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269236 Chuck Taylor 2019‑09‑30 New Shop
Gentle Galoots,

Back in May I wrote that MLW and I were downsizing to a smaller house with no
stairs. The new house had to have room for hobby space for both of us: a shop
for me and an art studio for her. We chose a house with a a 3-car garage. The
garage is extra long, so I was able to fit my shop in one bay with room for my
car too. The car goes in the driveway when I need extra workspace.

Here is a shot showing the main work space with my old and new workbenches:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wzhbgn3pwaosd4k/New-Shop-Both-Benches.jpg?dl=0

Here is a shot of my old workbench against the back wall:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/w77890een1kq27a/New-Shop.Old-Bench.jpg?dl=0

Anyone who missed the detailed description of my new bench and is interested can
find it in the archives:

https://swingleydev.com/ot/get/257138/single/

The new shop came with a couple of 2' x 4' benches against the side wall. One
has a pegboard behind it and a particle board top, which I covered with a sheet
of 1/4" maple plywood. I hung a 32" x 48" sheet of 1/2" plywood behind the other
bench with french cleats and added some magnetic strips for storing chisels:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qx8cy4rf0qb3u86/New-Shop-Wall-Storage.jpg?dl=0

The plywood and french cleat idea came from the Winter 2019 issue of FWW's
"Tools & Shops." Because of the offset provided by the french cleats, you can
use screws anywhere on the plywood without worrying about the drywall behind it.

Plane storage (not shown) is mostly in an old bookcase built by my grandfather,
who died in 1941.

Here is a shot of my new saw till. It doesn't have a permanent location yet,
since empty wallspace is at a premium. I made it from a plywood slide-out
salvaged when we had the kitchen cabinets in our old house redone a couple of
years ago. I just turned it on end, added a piece of wood at the bottom to catch
the horns, and sawed a few slots in what is now the top. Not as elegant as some,
but works fine.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hqsslfdx1kqhuom/New-Shop-Saw-Till.jpg?dl=0

 The down side of getting the new shop organized is that now I've lost my excuse
for not completing any projects....

Cheers,
Chuck Taylor
north of Seattle USA
269237 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2019‑09‑30 Re: New Shop
Chuck

You’re right - no excuses.  Looks like a worthy space, although you need more
tools

Ed Minch
269239 Bill Ghio 2019‑09‑30 Re: New Shop
You better get to work, that space is way too clean. Well done.


Bill
269240 Paul Gardner <yoyopg@g...> 2019‑09‑30 Re: New Shop
Looks like a great space Chuck.  Congratulations.  So many horizontal
surfaces still uncluttered.  Amazing!  Thanks also for the link to the
bench build.  I missed that first time around.

Regards,

Paul Gardner in SF.

On Sun, Sep 29, 2019 at 9:12 PM Chuck Taylor via OldTools <
oldtools@s...> wrote:
269243 Michael Suwczinsky <nicknaylo@g...> 2019‑09‑30 Re: New Shop
Nice space you got there.  Hardly seems like downsizing though!

Congratulations on the new space, I think you'll have fun getting it all
set up.

Michael

On Sun, Sep 29, 2019 at 9:12 PM Chuck Taylor via OldTools <
oldtools@s...> wrote:

