Best

America's
HomeWorkshop

rlj
J
rl
{'
I

/l neat&complete
I Detail,organization,and creativity mix
freely and easily in this suburban shop, built
alongsidea brand-newhome.

4r
I| h tripledelight
carver of Native
\./ A renowned
American totem poles and art designed a
workspace seruingthree distinct functions.

1r
makeovel
/ n extreme
L\J When a Pittsburgh woodworker
remodeled his home, out went the vehicles.
ln came all new tools and work areas.

in the making rwoyearsof patience planning

andcareful inthe
resulted
Apryeafs
| \Jperfect shop for a Pennsylvaniafurnituremaker.

J
l.t
m

nri/| AI\
paradise
^ J
up
</lfromthe bottom
I A basement shop not only can be
trr,rlyfunctionalbut also built without a huge
mountain
4l | \-/ ILarge shops aren't immune to
disorganization!A Colorado woodworker
64fl:ilHlfljn'li"''
An lllinois graduate student proves you
expense-if you use some innovation. with space to spare set about taking on don't need a huge shop to build useful
this challengingtask. woodworking projects. Here's how he
"shed" that notion.
rr
bad
6 R not
) O l*.',llllll1t*3:.:1"'i*l:ls abesinner
ror
Qua|itywork needs a qua|ity shop. Here's how 1,' \J With an eye for practica|ity,
madethat
onerowan abudset.
happen-on
il:i:::ffi:X[:.#:i:?:,$i[.ffj

Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

 , : i":".:-l:...:: ,.

ttl':$

10 B r'g*:,'J^{::"sht
the
wood.
<i working bug began amassingtool after tool after

'ry-a tool-then shoehornedthem into his unusual,

angled garage.

n^\
V / patienceisits ownrewald Long,
hardprannins
made
a brisht,
ary
J I- versatilespace possible for the doctor who created it.

44f
| | h proiectgallery
| | \./ When it comes to great ideas to
make your shop more functional or organized,
our readerstake a backseat to no one.

-7r
/ nfamilyties
I \-/ Father and son com- America's
BestHomeWorkshops
bined to build a workshop that Editor-in-Chief
Bltt KRIER
seruesto bring the generations Managing
EditorMAR[E],]
KEMMEI
closer together- literally! Publication
EditorlM LACHER
Art DirectorKARLEHLERS
/1A Publication
Art DirectorMY I'IEUBAUER

|.^/{livinsitup ExecutiveVice
President
DOUG
0LS0N
\/ | Have you ever been
accused of living in your shop?
A Wisconsinturner designed
10 0 ril":l"l*r*',r"1fi
rx"q"
-*, 21"".p#^,,t!t
shop ceilings from falling down. They make
Publisher
MARKL. HAGEN

his as a home away from home. mighty useful- and colorful- utility spaces. @Copyright 2008.Ail rightsreserued.printedin the U,S.A.
Meredih Corporation

woodmogozine.com
 fl
F

tFr-_

ll

WhenTom planned
Whalley theworkshopforhisfamily's
herealized
home,
newsuburban inhisoldshop
thateverything
aplace.
needed aplace
Sohedesigned foreverything.

lom Whalley hadjust been them. And we're going to spend

I put in chargeof managing
I recordsat his Army basein
Germany when he realized there
was a major problem: Nothing
was in order.He soonfixed that.
"I got a couple of privatesin
'Men, we're
thereand I told them,
going to dump out every record
onto the floor, and then we're
goingto sortthemout andarrange
all night doing it.' " And so, the
military was introducedto quite
possiblywoodworking'squintes-
sential" or ganizationman."
Yearslater,when Tom and his
wife, Kathie,built their homein
Urbandale, Iowa, Tom made
absolutelysure he designedhis
woodworking shop to be the
definitive word in efficiency.

Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008


TomWhalleybelievesthat
organization is keyto creativity.
"Thatstuffaboutthe absent-
mindedgenius-ldon'tbuyinto
it," he says.
Clutter simply doesn't exist
becauseTom carefully planned
everything to make use of the
720 sq ft on the house'slower
level. Cabinets supporting
machines stow neatly under
benchesor within othercabinets.
Lumber, sheetgoods,and tools
are arrangedso Tom can find
exactly what he is seekingin a
matterof seconds.
TYPE: Walkoutlowerlevel
of ranch-style
home.
SIZE: 23'6"x28'4"(666 sq
ft),with8'6" ceiling.
CONSTRUCTION:
Finishedbasement.
HEATING& COOLING:
Dedicatedand self-
containedforced-airfurnace
and air-conditioning
system
separatefrom the rest of the
house.
ELECTRICAL:Dedicated
110-and 220-voltcircuits
separatefrom the rest of
the house.
LIGH TIN G:H i gh - int ensit y
fluorescents.
DUSTCOLLECTION:
2-hp, 220-voltGrizzly.
Shopsmithportablemini
vacuum,capableof being
hookedup to tool dust ports.
A IR C OMP R E SSO R:
11/2-hpicopperair lines
runningwithinshopwalls.

Etficiency,efficiency,
enKrcncy
"My mom was the driving force
behind my efficiency kick,"
revealsthe accountexecutivefor
an online employmentservice.
"Shealwayssaidthatif you spent
more than two minuteslookine

Tomorientedhis draftingtable
anddeskat a 90oangleto one
wall."Now,I canworkat the
draftingtable,turnto something
at the desk,andlookout at the
shopandvisualize it."

woodmogozine.com

23'6"
for something,you weren't or-
ganized."It's frustratingwhen
you need a tool and you don't
know where one is, he insists.
"To me, being organizedmeans
not having to dig throughboxes
and cabinetsto seeif I havethe
tool I need.I just don't want to
stop what I'm doing and
rummagethroughdrawers."
Space-saving, Tom believes,
runs hand-in-glovewith storage
efficiency. Therefore,many of
his shop cabinetsservedouble
duty.For example,his planerand
bandsaw flip and stow inside
their own mobile cabinets,
providing additional counter
space. (Plans for this flip-top
cabinet are available.To order
those plans, online, to.., to
6 Americo'sBeslHomeWorkshops 2008
thefloorplan
Wall-mounted
Lumber
storage
Mobile
sheet-
goods rack
5'double
doors
to garage
"lf you've
gotabigshop, Practicallyeverythingin Tom Whalley'sshop in the
basementof his home is movable,to save space and
you'dbetterbeorganized maximizeefficiency.That's how he gets an awful lot of
equipmentinto a 24x28'space.Floorscoated with epoxy
because there'stoomuch resistscuffingand can stand up to the wheels of Tom's
many mobile cabinets,which house most of his power
tokeep trackof.lf you've tools. Tom designedmany of the mobilecabinetsto fit
under other cabinetsand under worksurfaces.Double
gotalittleshop, you'd doors lead to the garage,which Tom plansto convertto
betterbemore organized a finishingroom.
because you'llneverfind
to move raw materials in and it doesn't necessarily apply
anything!" finishedpiecesout. to his woodworking projects.
"lf you'vegot a big shop,you'd "I did plan my shop by saying,
'What do I have and where
One reason Tom organized better be organized because
the space so well is he designed there'stoo much to keep track should everything go?' " Tom
it as a workshop-it wasn't con- of," Tom reasons."If you'vegot acknowledges. "But when I'm
verted from another use. So not a little shop,you'dbetterbe more woodworking,a thought might
'That cabinet
only did he dedicate areas for organizedbecauseyou'll never occur to me. like.
designing, sanding, and turning find anything!" could use an additional shelf.'
but also integrated the doorway Although order and precision That's where I allow creativity
into the garuge.This enableshim ruled the designof Tom's shop, to take over."
 prcfffiandideas
Becauseof its three-layerconstruction,
Tom's95Vzx40Vz" sliding-doortool
cabinet- his originaldesign- above
the workbenchmakestriple use of
the wall space. Doors slide left and
right (as shown below) on screen-door
rollersinsidestrips of %"thick aluminum
channels.After cutting the s/e"plywood
to size,Tom positionedhis tools on
it, traced their outlineswith black
markingpen, then pounded nailsof
sufficientsize into the plywood to hold
the tools. Finally,he cut the poplar rails
and walnut stilesto fit. "The last place
someoneshouldtry to make a fashion
statementis in a shop," Tom says. "But
the look and feel I get from dreamingup
a project or a method is very important."

Tom made this unusualmobile sanding -", -*ag-gOl**f

cabinetas compact as possible.Placing
three sanderson one cabinetallowed
him to combinesimilartools without
taking up extra floor space.Tom can roll
the cabinet right up to his workbench,
if necessary.Open shelves below store
sandingaccessories,and there'splenty
of room to house portable-toolcases.
The holes hook up to a shop-vacuum
hose.The top hole servicesthe belt
sander;the bottom, the strip sanderand
oscillatingspindlesander.

woodmogozine.com
 profecBandifr o

ffi
rH

Tom Whalley'sversatileworkbench,his originaldesign,was the first proiect he built for his

new shop. The bench acts as a "bat cave" to house his jointeri shaperiand mitersaw.The
jointer and shaper carts slide in beneath the worksurface. By equalizingthe worksurface
heights, he can provide a stable platform for a board as long as 14'. "l wanted to make my
mobiletool stands as tall as I could but still fit underneath,"Tom says'

lf I hadto doit alloveragain...

"lhonestlydon'tknow - it'sjusthowI likeit.0h,
I guessit
would tohave
benice more outlets.
electrical Butthat'squibbling.
Itookthetimetodesign thewayI needed
it exactly to.l'mrather
happy withthewayitturned out."
Americo's BestHome Workshops 2008
 When a fixture serves no
functional purpose in Tom
Whdley's shop, you'd
better believe it has some
other deeply held value.
The tobacco cans and
other tins at right belonged
to Tom's fathen who used
them to store nuts, bolts,
and screws. Tom built the

@@@
display as a tribute.

(wo
As with all of Tom's wall-
hung cabinets, the more-
attractive mottled side of
the birch plywood shows.
"Birch usuallyhas one side
that's clear and a back
side that's mottled," Tom
explains. "The variegations
of the grain add character."

qir
t'*

When Tom bought his jointer; he realized

the metal base just wasn't functional. So he
removed it and built his own. Then he added
a dust-collection system inside that not only
captures the chips but also feeds them into
a dust-collector hose, which attaches to a
port on the side of the cabinet. On the back
(unseen)is the new mount and belt housing
Tom built for the motor. The housing protects
the pulleys and belts and allows Tom to easily
adjust the belt tension.
To the left of the mobile jointer; Tom built a
cabinet to fit his small machinist's lathe and
grinder.fl-he grinder comes off easily when
he needs more room.) The right-hand set of
drawers below the grinder stores the turning
tools Tom custom-made to build the smaller
parts of his scale-model cars (seepage 75).
The larger drawer on the left holds various
other turning tools that see less frequent use.

woodmogozine.com
 I

tropcsMideffi

'/r'-t\.,oyo\

t/a"dadoes
t/q" deep

sZ"plywood

1th x 11/2"

When Tom discovered he had wasted

his money by buyingthe same drill bit /a" hardboard
he thought he didn't have, he realized
he needed a cabinet to organize his
drill bits and accessories.Appropriately 71/q'4
located near his drill press, the cabinet
is made of baltic birch plywood (drawer
fronts, plus side, back, and door
panels),pine (drawersand door trays),
and walnut (drawer handles).As with
allTom'scabinetsand racks,this one
is finishedwith a clea[ oil-basedfinish.
"Water base whitens everything-but I
wanted to bring out the character of the
mottled birch plywood grain," Tom says.
"That's nature's beauty."
,"0"

r/z" groove
g/sz"deep

10 Americo's BestHome Workshops 2008

 Wall space is at a
premiumin Tom's
shop, so when he had
a chanceto design
storage space away
from a wall, he took it. Tom designedthis
The other side of clamp rack, which
this hangingclamp he imported from his
rack holds Tom'sjigs, former home, for just
and the entireunit three sets of specialty
serves as a space clamps that serve to
dividef isolatingthe secureedge-joined
drillingareafrom his tabletop pieces,
turning operations."lt corner pieces,and
prevents chips from very long boards.
the lathe getting all
over the shop," he
points out.

fu,,,,,.iffi h.r
-l
To Tom, organizationequals
time saved. So he sorts his
@i \
lumber by type of wood and
thickness. He stores scrap
---'t'
pieceson the left wall and big
boardsfrom the mill on the
right. "When I need a chunk
of wood, I can see at a glance
just what I have on hand so I
don't have to waste a trip to
the mill," he says. "When I get
to a stage where I want to build
*\il
-l
somethingquick, I don't want
to lose momentum."
The Grizzlydust collector
stores against the wall, but
Tom can wheel it out when it's
time to clean up.

{
t.
b I
''
r

woodmogozine.com
11
 prctffiandidea
o

..;.1$,:ii,;'.

A simple weekend project

resulted in this portable cart
that has enough work sPace to
act as an additional assembly
table if necessary and enough
shelf space to house supplies
for a particularproiect-or for all
that stuff that won't fit into anY
existingcabinet.

3/qX21/qX441/2"

ShowcaseY0UR
Worlshop
Seepage127for details.
11/2x31/2x19"

12 Americo's BestHome Workshops 2008

 1/zx 1/2"
notches

Lengthto fit
insideof tool cart

tZ" dadoes
1/4"deep

t/2" rabbel1/4" deep

BecauseTom doesn't like to waste a
second searchingfor what he needs
to do a job, he designeda sandpaper
holder that fits directly into his drum-
sander stand. "The dimensionsare
variable;justmake it fit in the place you
need," Tom says.

The challengewith a drill press?

