, but they're crazyexpensive for the limited amountthat l'd useit," he says. However,sincehe often cuts leg mortises,Stan decidedto makehisown basedon photoson the Internet.Insteadof the linearbearingsthe commercialversion uses,Stanmadehiswith MDF sliding-dovetailways.With a workpieceheld by toggle clamps,mapleleverscontrolthejig's X-Y axesto positionit for routing.A threadedcrank raisesand lowersthe Porter-Cable 690 router mountedon the rear.Thejig baseand other plywood,while an aluminum wooden partsare 3/c" T-trackholds the stopsthat limit left-right travel.

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No shopcanbe completewithout a customized shopstool. Stan's daughterdecorated this one.

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

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Thisroutertable is yet anothershop projectlikeone built by Norm Abram."l don't think l've everfollowedanythingexactly,but it's pretty muchthe way he built it," Stansays."lwired the switcha little differentlythan he did his,but asfar asthe actualdesignit's probably 90 percenthis."One differencein Stan'sversionis the lowerportion of the cabineqthe originalfrom "The NewYankeeWorkshop"had a deep storagedrawer,but by leavingthe lowerspaceopen Stanfound the perfectspot for his shop stereo.The carcase,madeof 3/a" birch plywood with oak trim, hasa top that measuresabout 2x3'.Thetable restson a Deltamobile base.

woodworkert tan Crenshaw had his intro to woodworking helping his dad remodel the family home as a boy. It was work he enjoyed, and he credits it with the foundation of his interest, but it wasn't till a few years later when that interestfully blossomed. Flipping through channels one night he chanced upon "The New YankeeWorkshop" on PBS. "It was one of the first seasons," he says. "I thought I would really enjoy doing that and one thing just kind of led to another." Stanhas everythird day off from his iob as a mechanic at the Michelin plant in Sandy Springs,S.C.,giving him frequent full days to spend in the shop. His favorite type of woodworking these days is building furniture. For example, the office he shares with his wife, Lori,

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shows off his bookcase/desk and drop-front desk.Outdoor work includes lawn furniture and, pergola-styleshop entry. Next up is to replacea large TV cabinet he made for the living room. "Thosearegoing out of style, so I'm going to

do a consolefor a flat-screen TV," he says."I'm pretty sure I'll build it out of cherry, becausethat's what my wife tells me it's going to be." Photographer: Van Sullivan Photography lllustrations: RoxanneLeMoine

Stanbasedhis office'sdrop-front deskon one built by Norm Abram. The designfor the combination bookcaseand computercenter is hisown.

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There's notalotofspace andnotalotofmoney invested intools, butKeith Schwartztrauber's LasVegas shop features innovative punch fixtures thatpack alotofwoodworking intoasmallarea. hen planning a new shop, a lot of woodworkers figure that bigger is better. But Keith Schwartztrauber found the srnall, third stall of his Las Vegas garage v,,as perfect for his needs. "Neither car would fit there," he saysof the space intended for a golf cart. "I don't have a lot of roorn, but with ahnost every square foot of wall space used for

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in his previoussmallergarage shop. That and other tricks make the space a lot more productive than you rnight think possible.

something, I can still rip a full 8' sheet of plywood in my shop." When he rnoved into his new home in 2005 a key piece of shop equipment was already rnodified for use in the 11x16' space: He had made his tablesaw rnobile and increased its working size with a clever folding outfeed table (poge 44), because he coulcln't leave equiprnent out

Single ac(essories withmultiple uses His knock-down sawhorse on (poge16) is a good example. At first look it's a space-saving work support that breaks down for storage.But interchangeable center platforrns accommodate his router table and combo sander; slipping one into place makes an instant workstation for that tool. His tablesaw crosscut sled (pngc42) is sirnilar. It does all

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ABOVE: Situatedon a golf course, Keith'shomeincludesa golf cart bay in hisgaragethat works perfectlyfor hisshopneeds.

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the usual cutoff chores, but also can be used to clamp unwieldy stock in place when cutting it to size with a circular saw. And, as you rnight expect frorn a retired rnechanical engineer, Keith rnade the height of the sled and his knock-down sawhorse compatible in such a way that when the sled and horse are used together, they make a perfect fit as a support table for mitersaw (poge212). Making things fit is a factor when Keith plans projects, bcginning when he rnoved in. "My first new-home proiect was a 14' workbench," he says."l like a tall worksurface so I designed it 40" high." He then sized a storage cabinet that fit the wall over one leg of the L-shaped bench, followed by an overhead wood storage rack. The underside of that rack, rneanwhile, was the perfect spot to hang three of his shop-made light fixtures. Elsewhere,his rnitersaw fits neatly behind his tablesaw when not in use, and a handy wooden bench tucks under t h e t a b l e s a we x t e n s i o n .

T Y P E :S i n g l eb a yo f a n attachedth ree - vehicle garage. S | ZE :11xl 6'(176sq f t ) , w i th addi ti onaspace l a v a i l a b loen v e h i c l es i d e of garage. C ON S TR U C TI O N: 2x4 frami ngw i th paint ed dryw al lcovering. FLOOR:Epoxy-coated concrete. H E A TIN G6r CO O LI NG : N o heati ngnec essardue y to desertl ocat ion.Air condi ti oni nga fut ur e opti on. .l ETECTRICAL:I 0-volt, ' 15-amp ci rcui tis par t of m a i nh o u s ew i r i n g . tIGHTING: Two reflective fl oodl i ghtfi xtu r es,t wo fl uorescent fi xt ur es. D U S TC OTTECTI O N: S hopvacuumusedat point of col l ecti on for m aint ools.

LEFI AlthoughKeith'sshopoccupiesthe smallestbay in hisgarage,he canusethe restof the spacewheneverthe carsaren'tthere.

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LEFT:lt's no problem for Keithto appropriate additionalwork space for largerprojectsjust by movingthe cars into the driveway. Whenbringingthe cars backinside,however, everythingrollsinto a tight spaceand out of the way for parking.

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RIGHT: In spiteof its small size,Keith'sshop is rarely crowdedor cluttered. All tools,accessories, and suppliesarestored in drawersor behind doors.Machineryis either benchtop-sized or on wheels,so it canall be movedas necessary to accommodatea project.

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it*uhavr Makinq *rgmilidmti*r"r" it workwith t* effieiently usr*ver:d whath-ehas Keith doesn'town a jointer or seiLimE'f: fr:*t*f fh:*rSps{-t planer due to limited space +iililinr,liiSiiii{:tliriit }il1;

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and budget, but he works around that. He'spicky when buying lumber to get the best and straightestpieces.He also works stock by hand with planes and scrapersand, if needed,he can cleanup board edgeswith his router.Beyond that, he'll either alter his

project to use whateverstock thickness he has available, or he'll find a way to mill it himself. "SometimesI resawboards on the tablesaq then clean them up by hand," he says."l can almost resaw a 1x6 in two piecesup the middle. I run it through on one edge and then turn it overand run it through on the other. Then

I'll either plane it by hand or sand it down." He has had stock milled for him, but he doesn't go that route often. "Vegas is kind of weird," Keith says. "We don't have a lot of lumberyards, and they're all over on one side of town. And they're specialized to a lot of the high-end stuff they make for the casinos and high-rises on the strip."

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

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Keith'sfirst order of businesswhen settingup his shopwasto constructthe L-shapedcorner workbenchthat housesmost of hissmallertools and accessories, maximizingfloor space. Hislargermachines,likethe tablesawand mitersaware mountedon wheelsso he can easily reconfigurethe shop layoutto accommodatehis project-buildingneeds.

ABOVE:In additionto four overheadlight fixtures, wall-and tool-mountedtasklightingmakes everythingeasyto see. LEFI "l don't haveany reallyexpensiveshoptools," Keithsays.A benchtopdrill pressand bandsaw join a 10"mitersawand hisfather'srestored1956 Craftsman77+"tablesawas his main tools.

woodmagazine.com

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LEFTThiscrosscutsled for the tablesawis one of the most versatile projects Keith'smade for his shop.In additionto servingas a traditional sledfor regular crosscuttingchoreson the tablesaw,it alsocan be usedfor squarely trimming extra-long stock,and as a sidemountedsupporttable for his mitersaw.

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A. Thecrosscutsledhasclampinggatesthat slideinto recesses on eachend. B. With the gate insertedoverthe workpiece and tightenedinto placewith clamps,the stock is heldfirm duringthe cut. C. When pairedwith Keith'sknock-down sawhorses, the sledmakesa good outfeed extensionfor his mitersaw.The height of the mitersawwastaken into considerationwhen designingthe sawhorselegs. D. The right-handgate can be usedasa cutoff guidefor extremelylargeor unwieldystock too long to handlefor just one personon the tablesaw.Keithstartsby putting the workpiece into the sledso the end to be cut extendsout the side. E.The workpieceis adjustedso the intended cutlineis flush with the edge of the saw platform built into the gate,then the gate is clampedto hold it down. F.The extendedplatformof the gate exactly fits the baseplateof Keith'sportablecircular sawright up to the blade,so the cut is always on the line.

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LEFT:Keith'sfolding outfeedtable hashelpedmaximizehisshop space in severaldifferenthomesand shops overthe years.The main worksurface birch plywood, while is painted 3/q" the legs,pivotinghinges,and alltrim are of poplar; he usedoak for the mountingarmsbolted to the saw. The tablesawitselfis a vintage 1956 Craftsman 7Vc"model that originallybelongedto hisfather. Keithhasusedit since1973,and upgradedit with a 1-hpmotor, new arbor bearings,a shop-made dust-collectionchamberin the attachedmobile base,and an Incra1000mitergauge.

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A. The cantileverdesignof the hinges(seedetail at /eft)allowsthe table to fold flat onto the top of the tablesaw,and alsocompensates for the table'sthicknessas Keithbegins to adjustit to the open position. B. Whenthe tableswingsdown,the legspivot into place. C. As the legsreachthe floor,the designof the hingeskeepsthe table flushwith the saw'scast-irontop. D. The outfeedtable in placein the normalworkingposition.

woodmagazine.com

"When garage, I wasinatwo-car I couldn't leave thetablesaw ou! I hadtorollit intothecorner whenI wanted toputthecarback inthe garage. ButI wanted anoutfeed tablesoI designed onethatwould foldflatoverthesaw. When I rolledit intothecorner I could store boxes 0ranything I wanted onthetop.lt wasallinthename of efficiency andspace utilization."

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Oneof hisoldestshop projects,this knock-downsawhorsehas been a stapleof Keith'sshopfor morethan 10years.Hefindsit especially usefulanytimehe needsto do woodworkingawayfrom the shop. "Whenknockeddown,it will fit in a cartrunk,"he says. A. Knockeddown, the sawhorseconsistsof two end blocksand severaleasilystackableflat components. With the exceptionof the plywood worksurface,it's madeentirelyof lightweight2x6 redwood. B. Toset up the horse,Keithslipsall four legsinto place,then drops in the centersupport.Hethen insertspinsinto holesat the top of the holesareangled the sawhorseto hold eachleg in place.Because downward,the pins-made from bolts-stay in placewithout nuts. C. Beforeslidingthe two halvescompletelytogether,the center plywood worksurfaceis dropped into place. D. Pushedtogether,the top formsone continuousplywood surface. Keithalsohastask-specific centersectionswith toolsattached- like the combosanderoverhisshoulder- that candrop into the center.

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#*Hffi LEFTHissatelliteradio had poor receptionin the rhop, so Keith moved an old computcrin so he could listenonline.Hc quicklyrerlizedthe PChad a lot more uses:He can easilyjump onto the lnternct to look for partt, answere-mail,or use his derign software.A top-mounted replaccablcfilter and front fold-down covcr made from a window blind to protect the computer from rhop dust. BELOW: Wheneverhc needsto usethe PC,Keithjust lifts the protectivefront coverlnd slidesoutthe keyboard/mousashelf.Hcfrequcntly uscsGoogleSketchUp,a 3-D drawing progrrm, whon het designing projects.

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lthough woodworking I skills often came in II flhandy during the 40 years Keith Schwartztrauber was a mechanical engineer, he gained that woodworking knowledge early when he worked with his father in the San Franciscoarea."I actually worked as a professional carpenter for four or five years in high school and college, and helped pay for my tuition that w{," he recalls. Since then, he's kept woodworking in the family in many ways. In his shop is his father's 1956tablesaw,plus an old parts cabinet his dad built.

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Keith enjoys designing and making home improvements like bookcases,storagesheds, and closet organizers for his Las Vegashome. He has also built lots of items for his grandchildren and both sons, one of whom has followed in his footsteps to become a woodworking enthusiast in his own right. Outside the shop, Keith is an avid tennis player and not surprising considering his background in engineering - enioys solving recreational mathematics problems with friends to keep his technical skills finelv honed.

This L-shapedoak bookcasein Keith'soffice,typical of the work around his home, was one of his largest challenges."l displacedone car for a few weeks beforelfinishedand installedit," he says. Photog rapher:f eff ColemanPhotography lllustrations: RoxanncLeMolne

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ForthisNewYork shop, steponewasto modify apurchased setofplans foralarge, garden butsimple, shed. Step twowasmore important: Enlist friends andfamilytohelp make thedream happen. 48

hen he bought plans for his drearn sl-rop, I(eith Robison went to a frienc-lat work for aclvice. Vanagel of a hospital computcr clcpartrrcnt, Keith took the drar,r'ingsto an engineer at the hospital for thoughts on moclificationshc'd rnadc. ,{t his frienc-l'surging, I(eith macle a numbcr of chzrr-rgcs,

like beefing up the laminatcd strpport bcams usecl on the first and second floors of the 20x2O' frarne structure. 'l'hen, u'ith plans finalizccl to include resizingancl othcr n'rodifications, the real work begar-r.For that, a friencl frorr.r Nortl'r Carolina clrovc' up to spenci a week ;rt Robison's l-;rkcwoocl,N.Y., honre to lencl

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The loft-style design of the ihop provid", d plenty of headroom."l neverhaveto worryG about hitting the ceilingwhen l'm working .: with long stock,"saysKeith."lt's alsonice to havea senseof open spacethat the cathedralceilingoffers."

