Popular Woodworking 2006-10 № 157, страница 34

WOODWORKING

ESSENTIALS

BY DAVID THIEL

Setting Up Shop:

The

Iost woodworkers back their way into woodworking, gathering tools and equipment slowly. Because of this fact most woodworkers also grow their woodworking space slowly as well. They may start out with a corner of the garage or basement dedicated to Saturday projects, but as their interest and skills build, so does the need for space.

That's where we want to start with this first chapter of Setting Up Shop - space. When we poll woodworkers about what they need to improve their pleasure in woodworking, space is the number-one answer, followed closely by more time and less expensive wood.

Given carte blanche to select a "right-sized" woodworking space, most of us would pick something about twice the size of a two-car garage that is heated and air conditioned, has a vaulted ceiling, windows on three sides and a large garage door on the fourth. When you look out any of the windows, there is a bucolic landscaped-view with not another building in sight. Which brings us back to reality.

Most woodworkers use a converted garage or basement space for their woodshop. The lucky few get to convert an existing out-building or get to actually build a shop to their own specifications. Each of these options involve compromises, and we'll look at them one at a time to help you avoid complications in setting up your shop.

Hole In the Ground

Probably the least appealing - but very frequent - location for a woodshop is in the basement. The negatives are many. First is deplorable access for moving machinery and lumber into the shop, and for moving finished pieces out. Probably less than half the basements

in existence have a walk-out door with straight access. Many more require negotiating steps (whether interior or exterior), and many of those stairwells end in a 90° turn at a wall.

Once you're in the basement shop you are often confronted with ceilings that are less than 7' tall and ductwork

Woodworker George Jaeger chose his home in northern Kentucky very carefully. The 1,300-square foot detached barn less than 200 feet from his home makes a perfect woodshop with an unbelievably pastoral setting.