> Gentle Galoots,
>
> Back in May I wrote that MLW and I were downsizing to a smaller house with
> no stairs. The new house had to have room for hobby space for both of us: a
> shop for me and an art studio for her. We chose a house with a a 3-car
> garage. The garage is extra long, so I was able to fit my shop in one bay
> with room for my car too. The car goes in the driveway when I need extra
> workspace.
>
> Here is a shot showing the main work space with my old and new workbenches:
>
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/wzhbgn3pwaosd4k/New-Shop-Both-Benches.jpg?dl=0
>
> Here is a shot of my old workbench against the back wall:
>
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/w77890een1kq27a/New-Shop.Old-Bench.jpg?dl=0
>
> Anyone who missed the detailed description of my new bench and is
> interested can find it in the archives:
>
> https://swingleydev.com/ot/get/257138/single/
>
> The new shop came with a couple of 2' x 4' benches against the side wall.
> One has a pegboard behind it and a particle board top, which I covered with
> a sheet of 1/4" maple plywood. I hung a 32" x 48" sheet of 1/2" plywood
> behind the other bench with french cleats and added some magnetic strips
> for storing chisels:
>
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/qx8cy4rf0qb3u86/New-Shop-Wall-Storage.jpg?dl=0
>
> The plywood and french cleat idea came from the Winter 2019 issue of FWW's
> "Tools & Shops." Because of the offset provided by the french cleats, you
> can use screws anywhere on the plywood without worrying about the drywall
> behind it.
>
> Plane storage (not shown) is mostly in an old bookcase built by my
> grandfather, who died in 1941.
>
> Here is a shot of my new saw till. It doesn't have a permanent location
> yet, since empty wallspace is at a premium. I made it from a plywood
> slide-out salvaged when we had the kitchen cabinets in our old house redone
> a couple of years ago. I just turned it on end, added a piece of wood at
> the bottom to catch the horns, and sawed a few slots in what is now the
> top. Not as elegant as some, but works fine.
>
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/hqsslfdx1kqhuom/New-Shop-Saw-Till.jpg?dl=0
>
>  The down side of getting the new shop organized is that now I've lost my
> excuse for not completing any projects....
>
> Cheers,
> Chuck Taylor
> north of Seattle USA
>
>
>
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-- 
Michael
269244 curt seeliger <seeligerc@g...> 2019‑10‑01 Re: New Shop
I gotta agree with others, Chuck. That's not downsizing; *this* is
downsizing https://drive.google.com/file/d/13mMug2BB7XhFzr2rGnV7UlhVDRZTREPe
.
Otherwise, a darn nice space that suits you well. Nicely done, lad. Not as
many lathes as I may get expect made it into the photos, but I did see a
nest of blockplanes there. Those multiply like tribbles, or so I hear.
269249 John Ruth <johnrruth@h...> 2019‑10‑01 Re: New Shop
Curt,

If that old Ford Econoline is not the absolute archetype of “The Van Down By The
River,” I’m sure I don’t know what is!!!  ROTFLMAO!

The van itself is sort of an old tool.  

John Ruth
269252 Chuck Taylor 2019‑10‑01 Re: New Shop
Gentle Galoots,

Ed M. wrote:  "Looks like a worthy space, although you need more tools."

Thanks, Ed. Spoken like a true member of the SGFH. 

Bill G. wrote:  "You better get to work, that space is way too clean. Well
done."

Thanks, Bill. There was a narrow window of time for taking the photos. I had to
move quickly before the flat spaces filled up.

Paul G. wrote:  "Looks like a great space Chuck.  Congratulations.  So many
horizontal surfaces still uncluttered.  Amazing!"

Thanks, Paul. My hope was that with the extra horizontal surfaces I would be
able to keep my main bench clear. We'll see how long that lasts....

Michael S. wrote:  "Nice space you got there.  Hardly seems like downsizing
though!

Congratulations on the new space, I think you'll have fun getting it all set
up."

Thanks , Michael. The downsizing bit was about the house. We actually upsized
the garage. Galoots have gotta have their priorities, you know. And, yes, it has
been fun getting it all set up. I hope to have even more fun using it.

Curt S. wrote:  "I gotta agree with others, Chuck. That's not downsizing; this
is downsizing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13mMug2BB7XhFzr2rGnV7UlhVDRZTREPe .

Otherwise, a darn nice space that suits you well. Nicely done, lad. Not as many
lathes as I may get expect made it into the photos, but I did see a nest of
blockplanes there. Those multiply like tribbles, or so I hear."

Thanks, Curt. No, the shop didn't really get downsized. But the house did go
from 3 stories to 1 story. Not all my tools made it into the photos. I think
there are a few more block planes in a box somewhere, no doubt in the process of
multiplying.

Cheers,
Chuck Taylor
north of Seattle
269254 Paul Gardner <yoyopg@g...> 2019‑10‑01 Re: New Shop
That van isn't just "down by the river".  It was pulled out of it!

