Best Home Workshops

America's Best

HomeWorkshops

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/l neat&completeI Detail, organization, and creativity mix

freely and easily in this suburban shop, builtalongside a brand-new home.

4rI h tripledelight| \./ A renowned carver of Native

American totem poles and art designed aworkspace seruing three distinct functions.

1r/ n extreme makeovel

L\J When a Pittsburgh woodworkerremodeled his home, out went the vehicles.ln came all new tools and work areas.

Apryeafs in the making rwo years of patience and careful planning resulted in the| \Jperfect shop for a Pennsylvania furnituremaker.

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</lfromthe bottom up^ J I A basement shop not only can betrr,rly functional but also built without a hugeexpense-if you use some innovation.

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| \-/ Large shops aren't immune todisorganization! A Colorado woodworkerwith space to spare set about taking onthis challenging task.

An lllinois graduate student proves you

don't need a huge shop to build usefulwoodworking projects. Here's how he"shed" that notion.

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Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

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10 B r'g*:,'J^{::"sht the wood.working bug began amassing tool after tool aftertool-then shoehorned them into his unusual,angled garage.'ry-a

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accused of living in your shop?A Wisconsin turner designedhis as a home away from home.

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n^\V / patience is its own rewald Long, hard prannins made a brisht, aryJ I- versatile space possible for the doctor who created it.

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I \-/ Father and son com-bined to build a workshop thatserues to bring the generationscloser together - literal ly!

44 f| | h proiectgallery| | \./ When it comes to great ideas to

make your shop more functional or organized,our readers take a backseat to no one.

shop ceilings from falling down. They makemighty useful - and colorful - utility spaces.

America's Best HomeWorkshopsEditor-in-Chief Bltt KRIER

Managing Editor MAR[E],] KEMMEI

Publication Editor lM LACHER

Art Director KARL EHLERS

Publication Art Director MY I'IEUBAUER

ExecutiveVice President DOUG 0LS0N

Publisher MARK L. HAGEN

21"".p#^,,t!t@Copyright Meredih Corporation 2008. Ail rights reserued. printed in the U,S.A.

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When Tom Whalley planned the workshop for his family's

new suburban home, he realized that everything in his old shop

needed a place. So he designed a place for everything.

lom Whalley had just been

I put in charge of managingI records at his Army base in

Germany when he realized therewas a major problem: Nothingwas in order. He soon fixed that.

"I got a couple of privates inthere and I told them, 'Men, we'regoing to dump out every recordonto the floor, and then we'regoing to sort them out and arrange

them. And we're going to spendall night doing it.' " And so, themilitary was introduced to quitepossibly woodworking's quintes-sential " or ganization man."

Years later, when Tom and hiswife, Kathie, built their home inUrbandale, Iowa, Tom madeabsolutely sure he designed hiswoodworking shop to be thedefinitive word in efficiency.


Tom Whalley believes thatorganization is key to creativity."That stuff about the absent-minded genius-l don't buy intoit," he says.

Clutter simply doesn't existbecause Tom carefully plannedeverything to make use of the720 sq ft on the house's lowerlevel. Cabinets supportingmachines stow neatly underbenches or within other cabinets.Lumber, sheet goods, and toolsare arranged so Tom can findexactly what he is seeking in amatter of seconds.

Etfi ci e n cy, eff i ci e n cy,enKrcncy"My mom was the driving forcebehind my efficiency kick,"reveals the account executive foran online employment service."She always said that if you spentmore than two minutes lookine

Tom oriented his drafting tableand desk at a 90o angle to onewall. "Now, I can work at thedrafting table, turn to somethingat the desk, and look out at theshop and visualize it."

TYPE: Walkout lower levelof ranch-style home.

SIZE: 23'6"x28'4" (666 sqft), with 8'6" ceil ing.

CONSTRUCTION:Finished basement.

HEATING & COOLING:Dedicated and self-contained forced-air furnaceand air-conditioning systemseparate from the rest of thehouse.

ELECTRICAL: Dedicated110- and 220-volt circuitsseparate from the rest ofthe house.

LIGHTING: High- intensi tyfluorescents.

DUST COLLECTION:2-hp, 220 -volt Grizzly.Shopsmith portable minivacuum, capable of beinghooked up to tool dust ports.

AIR COMPRESSOR:11/2-hpi copper air linesrunning within shop walls.

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for something, you weren't or-ganized." It's frustrating whenyou need a tool and you don'tknow where one is, he insists."To me, being organized meansnot having to dig through boxesand cabinets to see if I have thetool I need. I just don't want tostop what I'm doing andrummage through drawers. "

Space-saving, Tom believes,runs hand-in-glove with storageefficiency. Therefore, many ofhis shop cabinets serve doubleduty. For example, his planer andbandsaw flip and stow insidetheir own mobile cabinets,providing additional counterspace. (Plans for this flip-topcabinet are available. To orderthose plans, online, to.., to

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"lf you've got a big shop,you'd better be organizedbecause there's too muchto keep track of. lf you'vegot a little shop, you'dbetter be more organizedbecause you'll never findanything!"

One reason Tom organizedthe space so well is he designedit as a workshop-it wasn't con-verted from another use. So not

only did he dedicate areas fordesigning, sanding, and turningbut also integrated the doorwayinto the garuge. This enables him

Practically everything in Tom Whalley's shop in thebasement of his home is movable, to save space andmaximize efficiency. That's how he gets an awful lot ofequipment into a 24x28'space. Floors coated with epoxyresist scuffing and can stand up to the wheels of Tom'smany mobile cabinets, which house most of his power

tools. Tom designed many of the mobile cabinets to fitunder other cabinets and under worksurfaces. Doubledoors lead to the garage, which Tom plans to convert toa finishing room.

to move raw materials in andfinished pieces out.

"lf you've got a big shop, you'dbetter be organized becausethere's too much to keep trackof," Tom reasons. "If you've gota little shop, you'd better be moreorganized because you'll neverfind anything!"

Although order and precisionruled the design of Tom's shop,

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it doesn't necessarily applyto his woodworking projects."I did plan my shop by saying,'What do I have and whereshould everything go?' " Tomacknowledges. "But when I'mwoodworking, a thought mightoccur to me. like. 'That cabinetcould use an additional shelf.'That's where I allow creativityto take over."

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Because of its three-layer construction,Tom's 95Vzx40Vz" sliding-door toolcabinet - his original design - abovethe workbench makes triple use ofthe wall space. Doors slide left andright (as shown below) on screen-doorrollers inside strips of %" thick aluminumchannels. After cutting the s/e" plywoodto size, Tom positioned his tools onit, traced their outlines with blackmarking pen, then pounded nails ofsufficient size into the plywood to holdthe tools. Finally, he cut the poplar railsand walnut stiles to fit. "The last placesomeone should try to make a fashionstatement is in a shop," Tom says. "Butthe look and feel I get from dreaming upa project or a method is very important."

Tom made this unusual mobile sandingcabinet as compact as possible. Placingthree sanders on one cabinet allowedhim to combine similar tools withouttaking up extra floor space. Tom can rollthe cabinet right up to his workbench,if necessary. Open shelves below storesanding accessories, and there's plentyof room to house portable-tool cases.The holes hook up to a shop-vacuumhose. The top hole services the beltsander; the bottom, the strip sander andoscillating spindle sander.

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Tom Whalley's versatile workbench, his original design, was the first proiect he built for his

new shop. The bench acts as a "bat cave" to house his jointeri shaperi and mitersaw. Thejointer and shaper carts slide in beneath the worksurface. By equalizing the worksurfaceheights, he can provide a stable platform for a board as long as 14'. "l wanted to make my

mobile tool stands as tall as I could but still fit underneath," Tom says'

lf I had to do it all over again..."l honestly don't know - it's just how I like it.0h, I guess it

would be nice to have more electrical outlets. But that's quibbling.

I took the time to design it exactly the way I needed to. l'm rather

happy with the way it turned out."

Americo's Best Home Workshops 2008

When a fixture serves nofunctional purpose in TomWhdley's shop, you'dbetter believe it has someother deeply held value.The tobacco cans andother tins at right belongedto Tom's fathen who usedthem to store nuts, bolts,and screws. Tom built thedisplay as a tribute.

As with all of Tom's wall-hung cabinets, the more-attractive mottled side ofthe birch plywood shows."Birch usually has one sidethat's clear and a backside that's mottled," Tomexplains. "The variegationsof the grain add character."

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When Tom bought his jointer; he realizedthe metal base just wasn't functional. So heremoved it and built his own. Then he addeda dust-collection system inside that not onlycaptures the chips but also feeds them intoa dust-collector hose, which attaches to aport on the side of the cabinet. On the back(unseen) is the new mount and belt housingTom built for the motor. The housing protectsthe pulleys and belts and allows Tom to easilyadjust the belt tension.

To the left of the mobile jointer; Tom built acabinet to fit his small machinist's lathe andgrinder. fl-he grinder comes off easily whenhe needs more room.) The right-hand set ofdrawers below the grinder stores the turningtools Tom custom-made to build the smallerparts of his scale-model cars (see page 75).The larger drawer on the left holds variousother turning tools that see less frequent use.

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When Tom discovered he had wastedhis money by buying the same drill bithe thought he didn't have, he realizedhe needed a cabinet to organize hisdrill bits and accessories. Appropriatelylocated near his drill press, the cabinetis made of baltic birch plywood (drawerfronts, plus side, back, and doorpanels), pine (drawers and door trays),and walnut (drawer handles). As withallTom's cabinets and racks, this oneis finished with a clea[ oil-based finish."Water base whitens everything-but Iwanted to bring out the character of themottled birch plywood grain," Tom says."That's nature's beauty."

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1 0 Americo's Best Home Workshops 2008

Wall space is at apremium in Tom'sshop, so when he hada chance to designstorage space awayfrom a wall, he took it.The other side ofthis hanging clamprack holds Tom's jigs,and the entire unitserves as a spacedividef isolating thedrilling area from histurning operations. "ltprevents chips fromthe lathe getting allover the shop," hepoints out.

Tom designed thisclamp rack, whichhe imported from hisformer home, for justthree sets of specialtyclamps that serve tosecure edge-joinedtabletop pieces,corner pieces, andvery long boards.

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To Tom, organization equalstime saved. So he sorts hislumber by type of wood andthickness. He stores scrappieces on the left wall and bigboards from the mill on theright. "When I need a chunkof wood, I can see at a glancejust what I have on hand so Idon't have to waste a trip tothe mill," he says. "When I getto a stage where I want to buildsomething quick, I don't wantto lose momentum."

The Grizzly dust collectorstores against the wall, butTom can wheel it out when it'stime to clean up.

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A simple weekend projectresulted in this portable cartthat has enough work sPace toact as an additional assemblytable if necessary and enoughshelf space to house suppliesfor a particular proiect-or for allthat stuff that won't fit into anYexisting cabinet.

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t/2" rabbel1/4" deepBecause Tom doesn't like to waste asecond searching for what he needsto do a job, he designed a sandpaperholder that fits directly into his drum-sander stand. "The dimensions arevariable;just make it fit in the place youneed," Tom says.

The challenge with a drill press?It's hard to support a long boardon a tiny table. Tom solved thedilemma by creating an oversizetable with extensions that slidein and out as necessary. "Thewhole thing is collapsible," Tomexplains, "so I don't have todevote so much space to it." Thesetup doesn't need fasteners orclamps-the fence to the rearof the table holds the boardsecurely in place. The fencemoves on channels in the cast-iron table under it.

Length to fitinside of tool cart

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Plywood and other sheet goods populate thismobile rack. Tom separates each section bysize. The shelves support smaller pieces;themiddle divider not only supports larger sheetgoods but also separates front trom back. "ltry not to throw just anything on it," Tom says."Keeping it organized, I don't have to wastetime picking and choosing trying to find iustthe right board."

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Americq's Best Home Workshops 2008

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Tom designed his paint and finish-supply cabinetto-what else?-maximize space and keep himselforganized. Tom didn't need deep wing doors and couldhang the doors on simple continuous hinges. "Anythingthat can, hangs," Tom explains; for example, brusheshang from nails. The entire cabinet measures about 16"deep with the doors shut. There's plenty of space forwhat might be needed in the future.

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(ome of Tom Whallev'sJfondest memories are ofbuilding things with his father,Fred. That's why so many of hisdad's tools grace his newly builthome workshop.

"Dad was a tinkerer," Tomrecalls. "He was always buildingsomething, designing something.The first thing he and I builttogether was a workbench. Oneyear we built a jungle gym our of2x4s and iron pipe."

In high school, Tom's designabilities resulted in special treat-ment. "I just raced through theprojects, and the instructor ranout of things for me to do," Tomremembers. "So he assigned meprojects for his home." Now,Tom designs and builds thingsfor his own home. such as the

nightstand (at right) as well asthe five-piece bedroom set thatserves as the centerpiece of themaster suite.

Looking for things to do inthe Army drove him to the base'swoodshop. "I lived there," hemarvels. "They had an arsenalof tools. I was introduced to anawful lot of machines."

Tom equates the creativity ofwoodworking with his career asan account executive. "Workingwith wood is all about designing,building, and finishing some-thing," he reasons. "In my job, Idesign relationships with clients,build them, and polish them. Allthat's missing is the sawdust."

The 1:18-scale 1931 Chevy Cabriolet thatTom built (left) contains more than 500 parts."Evefihing that could move on the real onemoves on this one," assures Tom, who estimateshe spent about 2,500 hours making six of themodels. The mission-style nightstand (above) inthe master bedroom took less time. Tom madethe quartersawn white oak top wider than mostsimilar pieces to match the proportions of thebed, and taller so it could contain four drawersinstead of the traditional three.

Photographer: Jason Donnellylllustrations: Roxanne LeMoine

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From his rustic workshop, a Northwestcarver continues a legacy of artworkthat immortalizes a long-standing

Native American community.

F" ale Faulstich goes

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nf shops the way some gothrough cars. "This is the fifthshop I've had in my life," says therenowned carver of NorthwestNative American totem poles,like the twin posts shown atright, and other artwork. But justlike the vehicle you customrzetoa T, he's found his keeper.

He's learned from each previ-ous shop's deficiencies andapplied those lessons to the next.Each one evolved in design andefficiency. Along the way, he's

acquired new tools and replacedothers. However, his radial-armsaw-the first power tool he everbought-is left over from hisfirst dedicated shop, in the car-riage house of a rented two-storyVictorian. That was about l0miles from where he lives today,on five acres in rural Sequim,Washington, on the OlympicPeninsula northwest of Seattle.

In this wooded area, he's builta shop designed for his work:carving masks, sculptures, andfurniture pieces. (See page 25.)"The shop is designed specifi-

cally for what I do," he acknowl-edges. "But I think that everYcarver and woodworker couldtake advantage of some of thethings I've done here."

Elbow roomThat includes plenty of elbowroom. "I've just got to have it,"Dale says. He constructed hissplit-level unattached buildingwith a l5'-tall cathedral ceilingso he wouldn't worry aboutsmacking lumber and finishedpieces into light fixtures. Mostwalls are 8'tall. The walls in the

The "DancePlaza HousePosts" commemorate aS'Klallam tribe legend.

1 6 Americq's Besl Home Workshops 2008

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OPPOSITE, FAR LEFTThe all-cedar exteriorof Dale's early-'80sstructure not only fits theNorthwest ambience but ismaintenance-free as well.

ABOVE: Behind a largercarving bench, nearlyfinished pieces cure onshelves in Dale's L-shaped,672-sq-ft carue/paintstudio. Dale's plywoodfloor is easy on the legs.

LEFT While the single-paned windows in Dale'sshop wouldn't conformto today's insulationstandards, they do allowviews of the Nodhwest'swoods, in all their glory.

TYPE: Outbui ld ing.

SIZE: 30x40' (1,200-sq-ft)space, divided into threesections: 168-sq-ft office/design studio; 672-sq-ft carve/paint stud io;and 360-sq-ft mil lwork/fabrication room.

CONSTRUCTION: 2x4 and2xG frame with cedar siding.

HEATING: Woodstove, pluscei l ing-hung forced-airpropane heater.

ELECTRICAL: 200-ampservice panel.

LIGHTING: 10 dual fu l l -spectrum fluorescentfixtures in the carve/paintstudio; six in the millwork/fabrication ("sawdust")room; as well as spotlightincandescents above tools.

DUST COLLECTION:Portable shop vacuum inmachinery room, connectedto various tools as needed.

AIR COMPRESSOR: 5-hpupright compressor with60-gallon capacity.

0n a recent trip to the Northern0lympic Peninsula, I visited the shopof Dale Faulstich, master carver oftraditi0nal-style masks, totem poles,

and steam-bent boxes. After viewinghis outbuilding workshop, I knew thiswas a facility and a wood artisan wehad to share with other woodworkers.lf your home workshop is one thatother woodworkers might fi nd inter-esting and would like it considered forthe next edition of this publication,

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Dale built his fifth shop in the early '80s,

when he had established himself as acarvel although not yet of totem poles.He divided the 30x40' area into three mainsections (clockwise from top): a millwork/fabrication room that he calls the "sawdustroom;" carve/paint studio; and office/design studio. A sliding door separates themillwork area from the carve/paint studio,keeping dust away from finished pieces.

millwork & fabrication room,where he keeps most of hispower tools-Dale calls it the"SaWdUSt 1666"-41e tallerbecause it's on a lower level."I made that room level with theoutside so I could drive a vehicleinto the room, if necessary," hesays. A crawl space underneaththe various rooms provides stor-age, plus a home for the wiringof his 200-amp panel.

The exterior is clad with low-maintenance unfinished cedarsiding. The 8' interior walls ares/8" drywall painted white forbrightness. Dale built the shop in1984; by today's standards, the

building isn't insulated well.Windows are single-paned. "Itwas the early '80s, when energyconservation wasn't as importantas it is today," Dale points out,"and the mild Northwest Coastclimate doesn't demand heavyinsulation. However, I would bemore energy-conscious if I wereto build today."

Comfort afootFor heat, Dale used to rely solelyon a woodstove; he's added aforced-air burner that hangsfrom the ceiling of the carvelpaint studio, one of three work-ing areas. He installed a plywood

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ABOVE: Students who attend Dale's classes on creatingtraditional artwork of Native Americans of the PacificNorthwest can work on compact yet sturdy benches.For pfans, see page 23.

LEFT: The 1942 Warm Morning wood-burningstove in the studio has traveled with Dale toseveral of his shops, but he no longer usesit exclusively to heat his current one. He stillemploys it as a practical way to eliminatewood scraps, however. Scaled drawings ofDale's totem poles decorate adjacent walls.

floor instead of optin-q for rnuchmore convenient but uncomfbrt-able concrete.

"My previous shop, in the firstproperty I owned, had concrete."Dale recalls. "It was the lastconcrete floor I wanted. It mightbe easy to instal l , but i t 's coldand hard on the le-es, especiallyif you stand fbr quite a long time.So the 7+" plywood floor works alot better." Dale places 7s"-thickfbarn antif'atigue mats in front ofany place where he spends a lotof t i rne standins.

Taking it outsideDale did instal l a concrete f loorin the sawdust roorl (see yrge2l), accessed from a sl idingdoor. Woodworking machinery,al lon casters. l ines the wall . Thisis where he cuts large pieces thateventr"rally become rnasks, boxes,furniture, and totem poles Llp to20'tal l . (He and a crew carve themore complex 45' poles in anoff--site commercial fac i I ity.)

Dale also rips workpieces tomake totem pole wings. and heuses his 16" bandsaw to make

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Made of cherry plus birchfor the drawer sides, thetool chests that hold Dale'smany carving instruments fiton top of a mobile cabinethe can move wherever heneeds it. The drop-leaf tableaddition serves as a usefulworksurface. The double-eyeand single-eye designs Dalecarved on the inside surfaceof the lids represent the ChietAbove, who, legend says,possessed the sun, moon,and stars until Raven stolethem from him and broughtthem to eafth.

The board on the wall isDale's shop easel. The 4x8'sheet of plywood, with simpleframing on its back side, ishinged to the wall so Dalecan adjust it to any angle.Magnets hold drawings to thegalvanized metal surface.

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initial cuts on a mask. To drillholes that follow the contours ofmasks, Dale relies on a radialdrill press-it adjusts to anyangle and moves in and out.

He takes advantage of themild temperatures in the North-west. 'All my tools are onwheels," he relates, "so I can justroll them outdoors when it's apleasant summer day."

Dale's educational work isdone inside, however. In thecarving studio, where he con-ducts classes in Native Americanart. he has installed student-sizeworkbenches. A single-panelsliding door made from pineseparates his carve/paint studiofrom the sawdust room.

