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Shop Design
Earlier this month I posted some thoughts on a new shop. Currently I do not have a final solution, but continue to lean towards a divided three car garage. It seems like the most economical solution and after discussions with a real estate agent would not affect resale of the property.
One of the great tools available for analyzing shop space is provided by Grizzly. At this point a disclaimer; I don’t own any Grizzly tools and I don’t personally know anyone that does. They do appear to be popular and I’ve seen very few negative reviews and would consider them in the future for upgrades to my exisitng tools. Take a few minutes and lay out your shop using the Grizzly Tools Shop Planner.
Using the planner I laid out a single car garage (11′ x 22′) with an annex (6′ x 13′.) the diagram above is the output from the planner. Ceratinly there are tools included that I don’t own, but it does give a great idea about how the space would work including the essential shop dog.
New Shop Thoughts
Moving South has prompted thoughts of my future work space. Most of my woodworking has been done in the Midwest with a brief stint in the south. Considering the impacts of weather to both myself and the projects I build, temperature and humidity are of concern.
Projects have been built in a wide range of temperatures, the cart project pushed through a cold winter with a small heater struggling to pull the temperature above 30 degrees (fahrenheit for my European readers), the bed I built over 20 years ago was pursued in the Southern heat. Along with temperature, there is a large humidity change between Southern summers and Midwest winters. Like most of you I would rather not struggle through the temperature extremes and my tools would certainly prefer a consistent temperature.
A small shop in an outbuilding would be ideal, but that would take more property than most of us can afford so I’m considering walling off one section of a 3 car garage with a small addition. Shannon Rogers has made excellent use of a single car garage and certainly provides insight into how this space should be used. ATypical single car garage is 12′ x 22′, adequate space at 264 sq ft, however a small addition off to the side would make a large impact with minimal cost.
Placing a wall in the garage and ensuring it is insulated would allow heating and cooling without the risk of losing heat when the garage door is opened for a car! Or accidentally when coming home from a run. It also helps control dust and makes an air cleaner much more effective. The down side, your garage is smaller and would this be amenable for future homeowners?
Continuing the journey to find a new home and shop over the next several months I’ll share my thoughts and decisions hoping for feedback and suggestions from all of you.
Roubo End Cap
The end cap on the Roubo Bench creates anxiety for most bench builders, I’m no different and procrastination built a simple dovetail into a crescendo. Although cherry is a soft wood, its beautiful color led me to using it for accent parts (chop, cap, pins, etc.) putting aside my fears I spent a long time marking out the various mortises, holes and finally the dovetail. No pictures for the blog, just pure focus. A couple of hours later and it was complete.
Many of you used hand drills to auger the holes. I used my drill press and was very thankful for the accuracy. Glad to have this behind me its time to place the top on the base.
Bench Top
The hardest part about this bench is maneuvering the lumber. As more and more parts are pieced together it becomes heavier. I think the photos below tell the story.
Joint, plane glue, repeat.
Small Gift Box
It’s been a while since dovetails were part of a project. However a small gift was needed so a small box was required. A piece of cherry left over from the cabinet would become the sides and Sapele left over from the small tool chest became the top and bottom.
Cutting the cherry board such that the grain continues around the box may not be apparent to everyone, but knowing where this box is going it was important to add in the small details. Several practice cuts and muscle memory took over as the dovetails were cut.
Work with a #4 plane smoothed the edges and cleaned up the dovetails. The top and bottom cut from the Sapele have edges rounded using the same #4 plane. The bottom is simply glued onto the sides and after a night in the clamps a quick sanding allowed the finish process to begin. The top has a couple of stops glued to the bottom the keep the top in place.
Next a quick sanding and I began applying Shellac. Several coats later and the box was complete.
Small Cabinet – Comedy of Errors
You’ve got to laugh at yourself when things begin to go awry. It began this weekend with a miss cut pin. Not paying attention I cut on the inside of the line rather than the outside on the first pin. This would work great for tails but alas it was not a tail I sought. Instead of beginning again I realized it would be an easy fix after glue up and moved on. It’s always a fun challenge to hide your mistakes.
Not long after, I managed to cut pins in the wrong direction. This was an interesting mistake since at the time I was thinking about ensuring I avoided this error on the final board which is where it usually happens.
The final mistake of the day occurred when disassembling the boards. A couple of taps with the dead blow hammer and I split the board in half. I was actually chuckling to myself at this point as I put the boards into the scrap bin. Good time to clean the shop I think…..
Diamond Bits
A few years ago I was given a set of Craftsman Diamond Tipped screw drivers for Christmas. Whenever I strip a screw head and struggle to remove a screw I’ve found them invaluable. Lately I don’t wait until I make a mess of a screw head and use them for installing hardware from the start.
Before Christmas I noticed that Lee Valley offers a set of diamond tipped driver bits. They magically appeared under the tree and I’ve used them ever since. If you have a driver these are perfect to pair with the likes of Blue Spruce or others. Yeah I’m dreaming a little, but for now the current driver seems to work fine.
Bell Forest Hardwoods
Thinking about building a new workbench is a pastime for many woodworkers. It’s been on my mind for a few years and I have posted my thoughts a couple of times. In an attempt to spread the cost, last year I purchased hardware from Benchcrafted. This year the search for the perfect building materials began. Soft Maple, Hard Maple, Ash all come to mind; reading blogs and watching you tube there are many beautiful benches and thoughts on what’s best. There’s definitely no lack of opinion amongst woodworkers. The decision really came down to two factors, I prefer the look of maple, and soft maple is slightly easier to work. Since my tool cabinet and saw till are cherry the bench accents will also be cherry.