LEFT: To createhisshop Keith purchased a setof plansfor a ga:denshed,then modifiedthe layoutto widen it by 4'.Siding, shinglesand trim all matchthat of hishomefor a complementary appearance.

a hand. He helped with one of the most difficult portions of the proiect: maneuvering several 6x6 treated wooden posts-some lnore than 10' long-into 4'-deep holes to build the shop's deck-style foundation. Once other friends learned the project had started, they were also quick to help out. "lt was like an Amish barn raising," Keith recalls, adding that it wasn't unusual for people to just drop by, pick up a hammer, and be part of the build. His father rnade nufirerous two-hour round trips to come help, while his father-in-law, an electrician, wired the building and helped erectwalls. In the end, the help proved more than invaluable.

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TY P E :D edi ca t ed building adaptedand enlar gedf r om garden-shed plans. SfZE:Main floor 20x20' (a00 sq.ft.); l of t 8x20' ( 1 6 0s q .f t . ) C ON S TR U C TI O N: Fr am e constructi on, w it h deckstyl efoundati on. FLOOR:Treated2x6 tongue-and-g r oove lumber. HEATING: Wall-mounted, ventednatural-gas heater. E TE C TR IC A L5:0- am p servi ceto dedi cat ed110and 220-voltcircuits. tIGH TIN G: Fl u or escent . D U S TC OTLE CTI O N: Il /z-hpJetD C 1 100canist er systemhookedup to i ndi vi dualtool sas needed.

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ABOVE: With a lot of large,stationaryequipmenton the main floor,Keithelectedto storemost of hissmallerpowertools in the upper-levelloft,bringingthem down asneededwhenever he startsa new project.A loverof all wood species,he stows lumberboth upstairsand down.

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lf I hadto doit alloveragain... "l wouldprobably have r00m0n added aseparate onesidejustforlumber storage, andar00monthe other side forfinishing."

buddybuilders Modifications made allthedifference

opening as illustratedin the plans wasn't largeenough for a main entrance.Foranother, the plain, uninsulated plywood doors in the plans certainly weren't made to fend off New York winter weather in a structurethat was to be usedon a year-roundbasis. "First, I tried to just buy sorne doors to save time," Keith says. "But I couldn't find anything that wouldn't be outrageouslyexpensive."

Changing the size of the shop from the original drawings wasn't Keith's only alteration. The original plan covered only construction on flat terrain, but the shop was to be located on a wooded slope. Rather than pouring a concrete foundation on the hill, he rnodified the shop to sit on a deck structure. Fortunately, Keith had built decks before and was already familiar with what he would need for a solid foundation. For the upright posts he used 76 treated-lumber 6x6s sunk 4' in the ground, and almost a ton of concrete to anchor them. Floor ioists are 2x10 treated lumber on 16" centers, topped by 2x6 tongue-and-groove flooring. All the extra attention to strength details paid off when the foundation was done-the inspector who looked at it said it had been built better than most houses he'd seen. Similarly, the doors on the original shed plan just weren't conducive to shop use. For one thing, the intended size of the

An admittedwood junkie,Keithhasdozens of speciesof wood s t a c k e da l l a r o u n dh i s shop.Theseshelves underthe loft stairs hold shortstockand turningblanks."lt reallyhelpsme to see what'sthere,and I can get what I want withouthavingto dig aroundfor it."

Kffi ABOVE:Keithloveswood, and regularlyfrequentsa dealer aboutan hour'sdrivefrom his home."l think I wasbittenby the bug,becausewhenever l'm up therelookingljust can'tleavewithoutgetting something."

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RIGHT: Keithenjoysshowing hiscollectionto visitors,and labelseachboardto help hisguests(andsometimes himself,he admits)identify the variousspecies. LEFT: All of the machinesin Keith'sshopmatch."l boughtmy Jet tablesawfrom a localwoodworkingshopthat went out of business, and I wasvery pleasedwith it," he recalls. Thatwasone of the first tools he bought for the new shop,but otherssoonfollowed."OnceI find somethingI likewith a good reputationthat workswell,I don't takea chanceon somethingdifferent."

buddybuilders SHOP TIP: "Select adesign that works wellwithyour Inmy(ase, surroundings. works theexterior design verywellwithourhome each sotheycomplement other; adding value to thehome."

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In the end, Keith designed his own doors that increased the size of the opening to that of a single-car garage door (seepage 54).

learning along theway Everything about building the shop was something he had done previously:erecting a shed, constructing doors, designinga deck, plus all the basic carpentry. Still, Keith learned a lot and came away with ideas he thinks others should be awareof if tackling using metal lumber strapping a project of this size. Most important is to take to anchor framed walls like a time during the planning hinge, allowed him to lift stage,he advises."When try- them into place by himself. ing to rush the planning (The strappingcomesoff easprocess, mistakes can be ily when done.) Another, made that have a domino when installing drywall on a ceiling, is propping it into effect for everything else." Light volume should match position with a T-support to room size, and minimize hold it until secured. But the one construction shadows.Take the color and reflectivity of walls and ceil- "technique" that worked best ings into consideration.Keith for him wasto take advantage found that four-bulb, double- of the help offeredby friends ballast fluorescent fixtures and family. "It was an experienceI'll featuringindependentballast controls were perfect. treasure forever," he says. Keith often had helpersbut "For me, their support was he did sometimeswork alone, not about building a workand for that he picked up tips shop, but of building friendon the Internet. For example, shipsand relationships." 52

ABOVE: Untilhe installs dedicatedductingfor dust collection,Keithfinds that a longflexiblehosecan reachmost machines.For thoseit can't,he just rolls the collectorcloserto the machine. RIGHTNo matterwhat task he'sworking on, a readysourceof lumber is alwayscloseat hand in Keith'sshop.

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WFebMtu "My prideand joy is my workbench," Keith says.He startedby purchasingthe maplebutcher-blocktop, then extended the front with more mapleto add visesand benchdogs.Then,ashe did for the shop itself,he bought a set of plansand modified them to includea storageunit underneath.

The workbench'sstorage areais madeof maple plywood and lots of hard maple."Likethe carriage doors,this is solidand heavy,"he says.The largerdrawersmeasure 572"deep and the smaller ones3";all are 33" long, allowingplenty of room to keep tools and suppliescloseat hand.

Beforehe made his workbench,Keith had never cut dovetails.He routedthe through dovetailsin the drawersusinga Leighjig. "Thosewerethe first dovetailsI everdid, and they cameout great."

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When it cametime for doors,Keithdecidedthe onesincludedin the shedplanweretoo smallto work well asthe main entranceto the shop,so he alteredthe plansto meethisneeds."l had built a shedat a previoushome,so I took the same designand modified it for here.In this case,for the outsidedoor framesI used2x6s insteadof 2x4s.lwantedto do the samething as before but makethem bigger,for an openingabout the samesizeasa single-cargaragedoor.I also neededto usebigger hinges,becauseeachdoor weighsmorethan 100lbs."

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Although many of Keith'sprojectsare quite large,he alsoenjoyscrafting smalleritemslike segmentedbowls,pen-and-pencilsets,and coin banks madewith antiquepost-officebox doors.

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S I D ES E C T I O NV I E W BecausewintersIn westernNewYork can get very cold,Keithwanted his shop doorsconstructedto keepthe heatin and the chillout. A sheetof 3/q" foam board insulation, sandwichedbetweenthe outer surfacesof the door,doesthe trick.

lmost as long as he's been woodworking-since junior high school-Keith Robison has enjoyed sharing the results of his shop skills with family and friends. For example, after finishing his dream shop, Keith built a 72x22' craft room for his wife Cindy in the basementof their home. Cindy doesthe craft-showcircuit with a line of lamp shadesshe designs,and Keith helps her out whenever he can. "Whenever she makesa new shade,I'll make the lamp base,"he says."And when shedoescraft shows,a lot of my smallerprojectswill be on the tablesright along with her lamps." What he enioys most, however,is sharing both his time and his new shop making projectswith friends who actually helped build the facility. One friend, who played a significant role in constructing the shop's foundation, visited not long after the shopwasdone,and the two friends spentworkshoptime together making the post-officebox bank shown above.Keith hopes that more friends will join him. "So far, he's the only one of the people who helped build the shop who's also built projectshere, but the invitation is open to everyonewho helped."

Photographer:David Anderson, Streetwise Creative Group, LLC l l l u s t r a t i o n sR: o x a n n e L e M o i n e

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dk Allwoodworkers know thatshop efficiency increases boththequality andsafety oftheirwork, project. improves woodworking efficiency likeawell-designed From andnothing shop stands to cabinets, fromjigstostorage, here's asampling ofsome ofAmerica's bestideas fortoday's shop.

- ormore! - ofthese projects One issure toberightforthewayyouwork.

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Wotkbench fiomTomMc(ranie, Boone, N.C. A Rft"r wantingto build it for morethan 35 of the 60 yearshe'sbeenactivelywoodworking,Tom finallyrealizedhisdreamin the springof 2008with thisworkbenchmadeof chestnutoak.Thetree that providedthe lumbergrew neara pond on hispropertyand wascut in the springof 2005.Tom hadit turnedintolumberat a localsawmill,with muchof the wood quartersawn. Composedof 173 individualpiecesof oakandweighingabout350lbs,the benchmeasures 23x77".The 357i'height matchesTom'stablesaw,so the benchcanserveasan outfeedsupport.The lowershelfis 21x57".

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(abinet Wall-Mounted loolStorage

fromSteven Harvey, Davenport, lowa

A fo maximizestoragein his253sq.ft. shop,Stevenuseseverybit of availablewall space,includingthistool storage cabinetmountedoverhis8"jointer.Measuring413/tx72", it'sactuallythreecabinetsbuilt separately and thenjoined when hung on the wall.Eachof the 24x31"doorshashangingspaceon both sidesto doublethe storage.'Alltogether this cabinetoffersover 50 sq.ft. of perforated-hardboard storagesurface,"Stevensays.Exceptfor the perforated hardboard,the cabinetsaremadeentirelyof solidredoakto matchthe countertopand the restof the cabinetshe had built previously for hisshop.

Upright loolCabinet fromMike Flaim, Milford,0hio tool )lnspired by GregRadley's cabinetin TheToolboxBook,Mike madehishand-toolshowcase of red oakand walnut,with padauk drawerpulls.At 32'wide by nearly76"tall,it'shometo about 300 handtools,100of whichare antiquesthat Mikehasrestored to working order."To me that is the true beautyof an old tool,"he saysof the restorationprocess. "lt'slikeshakinghandswith our ancestors, working side-by-side, feelingthe way they did asthey usedthe tool."Mike'scollection includesover200antique moldingplanes,metal-bodied and woodenplanes,chisels, screwdrivers,measuringtools, and more.

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Flip-Top Toolstand fromJimHarvey, Naperville, lll. )fliptop cabinetsaren'tnew,althoughmostareusedfor toolsof similar sizes. Butto mounta 34"-talldrillpressand an 18"-tall planer,Jimrealized the drill presswould be too highto usecomfortably. "My solutionwasto offsetthe pivot point 4" from the top surface," he says."Thisallowsthe drill pressto sit 8" lowerafterit swingsup."Asa bonus,the configurationmoved the centerof gravitycloserto the pivot pointto achievean almostperfect balance.Mainconstructionis3/+" birchplywoodwith a doublelayerof plywoodfor the mountingsurface, while4" stripson eachverticaledgeadd -lateralrigidityand act asstopsfor the pivotingplatform.A pairof T-nutsin the outercabinetmateto starknobsfrom the insideto lockthe top in place afterrotating.The hinges(below)wereshop-madefroml/q"platesteeland Yzx2t/z" carriagebolts;mobilityfor the standis providedby 3" lockingand fixed casters.

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Cabinet Sandpaper

Ind. Kokomo, fiomWally0ileil, )witfr an entirewall of his shop devotedto cabinets, Wally dedicatedsections gearedfor specificneeds.On the far left is hissandpaper storagecabinetwhere removable 1/i' birch p lywood shelvesaresizedfor full sheets Thecabinet of sandpaper. 12" wide by 32"tall, measures and hasa bifolddoor that opensfully and stillclears additionalitemsmountedto the left of the cabinet.

(abinet Small-Parts ) Wt'rencalculatingthe dimensionsfor small-parts storage,Wallytook carefulnote of the sizesof hisplasticparts bins."l hadthosefor years," he says.'Andthe cabinetis designedto holdthem all."The resultingstorageareasnugly accommodates allfive bins in one easy-to-get-tospot. The6x9" drawersbelowthe cabinet-there are 15of them in all-run the entire11'length of the wallcabinet.

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Accessory Shelves Pull-0ut A Clot" at hand but still out of the way, thesepull-outshelvesin the basecabinetsof Wally'sstorageareagive easyaccessto bulky toolsthat aren'tusedeverydayin the shop, suchashismitersawand shopvacuum.Made of %' birchplywood and3/i'pine,the shelves arepaintedto matchthe shop'scolorscheme.

(abinet Hand-Tool fiom ReidSmith,Huntsville,Ala. )smitty madethiscabinetfor histool collectionout of walnutto pine contrastwith the shellacked boardsof hisshopwalls.Thewallhung cabinetmeasures40x44",and 117+" deepwhenclosed. Toget all 150 toolsto fit perfectly,he first laidthem out in groupsto try variouspatterns. "Thistooka littletime in arranging them to suita givenspaceyet be easilyaccessible," he says.Once satisfied, he took photosof each group,andthen designedand sized the cabinetto bestsuitthe tools.

Drill-andRouter-Bit Storaqe '

fromWilliam Rowe, Milford, Mich.

{ fo keephisdrilland routerbits handy,Billattachedstorage unitsfor eachon the wallby the appropriate tools.Thedrill-bit 3/+" pine, cabinet,madeof measures63/qx10x23". Tilt-out holders in the upperpartof the cabinetholdstwistdrillsand brad-point, Forstner and spadebits, whilethe drawerhouses miscellaneous items suchasholesaws, circle cutters,chuckkeys,and countersink bits.Bill's router-bitrackis simplya pieceof 1x9x16"cherry left overfrom another project,onto which he routeda decorative edge.Thetop halfholds 36V2"-shank bits,and the bottom halfhouses twentyfour 7+"bits.

