HTT039 – Considerations for Setting Up A New Shop
On today’s show, I discuss lead screws on auger bits, single vs. double iron wooden planes, stair saws, and considerations when setting up a new workshop.
Supporters
Thanks to Joe Deslauriers, William Elliott, Arkadiusz Cwikowski, Bill Warnock, Krister K., Lawrence Pylinski, Jeff Skiles, Matt McGrane, Jared Tohlen, Chris Barnes, Lance Stuchell, John Schuster, Steven Danenman, Kyle Groff, Jeff Mertz, Paul Joynes, Christopher Steenbock, Ethan Sincox, Michael Davis-Cheshire, Hernán Coronel, Jeremy Turner, Zayd Zaytoon, Hugo Baillargeon, Scott Runnels, Cameron Broome, Ted St. John, Dave Challis, John Baird, Jason Zvokel, Jay Derenthal, Sebastian Beckmann, Reagan Herman, Thomas Feller, Roberto Holguin, Alex Young, Rob Bennett, Matthew Pascoe, Tim Morris, Gray Keene, Rob Switzer, Mike Holzhauer, John Gargano, Lawrence Schlack, and “Karma” for your support on Patreon.
Feedback
- Andy has some clarification on exactly what woods are described as Hem-Fir.
- Jeremy wants to defend the use of water based finishes.
Listener Questions
- David has a question on auger bit lead screws.
- Georges is making a wooden hand plane and wants some advice on whether he should use a single iron or a double iron. I mentioned my blog post on wooden plane throat geometry.
- Damien would like some thoughts on using a stair saw for dados.
Main Topic
Today’s main topic is considerations when setting up a new workshop.
Feedback, Questions or Topic Suggestions?
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3 Comments
WOW, this is so timely. I have three shops, one is my vocation shop in an RV toy hauler which replaced my old trailer of 23 years (40’ long with a 16” work shop and the front a full RV living quarters, old shop trailer, 44’ long with a 17’ workshop and the balance is very comfortable RV living quarters which that now I have it makes me wonder why I took so long to make the upgrade, new shop trailer). Two is a stand alone 24’X32’ workshop with the power tools in it, third is in the basement where I have my hand tool shop 12’X36’ completely conditioned. The biggest issue with the stand alone is it is 1/4 mile away so when I go the the house I have a difficult time going back to the shop to work. I do however find that separating the two at times is welcome but more often than not I do not like it. I also am in a quandary as to which I want to gravitate to and make my go to shop space. All three are heated/air conditioned so temperature is not the issue. I have always stood by the fact that if you want a shop it has to be as comfortable as possible otherwise you will not want to go there and create. Concrete floors are a killer as you stated. The standalone shop has a concrete floor and the basement at this time has a concrete floor but will have a wooden floor on sleepers when the time and money become available. Lighting is going to be paramount though. LED lighting is the vogue these days and I have embraced it with vigor. Low voltage and high output is great. Natural light is very welcome but when not available you will need to adapt. As far as your overhead doors you might entertain building a wall of windows inside the overhead that could be used with the overhead opened and let all the light in that you could want. Enough rambling on my part for now. I am sure you will come up with a very satisfactory solution. Thank You for your posts and all your insights that help us all get on with our passion.
That’s how it would be if I built a stand-alone stop. It wouldn’t be just outside the back door. It would likely be a good distance across the property and I’m afraid I’d be less inclined to go to the shop when I have to walk ¼ mile to get to it, especially in the rain or when it’s really cold.
If I decide to go with the garage of the cabin, the concrete floor will be covered with horse stall mats wherever possible. They’re really heavy duty and way better than the anti-fatigue mats most woodworking suppliers sell. As for lighting, the entire cabin is LED so that’s certainly the way I’ll go in the garage.
It’s funny you mention the toy hauler as well. We like to camp a lot and have been considering getting a trailer. I always thought a toy hauler would make a great way to have a traveling workshop. Glad to hear my idea is a worthwhile one 😁.
I’ll send you a couple pictures of my current setup.