It's hard to support a long board
on a tiny table. Tom solved the
dilemma by creating an oversize
table with extensionsthat slide
in and out as necessary."The
whole thing is collapsible,"Tom
explains, "so I don't have to
devote so much space to it." The
setup doesn't need fasteners or
clamps-the fence to the rear
of the table holds the board
securely in place. The fence
moves on channels in the cast-
iron table under it.

woodmogozine.com
13
 o

wffiMieffi

e / q x 3 Y z( 1 x 4 ) x 3 6 "

F -.i ' i 11/zx 31/z(2x4) x 50r/2"

l* s/q x 31/2
lil (1x4)x 60"
il
.u

3/q x 31/z
(1x4) x 35t/2"

:)
t/a"carriagebolt
5o bevels 1/2"long
1t/zx 11/z(2x2) x 36"
7 a x 3 1x 3 6 "
plywood

4',
11/z'

Plywood and other sheet goods populate this

mobile rack. Tom separateseach section by
size.The shelvessupport smallerpieces;the
middle divider not only supports larger sheet 11/zx 11/z(2x2) x 24"
goods but also separatesfront trom back. "l t/+" tlal
try not to throw just anything on it," Tom says. i)2; *".n.t
"Keeping it organized, I don't have to waste \ ,/o,'lock
time picking and choosingtrying to find iust nut
5" swivelcaster
the right board." 11/zx 31/z(2x4) x 31 "

14 Americq's BestHome Workshops 2008


profile
woodworkert
(ome of Tom Whallev's
Jfondest memories are of
building things with his father,
Fred.That'swhy so many of his
dad'stools gracehis newly built
homeworkshop.
"Dad was a tinkerer," Tom
recalls."He wasalwaysbuilding
something, designingsomething.
The first thing he and I built
togetherwas a workbench.One
yearwe built ajunglegym ourof
2x4s and iron pipe."
In high school,Tom'sdesign
abilitiesresultedin specialtreat-
ment. "I just raced through the
projects,and the instructorran
out of thingsfor me to do," Tom
remembers."So he assignedme
projects for his home." Now,
Tom designsand builds things
for his own home. such as the
woodmogozine.com
I
nightstand(at right) as well as
the five-piecebedroom set that
servesas the centerpieceof the
mastersuite.
Looking for things to do in
the Army drovehim to the base's
woodshop."I lived there," he
marvels."They had an arsenal
of tools. I was introducedto an
awful lot of machines."
Tom equatesthe creativity of
woodworkingwith his careeras
an accountexecutive."Working
with woodis all aboutdesigning,
building, and finishing some-
thing,"he reasons."In my job, I
designrelationshipswith clients,
build them,andpolishthem.All
that'smissingis the sawdust."
Tom designedhis paint and finish-supplycabinet
to-what else?-maximize space and keep himself
organized.Tom didn't need deep wing doors and could
hang the doors on simple continuoushinges."Anything
that can, hangs,"Tom explains;for example,brushes
hang from nails.The entirecabinet measuresabout 16"
deep with the doors shut. There's plenty of space for
what might be needed in the future.
The 1:18-scale1931 ChevyCabrioletthat
Tom built (left) contains more than 500 parts.
"Evefihing that could move on the real one
moves on this one," assuresTom,who estimates
he spent about 2,500hours makingsix of the
models.The mission-stylenightstand(above)in
the master bedroom took less time. Tom made
the quartersawnwhite oak top wider than most
similarpiecesto match the proportionsof the
bed, and tallerso it could containfour drawers
insteadof the traditionalthree.
Photographer:JasonDonnelly
lllustrations:
RoxanneLeMoine
15
 l

Fromhisrustic aNorthwest
workshop,
continues
carver ofartwork
alegacy
along-standing
thatimmortalizes
community.
American
Native

F" ale Faulstich goes
U f through woodworking
m -
nf shops the way some go
through cars. "This is the fifth
shopI've hadin my life," saysthe
renowned carver of Northwest
Native American totem poles,
like the twin posts shown at
right, andotherartwork.But just
like the vehicleyoucustomrzeto
a T, he'sfound his keeper.
He's learnedfrom eachprevi-
ous shop's deficiencies and
appliedthoselessonsto the next.
Each one evolvedin designand
efficiency. Along the way, he's
acquirednew tools and replaced
others.However,his radial-arm
saw-the first powertool he ever
bought-is left over from his
first dedicatedshop,in the car-
riagehouseof a rentedtwo-story
Victorian. That was about l0
miles from wherehe lives today,
on five acres in rural Sequim,
Washington, on the Olympic
Peninsulanorthwestof Seattle.
In this woodedarea,he'sbuilt
a shop designedfor his work:
carving masks, sculptures,and
furniture pieces.(Seepage 25.)
"The shop is designedspecifi-
cally for what I do," he acknowl-
edges."But I think that everY
carver and woodworker could
take advantageof some of the
thingsI've donehere."
room
Elbow
That includes plenty of elbow
room. "I've just got to have it,"
Dale says. He constructedhis
split-level unattached building
with a l5'-tall cathedralceiling
so he wouldn't worry about
smacking lumber and finished The "DancePlazaHouse
piecesinto light fixtures. Most Posts" commemorate a
walls are 8'tall. The walls in the S'Klallamtribe legend.

16 Americq's Besl Home Workshops 2008

 TY P E :Outbui l d ing.
SIZE: 30x40'(1,200-sq-ft)

'- '7=

/
W: ,.''
space,dividedintothree
sections:168-sq-ftoffice/
designstudio;672-
sq-ftcarve/paintstudio;
and 360-sq-ftmillwork/
fabricationroom.
*
CONSTRUCTION:2x4 and
2xGframewith cedarsiding.
HEATING:Woodstove, plus
cei l i ng-hung
forc ed- air
propaneheater.
ELECTRICAL:200-amp
servicepanel.
LIGH TIN G:10 d ualf ull-
spectrumfluorescent
fixturesin the carve/paint
studio;six in the millwork/
fabrication ("sawdust")
room;as wellas spotlight
incandescents abovetools.
D U S TC OLLE CTI O N:
Portableshopvacuumin
machineryroom,connected
to varioustoolsas needed.
A IR C OMP R E SSO R:
5- hp
uprightcompressorwith
60-galloncapacity.

OPPOSITE,FARLEFT
The all-cedarexterior 0narecent
triptotheNorthern
of Dale'searly-'80s
0lympic Peninsula,
I visited theshop
structure not only fits the
Northwestambiencebut is ofDale Faulstich,
master carverof
maintenance-free as well. traditi0nal-style
masks, totem poles,
andsteam-bentboxes. After viewing
ABOVE:Behinda larger
carving bench, nearly hisoutbuilding
workshop, I knewthis
finishedpieces cure on wasafacility
andawood artisanwe
shelvesin Dale'sL-shaped, hadtosharewithotherwoodworkers.
672-sq-ft carue/paint
studio. Dale's plywood lfyourhomeworkshop isonethat
floor is easy on the legs. otherwoodworkers mightfindinter-
estingandwouldlikeit considered for
LEFT Whilethe single-
paned windows in Dale's ofthispublication,
thenextedition
shop wouldn't conform visit ,:.,..,, ,
to today's insulation Morlen
Kemmet,
standards,they do allow
W00D'mogozine
Monoging
Editor
views of the Nodhwest's
woods, in all their glory.

woodmogozine,com
17
 thefloorplan
Wallcabinets
Wdtt llulWorkbench
cabinet HTqiqgyg Rad"dr-r""
I rqurqr-(
tool storage
SAW

MILLWORIV
FABRICATION ROOM
"Sawdustroom" Carvingbench

10x 12, Assembly

Qqn...n , I Slow-
overhead
and outfeedtable
--in'ffi cARVuE/PArNr tt--------j
ooor
#,"fJlE
lLJl
Radial
Planerand
BelUdisc carvingbench
li-ll
"l"s:,
rl-------rl
sander n n
o?;'1. Tabresaw -/ ll ll warr-huns
Bandsaw
Jointer
I ll-.ll
r---, .-r I [[|l ll I j_ |E I
\ r - _ . m l n l l i l l l l l r In lflf i l E l u'':,:"0'"
Sanderand I | | | easel

-rE=\- HrHt]|'jllilll'll I rl'trfI I

Lbl _H_r* ut-.--- r i Arr
L__l Mobile
L_l
"ur compressor
carvingbenches
Exhzust
lLisht lHffi

[T_]L_I_l
T
12',
cabinets

I copy
m ac hine
oFFlcE/
D E S I G NS T U D I O
Mobile
utility
cart

l 14'1
Pole-
carvingbench

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

when he had establishedhimselfas a
carvel although not yet of totem poles.
He dividedthe 30x40' area into three main
sections(clockwisefrom top): a millwork/
fabrication room that he calls the "sawdust
room;" carve/paint studio; and office/
design studio.A slidingdoor separatesthe
millworkareafrom the carve/paintstudio,
keepingdust away from finishedpieces.
millwork & fabrication room,
where he keeps most of his
power tools-Dale calls it the
"SaWdUSt 1666"-41e taller
because it's on a lower level.
"I made that room level with the
outside so I could drive a vehicle
into the room, if necessary,"he
says. A crawl space underneath
the various rooms provides stor-
age, plus a home for the wiring
of his 200-amp panel.
The exterior is clad with low-
maintenance unfinished cedar
siding. The 8' interior walls are
s/8" drywall painted white for
brightness.Dale built the shop in
1984; by today's standards, the
building isn't insulated well.
Windows are single-paned. "It
wasthe early '80s,whenenergy
conservation wasn'tasimportant
as it is today," Dale points out,
"and the mild NorthwestCoast
climate doesn'tdemandheavy
insulation.However,I would be
more energy-conscious if I were
to build today."
afoot
Comfort
For heat, Dale used to rely solely
on a woodstove; he's added a
forced-air burner that hangs
from the ceiling of the carvel
paint studio, one of three work-
ing areas.He installed a plywood

18 Americo's Besl Home Wolkshops 2008

 11r-
lffi
.JgT
FqTE
_4F
'-
ln

't

|w*
':i,
44-

+:t:

ABOVE:Studentswho attend Dale'sclasseson creating

traditionalartwork of NativeAmericansof the Pacific
Northwestcan work on compact yet sturdy benches.
For pfans, see page 23.

LEFT:The 1942Warm Morningwood-burning

stove in the studio has traveledwith Daleto
severalof his shops, but he no longer uses
it exclusivelyto heat his currentone. He still
employs it as a practicalway to eliminate
wood scraps,however.Scaleddrawingsof
Dale'stotem poles decorateadjacentwalls.

floor instead of optin-qfor rnuch Taking

more convenientbut uncomfbrt-
able concrete.
"My previous shop,in the first
property I owned, had concrete."
Dale recalls. "It was the last
concretefloor I wanted. It might
be easy to install, but it's cold
and hard on the le-es,especially
if you standfbr quite a long time.
So the 7+"plywood floor works a
lot better." Dale places 7s"-thick
fbarn antif'atiguemats in front of
any place where he spends a lot
of tirne standins.
it outside
Dale did install a concretefloor
in the sawdust roorl (see yrge
2l), accessed from a sliding
door. Woodworking machinery,
allon casters.lines the wall. This
is where he cuts large piecesthat
eventr"rally
becomernasks,boxes,
furniture, and totem poles Llp to
20'tall. (He and a crew carve the
more complex 45' poles in an
off--sitecommercial faci I ity.)
Dale also rips workpieces to
make totem pole wings. and he
uses his 16" bandsaw to make

woodmogozine.com
19
Made of cherry plus birch
for the drawer sides, the
tool chests that hold Dale's
many carving instrumentsfit
on top of a mobile cabinet
he can move wherever he
needs it. The drop-leaf table
addition serves as a useful
worksurface.The double-eye
and single-eyedesignsDale
carved on the inside surface
of the lids representthe Chiet
Above, who, legend says,
possessed the sun, moon,
and stars until Raven stole
them from him and brought
them to eafth.
The board on the wall is
Dale'sshop easel. The 4x8'
sheet of plywood, with simple
framing on its back side, is
hingedto the wall so Dale
can adjust it to any angle.
Magnets hold drawings to the
galvanizedmetal surface.
20
initial cuts on a mask. To drill
holesthat follow the contoursof
masks, Dale relies on a radial
drill press-it adjusts to any
angleand movesin and out.
He takes advantageof the
mild temperatures in the North-
west. 'All my tools are on
wheels,"he relates,"so I canjust
roll them outdoorswhen it's a
pleasantsummerday."
Dale's educational work is
done inside, however. In the
carving studio, where he con-
ductsclassesin NativeAmerican
art. he has installedstudent-size
workbenches. A single-panel
sliding door made from pine
separateshis carve/paint studio
from the sawdustroom.
"I close the door for quiet, to
keep dust out of my office, and
to keep sawdust away from pieces quickly. "The recipe is
piecesthat are drying," he says. microwave a piece on high for
"If you're a hobbyist,it's proba- two minutes, let it cool for l0
bly not necessaryto be that minutes, and put it back in for
elaborate. But I have multiple two minutes,weighingit at each
projectsgoing at once. One of stage," he says. "When the
those may be a finished piece weightstabilizes,all the wateris
that's got paint drying; I might out of it. A typical maskcan lose
bejoining boardsin another;and from 8 to 16ouncesof water."
I might be carvingin a third." As with otherobjectshe crafts,
Dale carves from the native
Snecialized snaces hardwood on his property. So
fdrspecial taliks an essentialfor his carving stu-
Doing mostly carving, Dale dio is a place to hollow out the
doesn't perform a lot of tasks logs, as well as shelvesto set
that kick up plenty of dust. For them upon to dry.
that reason,he hasput off invest- Everything begins in Dale's
ing in a central dust-collection office, which he purposefully
system,insteadusing a portable built into his shop layout. "I've
shopvacuum. learned over the years that it's
What is essential,however,is essentialto investhowevermany
a microwaveovenhe usesto drv hours it takes to create a good
Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008
A 10x12'overheaddoor in Dale's"sawdust
room" makes it easy to bring large
workpieces-and machines-in and out. lf I hadto doit alloveragain...
Dale made the floor levelwith the outside
so if necessaryhe can drive a truck into the "WhatI wouldliketoaddismore220-volt
outlets
andmaybe
a
space to load or unload items.
dust-collection
system. I getalong
prettywellwithout them,butevery
nowandthenIthinkI wouldgetalongevenbetterif I hadthem!"

woodmogozine.com
21

o
design for each project," Dale
says."If you start with a good
design, even if you cheat on
the craftsmanship,the finished
productwill still be good.But if
you start with a poor design,no
matter how good your crafts-
manship, the finished product
will be poor. So, I spendmany
hourssittingthere."
Dale'swoodworkinghascome
a long way sincethe first room
he devotedto his craft after mov-
ing to Washingtonstatein 1973
the living room of a house he
rented."I had no garageor base-
ment,soI movedall the furniture
out of the living room and put
my tools there,"he remembers.
Having relocatedto the North-
westandestablished himself asa
carver, Dale and his wife,
Heather,built a house,complete
with workshop,in 1979.Adesire
to stay put led to the acreage
wherethey've lived for 30 years.