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Mitersaw Dust-(ollection Shroud fromRichard Trenchard, Porters[ake,NovaScotia { Mit"rruwsspewchipsboth up and back,and createfine duststandard-equi pment mi tersaw dustbagscan'tcont ain. R i chard addressed bothi ssues w i ththi sangl e dhood.M ost chi psfromthe saw ' sdustportshootri ghtup i n t oit ,and thefewthatmi ssarecontai ned i nsi dethe pl ast icm ount ing " The encl osure. real vi ctory i sw i ththe mi crodust , "Richar d says."Afterabout30 cutsthereis no detectable dustin the air."Richard adaptedthe hoodfrom a form for concrete footi ngs, avai l ablat e bui l di ngsuppl youtl ets. The28"hooo, designedto fit 10"tubesusedfor formingconcreteposts, received an HVACreducerto attachhis6" dust-collection hose.Themountingenclosure isformedfrom a pieceof plastic. PETG 7a"clear

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Air(ompressot Cart fiomSteve Henkes, Bellevue, Wash. wheeled { nottingand readywheneverand whereverhe needsit,Steve's ai rcompressor carthasa sol i dbasefor the compressor, w i th an upr ight T-postperfectfor hangingairhosesandthe powercord.Thecartbase, plywoodwith verticalsides,keepsaccessories madefrom3/q" contained. TheT-postat the backof the cartis7+"pine."l got tiredof havingto haulit by handaroundmy shop,andthisissoconvenient and easy," stevesays.

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Wotkbench fiomFrankMartins, Maple, 0nt. A Frankmadehis32x66"workbenchalmostentirelyout of 3/a"andTi'MDF,usingsomeclevertechniques.For MDF,arrangedbeforegluing example,he madethe legsfor the 351/2"-tall benchby laminatingpiecesof 3/c" joints.Twosheetsof 3/i'MDFform the top.Thecentersectiondoesdoubleduty, to createmortise-and-tenon for hold-downclampsand poplartrim completethe creatingdrawerboxesand tying the legstogether.T-tracks "Everything unit. sitson adjustablefeet that can be loweredonto castersso I canmoveit around,"Franksays.

Tablesaw Extension System { n riglAtymountedright-hand extensionand two hingedrearoutfeed add versatilityto Frank's extensions tablesaw."Ninetypercentof the time onlythe one directlybehindthe saw bladeis necessary, but when I need moreworksurface, I canput up both leavesand havea nicelargesurface." With both leavesin the horizontal position,the systemmeasures 64x68" for overall.Frankused%"particleboard allconstruction, includingsupportlegs, and paintedall surfaces to matchhis "The resultis a nice,easy-totablesaw. maintain'Deltagra\,"'he says.

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Router lable "Thedesignwasinspiredby manyversionsl'veseen inWOOD magazine and on woodmagazine.com, and by NormAbram'stable,"Franksaysof hisroutertable. AnytimeFrankneedsmoreshopspace,he lowersone of the rearextensions on histablesawand rollsthe router table into that spot(below). Hecut the routertable'stop out of the originalright-sideextensionhe madefor the tablesawso it'sa perfectfit. Likewise, nestlingthe router table into the sawextensioneffectivelycreatesa larger tablefor routinglargestockrequiringadditionalsupport. FrankusedMDFexclusively for construction-72"stock for the drawersand3/i'foreverythingelse.T-tracks,miter slots,hardwoodtrim, levelingfeet,and 2" castersadd the finishingtouches.

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Drill-Press andDrum-Sander Station Frankcameup with hisdual-purpose drillingand sandingstationwhen he builta 2x18"drum-sanding tablekit hed purchased online-he neededsome placeto put it. Healsohad a benchtopdrill pressthat neededa home,so he constructeda baseout of %"birch plywoodsizedto handleboth in a singleroll-around unit.He used72"plywoodforthe drawers,which he fitted withl/i' plywooddividers.Forthe drill-press table, Franklaminateda sheetof 1/q" hardboardatop a pieceof 3/+" plywood,addedsomeT-tracks for hold-downs,and finishedit off with a solidwood fence,alsoequipped with a T-track.Aswith mostof hisshoppieces,the unit providesplentyof storage,while 2" casterskeepthe stationflexiblymobile.

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Rolling Clamp Rack From WaltNicholson, Post Falls,ldaho r o l l s m o o t h l ya n y w h e r ei n t h e shop, it also storesassociated t o o l s ,h a r d w a r ea, n d m a t e r i a l s . " l s t a r t e dt h i n k i n g a b o u t t h e wasted spacein the middle,"Walt e x p l a i n s". l d e c i d e di t w o u l d b e nice to have everything that I used w h e n c l a m p i n ga n d g l u i n ga l l i n a a /

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a c c e s s o r i ef so r c l a m p i n gt a s k s T . he drawer compartment spansthe center of the rack w i t h d a d o e d s l o t sf o r s h e l v e s ; f u l l - l e n g tphi n e d r a w e r s s l i d eo p e n f r o m e i t h e rs i d e ,o r c a n b e t a k e no u t . T h e 1/+"acrylicend panels show each drawer's contents at a glance.The3/+"plywood coveringthe sidescan be u s e dt o h a n g a d d i t i o n a lc l a m p s ,s q u a r e sa, n d o t h e r h a n d t o o l s ; al a r g eb o t t o m d r a w e ro n t h e b a c ko f t h e r a c kh o u s e sW a l t ' sb i s c u i tj o i n e r .T h e r a c ki s 6 8 " t a l l a n d 2 9 x 5 0 "a t t h e b a s e .

Drill-Press Cabinet kitchen)starting with a 15x27x42" ca bi n etf r am e,W altadd e da n g l e ds h e l v e s fo r co unt er s inkholes s, a wa s ,n d F o rs tn earn d sp adebit s .P ull- out s hel v ebse l o wh o l da h u g e co l l ec t ion of t wis tdr illsw , h i l eth e d ra w e rs addedto the bottomcontainaccessories, , sucha spunc hest aps a , n dA l l e nw re n c h e s . Wa l tma det he upr ightd ri l lh o l d e rsb y c u tti n g partwayintothe shelfwith a holesaw, then insertingvariouslengthsof 11/2"-diameter thin-wall plastictubing;computer-pri nted l a bel sc om plet e . h el i g h te dma g n i fi e r t he look T hangi n gon t he s idehel p sw h e nre a d i n g ma rki n gs on t he s m allebr i ts .

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Caddy Scollsaw Blade fromWaltNicholson, PostFalls, ldaho { f o k e e p a v a r i e t yo f s c r o l l s a wb l a d e sc l e a na n d c l o s ea t h a n d ,W a l t m a d e t h i s p i v o t i n gc a d d y w i t h a 1 5 "p i e c eo f 1 x 6p i n e d r i l l e dt o a c c e p ta s e r i e so f c a p p e d '1x6" p l a s t i ct u b e s .B o l t e dt o t h e s a w t h r o u g h a c o r n e rm o u n t i n g h o l e i n t h e base,the caddy swingsout for easyblade access.The inexpensivecapped t u b e s ,w h i c h c a n b e o r d e r e dt h r o u g h m a n y s c i e n c e - s u p p lcyo m p a n i e ss, l i p e a s i l yi n a n d o u t o f t h e h o l e sb u t t h e w i d e l i p k e e p st h e m h a n g i n g i n p l a c e .

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fiomDavid Strawser, Wasilla, Alaska AThe mapleand cherryin David'sworkbenchtraveleda longway-in bothtime and distance. Davidhadthe lumber-cut and milled at hisdadt sawmillin WestVirginiamorethan l5 yearsago-shipped to Alaskawherehe builtthe benchin 2002 Measuring 35x93" and standing36"high,the 2 %6"-thicktop with 1%x6"apronfeaturesa Veritas35"twin-screwend viseand 18"quick-release front vise. Davidadmitsthat usinga benchthisattractivemadehim nervous. "Thefirstcoupleof scratches werepainful,"he recalls, but addedthat "Butthen hisfatherwholeheartedly approved. Dadlookeddown at it and said,'lvow it'sa realworkbench."'

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Wooden Hand Planes fromMattSeiler, Tinley Park, lll. A Mutt,a forumhostandmanager of reader-submitted blogsat WOODOnline',useda varietyof wood species to createthisenviable collectionof handplanes. Aftermakinghisfirstfew,it now takes h i ma boutt wo or t hr eeh o u rsto ma k ea p l a n e".T h el e a rn i ng curve isn'tthat big,"he says."lt'sreallymorea matterof squaringup your s angl e sh oulderand s dec idin gto d o i t."Byc o m b i n i n ga p l a n e ' bed with bladebevelangle/direction, Mattachieves a wide rangeof cuttingangles.Forexample, the sapelleplane(no.2 obove)hasa 45o b ed;u s edwit h an ir ont h a t h a sa 3 0 oc u tti n ga n g l ea n d p l aci ngi t i n the tool bevel-upgivea net cuttingangleof 75".All planesadjustby tappi n gt he endswit h a 6 -o z m . a l l e t.

1 S apel lw e i th hardmapl esol e;30' bedangl e;15"l o ng. 2 Sapelle;45'be ad n g l e ; 6l"o n g . 3 A shcoreandw al nutcheeks;30' bed angl e;7" l on g. 4 W hi teoakcorew i th cherrysi des;45" bedangl e;6"long. 5 Tiger-maple coreand sides,with pinstripes of wengeand E ngl i sh sycamore;45" bedangl e;6"l ong. 6 S apel lcore e andfi guredN orw aymapl esi des;4 5" bedangle; 6" l ong. 7 Ashcorewith bubingacheeks;45" bed angle;3t/z" long. 8 Bubingacorewith wengepinstripes andtiger-maple sides; 4 5 ' b e da n g l e ; 4l"o n g .

latheBench (alif. fromAllenWorsham, Corona, {

Whenhe neededa rock-solid standfor hisextendedmini-lathe, Allencameup with a beefy, versatile woodenversionrather than buy a metalone.Starting with a frameof standard2x4s and4x4s,he addedan exterior of 3/q" finish-gradeplywood.Thetop, a doublethicknessof %" Ip.

Particleboard,features surfaceand hardwoodtrim. A l ldraw ers usethe sam e ply,and 7+"finish-grade pul lout on ful l -ext ension slides. Measuring 24x64" andstandi ng34"h igh,t he benchrestson a Rockler mobi l ebase.

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Three-Machine Mitersaw Station fromSerge Duclos, Delson, Quebec A U a d e o f % " - t h i c kM D F ,t h e 8 " x 1 8 " x8 ' c a b i n e tt h a t f o r m s t h e b a s eo f S e r g e ' sm i t e r s a ws t a t i o n offers plenty of storage.He used 1/q" andl/2"MDF for the 16 drawers;the top ones slideon3/sx3/q" s u p p o r t so n t h e s i d e so f t h e v e r t i c a ld i v i d e r s w , h i l e t h e b o t t o m d r a w e r ss l i d eo n t h e b o t t o m o f t h e c a s e .A c o n t i n u o u s8 ' - l o n gc u t t i n g s u r f a c eo f % " M D F b r i d g e sa l l t h r e e m a c h i n e sw , hich he leavesset at 45' left, 90', and 45' right.The rearfence of sho"HDF alignsthe work and provides a p p r e c i a b l ec l a m p i n gs p a c ef o r j i g s o r a c c e s s o r i e "sB. y h a v i n gm o r e t h a n o n e n r i t e r s a wI,c a n r e d u c ec o n s i d e r a b l tyh e n u m b e r o f s e t u p s , "S e r g es a y s .

Kitchen-Tray Storage Gbinet * When he saw kitchen utensiltraysfor 50 cents each,Sergehad an idea for a storagecabinet f o r s m a l lt o o l s a n d p a r t s ,a n d s n a p p e dt h e m u p . " l b o u g h t t w o d o z e n ,n o t e v e n k n o w i n g e x a c t l y h o w m a n y I w o u l d n e e d a c c o r d i n gt o t h e s p a c ea v a i l a b l e ,h" e s a y sT . o h o l d t h e t r a y s ,S e r g e designeda smallcabinet of 3/+" MDF sizedto fit under his workbench,then used dado and rabbet constructionfor the 19x12x151/z" cabinet.He cut dadoes in the sidesand middle divider matched t o t h e o u t s i d el i p so f t h e t r a y s .P l a s t i cd r a w e rp u l l sf o r t h e f r o n t o f e a c ht r a y c o m p l e t et h e u n i t .

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latheBase Mobile

fromRick Hutcheson, Grimes,lowa for mobilityand storageall in one,thislathebasepairsa setof 5" lockingcasterswith a dozendrawers.Rickstarted togetherfor the frame,then added by welding5" C-channel birchplywoodsizedto the opening a cabinetmadefrom3/q" beneaththe latheand mountedto the centerof the frame. andl/z"birch ply. The drawersareconstructedfrom 1/4",3/s", 'Anotherreasonfor the largewheelswasto raisethe latheup

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to the correctheightfor me,at 6' 3" tall,"he says.

latheTool Rack 1/c" )fo keeptoolshandyat hislathe,Rickused birchplywoodto constructthis 9x10x19"rackwith holesspacedto accommodate differenttools.Thecapacityis amazing:Dedicatedholeshold 37 largetools,13minitools,and 18smallcarvingtools(plusroomon the sidesto hanga few extras). The rackswivelson the postfor easy "Theferruleson the top toolsareat abouteyeleveltome," access. Ricksays,whichkeepshimfrom bendingoverthe sharptips.

Chip BagHolder to fit a 30-gallontrashbag,thisholderon the { SizeO backof the lathehasa 6x19"centeropening.Rickcut a ring of 1/c"birchplywoodthat fits overthe top of the plywoodbag holderand isthen clampedin placewith officebinderclips.The bag catchesa lot of chipswhen woodturning, whilechipslandingon top of the drawer cabinetcanbe pushedrightintothe bagwith the wood-chip"pushstick"restingon top of the cabinet.

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Fibonacci Guides; Thickness Gauges

fiomRick ]lutcheson, Grimes, lowa

(top)andthickness { ni* madetheseFibonacciguides gauges(middle)from Formicalaminate,usingpop rivets for the pivots.Althoughhe couldhaveusedanyof his scrollsaws to cut these,Rickuseda CNCrouterto make them.Creatingthe designsusinga graphicsprogram calledCorelDraWhe wasableto makethe gaugesin severalsizesby simplyresizingthe file.