"I close the door for quiet, tokeep dust out of my office, and

to keep sawdust away frompieces that are drying," he says."If you're a hobbyist, it's proba-bly not necessary to be thatelaborate. But I have multipleprojects going at once. One ofthose may be a finished piecethat's got paint drying; I mightbe joining boards in another; andI might be carving in a third."

Snecialized snacesfdr special taliksDoing mostly carving, Daledoesn't perform a lot of tasksthat kick up plenty of dust. Forthat reason, he has put off invest-ing in a central dust-collectionsystem, instead using a portableshop vacuum.

What is essential, however, isa microwave oven he uses to drv

pieces quickly. "The recipe ismicrowave a piece on high fortwo minutes, let it cool for l0minutes, and put it back in fortwo minutes, weighing it at eachstage," he says. "When theweight stabilizes, all the water isout of it. A typical mask can losefrom 8 to 16 ounces of water."

As with other objects he crafts,Dale carves from the nativehardwood on his property. Soan essential for his carving stu-dio is a place to hollow out thelogs, as well as shelves to setthem upon to dry.

Everything begins in Dale'soffice, which he purposefullybuilt into his shop layout. "I'velearned over the years that it'sessential to invest however manyhours it takes to create a good


A 10x12' overhead door in Dale's "sawdustroom" makes it easy to bring largeworkpieces-and machines-in and out.Dale made the floor level with the outsideso if necessary he can drive a truck into thespace to load or unload items.

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lf I had to do it all over again..."What I would like to add is more 220-volt outlets and maybe adust-collection system. I get along pretty well without them, but everynow and then I think I would get along even better if I had them!"

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design for each project," Dalesays. "If you start with a gooddesign, even if you cheat onthe craftsmanship, the finishedproduct will still be good. But ifyou start with a poor design, nomatter how good your crafts-manship, the finished productwill be poor. So, I spend manyhours sitting there."

Dale's woodworking has comea long way since the first roomhe devoted to his craft after mov-ing to Washington state in 1973the living room of a house herented. "I had no garage or base-ment, so I moved all the furnitureout of the living room and putmy tools there," he remembers.

Having relocated to the North-west and established himself as acarver, Dale and his wife,Heather, built a house, completewith workshop, in 1979. Adesireto stay put led to the acreagewhere they've lived for 30 years.

ABOVE: For Dale, every project begins at the drawing table anddesk he created out of birch plywood and alder framing. He alsoconstructed the cabinets above and on floor levelto match.

ABOVE: Dale designed this benchexclusively for caruing models oftotem poles, on which he worksout details for full-size versions.The bench holds the workpiecejust as a lathe chuck holdsturning stock. Dale can rotate theworkpiece to any angle, then lockit into position with a clamp forhands-free carving. Locks at oneend hold the workpiece in place.

Dale didn't build his currentshop simply to make it bigger."I built it so I could have space

for higher-quality tools, which Icould afford because I was mak-ing a better living," he explains."One of the things I learned isthat if you're going to upgrade,have a purpose to it."

Dale's space suits him per-fectly. And it's a keeper.

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22 Americo's Best Home Wotkshops 2008

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woodmogozine.com 23

woodrruorlart profileust out of the Coast Guard in 1972, Dale Faulstich put hisartistry to good use, doing commercial work for the

Jamestown S'Klallam Native American community, locatedin Sequim, Washington. "I did various signs, carved doors forthe tribal administration building, and vehicle lettering, usingnative motifs in carving," Dale recalls. "The more I did, themore fascinated I was with their art. So I learned more aboutit and eventually carved totem poles as a hobby."

lnl993,the tribe was ready to open acasino and approachedDale to provide l0 totem poles for that enterprise. Tribal offi-cials liked Dale's 6'-diameter,49'-high efforts so much, theyasked him to do more. Since then, he's created poles formedical plazas, dental clinics, and other sites. "There's somuch to do," Dale says, "and each project is different."

Besides being involved in various tribal projects, Dale ishelping to carry on the native art tradition by teaching classesin designing and carving traditional objects, and is the subjectof a book about the craft. (See page 25.) He and his family-wife, Heather; daughter, Holly; and son, Tyler-live in thehouse they built in 1979. For more information about Dale'sart, visit www.olypen.com/hhtd.

On the tribe's South Campus, Dale's 45' pole depicts fourtraditional tales. Dale decided which tales to use based on thecreatures he encountered during walks in the woods.

Dale stands beside one of the 10 poles hecrafted for the 7 Gedars Casino on the tribalhomeland. The art at the base of the poledepicts a whale hunter peering between tailflukes, reminding viewers of the S'Klallam'swhale-hunting heritage.

Photographs: Dennis Collins Photography

Dale had to put up a2,400-sq-ft building ontribal land to give himand a crew enoughroom to construct histotem poles, whichcan be as tall as 49'.

24 Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

Dale carued this chief'ssettee, measuring

34x22x72", out of clear,vertical-grain, old-growth

western red cedar fora Native American

businessman's home.The design tells ofthe Gonakadet, an

undersea being who isa source of wealth and

chiefly advantages.

This sculpture depictsthe Raven Finned Killer

Whale, a mythicalseacreature of great

cultural importance.The bid motif frequentlyfinds its way into native

masks as well, and isoften seen in native dance

exhibitions among theNorthwest communities.

Boxes and chests, likethis 25x22x39" example,traditionally served as cradles,coffins, and nearly everythingin between. Made from clea4old-grourth western redceda6 like the settee above, itincludes a lid inlaid with sheltsfrom the red turban sea snail.

Dale carves masksin the style ofNorthwest NativeAmericans for threetraditional occasions:presentation of high-ranking chiefs andancestors, dances thatreenact legends, andfor healing andshamanism.

Totam Poles of theJamestown S' Kallam Tribe($1 a.9S)'tells the storyof this Northwest NativeAmerican community in theart Dale Faulstich creates.Oder from Amazon.com orwwwjamestown.tri be.org(360-683-110e).

woodmogozine.com 25

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After 20 years, Scott Beresford figured it was time his suburban home-includinghis workshop-received a face-lift. Building a new garage enabled Scott to convert

his old one into a completely new home shop, with the latest tools to boot.

nce upon a time, therewas a man named ScottBeresford. who had no

wife or kids. and lived in a sub-urban home outside Pittsburgh.Scott had a split-level, whichincluded a garage leading downa short flight of steps to a wood-working shop in his basement,and he was content.

But after 20 years of living inhis home, this lucky man hadreached a point where he was

financially comfortable andwanted to use his woodworkingtalent to enjoy himself andmaybe earn a little money on theside. So he decided to make hisworkshop part of a major face-lift for his home.

Twice as nice"I wanted five things for myhome," he says: "adding a newdining room, living room,garage, upgrading the electrical,

and doubling the size of myworkshop. My shop was only12x20', and it was a nightmaretrying to do anything of any size.To save space, all my woodwork-ing machines were on wheels. Ihad no room for larger, moreefficient tools. I wanted morespace to devote to my furniture-building and guitar work."

Scott's renovations more thandoubled the size of his work-space. Building a new attached


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f t LEFT: On the laminated maple benchhe custom-made years ago, whichincludes a Veritas twin-screw endvise, Scott assembles the furniture,guitars, and home-decoratingenhancements he builds. The metalchannels accommodate hold-downsand jigs. Scott added bench-dogholes in the benchtop and edge forclamping long boards.

BOTTOM: In his office space on theupper level, Scott built adjustableshelves for small hardware. Thecompressed-air outlet above thedesk is one of 10 throughout bothlevels of the shop.

TYPE: Attached garage.

SIZE: Lower-level: 15x24'(360 sq ft); upper-level:21x22'(462 sq ft); total:822 sq ft

CONSTRUCTION: Woodframe, drywall interior walls;concrete floors under 1/2"-thick Util-A-Mat reversiblemat overlay.

HEATING: Three 1,500-wattCadet Hydronic baseboardheaters supplement forcedair from a home furnace.

COOLING: Spacepakcentral air-condition ingsystem for entire house.

ELECTRICAL: 100-ampdedicated subpanel.

LIGHTING: 4 ' dual- tubefixtures with full-spectrumf luorescents; f u l l-spectru mcompact fluorescents.

DUST COLLECTION: Feinshop vacuum with minicyclone separator and2" schedule-40 PVCducting; Clear Vue CV18805-hp cyclone with 6"snaplock metal ducting.

AIR COMPRESSORS:Two-stage, 2-hp, G rai ngerSpeedaire 4YN50A, 26-gal lon tank; plus GraingerSpeedaire 3Z409B,20-gal lon auxi l iary air tank.

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woodmogozine.com 27

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ABOVE AND RIGHT: BecauseScott's upper-level shop is anassembly area, he built andinstalled three tables: his mainbench in the rear, left; anotherall-purpose table, foreground;and a 26x48" vise table, securelyanchored to the floo6 at rightrear and in photo, rght. From therear of the table and clockwise,the vises are: a pipe vise fromGrizzly that Scott uses to holdany diameter of conduit; a heavy-duty all-purpose metal vise, withbuilt-in anvil (a necessity for anyshop, Scott says); a pattern-maker's vise, with jaws thatswivel independently to allowclamping of odd-shaped pieces;and a parrot vise, which rotates360o and locks into position.

28 Americo's Besf Home Workshops 2008

thefloorplan

421'

-qara-qe allowed him to expandhis shop into his original garageas well as his basement. That15x24'area houses his tools. andthe former space, now 21x22'. rsan assembly and "clean fool-t-I."

Looking at how Scott did allthis is a case study in how tothink through a shop expansion."My first priority was to plan,"Scott says. "I sketched out rnyspace, made cutor-rts to representall my machines, and movedthem around." Once he hadeverything where he wanted it,Scott up-graded nearly every toolwith something that was eitherbigger, better, or both.

"By then, I had grown out ofmy 1O0-percent-hobbyist phase,

woodmogozine.com

Contractor-styletablesaw

LumberLOWER LEVEL SIOTAgC

(Machining area)

compressed-aircopper tubing

Driil | rable

Ipress I I

BelVdisc sander

Edge sander

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by a Fein system

and I needed tools that werernore reliable," he says.

The only tools that remainfrorn the originals Scott broughtto the house are a srnall Deltajointer, as well as a Craftsmantablesaw that had once belongedto his father. "I learned to dowoodworking on that," Scottsays. "It's near and dear to myheart. Besides, it's nice to havetwo tablesaws."

Work the planThe wall adjacent to the stairsleading up to the second levelseemed the logical place for histablesaw and outfeed table, withenou-9h space to rip 8'boards. Tothe tablesaw outf-eed table. Scott

Watertank

added a router table later. Hepositioned the tablesaw's ripfence to the left of the saw blade,not the right-even though he isrighrhanded. "It was the way Itaught myself when I was grow-ing up," Scott says.

He located his new stat ionaryplaner, which replaced a bench-top planer, beside the tablesaw totake advantage of the inf-eed/out-feed space. Scott's mitersaw,bandsaw, and second tablesawfan out clockwise from the rnaintablesaw/router /planer station.

Scott also tackled a redo for theshop's power system and lightin_q.He added a subpanel for the shopcircuitry-a solution made neces-sary by positioning the tools on

Building a new garageenabled Scott Beresford tomake use of the space thathad housed his vehicles (nowthe lower-level machiningarea) and more than doubledhis workshop space. Theupper level, once his onlyshop, became his assemblyroom. Scott also addeda second dust-collectionsystem; it seruices the lowerlevel, which generates themost dust. Because thestructure is part of his house,simply extending ductworkfrom the home's central airsystem allows Scott to heatand cool it.

Cyclonedust

col lector

Furnace

29

the lower level. "I would have hadto run wires all the way back tomy main panel, which is all theway on the other side of thehouse," Scott says. "Itjust seemedeasier and less expensive to add asubpanel. I haven't had problemswith any of the machinery usingthis setup."

Over the concrete floor. Scottadded t/2."-thick reversible foamsafety flooring bought at a ware-house store. "Working on con-crete is terrible!" he asserts."This is some of the best stuffyou can put over it. It's cost-effective and easy to install."

Finishing touchesFor climate control, Scott simplyhad the ductwork from hishome's central air-conditioningand heating system extended tothe shop. Baseboard heaterssupplement the forced-air sys-tem. He also replaced thesparsely located fluorescents

that lit the garage with full-spectrum fluorescents, as well asfull-spectrum compact fluores-cents in incandescent fixtures."I read about those lights helpingwith seasonal affective disorder,"Scott says. "They made a differ-ence in the light level!" So didpainting the walls white.

Dust collection was a prioritybecause no partition divides theassembly area and his shop'sdust-making portion. All histools are serviced by a Fein shopvacuum with a cyclone or a 5-hpcyclone Scott concealed behindone wall. He attached flexiblemetal ducting to his mitersaw, aswell as a plastic tank at his routertable that collects the churned-up dust. Rare earth magnets holdthe tank in place. "Clean is theway I like it," he says.

Scott is more than entitled tohave his workshop as clean as helikes. After all, he's determinedto play in it, happily ever after.

lf I had to do it all over again..."l would have liked a higher ceiling. And of course if I had more space, l'd be able

to add another bandsaw, eliminating the need to switch blades frequently."

30

LEFT: These canister air filtersseruice Scott's Clear Vue 1880S-hp dust-collection unit in asmall closet on the other side ofthe wall. The main ductwork fromthe cyclone is 6" snaplock metalpipe, seen in the foreground.Branch runs are 5" snaplock.

RIGHT The copper tubing on thewall of Scott's lower-level shoptraps moisture that forms in the

compressed-air system,the result of hot air blowing

through it. Water runs into a tankthat Scott empties periodically.

In the foreground is Scott'soutfeed table. He built it of

cabinet-grade plywood anddesigned it to be the same

height as his mitersaw table togive him more stock suPPort.

On the tabletop are some of theroller boards Scott designed for

moving heavier pieces.(See plans on page 32.)


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ABOVE: Ductwork for Scott'stwo dust-collection systemssnakes around virtually everytool in his lower-levelshop,which houses his tools. His Feinvac system provides pinpointcollection at his drill press andbandsaw, general collection athis mitersaw and router-tablefence, and additional collectionat his smaller tablesaw. Scott's5-hp dust-collection unitservices his drill press andthe small Delta sander nextto it, as well as his 6x80 beltsander, router table, mitersaw,tablesaw, jointer, sande6and bandsaw. White PVCpipe for Scott's Fein vacuumdust-collection unit maintainsthe lower-level shop wall'sunbroken brightness. The photoalso gives a good idea of thedust-collection ports and theinterlocking soft flooring matsthat make it easier for Scott towork on a concrete floor.

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Roller boards allow sawn wood to glide onto an outfeed table. Rare earth magnetsinserted into holes on Scott's workbench keep the roller frames in place. Scott built the boards out of oak,

but you can use any wood. "The only criticalthing," Scott says, "is the thickness of the roller assembly. The

height of the bearings has to equal the height of the saw, so when the piece comes off the saw table, it stays

level and doesn't fall or get elevated."

Length to suit

- Rare earth magnetsepoxied into counterbores

on bottom side of base

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ffiScott reports that his clamp rack, which holds eleven 24" bar clamps,took less than an hour, including the design and construction. Once theclamps are slid into the slots, gravity holds them in place. Scott used3/a" oakstock but says any hardwood willwork.


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Zero-clearancebackboard

1" hardwood

Scott designed this mitersaw fence with replaceableblocks. They make repetitive cuts easier and cleanerthan with the standard metal fence that ships withthe saw. Making it possible is a 3%"-high, zero-clearance auxiliary fence servicing the saw. "You getthe cleanest cut when you have wood behind wood,"Scott says.

woodworkerS profileveryone in Scott Beresford's large family was into woodworking,especially his father, a carpenter by profession. Most are still intobuilding things. One owns a construction business, two are engi-

neers, two brothers are carpenters. They built each other's houses, andhelped Scott when he redid his home five years ago, from the roofing tothe framing to the siding and the electrical work.

"I was the one who did most of the electrical work in the family," Scottreports. "But I was into building things when I was a kid." He remembersrefinishing a table for his mom and buildingsome snack tables. "I think I was in the 10-or 1l-year-old range," he says.

Now that Scott is semiretired as health-and-safety director and project manager fora large public environmental company, hehas time to construct projects that enhancethe look of his home (right), as well asindoor and outdoor water fountains. (Youcan learn more about them at Scott's Website, creationsofacraftsman.com.) He's alsotaken to building guitars, electric andacoustic, like the one above right.

"Ever since I was younger, I was aimingfor the day when I was financially secureenough not to have to go to work every day,"Scott savs. That dav has come.

Viewed from back side

As part of his home's renovation,Scott built these unusual eight-sided columns for his mainstaircase. "l wanted somethingdistinctive that wasn't going toget lost in such a big room," Scottsays. The stairs lead down to anew entrance from the kitchen andliving area.

Photographs: Mike Regan Photography

s /qx3 t /qx12"hardwood

2" aluminum angleto support and stabilize fence

Replaceableblocks

7a" counterbore onfront face with a 3/ro" hole

centered inside

A guitar playerhimself, Scottadds innovationsinto the acousticinstruments hecrafts as a hobby.Replacing thetraditional plasticbinding-the trimaround the body-with bent padaukwood gives theinstrumenta richer look.

woodmogozine.com 33

Dave Knau really went "into the hole" whenI I lhen Dave Knau first

Itlt cast eyes on the dirt-I f floored basement in

the 1950s ranch-style house he'dbought nine years ago, hisreaction was swift and sure."Barb!" he exulted to his wife."There's my shop!"

Most grown men wouldnthave reacted that way to a hole inthe ground. But to Dave, it waslike Picasso being handed ablank canvas. "I knew I could dowhatever I wanted," says theexecutive at a large seed com-pany. "I had the space; now Ijusthad to figure out how to use it."

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In Windsor Heights, Iowa,Dave, 55, has built a bright,workable, and efficient workspace. "It's not a fancy shop," heacknowledges. "When I retire,maybe it'll be fancy. But it isfunctional and practical."

Farm-kid ingenuityDave's shop makes good use ofexisting nuances combined withsome ingenuity gained fromgrowing up on a farm. Forexample, he added storm-cellardoors, like those familiar toviewers of The Wizard of Oz, toprovide a wide entrance to bring

he set up his new shop. With an unfinishedbasement as his blank canvas, and a lot ofsalvage, Dave pulled together a shop thathelps him produce gaming tables of art.

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sheet goods in and get finishedf'urniture pieces out. "I was goingto add an egress window; instead,I discovered I could install doorswith steps for about the samemoney," Dave recalls. "Every-thing goes in and out of thosedoors as easy as can be."

The entire shop area was asealed-off part of the basement,with a dirt floor. Dave had thefloor dug down another 4" andcut a hole into the block wall.He also discovered additionalspace underneath the garage.This 20x21'territory became thewood storage and machiningarea off his main shop space.(See floor plan, page 37.) Then,he laid the dust-collection pipingatop the dirt before pouring theconcrete floor.

woodmogozine.com

Dave's tablesaw was the first machine he put onwheels; every machine is mobile except his jointer.The positioning of all the tools allows him full mobilitywithout having to step and trip over cords that wouldothenryise snake across the floor.

Dave Knau scrimped on somethings so he could add others,like the double mitersawextensions (opposite). "That'soverkill, unless you build whatI build [shuffleboard tables]."He also installed overheaddust-collection ports for hisdual-drum sander. /eft.

TYPE: Basement of a 1950sranch-style home.

SIZE: Approximately 21x67'(1,407 sq ft).

CONSTRUCTION:Concrete block walls andpoured floor.

HEATING AND COOLING:No open registers forheat ing or air-condi t ioning."Because it 's a ranch-stylehouse, it 's the coolest placein summer and plenty warmin winter."

ELECTRICAL: 200-amppanel with two dedicated220-volt circuits.

LIGHTING: Fluorescents,with a fixed dedicatedincandescent above eachmachine.

DUST COLLECTION:Ductwork placed beneaththe floor; homemadeS-hp cyclone, emptying intoa steel garbage can.

AIR COMPRESSOR:Z-hp, 4-gallon Hitachi EC2,delivering 3.6 CFM at100 PSt .

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35

\

Dave also painted the walls,

ceiling, and joists the whitest

white he could find. "l wouldn'thave enjoyed going down there if

it was dark," he says. "The

brightness really changed the

atmosphere. I even painted allmy cabinets white, so everythinghas total reflection."

With abundant f-luorescentlighting fixtures, Dave gets agood look at everything. He

added can lights above eachmachine to concentrate the illu-mination where he needs it.

Dave planned everything in

the shop as carefully as he didthe lights. He laid it all out withcardboard, then made scaledrawings with cutouts torepresent the machines. When

36

: : " . . .

he got it all spec'd, it was time to

sit down with a contractor."He had the idea that we couldput in a concrete floor and install

ductwork for a dust-collectionsystem right under the concrete,"Dave recalls.

