Popular Woodworking 2006-12 № 159, страница 37

give up dedicated floor space only to those tools that are used all the time.

Mobile Tools Can Make Small Spaces Serve Many Needs

When the woodshop takes over the garage, the family sedan often winds up outside. But by making some machines mobile, even a single-car garage can accommodate both needs.

Scott Landis, in his book "The Workshop Book" (Taunton Press), visits one woodworker who has made this arrangement work and no doubt there are countless others. Maurice Gordon, who had only 420 square feet to work with, used a computer-design program to plan his shop. It houses a full complement of tools - everything from a table saw to a scroll saw, and lumber storage to boot. But when it's time to put the car away, the planer, table saw, band saw, jointer and sander can be rolled out of the way.

Gordon's shop is a marvel of good planning and it revolves around good-

quality mobile bases for large stationary power tools. Even a full-sized cabinet saw with an extended table can be mounted on a mobile base. When the wheels are retracted, the saw is rock-solid. When it needs to be moved, one person can push it across the floor.

Even if you don't need to make room for a Buick, mounting some tools on wheels is a great way of creating more elbow room in a small shop. Consider a wheeled base for a planer, for instance, which you'll probably use less often than a table saw, a real shop workhorse.

You might want to invest in a bases for heavy stationary tools, but a variety of other shop fixtures and tools can be put on bases of your own making. When looking for casters, invest in models where both wheels and spindles can be locked. Casters with wheel-only locking mechanisms are cheaper but you may find the tool has an annoying habit of moving around while you try to use it.

Be Ready to Try New Ideas

Even with careful planning, it's tough to get everything in exactly the right spot

The cabinets in this organized shop have sliding storage shelves for easy access to tools that aren't used every day.

Space beneath the long extension table on this full-sized cabinet saw is too valuable to waste. This storage cabinet holds saw blades, a dado set and other table saw accessories.

When space is at a premium, tuck infrequently used tools in cabinets, under workbenches or otherwise out of the way until they're needed. They can be mounted temporarily in just a few minutes.

Popular Woodworking