Scrollsaw Collection ABefore he startedwoodturning,Rickwas(andstillis) an avidscrollsawyer. Hiscurrentcollectionincludesabout 200old saws,rangingfrom the 1870sto the present.The machinesshownherecomprisemostof the foot-operated modelsin hiscollection.

Show Dear Readers, planning We're already ournextissue ofAmerica's Best HomeWorkshopslWe're looking for interesting, hardworking shops thatarewell-organized andfullofproblem-solving ideas such as jigs,orother projects, storage special page woodworking solutions. See 1tolearn howtosubmit your shop orjustideas.

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From acramped basement workshop toaroomy space onthesecond floorofhis garage, home's newly constructed thisPennsylvania woodworker hascome along

wayinonlyafewyears ground ...literally,"fromthe up." is first workshop was small tablesaw, which he set underground.His new tup in a spare room in the shop is on the second basernent. The rest, as the floor of his garage.Along the way, with the growth of both l-risshop and his skills, pharmacist Todd DiOrio skipped right past the ground floor. When he and wife, Connie, bought their Sipesville, Pa., horne in 2000, Todd didn't need a shop-he wasn't a woodworker yet. But horne repair and fix-up chores prornpted hirn to purchase a

saying goes, is history. And a fast history at that. Within a few years Todd had already outgrown the crarnped basement roorn and combined his shop plans with those for a new garage they built in 2004. He originally wanted a ground-floor shop that would extend out from the side of the garage, but that didn't work. "There's

a fire hydrant in front of our house and the line r uns through our yard, so I had to stop the garagewhere I did," he says.An extensionout the rear of the planned garage also wouldn't work, so he decided the best way to go was up. "l figured I was used to rny basementshop so the stepswouldn't be that big of a problem in the new one. Of course,there are a lot more steps!I don't know what will happenwhen I get older."

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TYPE: Dedicatedspaceon the secondfloor of a detachedgar age. SIZE: 23x31'(713sq. ft.), w i t ha n 8 ' c e i l i n g .

ABOVE: Althoughthe two-story garagethat housesTodd'sshopon the secondfloor is detachedfrom hishome,a connectingentrance way makesaccesseasy. LEFT: Hislargemachinesplug into electrical and dust-collection outletslocatedin the floor,and numerousceilingdrop cordsand hosesmakeit easyto connect smallertools whereverTodd happensto be working. BELOW: Theshopis his"home awayfrom home,"so Todd includedseveralamenities. Hiscornerworkstationhasa coffeemaker,radio,and television with cable.There'salsoa refrigeratorfor cold drinks,and evena popcornpopperfor the occasional snack.

C ON S TR U CTI O N: Frame-and-br ick ext er ior w i th beadbo ar d wall coveri ngs. FLOOR :S hop- m ade tongue-and-g r ooveplanks. HEATING& COOLING: R adi ant fl oor heat ingon l ow erl evelco m bineswit h 4,000-wattelectricalwall heaterin shop.Two w i ndowA C un it s. E LE C TR IC AL: 100- am p subpanel for the building, with dedicated220-volt circuitsfor the tablesaw and heater. LIGH TIN G:Fluor escent fi xturesand an abundance of naturall i ght . D U S TC OLTECTI O N: S hop-bui lcyclone t locat ed in lower-level garage.

ABOVE: Todddoesmost of hiswork with powered equipment,but he does confessto a fondnessfor one particularhandtool. "l lovescrapers,"he says. "They'reexcellent."

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With six windowsand ABOVE: a set of Frenchdoors,the shop hasa lot of welcomenatural light.Toddoften relaxesin the areanearthe Frenchdoors when takinga break.Thelow guard wall at the top of the stairspivotsout into the shop to allowhim to anglelarge sheetgoodsand long stock into the room.

downstairs Upstairs, The first thing Todd thought about during planning was getting material up there. He considered outside stairs going to French doors on a balcony, but decided the inside stairwell was large enough to handle the job. (The French doors stayed in the plan, however.)By hinging the stairwell guard wall on one end, he can swing it like a gateto easilymaneuver even 8' sheetgoodsinside. With ready accessassured, he then thought about the workspace itself. "l consid-

ered dividing a little of it off for a hardware or finishing area," he says of the openrectangle design. "l may do that down the road to section it off a bit and to get more wall spacefor storage." The shop's French doors and six windows lend an open feeling that makes the 23x3I'spaceseemeven larger than it is. Add to that the logicalplacementof his major machinery combined with several worksurfacesaround the shop perimeter, and the layout makesfor an efficient, comfortablearrangement.

He scrapped his idea for outsidestairs,but Todd would still like to add that balcony someday.The incredible view of the gently rolling farmland around his home would make it the perfect place to relax after a long day.

useofplywood, Creative oldbins, and...idzors? Todd'sproud of making almost everything in the shop himself,beginningwith the floor. Wanting something different from plain plywood sheets underfoot, he decided to rip contirured

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

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"lwas used toa7'ceiling in I thebasement and thouqht wouldbeplenty, soI mton'nave gone withahigher ceiling or maybe avaulted ceiling forabit more head space."

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A B O V ET : o d d ' sm a i n s h o p a r e a m a k e sa l o g i c a l a n d c o n v e n i e n tw o r k t r i a n g l e f r o m t h e t a b l e s a wt o the workbenchto the m itersaw/mortiser s t a t i o n s .N o t e t h e s m a l l l i b r a r yo f w o o d w o r k i n g m a g a z i n e sk e p t b e n e a t h t h e o s c i l l a t i n gb e l t s a n d e r on the left.

A B O V ET : h e n o r t h w a l l o f t h e D i O r i os h o p i s h o m e t o h a n d t o o l s ,f r e q u e n t l y u s e d t e m p l a t e s ,a n d a v a r i e t y o f s p e c i a l i z e df e n c e sa n d s h o p j i g s .

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moumg0nup "Myshop isveryspecial I since tomepersonally, have literally made nearly everything init.ltakea lotofprideinhowmy place looks, fromcleanli-

ness andorganization, to " thedecor onthewalls. LEFTEverycornerand work area in Todd'sshop is both orderlyand attractive,with alltools and supplies neatlystored.In the basementshop, he madethe workbenchwhile the garagewas beingconstructedso he'd be readyto go when its new homewas ready.Measuring36x80", the top is three layersof 7q"MDF glued and screwedtogether,with 7+"hardboardon top.

whole sheetsof 3/+"ply into individual 6"-wide boards, screwedand plugged the ends for a plank-floor look, and finished it with polyurethane and bowling-alleywax. Although the floor was made new, other shop furniture has been cleverly adapted from somecast-offitems.A kitchen cabinet forms the baseof his mitersaw station; his planer sitson an old sewing-machine table.Anytime the pharmacy where he works gets rid of something, he has standing ordersfor them to checkwith him beforethey tossit out. "I have shop cabinetsmade from what I call'dump bins"', he says. He cut the bins in half, and then added sliding perforated hardboard doors painted to match the shop

decor. "I have a screw holder that was an old ChapStick display.It has little bins that are perfect for screws." His mobile clamp rack (see page 75) began as a revolving drugstore razor display with castersand a lazy Susan.He replaced the top with a rack system that accommodates 50 clamps, but takesup very little floor space. The shop fixture that gives Todd the most satisfaction, though, is the cyclone dust project photo album, he collector he built based on always mentions it as his a WOOD' magazine plan baby. "I must have looked like (vvoot I rnirgazi rtc.torrt/t'yrclont'). a proud papa when I finally He located the unit on the got to turn it on," he recalls. lower level of the garage to 'Just the fact that I was able reduce shop noise and allow to construct a large piece of him to run collection ducts machinery like that and have beneath the shop floor. it work so well is just, well, Whenever he shows off his exhilarating."

ABOVE: Todddidn't want the look of whole sheets of plywood for a floor. Hissolution was to riptlo" plywood into 6" planks, rout tongue-and-groove edgeson them, and install the stripswith screwsand pluggedendsfor a plankfloor detail.Thefloor becamethe first official projectcompletedin the new shop.

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

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Toddfrequentlyrepurposesdiscardedmaterialsand componentsinto handy shopfurnitureand accessories, and this rackisa good example."lt wasan old razordisplayand I took the basefrom it," he says."lt had castersand a lazy Susan,so I usedit asthe baseand sizedthe structureon top to fit." The spinning baseis plywood,while standard2x4sform the upper structure.The rackholds 50 cfamps,but hasa circularfootprint of only 22" in diameter.

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Thesemitersawsupporttables,hingedon the backside,swingquicklyinto position and lockin placeasneededfor cutting long stock.Forshort stockthey can remain tuckedawaybehindthe main table.The miter stationitselfbeganlife asa kitchen basecabinet,to which Toddattachedan old kitchenislandtop he hadon hand. The double doorson the front conceala smallshopvacuum,activatedby the tooltriggeredoutlet the sawusesfor power so Todddoesn'thaveto turn on the wholeshop dust-collectionsystemwhen making just a few quickcuts.

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America's Best Home Workshops 2009

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2" Whendoing templaterouting orfreehandrouting without the regularfence(whichhasits own built-in dust-collectionport),Toddattachesthis dust hood he designed.lt can be mountedanywhereon the table but is securedat a singlepoint on the table'sT-track, allowingit to be easilypivotedto the best position.lt is madeof Vz"MDF,as is the shop-maderouter plate.

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Thetension-adjustknob on the bandsawwas cumbersome,but at 6'2"tall, Toddfinds that this simple crank-stylelever is far easierto use.The lever is just a pieceof poplar scrapcut to length,with a dowel drilled down the centerand bolted to the scrapat a 90o anglewith washersso it can turn asthe leveris rotated. A pair of hex bolts securesthe crankto holesdrilled in the originalplasticknob.

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tro@Ml&ffi Simplebut attractiveis the perfectdescriptionfor this screwdriverrack.Whilethe screwdrivers are modern, inexpensivetools availableat just about any home center,Toddfound their vintagebrass-and-dark-wood appearanceappealing.He constructedthe rackout of cherry,sizingboth the through-holesand counterbores in the supportsto matchthe individualscrewdrivers for a perfectfit. "lt's mostlyfor show,"he admits,adding that he keepshisother not-so-handsome screwdrivers in drawers."But I do grab one everyonce in a while."

Counterbores sized to fit screwdriver s/rs" handles deep

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Note: All stock7a"thick

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

moungonup

prcfile woodfforkerS Thiscornercabinet, one of Todd'sfirst projects,grew from a basiclow radiatorcover (the radiator'shidden behindthe louvered dooron the lowerleft).

odd DiOrio never planned to get into woodworking in a big way. But when he and his wife bought their 7977 Craftsman-style home after his graduation from pharmacy schoolin 2000, he got a small tablesawfor fixing up the house. "l figured I'd need it for home improvement, but had no intention of doing any woodworking other than making someradiator covers." Fortunately,his dad was a roofer who did work around the house,so the exposureto construction and tools gave him an edge (and maybe an itch) later.That first radiator cover turned out well. Then he built a small stool. Then more radiator covers."l got kind of hooked," he admits. Self-taughtthrough voraciousreading of woodworking magazines and frequenting online woodworking sites, he's come a long way very quickly. Plus,his l2-hour days as a pharmacist allow for more consecutive days off for concentratedtime in the shop. As a result, even he's a bit surprised at how quickly his skills are improving. He's eagerto try new disciplineslike woodturning, marquetry, and carving. What's probably not surprisingis that he has no intention of slowing down. "I don't want to make it a career,but my goal is to maybe start selling some of my work and seehow that feelsand seewhere that takesme, maybe into retirement."

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Smallfurniture, like the cherryjewelry armoirehe madefor his wife (obovd, is Todd's favorite type of project. This48"-tallpiece,and featuresall-dovetail construction.There's alsoa secretdrawerat the bottom lockedby a hidden dovetailkeyway. Thisentertainment centeris designedto matchthe interiorof Todd'sCraftsman-style home.Madeof solid oak and oak plywood, it standsover6'tall and housesa 32"TV.He assembled it in sections, and can disassemble it if he ever wants to move it to a new location.

Photographer:Chris Hay Photography l l l u s t r a t i o n sR: o x a n n e L e M o i n e

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Withgarden tools,lawn chairs, andbicycles stored elsewhere, thiswell-orga nized garage dedicated exclusively towoodworking istheperfect shop space.

e'll build a largershop in his backyardone of these davs, but for now Robert "Burgie" Burgoynefinds his 20x22'garage an efficient,productivespace. It wasn't always so, however. " In 2OO6I di d an extreme makeover,to coin a phrase," Burgie says,recalling how he stashed his tools in a borrowed 8x16' trailer while he redid the attached two-car garageof his Peyton, Colo., home from the floor up. First he upgraded his electrical serviceto 60 amps,with 72O- and 24o-voIt outlets. Full insulation came next, followed by drywall and paint. After that he designed

unique tool storageracksand built shelvesup to the ceiling. The result worked. "For now this suits my needs," he says."The layout is the most ergonomicI could have come up with."

Making it work A lot of garageshopshave the burden of the usual "garage" stuff taking up a lot of space. "You have to work around that, but I have what I call my shop extension: I built two beautiful sheds out back," Burgie says. He banished bikes,yard gear,and any tools he seldomusedto the sheds, thereby maximizing available work spaceon the inside.

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

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ABOVE:Burgie'swork spaceis a two-stallgarageshop dedicated to woodworking-no cars allowed.Evenbikesand lawn gearare kept elsewhere.

TYPE:Attachedgarage. S IZE :20x22 '( 440sq f t ) , with 9'6" ceiling.

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LEFT: Although he doesn'tneed to alter his layoutfor parkingcars, Burgiestill likesto havehis major machinesmobileso he'sableto accommodateprojectsand raw materialsof any size.

CONSTRUCTION: Wood frame,drywallinterior.

"lwanted to developa BELOW: cleverway to organizemy tools and hardware,"Burgiesaysof his wall storage."But I alsobelieve in havingthem be aesthetically pleasing."Burgiefound his classic14"DeWaltradial-armsaw on eBay.

IIGHTING: Three8' fluorescent fixtures.