ABOVE: Daledesigned thisbench

exclusively for caruingmodelsof
totempoles,on whichhe works
out detailsfor full-sizeversions.
Thebenchholdstheworkpiece
justas a lathechuckholds
turningstock.Dalecan rotatethe
workpieceto anyangle,thenlock
it intopositionwitha clampfor
hands-free carving.Locksat one
endholdtheworkpiece in place.

Dale didn't build his current

shop simply to make it bigger.
"I built it so I could havespace
\,
for higher-qualitytools, which I
could afford becauseI was mak-
ing a betterliving," he explains.
"One of the things I learnedis
that if you're going to upgrade,
havea purposeto it."
Dale's space suits him per-
fectly. And it's a keeper.

ABOVE:For Dale, every project begins at the drawing table and

desk he created out of birch plywood and alder framing. He also
constructed the cabinets above and on floor levelto match.

22 Americo's Best Home Wotkshops 2008

 w#ffiMtu

woodmogozine.com
23
 profile
woodrruorlart
ustout of the CoastGuardin 1972,Dale Faulstichput his
artistry to good use, doing commercial work for the
JamestownS'Klallam Native American community,located
in Sequim,Washington."I did varioussigns,carveddoorsfor
the tribal administrationbuilding,and vehiclelettering,using
nativemotifs in carving,"Dale recalls."The more I did, the
more fascinatedI was with their art. So I learnedmore about
it and eventuallycarvedtotempolesas a hobby."
lnl993,the tribe wasreadyto openacasinoandapproached
Dale to provide l0 totem polesfor that enterprise.Tribal offi-
cials liked Dale's6'-diameter,49'-highefforts so much, they
asked him to do more. Since then, he's createdpoles for
medical plazas,dental clinics, and other sites."There's so
much to do," Dale says,"and eachproject is different."
Besidesbeing involvedin varioustribal projects,Dale is
helpingto carry on the nativeart traditionby teachingclasses
in designingandcarvingtraditionalobjects,andis the subject
of a book aboutthe craft. (Seepage 25.)He and his family-
wife, Heather; daughter,Holly; and son, Tyler-live in the
housethey built in 1979.For more informationaboutDale's
art, visit www.olypen.com/hhtd.

On the tribe'sSouthCampus,Dale's45' pole depictsfour

traditionaltales. Daledecided which tales to use based on the
creatureshe encounteredduring walks in the woods.

Dale had to put up a

2,400-sq-ftbuildingon
tribal land to give him
and a crew enough
room to construct his
totem poles,which
can be as tall as 49'.

Dalestands besideone of the 10 poles he

crafted for the 7 Gedars Casino on the tribal
homeland.The art at the base of the pole
depicts a whale hunterpeeringbetweentail
flukes,remindingviewersof the S'Klallam's
whale-huntingheritage.

DennisCollinsPhotography
Photographs:

24 Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

 Dale carued this chief's
settee, measuring
34x22x72", out of clear,
vertical-grain,old-growth
western red cedar for
a Native American
businessman'shome.
The design tells of
the Gonakadet, an
undersea being who is
a source of wealth and
chiefly advantages.

Boxes and chests, like

this 25x22x39" example,
traditionally served as cradles,
coffins, and nearly everything
in between. Made from clea4
old-grourth western red
ceda6 like the settee above, it
includes a lid inlaid with shelts
from the red turban sea snail.

Dale carves masks

in the style of
Northwest Native
Americans for three
traditional occasions:
presentation of high-
This sculpture depicts
ranking chiefs and
the Raven Finned Killer
ancestors, dances that
Whale, a mythicalsea
reenact legends, and
creature of great
for healing and
cultural importance.
shamanism.
The bid motif frequently
finds its way into native
masks as well, and is
often seen in native dance
Totam Poles of the
exhibitions among the
Northwest communities. Jamestown S' Kallam Tribe
($1a.9S)'tellsthe story
of this Northwest Native
American community in the
art Dale Faulstich creates.
Oder from Amazon.com or
wwwjamestown.tri be.org
(360-683-110e).

woodmogozine.com
25
 ' t - ' . , .

S-.*---

After20years,
Scott figured
Beresford home-including
it wastimehissuburban
anewgarage
Building
aface-lift.
hisworkshop-received enabled toconvert
Scott
newhome
hisoldoneintoacompletely shop, toolstoboot.
withthelatest

nce upon a time, there
was a man namedScott
Beresford.who had no
wife or kids. and lived in a sub-
urban home outsidePittsburgh.
Scott had a split-level, which
includeda garageleadingdown
a shortflight of stepsto a wood-
working shop in his basement,
and he wascontent.
But after 20 yearsof living in
his home, this lucky man had
reacheda point where he was
financially comfortable and and doubling the size of my
wantedto usehis woodworking workshop. My shop was only
talent to enjoy himself and 12x20',and it was a nightmare
maybeearna little moneyon the trying to do anythingof any size.
side.So he decidedto make his To savespace,all my woodwork-
workshoppart of a major face- ing machineswere on wheels.I
lift for his home. had no room for larger, more
efficient tools. I wanted more
Twice
asnice spaceto devoteto my furniture-
"I wanted five things for my building and guitar work."
home," he says:"adding a new Scott'srenovationsmore than
dining room, living room, doubled the size of his work-
garage,upgradingthe electrical, space.Building a new attached

26 Americo'sBeslHomeWorkshops 2008
 t
d LEFT:On the laminated maple bench

f he custom-made years ago, which

includes a Veritastwin-screw end
vise, Scott assemblesthe furniture,
guitars, and home-decorating
enhancementshe builds.The metal
channelsaccommodatehold-downs
and jigs. Scott added bench-dog
holes in the benchtopand edge for
clampinglong boards.

BOTTOM:In his office space on the

upper level,Scott built adjustable
shelves for small hardware.The
compressed-airoutlet above the
desk is one of 10 throughoutboth
levelsof the shop.

TYPE: Attachedgarage.
SIZE: Lower-level:15x24'
(360sq ft); upper-level:
21x22'(462sq ft);total:
822 sq ft
CONSTRUCTION: Wood
frame,drywallinteriorwalls;
concretefloors under 1/2"-
thickUtil-A-Matreversible
mat overlay.
HEATING:Three1,500-watt
CadetHydronicbaseboard
heaterssupplementforced
air froma homefurnace.
COOLING:Spacepak
centralair-condition
ing
systemfor entirehouse.
ELECTRICAL:100-amp
dedicatedsubpanel.
LIGH TIN G:4' dua l- t ube
fixtureswithfull-spectrum
f luorescents;
f ull-spectru
m
compactfluorescents.
DUSTCOLLECTION:Fein
' -'-*
qt::' , l--
shopvacuumwith mini
.-l- * -l tr- cycloneseparatorand
2" schedule-40PVC
ducting;ClearVue CV1880
5-hp cyclonewith 6"
snaplockmetalducting.
A IR C OMP R E S SO RS:
Two-stage,2-hp,Grainger
Speedaire4YN50A,26-
gal l ontank;pl usG r ainger
Speedaire3Z409B,
20-gal l onauxi l i ar air
y t ank.

woodmogozine.com
27
 gNrF

& qF

r f=t-
r
M! iH

ABOVEAND RIGHT:Because
Scott's upper-levelshop is an
assemblyarea,he built and
installedthree tables:his main
bench in the rear,left; another
all-purposetable, foreground;
and a 26x48" vise table, securely
anchoredto the floo6 at right
rear and in photo, rght. From the
rear of the table and clockwise,
the vises are: a pipe vise from
Grizzlythat Scott uses to hold
any diameterof conduit; a heavy-
duty all-purposemetal vise, with
built-inanvil (a necessityfor any
shop, Scott says);a pattern-
maker'svise,with jaws that
swivel independentlyto allow
clampingof odd-shapedpieces;
and a parrot vise, which rotates
360oand locks into position.

28 Americo's Besf Home Workshops 2008

thefloorplan
T
ttl@@|_l
| | f _ l i "- ri [lt t -"- lt l| tl l
lDryerll
I I
l"'"'"1
L.l
n smarl
| | Parts
storase
L l
l coppertubing
421'
-qara-qeallowed him to expand
his shop into his original garage
as well as his basement. That
15x24'areahouseshis tools. and
the former space,now 21x22'. rs
an assembly and "clean fool-t-I."
Looking at how Scott did all
this is a case study in how to
think through a shop expansion.
"My first priority was to plan,"
Scott says. "I sketched out rny
space,made cutor-rtsto represent
all my machines, and moved
them around." Once he had
everything where he wanted it,
Scott up-gradednearly every tool
with something that was either
bigger, better,or both.
"By then, I had grown out of
my 1O0-percent-hobbyist phase,
woodmogozine.com
Water
tank
I|.4\
ll Contractor-style
r lI tablesaw
l l W a s h e Ir
S"k Lum ber
LOWER LEVEL SIOTAgC
Waterheater
powered
Mini-cyclone
by a Feinsystem
(Machi ni ngarea)
Cyclone
dust
collector
Furnace
compressed-air
Driil
press |
I
rable
I
I
Grinder
BelVdisc
sander
Edgesander
and I needed tools that were added a router table later. He Buildinga new garage
rnore reliable," he says. positioned the tablesaw's rip enabled Scott Beresfordto
The only tools that remain fence to the left of the saw blade, make use of the space that
frorn the originals Scott brought not the right-even though he is had housed his vehicles(now
the lower-levelmachining
to the house are a srnall Delta righrhanded. "It was the way I
jointer, as well as a Craftsman area)and more than doubled
taught myself when I was grow-
his workshop space.The
tablesawthat had once belonged ing up," Scott says. upper level,once his only
to his father. "I learned to do He locatedhis new stationary shop, became his assembly
woodworking on that," Scott planer, which replaced a bench- room. Scott also added
says. "It's near and dear to my top planer,besidethe tablesawto a second dust-collection
heart. Besides, it's nice to have take advantageof the inf-eed/out- system;it seruicesthe lower
two tablesaws." feed space. Scott's mitersaw, level,which generatesthe
bandsaw, and second tablesaw most dust. Becausethe
theplan
Work fan out clockwise from the rnain structureis part of his house,
simply extendingductwork
The wall adjacent to the stairs tablesaw/router /planer station.
from the home'scentralair
leading up to the second level Scott also tackleda redo for the
system allows Scott to heat
seemed the logical place for his shop'spower systemand lightin_q. and cool it.
tablesawand outfeed table, with He added a subpanelfor the shop
enou-9hspaceto rip 8'boards. To circuitry-a solutionmade neces-
the tablesawoutf-eedtable. Scott sary by positioning the tools on
29
the lowerlevel."I would havehad
to run wires all the way back to
my main panel,which is all the
way on the other side of the
house,"Scottsays."Itjust seemed
easierandlessexpensive to adda
subpanel.I haven'thad problems
with any of the machineryusing
this setup."
Over the concretefloor. Scott
added t/2."-thickreversiblefoam
safetyflooring boughtat a ware-
house store."Working on con-
crete is terrible!" he asserts.
"This is some of the best stuff
you can put over it. It's cost-
effectiveandeasyto install."
touches
Finishing
For climatecontrol,Scottsimply
had the ductwork from his
home's central air-conditioning
and heatingsystemextendedto
the shop. Baseboard heaters
supplementthe forced-air sys-
tem. He also replaced the
sparsely located fluorescents
lf I hadto doit alloveragain...
"l wouldhavelikedahigher Andofcourse
ceiling.
toaddanother bandsaw,
theneed
eliminating
30
that lit the garage with full-
spectrumfluorescents, aswell as
full-spectrum compact fluores-
cents in incandescentfixtures.
"I readaboutthoselightshelping
with seasonal affectivedisorder,"
Scottsays."They madea differ-
encein the light level!" So did
paintingthe walls white.
Dust collectionwas a priority
becauseno partition dividesthe
assembly area and his shop's
dust-making portion. All his
toolsare servicedby a Fein shop
vacuumwith a cycloneor a 5-hp
cycloneScott concealedbehind
one wall. He attachedflexible
metalductingto his mitersaw,as
well asa plastictank at his router
table that collects the churned-
up dust.Rareearthmagnetshold
the tank in place."Clean is the
way I like it," he says.
Scott is more than entitledto
havehis workshopascleanashe
likes. After all, he's determined
to play in it, happilyeverafter.
LEFT:These canister air filters
seruice Scott's Clear Vue 1880
S-hp dust-collectionunit in a
small closet on the other side of
the wall. The main ductwork from
the cyclone is 6" snaplockmetal
pipe, seen in the foreground.
Branchruns are 5" snaplock.
RIGHT The copper tubing on the
wall of Scott's lower-levelshop
traps moisture that forms in the
compressed-airsystem,
the resultof hot air blowing
through it. Water runs into a tank
that Scott empties periodically.
In the foreground is Scott's
outfeed table. He built it of
cabinet-grade plywood and
designedit to be the same
height as his mitersaw table to
give him more stock suPPort.
On the tabletop are some of the
roller boards Scott designed for
moving heavierpieces.
(See plans on page 32.)
l'dbeable
if I hadmorespace,
toswitch
frequently."
blades
Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008
 fr
. ')tlr

"#
,&'
-
-# t
tr! *
rrl qt
fi :'!I
E
lnr
fa

L
,

rrtffi
ABOVE:Ductwork for Scott's
two dust-collectionsystems
snakesaroundvirtuallyevery
tool in his lower-levelshop,
which houseshis tools.His Fein
vac system providespinpoint
collectionat his drill press and
bandsaw,generalcollectionat
his mitersawand router-table
fence, and additionalcollection
at his smallertablesaw.Scott's
5-hp dust-collectionunit
serviceshis drill press and
the small Deltasander next
to it, as well as his 6x80 belt
sander,routertable, mitersaw,
tablesaw,jointer,sande6
and bandsaw.White PVC
pipe for Scott's Feinvacuum
tt
. dust-collectionunit maintains
-.t
the lower-levelshop wall's
unbrokenbrightness.The photo
also gives a good idea of the
dust-collectionports and the
interlockingsoft flooringmats
,"8; that make it easier for Scott to
work on a concrete floor.

woodmogozine.com 31
 o
p$ecbaldidem

Lengthto suit

- Rare earth magnets

epoxiedinto counterbores
on bottomside of base

Roller boards allow sawn wood to glide onto an outfeed table. Rare earth magnets
inserted 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 thicknessof the rollerassembly.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."