Paul, laughing heartily in San Francisco
269255 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2019‑10‑01 Re: New Shop
I had a ’61 exactly like that in ’69.  I “campered” the interior and for a short
time i actually parked by a river - one of my first hand tool endeavors because
I couldn't afford any power tools.  That was before anybody had said “no
pictures, didn’t happen”.  Burned a quart of oil in 125 miles - no problem, just
pull over and lift the engine lid without getting out of the driver’s seat.
269281 Dan Beck <drumsandbacon@g...> 2019‑10‑04 Re: New Shop
Great space! Nicely done!!

I love using the magnetic strips - I've got my screwdrivers and all sorts
of other odds and ends on several magnetic strips around my workspace. Plus
they're super cheap from Harbor Freight. But, I've hesitated hanging
chisels on them. Something about the metal on metal contact that makes me
nervous that my chisels might get nicked or damaged. Am I being too overly
cautious?
269283 Erik Levin 2019‑10‑04 Re: New Shop
Dan wrote:
> I've hesitated hanging chisels on them. Something about the metal on
> metal contact that makes me nervous that my chisels might get nicked
> or damaged. Am I being too overly cautious?
I wouldn't tend to worry about it, as the contact should be well back from the
cutting edge, but a strip of electrical tape will provide some softness and a
bit of friction without enough separation to prevent hold, for a reasonably
strong magnet. My worry with edge tools would lean more toward knocking the tool
off by accident or hitting the business end while reaching for another tool.

 Knowing myself well, I pretty much keep chisels racked so that the edge is not
exposed to damage or to do damage. The ones that stay out are in a rack with
slots, handle up, with the working end resting on poplar. I drop them in and in
maybe another five years will need to replace the bottom, as it is getting
pretty chewed up. The others are in a drawer in a slotted board like what I use
for files.


Of course, you could make your own magnetic rack by embedding rare earth disk
magnets in a board from the back. Bore until maybe 0.5mm shy of breakthrough.
Fancier yet would be to cut (or build up) slots sized to the chisel widths and
embed magnets behind them.




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269286 Chuck Taylor 2019‑10‑04 Re: New Shop
I have been storing my chisels on magnetic strips for at least 20 years and
haven't noticed a problem with it yet. The ones down low get stored edge-down,
and the larger ones up high get stored edge-up. That way I naturally reach for
the handle, not the cutting edge. Magnetism of the chisel hasn't been an issue
in practice.

I would agree with Erik that a wooden rack would be superior, but I haven't yet
found sufficient motivation to spend the time making one.

As far as tools falling off the rack, that hasn't been a problem for me except
for some heavier turning tools, depending on their alloy and shape.

One thing lacking in my new shop is adequate drawer space, so my backup chisels
are in boxes on a shelf.

Chuck Taylor
north of Seattle

On Friday, October 4, 2019, 11:04:10 AM PDT, Erik Levin via OldTools
 wrote:

Dan wrote:
> I've hesitated hanging chisels on them. Something about the metal on
> metal contact that makes me nervous that my chisels might get nicked
> or damaged. Am I being too overly cautious?

I wouldn't tend to worry about it, as the contact should be well back from the
cutting edge, but a strip of electrical tape will provide some softness and a
bit of friction without enough separation to prevent hold, for a reasonably
strong magnet. My worry with edge tools would lean more toward knocking the tool
off by accident or hitting the business end while reaching for another tool.

Knowing myself well, I pretty much keep chisels racked so that the edge is not
exposed to damage or to do damage. The ones that stay out are in a rack with
slots, handle up, with the working end resting on poplar. I drop them in and in
maybe another five years will need to replace the bottom, as it is getting
pretty chewed up. The others are in a drawer in a slotted board like what I use
for files.
...
269288 Phil Schempf <philschempf@g...> 2019‑10‑04 Re: New Shop
I have a magnetic strip in the kitchen for smaller knives and have occasionally
unintentionally knocked one off. I’d be reluctant to use one for my chisels. I
keep chisels in a canvas roll and haven’t had any issues, but that does take up
some drawer or shelf space.

Phil

Sent from my iPhone

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