HEATING:Jobsite-type keroseneheater. ETECTRICAL: 60-amp subpanelwith six 240-volt and 14 120-voltoutlets.

DUST COTTECTION: 1Yz-hp,240-volt Deltad ust collector;shopvacuumfor generalcl ea nup.

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RIGHT: Burgieorganizes everythingin hisshop and hasplentyof storage. Thingshe usesmost, l i k eh i sm a n yc l a m p sa, r e mountedlow in accessible wall racks(seehow-tobuild illustrations on poges 84 and 85).Toolsand automotivegearhe uses infrequentlyarestored higherup.Wirestorage shelvesreachall the way up to the shop's9%'ceiling.

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BELOW: lt may not be all that fancy,but Burgieloves hisS20bench.He noticed a h u g ep i l eo f c u l l e d lumberbeingdiscarded at hislocalhomecenter. T h em a n a g e lre t h i m f i l l h i s truckwith asmuchashe c o u l dg e t i n ,c h a r g i n gh i m only S20for the load.After makingthe bench,Burgie had plenty left overfor other projects.

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But he still had a lot of tools and accessories,and the key was rnaking thern easy to use. "You can see that rnost of rny tools are against the walls, and the rnafority use rolling bases,"hc says."The narne of the garne is accessibility." Burgie applied a sir-nplc philosophy: Frequer-rtlyusecl iterns should be within ann's reach. His rnany clever tool racks see to that. Some hold rnostly one type of itern-say, he clarnps or chisels-but tries to cornbine thern with related items. A chisel rack (scc prr;qc 86), for exarnple, also holds the tools needed for rneasuring and marking dovetails. The open r'ack design rnakes tools not or-rly easy to reach, but easy to find. "A lot of folks like cabinets; they're wonderful, but I like to see everything," he says. "And I know right away if sornething is out of place."

America'sBestHomeWorkshops2009

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"There is a bit of strategy involvedwith trying to copewith a smallshop, giventhe quantity of tools I have,"Burgiesays. Hismain tactic:Putjust about everythingon wheels."My shop is very efficient,very organized, and for what I do it'svery practical."

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SHOP TIP: "Always think two-dimensionally, Myshop flooris440sq.ft.,butI alsohave approximately 1,000 sq.ft.ofusable wallspace. I use every inch ofit."

LEFT: Almostall of Burgie'slarger machineryrollson mobilebases, allowingunlimitedfreedomto rearrangethings as needed.

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Startingwith a baseof 3/q" plywood,Burgiehasmadeseveraltool and accessory racks,likethis onethat housesbar clampsand handsaws. Additionalshelvesand hangersat the bottom of the rackmakea home for bandsawgearand blades.

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'All of my shop projects servemy uniquestorageconsiderations," Burgiesays. Hetakestime when designingthem to be surethat eachis good-lookingas well asefficient."l couldjust drive nailsin the wall and hang stufl but that'snot aestheticallypleasing.lt's not a reflectionof your creativityor craftsmanship, and l'd ratherspendan afternoonbuildinga cool-lookingholder."Thisrack holdshandscrews, pipe clamps,lockingpliers,a steelstraightedge,and evena papertowel holderat the bottom.

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plofle(Bandideas peytonprace Burgiethinks out eventhe smallerutility projects for the shop so they exactlymeet his storageneeds. "l say,OK-l havethis storageneed;now,what can I do?"Forthis rackhe startedwith a magnetic bar acrossthe top. Then,for the heavierchiselshe added a baseunderneathto supportthe handles, intentionallymountingthem sothat the sharp cutting edgesremainin the samepart of the rack.

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With the exceptionof hisdrill pressand bandsaw,all of Burgie'smajor machineryrestson mobile bases.He did purchaseone mobile base-a ShopFoxbasefor histablesaw-but othersareshop-made.Eachis a sheetof 3/e"plywood sizedto the footprint of the tool. He then adds a hardwoodedge and a set of 3" heavy-dutycasters.He hasa usualshop layout,but the layoutchangesconstantlyas he'sworking with large materials."l find myselfplanningthings out to try to get as much cutting done as I can with the tablesawbefore I haveto move it out of the way to bring my planerover,"he says.

ometimes it's a hobby; sometimesit's a moneymaking hobby. A lot of what Robert "Burgie" Burgoyne makes is for his own home, like the chest at right that he made for his wife, Gina. But he's branched out in recent yearsto take a number of commissioned woodworking iobs. Although a failure-analysisengineer by profession ("Kind of a 'crime sceneinvestigator' for electronics," he laughs), getting paid for woodworking is a family tradition. His dad was a third-generation construction worker who took over the family businessfrom Burgie's grandfather, who in turn had taken it over from his great-grandfather.Not surprisingly, Burgie has been around woodworking ever since he could pick up a hammer. "I was on the iob site after school, nights, weekends, and summer vacations working with my dad," he recalls.Beforethat, he spent a lot of time with his grandfather when he retired. "We'd play around in his shop and he'd show me how to usethe tools. That was really the foundation of my learning." Burgie spends at least 10-15 hours in the shop every week, but manages to find time for another hobby: restoring a 1964 Chevy C-60 two-ton dump truck. He has plans to build a stand-aloneshop in his backyard, and has at least one specific spacerequirement. "It'll havea 10-15'ceiling so I can get my truck in there," he says.

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Burgierarelydraws up planswhen he buildsa projectof hisown design,like this lowfour-drawer chest. "l had a size in mind, about a 2' cube,and that'sthe only number I really needed.Yeah,I useda ruler,but no plans."

In additionto his regularwoodworking,Burgiealsorunsa localone-mancompanycalledCreativeLandscapeAccents (www.creativelandscapeoccents.com) that specializesin wooden structureslike this smallfootbridge. Photographer: TracyBookmanPhotography lllustrations: RoxanneLeMolne

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shophasevolved intoashowplace Iyme's California Starting lifeasabaitshopinthe1930s, withakeen focus onhealth andsafety. equipment thatcombines state-0f+he-art I rt and scienceareoften at odds, but in Tyme's II n l .a M e s a , C a l i f., shop thc two haveforgedan equal, partnership. conrplernentary 'lynrc (l-rc gocsby the single narne) enjoyed careersrangi n g fro m e l e c tri ci anto hi s current profession as an orthopedic hcaltl-rspecialist, but his life always revolved a ro u n c l a rti s ti c p u rsui ts as w e l l . T h e s e p a ra te d i sci pl i nes

dovetail nicely in both t h e clesign and function of h i s elaborate workshoo.

taketwo Baitshop, The building itself used to be a bait shop, serving visitors to a fishing lake adjacent to the hornc Tyrne shares with his wife, Lana. His driveway was once the main entrance to the lake; the old building wasn't rnuch when he got it.

"lt was just an old storage afea," he recalls. "lt had the original coin boxes, everything from the bait shop, and was still painted government green inside." Tyrne started with the floor, which he knew could not handle the weight of his heavy-duty shop equiprnent. The original 2x6 joists were covered with 1x6 Douglas fir, to which he added a

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TY P E :D edi cat edbuilding. SIZE: 20x36' (720 sqtt); 3x16' utilityextension housesdust collectorand filters,vacuumpump, compressor, air dryer and phaseconverter. CONSTRUCTION: Frameconstruction. HEATING6r COOLING: SouthernCalifornia locationrequiresno heat; attic ventilationdrawsair throughshopf or cooling. EIECTRICAI:200-amp servicewith all machines on separatecircuits;1O-hp th ree-phaseconverter. tIGH TIN G: 18 t wo- t ube fluorescent fixtures. DUSTCOTTECTION: 5-hp, 22o-voltOneida cyclone. AIR COMPRESSOR: 5-hp,60-gal .Cur t is;f our hosereelsand two addi ti onalai r o ut let s.

LEFT(from top): Tyme'sshop has entranceson three sides.Hisair compressorand dust collector occupythe first two stallsof the shop'sutility extension.The next three stallshold Tyme'svacuum pump, phaseconverter,air dryer,and dust filters.

ABOVE: Tyme's shopisa modelof cleanliness andcomfort:almost nodustanywhere, excellent lighting, floor andcushioned matscoverallworkareas. 7r/2"-thick layer of tongueand-groove plywood. He topped that with bargainbasementflooring he found. "I bought #3-gradeoak flooring for $1 a square foot, thinking it was a deal," he says."Short piecesand a lot of knotholes. It took more time to lay down, and three gallons of two-part epoxy to fill all the holes and cracks. Not f un! "

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He didn't want loud, dirty peripheral utility equipment hogging up shop space, so Tyme's next step was to give it all a home outside.He built a 3x16'shopextensiondivided into small closets,and placed his dust collector, 3-phase power converter,air compressor, vacuum pump, air dryer, and dust filters there. This removes the noise and heat they create and, most impor-

tant, dust from the overall shop environment. "In colder areas,you want the return air from your dust collector back inside so you don't lose heat," he says. "I don't need that here,but I do want to get dust out of the building entirely. Even with filters that have a .S-micron rating, you still have dust. That'swhy I've alwayshad my dust-controlsystemoutside."

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Tymeenjoysplentyof natural light from his 5hop! lO windows (hisentry doors also havewindows).For energy efficiencyand sound damPening, he installedvinyl, dual-panewindows with ya"glassin each.

Woodworking Safer forHealthier, IymeITips o Dust collection is the main issuein any shop.Get the dust out. Period.

o When building your own shop furniture, cabinets,and tool bases,avoid sharpedges.

. lf children frequent your shop, install key switcheson every machinethey can reach so they can't accidentallystart them.

o lf you have low ceilings,install lighting flush into the ceiling wherever possibleto prevent hitting lights with long stock.

o Installlargekillswitcheson allshop machines.lf you're using both handsto hold something on a machineyou can just knee it if something goes wrong.

o Alwaysuse ear protection;buy it based on noise-reductionrating (NRR),not price.

o Cut large stock down before lifting whenever possible.Evenan inexpensive panel saw used to reducesheet goods to manageablesizecan saveyour back.

o Keepsafety glassesaccessibleat all times, and store them in a dust-free location as much as possible.Wiping dust off safety glassesscratchesthem and decreasesvisibility.You'relesslikelyto wear scratched g lasses.

. For protection from finishes,wear gloves.Don't use cheapthrowaway gloves for anything except light work. Instead, get good-quality ones that can be cleaned after use.You'll get 20 times the use over a pair of cheap gloves. o lf you work with design programsat the computer, be sureyour chair is well cushionedto maintain circulationin your lower legs. o Adjust the height of every bench, worksurface,and major tool in your shop to matchyouroptimum working height.

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

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LEFTand BELOW: To maximizethe 8'height of hisshop-and to preventaccidentally hitting a light with a long pieceof stockTymeflush-mounted all his light fixtures into the ceiling.He alsoarrangedlighting in four distinctzones, and madeeach zoneindividually controllable.

Environmentally sound As a health-careworker,Tyme believesenvironmental issues like dust are critical. "We are getting so many people with lung problems,"he says."My professionin the health field and my personal philosophy on awareness of a healthy environment is the foundation of this shop'sdesign." Every tool in the shop features some manner of dust collection, and some collect it twice. His router table, for example, uses dust hoses on both the cabinet and fence; his downdraft table hooks to the main dust collector,while individual sandersusedthere connect to a shop vacuum. Hand tools and accessories residein cabinetsor drawers to keep them dust-free.

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Tymeconsideredbuilding a clampcart-even had materialsreadyto go to build one-but decidedagainstit. Hisprojectsrequirea varietyof clamp types (andlots of them),and he didn't want to limit himselfto the smaller capacityof a movablerack.Hisbar clampsat right hang "backward"by their handfesto preventthem from falling.The racksare illustratedon poge 99.

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^1 A B O V E : T h e5 0 ' c o m p r e s s e d - a i h r o s ef r o m t h e r e e la b o v e t h e d o o r c a n r e a c ha n y w h e r e i n t h e s h o p .T y m e h a s o t h e r s i n t h e s h o p b u t m o u n t e d t h i s o n e a b o v e t h e d o o r i n t e n t i o n a l l y ." l c a n u s e i t t o b l o w l o o s ed u s t a n d d e b r i sr i g h t o u t t h e d o o r i n t o t h e y a r d a n d u s e i t a s m u l c h , "h e s a y s . " P l u s ,I c a n t a k e t h e h o s e o u t t h e d o o r t o u s e i t i n t h e y a r d i f I w a n t . "

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2009

shoptyme LEFI Tymeusesa pairof grindersfor sharpening, each runningat a different speedto suitthe sharpeningtask;the 6" machinerunsat 1 , 8 0 0r p m a n dt h e 7 " unit at 3,600rpm.The cabinetbelowholds sharpeningstonesand accessories, aswell as othertools.

LEFT: Augmentingthe superbfull-spectrum fluorescentlighting,10largewindowslet in an abundanceof naturallight.Withwindowson everywall,Tymecaneasilycoolthe shopwith a steadybreezeon warm days.

BELOW: Dust-collection ductsdrop from the ceilingto all majormachines, while portable vacuums,likethe Festoolunit tuckedunderhis mainworkbench,handlespotcollectiontasks. Theflexibleplasticstripson the backof the benchkeepstraydust off the tools storedthere.

ShopTip: "Pick asizethatfits.Youcanbuildas bigashop asyouwant,butwillyou really wanttowalkalloverit?Decide twothings: Howmuch areadoI have, andhowmuch areadoI really need?"

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LEFt The lower portion of Tyme'smitersaw stationservesasone of the mainstorage cabinetsin hisshop. Everydrawerhas labelson the outside (andsometimeson the inside)so there's no doubt what each containsand where thingsbelong.

TOPRIGHT: Severalof the mitersawstation's storagedrawerswere to fit sizedspecifically available commercially partsbins,whichnest perfectlyinto the drawers.

Tool RIGHT CENTER: drawershavefitted insertscut freehand with a router andl/+" straightbit that exactly fit the toolsthey contain,likethat for his squaresand calipers.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Chisels nestsecurelyin slotsto keepthem from rolling.