'|l
l
;'u.j

4
?
.:r
-
-
t:

' ':l'

#trd
lffir
-e.
E;

-j.

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

32 Americo's BesfHome Workshops 2008

 ..)
Zero-clearance
backboard Replaceable
blocks
1" hardwood
7a"counterboreon
front face with a 3/ro"hole
centered inside

Scott designedthis mitersawfence with replaceable

blocks.They make repetitivecuts easierand cleaner
than with the standard metal fence that ships with s/qx3t/qx12"
the saw. Making it possibleis a 3%"-high,zero- hardwood
Viewedfrom back side
clearanceauxiliaryfence servicing the saw. "You get
the cleanestcut when you have wood behindwood,"
2" aluminumangle
Scott says. to supportand stabilizefence

profile
woodworkerS
A guitar player
veryonein ScottBeresford'slargefamily was into woodworking,
himself,Scott
especiallyhis father,a carpenterby profession.Most are still into adds innovations
building things.One owns a constructionbusiness,two are engi- into the acoustic
neers,two brothersare carpenters.They built eachother'shouses,and instrumentshe
helpedScott when he redid his home five yearsago,from the roofing to crafts as a hobby.
the framing to the sidingand the electricalwork. Replacingthe
"I wastheonewho did mostof the electricalwork in the family," Scott traditional plastic
reports."But I wasinto buildingthingswhenI wasa kid." He remembers binding-the trim
refinishinga tablefor his mom andbuilding around the body-
somesnacktables."I think I was in the 10- with bent padauk
wood gives the
or 1l-year-oldrange,"he says.
instrument
Now that Scott is semiretiredas health- a richer look.
and-safetydirectorand projectmanagerfor
a large public environmentalcompany,he
hastime to constructprojectsthat enhance
the look of his home (right), as well as As part of his home's renovation,
indoor and outdoor water fountains.(You Scott built these unusual eight-
can learn more about them at Scott'sWeb sided columnsfor his main
staircase."l wanted something
site,creationsofacraftsman.com.) He's also
distinctive that wasn't going to
taken to building guitars, electric and get lost in such a big room," Scott
acoustic,like the oneaboveright. says. The stairs lead down to a
"Ever sinceI was younger,I was aiming new entrance from the kitchen and
for the day when I was financially secure living area.
enoughnot to haveto go to work everyday,"
Scottsavs.That dav hascome.
Photographs:
MikeReganPhotography

woodmogozine.com
33
 €
J 4t=-
J
l
J

-J
J

I I lhen Dave Knau first In Windsor Heights, Iowa,

Knau
Dave went"intothehole"when
really Itlt cast eyes on the dirt- Dave, 55, has built a bright,
I f floored basement in workable, and efficient work
hesetuphisnewshop.Withanunfinished the 1950sranch-stylehousehe'd space."It's not a fancy shop,"he
bought nine years ago, his acknowledges."When I retire,
ashisblank
basement andalotof
canvas, reaction was swift and sure. maybe it'll be fancy. But it is
"Barb!" he exulted to his wife. functional and practical."
salvage,
Dave pulled
together
ashop that "There's my shop!"
Most grown men wouldnt ingenuity
Farm-kid
himproduce
helps gaming ofart.
tables havereactedthat way to a hole in Dave's shop makes good use of
the ground. But to Dave, it was existing nuancescombinedwith
like Picasso being handed a some ingenuity gained from
blank canvas."I knew I could do growing up on a farm. For
whatever I wanted," says the example,he added storm-cellar
executive at a large seed com- doors, like those familiar to
pany."I had the space;now Ijust viewers of The Wizard of Oz, to
had to figure out how to useit." provide a wide entranceto bring

34 Americo's BesfHome Workshops 2008

 - Dave Knau scrimpedon some
* z n
-_-t'-'-
-jl
'-.--.
rf1
-4
* dust-collectionports for his
l.*;'
sheet goods in and get finished
f'urniture pieces out. "I was going
to add an egresswindow; instead,
I discoveredI could install doors
with steps for about the same
money," Dave recalls. "Every-
thing goes in and out of those
doors as easy as can be."
The entire shop area was a
sealed-off part of the basement,
with a dirt floor. Dave had the
floor dug down another 4" and
cut a hole into the block wall.
He also discovered additional
space underneath the garage.
This 20x21'territory became the
wood storage and machining
area off his main shop space.
(See floor plan, page 37.) Then,
he laid the dust-collectionpiping
atop the dirt before pouring the
concrete floor.
woodmogozine.com
things so he could add others,
like the double mitersaw
extensions (opposite)."That's
overkill,unlessyou build what
I build [shuffleboardtables]."
He also installedoverhead
dual-drumsander./eft.
TYPE:Basementof a 1950s
ranch-style
home.
SIZE: Approximately21x67'
(1,407sq ft).
C ON S TR U C TI O N:
Concreteblockwallsand
pouredfloor.
H E A TIN GA N D CO O LI NG :
No open registersfor
heati ngor ai r-co ndit ioning.
"Becauseit'sa ranch-style
house,it'sthe coolestplace
i n summerand p lent ywar m
in winter."
ELECTRICAL:200-amp
panelwithtwo dedicated
220-voltcircuits.
LIGHTING:Fluorescents,
with a fixeddedicated
incandescent aboveeach
machi ne.
D U S TC OLLE CTI O N:
Ductworkplacedbeneath
the floor;homemade
S-hpcyclone,emptyinginto
a steelgarbagecan.
Dave'stablesawwas the first machinehe put on A IR C OMP R E SSO R:
wheels;every machineis mobile except his jointer. Z-hp,4-gallonHitachiEC2,
The positioningof all the tools allows him full mobility delivering3.6 CFM at
without havingto step and trip over cords that would 1 0 0P S t .
othenryisesnake across the floor.
35

Dave also painted the walls,
ceiling, and joists the whitest
white he could find. "l wouldn't
have enjoyed going down there if
it was dark," he says. "The
brightness really changed the
atmosphere. I even painted all
my cabinetswhite, so everything
has total reflection."
With abundant f-luorescent
lighting fixtures, Dave gets a
good look at everything. He
added can lights above each
machine to concentratethe illu-
mination where he needs it.
Dave planned everything in
the shop as carefully as he did
the lights. He laid it all out with
cardboard, then made scale
drawings with cutouts to
represent the machines. When
36
\
]f,;-
LEFT:Davetypicallyuses glass-
front cabinets to store hardware,
supplies,sandpaper,and
miscellaneousstuff. "With glass,"
he says, "l don't have to think
::"... which cabinetshave what stuff
in them. I can see my hardware
and know just where everything
is. Also,they keep dust out."
He purposefullypositionedthe
glass-frontcabinets(identifiedas
"hardwarestorage"on the floor
plan,opposite)to keep clear of
swinginglumber.
Behindthe double doors at
/eft is Dave'sfinishingroom
(shown open, below).The room
is sealedoff and the air is filtered
so Dave can let one project dry
without fear of dust settlingonto
the finishwhile he works in the
mainshop. "ln the shop in my
last house,I had to shut down
everythingwhen I was ready to
finish a piece.With this house,I
had the luxuryof enough space
to set off a finishingroom."
Recesseddedicatedcan lighting
(not shown)in the ceilingallows
Daveto providejust the right
amount of illuminationto make
sure that a finish looks good.
I
I
he got it all spec'd,it was time to
sit down with a contractor.
"He had the idea that we could
put in a concretefloor and install
ductwork for a dust-collection
systemright under the concrete,"
Dave recalls.
This was eminently practical
because,typical for a basement
in ranch-stylehomes of that era,
the ceiling is low. The innovation
saved Dave from surrendering
overhead space to ductwork.
"Dust collection is paramount if
you'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!"
Americo'sBeslHomeWorkshops 2008
 't

thefloorphn
Mitersaw
Tablesaw
r-- n
Lll
| -/ l l
outfeedi lffii
tabreI ll-l
Ceiling-hung
air-filtration
system Workbench
D ru m / "
tino"r I Finishing Jointer
_l \ r--+r suPPlies __?E-s*
____.)__;a-r J
\tm=l
Lumber
FINISHING
ROOM I W'1,ffir-[- Drill

20,+

lf I hadto doit alloveragain...

"l wouldhavedugtheflooralittle
deeper,sayanother
4-5".Thatdoesn't
soundlikemuch,butit wouldhave
made abigdifferenceintheheight
oftheceiling.
Also,
I intendtoreplace
theperforated
hardboard."

Itt-rJJ=

ABOVE:Priorto his renovation,the only way into Dave'sbasement

was throughan interiorstainnrayleadingto the kitchen.So he added a
5'-wide set of cellardoors that allow him to easilymove materialsand
projectsinto and out of the shop. "when you look at the overallcosts, it
provedto be relativelyeconomical,"Davesays.

LEFT:Over the years, Dave has

amasseda good-sizecollectionof
parallel-jawclamps; he dedicatedthe

.{-i corner next to his finishingroom to

clamp racks. The area also serues his
shop-madeair filter (in box, top) and
air compressor.

woodmogozine.com
37

Davealsobuilt a vent unit that
servicesthe main shopaswell as
the finishing room. When'air a I painted them white, and they
sliding door panel is closed,
is drawn from the finishing
room; when the panel is opened,
air is drawn from the shop.
andsplutging
Scrounging
Davefoundthe fan forthe system
in a pile of stuff rescuedfrom a
grain bin. Salvage ls Dave's
salvation. He restored a very
rusty Shopsmith drill press for
little expense. "I use it for
horizontal boring only, and it is
greatat that." A 5'mobile-home
bathtub servesas a utility sink.
'Tt has plenty of room for
everything,"Dave says."I can
evenput my dogs in there when
they needa bath."
Likewise. all Dave'scabinets
were rescuedfrom a university
sciencelab that was slated for
demolition. "I got them for next
38
LEFT:Most of the wood Dave
uses is salvaged. "You'd be
amazed how much lumber is
around!" he maruels."People
willjust give it away when they
know you're a woodworker." The
trick is storing it-that's where
the 21' wall comes in handy.
Usually,Dave has to take the
whole kit and caboodle and
sort out what stock won't work.
But the savings, he says, are
enormous."l can't beginto count
how many board feet of lumber
l've receivedthat have been
virtually free!" The lumber storage
area also is where Dave parks
many of his machines. He added
mobile bases to most of them for
portability and space-saving.
BELOW:Dave keeps his
sharpeningstation near his
lathe. Cabinets hold most of
the important turning tools and
accessories."When I'm working
at the lathe," Dave says, "l want
to simply turn around to access
my grindersand supplies."
to nothing; new cabinets this
sturdywould havecosta fortune.
look great." With the money he
saved,he splurged on a Biese-
meyer mitersaw table system
(shownon page 35).
He replacedthe basecabinets'
original heavy soapstonecoun-
tertops-which had no practical
use,Dave says-with melamine
and added simple solid-pine
edging. The oversize extension
wings on both sides of the saw
enableDave to handle the long
pieceshe needsto constructhis
shuffleboardtables(opposite).
Those artful creationsproved
that despitethe limitations of his
shop-or thanks to the solutions
to overcomethem-Dave Knau
has prospered in his wood-
working, making lemonadeout
of what some people would
considerlemons.And he does it
from a hole in the sround.
Americo's BestHome Wolkshops 2008
 d#
t:.
is father-in-lawis a top-
notch woodworker, but
Dave Knau insists he
didn't become interestedin the
hobby just to get in better with
his wife's dad.
"He's not the type who would
want you to do thatl'Dave says
with a chuckle."But he is a great
mentor. If you want him to work
with you, he'shappy to do it."
Growing up in Yankton,South
Dakota, Dave also had another
terrific adviser-his junior high
school shop teacher."He started
you with the right basicsbut then
challenged you to build some-
thing by the end of the semester,"
Dave recalls. "He was very
hands-on,but not a critic."
As he got older, Dave became
interested in furnituremaking;
then he and a friend began
noticing the shuffleboard tables
that inhabit many lounges.The
friend indicated that he might
woodmogozine.com
LEFT:Dave brought a maple
workbench-one of the first projects
he ever made-from his former shop.
He uses it when hand-cuttingjoints.
Dedicated can lights above provide
plenty of illumination.Drawers
underneathmake a good home for
saw blades. Becausethe bench sits
fairly close to his Delta Unisaw,
Dave built storage underneathfor
accessories.The bench is one of the
few pieces in his shop that aren't on
wheels. "lwanted one bench where
I could absolutely rely on stability for
handwork," he says. "lt's so heavy,
you wouldn't want to move it." But it
is positioned far enough from the wall
so he can move around it easily.
like one. Most, however, were
either too expensive or cheaply
made. So Dave built his own.
That was five years ago. He's
starting his sixth one now.
Of course,Davedoesn'tspend
a year on each of them; it's just
that he tries to fit in his
woodworking between work
assignments. He estimatesthat if
he could devote all his time to
the tables,they d take him about
100hours each.
"People think they're hard to
make, but any medium-skilled
woodworker could tackle that
table and do a good job," Dave
insists. "Woodworking isn't
hard-it's about time and pa-
tience and training. Woodwork-
ing is about how much time
you're willing to spendon it."
Photographs:Jay Wilde
lllustration:Roxanne LeMoine, Lorna Johnson
39
 lf youhadvirtually shop
unlimited
space,whatwouldyoudowithit?
furnituremaker
AColorado
hassome
andturner surprising-
andefficient-answers.