This was eminently practical

because, typical for a basementin ranch-style homes of that era,the ceiling is low. The innovationsaved Dave from surrenderingoverhead space to ductwork."Dust collection is paramount ifyou're going to have your shop in

the house." Dave points out."Bandsaws and tablesaws put

out a lot of dust. When you say'basement,' you must also say'dust collection'-if you want to

stay happily mat'ried!"

LEFT: Dave typically uses glass-front cabinets to store hardware,supplies, sandpaper, andmiscellaneous stuff. "With glass,"he says, "l don't have to thinkwhich cabinets have what stuffin them. I can see my hardwareand know just where everythingis. Also, they keep dust out."He purposefully positioned theglass-front cabinets (identified as"hardware storage" on the floorplan, opposite)to keep clear ofswinging lumber.

Behind the double doors at/eft is Dave's finishing room(shown open, below). The roomis sealed off and the air is filteredso Dave can let one project drywithout fear of dust settling ontothe finish while he works in themain shop. " ln the shop in mylast house, I had to shut downeverything when I was ready tofinish a piece. With this house, Ihad the luxury of enough spaceto set off a finishing room."Recessed dedicated can lighting(not shown) in the ceiling allowsDave to provide just the rightamount of illumination to makesure that a finish looks good.

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lf I had to do it all over again..."l would have dug the floor a littledeeper, say another 4-5". That doesn'tsound like much, but it would havemade a big difference in the heightof the ceiling. Also, I intend to replacethe perforated hardboard."

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ABOVE: Prior to his renovation, the only way into Dave's basementwas through an interior stainnray leading to the kitchen. So he added a5'-wide set of cellar doors that allow him to easily move materials andprojects into and out of the shop. "when you look at the overall costs, itproved to be relatively economical," Dave says.

LEFT: Over the years, Dave hasamassed a good-size collection ofparallel-jaw clamps; he dedicated thecorner next to his finishing room toclamp racks. The area also serues hisshop-made air filter (in box, top) andair compressor.

woodmogozine.com37

Dave also built a vent unit thatservices the main shop as well asthe finishing room. When asliding door panel is closed,

'air

is drawn from the finishingroom; when the panel is opened,air is drawn from the shop.

Scrounging and splutgingDave found the fan forthe systemin a pile of stuff rescued from agrain bin. Salvage ls Dave'ssalvation. He restored a veryrusty Shopsmith drill press forlittle expense. "I use it forhorizontal boring only, and it isgreat at that." A 5'mobile-homebathtub serves as a utility sink.'Tt has plenty of room foreverything," Dave says. "I caneven put my dogs in there whenthey need a bath."

Likewise. all Dave's cabinetswere rescued from a universityscience lab that was slated fordemolition. "I got them for next

38

to nothing; new cabinets thissturdy would have cost a fortune.I painted them white, and theylook great." With the money hesaved, he splurged on a Biese-meyer mitersaw table system(shown on page 35).

He replaced the base cabinets'original heavy soapstone coun-tertops-which had no practicaluse, Dave says-with melamineand added simple solid-pineedging. The oversize extensionwings on both sides of the sawenable Dave to handle the longpieces he needs to construct hisshuffleboard tables (opposite).

Those artful creations provedthat despite the limitations of hisshop-or thanks to the solutionsto overcome them-Dave Knauhas prospered in his wood-working, making lemonade outof what some people wouldconsider lemons. And he does itfrom a hole in the sround.

LEFT: Most of the wood Daveuses is salvaged. "You'd beamazed how much lumber isaround!" he maruels. "Peoplewilljust give it away when theyknow you're a woodworker." Thetrick is storing it-that's wherethe 21' wall comes in handy.Usually, Dave has to take thewhole kit and caboodle andsort out what stock won't work.But the savings, he says, areenormous. "l can't begin to counthow many board feet of lumberl've received that have beenvirtually free!" The lumber storagearea also is where Dave parksmany of his machines. He addedmobile bases to most of them forportability and space-saving.

BELOW: Dave keeps hissharpening station near hislathe. Cabinets hold most ofthe important turning tools andaccessories. "When I'm workingat the lathe," Dave says, "l wantto simply turn around to accessmy grinders and supplies."

Americo's Best Home Wolkshops 2008

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is father-in-law is a top-notch woodworker, butDave Knau insists he

didn't become interested in thehobby just to get in better withhis wife's dad.

"He's not the type who wouldwant you to do thatl'Dave sayswith a chuckle. "But he is a greatmentor. If you want him to workwith you, he's happy to do it."

Growing up in Yankton, SouthDakota, Dave also had anotherterrific adviser-his junior highschool shop teacher. "He startedyou with the right basics but thenchallenged you to build some-thing by the end of the semester,"Dave recalls. "He was veryhands-on, but not a critic."

As he got older, Dave becameinterested in furnituremaking;then he and a friend begannoticing the shuffleboard tablesthat inhabit many lounges. Thefriend indicated that he might

LEFT: Dave brought a mapleworkbench-one of the first projectshe ever made-from his former shop.He uses it when hand-cutting joints.Dedicated can lights above provideplenty of illumination. Drawersunderneath make a good home forsaw blades. Because the bench sitsfairly close to his Delta Unisaw,Dave built storage underneath foraccessories. The bench is one of thefew pieces in his shop that aren't onwheels. "lwanted one bench whereI could absolutely rely on stability forhandwork," he says. "lt's so heavy,you wouldn't want to move it." But itis positioned far enough from the wallso he can move around it easily.

like one. Most, however, wereeither too expensive or cheaplymade. So Dave built his own.That was five years ago. He'sstarting his sixth one now.

Of course, Dave doesn't spenda year on each of them; it's justthat he tries to fit in hiswoodworking between workassignments. He estimates that ifhe could devote all his time tothe tables, they d take him about100 hours each.

"People think they're hard tomake, but any medium-skilledwoodworker could tackle thattable and do a good job," Daveinsists. "Woodworking isn'thard-it's about time and pa-tience and training. Woodwork-ing is about how much timeyou're willing to spend on it."

Photographs: Jay Wildelllustration: Roxanne LeMoine, Lorna Johnson

woodmogozine.com 39

lf you had virtually unlimited shop

space, what would you do with it?

A Colorado furnituremakerand turner has some surprising-and efficient-answers.

Moving on upLarry's previous shop was an800-square-fbot arrangement inhis basement. That was animprovement over his first ven-ture, a 200-square-fbot space"with a cheap saw." But whenthe investment banker and Cindy,his wif'e of 3l years, bought intoa -eated community that had beena 1,000-acre ranch, Larry herdone thing on his mind. "l askedrnyself, 'If I could build any kind

nd1$, pace ... the final frontier

',,. of woodworking.

' Nearly every wood-

worker from tirne to tirne hasdrearned of a shop with sufficientroorrr to arrange tools far enoughapart so soffreone bigger thanTorn Thumb could walk betweenthem. The really ambitiousdreams include enough spaceto have two and maybe threevarieties of the same tool to suitdifferent pur poses.

Larry Malohn lives that dreamin a 1,700-square-foot framestructure in Morrison. Colorado.25 miles west of Denver. Fromthere, he can look up from build-ing furniture and gaze at theRocky Mountains.

"Yeah, I'm pretty lucky," headmits. "We've lived here fbr l4years and when we bought theproperty. I had the opportunityto build just the kind of shop Ialways wanted."


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The nice thing about 1x6 interiorsiding, Larry Malohn says, "is youcan hang about anything on it," suchas chairs and less frequently usedjigs. Fhe 27-lb canoes are tied to theloft structure.) "l got the idea to usewall surfaces as utility space fromthe Shakers," he says, "l didn't wantperforated hard board anywhere. "

TYPE: Wood frame withpoured concrete floor

SIZE: 990 sq ft on mainfloor, plus 680 sq ft onsecond floor.

CONSTRUGTION: The flooris a single 22x45'footprint;walls framed with 2x6s; cut-rafter roof with 6/12 pitch.

HEATING: Propane gas.

ELECTRICAL: Dedicated200-amp service, includingtwelve 22O-volt and forty120-volt outlets.

LIGHTING: B' f luorescentsin ceil ings of main andsecond floors.

DUST COLLECTION:Ceil ing-hung and exposed,powered by an Oneidacyclone connected tospecific tools via 6" ducts.

AIR COMPRESSOR:Craftsman 175-PSl, two-stage oilless system with a20-gallon tank.

Larry Malohn is at ease in his third-and likely his last-workshop, hiswoodworking retreat in the foothillsof the Colorado Rockies.


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of workshop I wanted, whatwould I need?' " he says. "That'swhere I came up with two storiesalong with afinishing room." Hebegan planning the frame struc-ture, 100' from their three-storyhome, during fall1992 and com-pleted it the following May.

Because the entire buildingsite rests on a 30o slope, Larrydug the 9 -high back wall intothe mountain and fortified itwith 6" of rebar and concrete.Larry used 2x6s for the exteriorwall frame;Z?'floor joists elimi-nated the need for posts tosupport the upper-level flooringof z/i' tongue-and-groove oak.This left plenty of room up tothe ceiling.

42

The 6/12-pitched roof (forsnow load) uses 2x8s for rafters.To strengthen the side walls andprevent the outside walls frombowing out, Larry nailed 22'-long 2x6s into the rafters andinto the top of the second-floorwall. Larry and his friends didmuch of the labor, though fewrelished toiling on the roof,23'above the ground.

Eschewing garage doors,Larry installed two 3' doors thatallow 6' clear access. The 1x6cedar siding matches that of thehouse. Inside he used 1x6 shiplapsiding made of pine. This allowshim to nail, hang, or screw nearlyanything anywhere without per-forated hardboard.

ABOVE: On the second floorof his shop, Larry added acarvi ng/sharpen i ng stationand located an adjacent8x10' finishing room forconvenience. Glass panelslet in additional light. Thebinders and manualsrepresent Larry's 30 yearswofth of subscriptions towoodworking magazines,incfuding WOOD@.

LEFT: Where the 20' ceilingslopes upward, there wasenough wall space for Larryto hang his furnace and amultitude of clamps. Thefurnace's dual louvers directheat to both the secondfloor and the main level.


thefloorphnMost woodworkers won't havenearly the space for a two-levelshop, but Larry Malohn's floorplan provides a good exampleof how to arrange workingspace to the best advantage.His upper-level space (right)is where he does most of hisdetail work; his larger machinesoccupy the lower level (below).Larry agrees, however, thattoo much space can become adrawback. "l saw allthis space,and lstarted planning how Iwas going to use it," he says."l wound up spending moretime building accessorycabinets and roll-away toolsthan I spent on my projects,"he remembers. "Don't get mewrong-l wouldn't give up thespace! But you can get hung upon figuring out how to use it."

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43woodmogozine.com

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RIGHT Larry designedhis shop with enough

space to give him PlentYof room to move around

his tablesaw and otherstationary tools.

BELOW: Larry needed moreworksurface to extend theutility of his maple workbench,so he lengthened it to 6' andincluded another full set ofdrawers. The hardest thingwas installing the vises."They're big and heavy, andthey need to be preciselyaligned and then screwed inunderneath," he says. "Gethelp to do i t ."

Larry instal led 8' f luorescentsflush to tl-re rnain-floor ceiling.Protective sheets of acrylic keepthe dust or.rt. A benefit of the7.500-fbot altitude is the naturalcooling in summer. There's afurnace but no air conditioner.

There's a lot of space dust can

occupy. so Larry installed threeair-filtration systems: two on the

rniiin floor', one on the upstairsceilin-e. Ductwork strapped tothe ceiling f-eeds an Oneidacyclone on the main floor.

Larry also can fflove a portablevacllum wherever he needs it,

most often around his five lathes:one to make bats and bedposts:a bowl lathe that can handle up

to 20" bowls or platters; a Stubbythat allows turnin-9s exceedin-e200 lbs: and two mini lathes, fbrsmall objects such as ornamentsand srlall round boxes, plus onehe doesn't use anymore but could

be r.rseful for a be-ginuer who's

learning to t lrrn pens or small

spindles. Four other portable

vacs connect to various tools.To power everythin-e, Larry

added a dedicated 200-amp boxwith at least fbrty 12O-volt out-lets and twelve 220-volt fixtures."Without 220, yoll can usemachine tools, but you can't keep

anythin-q else plugged in," he

says. didn't want to have

to keep plu-eging in and unplug-ging everything."

Havin-e all that roont is notwithout its problems. "l had to

be creative and organized,"Larry sarys. "How yoLr arran-geyollr tools and accessories and

have them accessible ntakesfbr head-scratching. I wanted

to spend my time rnaking furni-tLue, not shop accessories." Sti l l ,it's a problem ntost woodworkerswould envy.

t

44 Americo's Best Home Workshops 2008

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ABOVE: A sliding mitersawand dovetai l j ig occupythis prime space, with aview of Mount Evans in thedistance. "lt would havebeen a shame to put a bigtoolthere that would hidethe vista," Larry says.

RIGHT Screwing separatesupports to his wall

provided plenty of spacefor Larry to arrange his

thinner, pistol-grip clamps,mostly used for smaller

furniture projects. "ln myother shops, I used to have

them in a box," Larryrecalls. "With clamps,

it doesn't take longbefore they become

like Christmas l ights, al ljumbled together."

lf I had to do it all over again..."l'd place the dust collector outside and insulate itbecause it's loud, and l'd do the same thing with a built-incompressor. ljust didn't think about it 14 years ago."

LEFT: Larry arranged his all-encompassing sharpeningstation near his bowl lathe forefficiency-all he has to do iswalk a few feet to sharpen histools. "l've always been lookingfor a sharpening system that isquick and easy to use," Larrysays. Two grinders on the mainfloor have different grits for eachwheel. He uses a water-cooledgrinder when he has a lot of toolsto sharpen at once. An old 6"grinder upstairs isn't as well usedas it once was. Plastic-frontedwall cabinets provide space forturning supplies.

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45woodmogozine.com

o

froffiMieffiA magazine inspiredLarry's design for thishand-plane cabinet; hecollected all the planesover the !€?rs; "l've beentrying to learn skills ofold carpenters, especiallyusing hand tools," saysthe former homebuilder."For heavy work, you doneed a motorized planer.But for fine work, a planeis better than a sander.With small, slow, easystrokes, you can finishwood almost to where itdoesn't need sanding. lt'ssure quieter and not asdusty!"

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To gauge how tall to make thiscabinet, which supports Larry'smini lathe, he started from thetop down. "You have to be at theright height to see what you'redoing," he says. "For comfort,the lathe spindle needs to be atelbow height. So I measured fromthe floor to my elbows and wentbackwards. I built the smalltwo-drawer cabinet first and the mainmobile-base cabinet last." Thelathe and dual-drawer cabinet areremovable, revealing a worktopwith bench-dog holes.

"l like to build things thathave several functions,"Larry Malohn says. Hislathe-tool center- "myfavorite cabinet in thewhole shop, because Ican scoot this aroundto any lathe I'm workingat"-is two projects inone. The 12"-high toprack, which fits entirelyatop the mobile cabinet,comes off for further mobility(inset above rightl. With the "top down"while at a lathe, Larry can set tools downon the foam pad. The cabinet stays put withtwo locking casters. Just for fun, Larry alsobuilt in a secret drawer in addition to theseven that are visible.


Gsupplies

ut of college and awaitingthe Vietnam-era draft, LarryMalohn was deliveringto a construction site near

Washington, D.C., when he saw ahelp-wanted sign for a carpenter'sassistant. "They paid a dollar more anhour than I was making," he recalls."So I applied and got hired."

He became so good at it that he waspromoted to carpenter and before longwas building homes. A change ofcareer to investment banker and threeshops later, the 57-year-old has learned

t.

that crafting furniture is morecreative than homebuilding-andengages new skills. "I learned that apiece of furniture does not require2x4sl'he says.

Years later, after filling his officewith furniture he built, Larry is con-templating a retirement of spendingdays at his power tools, framed by theColorado Rockies.

"Woodworking has taught me to beconfident," he says. "I can boast, 'Hey,

I can build that!' and discover that bvGod.I can!"

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"f have 22'-high walls in myliving room," Larry says, "and bigwindows, so I needed soniethinglarge." This 1O'-high wall unitdisplays books, Larry's turnings,and a wide-screen TV, and hidesthe stereo. The entire cabinetis made of cherry except for'plywood panels used as verticaldividers. Larry created the covemolding with his router andshaper. "My trim had to be realwood, not venee[" he says of theproject that took him most of thesummer of 1994. The oak libraryladder in the living room allowsLarry easy access.

Larry Malohnused elk antlersfound aroundhis property forthis mahoganytable. He cutthin mahoganypieces, bentthem around aplywood frame,and glued themone by oneto create theround apron.

47

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woodmogozine.com

Photographs: Hardy Klahold

T-

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ma ngatience is a v i r tue inwoodworkin-e. Just takeit from Walt Se-91, who

o

spent two full years desi-unin-ehis workshop in Pleasant Valley,

Pennsylvania, southeast of thetown of Bethlehern. And yes, he'svery satisfied.

"lf I had to do it all over. I'dchange nothin-e." says Walt. vicepresident of at pharmaceuticalsofiware companv who fzrshionsreproduction | Sth-century Anter-ican furnitLlre as his passion. "Oh.

there's a f inishing room in mylon-u-range plans, and we'd alllike some more space. But it'sworked out -qreat tbr rne."

Every f-acet of Walt's detached

30x40' structure rnelds functionwith comfbrt.

Fol example, Walt installed a

radianrheat system in the floor.It not only keeps the concretefloor pleasant to walk on but alsclhelps keep the humidity corn-lbrtable. Although the systerrinit ial ly cost more to instal l than

lf you've got two years to

design your shop, there's no

excuse for not getting it

48

exactly the way you want.


ABOVE: Walt made hisshop 30'wide, matching thefootprint of the guest cottageit replaced.

a forced-air system, it lowersWalt's heating costs because it'sfar more fuel-efficient.

"Working on an unheatedconcrete floor is uncomfortable,"says Walt, 49. "The warm floorimproves the circulation in myfeet, so I can put in l2-hour dayswithout being tired."

The numerous windows andskylights allow an inexhaustiblesupply ofnatural light, necessarywhen Walt finishes a piece to hisexacting standards.

"If you're carving or finishing,fluorescent lights aren't enough,"he says. "I really need morelight, especially when I work forlong periods."

There is fluorescent lighting,of course: Eight twin-tubefixtures equipped with color-correction bulbs provide generalillumination over the bench area.They supplement overhead trackfixtures equipped with halogenfloodlights and spotlights.

Power to spareThe lighting is just one facet ofan ample electrical grid: 200-amp service was installed to putevery piece of equipment on adedicated circuit. Additionally,Walt strategically scattered 30

TYPE: Outbuilding.

SIZE: 30x40' (1,200 sq ft).

CONSTRUCTION: 2xGframe construction with 6"R-35 insulation in the wallsand 12" in the attic: low-Ewindows.

HEATING: Radiant in-floorheating, five zones withsmall oil furnace thatcirculates water.

COOLING: 12,000-Btuwindow air conditioner.

ELECTRICAL: Tend ed icated 220 -v olt ci rcu itsfor the machine tools, plusthirty 1 1 O-volt outlets.

LIGHTING: Eight 8'tubefluorescents; track lightingfor machines; recessedlighting elsewhere.

DUST COLLECTION:Overhead dual-stagesystem with rafter-mountedS-hp fan; custom cyclonedeposits waste intocontainer in closet.

AIR COMPRESSOR:Stand-alone unit piped tohose reels for ease of use.

In laying out his shop, Walt Segl cut out scaled templates for hisequipment and arranged everything on poster board. Movingthe pieces around on the board helped him judge workflow. Thattechnique also resulted in ideas such as using the space beneathhis tablesaw's sliding table for lumber storage.

woodmogozine.com 49

3..

After two years of planning and construction, Walt Segl nowhas a shop large enough to handle mult iple projects at once."Moving things around was always, always a hassle in abasement shop," he says.

l lO-volt or"rt lets-10 of t l tett t

GFCI-protected-artxttrcl tl-reshop. There's space in his pranel

firr -50 circr"rits. Not ottly cloes

that give Walt rooni for expatt-sion br-rt also contr ihtt tes tosaf-ety. 'A fbrn-rer rtci-clibot of

rnine lost his shop to a f ire thatwas startecl by ii firLrlty electricalc i rcu i t . I promisec l that i t ' I was

-9oing to bui ld nty shol-r. I wastt ' t

gcring to let tl-rat happen to lt'lc.'He l l so i r t s t i t l l e t l i u t cx t c t t : i r csecurity/fi re-alartn systel'tt.