Whilethe reasonmaynot be apparentat first glance,Tymefoundthe shop'ssouthwall the bestspotfor hismitersaw:There'sa door on each sidewall in directlinewith the saw."l usea hugevarietyof wood,so he explains."Eventhoughthe it hadto be ableto handle25-footers," shopwidth is only 20'on that wall,my doorsaredesignedsothat when I open both I couldput an infinitelengthon that mitersaw." Makingthe sidesupporttables4" high wasanothercalculated move,eventhough that madethem tallerthan his Makitamitersaw-if he replacesthe sawthe tableswon't be too low.He can makeany new sawfit the tablesby shimmingit to the correctheight.Foreffective dust collection,the sawrestsbeneatha woodendust shroud;plastic sheetingaroundthe openinghelpscontainairbornedust. Forportableuseoutsidethe shop,Tymekeepsan 8" mitersaw stashedin the left portionof the station.

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

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LEFT:Becauseof its location between two entrances, Tymechosethe mitersawstationto storehisdrillsand chargingcenter."Wheneverl'm doing projectsall over the houseand yard,I can come in the door right there and grab one quick,"he says.

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As he did with other majortools,Tyme customizedhis Delta 16"drill presswith an eyetoward combiningmobility, efficiency,and logicalstorage.The drill itselfis on a rolling base,while the storagecabinethascastersof its own. "lf I everneedto lowerthat table down all the way to handlesomethinglarge,the cabinetrollsright out of the way,"he says.Constructionconsistsof 3/a" birch plywood,laminatecoatingon worksurfaces, and aldertrim and drawerfrontsto matchother shop cabinets.The drill-presstable features four T-tracksfor toggle clamps,and extendablework-supportrollers. Eachof the cabinet'ssix drawers(inset)is categorizedas to the type of drill bit or accessoryit holds.

WFtrMieffi Althoughalreadya skilled carpenterand electrician,Tyme took severalcoursesthrough the PalomarCollegeCabinetand Furniture Technologyprogram in SanMarcos,Calif.Hisfirst class resuftedin this sturdy 36x74" workbenchcraftedin maplewith cocoboloaccents. Tymeusedrecycledmaple that camefrom shelvingat an old J.C.Penneystore for the top, orientingany groovesor mounting holesto the inside when he did the glue-up.The benchis everybit asversatile asall of hisother shop-made furniture.'?llthe dividersin the lower sectionare in grooves,so I can adjustthe cubbyholesto any sizedependingon what tools I want to keep there."

Wheneverpossible,Tymegroupshis machineareasnear complementarystorageareas.Forexample,the shop sharpeningstationis only a few stepsto the right of Tyme's massiveOnewaylathe.Abovethe sharpeningstation,a pair keepingthem of cabinetshold lathetools and accessories, nearboth the latheand the grindingwheels.Tymeused oak plywood and aldertrim for the cabinets.

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

shoptyme

"No matterwherelhad AiliTABLE my planesin the shop, fireAwaV eep they were alwayscovered with dust,"Tymerecalls. "So I decidedto build a cabinetfor them that I could put doorson." Tyme hasabout 40 planes, most of them bronze beautiesfrom Lie-Nielsen Toolworks,so he opted to showthem off with clear acrylicdoors.Because the wall had an unusual angledprotrusionthat hidesductingfor his dust-collection system, he designedthe mobile cabinetwith a slantedtop that allowsit to fit snugly into the spot.

Tymeconsidershis shop a work in progress-he continuesto tweak both the layoutand contents to increasecleanliness and efficiencywhenever possible.A casein point is this fourth-generation routertable that incorporatesa JessEmtop and fencesystem.With two dust hoses,there's virtuallyno dust at all,and all associated tools, bits,and accessories are locatedin (or on) the cabinet."l wanted all the tools I useto adjustthe routeron the outsidewhere I can get to them quicklyand easily,and all the bits are in the drawers,"he says.Bitsare carefullyorganized by type in the cabinetdrawers,and eachbit has its own assignedand labeledspot.The labels providecompletespecsfor eachbit.

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The drawersbelow the displaysectionof the hand-planecabinetholds smallerplanes,aswell as a number of relatedtools suchascardscrapersand spokeshaves.

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Thissandingcenterpairsa combo belt/discsanderwith an oscillatingspindlesander;both connectto the dustcollectionsystemthrough the unit base. The casterson the sandingcenterare typicalof those throughout the shop.Tymeteameda pair of standard nonswivelcasterswith a pair of swivelingcastersof his own designmadewith in-linetoggle clamps.The clamp-casters operateeasilywith foot pressure,preventing repetitive bendingoverwhich he finds hard on his back.

s/e"deep With a frame made of 3/d'oak,Tyme'ssanding disc rack is a fast shop solutionmadeon the fly. "Thiswasjust a quickie,noteven-thinking-about-itproject," he says."When l'm doing so many projectsaroundthis place,I want to grab maybe10discs fast or askmy grandkidsto grab some.Theycanjust go in and get a handful,and that wasthe whole purposeof it."

Amerlca's Best Home Workshops 2009

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Manyclamp racksare orientedso the bar slidesinto placefirst, but Tymemadea more efficientversion."The problemwith clampracksthat havethem orientedthe other way is that when you hang more clampsin a row below,when you reachfor a clamp it'ff knocksomeof the othershangingaboveoff the rack,"he explains."Thesesimply can'tfall off." The arrangementalsoallowsfor multiple shelves,increasingthe number of clampsper linearfoot. Tymemarkseachclamp headwith the clamp'scapacity.

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Theage-oldshop dilemmaof neverhavinga pencilwhen you needone nevertroublesTyme.In additionto a row of severalpencils,Tyme'soverarmaccessoryholder hasan angledplatformfor clipboardand projectplans,a calculator, and digital measuringand angle-settingdevicesfor histablesaw.Becausethe digital accessories havemagneticbases, he put a strip of metal into the rackthat holdsthem securelyin place.A smallcabinetwith a hingedacrylicdoor for tablesawsafetyitemsisjust asaccessible. "Foryearsljust kept them on a shelf,but whenevert neededthem l'd haveto wipe the dust off," he says."The cabinetkeepsthem clean,especiallythe glasses."

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Tyme'sdowndraft sandingcenterhandlesdust in severalways.The table surface perforatedhardboardtogether, itseff, made by laminatingtwo sheetsof 1/a" channelsdust directlyto the shop'smain dust-collectionsystem(upperrightl. Tymecombinesthat with a seriesof four Dynabradepneumaticrandom-orbit sanders,eachof which is color-codedand connectedthrough a manifold(at right)to a shopvacuumstoredbelow the table.Eachsanderalsohascolor-coded air linesroutedthroughthe shopvacuum,a EuropeanWap-Altomachinesimilar in function to thosethat can be usedwith electricsanders.WheneverTyme operatesone of the pneumaticsanders,the vacuumactivatesautomatically. The downdrafttable provesits worth in the shop evenwhen it's not being usedfor sanding:lts heightand placementat the tablesawmakeit a perfect outfeedsupporttable.

100

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Tymebuilt this pergola-styleyoga platform in the gardenadjacentto his home usingstained redwood for the frame,and a sustainably grown tropicalhardwoodcalledMangarisfor the deck.

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working. "Wood was always what I did to build things, not createthings," he says. A trip to San Diego's Del Mar "Design In Wood" Fair 15 years ago changed all that. The show prompted Tyme to take his carpentry skills in an artistic direction, so he started taking coursesat nearby Palomar College. He applied what he learned to his shop, of course,and is alsoremodeling the inside of his home, from cabinetry to the furniture. A personal high point: the rocking chair he's now finishing inspired by Sam Maloof. "Woodworking has really become an art for me, and that's very important," TYme says. "Sure, I might iust be building something like a bed, and that can be pretty mundane, but not if I make it in a uniqueway."

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way an artistic one. Jobs have ranged from electrician and landscaper,to a current career as an orthopedic specialist and acupuncturist, but art always played a maior role. He changed his name to TYme at 23 when working in bronze and ceramics."It was important for me to have a name for my artwork years ago,and myown didn'twork," he says."Each letter is significant: T stands for the Trinity. Y is for You. And the ME is the Me consciousnessall in one. The phonetic sound of the word 'time' is important, to remind me how precious time is and not to waste it." He learned carpentry from his father and grandfather but didn't consider it true wood-

woodmagazlne.com

Althoughwood is his passiontoday,Tymehasbeen an artist all his life usinga varietyof mediafrom bronzeand ceramicsto stoneand leather.

Photographer: fulle EdwardsPhotography lllustrations: RoxanneLeMolne

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TocallEdWalker anavidreader of publications woodworking wouldbean understatement. TheTexan creatively adapted nearly everything inhisshop plans. frombookandmagazine 102

hen Ed Walker and his wife, Nan, got their Cypress,Texas, home in 2003, his work was cut out for him. He wanted to make a lot of improvements to their home, but to do that he needed a shop, and with only a bare garagehe had to startfrom scratch."The garage

was totally unfinished," he recalls. "Bare rafters on the ceiling, you could see tar paper through the open studs; the floor was just rough concrete where everybody had parked for years." With a lot of remodeling experience on earlier homes, he hit the ground running.

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TY P E :D etachedgarage connectedto houie with coveredwalkway. S IZE 21' : 5" x23'(505 6" sq.ft.). C ON S TR U C TION : 2x4 framewith drywall and panel i ngi nteri or. FIOOR: Epoxy-coated concrete. H E A TIN G6r C OOLIN G: W aIl -mounted heater/ai r condi ti onercombouni t. .l 00-amp E TE C TR IC A L: servi ce. t I G H T I N G :F o u r4 - t u b e f l uorescent f i xtures,pl us t a s kl i g h t i n g . D U S TC OTLE C TION : l V z - h p , 1 1 0 - v JoD l tS col l ectorw i th i -mi cron cani ster fi l ter.

I LEFT: Edsandwiched a pairof solidmapledoorstogether to makethe top of hisworkbench,then mountedfour metalinsertplatesflushwith the surfaceto acceptholddown clamps.Abovehisbencha 4x6'cabinetwith sliding doorskeepshandtoolswithin easyreach. BELOW: A dustcollectorwith a canisterfilterand an elaborateductingsystemformsthe nexusfor all of Ed's majortools.

He started with a durable and attractive epoxy coating for the floor. Upgraded electrical service cafile next (the garage had a single outlet, and one bare lightbulb), followed by walls, ceiling and a combination heater/air conditioner. As the space neared completion, he started planning his tool layout. "The whole time I was buying all sorts of woodworking rnagazines," Ed says."l'd get an idea of something I wanted to do with the shop, and I'd start looking at the magazines until I'd find sornething that would work." Rarely would a single plan meet his needs perfectly, so instead he took bits and piecesfrom numerous articles and blended them into a single workable shop solution. His workbench came fronr articles in three or four magazines; he made his router table from plans in two or three others. "l took the best of each one and put it all together," Ed explains. "When I knew what I wanted to do, I'd go through magazines and think, I don't need f/ris, but I like this one particular part so I'll add it to one I liked frorr another." Combining the ideas-and mixing in his own-often resulted in a project bearing just passing similarity to any single article. His mitersaw station, culled from several sources,is a good example. "l drew my own drawings to my own specifications, and used cut list software to develop my own cut list," he says. "The final product is pretty much Ed Walker's creation."

103

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ABOVE: When EdWalkerbought his home in 2003,the insideof the garageofferedlittle more than open 2x4 framing,a singlewalloutlet,and one ceilinglight.He brought it up to date with paneledwalls,a drywall ceiling, an epoxy-coatedfloor,and 100-ampelectricalservice.

RIGHT: On moderatedaysEdenjoysopeningthe garage to enjoya pleasantbreezeand lots of naturallight. And a wall-mountedcombinationheater/airconditioner helpsout with extremetemperaturesthe Texasweather throws hisway.Although detachedfrom his home,the shopconnectsto the main housewith a coveredwalkway. Notethat Edfinds room for a few yard toolsjust insidethe garagedoor.

104

Amerlca's Best llome Workshops 2009

Ed'sfullytrickedouttpblesaw features several shop-made improvements, suchas an overarm guard and dustcollection hose (see poge lO8l,and a downdraftsanding table in the right extension(see page 1091.

Dust central Ed has allergies, so dust control was his first priority. He considered a corner collector and overhead ductwork, but again, an article changed his mind. It describeda centrally located collector with all the tools built into a large cabinet surrounding it. "It was a good idea, but I wanted it to be more portable," Ed says. With the collector near the center of the shop, Ed made a manifold (seepage106)to guide hoses to machines arranged

around it. Extremely short duct runs meant that a Lr/2,-hp collector was adequate,maximizing both his shop budget and space. The arrangement of tools circling the collector further worked to make for an efficient layout. His practice of reading, doing, then reading some more resulted not only in a workable shop, but in a full learning experience."I wasnft iust building a shop," Ed says. "I was building skills while I built the shop."

Shop Tip: "lfyouarestarting inanunfinished space likeIdid, addfarmore lighting thanyouthinkyou'llneed, power andalsomore receptacles." woodmagazlne.com

The originalplan Ed usedto build this rolling lumber rackcalledfor an overall length of 6'. Ed stretched it to 7', added a row of bins on top for tools, screws,and clamps,upgraded the swivelcastersto 4", and redesignedit to incorporateadditional storagefor short stock in the center."BecauseI made it longer than the one in the book, I added spaceto put some shelvesin the middle ol at,"he says.

105

wwMieaf Ed is highly sensitive to wood dust, but didn't want to drop down ductsfrom the ceiling.Instead, he adaptedan ideahe saw-where else?in a woodworking magazinethat describeda central configurationthat would keepduct runsas short as possible.Ed'sversionof a dust-collectionmanifoldremindshim of a commonTexas oil-fieldrig calleda "Christmastree,"and in it, he dedicatedsix4" ports to his major machinery.A seventhport at the top of the tree accepts2W'flexiblehosethat he can connectto hisdrill press,extendto hisworkbenchwhen usinga handheldrouter,or attachto a vacuumnozzlefor generalshop cleanupchores. 2/2" hose to hand vacuum/drillpress

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Becausethe drill pressand planercabinets servea similarpurposein his shop,Ed designedthem identically.He used3/c"birch plywood for the cabinet and doors, andVz" ply for the drawer boxes."The drawersdon't haveslidesor hardware,"Ed says."lnstead, I cut oversizedhardboard bottoms for the drawersthat slideon dadoescut into the insideof the cabinet."

