Popular Woodworking 2003-08 № 135, страница 67

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an auto mechanic shop and a gardening work area! If you want to see the clever ways DIY solved this space problem, visit diynet.com to check the air times for the five-part mini-series, "The Ultimate Workshop II."

Ultimately, everyone's needs and wallet will determine what their shop is. And for every woodworker, the ultimate workshop is likely to be very different from his or her neighbor's.

A Tale of Two Shops

We had the chance to take a look at two woodworkers who approached their ultimate shops in different ways. We learned from them and we hope you will also.

Tom Willenborg is a children's advocacy attorney in northern Kentucky in his early 50s who has been woodworking for 30 years. While his wife abandoned their basement to his hobby in 1990, it wasn't until two years ago that he decided the space could be used better. So he excavated the floor to gain ceiling height and added a two-story loft for his ultimate shop.

The second shop belongs to George Jaeger, who worked as a human resources manager for 38 years at an international machinery manufacturer. While woodworking was always a hobby, it wasn't as all-consuming until his retirement in 1992. He and his wife moved into a fairly new house that included a 32' x 40' barn that screamed to be turned into a woodshop.

High-tech, High-concept

Willenborg's shop is hidden in the basement of his 1927 farmhouse. Formerly part of a large parcel of land, it now sits on about an acre with urban sprawl and a widening road encroaching.

His basement workshop underwent changes during the 10

years he'd been woodworking there. A non-load bearing wall had been removed to gain some space and a crawl space had become a room for a dust collector and bathroom.

But after 10 years stooping under heating ducts, he decided it was time to do it right. He removed the concrete floor and dug down 12". It was a messy job that he doesn't recommend, but it was the cornerstone of his plan for his 1,250-square-foot shop.

To gain even more head room, he sunk his central dust collection ducting in the new concrete floor, choosing 8" PVC pipe for the main run, and 6" and 4" branches running to the individual machines. Oneida Air helped him plan the system, and he added the new Ecogate automatic blast gate system to the 16 drops in the system.

The main assembly room (opening photo) lets in natural light through rooftop skylights. Double doors serve as the entry to the shop. The cabinetry offers an amazing amount of storage,

The clamp wall allows Willenborg to glue up lots of solid panels efficiently (they can be mounted in the rack in two horizontal tiers) without dragging clamps all over the shop.When glued up, the panels are tucked against the wall and out of the way.

while still leaving space for assembly and finishing. It also has a cleverly tucked-away router table built into the island top.

The work flow in Willenborg's shop was a compromise. While each room has a purpose, the flow is backward from tradition, with his lumber storage furthest from his jointer and table saw.

Willenborg decided that with his busy job as an attorney, the time in the shop was too short to be spent setting up tools. So all his machinery is dedicated to one purpose. There's no drill press with a mortising attachment here. In fact, he even bolted a second table saw to his main saw, making it a combo machine with a dado stack always at the ready.

You'll also find another time-saving device on the wall of the lumber prep room. A series of pipe clamps allows for quick and space-saving panel glue-ups.

Speaking of saving time, tucked away near his dust collector room and lumber racks is a bathroom. While it took more work than the average bathroom (with no handy sewage hookup, the waste has to be pumped out), Willenborg didn't want to have to run upstairs to answer nature's call.

Most of the equipment in his shop was upgraded during his recent renovation as well. In keeping with his ultimate plan, all the machinery is top-quality and even color coordinated.

Is this a lot of work just for a basement shop? Well, working within the given constraints, Willenborg built a shop that he's happy to spend as much time in as he can. While it might not be yours, it is his ultimate shop.

Woodworkers are nothing if not creative. One fine example in Willenborg's shop is the double table saw (above), combining a standard 10" cabinet saw with a 10" contractor saw mounted in the right-hand wing.Willenborg leaves an 8" dado stack set up in the contractor saw constantly to save time.The well-organized and fully stocked lumber racks (right) show a good sense of organization and recycling.The racks were purchased from a going-out-of-business home center store.A good assortment of clamps are tucked out of the way behind the lumber, but still within easy reach.

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