,
',,.
'
nd1$
pace ... the final frontier
of woodworking.
Nearly every wood-
worker from tirne to tirne has
Larry Malohnlivesthatdream
in a 1,700-square-foot frame
structurein Morrison.Colorado.
25 miles west of Denver.From
onup
Moving
Larry's previousshop was an
800-square-fbot arrangement
his basement.That was an
in

drearnedof a shop with sufficient
roorrr to arrange tools far enough
apart so soffreone bigger than
Torn Thumb could walk between
them. The really ambitious
dreams include enough space
to have two and maybe three
varieties of the same tool to suit
different pur poses.
there,he canlook up from build-
ing furniture and gaze at the
RockyMountains.
"Yeah, I'm pretty lucky," he
admits."We'velived herefbr l4
yearsand when we boughtthe
property.I had the opportunity
to build just the kind of shopI
alwayswanted."
improvementover his first ven-
ture, a 200-square-fbotspace
"with a cheapsaw." But when
theinvestment bankerandCindy,
his wif'eof 3l years,boughtinto
a -eatedcommunitythathadbeen
a 1,000-acreranch, Larry herd
one thing on his mind."l asked
rnyself,'If I couldbuild anykind

40 Americo'sBeslHomeWorkshops 2008
 r

r
I
il'r,:
(D
!i {D
tTt','n#

The nice thing about 1x6 interior

siding,Larry Malohnsays, "is you
can hang about anythingon it," such
as chairs and less frequently used
jigs. Fhe 27-lb canoes are tied to the
loft structure.)"l got the idea to use
wall surfaces as utility space from
the Shakers,"he says, "l didn't want
perforated hardboard anywhere."

TYPE:Woodframewith
pouredconcretefloor
SIZE:990 sq ft on main
floor,plus680 sq ft on
secondfloor.
CONSTRUGTION: The floor
Cs is a single22x45'footprint;
f$ wallsframedwith 2x6s; cut-
rafterroofwith 6/12 pitch.
t HEATING:Propanegas.
ELECTRICAL:Dedicated
200-ampservice,including
twelve 22O-voltand forty
120-voltoutlets.
LIGHTING:B' fluorescents
in ceilingsof mainand
secondfloors.
DUSTCOLLECTION:
Ceiling-hung and exposed,
poweredby an Oneida
cycloneconnectedto
specifictoolsvia 6" ducts.
A IR C OMP R ESSO R:
Craftsman175-PSl,two-
stageoillesssystemwith a
20-gallontank.

Larry Malohnis at ease in his third-

and likelyhis last-workshop, his
woodworking retreat in the foothills
of the ColoradoRockies.

woodmogozine.com
41
;;J,i ,.
. r :i, . . , i. . , ' - - , . . ' . '
of workshop I wanted, what
would I need?'" he says."That's
whereI cameup with two stories
alongwith afinishing room." He
beganplanning the frame struc-
ture, 100' from their three-story
home,during fall1992 and com-
pletedit the following May.
Because the entire building
site rests on a 30o slope, Larry
dug the 9 -high back wall into
the mountain and fortified it
with 6" of rebar and concrete.
Larry used 2x6s for the exterior
wall frame;Z?'floor joistselimi-
nated the need for posts to
support the upper-levelflooring
of z/i' tongue-and-grooveoak.
This left plenty of room up to
the ceiling.
42
The 6/12-pitched roof (for
snowload) uses2x8s for rafters.
To strengthenthe side walls and
prevent the outside walls from
bowing out, Larry nailed 22'-
long 2x6s into the rafters and
into the top of the second-floor
wall. Larry and his friends did
much of the labor, though few
relishedtoiling on the roof,23'
abovethe ground.
Eschewing garage doors,
Larry installed two 3' doors that
allow 6' clear access.The 1x6
cedar siding matchesthat of the
house.Insideheused1x6 shiplap
siding madeof pine. This allows
him to nail, hang,or screwnearly
anything anywherewithout per-
foratedhardboard.
Americo's BestHome Workshops 2008
ABOVE:On the second floor
of his shop, Larry added a
carving/sharpening station
and located an adjacent
8x10' finishingroom for
convenience.Glass panels
let in additionallight.The
binders and manuals
represent Larry's 30 years
wofth of subscriptions to
woodworking magazines,
incfuding WOOD@.
LEFT:Where the 20' ceiling
slopes upward, there was
enough wall space for Larry
to hang his furnace and a
multitude of clamps. The
furnace's dual louvers direct
heat to both the second
floor and the main level.
thefloorphn
Most woodworkers won't have ----------r
nearly the space for a two-level ffirhm -r------:--------r
:-: L -:-
shop, but Larry Malohn'sfloor '\l
plan providesa good example #,i L 1___l Hand-prane
*=@ cabinet
lcebox
rcebox \€gY rtuurer
R*t"r belt sander
of how to arrange working table
cabinet Drawing
space to the best advantage.
table
His upper-levelspace (right)
is where he does most of his lmt I tF| Librarv
detail work; his largermachines ItrHFlMitersaw
I dw, I lt+ll:l
occupy the lower level (below). UppERLEVEL lL_eJli workbenqh
l=
Larry agrees, however,that 7::---:-
too much space can become a Tablesaw
fffi-ln
|sn"n.,
drawback."l saw allthis space,
and lstarted planninghow I
was going to use it," he says.
lfip1
u.!__]U
I Workbench |
,?Ji!
.,----Carvino/sharnenino f6l
"l wound up spendingmore
time buildingaccessory
cabinets and roll-awaytools
than I spent on my projects," Shelves
he remembers."Don't get me
wrong-l wouldn'tgive up the FINISHING
ROOM
space! But you can get hung up Lumberrack
on figuringout how to use it."

Router Router
table table
MGi."*
jig
, \l-}? Air
/ffi"}\
W
compressor l
I
Double

Drirr[_fi3
press L:4'
Ceiling-hung
air-filtration
system
nr' 2 2',
BelVdisc
lll 4rl I
-E-,-r
sander

Drum sander Jointer

lr------r , -'k rffil
.ITIEIY

lStoraOe
lffiplffi
I L-----*fa |
- Lathe
llllll
il-TTtl

F Bandsaw M
ililti
clamp t n l tE
racks /6) Storaoe g.rinder/
H =u ;;bin"ei buffer Vacuum

Stairsto upperlevel

woodmogozine.com 43

RIGHT Larry designed
his shop with enough
space to give him PlentY
of room to move around
his tablesawand other
stationarytools.
BELOW:Larry needed more
worksurfaceto extend the
utilityof his maple workbench,
so he lengthenedit to 6' and
includedanotherfull set of
drawers.The hardestthing
was installingthe vises.
"They'rebig and heavy,and
they need to be precisely
alignedand then screwed in
underneath,"he says. "Get
helpto do it."
Larry installed8' fluorescents
flush to tl-rernain-floor ceiling.
Protective sheetsof acrylic keep
the dust or.rt. A benefit of the
7.500-fbot altitude is the natural
cooling in summer. There's a
furnace but no air conditioner.
There's a lot of spacedust can
occupy. so Larry installed three
air-filtration systems:two on the
rniiin floor', one on the upstairs
ceilin-e. Ductwork strapped to
the ceiling f-eeds an Oneida
cyclone on the main floor.
Larry also can fflove a portable
vacllum 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 Stubby
that allows turnin-9s exceedin-e
200 lbs: and two mini lathes,fbr
small objects such as ornaments
and srlall round boxes, plus one
he doesn'tuse anymore but could
44 Americo's Best Home Workshops
!l
"*e*tt"
be r.rsefulfor a be-ginuerwho's
learning to tlrrn pens or small
spindles. Four other portable
vacs connect to various tools.
To power everythin-e, Larry
added a dedicated 200-amp box
with at least fbrty 12O-volt out-
lets and twelve 220-volt fixtures.
"Without 220, yoll can use
machine tools, but you can't keep
anythin-q else plugged in," he
says. didn't want to have
to keep plu-egingin and unplug-
ging everything."
Havin-e all that roont is not
without its problems. "l had to
be creative and organized,"
Larry sarys."How yoLr arran-ge
yollr tools and accessoriesand
have them accessible ntakes
fbr head-scratching. I wanted
to spend my time rnaking furni-
tLue,not shop accessories." Still,
it's a problem ntost woodworkers
would envy.
2008
b

lf I hadto doit alloveragain...

"l'dplacethedust collector
outside
andinsulateit
because it'sloud,andl'ddothesamethingwithabuilt-in
compressor. ljustdidn't
think it 14years
about ago."
jr

ABOVE:A slidingmitersaw
and dovetailjigoccupy
1
this primespace,with a
view of Mount Evansin the
distance."lt would have
been a shameto put a big
tooltherethat would hide
the vista," Larry says.

RIGHT Screwingseparate
supportsto his wall
providedplenty of space
for Larry to arrange his
thinner,pistol-gripclamps,
mostly used for smaller
furnitureprojects."ln my
other shops, I used to have
them in a box," Larry
recalls."With clamps,
it doesn't take long
before they become
likeChristmaslights,all
jumbled together."

LEFT:Larry arranged his all-

encompassingsharpening
station near his bowl lathefor
efficiency-all he has to do is
walk a few feet to sharpenhis
tools. "l've always been looking
for a sharpeningsystemthat is
quick and easy to use," Larry
says.Two grinderson the main
floor have differentgrits for each
wheel. He uses a water-cooled
grinderwhen he has a lot of tools
to sharpenat once. An old 6"
grinderupstairsisn't as well used
as it once was. Plastic-fronted
wall cabinetsprovidespace for
turningsupplies.

woodmogozine.com
45
 o

froffiMieffi
A magazine inspired
Larry'sdesign for this
hand-planecabinet;he
collected all the planes
over the !€?rs; "l've been
trying to learn skills of
old carpenters,especially
using hand tools," says
the former homebuilder.
"For heavy work, you do
need a motorized planer.
But for fine work, a plane
is better than a sander.
!t
With small, slow, easy
i strokes, you can finish
wood almost to where it
t
doesn't need sanding. lt's
I
sure quieter and not as
dusty!"
I

.EF

To gauge how tall to make this "l like to build things that
cabinet, which supports Larry's have severalfunctions,"
mini lathe, he started from the Larry Malohn says. His
top down. "You have to be at the lathe-tool center- "my
right height to see what you're favorite cabinet in the
doing," he says. "For comfort, whole shop, becauseI
the lathe spindle needs to be at can scoot this around
elbow height. So I measuredfrom to any lathe I'm working
the floor to my elbows and went at"-is two projects in
backwards.I built the smalltwo- one.The 12"-hightop
drawer cabinet first and the main rack, which fits entirely
mobile-basecabinet last."The atop the mobile cabinet,
lathe and dual-drawer cabinet are comes off for further mobility
removable,revealinga worktop (inset above rightl. With the "top down"
with bench-dog holes. while at a lathe, Larry can set tools down
on the foam pad. The cabinet stays put with
two locking casters. Just for fun, Larry also
built in a secret drawer in addition to the
seven that are visible.