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106

Amerlca's Best Home Workshops 2009

totalgarage makeouer

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TOP:Althoughthe original plansfor the wingsdidn't call for it, Edtrimmed the corners to allow more maneuvering room around histools.

anotherwasto add larger4" casters.Aswith all his shop projects,Ed usedr/+" plywoodtrimmedwith poplaredgebanding.

INSEt With the support wings in their folded position,Edcan accessthe rollingworkbenchhe uses asan outfeedtable for his tablesaw.

For his routertable,Ed mateda commerciallyavailabletabletopwith fenceand aluminumrouter mounting plateto a shop-builtrollingcabinetthat drawsideas from severalmagazinearticles.Edfavors4" castersfor all his mobiletools because of their practicality."They'rea lot easierto roll around,"he says.'And, to be honest, they makethe cabinetsa lot easierto sweepunder."

woodmagazine.com

107

w##sMi3has Edbasedthe designfor his scrapsorter onaWOOD'magazine plan,but modifieditfordouble dutyas a mobile clampcenter. Internal"steps"help sort longerstockverticallyby length,while the stepscreateside compartmentsof varying depth for shorter cutoffs. For the bar clamp racks,Ed laminated7+"poplar to create 172"stock(somethinghe doesfor a numberof his projects).

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Basedon another WOOD magazineplan,Ed'soverarm tablesawbladeguard easily swingsout of the way as needed,while the articulated armsholdingthe blade-guard shroudallow it to be raised and lowered.Edopted to use a clear-plastic shroudthat coversthe bladeand channels sawdustinto the attachedhoseand the dust collector.The originalWOODmagazineplan for this projectis available Tofurther improvehistablesaw,Edalsobuilt a plywood coverfor the for purchaseat woodmagazine.com/dusthood. machine'srip fencethat incorporatesfeatherboard hold-downs,plus smallstoragecompartmentsfor shopaccessories suchas pencilsand tape measure.

108

Amerlca's Best ]lome Workshops 2009

totalgarage makeover To makethisWOODmagazinedowndraftsandingtable,Ed madea frame of %" poplar sizedto fit betweenthe extensionson the right sideof histablesaw.Althoughthe originalplan calledfor plastic laminateattachedto the 32"plywood sandingsurface,Edsimply paintedit after drillingthe hole patternon hisdrill press.The original WOODmagazineplan forthis projectis availablefor purchaseat woc-rcl rnac;azi ne.com/sandtable

profile woodworlart d Walker isn't a trained woodworker, but he's a fast study. "I'm a reader, and can translate what I've read into doing," he says. "Years ago I bought a set of Time-Life how-to books and became a decent carpenter with those." To date, Ed has completely renovated three of his family's homes."l guess you could say I like homeimprovement work." In fact, home remodeling was the main reason he set up his shop in the first place. Since buying his current home in 2OO3, he's added trim to almost every room, built his wife, Nan, a garden shed with electrical service, and put wainscotingthroughout the house. Next up on his list is making a high chair for a new grandchild, renovating his entire kitchen, and adding

woodmagazine.com

Ed'sextensive homeremodeling includesadding wainscotingand crown molding to thisexistingdoor and entranceway. Wainscotingalso enhancesthe stair landing,travelsup the staircase, and extendsinto the upstairshallway.To better withstand the Texashumidity, Ed usedMDFfor the raisedpanels. -,i

new trim and wainscoting to the masterbedroom. Ed, a retired Texas school administrator, came to woodworking late in life, but looks at all those years of home repairsas an assetas he shifts gears toward furniture mak-

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ing. "All those raised panels and other improvements were good practice, and have helped a lot to build and improve my skills," he says. Photographer:f im Caldwell Photography l l l u s t r a t i o n sR: o x a n n e L e M o i n e

109

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hen his oldest son askedDwight Barker and his wife, Shirley, to come live with him in his Norristown, Pd., home, his son went a step further and offered Dwight the use of a IOxlZshed for his workshop. That may not sound like much room, but his previous shop in a larger home wasn't much bigger-the basement spacehe had there wasa fourth the size of the house, so he learnedto do more with less. In Dwight's previous shop, he started by making his workbench the same height as nearby shelves. "I wanted to straddleboards acrossthat workbench onto the shelves." Although Dwight is primarily a modelmaker,he did the same thing in his shed shop so he

A120-sq.-ft. workspace maynotsound likemuch, butforthisPennsylvania modelmaker aconverted outdoor storage shed fits thebillperfectly.

110

can do larger work such as chestsand cabinets.He maximized space further with organized floor-to-ceiling shelf storage on all walls, and by buying a wall-mounted shop vacuum that's always tucked out of the way beneath one of the shelves.

Anavidmodelbuilder, ABOVE: Dwightkeepsmanyof his display. creations on permanent in the Themodeltramp steamer centercommemorates hisfather's yearsin theMerchant Marines duringthe1920s.

everything moves and stores easily. Some of his tools do double duty; his router table, Dwight considered interior for example, also servesas an walls and insulation, but he outfeed for his tablesaw.Both nixed the idea to save space. store out of the way on a low "Becausethe walls are open shelfwhen not in use.There's studs I picked up an extra3r/2" no room for larger machines such as a iointer, but when he on eachwall by not insulating" he says.'All of my shelvesgo needs to mill rough stock, a right to the outsidewalls, so I friend with a iointer and planer gained quite a few extra square offers to help out. feet by not boxing it all in "The shop layout, given its with insulation and drywall." size, works well for me," he By outfitting the shop with says."Everything is organized portable benchtop machines, and iust two steps away."

inch(ount Making every

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thefloorplan Dwightmaximized s p a c ei n h i ss m a l l s h o p by installingfloor-toceilingshelvesaround the shopcircumference for storageand display. To makemovingaround the shopa bit easier, he simplycut a bit off of eachcornerof his workbench.

TYPE: Converted backyardstorageshed. S l Z E :1 0 x 1 2 ' ( 1 2s0q .f t . ) . C ON S TR UCTI O N: 2x4 frameb uilding. HEATING6r C OOIIN G:Pr opaneand electricheatersfor cold weather;box fan for cooling. E TE C TR ICAL: 100- am p servi cepanelwit h f ive 20-ampquadout let s. IIGH TIN G :Two 8' fluorescent fixtures. D U S TC OTTECTI O N: 3-galw . all-mounted s h o pv a c u u m .

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woodmagazine.com

Tffi.. {fi, E LEFI Securelybolted to its own low stand,the mitersawcansit on any shopsurfaceor be carried outsidefor cuttinglargerstock. Dwight'stablesawand router tablestoreon a lowershelf underneaththe mitersawwhen not in use.

111

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As a part-timecarpenter, Dwightneedsto takea selectionof handtools out to job sites.Forhis tool caddy,madeentirely of pinewith hand-cut dovetails,he usedTa"stock for the verticalendpieces andl/z"stockfor the sides. Dwightprefersa Japanesestylepull sawlikethe one storedon the end ofthe tool caddyfor makingall hisdovetails.

Dwightmakeshismonogrammedsandingblockswith a mix of walnut,cherry,oak,and maple,with basswoodand mapleon the undersidewherethe sandpapertucksin. Hetypicallyusesthree blockswhen workingon projects,eachloadedwith a different grit of paper.At the moment,he hasonlythreeof the customdesignedblocks,but he'smadedozensoverthe yearswhichhe's givento friends.

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

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LEFT:Handtoolscoexist perfectlywith familymemorabilia on the southwall of Dwight's shop.Theframed newspaper clippingat the centerof the wall profilesDwightand his woodworking.

LEFT:Dwightkeepsall hisbenchtopmachines-suchasthe 8" Craftsmantablesawshownhere-permanently mountedto 3/+" plywood bases.Not only doesthis allow him to movethe machinesmoreeasily,but he usesthe basesto clampthem down solidlyto hisworkbenchduringuse.Theheightof the workbenchmatchesthat of the power-toolshelfon the back wall,givinghim moreoptionsfor supportinglargeprojects. Dwight'sbasicroutertable,being usedhereasan outfeed support,storesundera benchwith the tablesawwhen not in useas shownbelow.

R I G H t A l t h o u g hh i sw a l l mountedshopvacuum remainstuckedaway beneatha storageshelf at alltimes,Dwightuses a 17'hoseto reachevery machinein the shop.

ptofile woodworkerS wight Barker'slove of modelmaking began early:His father,who had servedas a Merchant Marine, taught hirn how to build ship models from pine scraps.Dwight's skills grew over the years to include cabinetry, and the retired mechanical designernow works part-time as a finish carpenter. Still, modelmaking is his favorite, and more than a dozen of his works adorn his shop. His shop,as well as much of his work, reflectshis Christian faith. "lt's a testamentto the Lord," Dwight saysof his workbench. "Jesuswas a carpenter.Some peopleforget that's what he did beforehe went to his full-time ministry." It's no surprisethat in addition to his models, he's made a number of Bible boxes, such as the dovetailedcherry and tiger-maplebox in the photo at right.

woodmagazine.com

Dwightbuilt the split-pediment crown mirror (obove) for a client'shome. Madeof 60 pieces of poplar,the mirror s t a n d s6 ' h i g h .

Photographer: Ed Degenshein

lllustration:Roxanne LeMoine

113

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Withabeveled-cleat system encircling hisentire woodworker shop, thisMichigan enjoys theluxury ofhaving everything close athand. hen planning his shop, Garry Srnith kept a couplethings forer-r-rost in rnind: the shop's appearance and storage. On the first issue, because he planned to build the shop i n h i s w i f e C i n d y ' s g a r d e n ,h e clesigr-recl it with a barn shape to maintain a farrnlike look. ()n the second point, he had a cliff'crentpriority. "The rnain objective of a two-story building was for the storage above the shop, and you can never really have'enough," he says. "l wanted a dry place to store lurnber and extra tools without cluttering my workspace in the main shop below."

114

He had intended the large upstairs storage area for lumber and shop gear, it's proven invaluable for another task while Garry builds his home with the help of his wife and dar-rghter.As he did with the shop, he had the structure elected, but opted to do all the interior work hirnself, and for the foreseeablefuture that upper level of the shop will act as a parking spot tor many of his household iterns.

but still easily accessible.He startec'lby fastening bevelecl cleats to all four shop walls, then added rnatching cleats to the backs of scoresof racks, hangers, cabinets, and toolsupport tables for all but his stationary power tools. Cleats mounted to walls have a 45'bevel on their upper edges, while cleats on the backs of tool holders have a rnating bevel on the bottom. Together, they forrn a strong, nonperlnanent way of hanging even heavy objects. With the upper level packed, "The cleats go around the Garry went with a storage entire shop, cxcept for a porsysternfor his shopthat keeps tion of the rear wall where the everything out of the way, lurnber is now," Garry says. "l

Neatcleats

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TYPE: Dedicatedbuilding. SIZE: 28x40'(1,120sq.ft.); 20x40' upper storagelevel. CONSTRUCTION: Frame. HEATING6r COOLING: Ceiling-mounted electric heaterwith thermostat and fan. ETECTRICAL: 200-amp panelwith 110-voltoutlets every 4'; 220-volt power availableon threewalls. LIGH TIN G:Te n4't wintu be f Iuorescentf ixtures. DUSTCOTLECTION: 3-hp, 220-voltIDS cyclone with 8" input; dedicated downdraftbench. AIR COMPRESSOR: 5-hp uni t;fl ex iblehose runsperimeterof shop with severaloutlets;cleatmountedhosereelcan hang at any air outlet.

ABOVE: Garryrelishesthe convenienceof hangingjust about everythingin hisshop-from benchtoptoolsto papertowels-on hiscleatsystem.Eminentlyflexible,any item can be carriedto a workbenchor relocatedto any other cleatasshop needsdictate.

wanted away to put anything anywhere. I started with one cleatlow on the wall and made the shelves that hang there. Then I added more according to the tools I wanted to mount at the time and picked heights that were convenient-it's not scientific-and before long I had them all around the shop." Garry usesfive main types of storagewith his cleat system. Basic shelveshold iust about any small tool or obiect; larger shelvescan act asworksurfacesand contain drawers. Full cabinets,with or without doors, hold multiple items such as glue and finishing supplies. Tool rackswith flat baseshang

woodmagazine.com

out of the way,but standupright when set on a bench. Large supportswith twin cleatshold a variety of benchtop machines. When he built the shop in 2OOO, his children were always in the shop, but sometimes had a hard time finding things. "None of them knew where anything wasin the new shop," he recalls."They'd come up to me asking where they could find this or find that. SoI built the cleat system,put the racks up, and said, 'Now you can see everything; iust go to it.'That was the biggest advantage of those cleatsfor both them and me. Everything was where it could be seenand grabbed."

BELOW:Becausehe constructedhis shop in hiswife'sgarden,Garrycame up with a barnlikedesignthat fit well with the landscaping. The lean-toon the left sideof the buildingcurrently houseslumberand histractor,but he'sconsideringconvertingthat area to an enclosedfinishingroom.

115

cantbeatthecleat local,andlovely Most of t he t r im an d m a n y personal touches in Garry's shop-as well as in the woodwork throughout much of the new home he's buildingfeature wood he finds near his Engadine,Mich., home in the state's Upper Peninsula. "Curly yellow birch is a local hardwood,"he says."lt has a variety of colorsfrom light to dark, and interesting grain patterns to work with. The curl looksalmost animatedif you shine a light on it from different angles." He usedthe wood in much of his shop trim, most notably in the carved treatments above windows and doors, as page.He shown on the opposite alsoutilizesthe wood in shop furniture such as his downdraft table (below,rigltt),aswell as in furniture for his home, such asthe panelsfor the bed in the masterbedroom. Those extra touches make for a good s hop ex p e ri e n c e . "When I get home and into the shop, I can just forget -about everything," he says. "That's probably the most important part about any shop, in that it should be some placeyou enjoy going."

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; Garryuseshisdowndraft RIGHT: benchfor morethanjustsanding hold Theunit'sdrawers chores. routers androutingaccessories supplies. in addition to sanding

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"l alsowantedthe pieceto have a somewhatinterestinglook and feel,"he says."So I made it out of cherry,walnut,maple,and yellow birch."Perforatedhardboardtops the27x74"bench.

