Workshop

I began woodworking in half of a single garage. This space got real small once I got milling equipment. Fortunately, the plan was to move to a larger house, which we did. What was not planned is the fact that the new house has a 24" X 21" woodshop in it... what are the odds of stumbling on that?

Most of it in one shot.

My workshop is in the basement of an oversized double garage. It is in the lower level, but has its own walk-out access. It is bright, but doesn't have windows. It came already rigged with in-walls and floor dust collector ducts (4"), its own circuit panel with a 220V, a 100V and a 20V sub-circuit. The 20V operate the relay gate that triggers the dust collector (2HP) which the previous owner sold to me for a handful of peanuts. The shop has a sink, a large ceiling fan and an exhaust fan as well. It is adjacent to the furnace room which has a 12" wall already rigged with a lumber rack and a sheet good storage on casters. The lumber storage / furnace room is warm but it moisture content seems to be more stable than the rest of the house (between 45% and 65%). The whole place is pretty warm, which is a minor annoyance in the summer, but will be a welcome bonus in winter. Last winter, I could feel the cold go through my shoes and into the bones of my legs (shudder).

Breathing space!

I don't need the entire area, at least for now, so I offered my father in law to setup his shop in one corner. It'll work out great if he doesn't mind dusting his tools once in a while. I just got a brand new 10" contractor saw to replace my tiny jobsite one. I'll post on that shortly. Other than this, every messy power tool is or will be connected to the dust collector and has its own spot, with an infeed/outfeed clearance capable of handling at least 8' lumber.

I love this shop, and look forward to make it better over time.