46 Americo's BestHome Workshops 2008

 t. "f have 22'-high walls in my
living room," Larry says, "and big
windows, so I needed soniething
large."This 1O'-highwall unit
displays books, Larry'sturnings,
and a wide-screen TV,and hides
the stereo. The entire cabinet
is made of cherry except for
'plywood panels used as vertical
dividers. Larry created the cove
molding with his router and
shaper."My trim had to be real
wood, not venee[" he says of the
project that took him most of the
summer of 1994.The oak library
ladder in the living room allows
Larry easy access.

rT
I

Larry Malohn

G
ut of college and awaiting that crafting furniture is more used elk antlers
the Vietnam-era draft, Larry creative than homebuilding-and found around
Malohn was delivering engagesnew skills. "I learned that a his property for
suppliesto a construction site near piece of furniture does not require this mahogany
Washington, D.C., when he saw a 2x4sl'he says. Fqn
table. He cut
help-wanted sign for a carpenter's Years later, after filling his office thin mahogany
assistant."They paid a dollar more an with furniture he built, Larry is con- pieces, bent
hour than I was making," he recalls. templating a retirement of spending them around a
"So I applied and got hired." plywood frame,
daysat his power tools, framed by the
and glued them
He becameso good at it that he was Colorado Rockies.
one by one
promoted to carpenterand before long "Woodworking has taught me to be to create the
was building homes. A change of confident,"he says."I canboast,'Hey, round apron.
careerto investmentbanker and three I can build that!' and discoverthat bv
shopslater,the 57-year-oldhaslearned God.I can!"
Photographs:Hardy Klahold

woodmogozine.com
47
 - o
T
tq'E-ltEl I
ma ng
atience is a virtue in
gottwoyears
lf you've to woodworkin-e. Just take
it from Walt Se-91,who
designyourshop,
there's no spent two full years desi-unin-e
his workshop in PleasantValley,
excusefornotgettingit Pennsylvania, southeast of the
town of Bethlehern.And yes, he's
exactlythewayyouwant. very satisfied.
"lf I had to do it all over. I'd
change nothin-e."says Walt. vice
president of at pharmaceutical
sofiware companv who fzrshions
reproduction | Sth-century Anter-
ican furnitLlreas his passion."Oh.
48
there's a finishing room in my
lon-u-rangeplans, and we'd all
like some more space. But it's
worked out -qreattbr rne."
Every f-acetof Walt's detached
30x40' structure rnelds function
with comfbrt.
Fol example, Walt installed a
radianrheat system in the floor.
It not only keeps the concrete
floor pleasantto walk on but alscl
helps keep the humidity corn-
lbrtable. Although the systerr
initially cost more to install than
Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008
 ABOVE:Waltmadehis
shop30'wide,matchingthe
footprintof the guestcottage
it replaced.

a forced-air system, it lowers

Walt's heating costsbecauseit's TYPE:Outbuilding.
far more fuel-efficient.
SIZE: 30x40' (1,200sq ft).
"Working on an unheated
concretefloor is uncomfortable," CONSTRUCTION:2xG
saysWalt, 49. "The warm floor frameconstructionwith 6"
improves the circulation in my R-35insulationin the walls
feet, so I can put in l2-hour days and 12" in the attic:low-E
without being tired." windows.
The numerous windows and HEATING:Radiantin-floor
skylights allow an inexhaustible heating,five zoneswith
supplyofnaturallight, necessary smalloil furnacethat
when Walt finishesa pieceto his circulateswater.
exactingstandards.
"If you'recarving or finishing, COOLING:12,000-Btu
windowair conditioner.
fluorescentlights aren'tenough,"
he says. "I really need more ELECTRICAL:Ten
light, especiallywhen I work for dedicated 220-v olt circuits
long periods." for the machinetools,plus
There is fluorescentlighting, thirty 11O-voltoutlets.
of course: Eight twin-tube LIGHTING:Eight8'tube
fixtures equipped with color- fluorescents;
track lighting
correctionbulbs provide general for machines;recessed
illumination overthe bencharea. lightingelsewhere.
They supplementoverheadtrack
DUSTCOLLECTION:
fixtures equipped with halogen
Overheaddual-stage
floodlights and spotlights. systemwith rafter-mounted
S-hpfan; customcyclone
Power
tospare depositswaste into
The lighting is just one facet of containerin closet.
an ample electrical grid: 200-
AIR COMPRESSOR:
amp servicewas installed to put
Stand-aloneunit pipedto
every piece of equipment on a hose reelsfor ease of use.
dedicated circuit. Additionally,
Walt strategically scattered 30

In laying out his shop, Walt Segl cut out scaled templates for his
equipment and arranged everythingon poster board. Moving
the pieces around on the board helped him judge workflow. That
technique also resulted in ideas such as using the space beneath
his tablesaw'sslidingtable for lumberstorage.

woodmogozine.com 49
 3..

After two years of planningand construction,Walt Segl now

has a shop largeenoughto handlemultipleprojectsat once.
"Movingthingsaroundwas always,alwaysa hasslein a
basementshop," he says.

llO-volt or"rtlets-10 of tltettt Ancl Del'rrahateclconiins clowtt

GFCI-protected-artxttrcl tl-re to the basetrent tit cltt lattttclry
shop.There's spacein his pranel ancl fintl shitvings ancl clust all
firr -50 circr"rits.Not ottly cloes ovcr everytliing." !it
that give Walt rooni for expatt- So tirr l0 y'ears.Walt kept his $
sion br-rt also contrihtttes to
saf-ety.
'A
fbrn-rer rtci-clibot of
w'ish list on a clipl'roat'd.Tltett.
when he anc'lDetrra f'inallv pLrr-
lr I

rnine lost his shop to a fire that chasecltheir lnrrl. Walt ancl liis 'r lb- ,t l{q
;l
l,

IXlill.n =
!r-l*r!)r,-a
was starteclby ii firLrltyelectrical tirther. Bucl. at last be-uatl to
c i r c u i t . I p r o m i s e c tl h a t i t ' I w a s clesiqnthe sliop. lrr
-9oingto build nty shol-r.I wastt't Tl-rere \\,ere two lintitatittns:
gcringto let tl-rathappen to lt'lc.' keepin-uthe shop'swiclthat 30'to I
I

H e l l s o i r t s t i t l l e tilu t c x t c t t : i r c nratch the l'rrtntage0t-thc gucst Lfr*:

security/fire-alartn systel'tt. cottage it replacccl.ancl clealirtg

Walt got the chance to builcl w'ith a steep gratle slopirtg au'ay
his drearr shop when he artclhis fronr tlic stnlctLlre.
wif-e.Debra. searchedfbr a farrtt.
"l always wantecl t0 restot'c u project
Amarat[ron
stonefarnrhottse."he says. getsun0eruay
But Walt hacl bcen plartnint Thc shol-ltook 16 n.totrthsl'trtttt
his shop makeover tbr )'cltl's. c o n c e p t i o nt o c o n r p l e t i o nI.n t h e
Previously. his shop w:ls thc nreantirric.Walt rvas witlioLrt a
'As
b:rsemento1'his tortner lt<ttttc. placc [o rr,'ork. soot-tils we
"The basenienthacl a lack ol' nro'reclin. the ttcw' shop startecl WhenWaltfashionsbombefurniture,with its distinctive
workroom and stora-te spacc.' goin-uup." Walt relates."Daclaltcl curvature,he needsto keep it in place becausethe pieces must
'Also. when I [ -sotthe litLrnclatiort r,viththe racli-
Walt remembers. be handcrafted.The four-sectionjig he devised(above)locks all
w a s I ' u t t r t i t t ge r l l t i l ' l t t e t t t .y ( ) t l ant tLrbin-c in. and the builclin-tLrp four drawerfronts into positionso he can shapethem all as one
crlr"rldhear it all over the house. ancl weathertightin the f it'st six continuouspiece.

Americo's Besf Home Workshops 2008

50
thefloorplan
ffir
Wall-mounted __rffi;_r_ Clamp
lil[
(v draftinq
" table I-r-qi__-
ll ll I rack
Planer
Scrollsaw
cabihet
,"#jlil"o," gqlgl"
Hand-prane/
sander
Draftingtable
Jointer
E] \i--r
FI
[][t
"-----7-T:=:J--
Perforated
hardboard
t_l / \

F I Bookcase Shaper
ehannr F- tool rack
tl

I_dl Bench
I I
\ry
Mobileclamp rack

Workbench

t_r__r-_
I |l-l"n lilll I
l L #

BelVdiscsander

r---fl-Tl
F-E=a:::" ll 1
Adjustable-height
Lr-r'll 1Bandsaw worktable Slidingtable

Mortiser Shaper Drumsander Window

NC

L-J
\P--l
Uflll DfeSS

l
I
I I H H I
Stereo
r-E€-)
\H r--d--l
rc":__- :/
'l
fr-
ffi#
RI
lfL
T Mobilemitersaw
f__ -i:______r
* |
Floor
sweep_
I ,*--i
L.,i /..r
I I Lathe
I Pi n rEn
[l
I router Lathetools/ TfiI
I Air L--l-j-r
t]-t: Furnace
sharpening lillll

W
I station
compressor
rA\
ffi
th\l1
[wl €y Overheaddoor

A key to smart shop design,Walt says, is to figure out the

months." The heating system, nally,Walt intendedto housethe biggest board you can possiblyhandle,and plan for it. That's
drywall,andthewiring,lighting, entiredusrcollectionsystemin why he designedhis shop without columnsto support the
anddustcollectiontook longer. the centercloset,which turned ceiling.The roof is trussedto ensureclear space. "lt did take
Walt overlooked no detail, out too small for a 5-hp system. a littlethought, gettingthe beams engineeredas opposed
installing a garage door and So Walt'sdad,a retiredmechan- to just putting up columns,"Walt admits. "lt would have
gradingthe entrywayto provide ical engineer,designeda cyclone been much cheaperto do it with posts. But I can swing
truck accessfor equipmentand and hung the motor from the almost anythingin my shop, and it doesn't have any physical
lumber delivery.With a 9 -high limitations.I hate working around columns."
rafiers in the attic. "One advan-
ceilingandno supports,
handling tage of placing the motor sepa-
boardsaslong as20'is easy. rately is it keeps the shop real deep around your work area, shopby summoningthepatience,
quiet," Walt says.Floor sweeps you'renot going to find it," Walt foresight,and attentionto detail
Cleanliness
andsafety scatteredthroughout the shop pointsout. Also, a cleanshopis he used."The bestthing to do,"
One of the shop'sthree closets makedaily cleanupquick. lessof a fire hazard. Walt advises,"is to figure what
housesthe cycloneand bag sys- Walt prefersto work in a clean, Walt admits he's like most you want, how much you can
temforWalt'scustom-made 5-hp organized shop. "When you're every other unsatisfied shop afford, and who's going to build
dust-collectionsystem, which carving,you'll popa chipoff and 61yng1-"f'd lOve more Space," it. Build the biggesrshop you
usesspiral-steelductwork fiom needto glueit backinto place.If he jokes. But he insists that possiblycan.Do it right the first
Air Handling Systems.Origi- you let your shavingsget 2-3" anyonecan design an efficient time.And don'tskimp."

woodmogozine.com
51
 o

ru@Miil@ffi
A friend of Walt's,who is head of maintenancefor a
regional hospital, asked the woodworker whether
'ls he
he could use a hospitalbed. "lthought,
kidding?' " Walt says. Then he saw the bed and
realizedthat it could be one of the most useful
pieces of equipmentin his shop. With the bed
frame cut off and a butcher-block top added, Walt
turned it into an all-purposetable. The top raises
and lowers electricallyvia the foot pedals. When it's
collapsed, Walt can store it conveniently.

7a"dowel Zsh"long

s/q"dowel21" long
The horizontallayout of Walt's
sandpaper holder maximizesspace
and organization.Hook-and-loop
sandingdiscs stand on edge within
ct/8
the compartments,separated by fie"
hardboard dividers that slide neatly I
and snugly into dadoes on the top and ) /lo" rabbet 1/4"deep
'r/q"
deep
bottom shelves.Self-adhesiverolls store
alongback edge
on the long dowel. Abrasivesfor Walt's
detail sander stack on vedical dowels. s/o" rabbets
t/+"dee?

6/2".. I
\ 3/ro"dado th" deep

52 Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

 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 he
fashioned this cabinet to store his considerablecollection of hand planes.
"l do a lot of my work by hand," Walt says. "l find that it's often faster to use
molding planes than to use a router-and it's a lot quieter and neater.I get
more satisfactionusing a hand toolthan a machine."

Walt designed this 2Ox24"apple plywood cabinet to serue all his

tablesaw needs. A kerfed rack in the lower drawer holds his saw
{z blades next to his dado set. The top level is home for feather boards
and molding heads.A miter gauge tucks in neatlyatop the lid.
Wrencheson the front surface are there when Walt needs to change
blades, and an attachment on the near side keeps his pushstick at
the ready.Becausethe cabinet is on casters, Walt can store it under
his tablesaw extension.

When Walt decided to make his dad a workbench, he knew it had to

be extra-special.The bench weighs 350 lbs, with a 4"-thick hard-
mapfe top measuring32x80x33y4".Four rows of bench dogs make
it easy to clamp odd-shapedpieces,as you would find in chairs or
the serpentinefurniture Walt is fond of fashioning.On one end is a
Veritastwin-screw end vise with padauk jaws. At the opposite end is
a 30" Shakerleg vise made of curly maple.In this vise,the main screw
applies the lion's share of holding force, while the foot-operated lower
screw adjusts the angle of the face to keep it parallelto the bench.

woodmogozine.com
53
 I
o

tr$ffiMkhffi
Often, during a long turning session,Walt finds himself sharpeninga gouge
or skew multiple times. Ratherthan constantly walking to a wall rack to swap
or sharpen tools, he designed this sharpeningstation with a worksurface that
rotates 360'. "Allthe lathe tools and calipers are immediatelyat hand when
I'm turning," he says. "Often, I don't even turn off the lathe; I just turn to the
grinder,sharpen, and go back to the task at hand."

s/0" hole.centered

Holesto fit turning-

tool ferrules

t/2"dowels 4" long mounted 17e"counterbore

on end for holdingcalipers 1" deep with a 3/q"hole
centeredinside

1 2 x 1 6 " U H M Wf i l m

t/2"washerand lock nut

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

II
Tool holder
I
26"

Note: All s/q'stock except butcher

blocktop and t/+"-thickdoor panel

ShowoseY0UR li irraoiocoif allovetigiin,..

Workshop "l used
-
spring-loaded
aninexpensive, formystairs.
atticstaircase
Seepage127fordetails.

eight
andthat's
theonlythingl'dchange,
Butthat's years
later."