Walt got the chance to bui lclhis drearr shop when he artcl hiswif-e. Debra. searched fbr a farrtt."l always wantecl t0 restot'c ustone farnrhottse." he says.

But Walt hacl bcen plartnint

his shop makeover tbr )'cltl 's.Previously. his shop w:ls thcb:rsement o1' his tortner lt<ttttc.

"The basenient hacl a lack ol 'workroom and stora-te spacc. 'Walt remembers. 'Also. when Iwas I 'u t t r t i t tg er l l t i l ' l t te t t t . y ( ) t l

crlr"rld hear it all over the house.

50

Ancl Del'rra hatecl coniins clowtt

to the basetrent t i t cl t t latt t tclry

ancl f int l shitvings ancl clust al l

ovcr everyt l i ing."So t irr l0 y'ears. Walt kept his

w'ish l ist on a cl ipl ' roat 'd. Tltett .when he anc'l Detrra f'inallv pLrr-

chasecl their lnrr l . Walt ancl l i is

tirther. Bucl. at last be-uatl to

clesiqn the sl iop.Tl-rere \\,ere two lintitatittns:

keepin-u the shop's wiclth at 30'tonratch the l ' rr tntage 0t-thc gucst

cottage i t replacccl. ancl cleal ir tgw'ith a steep gratle slopirtg au'ayfronr tlic stnlctLlre.

A marat[ron projectgets un0eruayThc shol-l took 16 n.totrths l'trtttt

concept ion to conrp le t ion. In thenreantirr ic. Walt rvas wit l ioLrt aplacc [o rr,'ork. 'As soot-t ils wenro'recl in. the ttcw' shop starteclgoin-u up." Walt relates. "Daclaltcl

[ -sot the litLrnclatiort r,vith the racli-ant tLrbin-c in. and the bui lcl in-t Lrpancl weathert ight in the f i t 'st six

r b t {' l - , l q! r - l * r ! ) r , - a l ,

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When Walt fashions bombe furniture, with i ts dist inct ivecurvature, he needs to keep it in place because the pieces mustbe handcrafted. The four-section jig he devised (above) locks allfour drawer fronts into position so he can shape them all as onecontinuous piece.

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Wmonths." The heating system,drywall, and the wiring, lighting,and dust collection took longer.

Walt overlooked no detail,installing a garage door andgrading the entryway to providetruck access for equipment andlumber delivery. With a 9 -highceiling and no supports, handlingboards as long as 20'is easy.

Cleanliness and safetyOne of the shop's three closetshouses the cyclone and bag sys-tem forWalt's custom-made 5-hpdust-collection system, whichuses spiral-steel ductwork fiomAir Handling Systems. Origi-

woodmogozine.com

nally, Walt intended to house theentire dusrcollection system inthe center closet, which turnedout too small for a 5-hp system.So Walt's dad, a retired mechan-ical engineer, designed a cycloneand hung the motor from therafiers in the attic. "One advan-tage of placing the motor sepa-rately is it keeps the shop realquiet," Walt says. Floor sweepsscattered throughout the shopmake daily cleanup quick.

Walt prefers to work in a clean,organized shop. "When you'recarving, you'll pop a chip off andneed to glue it back into place. Ifyou let your shavings get 2-3"

A key to smart shop design, Walt says, is to figure out thebiggest board you can possibly handle, and plan for it. That'swhy he designed his shop without columns to support theceiling. The roof is trussed to ensure clear space. "lt did takea little thought, getting the beams engineered as opposedto just putting up columns," Walt admits. "lt would havebeen much cheaper to do it with posts. But I can swingalmost anything in my shop, and it doesn't have any physicallimitations. I hate working around columns."

deep around your work area,you're not going to find it," Waltpoints out. Also, a clean shop isless of a fire hazard.

Walt admits he's like mostevery other unsatisfied shop61yng1-"f'd lOve more Space,"he jokes. But he insists thatanyone can design an efficient

shop by summoning the patience,foresight, and attention to detailhe used. "The best thing to do,"Walt advises, "is to figure whatyou want, how much you canafford, and who's going to buildit. Build the biggesr shop youpossibly can. Do it right the firsttime. And don't skimp."

5 1

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ru@Miil@ffiA friend of Walt's, who is head of maintenance for aregional hospital, asked the woodworker whetherhe could use a hospital bed. "lthought, 'ls hekidding?' " Walt says. Then he saw the bed andrealized that it could be one of the most usefulpieces of equipment in his shop. With the bedframe cut off and a butcher-block top added, Waltturned it into an all-purpose table. The top raisesand lowers electrically via the foot pedals. When it'scollapsed, Walt can store it conveniently.

7a" dowel Zsh" long

The horizontal layout of Walt'ssandpaper holder maximizes spaceand organization. Hook-and-loopsanding discs stand on edge withinthe compartments, separated by fie"hardboard dividers that slide neatlyand snugly into dadoes on the top andbottom shelves. Self-adhesive rolls storeon the long dowel. Abrasives for Walt'sdetail sander stack on vedical dowels.

s/q" dowel21" long

s/o" rabbetst/+" dee?

ct/8

I) /lo" rabbet'r/q"

deep1/4" deep

along back edge

3/ro" dado th" deep

6/2".. I

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Even storage units in Walt's shop take on the look of well-made cabinetry.Walt had a little curly maple and cherry left over after another project, so hefashioned this cabinet to store his considerable collection of hand planes."l do a lot of my work by hand," Walt says. "l find that it's often faster to usemolding planes than to use a router-and it's a lot quieter and neater. I getmore satisfaction using a hand toolthan a machine."

{z

Walt designed this 2Ox24" apple plywood cabinet to serue all histablesaw needs. A kerfed rack in the lower drawer holds his sawblades next to his dado set. The top level is home for feather boardsand molding heads. A miter gauge tucks in neatly atop the lid.Wrenches on the front surface are there when Walt needs to changeblades, and an attachment on the near side keeps his pushstick atthe ready. Because the cabinet is on casters, Walt can store it underhis tablesaw extension.

When Walt decided to make his dad a workbench, he knew it had tobe extra-special. The bench weighs 350 lbs, with a 4"-thick hard-mapfe top measuring 32x80x33y4". Four rows of bench dogs makeit easy to clamp odd-shaped pieces, as you would find in chairs orthe serpentine furniture Walt is fond of fashioning. On one end is aVeritas twin-screw end vise with padauk jaws. At the opposite end isa 30" Shaker leg vise made of curly maple. In this vise, the main screwapplies the lion's share of holding force, while the foot-operated lowerscrew adjusts the angle of the face to keep it parallel to the bench.

woodmogozine.com 53

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li irrao io co if all ovet igiin,..-

"l used an inexpensive, spring-loaded attic staircase for my stairs.But that's the only thing l'd change, and that's eight years later."

I

ShowoseY0URWorkshopSee page 127 for details.

54

Often, during a long turning session, Walt finds himself sharpening a gouge

or skew multiple times. Rather than constantly walking to a wall rack to swapor sharpen tools, he designed this sharpening station with a worksurface thatrotates 360'. "Allthe lathe tools and calipers are immediately at hand whenI'm turning," he says. "Often, I don't even turn off the lathe; I just turn to thegrinder, sharpen, and go back to the task at hand."

Holes to fit turning-tool ferrules

t/2" dowels 4" long mountedon end for holding calipers

17e" counterbore1" deep with a 3/q" holecentered inside

12x16" UHMW f i lm

t/2" washer and lock nut

s/q" rabbel Te" deep 3/+" nolch 1/+"deep

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26"

for stretcher

Tool holder

Note: All s/q' stock except butcherblock top and t/+"-thick door panel

s/0" hole. centered


One of the first modificationsWalt made to his tablesaw wasto install this knee-operated,spring-tensioned panic switch.This way, Walt can keep bothhands-and his attention-on theworkpiece. "The switch was hardto get at," Walt explains, "so I puta crash bar across it so I couldpush it with my knee. No matterwhere you hit it, allyou need is aquarter inch of travel to shut thesaw down."

t\ ne look at Walt Segl'sI lEarly American furni-V ture and you might think

you couldn't create anythinglike that. Walt disagrees. "Theaverage woodworker, with sometraining, is capable of buildingreally fine furniture," he insists.

Walt, who is president of theSociety of American Period Fur-nituremakers (SAPFM), directsinterested furnituremakers towww.sapfm.org. The site con-tains a forum; a gallery of pic-tures of members' works; andlinks to research pieces, whichevolved from English styles ofthe 17th and 18th centuries.

"SAPFM turned me on tobuilding complex furniture stylesand working more with handtools," says Walt, who startedwoodworking at age 10 with hisdad, Bud.'And it's been challeng-ing and fun."

Bud is the accomplishedcarver and finisher, Waltreports.He's made all kinds of things

with his ssn-(6fg1niture, sail-boats, you name it."

Walt has two pieces of advice:Research the piece thoroughlyand draft a good set of plans;also, learn a new skill with eachpiece you build.

"Reproducing period furniturerequires interpreting design andexpressing the character andfinesse of the original," Waltsays. With practice and patience,he says, anyone can do it.

Even a simple Segl project,like this magazine rack,canies the look and feel ofperiod furniture.

It might be more work, but Walt Segl prefers hand-scraping to sanding when he wants to bring outdistinctive grain patterns. The glass-fronted cabinetabove is a perfect example. Walt hand-scraped thewood to avoid the nibs that often appear duringsanding. To bring out the pattern even more, Waltapplied boiled linseed oil, finishing it with six coats ofdewaxed orange shellac rubbed out by hand.

Photographs: Paul Anthony

woodmogozine.com 55

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Refusing to add tools in piecemeal fashion, Randy Zimmerman

followed the advice 0f a trusted mentor and outfitted a complete

woodworking headquarters all at once.

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he best woodworking ad-vice Randy Zimrnermanreceived had nothing to

do with techniqr,re. what kind ofwoocl to use. ol even shop safety.Savs tl-re 47-year-old mechanicfbr the lowa Air National Guard:"The advice was. ' l f you're going

to bui lcl a shop. don't get into i tlu t l l 'way. wi th cheap equiprnent .and r.rpgriide as yoLl go. Waitr-rntil yor-r cern affbrd to buy thebest equipment. then jLrntp ir-rwith both f-eet.' "

As he did with other words ofwisdorn frorn Arl iss Boothe. hisneighbor and woodworking

_sl lru. Randy l istened and heeded.The result is the quintessential ly

eqLripped shop he bui l t six yearsa-9o in his gara-ue. ar short walkfl'om his central Iowa home.

For example. when he bor-r-ghthis planer". he went fbr a 20"rnodel ins tead o l - economiz ingon a srnal ler tnachine. "Yes.

rnost people don't have a 20"planer in their shop." Randy

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ABOVE: The box joints on RandyZimmerman's dovetail jig/bitstorage box represent the mostcomplex joinery of any fixturein his shop. He learned that ifsimple works, go for it!

LEFT The centerpiece of Randy'sshop combines a tablesaw, routertable, and sanding station. Thisprovides Randy a central locationto perform most shop tasks. Allmachines feed into the shop's in-floor dust-collection system. Thedowndraft sand ing/outfeed table(see page 62) includes a blowermotor and filter to capture straydust. A sliding table on the left-hand side of his tablesaw allowsRandy to crosscut wide materialswith ease.

TYPE: Detached metal-sided garage.

Sf ZE: 25x42' , 1,050 sq f t .

CONSTRUCTION: Metalbuilding, reinforced with 2x4inner stud walls; pouredconcrete floor and drywallinterior walls.

HEATING AND COOLING:Natural-gas furnace withcentral air-conditioning.

ELECTRICAL: 200-ampservice, including dedicated12O-volt and 220-voltcircuits.

LIGHTING: Suspended 4'dualtube fluorescents.

DUST COLLECTION: ln-floor, powered by a 3-hpPenn State four-bag unit,with permanent inlets at thetablesaw, jointer, and planer.

The size of Randy's shop meanshe can place his woodworkingmachines far enough apart so onedoesn't interfere with another'soperation. Of course not everyonehas the luxury of constructing a1,000-sq-ft shop! "But if you do havethe space," Randy says, "make sureyou take advantage of it."

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57

Randy Zimmerman took abouta year to plan and equip hisnew shop the way he desired,and as such, it wants for little.A centrally located tablesawand nearby workbench affordhim two major work centers,and he's just steps away fromother machine tools. as wellas wood storage.

thefloorplan

Hanging clamp racks andhardware cabinets have

simple, practical designs.Spring clamps, bar clamps,and C-clamps simply hang

from their jaws onto railsscrewed onto a wall. "lf

I built it," Randy says,"it's not fancy!"

58 Americo's Besl Home Wolkshops 2008

acknowledges. "I could havesaved considerable money. ButArliss said it was more economi-cal to buy a quality tool I wantedto end up with than to continu-ally upgrade."

Randy also has two shapers,3-hp and lVz-hp models; foursanders; and two lathes, eventhough he doesn't turn much. "Ijust turn the simple things, andonly when I have to," he says.

Power to spareHowever. it would be hard tomaintain that his in-floor dust-collection system is anything butpractical. Randy took severalmonths to plan it. "That was thefirst thing I did when I decidedto build the shop," he says. "Lookaround and you'll see there's

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plenty of room that isn't beingtaken up by ducts and hoses."A 3-hp Penn State four-bag unitcommands the system.

Another area where he didn'tskimp was electricity. Randyhad 200-amp service installed,assuring that his tools wouldhave plenty of current withouthim worrying about overloading.He plugs each of the suspendedfluorescents into dedicated 120-volt circuits.

Those fluorescents comple-ment the ample natural lightfrom two 4' windows along the42' east wall. "When I wired theshop, I figured that if a light fix-ture went bad, I could just unplugitandplug in anew one," explainsRandy, who keeps a few spareson hand for emergencies.

<41d- \a- , . *,:. -s \

Three-foot double doors con-nect his shop with the garageand sit directly at the side of thetablesaw, so he can easily bringin long stock and remove fin-ished pieces. Randy built adowndraft sanding/outfeed table(see page 62) that expands hisworksurface's size and useful-ness and eases dust collection.

Pncticalitvand happehstanceWhile most attributes of his shopwere carefully planned anddesigned, others came aboutby happenstance. For example,one of his hanging clamp racks(see page 60) started out purelyas a shelf to hold a television.The clamps simply grip theshelf's fiont rail. "If I've done it.

Randy has the luxury of beingable to use ample wall space forpractical purposes such as shelving,cabinetry and wood storage. Atop rail keeps the long boards frommarring the wall. The heating-and-cooling plant is positioned closeto where Randy does most of hiswork-in the corner farthest fromthe tablesaw-to provide maximumcomfort where it's needed the most.

It's easy to get wood into theshop and finished productsout through double 3' doors.The 20" plane6 to the left ofthe doors, is the only machinetoolthat hooks into Randy'sdust-collection system withexposed ductwork; everythingelse is in the floor.

it's elementaty," Randy assures,with a laugh.

Randy underestimates his ac-complishments, which include abedroom set for his high-school-age daughter, Brooke, as well asnumerous kitchen cabinets. (Seepage 63) "Learning to buildcabinets was an education." hesays. "For example, I learned toadd an extra t/q" so the cabinetsfit correctly. I learned the impor-tance of machining my rails andstiles correctly, and to be carefulin cutting joints-%" or tA6" canmean the difference between fit-ting or not fitting."

Randy learned well. His cabi-nets, and other well-craftedefforts, as well as his entire shop,are monuments to his goodfriend and mentor.

:6.d|';:;!2'

59

o

sffi#hkAs with many of his woodworkingexploits, Randy Zimmermanwould see what his moreexperienced friends did andcopy them. Randy uses thisworkbench, based on a friend'sdesign, mostly for clamp-ups.The three vises and three rowsof bench-dog holes aid in theprocess. The box-jointed shelvesare handy for storage and tieinto the legs for rock-solidconstruction.

Every now and then, the best-laid plans of woodworkers take a backseat to luck.

Randy built this corner shelf for his portable W. Then he found out that his clamps

could simply clamp onto the front rail and support cleats! "l didn't build anything

unusual into this," Randy reports, sheepishly.

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This dust-collection box under Randy'srouter table connects into the in-floorshop dust-collection system. Thebottom slopes to the vacuum port so thedust and chips are easily sucked out ofthe bottom of the bay.

Once Randy decided which tools wouldhook directly into his dust-collection system,he carefully placed them in one spot tostay. lf you're planning a new shop, herecommends, go under the floor for yourdust collection, if possible, so the ductruns stay out of the way. Randy made hisductwork accessible so he could clearblockages. Before the floor was poured, thechannels were framed tor 3/c" lips along theirtops so Randy could lay melamine coveringboards over them.

Magneticcatch

L2"

I

Joints sealedwith caulk

Switch mount

Hole sized to fitdust-collection hose

1I

1 5 "

Piano hinge

6"

Strikeplate /

Randy's router-table fence made of plywood withwalnut faces clamps directly onto his tablesaw ripfence. A plastic dust chute behind the bit enclgsurehooks into the dust-collection system. The hardwoodfaces have adjustment slots so Randy can close themup around the router bit.

woodmogozine.com 61

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Randy built this cabinet "when I didn't know what Iwas doing and I couldn't determine the number ofthe bits lwould be using." So he carefully labeledevery hole for each bit.

Made of plywood, except for the drawer anddoor 1s1o" oak), the cabinet uses off-the-shelfhardware and simple joinery. Instead of usingdrawer-slide hardware, Randy rubbed someparaffin into the grooves in the sides to help theplywood shelves slide easier.

Another project Randy made before there was a commercial equivalent is this3lzx2'downdraft table, attached to his tablesaw that occupies the center of his

shop. Made of 3/e" MDF with a perforated-hardboard top, the downdraft table is

designed so Randy doesn't need to move around much when he sands. Insidethe table, an old furnace fan sucks the dust through the Vz" holes drilled into theperforated hardboard, through a stack of filters, then exhausts clean air out the

bottom. Randy added an electrical outlet to plug in his random-orbit and beltsanders, which stow in simply built plywood shelves.

li i lrau to d; it;il over again..."l was fortunate that this was my second shop, s0 when I built it, I knewhow I wanted it laid out. 0f course bigger is always better! "

62 Amelico's Besl Home Wolkshops 2008

'l

This simple project took Randyonly an hour or two to build,but handily stores arch-toptemplates, which he uses indesigning and building kitchencabinets. (See photo below.)As with many shop organizersRandy constructed, this is usefulwhile amazingly simple.

Photographs: Doug Hetherington

Randy Zimmerman beganwoodworking to build kitchencabinets. Those in his home, atleft, are of a basic design. Hemade them with a cabinet-bitset, then added cKrwn moldingto give the cabinets dimension."Be sure to cut the door stilesand rails correctly and allow forproper overlay of the doo.rs anddrawers over the face frame,"Randy advises. "lf you can builda box, yoU can build cabinets."

FI ad and son anended school

I ftogether. A very exclusive- woodworking school, run

by a very exclusive teacher."Arliss Boothe loved to give

classes," Randy Zimmerman re-members of the informal but intenseweekly sessions the retired Iowastate trooper conducted for hisfriends and neighbors until hepassed on in the fall of 2007. "Mydad [Laverne] and I both used to go.Arliss would give homework assign-ments, like 'Build a mirror and use

rabbets to serve an essential func-tion.' And he'd check our work,always making suggestions as tohow we could improve it." Forexample, if someone didn t have arouter, Arliss would demonstratehow to cut rabbets on the tablesaw."He was always going out of hisway to make his students betterwoodworkers," Randy recalls.

Between his hours at the nearbyAir National Guard base, where heruns the paint shop, Randy con-structed his home's kitchen cabinets

(above), being sure to follow Arliss'instructions. Cabinets and a bed-room suite forhis daughter, Brooke,were among the firstprojects Randyconstructed when he started wood-working seven years ago.

Arliss and Randy's father passedaway within several weeks of eachother. Randy remembers both ofthemthroughhis love of woodwork-ing and by following their advice.'Anytime I try something new," hesays, "I always think how both ofthem encouraged me to learn."

woodmogozine.com 63

N3We all have to start somewhere. This young

woodworker proves you dont need a lot of spaceto equip a functional shop-just some ingenuity.

didate in education at IllinoisState University in Normal, Illi-nois. One day, that all changed.

Shortly after Matt and hiswife, Kerri, moved to Illinois topursue their degrees, Fred Livelypassed away and left his wood-working tools to Matt. "He had agarage full of stuff," Matt relates."I didn't know what half of itwas-I still don't." What he alsodidn't know was where he'd keepit; could he afford to build a shoplike Uncle Fred's? Also, Kerriwanted their garage to park thecar during the Midwest winters.

