While no shop is ever finished or perfectly arranged, the workshop has been set-up and running smoothly for months now. It's quite a relief to have, for the first time in my life, heat, air, and efficient dust collection in my workplace. In the beginning, and in theory, I'd wanted to know exactly where every tool was going before the shop was even built. In actuality, I had a good idea beforehand, but there were endless tweaks after the construction was complete. The photos below are a quick tour of how the (for now) final shop looks and works. I also did an article on the workshop for the upcoming Tools and Shops issue put out by Fine Woodworking, which should hit the stands in a few weeks.
All toolboards and wall cabinets are hung on French cleats, making them easy to re-arrange. Hangers are screwed to the wall studs, which are aligned with the stiles in the wainscoting.
One corner of the shop is reserved for hand work. There are two freestanding benches, a sharpening station, and ample storage--for both tools and hardware--on the walls.
Double-thicknesses of plywood make up the L-shaped worksurface at the back corner of the shop. Cabinets above and open space below provide plenty of storage space.
Various rolling carts are stowed beneath the L-shaped worksurface. Rolling carts will be easier to amend or replace as my needs change in the future.
Two rolling carts are designed to work in unison: the hinged top on one opens up to lay flat on the other. The flexibility comes in handy when I need an extra worksurface for assembly or finishing.
The space under one cart is left open for tool storage.
The mating cart is outfitted with a case of quickly made shop drawers.
Under the lumber rack is a mobile bin for storing short cut-offs. The rotating planer cart is stored here in the closed position, where it serves as outfeed support for the chopsaw.
The top on the mobile planer cart rotates to expose the planer when needed. It is sized so that the tablesaw station can function as outfeed support for the planer.