54 Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

One of the first modifications
Walt made to his tablesaw was
to install this knee-operated,
spring-tensionedpanic switch.
This way, Walt can keep both
hands-and his attention-on the
workpiece. "The switch was hard
to get at," Walt explains, "so I put
a crash bar across it so I could
push it with my knee. No matter
whereyou hit it, allyou need is a
quarter inch of travel to shut the
saw down."

t\ ne look at Walt Segl's with his ssn-(6fg1niture, sail-

I lEarly American furni-
V ture and you might think
you couldn't create anything
like that. Walt disagrees."The
averagewoodworker, with some
training, is capableof building
really fine furniture," he insists.
Walt, who is president of the
Society of American Period Fur-
nituremakers (SAPFM), directs
interested furnituremakers to
www.sapfm.org. The site con-
tains a forum; a gallery of pic-
tures of members' works; and
links to researchpieces, which
evolved from English styles of
the 17thand 18thcenturies.
"SAPFM turned me on to
building complexfurniture styles
and working more with hand
tools," says Walt, who started
woodworking at age 10 with his
dad,Bud.'And it's beenchalleng-
ing and fun."
Bud is the accomplished
carverand finisher,Waltreports.
He's made all kinds of things
boats,you nameit."
Walt has two piecesof advice:
Research the piece thoroughly
and draft a good set of plans;
also, learn a new skill with each
piece you build.
"Reproducingperiod furniture
requires interpreting design and
expressing the character and
finesse of the original," Walt
says.With practice and patience,
he says,anyonecan do it.
It might be more work, but Walt Segl prefers hand-
scraping to sanding when he wants to bring out
distinctive grain patterns. The glass-fronted cabinet
above is a perfect example. Walt hand-scraped the
wood to avoid the nibs that often appear during
sanding. To bring out the pattern even more, Walt
Even a simple Segl project, applied boiled linseed oil, finishing it with six coats of
like this magazinerack, dewaxed orange shellac rubbed out by hand.
canies the look and feel of
period furniture. Photographs:
PaulAnthony

woodmogozine.com
55
 tr
-\-4trq

M %----t\__
+.

oj
'i|iil

I E : lls !>
-_l
_I I 7,,,

t[
G*-
-t

toaddtoolsinpiecemeal
Refusing
followed 0fatrusted
theadvice mentor
Randy
fashion, Zimmerman
acomplete
andoutfitted
qEg
woodworking allatonce.
headquarters
he best woodworking ad- As he did with other words of rF=-:l

vice Randy Zimrnerman wisdorn frorn Arliss Boothe. his

received had nothing to
do with techniqr,re. what kind of
woocl to use.ol even shop safety.
Savs tl-re 47-year-old mechanic
fbr the lowa Air NationalGuard:
"The advicewas. 'lf you'regoing
to builcl a shop. don't get into it
l u t l l ' w a yw
. i t h c h e a pe q u i p r n e n t .
and r.rpgriide as yoLl go. Wait
r-rntilyor-rcernaffbrd to buy the
best equipment. then jLrntp ir-r
with both f-eet.'"
neighbor and woodworking
_sllru. Randy listenedandheeded.
The result is the quintessentially
eqLrippedshop he built six years
a-9oin his gara-ue.ar short walk
fl'om his central Iowa home.
For example. when he bor-r-ght
his planer".he went fbr a 20"
r n o d e l i n s t e a do l - e c o n o m i z i n g
on a srnaller tnachine. "Yes.
rnost people don't have a 20"
planer in their shop." Randy

56 Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008


,:,
-,-
i*":--
,
ABOVE:The box joints on Randy
Zimmerman'sdovetailjig/bit
storage box representthe most
complexjoineryof any fixture
in his shop. He learnedthat if
simpleworks, go for it!
LEFT The centerpieceof Randy's
shop combinesa tablesaw,router
table,and sandingstation.This
providesRandya centrallocation
to perform most shop tasks. All
machinesfeed into the shop's in-
floor dust-collectionsystem.The
downdraft sanding/outfeedtable
(seepage 62) includes a blower
motor and filter to capture stray
dust. A slidingtable on the left-
hand side of his tablesawallows
Randyto crosscutwide materials
with ease.
H A-L, ;
til
i €F,,s
t==
r5dlf -?fi
*
,tr'{i
f'"'
woodmogozine.com
-l
TYPE: Detachedmetal-
sidedgarage.
S fZE : 25x42' 1,
, 050sq f t .
C ON S TR U C TI O N:
M et al
building,reinforcedwith2x4
innerstudwalls;poured
concretefloorand drywall
interiorwalls.
H E A TIN GA N D CO O LI NG :
Natural-gas furnacewith
centralair-conditioning.
E LE C TR IC A L:
2 00- am p
service,includingdedicated
12O-voltand 220-volt
circuits.
LIGH TIN G:S uspended
4'
dualtubefluorescents.
D U S TC OLLE CTI O N:ln-
floor,poweredby a 3-hp
PennStatefour-bagunit,
with permanentinletsat the
tablesaw,jointer,and planer.
The size of Randy'sshop means
he can place his woodworking
machinesfar enoughapart so one
doesn't interferewith another's
operation. Of course not everyone
has the luxuryof constructinga
1,000-sq-ftshop! "But if you do have
the space," Randysays, "make sure
you take advantage of it."
57
 thefloorplan

RandyZimmermantook about
a year to plan and equip his
new shop the way he desired,
and as such, it wants for little.
A centrally located tablesaw
and nearby workbench afford
him two major work centers,
and he's just steps away from
other machinetools. as well
as wood storage.

Hangingclamp racks and

hardware cabinets have
simple,practicaldesigns.
Springclamps, bar clamps,
and C-clampssimply hang
from their jaws onto rails
screwedonto a wall. "lf
I built it," Randysays,
"it's not fancy!"

Americo's Besl Home Wolkshops 2008

58

acknowledges."I could have
savedconsiderablemoney. But
Arliss saidit wasmoreeconomi-
cal to buy a quality tool I wanted
to end up with than to continu-
ally upgrade."
Randy also has two shapers,
3-hp and lVz-hp models; four
sanders;and two lathes, even
thoughhe doesn'tturn much. "I
just turn the simple things, and
only when I haveto," he says.
Power
tospare
However. it would be hard to
maintain that his in-floor dust-
collectionsystemis anythingbut
practical. Randy took several
monthsto plan it. "That was the
first thing I did when I decided
to build theshop,"he says."Look
around and you'll see there's
woodmogozine.com
-l
plenty of room that isn't being
taken up by ducts and hoses."
A 3-hp Penn Statefour-bagunit
commandsthe system.
Another areawhere he didn't
skimp was electricity. Randy
had 200-amp service installed,
assuring that his tools would
have plenty of current without
him worrying aboutoverloading.
He plugs each of the suspended
fluorescentsinto dedicated120-
volt circuits.
Those fluorescents comple-
ment the ample natural light
from two 4' windows along the
42' eastwall. "When I wired the
shop,I figured that if a light fix-
ture wentbad,I couldjust unplug
itandplugin anewone,"explains
Randy, who keeps a few spares
on handfor emergencies.
\a- , .
<41d- *,:.
:6.d
|';:
;!2'
Three-footdoubledoors con-
nect his shop with the garage
and sit directly at the side of the
tablesaw,so he can easilybring
in long stock and remove fin-
ished pieces. Randy built a
downdraft sanding/outfeedtable
(seepage 62) that expandshis
worksurface's size and useful-
nessand easesdustcollection.
Pncticalitv
andhappehstance
While mostattributesof his shop
were carefully planned and
designed, others came about
by happenstance.For example,
one of his hangingclamp racks
(seepage 60) startedout purely
as a shelf to hold a television.
The clamps simply grip the
shelf'sfiont rail. "If I've doneit.
Randy has the luxuryof being
able to use ample wall space for
practical purposes such as shelving,
cabinetry and wood storage. A
top rail keeps the long boards from
marring the wall. The heating-and-
cooling plant is positionedclose
to where Randy does most of his
work-in the corner farthest from
the tablesaw-to provide maximum
comfort where it's needed the most.
-s \
It'seasyto get woodintothe
shopandfinishedproducts
outthroughdouble3' doors.
The20" plane6to the leftof
the doors,is the onlymachine
toolthathooksintoRandy's
dust-collection systemwith
exposedductwork;everything
elseis in the floor.
it's elementaty,"Randy assures,
with a laugh.
Randy underestimates his ac-
complishments, which includea
bedroomsetfor his high-school-
agedaughter,Brooke, as well as
numerouskitchencabinets.(See
page 63) "Learning to build
cabinets was an education." he
says."For example,I learnedto
add an extra t/q"so the cabinets
fit correctly.I learnedthe impor-
tanceof machiningmy rails and
stilescorrectly,and to be careful
in cuttingjoints-%" or tA6"can
meanthe differencebetweenfit-
ting or not fitting."
Randylearnedwell. His cabi-
nets, and other well-crafted
efforts,aswell ashis entireshop,
are monuments to his good
friend and mentor.
59
 o

sffi#hk
As with many of his woodworking
exploits, Randy Zimmerman
would see what his more
experiencedfriends did and
copy them. Randy uses this
workbench, based on a friend's
design, mostly for clamp-ups.
The three vises and three rows
of bench-dog holes aid in the
process.The box-jointed shelves
are handy for storage and tie
into the legs for rock-solid
construction.

-T
i
I

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.

60 Americo's BestHome Workshops 2008

 -G*;J,;

Magnetic
catch
Switchmount

L
2" 1I
I 15"
Pianohinge

This dust-collectionbox under Randy's

router table connects into the in-floor
6"
shop dust-collection system. The
bottom slopes to the vacuum port so the
dust and chips are easily sucked out of Strike
plate / Jointssealed
the bottom of the bay. with caulk Holesizedto fit
dust-collection
hose

Randy's router-tablefence made of plywood with

walnut faces clamps directly onto his tablesaw rip
fence. A plastic dust chute behind the bit enclgsure
hooks into the dust-collection system. The hardwood
faces have adjustment slots so Randy can close them
up around the router bit.

Once Randydecided which tools would

hook directly into his dust-collection system,
he carefully placed them in one spot to
stay. lf you're planning a new shop, he
recommends,go under the floor for your
dust collection, if possible, so the duct
runs stay out of the way. Randy made his
ductwork accessible so he could clear
blockages. Before the floor was poured, the
channelswere framed tor 3/c"lips along their
tops so Randycould lay melaminecovering
boards over them.

woodmogozine.com
61
 I
o

tre*ffiMiM

Randy built this cabinet "when I didn't know what I

was doing and I couldn't determine the number of
the bits lwould be using."So he carefullylabeled
every hole for each bit.
Made of plywood, except for the drawer and
door 1s1o"oak), the cabinet uses off-the-shelf
hardwareand simple joinery. Instead of using
drawer-slidehardware,Randy rubbed some
paraffin into the grooves in the sides to help the
plywood shelves slide easier.

Another project Randy made before there was a commercial equivalentis this
3lzx2'downdraft table, attached to his tablesaw that occupies the center of his
shop. Made of 3/e"MDF with a perforated-hardboardtop, the downdraft table is
designed so Randy doesn't need to move around much when he sands. Inside
the table, an old furnace fan sucks the dust through the Vz"holes drilled into the
perforated 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 belt
sanders,which stow in simply built plywood shelves.

li i lrautod; it;il overagain...

"lwas shop,
thatthiswasmysecond
fortunate Ibuiltit,Iknew
s0when
bigger
it laidout.0f course
howI wanted "
better!
isalways

Amelico's Besl Home Wolkshops 2008

62

This simple project took Randy
only an hour or two to build,
but handily stores arch-top
templates, which he uses in
designing and building kitchen
cabinets. (See photo below.)
As with many shop organizers
Randy constructed, this is useful
while amazinglysimple.
FI ad and son anended school
I ftogether. A very exclusive
- woodworking school, run
by a very exclusiveteacher.
"Arliss Boothe loved to give
classes," Randy Zimmerman re-
membersof the informal but intense
weekly sessions the retired Iowa
state trooper conducted for his
friends and neighbors until he
passedon in the fall of 2007. "My
dad [Laverne] and I both usedto go.
Arliss would give homeworkassign-
ments, like 'Build a mirror and use
woodmogozine.com
rabbets to serve an essential func-
tion.' And he'd check our work,
always making suggestions as to
how we could improve it." For
example, if someonedidn t have a
router, Arliss would demonstrate
how to cut rabbets on the tablesaw.
"He was always going out of his
way to make his students better
woodworkers," Randy recalls.
Between his hours at the nearby
Air National Guard base,where he
runs the paint shop, Randy con-
structedhis home'skitchen cabinets
'l
Photographs: Doug Hetherington
Randy Zimmerman began
woodworking to build kitchen
cabinets. Those in his home, at
left, are of a basic design. He
made them with a cabinet-bit
set, then added cKrwn molding
to give the cabinets dimension.
"Be sure to cut the door stiles
and rails correctly and allow for
proper overlay of the doo.rsand
drawers over the face frame,"
Randy advises. "lf you can build
a box, yoU can build cabinets."
(above),being sure to follow Arliss'
instructions. Cabinets and a bed-
room suite forhis daughter,Brooke,
were amongthe firstprojects Randy
constructed when he started wood-
working sevenyears ago.
Arliss and Randy's father passed
away within several weeks of each
other. Randy remembers both of
themthroughhis love of woodwork-
ing and by following their advice.
'Anytime I try something new," he
says, "I always think how both of
them encouragedme to learn."
63
 3 N
constrained,"he says.Kits with
This
tostartsomewhere.
Weallhave young didate in education at Illinois
StateUniversityin Normal, Illi- 2x4 framing appealedto Matt.
nois.One day,that all changed. "You can cut scrap2x4s and cre-
proves
woodworker youdontneedalotofspace Shortly after Matt and his ate shelves,"he says. He also
wife, Kerri, movedto Illinois to wanteda sturdy shelf to keephis
toequip shop-justsome
afunctional ingenuity. pursuetheir degrees,FredLively lathe workstation stable."When
passedaway and left his wood- you're turning," Matt explains,
etweendesigningspace- working tools to Matt. "He had a "there's a lot of vibration, so a
craft systemsfor NASA, garagefull of stuff," Matt relates. rock-solidsupportis essential."
Matt Fuller's uncle.Fred "I didn't know what half of it Matt, his brother-in-law,Eric
Lively, was heavily into wood- was-I still don't."What he also Adams, his father-in-law,Rick
working. Matt was sort of into didn't know waswherehe'dkeep Adams, and a neighbor con-
the craft, but nowhere near the it; could he afford to build a shop structedthe 8x12' shed.After it
dedicationof his uncle. like Uncle Fred's? Also, Kerri went up, Matt painted the in-
"When I was growing up in wanted their garageto park the terior walls white.
Texas,the only thing I had wasa car during the Midwestwinters. "If I sawwhite space,that was
tablesaw-that's all I ever So Matt soughtout a shedkit empty space,"he says, "and I
needed," says Matt, a college thatcombinedsizeandeconomy. needed to put something else
administratorand doctoralcan- "Even then. I knew I would be there." Then he fisured out

64 Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

 LEFTAND BELOW:One
thing Matt Fullermade
sure of when constructing
the shelves and cabinets
was that they would stay
put-especially the table
for his lathe. The cabinet
underneathhouses turning
tools; a compartment
farther inside stores his
router bits and handsaws.
Whereverhe encountered
space that was too small
to put anything else, Matt
attached all his shelvesto
walls and rafters.
TYPE: Residentialstorage
shedkit.
SIZE:8x12',96 sq ft.
HEATING:Propanespace
heater.
ELECTRICAL:Two circuits
withfour 110-volt
receptacleseach.
LIGHTING:Two dual-tube
fluorescentfixtures.one on
eachlongwall.
DUSTCOLLECTION:
None.Matt makessure to
use a personalrespirator.