116

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ABOVEA : l l o f G a r r y ' sc l e a t - m o u n t e dt o o l r a c k sa n d s h e l v e sa r e r e m o v a b l e ,b u t some-like the drill bits at the /eff of the photo-stand upright on their own when seton workbenches. L E F TB : y l o c a t i n g m a n y o f h i s m a c h i n e sa r o u n d t h e s h o p ' sp e r i m e t e r ,G a r r y ' s s h o p h a s a l o t o f o p e n s p a c ef o r m a n e u v e r i n g l a r g e p r o j e c t s . R l G H t " l w a n t e d a n y o n ew h o w a l k e d i n t h e s h o p - w h e t h e r i t b e a client, my kids,or even myself-to see my abilitiesand my i n s p i r a t i o n , " G a r r y s a y so f t h e c a r v i n g s t h a t c a p h i s w i n d o w s a n d d o o r s .H e d i d t h e c a r v i n g a n d w o o d w o r k i n g , b u t o t h e r f a m i l y m e m b e r s o f t e n s u p p l i e dt h e a r t w o r k . F r o m t o p : A s a i l i n gs h i p d o n e i n n e e d l e p o i n t b y h i s w i f e , C i n d y , framed in curlyyellow birch. D a u g h t e rA l i s s ad r e w t h e s k e t c h e so f G a r r y p l a n i n g a w o r k p i e c e ,a s o l o h a n d p l a n e , and a hummingbird with r{ flowers,which he transferred to wood and carved.

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L E F TG : a r r y u s e sl o t s o f p o w e r e d equipment,but turnsto hand tools frequently in his work. "l usehand tools allthe time, a l t h o u g h b y n o m e a n sa m l a hand-tool expert," he says. "But I a l w a y su s e h a n d t o o l s w h e n i t ' s the best way to go."

117

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Although he keepsa readysupplyof stockin his main shop,Garryhousesmuch of his lumber in the upstairsstorage room.Garryis currentlyrefurnishinghis housewith shop-madeitems,so he keepsthe main floor asclearas possibleto accommodatethe largerpiecesof in-progressfurniture.

Garryoriginallymadethis narrowbenchfor gluingup thick hardwoodstilesfor the doors he'smakingfor his home,but sincethen it's provenevenmore useful.The long,flat surface makesa good platformfor holding long piecesof door casing and moldingwhileroutingthe edges.A viseon the end has an oak faceprotrudingabovethe benchsurfacethat, when combinedwith benchdogs on the surface,can hold any length stock.With stockclampedto the surface,Garryalsousesthe benchfor straighteninglong board edgeswith a routerand a flush-trimbit. The 8' benchsports9" sidesof 3/+" plywood glued and screwedto hardwoodblockson the inside,with a 9"-wide plywood for good structuralstrength. top of doubled3/q"

118

America's Best Home Workshops 2009

w@adtu 1/zx 325/ax 337e"plywood

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The most usefulfeatureof this mobileassembly benchcameabout asa spur-of-the-moment ideafor what Garrythought wasa one-time need.When he was makinga queen-sizebed for his home (seephotopage 121)he needed a benchjust a bit largerthan what he had to accommodatethe largeheadboardand footboard,but knew he wouldn't want one that largeall the time. Hissolutionwasto build an assemblybenchwith an extendablesectionto give him a bit more temporaryworksurface. "When I built that it wasjust on the spur of the momentfor that bed and not a permanentpart of the shop,but it turned out to be anyway,"he says."l alsouseit wheneverI needto rout in the centerof something.With the extensionpulled out it givesme an openingthat is supported on both sides."Garryaddedthe tool rackonce it becameclearthe table wasgoing to be a permanentresidentof the shop.

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119

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tr*fiadfht Thischiselrackexemplifiesmany of Garry'scleat-based tool holders. Madeof cherry,it hangsout of the way on its cleatmountingwhen not needed.The lower horizontalpieceallowsthe rackto standupright on a worksurfacewhen removedfrom the cleat.

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Althoughthe sizeof eachtool support matches the tool it holds, they all share commondesign elementssuchas an upper and lower cleat,and angled supportarms. Largersupports often have room for a lower shelf.

With beveledcleatsrunningthe perimeterof his entireshop, Garryhasroom to hang dozensof cleat-basedtool supports.Every benchtoptool in hisshop restson one of the supports,keeping it out of the way and still readilyaccessible. lf needed,he can rearrangethe tools at will, or transferthem to a benchtop.

120

Amerlca's Best ]lome Workshops 2009

# 8 x 1 Y 4F ' .H. wood screw

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Severalplaneholdersline the wallsof Garry'sshop,but for three of his favoriteshe shapedthis one to matchthe barnlikeshapeof his shop.As with most of his cleat-basedracksand holders,Garryused 7+"pine for its construction,but added 7+"stripson this one to simulatea barn roofline.

earning woodworking in junior high, and a former carpenter by trade, Garry Smith has spent most of his life working wood. So did his three children. 'All of my kids grew up in my shop," he says. "My oldest son was in the shop since he was three, building things out of scraps. His younger brother always did proiects in the shop for Mother's Day." And while his daughter, Alissa, didn't take to woodworking like her brothers she has been a frequent shop influence, as evidenced by the drawings of hers that Garry incorporated into all his window and door carvings. Now as an interior designer,she contributes ideasfor furniture designsand other proiects. "She doesn't do a lot of actual woodworking, but she does a lot of inspiring.,, The boys continued with woodworking into their adult lives: Oldest son Joshua is a part-time trim carpenter; brother wade is a landscaper who doeswoodworking iobs on the side.All three of his children have an open invitation for shop time in Dad's workspace. "It's something that all of my kids and I have in common; that,s a bond we have," he says."Since I built that shop, there's been an understanding that it's always open to them and their spouses.,,

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Garrymadethis arch-topqueen bed for his home'smasterbedroom.The bed featuresa cherry frame and attached bench,with panelsof curlyyellowbirch. Garryhaspostednumerousclose-ups and constructionphotosof the bed on hisWeb site,superwoodworks.com

Photographer: Ron Stohl, Photographyby Ron lllustrations: RoxanneLeMolne

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t's A rarc sl'top or,r'r'rcflvhi) doesn't ir-rcl',rclcltcrson.rl t o u c l - r c st h a t r c f l c c t c t t h c r h o b b i c s o r i n t c r c s t si n h i s o r hcr life lr,l'rcn clcsigning ir n'orksl'ro1-1. lror cxa rn ple,'lirclc'l ' Ot l l t s l n ) () \ ' i ( ' I ) i ( ) r i o ( / ) r l ( rZ thcatcr-stvleltopcorn nraker, a n c l l ) h i l l l u n r b a k r u g l t( T r r q q J )c p r o u c l l v c l i s l t l a v sh i s l V l a r i n c ( . o r ' 1 lns t ( , n t o n t l rI i . r . ,\nclv N,lcl)hersc-rn of H (,aion, (l;tlif., rnust bc rarcr than ntctst. ()n thc insicle,his shop l-rasall

founclecl br.'trains; I cor.rlcln't get cnor-rghof thern ancl I'r'c a ln,ar,'shac] nroclcl railroacls." A n c l v s t i l l l ' r a sa n r o c ' l c l t r a i n (an N-gatrgesct resiclcsbclor,r,a glass-top coffc.c tablc l-rcnraclc tirr thc I'tonrc hc sharcs n'itl-r his n,ifc, I(arri1, br-rt firr l'ris sl'topevcrvthirrg's fLrI l-scaleanclrlucl.t of it autl'rcntic.

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,\ loacling platforrn arouncl h i s s h o p a b u t s t r a c k st h a t l o o k t h c t r a p p i n g so f a n o l r l t r a i n reetlfirr a goocl rcilson:'l'hcv are. clcpot, arrclor.rthe otrtsiclcit's "l sezrrcl'tcclltigh ancl lorn,for v i r t u a l l v i c l c n t i c atl o a r c a l o r - r c . rails," ,\nclv recallsof tl-re track " l ' r ' e l r c c n a t r a i r - rf a n s i n c c I scctions he finallv krcatcclat a cou lcl rerttcrllrcr',"hc e.rplai r-ts. railrcacl salr.agt'),arcl. "'l'hc)sc " , \ s a l i t t l e k i c l l n ' A Sc l u n t l r - n,erL'actLlitllv nr antrfactr.rrecli n

122

America'sBest Home Workshops 2009

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TY P E :D edi cat edbuilding, S IZE :25x30 '( 750sq.f t . ) (ONSTRUCTION: F r a m eb u i l d i n g . HEATING6r COOIING: Potbellywoodstove;wallmountedai r condit ionerin benchroom. E TE C TR IC AL: 400- am p panelthat servesboth houseand shop;all lar ge m a c h i n e s - b o t h1 1 0 -a n d 220-v olt-o n ind ividuaI ci rcui ts. IIGH TIN G: Eight8' t wotube f Iuorescentfixtures. DUSTCOTLECTION: 3-hp,220-volIJetcyclone with overheadducting; cei l i ng-mou nt ed Jetair cl eaner. A IR C OMP RESSO R: 5-hp,60-gal.unit locat ed outsidewith dedicatedair l i nesruni ngi nt o shopat two locations.

e 1882.They wereoriginally 30' long and I had them cut into 24' sections.Eachwas 700 lbs, and they had to load the rental truckwith a forklift."Andythen drove his steel cargo back to the shop where seven friends helpedunload and set up the tra c k s ec t ions . Other detailson the platform include real shipping barrels, track signs, and an antique luggagecart, complementedby a full-sizehandcarwith wheels made of epoxied3/+" plywood. It looks so real you might expect you could ride it into town. While those items may be decorativeonly, the faux shipping cratesstackedalong

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the wall serve the very real purpose of camouflaging the air compressorhidden inside. Andy considers the shop about 95 percent done, and plans to add somegingerbread trim to the exterior for the final authenticdetail.

Room fortwo More railroaddetailsabound insidethe shop.Andy divided the space into two separate rooms,keepinga bench room separatefrom the main work area.At first glance,the bench room looks like a ticket office, but don't let its appearance fool you-it's one of the busiest areasin the shop in that it

Andy'ssandingtray holdsfour sanding blocks,eachloadedwith progressively finer grits of paper.Shallowcompartments adjacentto the blockshold fresh sandpapercut and readyto load.When not in use,the tray drops into a storage drawer (seepage 128).

123

thefloorplan

plays more than one role. Andy does most of his handwork there, as well as his veneer and marquetry work. His workbench servesasa desk for project planning. And becausethe room is separate from the rest of the shop, it's a perfectclean room. "lf I'm doing an oil finish on a project, I can go in there and know the environment is dust-free,"he says. "And it's kind of a warm, cozy space.It has my TV, so I can sit there and watch TV or chisel at differentthings. Sometimeswhen

124

I'm out in the shop my wife will come down and watch TV in the bench room just so we'll be together." Andy framed the bench room ticket-window wall with 2x4s,but madethe adjoining wall 14"thick to accommodate flush-mount storagecabinets on both sides.He put a cutout below the cabinets to accept the fence-supportarm of his 8" jointer. "That allows me to keep the iointer right up against the wall," he says. "That way I didn't lose a foot of floor space."

ABOVE:Andy'sshop hastwo distinctwork areas-the main machineshopflowsin an L-shaped arrangementaround the benchroom. Hedoesmost of his large-scale work in the main shop,while he reserves the benchroom for handwork, finishing,and projectplanning.

RIGHT: Oneof the first design detailsAndy decidedon was to makethis out-of-the-way spot a dedicatedclamp-storage corner.He used 3/c"birch for the clampracks,with eacheither screwedor bolted to the walls, dependingon clampweight.

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BELOW: Andy made his workbenchas part of a projectat summer-class PalomarCollege.He used laminatedmaplewith walnut accentsto create the 3x6'top,then addeda heavy-dutyJorgensonvise on the front.

ABOVE: The southwall of Andy'sshop coversseveralshoptasks.A lot of stockdimensioningtakesplaceright saw.Andyalsokeepsa grinderand spindlesander belowthe lumberrackswith the mitersawand radial-arrn here,aswell as (blockedfrom view by the bandsawand planer)a sink,mortiser,and belt/discsander.The cabinetsbelow provideplenty of storage.

looking downthetracks In addition to some more railroad station details inside the shop, Andy has a couple specific projects in mind for outside the workshop. Chief among them is refurnishing his home with new furniture. "My houseis a Spanish-ranch style home," he notes. "I'd eventually like to replaceall our current furniture with a lot of Arts & Crafts pieces.I think they'd go very well with this home." Andy enjoys his shop, and he especiallylikes the train theme. However, when it comes to the shop's overall design there's one thing he

126

didn't include that he'd like to correct."I wish I had made a dedicated lumber room," he says."l could get it all out of the way and haveit more organized. I wouldn't have to lift a lot of boards to get what's on the bottom, or havethings leaningagainstthe wall." He's still tossing around the idea of building a small barn just for lumber storage. "That way, if I came acrossa good deal, or if I see a great pieceof lumber I just have to have,but no project for it yet, it would have a home." His planned theme for that structure? A railroad boxcar on the sidetracks,of course.

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Whenbuildingthe shop,Andytook the landscape into account."My propertyis on a slant,so halfof the buildingis belowgroundlevel. Because of that,it actuallykeepsthe buildingmuchcoolerin the summer."The 16'garagedoor allowsfor easymaterialdelivery.

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"lwanted a horizontalboringmachine,but they'realwaysso huge,"Andy says.Instead, he designedthis router-basedslot mortiser using 72"and3/q"birch plywood, with T-tracks to guide the motion of the slidingtable."The height is fully adjustable.T-tracksin back connectto handleson T-boltsthat allowyou to move it up and down."With the router in placethe mortiserweighsabout 15 lbs.A vise mountedon the end of the tablesawoutfeed holdsthe jig whilein use.

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Andy'stablesawsledis simplicityitself."lt's essentiallythree piecesof wood-base, back, and slot runner,"he says."The runner is oak,the backpieceis maple,and the sled baseis 3/c"maple plywood with edgeveneer."Andy permanently mounted ball rollerson the saw'sright extension; becausethe sledis %' higherthan the table surface it matchesthe top of the rollers,giving smooth supportfor long stockduring crosscuts.

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127

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