So Matt sought out a shed kitthat combined size and economy."Even then. I knew I would be

constrained," he says. Kits with2x4 framing appealed to Matt."You can cut scrap 2x4s and cre-ate shelves," he says. He alsowanted a sturdy shelf to keep hislathe workstation stable. "Whenyou're turning," Matt explains,"there's a lot of vibration, so arock-solid support is essential."

Matt, his brother-in-law, EricAdams, his father-in-law, RickAdams, and a neighbor con-structed the 8x12' shed. After itwent up, Matt painted the in-terior walls white.

"If I saw white space, that wasempty space," he says, "and Ineeded to put something elsethere." Then he fisured out

etween designing space-craft systems for NASA,Matt Fuller's uncle. Fred

Lively, was heavily into wood-working. Matt was sort of intothe craft, but nowhere near thededication of his uncle.

"When I was growing up inTexas, the only thing I had was atablesaw-that's all I everneeded," says Matt, a collegeadministrator and doctoral can-


LEFT: Careful planningenables Matt Fullernot only to fill his 8x12'shed with his uncle'swoodworking tools andaccessories but alsoto give himself enoughroom to work.

which of his machines was thelongest (the lathe) and situatedthat first; then the next longest(the tablesaw), and so on untilevery tool was set. Except for thelathe, each tool rides on casters.

Adequate roomNext. Matt tried where he couldto make tables the same height.Amazingly, he can rip and planepieces up to 5' long inside thespace without hitting up againstanything. "If I want to work onlonger pieces, I have to pull stuffout of the shed," he acknowl-edges. "But the only large tools Ihave to roll out are the tablesawand the planer."

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LEFT AND BELOW: Onething Matt Fuller madesure of when constructingthe shelves and cabinetswas that they would stayput-especially the tablefor his lathe. The cabinetunderneath houses turningtools; a compartmentfarther inside stores hisrouter bits and handsaws.Wherever he encounteredspace that was too smallto put anything else, Mattattached all his shelves towalls and rafters.

TYPE: Residential storageshed kit.

SIZE: 8x12', 96 sq ft.

HEATING: Propane spaceheater.

ELECTRICAL: Two circuitswith four 110-voltreceptacles each.

LIGHTING: Two dual-tubefluorescent fixtures. one oneach long wall.

DUST COLLECTION:None. Matt makes sure touse a personal respirator.

Matt stands a shade over 6'tall, sohe needed to raise his lathe up a bitfor comfort, but not so high that itinterfered with his tablesaw. "WhenI crosscut a board, I have halfan inch clearance above the lathebed," he says. He uses his radial-arm saw at the back of the shop forquick crosscuts.

Developing work aroundsHe acknowledges that rip space isn'tso great, but he developed a work-around. "When I want to rip a board,I just swing the tablesaw into thedoorway, and I can rip stock straightout of the shed." Power comes fromtwo dedicated 1l0-volt circuits, eachwith four receptacles. Matt didn'textend the house's 220-volt serviceto his shed. "The lights mightflickerwhen I turn the lathe on," he con-cedes, "but I have never blown acircuit and I haven't pushed thelimit. That would be unsafe."

Matt's shop is like a bumblebee,which, aerodynamically, can't flybut does. "It works for me," Mattsays. "I actually work inside therewhen it's raining." All because Mattcarefully calculated, like his wood-worker uncle, the rocket scientist.

65

t

s##kMatt's jointer came with casters. "But the wheels were old-schoolsteel wheels," he relates. "Lugging that thing across the shop anddown a ramp and into the dirt got realtedious." So he fashionedan l-shaped mobile platform out of 2x4s that not only makes thetool easier to move but also elevates the worksurface to the sameheight as his tablesaw. Cross braces on the jointer stand work well tosupport his 12" portable planer. Lap joints make the platform sturdy:Locking casters mounted to the bottom of the platform allow Matt tokeep the unit from moving around when he's ready to joint stock.

Matt's store-bought workbench wascollapsible. He didn't want that. "l wantedmy bench to be rock solid." To accomplishthat, he disabled the fold-down capabilityso the table locked in the open position.Then, he added casters for mobility.Installing plywood cross braces keepsitems from falling off the shelf gnd helpsprevent the base from racking. He alsodrilled 1" holes in the top for bench dogs.

lf I had to do it all ovet again..."Hopefully, my next shop will be much bigger," Matt Fuller says with

a laugh. "But if I had the same constraints, I'd apply the same principles

I did here. The largest tools g0 in first, then the next largest, and so on."


-t

thefloorplan

woodworlarS prcfileatt Fuller walked into his dorm room on hisfirst day at Texas A&M University to see hisroommate, Ben Smith, constructing a loft.

Their shared interest in woodworking later resulted inthe rustic-style kitchen chairs (far right) the pair createdin the shop of Ben's grandfather.

Matt had built a few simple things with his father. "Butmy uncle was really into it. He built bedposts, boxes,chests, and tables," Matt recalls. "I regret that I neverworked with him on woodworking." Nevertheless, hisuncle bequeathed his entire shop to Matt, who moved toIllinois with his wife of two years, Kerri.

Between class work and teaching assignments, Mattstrives to be worthy of his uncle's inheritance. "I askaround and read up on a lot of things," he says. "But I'mnever going to be as good as he was. I just hope that oneday I know how to use all the tools he gave me."

Photographs: Jackie Haggefi, Studio J. Photography

woodmogozine.com

From a tiny shop, Matt Fullercreated the mesquite-and-pecancutting board (tar right). He cutthe star on his bandsaw, helped by a sledliketaper jig and a 360' protractor. In a square3/"piece, he routed a groove, and fitted it with acorresponding piece of pecan. Angled piecesdefined the pattern. "l planed a few high spots,sanded the whole thing, and finished it withbutcher block oil," Matt relates. The cedar chair(above rightl is from a set Matt and a roommatemade in college to go with a kitchen table.

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Shelv ing for 'j igs and tools

Shelving for jigs and tools

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67

rLarry Schwager knew that as a rookiewoodworker, he didn't need a lot of

r00m for tons of fancy, expensive tools.

He also knew he couldn't afford them!

With practicality, mixed with a liberal

amount of trial and error, he built a

shop that suits his abilities and budget.

notbadfora

he six machines sitting inLarry Schwager's garagefor six years told him

he should do something aboutfulfilling his desire to get intowoodworking.

"Everything was either inboxes or just sitting there-ascrollsaw tablesaw, bandsaw,the whole works were in thegarage," recalls Larry, 63. "Iwanted to do woodworking oneday, but I just didn't have theroom for it."

In 2006, however, Larryretired as a police officer in the

town of Jerome,Idaho, just southof the famed Sun Valley ski area.He found himself with a lot oftime on his hands, and his wifewanted her garage back. "Shetold me in no uncertain terms toget that stuff out of there," Larryrecalls with a laugh. "I figured itwas time to build a shop."

Larry finished the shop thatfall and happily spent the winterholed up inside. An earlier careeras a draftsman working for alumberyard served him well inplan n i ng the 24x24' shop, housedin a prefab structure. There's

plenty of room for Larry to buildthe benches, cabinets, and othersmall pieces he constructs.

Walking and planningFor his first step in planning theshop, Larry took a tape measureand walked around his attachedgaragq which also measured24x24'. Then he dragged toolsaround and placed them in vari-ous positions. "I saw how all thetools could fit comfortably intothat space," he says. "It seemedthat was going to be very ade-quate, since I probably wasn't

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Never having laid out a woodworking shopbefore, Larry relied on a few principles hehad read up on. For example, "l knew I hadto get enough space away from the wall,"he says. Trial and error helped.

Larry Schwager situated his shop inside aprefabricated metal-sided building. lnside theexterior siding, Larry installed 1Va" vinyl-faceinsufation and left a 2" air space. Between2x4 framing, he added 3yz" R-15 insulation.The interior walls of his shop are 8'-highexterior plywood. The arrangement makes forbetter heat reterition that keeps out the chillof ldaho winter ski-country weather.

Metal siding forthe walls and roofprovided a goodchoice for Larry's shopbecause it's affordableand withstandsweather well.

TYPE: Metal-sided Cleary-brand prefabricated building.

SIZE: 24x24' ,576 sq f t .

CONSTRUCTION: Metalexterior reinforced with 2x6wood framing, 2x4 walls,plywood interior walls, asshown below.

HEATING : Cei l ing-mounted,externally vented Cayenne-brand propane heater.

ELECTRICAL: 60-ampservice panel for sixteen120-volt outlets, four oneach wall, with threebreakers for each wall.

LIGHTING : Twelve 4'-longdual-tube fluorescentf ixtures.

DUST COLLECTION:Grizzly portable 1-hp dustcollector; also 2t/z" tube vacsystem hooked to 6-hp shopvacuum.

AIR COMPRESSOR:C raftsman Z-hp, 33-gallonuni t .

1t/e" vinylface insulation

2x4Iraming Exteriormetal wall

5/e" T1-11exteriorplywoodsid ing 2" air space

Interior ofshop

Fiberglassinsulat ionbetween

2x4 traming

woodmogozine.com 69

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going to build huge projects."Still, the novice woodworkerproceeded with caution.

"I positioned the tools usingtrial and error," he reports. "Ihad a good idea of where thetablesaw had to go-near themiddle of the floor. But I reallyexperimented with positioningthe rest of the tools. I needed tosee how far from or close to thewall I could get them."

He also made several realiza-tions about building a shop."T\^ro things that surprised mewere the cost of concrete andelectrical work," he says. "Work-

70

ing in a lumberyard, I did esti-mates for building homes, but Ihad been away from it for awhile, and it blew my mind tosee how much electrical hadgone up. I knew concrete wouldcost more than other flooring."

However, he stayed with con-crete rather than opt for plywoodbecause of the frost heaves com-mon to the region. His garagealso had fared well with a con-crete floor. The prospect of frostheaves also argued against in-floor dust collection. Instead, hesettled on a central shop vacuumattached to most tools with a

i:irii*o -

system of 2t/2" clear pipe andhose. He also uses a portabledust collector for his tablesawand jointer.

An electrical contractorinstalled a dedicated 60-amppanel that allowed Larry four120-volt outlets on each wall. "Iwanted enough outlets so Iwouldn't have cords laying allover the floor," he says. He alsolearned from a mistake: Hedidn't have an electrical panelbig enough for 220-volt service."One thing I would recommendis that when you're building ashop, the first thing you need is

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r:frt'&A ceiling with exposed trussesallowed Larry to hang his airfiltration and gas heating unitsout of the way but in effectivelocations. The 9' of spaceunder the rafters also enablesLarry to stand up tall boards,if the need arises. For visualappeal, Larry ran 8"-widecedar fencing board all theway around the interior abovethe plywood.


tukffik24'

Despite being a novice woodworkef Larry hadtwo things going for him when he designedhis shop: a draftsman's skills and his tools onhand. Larry laid out his shop by trial and error.Also, he planned his dust-collection systemfirst, then placed the tools later. That workedout as well. Like the utility of the modularstructure that houses the shop, Larry reliedextensively on off-the-shelf solutions, such asshelving and tool stands, to satisfy his storageand support requirements.

As with most of whatLarry built for his shop, hisdowndraft sanding tableand workbench servemultiple functions. The slotsin the sanding table allowthe dust to suck into hisvacuum system for easycollection. A section of 2x4tucked below holds mattingthat Larry rolls onto thetabletop to keep workpiecesfrom rolling around. Theentire table attaches to hissmaller workbench.

Ceiling-hungair{iltration system

Oscillating belVspindle sander

woodmogozine.com 71

to determine the size of the shopand have an electrical panel bigenough for what you're going todo," he says, ruefully.

He is also satisfied with hischoice of the Cleary prefabstructure. Besides saving himabout half the cost of erecting asimilarly sized framed structure,he appreciates its versatility."What makes it nice is that it'sinsulated and you can leave [thebuilding wallsl bare or finishthem off on the inside."

Above the plywood, decora-tive cedar fencing boards,attached vertically, ring the shopperimeter. Larry woodburned orscrollsawed decorative patternsinto some of them.

72

"Exterior plywood used in-doors might strike someone asunusual," Larry says. "But I likethe unbleached look of the wood,and the panels are sturdy enoughto hold everything I attached."Shelves and lumber racks, above,hang within easy reach.

Test-ddves andvaluable lessonsAlong the way to completion,Larry test-drove the shop bycrafting projects. The on-the-jobtraining was valuable. 'Around

Christmastime, I stopped arrang-ing the shop long enough to builda doll's high chair for my grand-daughter, Ali," he says. "Fromthat project I learned that one

a + r - e 'a l t .

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tool might bewall. I'm gladmake that!"

to theme to

He also learned another valu-able lesson: Take your time."When you rush things," henotes, "you make mistakes."

Lany also has begun to absorbsome of the subtleties of enhanc-ing a piece's appearance. To fin-ish his workbench, tool standsand tables, he took a small blow-torch and applied it to the grainpatterns in the wood, makingthem go darker. (See the benchonpage 74.)It's won him consid-erable compliments.

The shop experience hasn'tbeen the smoothest ride forLarry, but he's sure learned to

enjoy his woodworking retreat!He chuckles when he recalls thetime he had breakfast; told hiswife, Carma, he was going to theshop for a few hours; and wassurprised when she popped indemanding to know when hewas going to eat dinner. "I'dbeen in there for eight hours," hesays, sheepishly.

"It's all been worth it," he says.'Although my shop is small, it'svery well suited to my wood-working ability-a beginner. I'llspend summers outdoors, but Ican't wait till winter comesaround again!" After his secondwinter in his new woodworkinghaven, Larry Schwager knowshe's done the right things.

too closeshe asked

r


To store his wood, Larry bolted three 2x4s to his plywoodwall, then cut particleboard shelves of various widths. Theshelves rest on 1" dowels inserted into angled holes drilledinto the 2x6s. Angling the dowels a few degrees helps settleboards against the 2x6s rather than possibly sliding fonruard.

Larry also built a tablesaw outfeed table that fits on top ofanother store-bought solution-a table with adjustable legs.The shop-made top consists of two layers of MDF inset 1"into a 2x4 trame.

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lf I had to do it all over again..."For what I do, l'm very happy. Unlike most woodworkersI talk to, I don't even need more space! | built this size shopbecause I thought it would work very well for me. lt has."

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Larry built his drafting table to convertinto a flat surface, which he needswhen refinishing rifle and shotgunstocks. The rack that houses the gunstocks is to the right of the window.

To equip his shop, store-boughtsolut ions-such as the mobile toolchest, and the podable clampingworkstation that supports his grinder-made excellent sense for Larry.

73

-n!ffi|

I

Routers kick up a lot of chips, so Larrymade a cabinet that collects them foreasy disposal. He accomplished thisby expanding a small benchtop routertable into a floor-standing model andenlarging the top with a skirt of MDF.The removable fence he createdallows the portable dust collector's4" hose to attach at the reaf out ofthe way.

op$edsandideas

Larry made his first workbench solid-and expendable. lf he doesmar the worksurface, formed by two 1x6s edge-joined with biscuits,he can just cut new boards to replace them' Larry attached theclear acrylic dust-collection ductwork above his bench to savespace. "Also, it I get a blockage, the clear plastic shows me exactlywhere it is."

74 Americo's Besl Home Wotkshops 2008

Building this pine buffet-one ofhis first projects-taught Larryseveral valuable lessons, besidesgiving him practice in using histablesaq mitersaw, bandsaw,route[ and router table. Hestarted working on the 48x32x16"piece before consulting a set ofplans for it. "The plans gave meways of building the buffet thatwere lots easie6" he says. Theother thing he learned the hardway was to apply stain with acloth, not a brush. "The brushcarries way too much stain andcan cause blotching," he notes."A cloth may take longer to dothe job, but the stain can be puton in lighter layers, as needed."

draftsman for a lumbercompany during a previous

career, Larry Schwager had de-signed many cabinets and otherwood pieces for homes. It was onlyafter he retired that he began tothink that it would be fun to buildthose pieces as well.

"When I first started, I could seethe difficulty in woodworking,"Larcy admits. "ft wasn't somethingthat you could do without training.But I'd been doing a lot of readingand I had the background for this,so I thought it was something Iwould like to get into."

Larry, who began woodworkinglast year, started with little pieces,mostly involving scrollsawing andwoodburning. The first major piecehe built was the buffet cabinetabove. Then the request line heatedup. "My granddaughter, Ali, wanted

a hrgh chair for one of her dolls, mywife wanted a bench [shown aboverightl to sit on in our bedroom,"Larry says. "I couldn't say no."

As the weather turns warmer,and the ski bums depart, Larcyspends more time outdoors. Butonce the Idaho winter beckons, helooks forward to getting back intothe newly found enjoyment of hisshop. "I hope we have a nice longwinter," he says.

Larry traced the relief-carving pattern onthis pine bench from the Schwagers' bedroomset, carving it out with a high-speed rotarytool and small gun-stock-checkering tool.A Porter-Cable half-blind dovetail jig fashionedthe corners; the sides were rabbetedTz" toaccept the seat. A /1" groove routed on theinside accepts the 14" birch plywood bottom.Four coats of polyurethane produce the highgloss. The legs were purchased-becauseLarry has yet to buy a lathe-and screwed inplace. He added %", oak plugs to cover thescrew heads.

Photographs: Mike Lloyd Paris Studios Photography

woodmogozine.com 75

.:r;-{xr,:

When a father in Greensboro, North Carolina, moved to a lakeside retreat, he

saw less of his son, in town. Constructing a workshop together that's shared by

both helped bring them closer and introduce a new generation to woodworking.

ownsizing had a verypositive upside forWayne Southard. Not on

the job front but the home front.When Wayne and his wife,

Donna, decided to move from alarge lakefront house in NorthCarolina to be closer to theirfamilies in the Greensboro area,Wayne and his son, David, col-laborated on a workshop onDavid's property in neighboringKernersville. Not only does itallow Wayne to see his familymore often, but the shop's flexi-bility and size more than meet

his needs to be creative andimprove his skills as a hobbyistfurnituremaker.

"I built a basement shop sevenyears ago in this great big lakehouse an hour away from mYgrandkids, but visits from ourfamilies were too infrequent,"says the sixtysomething Wayne,who has been woodworking fornearly eight years. 'Also, I wasdriving 100 miles round-trip towork each day. David had almosttwo acres. So I said to him,'What if we build a workshop onyour property? I'll pay.' He said,

'Great! How much room do you

need?' Now he's gotten more

interested in woodworking since

it was finished."

A long, straight shotWayne's former shop encom-passed a l2xl5'main shop and al0xl2' finishing and storageroom. The new facility measures16x36', and wood is stored in ashed. The shop's length and rect-angular configuration are greatfor ripping long boards withouthaving to angle the tablesaw.That's an improvement over his

76 Americq's Besl Home Wolkshops 2008

II

ul T - _ * .

The Southard family shop takeson a long, lean look, yet it hasample space to house both men'stools. Each contributed to theshop before it went up. Davidhad built the long workbenchalong the left wal l to use in hisconstruction projects as a civilengineer. Wayne was more ofthe woodworker. Now they'vecollaborated on a number offurniture pieces.

Sharing a woodworking shophelps cement the father-son bondbetween Wayne Southard, rght,and his son. David.

TYPE: Wood-frameoutbui ld ing.

SIZE: 16x36' , 576 sq f t .

CONSTRUCTION:Concrete-impregnatedhardboard exterior walls,drywal l inside; 10' h ighce i l ing ; doub le-hungwindows.

HEATING AND COOLING:Heat pump provides heatand air-condi t ioning; twocei l ing fans.

ELECTRICAL: 200-ampservice, accommodating120- and 240-voltreceptacles on every wall.

LIGHTING: Twelve dual-bulb energy-efficientfluorescents.

DUST COLLECTION:Shop vacuum connected tomachines as needed.

AIR COMPRESSOR:St/z-hp, 25- gal lon SearsCraftsman.

Garage doors are 10' high, makingit easy to move stock into theshop and large pieces out of it.Glass windows in the garagedoors, coupled with the f lankingdouble-hung windows and the fourdual-tube fluorescent fixtures, letin ample light. The windows stayopen during the warmer months,keeping the shop pleasantly cool.

woodmogozine.com 77

H Cleat

/

rail

Wayne positioned the mainworkbench near two double-hung windows, which let inplenty of natural light and canbe opened for cooling. Thethree wall cabinets hang on acleat rail that runs around theperimeter, allowing cabinetsto be moved, removed, oradded as needed.

former shop, which consisted of

two adjoining rectangular rooms.

That made moving long lengths

of wood more difficult.Wayne admits the width of the

new shop is far from ideal."I would have liked to make a

bigger building," he acknowl-

edges, "but the building codeswouldn't allow anything biggerin the desired location. If we

wanted more width. we couldn'thave located the shop where it

is." Plus, they would have had to

take down a rather large tree,

adding to the cost.

