Some pics of my shop

I've been working in the shop now for a week and a half and needless to say I've been enjoying myself.  The first couple days I was actually down there by 6:30 and the sound-proofing has been worth all the effort as my girls were still peacefully sleeping upstairs.

I'm going to skip the rest of the construction phase and get to the good stuff.  Don was actually in town on a wood/ Lee Valley run and was able to help me get all of the machines downstairs with the aide of a furniture dolly.  Anyway, here's some photos of the shop:

My little 14" band-saw that has actually surprised me.  I thought it would be the first thing needing to be replaced but it has been working quite nicely.

The "cyclone" has actually worked well.  It needs tweaking if I ever get around to it but it grabs maybe 80%.  I've emptied the can 5 or 6 times and the bag is still only half full.

The DC is actually in that booth.  It has helped dampen the noise but also filters the air before it returns it to the shop.

The Mini-Max combo I found on Kijiji took a lot of time to get set and tuned up but now that it is running it is sweet!  There are no words to describe how brilliant Tersa knives are...

Looking the other way, that space will eventually be home to my bench, wood rack and an assembly area.  In the foreground is the table-saw which again has been a pleasant surprise.  It's just a GI 10" hybrid but combined with the cross-cut sled it has been great.  have a 50 tooth CMT combination blade in it most of the time.

Back in the corner is the Delta shaper I also got of of Kijiji.  I've outfitted it with the router bit spindle attachment and it is running nicely.  I really need to invest in some decent bits at some point though.

As you can see the bones are there but I still have a lot of work to do in terms of organizing and making it user friendly.  Currently I find myself tripping over clamps, moving hand tools from the table saw, to the shaper, back to the table saw, to the floor....etc.  Thankfully the bench is almost done and in time the rest will follow.  The tool show is this weekend, maybe I'll find a drill press.

I'll do a post about the bench progress asap.

Ian Crosby: Woodworker

For the last 4 months I have been working in the hole, which quite literally was an enormous hole that we worked in.  Doing concrete form carpentry in a setting like that provided ample contrast to the peaceful woodworking we all experienced in Roberts Creek.  Anyways, long story short...the company I was working for expects 60 hour weeks Mon-Sat and with Mylene and Rya at home who wants to work that much, especially in a hole.  I will miss some of the guys there as we often shared good laughs but I am more than excited to get back to wood and have as much family time as I want.


As I haven't posted anything since July, despite the other job, progress has been made in the shop.  In fact, the shop is done and the work bench is currently underway.  I remember people saying that to build your own was a ton of work.  They weren't kidding, but it has given me a great opportunity to tweak and tune machines without worrying about spoiling precious project wood.  I want the bench to be nice but functionality is all I'm really concerned about.  Don't worry, I've put no effort into grain graphics...that would be ridiculous. 


So as of this coming Tuesday, I will be in the shop full time, trying to make a go of this whole woodworking thing.  No time better than the present!!