Two hardwood stores are within 45 minutes of my house and I’ve been to both over the last few years, they generally have what I need, but the pricing is very high. Shannon Rogers has frequently discussed lumber pricing and I am a huge believer in capitalism, if the prices I see are what the market will bare, so be it. Fortunately I travel a fair amount in my job and have been stopping at local lumber yards throughout the Midwest looking at alternatives while waiting for the weather to improve. A few weeks ago out of curiosity I had Bell Forest Products quote their Roubo Kit. My expectation was low that they would be competitive. Surprise, with shipping, straight line rip and Planing they were a few dollars cheaper!
The best part was yet to come…. Woodworker Guild Savings, and I happened to need to go to Northern Michigan University for a College Visit. Under the guise of touring colleges I ended up in Ishpeming Michigan. Exchanging a few emails with Eric at Bell Forest Products the deal was struck and date set for pick up.
I’ve read blogs and Instagram about the service and quality of the Lumber from Bell Forest Products and my skepticism faded long ago with the many comments. If any of you remain skeptics one visit and you will be sold. Over the last week Eric has sent a couple of emails updating me on my lumber status. The day before pickup he let me know it was there and waiting, pulling up and walking in the door I immediately felt welcome and comfortable. Given a choice I like to buy from people that I have met and build trust with. Mark Harrell at Bad Axe, Jason Thigpen at Texas Heritage Toolworks, all have built a reputation for quality service and I consider part of my woodworking family. I am certainly adding Eric Poirier and Bell Forest to this list.
Eric toured me around their shop and talked about their business, customer service and employees (there are eight). I was amazed that 90-95% of their business is through the internet and phone and is shipped across the country. We talked a lot about quality and expectations of customers. I think my daughter summed up the visit best “it’s really fun being around people who are passionate about what they do.” This is a direct quote.
A few photos of the lumber in their shop and the team packaging and getting shipments ready. It was a great visit and hopefully the first of many. If you are considering Bell Forest Products, don’t hesitate and if you can find an excuse to visit Northern Michigan it’s beautiful country with wonderful people. Eric, thanks for a great visit and I look forward to staying in touch.
Bad Axe Tool Works D8 – Simply “WOW”
Many of my tools have been found in auctions, garage sales and by family members. The most difficult tools to find have been saws. Back saws, hand saws, panel saws, turning saws, all lie hidden away in garages, barns and local restaurants. It took several months to find the 26” crosscut and rip saw and careful straightening and sharpening to make them perform. After such a struggle I asked Mark Harrell at Bad Axe Tool Works about the chance of Bad Axe manufacturing a saw equivalent to the Disston D8. Not one to shy from a challenge, Mark smiled and discussed the intricacies of producing a hand saw, clearly he had been thinking about it. Over several years this discussion has continued and I understood that the challenges of producing a large handsaw were being conquered one by one. When the announcement of the Bad Axe Tool Works D8 came out on Instagram and Facebook (you are a Bad Axe Tool Works follower, Right?) I scrambled to place an order…
Bad Axe Tool Works 24″ D8, Walnut handle, brass slotted nuts, 9PPI, xcut.
The saw arrived a couple of weeks ago and before writing it seemed appropriate to put it to work. Here’s my thoughts…..
Wow!
Grabbing an Oak board, a line was struck and with saw in hand I sliced off a few inches, next I found a piece of Cherry, that too became smaller, leaning against the wall some Sapele left over from my tool chest, then Walnut. Looking around I noticed a longer piece of Oak and “don’t tell anyone” ripped it in half with my new crosscut!
Suddenly I realized that the Cherry board that I was saving for drawer fronts may not be long enough and that Oak board…Oh well, I was having fun crosscutting and ripping if I had to buy new lumber so be it!
Taking a closer look at the saw, the finish on the handle is excellent and what a beautiful piece of Walnut! One of the things about Bad Axe saws is the ability to choose the size of the handle. I happen to be average, but I know others who have smaller hands and they are able to get a saw that fits. The clocking of the saw nuts is noted, I’m sure Chris Schwarz will see it.
At 9PPI I anticipated a rougher cut, but was surprised with a relatively clean cut, the saw started easily and the cuts were quick and smooth. Mark Harrell obviously put a little magic in the saw sharpening. I’m very impressed with the saw and know that it will give years of great service.
Mark Harrell and the team at Bad Axe Toolworks are passionate about the products they make. If you visit them at one of their saw sharpening seminars or talk to Mark at Hand Works you will become enamored with his knowledge and willingness to share. Great products from great people!
Now where’s that small panel saw and the turning saw?
Dubuque Clamp Works
Chance meetings abound at Handworks, while talking with Jim and Mike at Mortise and Tenon Magazine, I took the opportunity to grab a photograph.
Jim and I were laughing about asking someone to grab a photo of the three of us and we asked the first person wandering up to the table. After the picture was taken we continued talking and the conversation moved to clamps and quickly a business card appeared in my hand. Our photographer, Keith Clark was the owner of Dubuque Clamp Works.
Readers of my blog surely know that I am a huge fan of Dubuque Calmp Works. Learning more about the clamps I left the conversation even more impressed by their commitment to materials and quality. I purchased my clamps through Lee Valley Tools and have been extremely happy. There are many other places they can be purchased as well.
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