Creative Woodworks & crafts 2004-04, страница 57

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by Barry Gross of BG Artforms

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For over 25 years, my main occupation has been working as a sales manager for a medical supply company in the Northeastern U.S. As such, I am privileged to travel two or three nights a week to such "exotic" destinations as Buffalo. NY. Fort Kent. ME, and Galax, VA. No offense to the people who live in those areas, but 1 would rather be home in the evenings working on my projects.

BG Artforms is a secondary business that I operate from my home and garage (shop). Hopefully, 1 can build this business to the point at which it becomes the logical "next step" when 1 retire. Most of us start out scrolling or working with

wood as a hobby, but as our projects become better and more and more people say to us, "You should really sell these things," the idea of a larger (and better) shop presents itself. In many cases (my own included), an addition to one's home may not be realistic, so a small shed or garage becomes one's workshop.

Unlike most of you, my shop is not 25' wide x 40' feet long with every new power tool and woodworking gadget that is available to mankind. Oh, I'm sorry, I must have confused you with Norm Abrahams from the New Yankee Workshop. Doesn't everyone have a shop like that? Okay, back to reality—most of us make do with

what we have. When demonstrating at shows, people who see my work often assume that I must have a large, "professional" space to create all the projects I make. Wrong! My shop is a one-car garage (1()' x 16') that 1 share with a working oil burner, an old refrigerator, a freezer, a file cabinet, a storage cabinet, and everything else that does not belong in the house! Please, do not get me wrong— 1 feel fortunate to have even this rather humble space to work in. Remember: it's not the amount of space that you have, it's how you manage the space you do have available. As you will see, the one thing that keeps me sane in a small shop is the use of wheels.

Creative Woodworks S. Crafts Apr i ±004 • 57