Pitchinq in: friends,neighb6rs, and familyDavid, Wayne, and his stepsons,grandchildren, and friends beganwork on the frame structure inMarch 2006 and finished up thefbllowing February. Except for

forming the concrete floor andfootings and doing the drywall-ing, they provided the rest of the

labor, which included construct-ing the frame, and the exterior

siding of concrete-impregnatedhardboard.

The Southards epoxied the

floor to seal the concrete, reduce

concrete dust, and help keep the

floor clean. It took an entire day:

first washing the floor with

muratic acid twice, using a brush

and pressure washer; then thor-

oughly rinsing the floor and

drying it with fans for several

hours; and finally rolling the

epoxy on in 6x6' sections and

sprinkling on the flakes while

the sections were still wet.A 200-amp box powers every-

thing. But the Southards added30-amp and 50-amp circuits that

await a dust-collection cyclone

7B Americo's Best Home Workshops 2008

Like newlyweds combining two households, Wayne and David Southard pooled their own hand andpower tools. The roominess of the shop enabled them to store every tool without needing to dispose ofduplicates. All heavy tools are on casters for mobility.

thefloorphn

Install ing 10'-highceilings allowed fortall garage doors;togethe4 they morethan accommodatelarge projects. Daviddesigned the shopto resemble an old-fashioned carriagehouse, down to theexterior sconces.The shed behind theshop stores lumber.

The bag below the tablesaw collects sawdust. WhenWayne or David connect a hose, the waste is suckedinto a portable shop vacuum.

ih.s-;ti

II tt

woodmogozine.com 79

-fra.

Cleat

/

rai l

ABOVE: Ample outlets at twolevels along each wall allow forf lexibi l i ty in connecting tools topower sources. Mobile basesand casters keep these tools andstands podable.

RIGHT: The Southards centeredtheir tablesaw side-to-side in

the shop, near the sheet-goodsrack. For long stock,

the adjustable-height benchprovides an extended

and stable outfeed table.

ShowcaseY0uRWorkshopSee page127 for details.

fu-

,*L

lf I had to do it all over again..."l don't think we'd change anything. 0f course if we had more space, we could have

one super storage area instead 0f the separate shed behind the shop we use now."

utv

'ry*l.ll

BO Americo's Besl Home Wotkshops 2008

.t

This gridded 2x2 frame elevatesand holds plywood flat andsteady for cutting and saveswear and tear on the workbenchsurface. When not in use, theframe hangs neatly on theportable sheet-goods rack Waynebuilt. (See page 83.1

and a welder, respectively, ifthey're ever added.

David designed the buildingto receive ample outside light,augmenting the fluorescents.When open, the windows let inwelcomed fresh air. Two ceilingfans provide additional relief.Air-conditioning and heatingductwork runs through the attic,out of the way.

Three sections define theshop: The back end houses theworkbench and planning area,the tablesaw and jointer, as wellas other tools. (See the floor planon plge 79.) A larger workbenchand an adjustable-height benchcommand the middle section.The front of the shop is dedicatedto assembly and finishing space.

Wayne installed all themachines on mobile bases so hecan easily reposition tools orcabinets to accomplish a layoutthat suits any purpose. "We can

woodmogozine.com

do all our cutting, for example,and then set that work aside ifwe've also got a project thatneeds planing."

One thing they avoided, sothey could have more flexibilityof tool location to accommodatethe relatively narrow space, wasa central dust-collection system.Instead, a shop vacuum plugsinto ports on each tool.

The next generationThe Southard family shop has aplace for every tool, and plentyof space to assemble and finishprojects. There's also room forother uses, such as vehicle andboat maintenance, without hav-ing to move anything outside.What's moved inside is a fatherand son-and grandsons-toshare in a tradition. "The biggestthing I get out of this," Waynesays, "is passing on the nuancesof woodworking."

I

, n ' '

/

Adjustable supports on this rollingworkbench enable Wayne or Davidto raise or lower the worksurfacefor various projects or to act as anoutfeed table for the tablesaw. Holesfor bench dogs were drilled 5" apartin the worksurface.

7 ' g r

81

optopctsardldeas

Wayne and David fashioned a cleat-rail system for their shop thatsupports clamp racks and cabinets. Clamp racks at the rear ofthe shop are simple 3/c" plywood uprights screwed to horizontal2x4s. Each clamp rack hangs on the cleat railthat runs aroundevery wall. No hardware is needed to hold the cabinets on therails; a beveled edge on the rail accommodates a mating beveledcleat. To learn more about how to build this cleat system, visitwood rn ag erz i n e " c o m/c I eat syste tn.

Besides holding clamp racks(top,left), the cleat systemalso supports a dozen 18x30"specially built birch plywoodcabinets (above).

A flip-top mobile cabinet holds twotools-a real space saver!WhenWayne flips the rotating shelf, hecan bring up a mitersaw or planer.Carriage bolts and lag screws holdthe tools in place.


a;

Instead of building their portable sheet-goods rack with two sloping sides, asmost plans callfo6 Wayne and Davidmade one side perpendicular to the floorso they could store the rack flush againstthe wall. The straight back also makes agood place to hang the plywood-cuttingframe shown on page 87. Shelves ofvarying widths hold longer boards.

Three generationsof Southards helpedfashion this computerdesk. Wayne andson David admiretheir handiwork withDavid's 9-year-old son,Brandon.

woodrruorkert prufileayne Southard has been into woodworking onlyfor about eight years, but he's learned quickly."I've graduated from the basics and into the

advanced electives," he jokes. For example, he's payingclose attention to the little tricks that help work get donemore efficiently.

"The biggest thing I learned," Wayne says, "is that whenyou're cutting out pieces, make sure you label them so youknow what they are. That might sound very elementary inretrospect, but you'd be amazed how long it takes you torealize it's a little thing that makes a big difference."

Once Wayne and his son, David, got their shop up andrunning on David's property, father and son pumped out theshop wall cabinets, sheet-goods rack, and clamp racks.Then, Wayne began work on an entertainment center whileDavid started on the computer desk at right.

Grandsons Brandon, 9, and Tyler, 13, helped sand theshop wall cabinets-their first experience with power tools."They like learning about woodworking from Grandpa,"Wayne says, proudly.

woodmogozine.com

Photographs: Bert Vanderveen, Vanderveen Photography

83

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84

IIBesides being completely functional,

Brian Hahn's shop in wooded Wisconsin

has all the comforts of home. Andwhy not? For a while, itwos his home!

aa ome woodworkers sPend

\ so much time in theirJ shops, they joke that theylive in them. Brian Hahn actu-ally did-for five months whilehis home in Avoca, Wisconsin,was being built. That's why headded a finished plywood floor,z/q bath, eating area, sofa bed,and so much more.

Oh, he works in the shoP too.That's where the retired chemist,59. turns and carves eclecticbowls and lamps, and producesfurniture from wood he harvestsfrom his 73 acres of mostly for-ested property about 60 mileswest of Madison. "I built theshop to be inhabitable," Brian

says. "It's my office-I come outto work for eight hours, and thenI go home. Also, I live out in thecountry, and if there's a fire, theYcan't get to you real quick," hequipped. "So if something haP-pens to one building, the other isa fallback."

The shop comes firstBrian says he'd always plannedto harvest wood and use it tocraft his turnings. So when hewas nearing retirement, hebeganscouting property in rural Wis-consin, bought some in 1992,and settled there six years later.Afterhe movedbackto his nativestate from Delaware, Brian

Americo's Besl Home Wolkshops 2008

'w

LEFT: Windows on every wall ofBrian's shop add plenty of naturallight but reduce the wall space forstorage. lt's a trade-off Brian ishappy to live with.

?-f;{;i**e

TYPE: Wood-framedoutbui ld ing.

SIZE: 26x48',1,248 sq ft.

CONSTRUCTION: 2x6framed walls, scissor trussesfor extra ceiling height.Tongue-and-groove woodflooring, two layers of 3/+"OSB topped with 3/+"varnished plywood; standardengineered joists on 16"centers, supported midspanby a beam, in turn supportedby posts on footings.

HEATING AND COOLING:Forced-air central heatingand air-conditioning.

ELECTRICAL: 200-ampservice, 14 double-duplexoutlets with two independent20-amp circuits in each;plus four 20-amp 24O-voltcircuits.

LIGHTING: Primarily T-832-watt dual-tube fixtures.

DUST COLLECTION:Portable shop vacuum.JDS air f i l ter hanging fromceil ing above tablesaw.

LEFT: The unique movable tailstockof Brian's new Robust lathe tiltsback for easy access to ends ofworkpieces. Brian was concernedthat the plywood floor wasn't sturdyenough to handle the 700-lb tool."But except for being a little bouncy,it's fine," he reports. Turning toolsand accessories hang nearby. On thebacking board that holds the lathechucks, Brian fastened the dowelsperpendicular to make it easier toslide the chucks on and off.

-::----

tlIr,

lABOVE: In Brian Hahn's shop,you' l l f ind amenit ies, such asa finished plywood floor andcasement windows, that youwouldn't find in most homeworkshops. The windowbehind the cabinet has acherry flip-up hinged framewith Lucite sheets that keepslathe-generated flying objectsfrom striking the windowglass. The sand-filled grinderstand Brian designed (at leftin photo) stores fixed-angletool rests for sharpening histurning tools. He discoveredthat a standard face shieldgives him bad eye strainand headaches, so insteadhe substituted the baseballcatcher's mask (while wearingsafety glasses).

woodmogozine.com 85

- - i

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ABOVE: Brian nailed thelayout of his shop in thefirst attempt, although hehad to compromise on theplan he originally wanted.(See floor plan, opposite.)"Experts will tell you toarrange the lumber rack,then the tablesaw, and thenthe jointer for good workprogression. Instead oftackling that at the onset,I positioned the drill pressfirst because it wasn'tmobile, and lwanted itwhere it wouldn't be in theway when lwas doing otherthings," he says.

began building the shop first,then started work on the housetwo months later.

From May through Septemberof 1999, Brian lived in the shop,which he says was almost aslarge as his old house.

Brian intended the shop to bea home away from home fromthe beginning. The 26x48'build-ing is constructed with 2x6framing. Scissor trusses allowedfor a l0'cathedral ceiling, whichgives Brian plenty of clearanceand afforded him headroom tohang an air cleaner. (Brian didn'tinstall a dust-collection system,

but a portable shop vacuumsuffices.) Drywall covers the2x6framing.

One corner of the buildingbecame an office, with a sleepersofa, deep sink, and a microwave.He got rid of the refrigerator heused when he took up residencein the shop.

Contributing to the hominessare French doors, which Brianinstalled in front of his tablesaw.They do add practicality, heinsists. "I can just open the doorsand run boards in and out," Briansays. 'Also, it contributes toventilation." Casement windows

overlook Brian's acreagq whichcontributes most of the wood heuses for turning. He stores thewood in an area on the other sideof the office.

"That storage area is the onlything that tells you this isn't aresidential house," Brian says."That, and the double-duplexelectrical outlets [separate cir-cuits for each duplex outletl are4' above the floor instead of atshin level, like a regular house.That makes them easy to get at."Also, the electrical boxes deliver20-amp service instead of 15,and there are plenty of extra cir-

Americo's Besl Home Wolkshops 200886

l@ Buttino-aJry"y*:i@=I W I StoraqeIu |,ffi*@ r

Grnder ;f$[: ]

Lathe tool ra

I

Workbench

|:==] stripI lffifllsancierI :T| ? l

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lorinoert-.il

Vise

Workbench/outfeed table

Tablesaw

Potter's Microwavewheel

tl oFFrcE sreePer

tutu@

LEFT: Brian started with a standardEuropean-style bench, but it was toosmall for his work, so he built a newone, adapting the design of Rhodelsland School of Design masterwoodworker Tage Frid, who hasdescribed his benches as "a machinefor clamping." Brian's hard-maplebenchtop is considerably wider thanFrid's design but features his classicmultiple vises.

87woodmogozine.com

,4ABOVE: A combination of movable and stationary shelves gives Brian the flexibility to change thelayout of his shop as his needs evolve. His workbench is near two windows for plenty of natural light.

cuits. "With all the circuits at 20amps, I can plug in anythinganywhere and not worry aboutblowing a breaker," he says.

Brian also didn't skimp on thealtitude-he's 6'2" tall, and"everything in the shop is scaledfor me," he says. He has no trou-ble reaching the tools hangingon racks high on the walls.

But the grabber is the polishedfloor. Over a 3/q" plywood surfaceglued on top of two layers of z/i'

OSB, Brian applied four coats ofMcCloskey GymSeal, which is atung-oil-based floor varnish.

A floor for all seasonsThe floor might strike some asextravagant, but Brian has his

88

reasons. "My old shop was in thebasement with a concrete floor."he relates. "I decided that wasthe last such floor I wanted. Thisfloor is worth all the hassle." Thepolished surface can becomesomewhat slippery, but Brianputs up with it because it's for-giving on tools that get droppedonto it. "I'd rather the floor takethe damage instead of the tool,"he says. 'Also, the floor is easieron my feet-it isn't cold. And itwas easy to run the plumbingand wiring underneath."

When Brian got done carvingout space for the z/q bathroom("It's a real treat to not have to go100 feet outside to my home touse the facilities in the winter!")

and a storage area, he was leftwith a 25x28' space for his table-saw, jointer, drill press, andbandsaw, as well as two lathesand multiple workbenches.

From his earlier shop, Brianbrought his oversize main work-bench, a modification of a Euro-pean-style cabinetmaker's bench."That was too small for what Iwas doing," he says of one of hisfirst big projects. "So I widenedand lengthened it and stiffenedup the top, using hard maple."The top also disassembles fromthe legs for easy repair.

The 3x8'bench is perpendicu-lar to a wall out of necessity.When Brian installed two case-ment windows on each wall. it

left him enough wall space forsome smaller tools, but little else.Still, the windows provide plentyof natural light.

Brian works with green wood,which is moisture-heavy, so theshop becomes very humid andthe windows fog up in winter. Heinsulated the windows on theinside with plastic wrap. "Butthere's no way I can eliminatethat problem," he notes.

That minor headache is wellworth the trade-off for Brian,who has created a workspacethat's his own retreat. "It makesup for when I worked in an officeand had to walk to the end of thehall to see outside," he says.Those days are gone.


'l

If I had to do it all over again...

LEFT: To store his buffing wheels and to givehis shop a consistent and unifying accent,Brian employed the same batch of reclaimedcherry that made up the other hangers andhofders. The 30"-long,3Ax17z" wall cleatattaches to studs with 2Vz" deck screws.Buffing wheels hang on %" bolts screwed into1x2 oak strips. The strips hang on 2" deckscrews so Brian can move an entire strio to hislathe. The hole spacings vary with the differentdiameters of buffing wheels.

p*- i - ; r : ;

LEFT: Brian had some openspace below a cold-air returnvent, so he placed a C-clamprack there. The rack is madeof a 14x30" backing boardand a %" plywood scrap lefiover from Brian's flooring. Theblocks holding the larger clampsare made of 2x4 scraps; thesmaller clamps hang on 3/n"galvanized water pipe, secured incounterbored holes.

LEFT: Putting an office intoa workshop may strike someas a luxury;to Brian it wasa necessity, born of the factthat the shop was his homewhile his house was beingbuilt. He even brought adouble sleeper sofa into theshop office to sleep on.

ri ss

"l'd add a dust-collection system; it would have to be out of the way. But aside fromsome minor details and maybe some more double-duplex outlets, l'm happy."

89woodmogozine.com

(ll

r*kBrian turned these projects for monthly challengecompetitions conducted by the woodturners club inMadisoh, Wisconsin. The natural-edge cherry-burl bowl,atnear left, comes flom a damaged cherry tree on Brian'sacreage, the first wood he harvested from his property. Heturned the lamp from a chunk of curly maple. The "see-through" egg at far left uses maple for the outside andyellowheart for the inside. Scrap OSB from rim joists ofBrian's house supplied the material for the platter.

Derived from a Swedish postwardesign, this cabinet Brian made in1984 features adjustable pull-outshelving and plenty of drawers tohold his files, chisels, bits, and otherhand tools and accessories.


-\

wood screwF.H.

l. ,

#8 x2"

"--*J---314"

#8 x 3" F.H. wood screwinto wall stud

/'(

-./---\.."'./ #8x2l/2" F.H. wood screw

Brian's wall-hung clamp racks came out ofa desire to clean out the area underneathhis main workbench, where his clamps weredifficult to get at. But he had plenty of wallspace, so his clamps hang on these racks,with blocks cut from 4x4s. The protrudingheads of roundhead wood screws keepthe clamps from sliding off the fronts of theblocks. "You just have to measure how muchspace you have for a rack, make sure yougive each clamp enough room, and mountthe backing board to wallstuds," Brian says.

rian Hahn started building a house when he was in first grade-hisfather let him hammer in some sheathing with a l2-ounce tool. "I stillhave the hammer," Brian says. "I was always into woodworking."

He built a model sailboat out of 2x4s, sold woodcarvings when he was in BoyScout camp, and crafted a pair of speaker cabinets in college. Today, Brian hasgraduated to turning functional and decorative bowls and lamps, as well asbuilding cabinets. All of it he crafts from wood he's harvested.

Brian caught the turning bug when he went home for the holidays in 1980 tofind that his father had bought a small lathe. After turning a few bowls and somecandleholders, Brian bought his own turning equipment, which gave him arespite from his career in scientific instrumentation research and development.

But he remains a woodsman at heart. "I never get tired of saying to myself,'Okay, which tree do I want to harvest this year?' " he says.

View Brian's resaw jig atleft in action at woodmagazine.com/resawvideo.

Photographs: Jim Nelson, Nelson Photography

#8 x 2" F.H.wood screw

Nothing makes Brian happierthan to turn raw wood intousable stock.

3"

N

woodmogozine.com 91

mtil

It took several apartments and one basement

for Samuel Daigle to put together the shop

he wanted. But now for this French-Canadian,

everythin gis mognifique!

lsltsownrewadike many woodworkers,Samuel Daigle discoveredhis love of the craft from

his grandfather. Much later, theemergency-room doctor reliedon his patience to construct justthe shop he wanted.

"At first I got into woodcarv-ing," recalls Sam, who lives in abayside town in New Brunswickin the Canadian Maritime Prov-inces. "I didn't need more than afew tools for carving." When hestarted doing more woodwork-

ing, he bought a portable table-saw that he would haul out to thebalcony of whatever apartmenthe lived in. "I'm guessing theneighbors didn't care for that toomuch," he says.

When Sam andhis wife, Julie,bought their home in 2001, hefinished the basement to accom-modate a shop. "Butby thattimeI was doing more and morewoodworking, and I started seri-ously thinking about what Ineeded," he says. "I knew I was

going to do more and more, butstill wasn't sure of exactly whattools I'd have to get."

A one-year proiectPreparation for outfitting hisnew shop space began in earnestin 2004. For six months, Samread a considerable amount, andlooked around the Internet to seewhat other woodworkers weredoing. After formulating hisdiagnosis, he was ready to Pro-ceed with the treatment, which

92 Americq's Besl Home Workshops 2008

t

Sam didn't want to stand on stools orclimb ladders to access his storage loft,so he built a long cabinet he just stepsonto when reaching for wood. Over theparticleboard wall, Sam adhered thesame type of faux hardwood he used onthe floor. "l can hang hooks, it doesn'tscratch, and it's easy to clean," he says.

ln Samuel Daigle's shop, histablesaw, shaper, jointe4 and planerare stationary-that means he hadto plan carefully where to put them.Thanks to ample space betweenmachines, Sam has plenty of roomto work. A trough in his tablesawoutfeed table aligned with his jointerallows him to joint 10-12' boardswith ease.

TYPE: Outbuilding attachedby a breezeway.

SIZE: Shop area676 sq ft.

CONSTRUCTION: 2x6framing for walls and roof;layered drywall and OSBwalls; faux hardwoodlaminate floor.

HEATING: Electric wallheating units, plus heatingfan in loft.

COOLING: One windowair conditioner; otherwise,natural cooling.

ELECTRICAL: Dedicated1 00-amp box, including 220-volt receptacles for everystationary machine.

LIGHTING: Two rows of fivedual-tube f I uorescents;scattered task lights.

DUST COLLECTION: 3-hpcyclone located in bathroomoff main shop; 8"-to-6"-to-4"ductwork runs throughspace below shop.

