Shopsmith Forums

My 12.5' x 28' shop is in the basement, so it is comfortable to work in year around. I retired two years ago and bought a Delta Midi-Lathe shortly after, so I have been spending many hours in my shop. I make things for the family and friends when requested, but I also have a couple of frequent customers who pay me and those $$ are used fro updates to my shop and for material.

My 9x13 shop is at the bottom of the basement stairs. Nice and warm in winter compared to garage - important here. but not a very good place to hide. I get a lot of "Oh, if you are going down stairs maybe you could take the laundry down" type of requests. I find I spend too much time chatting on the computer and not enough 'doing' to make good progress learning about WW from scratch. I have more organizing, learning, and upgrade type projects lined up than WW, like 5 to 1 ratio!:eek:

A year and a half ago I was given an old router. I did stop and ask myself if I really wanted a new hobby. I am pretty pleased with the few products I have completed since then. I am also glad that I found this great group to tag along with as I get into WW. It helps keep me into this even if I have little to show for if.

Since posting on this thread last week, I started thinking about how to store my cordless drill batteries and chargers [you all are a bad influence on me )]. So, over the weekend I went into wood working mode and made a specilized shelf just for that purpose (so much for my comments about not having any wood working projects on the horizon). I also decide to finally run cable and mount a TV in the shop. Where I received the following question. "Why do you need a TV in the garadge"? Some people just do not understand the meaning of Man Cave.

What "lightin" said!!!!!

and I had to stop on my new work bench to build an R/C aircraft for a grandson.......since he will be in the learning stage, I'll ge to fly it too!!!!!

Merry CHRISTmas!!! bill

The tv is great in the garage. But I get so wrapped up in projects I forget what's on. Friend of mine came over and we were doing a brake job in the driveway. They said they never knew I liked golf. I don't, but it must have been on for a while. My second friend came over and found me working away with a Sunday evangelist blaring away. I didn't even notice. Last I had looked up it was a show on hunting.

Yeah, it is really more about background noise while out in the garage than anything. A friend of mine one winter restored a 1954 corvette in his basement garage with the retro channel televising all the old sitcoms. Afterwards for a while he knew all the words and lyrics to Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, etc. He said it drove him nuts for a while until he was able to get it out of his head. The car turned out great and he enjoyed every minute of it.

dforeman wrote:Since posting on this thread last week, I started thinking about how to store my cordless drill batteries and chargers [you all are a bad influence on me )]. So, over the weekend I went into wood working mode and made a specilized shelf just for that purpose (so much for my comments about not having any wood working projects on the horizon). I also decide to finally run cable and mount a TV in the shop. Where I received the following question. "Why do you need a TV in the garadge"? Some people just do not understand the meaning of Man Cave.

I know a lot of people have put TVs in there shop area, but be careful. A man I worked with years ago was into making dollhouses, kits, and furniture for his wife's dollhouse shop. One super bowl Sunday he lost 3 fingers. He did not think he would have any trouble staying focused on his work, but...he was wrong:(

Well so far it doubles as a time machine. When I escape to the shop, seems like time flies.

Right now its primary function is as a woodshop as I try furiously to get everything made that is on my list for the people I love, and to get it all done by the 15th (when the family will all be together).

My shop is an old tin building, 20' x 40':
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It began life many, many years ago as a trout hatchery. Yep, you heard right. It used to sit on a large concrete pad behind the house, next to a spring in the hillside, and we hatched out rainbow trout for a trout farm about 3/10ths of a mile away.

After trout farming faded, my grandfather pulled the building off the pad and into the field where it became a hay barn, and later just random storage.

About eight years ago I decided I needed a place to work on my Fiat Spiders and keep parts out of the weather. So I spend a weekend cleaning it out and scraping out decades of muck with a skidsteer, then poured a pad inside. I covered some walls with pegboard and shelves and moved my car stuff in. Later, with a few more life changes, all my personal belongings ended up there as well in filing cabinets and on shelves.

And then I decided to get serious about woodworking, and bought my 2nd Shopsmith (having sold the first one years ago when downsizing to an apartment). I also began accumulating wood (see other threads) and more tools. Then a second Shopsmith showed up unexpectedly, followed by a 3rd (at which point I knew the "sickness" had taken me). More tools came along, and then the Mark VII. Something had to give. The '69 came out, more tools went in.

The building looks much bigger than it is, trust me. And something has to give. I've began selling a few car parts and some of the tools of which I have at least 3 of. I sold one Mark V to my son-in-law and the Mark VII went to a guy with a new shop but not enough tools. Now I want to get rid of the old Craftsman tablesaw I couldn't let go too cheap at an auction, as well as a couple of cheapie lathes.

So, the primary function of my shop has traditionally been storage. It also serves as a mechanic's garage, inside wood storage, tool rebuilding shop, and holds all the tools I need for my handyman work. I just back up to the doors and fill the back of the truck with what I think I need for that project.

How do I spend my time in there? Cleaning, reorganizing, making a little dust, looking for something lost in the piles, more cleaning, more organizing, and repeat! Oh, and occasionally I make something out of wood!

The next major improvement on my "shop" is to add a lean-to to cover the cars:
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Actually, the SS may only be a bad habit as I only have two right now, whereas the Spiders are an addiction (they're not even all in this picture).