AIR COMPRESSOR:Located in workbench, forair nai ler .

woodmogozine.com 93

Rr''Efn;Tirtitr-o

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ABOVE: Sam planned his shopto have ample and reachablestorage space, abundantnatural light, and enough roomto maneuver. He placed hismachines side by side "becauseyou often go from one to theother. I can plane and joint longboards, and there's nothing toobstruct them in front or back."

took six more months. Realizinghe wasn't going to get the ideal

space, Sam designed the shop,beside his garage. to maximizethe space.

During construction, buildersadded a breezeway to the 12-year-old house that fronts theBay of Chaleur. This little sec-tion connects Sam's attachedgarage and shop and isolates theshop from the main house. "This

lets me work at any time of the

day or night without disturbingmy family," Sam says-andwithout having to tug on boots to

slosh through snow to get there.Part of the breezeway's spaceSam reserved to become a bath-room; the rest of the structure,a 26x26' space under a 12'peaked roof, became the shop.

A neighbor who was a profes-sional contractor put up thestructure, which consists of kiln-dried 2x6 framing for the wallsand shingle roof, and sectionalsi mulated wood flooring.

Sam dug a 6' crawl spaceunderneath the shop where heran dust-collector ductwork.

0rder and serenityThree electrical wall heatingunits combine with an electricalheating fan beneath the ceilingto warm Sam's shop in as little as

five minutes. Only recently did

he install a window air condi-tioner. A dehumidifier, which

drains into the shop's sink, keeps

the humidity around 50 percent.

Sam thought long and hard

about where to position his tools.

!87-

They're there to stay; he electednot to install casters on anY of

his machines, all of which run

on 220 volts. Ample receptaclesmake it unnecessary for Sam to

plug and re-plug. He ran the

wires under the floor, so there'slittle to trip over.

The dust-collection ductworktransitions from 8" to 6" to 4",

allowing it to tuck neatly beneaththe shop floor and come up to

connect with each tool or down-

draft station. An arr cleaner

hangs from the ceiling.Noise was nearly as important.

Sam cut down on the noise of his

3-hp cyclone by locating it

behind the wall that separates

the bathroom from the shop.

A hole on top of the wall facili-

tates air exchange.

i'ol

i \

94

ffi",F,ff=::T


;tq;

lf I had to do it all over again..."l would design a wider entrance to the garage

and add about a foot of width to the bathroom to make

the dust-collection basket easier to empty."

ABOVE: Looking eastthrough two sets of

tr iple-panel, double-panedwindows, Sam can admire the

view of the Bay of Chaleur,steps away from his shop.

RIGHT Because Sam doessome stone carving (see

page 981, he constructed adowndraft booth (far left in

photo) with clear acrylic wallsto keep the dust out of theshop. Placing his bandsawin front of a window blocks

his view a little, but it was thebest spot to give him amplerip space and good lighting.

:_lFi F*:b l :qg$

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ABOVE: The compact turning center illustrates howSam placed a layer of pressed wood behind the drywallthroughout the shop so he could hang accessorieswherever he needed them. "l knew I was going to hanga lot of stuff, and I didn't want to always look for studs,"Sam explains. "That extra layer also helps in keeping thenoise down."

LEFT One of Julie Daigle's conditions of having adedicated building for a shop was it had to have apleasing look. Sam installed two frosted-glass doorsand decorative glass dividers to match those on theirhouse. Above his sharpening station to the left of thedoors hangs the air cleaner.

woodmogozine.com 95

26'

aligns withtablesawjointer bed

mtril:il|E]Planer

workbench Air

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. Tablesaw

Cyclonedust

collector

v

GARAGEWith lumber storage above

A few steps up from his small garage, the main work space allowed Sam to permanently position

his machines in such a way that there's space to move among them without any tool getting in

the way of any other. Adding a bathroom created a space to install his dust collector. Digging a 6'

crawl space below the shop gave Sam ample room to run ductwork and electrical wiring.

One of the things Sam likesbest about his shop is the 312-sq-ft storage loft, which is abovethe adjacent garage. To reach it,he simply steps onto a sturdy29"-high countertop, which alsohouses his mitersaw station.

The four sets of windows notonly let in plenty of natural lightbut also afford Sam a clear viewof the picturesque bay that bor-ders his hometown. This cornerof paradise reminds SamuelDaigle that life is good and therewards of patience are worthwaiting for.

Sam devised a sliding dustcollector to make lathecleanup more efficient.He fashioned a box outof scrapwood and sheetmetal, and cut an openingfor a flexible 4" pipe, whichruns beneath the floor andconnects to the cyclone.Attaching rectangularpieces of scrap ultra-highmolecularweight (UHMWplastic enables the box toslide side-to-side. A knoblocks it in place.


pruFcBandideas

Sam designed his tablesawextension for ease of ripping, but healso made sure it wouldn't get in theway of wood being worked on at hisadjacent jointer. Sam made his ownrollers using2T2" black PVC pipe. (Heinstalled two long rollers on one sideof the trough and six shorter ones onthe other to accommodate boardsof different widths.) Compaftmentshold smaller and exotic pieces ofwood, as well as jigs and sleds, plusSam's dado set.

Sam was dissatisfied with how difficult itwas to move the fence that came with hisshaper. So he built his own out of an oldtablesaw fence, plus strips of 3/c" plywood,with an opening for a dust-collectionhose. Solid-maple feather boards 11l2"thick attach to the recycled countertopwith countersunk screws, and slide upand down. A turn of the fence-adjustmenthandle moves the whole fence forward orbackward; the fence-lockdown knob locksthe fence. By loosening two screws, thetwo countertop pieces can slide to hug theshaper cutter. Holes Sam drilled into thetop of the fence house bits.

woodmogozine.com 97

oprcfectsandideas

Sam constructed this compact organizer out of maplescrap in a couple of hours. Shelves fit into dadoes cutinto each side. Using lighter-weight wood will allow itto hang on any wall (screwed into wall studs), even ifyour wall isn't lined with faux hardwood flooring overdrywall, as Sam did in his shop.

Sam crafted this ash-and-ceramic table when he and hiswife, Julie, first moved into their new home and Sam builthis shop. Sam still crafts wood furniture but also experimentswith wood turnings and stone caruings. He's proudest ofhis 12-15"-tall segmented vases, made of walnut, maple,and butternut.


When he moved into his newshop, Sam had a considerableamount of leftover oak, so heused it, along with leftover ash,to build his versatile workbench.Oak isnit the hardest materialfor a benchtop and it doesdent a little, admits Sam, whocombined two 1S"-wide planksfor the worksurface. But he hadit around, so that's what he used.Sam used the interior spaceto install an air compressor forhis pneumatic nailer. Oak-frontdrawers on one end hold hisrouter tools and accessories aswell as finishing materials.

emg an emergency roomphysician has taught SamDaigle a key lesson about

woodworking."The injuries I see remind me I

have to be careful with my tools," hesays, with a laugh. Actually, Samdoesn't consider it a bit ironic thathis career and his hobby are similar."You have to be good withyour hands in both of them," hepoints out. "Like the variety ofthings I create with my hobby,I really enjoy the diversity that fam-ily medicine brings me."

Sam and his wife, Julie Langlois,also an M.D., reside in Bathurst,Canada, a small bilingual commu-nity in Sam's homeprovince of NewBrunswick, northeast of Maine.

Sam's grandfather helped theyoungster develop an interest inwoodworking. "When I was young,

my grandfather used to have a dedi-cated shop outside the house," Samrecalls. o'He seemed to enjoy hisretreat so much. I didn t want to riskwaiting for retirement to have thismuch fun."

Now, Sam hopes to pass his loveof woodworking on to his 4Vz-year-old daughter, Anabelle. "We'vealready done a few birdhousestogether," Sam says proudly. Justwhat the doctor ordered.

Sam and his daughte4 Anabelle,spend some quality time togetherat the poker table Sam crafted. He'salready got Anabelle interestedin woodworking, just as hisgrandfather sparked his zeal.

Photographs: Raymond Chiasson,lmageri Photography

woodmogozine.com 99

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not only figured out a practical way t0

make the most of the wall space in his

shop, but also make it look spectacular!

An artist by avocation, Leland Frerichshen Leland Frerichswas designing hisbrand-new shop, he

realized that his penchant forproducing artwork in wood dif-ferentiated him from many ofhis fellow crafters. But he alsoshared a common malady withthem-he had too many thingsand nowhere to put them.

He also had a self-describedfixation on staying organized."When I want something,I wantit now and don't want to digaround finding it," he says. "Ihad a wrench missins for two

weeks once; it about drove mecrazy. I promised that if I everredesigned my shop, I wasn'tgoing to let that happen again."

Leland, 53, got his chancewhen he and his wife, Susanne,erected a 12x32' outbuilding inthe backyard of their ranch-stylehome in Longview, Washington,60 miles north of Portland,Oregon. But he didn't do it solelywith cabinets or drawers. "Mydrawers afe a mess," he says.Instead he turned to his walls.

Practically every inch of thosewalls is covered with 3/4"

1 0 0 Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

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ABOVE LEFT: Gustomized (and colorful)tool holdersand cabinetry line this entire corner of the shop. Eachtool has a specific place to call home. Abundantoverhead light fixtures keep shadows at bay.

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ABOVE: Numerous styles andbrands of clamps each tout acustomized rack next to Leland'sworkbench.

Leland Frerichs' well-organized shopmay be the only purple woodworkingshop in the world.

TYPE: Prefabricatedoutbuilding.

SfZE: 12x32'(384 sq ft),plus 4'overhang to act asa porch.

CONSTRUCTION: Woodframe with plywoodsiding and floor; shingledroof; steel service door;s/e" drywall for ceiling,

'/2"

for walls with R-19insulation.

HEATING= 220-voltelectric heatersuspended from ceil ing.

ELECTRICAL: 12O-voltoutlet on almost everystud, plus 10 boxes in theceil ing for l ights.

LIGHTING: Eight 4'double fluorescentfixtures along center; oneabove drill press; one offto the side of worktable;and three fixtures aboveworkbench area.

DUST COLLECTION:16-gallon shop vacuum.

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melamine-coated particleboardwith rabbeted hardwood cleatsattached horizontally. (See illus-tration, page 105.) They holdLeland's vast collection of handtools, clamps, and other items.For hangers, Leland used W'MDF. If an item is too heavy forone hanger, he attaches a secondhanger to the bottom at theappropriate distance.

Custom-builtLeland built the panels so hecould easily remove andreposition what's hung on them.

woodmogozine.com

Every tool or set of tools hasa custom-built rack. "I'd seen abunch of my friends get intotrouble whenever they wanted toadd or remove something fromtheir walls," he says. "They al-ways had to dismantle a frame orhanger. I didn't want to have toremove anything."

Also, Leland's youngest sonhas shown a huge interest inwoodworking; someday he'll useall the tools in his own shop."I'd like to just take everythingoff the walls and have it be his."Leland savs.

Leland dismissed perforatedhardboard out of hand as notlooking good. So he just satdown and started thinking aboutthe way he d hung cabinets insidethe house, using notched cleats."I knew it would work," he says,confidently. "It was just a matterof getting the dimensions right."

To achieve the snug shape ofeach tool on each holder. he laidthe tool down on wood and verycarefully traced around it, cut itout, and cut the back, allowing apencil-width border. "When Ipositioned the front and back

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easi ly to accommodate new

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r cs i c l cn t i l t l nc ighbor l roo r l . t hc r

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e l r i l i -pcppct ' t ' c r - ls .

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t k r i ng rn thc s l to l ' r . u t t t l i t r t c t t t

ok r r r r \ i t h thc e o l t l t ' s o l ' t l t c to t t l s

I i r i r s l - rL r r i ng . "

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ABOVE: Beh ind h i s d r i l lpress, Leland keeps his

tab lesaw j i gs w i th in easY

reach v ia a moun t ing board

with custom holders.

F r iends and fami l y adorn

cab ine t doors .

c c n l c r c r l u l t t n u t h c u l t l l l l e i r l g

thc l l t e l . o l ' t hc h t t t t sc . l t t t c l l t Jx ( r '

t l t r t l t ' t h l t t \ ' , c l l t ( ) l l t hc r i cs t c l t t l 0 l

t h c b u i l t l i n g .

Addinq a wood floorfor prdcticality, comfortlns tcuc l o l ' i . t c ( ) r t c l ' c t c I ' l t l o t ' "

[ - c l l Ln t l e hosc u t t t t t l . l t l r l t t t l

r cu \ ( )ns . " l -hc l ' i r s t \ \ l l \ t l l \

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\cc ( ) l r ( l r i l r s l r cu t i r t c . \ \ i hc r t i t " s

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Amer i cq ' s Bes t Home Workshops 2008

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and he installed an electricaloutlet on almost every one. Healso installed 10 electrical boxesin the ceiling for the lights.

The eight 4'double fluorescentfixtures along the center of theceiling provide ample generalillumination. For detail work,Leland added another fl uorescentfixture above his drill press, onebetween the workbench and theoutside wall, and three moreabove the workbench. Like allthe fine points, the extra workwas worth it.

"Bringing a shop up from theground was ahuge undertaking,"Leland concedes, "but it hasbeen a very fun project. Thefuture holds many satisfyinghours in the shop, and I plan onenjoying every one of [hem!"

LEFT: Leland constructed thewall-mounted lumber storage racksfrom a design he saw inWOOD@magazine's Woodworki ng J igs,HomemadeTools & Shop Organizers.

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Leland based these clamp racks,which extend from floor to ceilingof his shop, on designs he'd seeninWOOD@ magazine. To caPturethe pipes of his pipe clamps, hedrilled a pair of 1J6" holes in eachsupport with a Forstner bit andfinished forming the notches witha scrollsaw. After forming thesupports, he glued and screwedeach one to a backing board.

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with careful calculations, melamine-coated particleboard, pine, two types ofplywood, and some patience, Leland built these racks to attach the tools he usesmost often onto his wall units. "l find hanging them makes them so much moreaccessible than storing them in drawers," he says. "l can reach up, grab a tool,and off we go."

11/z x 3" frameg/a" rabbets/q" deep

7a" melamine-coatedparticleboard

1" brad

t/a" rabbetst/a" deep

#8 x 3" F.H. wood screw

11/z x 3"mounting

cleats

7a" rabbetse/q" deep

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Leland's workbench is one of just afew stationary objects in his shop. Heconstructed the top using two layers of%" plywood laminated face-to-face andcovered with plastic laminate. The 1/2"-thick work surface is banded with solidstock. The base consists of 2x4s and2x6s bolted and screwed together forrock-solid construction.

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Te" washer and nut

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woodmogozine.com

3/e x 5" carriage bolt

1 0 5

To fashion his hand-tool holders,Leland laid each toolon wood,carefully traced around theperimeter; and cut out a left-handand right-hand side for each tool.The slightest amount of space keepsthem snug.

Traced outline

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w*ffiMlMLeland built two lumber racks: one for longer boards and the othe6shorter rack along the adjacent wallfor holding 3/" material, as well asshorter pieces. Having learned the hard way what happens when youdon't attach uprights to studs, Leland now knows to carefully seekthem out before hanging anything bearing weight.

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Lately, Leland has combinedhis woodworking and artisticskills to produce what he callssegmentation artwork. "l tendto lean toward the free-formartistic side of woodworking,"Leland says. "Should lfind aconventional pattern or designthat suits my fancy, I usuallyend up changing it in somemanner to make it my own."

hen Leland Frerichs was afarm boy in Iowa, his dadbuilt the budding wood-shop in the barn. "There

was an 8' workbench, [perforatedhardboard], and a 44' table," heremembers. "My first tablesaw camefrom JCPenney."

No wonder, then, that when theopportunity presented itself to designhis own shop, he settled on a barnlook. It's where he devotes time to hisartistic woodworking.

Leland specializes in what he callssegmentation pieces, like the twoAfrican faces at right. Like his shop,he lends his work a unique style: "Ienjoy designing my own projects andbuilding unusual things."

He even came up with a no-muss/no-fuss technique to paint them. Hemakes a colored stain by dilutinglatex paint with water, then dipscheesecloth into the can and appliesthe cloth to his surface. He's done thissuccessfully on pine and cabinet-grade plywood. "It picked up thegrain real well," he says, "and it tookjust about three to four hours to dry."

Photographs: Gory Remmers, Bell Studio

RIGHI Leland built a holder for an antiquedrill press his father gave him.

The youthful Leland used that toolin his first shop, which his father

built for him in the family barn.

woodmogozine.com107

One tool here and one tool

there, and before he knew it,

this woodworker needed a

workshop! Instead of adding

on, Jeff Tobert upgraded his

unusually shaped qarage,

little by little.

pryor Jeff Tobert, it startedwith a workbench. and"rnessing aroLlnd" doing

woodworking alon-qside hisfhther, Gerry, in his mini shop.

"Our farrr i ly was staying withmy dad while our home wasbein-e built in Spruce Grove,Alberta, west of Edmonton,"says Jeff. "We wound up bein-ethere fbr six months. and I fbundrnyself working with niy dad inhis shop. I had always l iked

doing things with rny hands. andI thought it would be great tohave a workbench, so Dad and Imade one." He and his father

also made some furniture pieces

at his dad's place.

After Jeff and Leanne, hiswif-e, moved into theirbungalow-style honre, its an-eled two-car

-qarage became horne to Jeff'sworkbench. That might havebeen the end of it. "Br"rt the benchworked oLlt so well." Jeff recalls.

"So I thought it sure would benice to have a tablesaw .. ."

Befbre long, Jeff added arollter. and that needed a router

table. so he built one. He added adri l l press, jointer, bandsaw and

befbre you know it, he startedthinkin-e about his workflow.The shop was well on its way."l started to plzrn stuff out," hesays. "That's when I got the ideato really set Llp a workshop, andthere was no turning back."

1 0 8 Americo's Besf Home Workshops 2008

TYPE: Attached two-stallgarage.

SIZE: lrregularly shaped.(See floor plan on page fi|.)Approximately 500 sq ft.

HEATING: Direct-vent gaswallfurnace.

ELECTRICAL: 50-ampsubpanel; four 220-voltoutlets, eight 11O-volt outletson three circuits.

LIGHTING: Sevenfluorescent fixtures (threequad-tube, fou r dual-tube)on dedicated 20-amp circuit.

DUST COLLECTION: Allmajor dust-producing toolsattached to 3-hp cyclone;shop vacuum for minorcleanups.

i

ABOVE: lt took nearlyfour years, but JeffTobert transformed anangled garage into a well-equipped, workable shop.Jeff maximizes wall spacewith hanging cabinets, toolboards, and a lumber rack hedesigned.

LEFT: Like many homeworkshops, the space alsois used as a garage. Jeff'stools roll away and storeconveniently, leaving spacefor a pair of vehicles. The floorpfan on page 177 shows thesein both the stored and in-uselocations.

woodmogozine.com1 0 9

&''

This well-planned cornercombines homes for Jeff'smobi le tablesaw/routercabinet, his mitersaw table,and storage for wood andother materials. Jeff designedthe tablesaw/router cabinet tostore underneath the mitersawtable, maximizing the use ofspace. Jeff's dust-collectioncyclone, which he addedrecently, is located highand out of the way. The loftprovides additional storagewithout eating up valuablefloor space.

The vehicles wet'e parked atan angle, so Jeff would be work-ing with an irre-9ular area. " l

needed to decide where I'd havethe most rooffl to cut sheets. and

that was alon-9 the longest axis,"he says. "Ripping doesn't take

lhat nruch roorn. but crosscutt ingis a pain in the butt. So I pro-jected out front the wall howmuch room I'd need, and thatwas where I put my tablesaw."A knockdown worktable Jeffclesi-uned and bLrilt helped too.(See puge II4.)

Wanted: versatilityAlon-e the lon-e wall, Jeff posi-

t ioned his dri l l press. tnitersawtable, and a workbench in whathe calls a hobby comer. Hernounted most of his tools on

rnobile bases so he could storethem ollt of the wo), eithera-gainst the wall or, in the case ofthe tablesaw/router cabinet. un-

derneath the mitersaw table."My jointer and planer are on

wheels," Jeff says. "My bandszrwis also on wheels, even though it

stays where it is."I need tools, carts, and work-

benches that give maximumfunction but store easily and eatup a small amount of storagespace," Jeff explains. "That's

why I put a router table in combi-nation with rny tablesaw. I usedto have independent rollter tableswith open bottoms, but I foundthem noisy, and a lot of chipsescaped out the bottom." Theobvious solution was to enclosethe router in a cabinet.

1 1 0 Americo's Besf Home Workshops 2008

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ABOVE: The angledwalls and steppedceiling of Jeff's garagewere elements of thestructure's bungalowdesign-not ideal for aworkshop. For sufficientcrosscutting room, Jeffpositioned his mobiletablesaw parallel to thelongest wall, where healso situated his drillpress and mitersaw.

LEFT: As with most garages inJeff's community, his shop floorslopes toward the garage doors sowater can exit. The slope requiredhim to place all his tools-whetherstationary or movable, like hisjointer-on risers with adjustablefeet so they could be leveled. Thedust-collection ductwork shownhere was an add-on, as were manyfeatures of Jeff's evolving shop.

Knock-downworktable(Stored)

sShelves

K- planer .Jointertii utll (ln use)

TablesawBenchtop

toolstorageshelves

Cord andstorage

Belt-sander cabinet Garbaoe Oand blade storage

Bandsaw

Knock-downworktable

(ln use)Vacuum

Spindlesander

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Jointer(Stored)

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Clamprack Heater

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woodmogozine.com 1 1 1

Adding utilitiesThe garage was already heated,so Jeff didn't have to deal withthat issue. But he did have toconsider electricity-there wereonly basic receptacles installedin the ceiling along with threeother outlets.

A neighbor who is an electri-cian installed a 50-amp breakersubpanel. It's wired for 220 voltsand includes several 20-ampcircuits. Cables feed throughexisting conduit and a wall intothe main panel.

For a few years, Jeff's shoplacked dust collection. "OneChristmas, though, I got apresent of a portable dust collec-tor that connects to my varioustools. But it was just too time-consuming to hook up, unhook,hook up, and unhook," Jeff says.So he installed a central duct-work system and invested in a3-hp remote-controlled cyclonedust collector.

Jeff upgraded other tools as hewent-a process he says he

When Jeff remodeled hismitersaw table, he placed thesaw on top of it and built boxesthe height of the saw bed. Thatgives him a stable, level surfacefor miter-cutting long stock, andallows easy access to the saw ifhe wants to transport it.

wouldn't have repeated. "I wentfrom a 6" jointer to an 8" jointer,"he says. "I should have waited andjust got the 8" model to start with.I also started with a benchtop drillpress and replaced it with a floormodel. The right thing to do wasgo for the floor model. It's betterto plan right the first time."

Jeff will have a chance to Putinto effect what he learned: He'sdesigning and equipping a newworkshop for himself and his dadat his father's acreage. "This shopwon't be as innovative or as cleveras my first one, and it won't havethe challenges," Jeff acknowl-edges. "But going through theshop-design process already willhelp me do this one exactly right."

lf I had to do it all over again..."lf I realized I needed a shop, I would have gone right to the layout I have now

instead of evolving it. Also, lwould have boughtthe besttools at once instead

of upgrading little by little. When I buy a lathe, it's going to be my last lathe."

112 Americo's Best Home WorkshoPs 2008

LEFT: Ghips from Jeff's router collect inthe cabinet and funnel through a hose intothe dust collector. Another hose attachesto the router fence.

BELOW: Jeff's nifty jig makes it easy forhim to cut tenons. The plywood box slidesalong the fence; other adjustments can bemade by moving the fence or raising theblade. A 90'stop holds workpieces plumb.

ABOVE: Jeff didn't want his routerfence hose getting in the way of routeror tablesaw operations, so he broughtthe hose up through the extensiontable. "lt operates like a dream,completely dust-free," he says.

LEFT: Jeff added an outfeed table tohis tablesaw/router cabinet. The routerfence attaches to his dust-collectionsystem. Drawers hold tablesawaccessories and router bits.

proffiadkhmJeff wanted his tablesaw ona movable base, which heconstructed out of medium-densityfiberboard (MDR to which heattached 4" locking swivel casters.But the MDF alone couldn'tsupport the weight of the 500-pound tablesaw. The answer wasto construct a solid-wood subbasethat attaches beneath the MDFplatform. The tablesaw can reston the subbase because itprotrudes through a cutout inthe MDF platform.

#8 x 11/z' F.H. wood screw

Optional opening for tablesaw

woodmogozine.com

#8 x 1s/q" F.H. wood screws

1 1 3

%" Baltic birchplywood covered

with laminate

This versatile table with aremovable worksurface allowsJeff additional space to assembleprojects when aligned with hisoutfeed table. Continuous hingesallow the rectangular sides andfolding end assemblies to collapsefor easy storage. The tabletoPleaves each consist of two PlYwoodskins over lattice frames, coveredwith plastic laminate. "l can't doheavy hand-planing on it," Jeffsays, "but it holds nice and secure,keeps the base corners at 90o, andleg levelers allow me to adjust theheight to match the sloPe of mYgarage floor."

Table leaf levelers

/+" dowels with matingholes in top

Continuous hinge30" long joining both' halves of

end assembly

This quartersawn oak cabinet stores gloves, boots,and other winter gear. To match the grain pattern asmuch as possible on the legs, Jeff used a router-table-mounted lock-miter bit. The four-part finishstarts with aniline dye, followed by stain, coatedwith shellac, then sealed with polyurethane.

Photographs: Alan High, Willow Creek lmaging

woodrnror{tert profi I ehe woodworking magazines Jeff Tobert liked to read all empha-sized how easy their projects were to build. So Jeff built them.

"Dad and I had been making small projects for my daughters witha scrollsaw and hand tools, but I also subscribed to a bunch of magazines,including WOOD@:'Jeff says. "So I started building the nightstands and

bookshelves they featured. They really weren't hard. My woodworkingmore or less took off from there."

Jeff, who coaches high school football, has developed a coach's gameplan to most projects. First, he does a scale drawing of the project. If that

doesn't answef all his questions, he builds a mock-up of the complicatedelements, or even the entire project, using rough-grade plywood. Then, ifit looks good, he graduates to constructing the actual project.

Mistakes don't bother him. 'At the end of the day, it's just a piece ofwood," he says. "You can always start again."

1 1 4

Continuous hinges 30" longjoining side assemblies

to end assemblies


:PF,ff:,ftom the editors of W00lTragazine

One-Day WorkbenchPlan DP-00319 $3.25

Mobile StoragePlan DP-00321 $2.75

Roll-Around Tool BasePlan DP-00061 $6.95

Five Great Glamp0rganizers

Plan DP-00230 $6.95

UniversalWall GabinetPlan DP-00140 $8.95

Gyclone Dust GollectorPlan DP-00068 $10.95

Swivel-Topped ToolCabinet

Plan DP-00063 $8.95

Space-SavingWork Genter

Plan DP-00168 $6.95

0n-the-MarkMitersaw Station

Plan DP-00276 $4.95

Bench-Tool SystemPlan DP-00560 $6.95

Mobile Tool GabinetPlan DP-00260 $7.95

Benchtop Router TablePlan DP-00151 $7.95

Super-FlexibleShop Storage

Plan DP-00280 $5.95

Mobile Sawing &Routing Genter

Plan DP-00271 $8.95

Full-Service WorkbenchPlan, Part 1, DP-00058 $A.gS

Lumber Storage RackPlan DP-00135 $7.95

3-Drawer t tility CabinetPlan DP-00275 $5.95

Mobile Mitersaw GenterPlan DP-00098 $7.95

Full-Service WorkbenchLift-Up Router & Tool Table

Plan, Part 2, DP-00059 $8.95

Basic Workbench and6 Ways to Beef it UpPlan DP-00456 $7.95

Download any ot the above woodworking plans for the prices listed, or have hem mailed di.ecfly to you for an additional $3 perplan (S+H). For downloading the plan yourself or to view a larger image, go to woodmagazine.COm/planS

Cail toll lree l-888-036-tt478 for paper-ptan credir card orders.

Leave it t0 our readers io devise clever ideas that make their workshops more efficient, more

oiginized, or just more fun. We asked woodworkers all across North America to send us their

best suggestions. The following pages teem with jigs, fences, tables, racks, and other projects

ttrat wont take long to build but could cut hours off your next woodworking job. Thanks to all!

Rabbet-Cutting Fencefrom Bruce Greenawald, Schnecksville, Pa.

A H"r"'. a no-clamp way to add a sacrificial rabbet-cutting fence to your saw's regular fence. Bruce's

box fence fits over his T-square-style rip fence; when the MDF side gets trashed, he easily replaces it.

This model is Bruce's second stab at the box fence, adding several improvements along the way' An

aluminum T-track tucks snugly into a s/a" dadoVz" deep in the MDF, allowing him to tighten the bolts

securing the feather board to the sacrificial face of the box. "This provides much smoother movement

and better lockdown of the feather board and other attachments than with just the regular fence," Bruce

explains. The two handles on top help when he moves the fence around the shop for storage or when

he sets it in place over the regular fence. On the side facing away from the camera, two buift-in clamping

screws, made using brass T-bolts, attach the auxiliary box fence securely to his rip fence.

1 1 6 Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

Com bi nation Route r Ta bleAltlorkbenchfrom Don Henderson, 0rleans, 0nt.

Arh is router/cl am pi n g/downd raft-sand i n g table (ab ove and to p) is DonHenderson's only workbench. The fence, which Don calls "an exercisein overkill," is made from three lengths of 2x6 birch, with a cutout inthe middle for the router-bit opening. The top and ends are mahogany,and the faces are maple. The fence is aligned fore and aft using twosteel rules embedded into the worksurface and cramped in place viathe threaded knob on the right end. Six adjustment screws behind themovable faces level and square the fence to the table.

{ Dtill'PfgSS Tabl€ Don Henderson's dritt-press tabte consists of twolayers of 3/q" MDF with a/2" phenolic top. Additional 3/+" MDF shaped toconform to the drill-press table is part of the mounting system. The centervise assists in drilling tool handles and other odd-shaped objects thatrequire accurately drilled holes.

117woodmogozine.com

Vz" pipe

Portable Clamp Rackfrom Doug Dankers, Red Wing, Minn.

A t-it<e most woodworkers, Doug Dankers has many clamps

and little room to store them. His solution: a portable clamp rack

made from scrap 3/a" plywood. Doug estimates it took him about

four hours to construct the rack, which consists of a simple box,

top, drawer, and threaded iron pipes. Hidden casters allow Doug

to wheel it wherever he needs. Long clamps stand upright in

a set of top-to-bottom-aligned holes in the top and within the

cabinet. A plywood drawer at the bottom holds smaller clamps.

) Ooug used %" pipe to hang his spring clamps; one horizontalpipe holds more than a dozen clamps. Doug threaded the pipes

together with tees and elbows, then stuck the pipe ends into two

holes in the plywood base.

Saw Blade Storage (abineVExtension lablefrom Charles Dobbs, Gladstone, Mo.

{ Cfrartes Dobbs had an abundance of saw blades

to store, but not an abundance of room. So from scrapred oak and melamine-coated particleboard he devisedthis multidrawer storage cabinet, which also serves as atablesaw extension table. "l didn't want the drawers real

fancy," he says, "but they had to be sturdy enough to hold

the blades." A lubrication of paraffin helps the drawersslide in and out. Half-inch dowelsscrewed to the bottoms of the2"-deep drawers hold his bladesin place. Hardboard spacersbetween the blades protect thecarbide teeth.

1 1 8 Americo's Best Home Workshops 2008

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Ta blesaw Extension/Router Tablel The 22x48'tablesaw extension in Orv's shop also doubles as arouter table, orv built a router fence with a vacuum port that attachesto the tablesaw rip fence. The drawer at left fits under the end of theworksurface and provides accessory storage.

Bits-and-AccessodesWallCabinetfrom Orv Hale, Escondido, (alif.

{ Orv created this 32x24x8"wall cabinet using melamineshelving materials. Dadoes in thevertical supports make it easyto adjust the spacing or addadditional bit holders as needed.Locking hinges keep the cabinetdoor open for easy access.

Find dozens of FREE project plans atwootl nragazi n e,conr/f r eeplans

1 1 9woodmogozine.com

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Chemicalstorage Unitfrom Keith Betscher, West ftester,0hio

) Keith needed a secure cabinet to store his paints,

finishes, solvents, and other chemicals and fluids.

He found one when his family's upright freezer was

damaged during a move. Keith removed the power cord,

door light, thermostat control, and two Freon coils. To

the original 18x21" wire shelves, he added plastic bins

made by Akro-Mils (800-253-2467, akro-mils.com). From

scrap plywood, Keith cut a bottom and dividers for the

freezer's pull-out basket. He sorted chemicals and fluids

by type, labeled bins, and applied signs to the door to

identify the freezer's new use. The freezer's original lock

keeps out inquisit ive children. Total cost: around $70 for

10 plastic shelf bins and safety signs.

Outfeed Tablefrom JerryJones, Winamac, Ind.

{ Wfren a collapsing outfeed table resulted in a severe

saw-cut injury, Jerry realized he needed an outfeed

table that would remain solidly upright and enable him

to cut longer boards and plywood panels safely' His

4x3' outfeed table bolts into place on the tablesaw rear-

fence rail. The top is 3/a" particleboard; Jerry salvaged

agricultural disk blades for the bases. Locking nuts,

part of the table-height-adjustment mechanism, keep

everything in place.

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Wall Cleat Systemfrom Dwayne Ackerman,Wadesvil le,Ind.

p Dwayne Ackerman custom-designed these holders so itemscould hang on a wall cleat systemhe'd seen in ldea Shop 5 in WOOD@magazine. (You can buy the plans at

) .The cleat rai l is 1x3 pine, wi th the topedge bevel-r ipped at 45' to al low amating beveled cleat to slip overit for a secure attachment. Rounded-over edges and a coat of clear finishgive each holder a professional look.

lf The system is sturdy enough tohold Dwane's grinder and accessories.A spacer near the bottom holds thebackboard plumb. "Screw the beveled cleatrailto studs," Dwayne cautions. "l learnedthat the hard way."

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Cleat rail

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A fo hang his clamps, Dwayne first hung a piece of plywoodon the cleat, then screwed the plywood to the wall to addextra security. The holes for the %" steel rods upon which theclamps hang are angled slightly upward so the clamps won,tslide off the fronts of the rods.

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Mobile Planet Standfrom Greg Paris, Portland,Ore.

) ft seemed to Greg that a benchtop planer weighing more

than 90 lbs on top of a narrow mobile base might topple if it ran

over a cord or wood Scrap. So he fashioned an enclosure similar

to his drill-press/mortiser stand above. The only difference is

that both drawers on this stand open in the same direction.

Greg replaced the MDF top on this tool and his dri l l press and

mortiser with a section of 11/2"-lhick maple he bought at a local

hardwood supplier.

Find dozens of FREE proiect plans at:. , r : . , i i r i ' ! t E " i ' ,

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Dri ll- Press/Mortiser Standfrom Greg Paris, Portland,Ore.

{ t-it<e the mobile planer stand below, Greg customized

this stand for his dri l l press and hollow-chisel mortiser to

ensure that his top-heavy benchtop tools would be stable,

wherever he moved them. Each supply drawer faces the same

direction as the tool above it, so it's easy for Greg to access

whatever accessories he needs. For the base, Greg used the

metal components of a Delta 50-322 Planer stand ($57 from

toolmart.com, 800-735-8665) and shortened the legs to yield

the proper overall working height. The unit moves easily on four

3" heavy-duty double-locking swivel casters from Woodcraft

($1 6 each, 800-225-1 1 53, woodcraft.com).

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Retnctable Sander lablefrom Dennis Masotti, ()ahille 0nt.

I Every time Dennis wanted to use his oscillating spindlesander, he had to haul it out, lift it onto the bench, attach thedust-collection hose, and put it all back when he was done.To save time and effort, he installed this platform, based on akitchen appliance add-on. Lifter brackets ($8S a pair from LeeValley, 800-871-8158, www.leevalley.com), which lock in place,mount to wood supports bolted to the legs at his worktable. Aremovable 2" vacuum hose on the back side connects to hisshop vacuum. "Now when I want to sand," Dennis says, "all! do is lift the sander until it locks into position (as shown atright), and lower it out of the w6y when l'm done."

0ftitalSander HolderfromJoel Nowland, West Point, Utah

{ Wnen you set your random-orbit sander down,you're forced to wait untilthe pad comes to a completestop to keep it from vibrating off your workbench. Joeldoes a lot of sanding, which requires continuouslypicking up and setting down the sander. He wanteda handy place to hold the sander while it powersdown. The keys are to angle and pad the arms thathold the tool-Joel secured foam pipe insulation withelectrician's tape-and to provide clearance for the padto continue turning freely.

woodmogozine.com 123

Tablesaw Outfeed Tablefrom Bill Bruxvoort, Leighton, lowa

) eitf wanted a stable outfeed table that could also fold

down when not in use. He constructed a 4' square table

with a top of 3/+" white melamine-coated particleboard

edged with rubber T-molding, then installed hinges

between the tablesaw's back edge and outfeed table'

The leg/rail assembly also folds in on hinges.

Hoist lrackfrom Stan Harder,0maha, Neb.

{ Most woodturners visiting Stan Harder's shop are

fascinated with the homemade hoist track above his lathe.

Initially intended to help lift heavy logs onto the machine, Stan

now uses the apparatus, made from an 8' piece of angle iron

bolted to ceiling joists (below), mostly to move the lathe's

tailstock out of the way with ease. The carriage (bottom)

consists of bolts, more angle iron, and four wheels from in-l ine

skates. (Stan finds used skates at secondhand stores')The

hoist extends from the headstock of the lathe to just over the

outfeed table of Stan's tablesaw. When he doesn't use the

carriage for extended periods, he stores it to keep it out of the

way and to prevent the wheels from flattening out.

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Bolted toceiling joist

124 Americo's Besl Home Wotkshops 2008

lathe Tool 0rganizerfrom Ben Ball, Sugar [and, Texas

{ Ben, a serious turner forthe past five years, created thisorganizer for quick and easyaccess to his numerous turningtools and handheld accessories.He glued together PVC pipes ofdiffering lengths and diametersusing PVC cement. The backside of some of the pipes alsoare screwed to the perforatedhardboard to prevent the entireassembly from toppling forward.He mounted controls for hislathe's vacuum chuck on a pieceo'f 63/tx13" plywood. "That way,"he explains, "the controls arehandy to the lathe and take upno wall space whatsoever."

Dear Readers,We're already planning our next issue of Americo3 Best Home Workshops! We're lookingfor interesting, hardworking shops that are well-organized and full of problem-sglvingideas such as storage projects, special jigs, or other woodworking solutions. See page127 to learn how to submit your full shop or just your ideas.

woodmogozine.com125

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Hand-IoolBoxfrom Jeff Feuerstein, Neenah, Wis.

) In Jeff's tool chest, every tool looks as thoughit belongs. He cut out a piece of 1"-thick rigid-foaminsulation for each of the drawers of his offthe-shelf tool

box, traced the outlines of the tools he wished to store on

each piece, and routed each recess into the rigid foam

with a 1/2" straight bit. He avoids too snug a fit by routing

slightly outside the marked lines.

Plywood (artfrom Sammy Hargrove, Dallas,Texas

{ Sammy had too manYplywood sheets taking uP toomuch space in his shop. So hecreated a portable PlYwood cartthat not only moves easilY oncasters but also lets him load andunload sheets without difficultY,thanks to the rollers at eachend. Sammy used pine 2x4s tocreate the 76x31" frame, 2x8s towhich he attached the casters,ands/c" black pipe of variousheights for the uprights, sPaced11" apart and anchored into PiPeflanges. For the rollers at eachend, Sammy turned six Piecesof wood to 11A" diameter, drilledholes through each cylinder andinserted 7+" steel rods. Then hefed the rods into short Piecesof /2" pipe at each end and inbetween the rollers. Conduitbracket over the Vz" PiPe holdsthe assembly in place. "l can tilta plywood sheet up and get it onthe cart; everything stores neatlYout of the way," Sammy saYS.

126 Americq's Best Home Workshops 2008

$q}Feffrfn2007, we published issue r of America's Best Home workshops.

f You loved it. You're holding issue 2. Now, we're gatheringI submissions for issue 3. we're on the lookout for all types of

shops: basements, outbuildings, garages, small-space shops, and anyother shop you think woodworkers might like to scour for ideas tocreate or upgrade their own shops.

Besides searching for great workshops, we're also looking forproblem-solving helpers for the gallery section, like those starting onpage 116.

Would you like your shop or a friend's to be consideredfor national exposure in the next issue? If so, send us thefollowing, taking your cue from the featured shops found inthis issue:

. A photo of each shop wall.o Three to five photos showing the overall layout.o Close-ups of dedicated machining or

storage areas and problem-solving shop projects thatsuccessfully fill one or more needs.

. A rough sketch of the floor plan that shows overallshop dimensions and includes the locations of tools,workbenches, and wood storage.

r A short write-up of what makes your shop great and how it serves yourwoodworking interests.

Send your submission to:America's Best Home WorkshopsWOOD@ Magazine1716 Locust St.. LS-221Des Moines, IA 50309-3023

or you can e-mail your submission to [email protected] deadline is September 1, 2008. Submissions cannot be returned,but please include your daytime telephone number, mailing address,and e-mail address, if you have one available.

0Fl*l

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