Matt standsa shadeover6'tall, so

he neededto raise his lathe up a bit
LEFT:Careful planning
for comfort, but not so high that it
enables Matt Fuller
not only to fill his 8x12'
interferedwith his tablesaw."When
shed with his uncle's I crosscut a board, I have half
woodworking tools and an inch clearanceabove the lathe
accessories but also bed," he says.He useshis radial-
to give himself enough arm saw at the back of the shopfor
room to work. quick crosscuts.

Developing
workarounds
He acknowledgesthat rip spaceisn't
so great, but he developeda work-
which of his machineswas the around."When I wantto rip a board,
longest (the lathe) and situated I just swing the tablesawinto the
that first; then the next longest doorway,and I can rip stockstraight
(the tablesaw),and so on until out of the shed."Powercomesfrom
everytool was set.Exceptfor the two dedicated1l0-voltcircuits,each
lathe,eachtool rideson casters. with four receptacles.Matt didn't
extendthe house's220-voltservice
Adequate
room to his shed."The lightsmightflicker
Next. Matt tried where he could when I turn the lathe on," he con-
to make tables the sameheight. cedes, "but I have never blown a
Amazingly,he can rip and plane circuit and I haven't pushed the
piecesup to 5' long inside the limit. That would be unsafe."
spacewithout hitting up against Matt's shop is like a bumblebee,
anything. "If I want to work on which, aerodynamically, can't fly
longerpieces,I haveto pull stuff but does. "It works for me," Matt
out of the shed," he acknowl- says."I actually work inside there
edges."But the only largetoolsI whenit's raining."All becauseMatt
have to roll out are the tablesaw carefullycalculated,like his wood-
and the planer." worker uncle,the rocket scientist.

woodmogozine.com 65
 t

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

Matt's store-bought workbench was

collapsible.He didn't want that. "l wanted
my bench to be rock solid." To accomplish
that, he disabled the fold-down capability
so the table locked in the open position.
Then, he added casters for mobility.
Installing plywood cross braces keeps
items from falling off the shelf gnd helps
prevent the base from racking. He also
drilled 1" holes in the top for bench dogs.

lf I hadto doit allovetagain...

"Hopefully,
mynextshop willbemuch MattFuller
bigger," with
says
alaugh."Butif I hadthesame constraints, thesame
I'dapply principles
Thelargest
I didhere. andsoon."
toolsg0infirst,thenthenextlargest,

66 Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

 -t

thefloorplan
Shelvingfor jigs and tools

S h e l v i n fgo r '
jigsand tools

prcfile
woodworlarS
att Fuller walked into his dorm room on his
first day at TexasA&M Universityto seehis
roommate, Ben Smith, constructing a loft.
Their sharedinterestin woodworkinglater resultedin
the rustic-stylekitchenchairs(far right) the pair created
in the shopof Ben'sgrandfather.
Matt hadbuilt a few simplethingswith his father."But
my uncle was really into it. He built bedposts,boxes,
chests,and tables,"Matt recalls. "I regret that I never From a tiny shop, Matt Fuller
worked with him on woodworking."Nevertheless,his created the mesquite-and-pecan
unclebequeathed his entire shopto Matt, who movedto cutting board (tar right). He cut .\'t
rfi.tAi
Illinois with his wife of two years,Kerri. the star on his bandsaw,helped by a sledlike i

Betweenclasswork and teachingassignments, Matt
strives to be worthy of his uncle'sinheritance."I ask
aroundand readup on a lot of things,"he says."But I'm
nevergoing to be as good as he was.I just hopethat one
day I know how to useall the toolshe gaveme."
Photographs:Jackie Haggefi, Studio J. Photography
taper jig and a 360' protractor.In a square3/" ,$,FU
piece, he routed a groove, and fitted it with a
correspondingpiece of pecan.Angled pieces *t
definedthe pattern."l planeda few high spots,
sandedthe whole thing, and finishedit with
butcher block oil," Matt relates.The cedar chair
(above rightl is from a set Matt and a roommate
made in collegeto go with a kitchentable.

woodmogozine.com
67
 v-
-l

'
,l
a-l

*trb
,rl
r
lr

i-
r
$#f
Larry knew
Schwager thatasarookie
woodworker,hedidn'tneed alotof
r00mfortonsoffancy,expensive tools.
Healsoknewhecouldn't them!
afford
Withpracticality,
mixed withaliberal
amountoftrialanderror, hebuilta
shop andbudget.
thatsuitshisabilities

notbadfora

he six machinessittingin
Larry Schwager'sgarage
for six years told him
he should do somethingabout
fulfilling his desireto get into
woodworking.
"Everything was either in
boxes or just sitting there-a
scrollsaw tablesaw, bandsaw,
the whole works were in the
garage," recalls Larry, 63. "I
wantedto do woodworkingone
day, but I just didn't have the
room for it."
In 2006, however, Larry
retired as a police officer in the
townof Jerome,Idaho, just south
of thefamedSunValleyski area.
He found himself with a lot of
time on his hands,and his wife
wanted her garage back. "She
told me in no uncertaintermsto
get that stuff out of there,"Larry
recallswith a laugh."I figuredit
wastime to build a shop."
Larry finished the shop that
fall and happily spentthe winter
holedup inside.An earliercareer
as a draftsman working for a
lumberyardservedhim well in
planni ng the24x24'shop,housed
in a prefab structure. There's
plentyof room for Larry to build
the benches,cabinets,and other
smallpieceshe constructs.
andplanning
Walking
For his first stepin planningthe
shop,Larry took a tapemeasure
and walked aroundhis attached
garagq which also measured
24x24'. Then he draggedtools
aroundand placedthem in vari-
ouspositions."I sawhow all the
tools could fit comfortably into
that space,"he says."It seemed
that was going to be very ade-
quate, since I probablywasn't

68 Americo'sBestHomeWorkshops 2008
 TYPE:Metal-sidedCleary-
brandprefabricated
building.
S IZE : 24x24', 576sq f t .
CONSTRUCTION: Metal
exteriorreinforced
with2x6
woodframing,2x4 walls,
plywoodinteriorwalls,as
shownbelow.
H E A TIN G
: C eiling- m ount ed,
externallyventedCayenne-
l brandpropaneheater.
-En
I E LE C TR IC A L:
60- am p
r-t
j- servicepanelfor sixteen
ta 120-voltoutlets,fouron
I]
trtr eachwall,withthree
trj
t
Neverhavinglaid out a woodworkingshop breakersfor eachwall.
I before,Larry reliedon a few principleshe
had read up on. For example,"l knew I had LIGHTING: Twelve4'-long

M
'.-__%
to get enoughspace away from the wall,"
he says.Trialand error helped.
dual-tubefluorescent
f ixtures.
D U S TC OLLECTI O N:
Gri zzl yportab le1- hpdust
f: -ll--e,- collector;also2t/z"tube vac
it LarrySchwagersituatedhis shop insidea systemhookedto 6-hp shop
I prefabricatedmetal-sidedbuilding.lnsidethe vacuum.
exteriorsiding,Larry installed1Va"vinyl-face
A IR C OMP R ESSO R:
insufationand left a 2" air space. Between
CraftsmanZ-hp,33-gallon
2x4 framing,he added 3yz"R-15 insulation.
uni t.
The interiorwalls of his shop are 8'-high
exterior plywood. The arrangementmakes for
better heat reteritionthat keeps out the chill
of ldaho winter ski-countryweather.

1t/e"vinylface insulation

Metal sidingfor
the walls and roof
provideda good 2x4Iraming Exterior
metalwall
choice for Larry'sshop
because it's affordable 5/e"
T1-11
and withstands exterior
weatherwell. plywood
siding 2" air space

Interiorof
shop

Fiberglass
insulation
between
2x4 traming

woodmogozine.com
69

.F'
I
a:\
rl
t
;tl
{
I
I
\t ^r
t
#*-r
going to build huge projects."
Still, the novice woodworker
proceededwith caution.
"I positionedthe tools using
trial and error," he reports. "I
had a good idea of where the
tablesawhad to go-near the
middle of the floor. But I really
experimentedwith positioning
the rest of the tools. I neededto
seehow far from or closeto the
wall I could get them."
He also made severalrealiza-
tions about building a shop.
"T\^rothings that surprisedme
were the cost of concreteand
electricalwork," he says."Work-
70
i:irii*o -
),\l
ri
r:frt'&
A ceiling with exposed trusses
allowed Larry to hang his air
ing in a lumberyard,I did esti- system of 2t/2" clear pipe and filtration and gas heating units
matesfor building homes,but I hose. He also uses a portable out of the way but in effective
had been away from it for a dust collector for his tablesaw locations.The 9' of space
while, and it blew my mind to andjointer. under the rafters also enables
see how much electrical had An electrical contractor Larry to stand up tall boards,
goneup. I knew concretewould installed a dedicated 60-amp if the need arises.For visual
costmorethan otherflooring." panel that allowed Larry four appeal, Larry ran 8"-wide
However,he stayedwith con- 120-voltoutletson eachwall. "I cedar fencing board all the
way around the interior above
creteratherthanopt for plywood wanted enough outlets so I
the plywood.
becauseof the frost heavescom- wouldn't have cords laying all
mon to the region. His garage over the floor," he says.He also
also had fared well with a con- learned from a mistake: He
cretefloor. The prospectof frost didn't have an electrical panel
heavesalso argued against in- big enoughfor 220-voltservice.
floor dustcollection.Instead,he "One thing I would recommend
settledon a centralshopvacuum is that when you're building a
attachedto most tools with a shop,the first thing you needis
Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008
tukffik 24'

Ceiling-hung
air{iltrationsystem
OscillatingbelV
spindlesander

Despite being a novice woodworkef Larry had

two things going for him when he designed
his shop: a draftsman'sskills and his tools on
hand. Larry laid out his shop by trial and error.
Also, he planned his dust-collection system
first, then placed the tools later. That worked
out as well. Like the utility of the modular
structure that houses the shop, Larry relied
extensivelyon off-the-shelfsolutions, such as
shelving and tool stands, to satisfy his storage
and support requirements.

As with most of what

Larry built for his shop, his
downdraft sanding table
and workbench serve
multiple functions. The slots
in the sandingtable allow
the dust to suck into his
vacuum system for easy
collection. A section of 2x4
tucked below holds matting
that Larry rolls onto the
tabletop to keep workpieces
from rolling around. The
entire table attaches to his
smaller workbench.

woodmogozine.com
71

to determinethe size of the shop
and have an electrical panel big
enoughfor what you're going to
do," he says,ruefully.
He is also satisfied with his
choice of the Cleary prefab
structure. Besides saving him
about half the cost of erecting a
similarly sizedframed structure,
he appreciates its versatility.
"What makes it nice is that it's
insulatedand you can leave [the
building wallsl bare or finish
them off on the inside."
Above the plywood, decora-
tive cedar fencing boards,
attachedvertically, ring the shop
perimeter.Larry woodburnedor
scrollsaweddecorative patterns
into someof them.
72
r
a +r- e '
a lt.
+l
"Exterior plywood used in- tool might be too close to the enjoy his woodworking retreat!
doors might strike someoneas wall. I'm glad she asked me to He chuckleswhen he recalls the
unusual,"Larry says."But I like make that!" time he had breakfast; told his
the unbleachedlook of the wood, He also learnedanothervalu- wife, Carma,he wasgoing to the
and the panelsare sturdyenough able lesson: Take your time. shop for a few hours; and was
to hold everything I attached." "When you rush things," he surprised when she popped in
Shelvesandlumberracks,above, notes,"you make mistakes." demanding to know when he
hang within easyreach. Lany alsohasbegunto absorb was going to eat dinner. "I'd
someof the subtletiesof enhanc- been in there for eight hours," he
and
Test-ddves ing a piece'sappearance.To fin- says,sheepishly.
lessons
valuable ish his workbench, tool stands "It's all beenworth it," he says.
'Although my shop is small, it's
Along the way to completion, and tables,he took a small blow-
Larry test-drove the shop by torch and applied it to the grain very well suited to my wood-
crafting projects.The on-the-job patterns in the wood, making working ability-a beginner.I'll
'Around them go darker. (See the bench spend summers outdoors, but I
training was valuable.
Christmastime,I stoppedarrang- onpage74.)It'swon him consid- can't wait till winter comes
ing the shoplong enoughto build erablecompliments. aroundagain!" After his second
a doll's high chair for my grand- The shop experience hasn't winter in his new woodworking
daughter,Ali," he says. "From been the smoothest ride for haven, Larry Schwager knows
that project I learned that one Larry, but he's sure learned to he'sdonethe right things.
Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008
 To store his wood, Larry bolted three 2x4s to his plywood
wall, then cut particleboardshelvesof variouswidths.The
shelvesrest on 1" dowels insertedinto angled holes drilled
into the 2x6s.Anglingthe dowels a few degreeshelps settle
boards againstthe 2x6s ratherthan possiblyslidingfonruard.
Larry also built a tablesaw outfeed table that fits on top of
anotherstore-boughtsolution-a table with adjustablelegs.
The shop-madetop consistsof two layersof MDF inset 1"
into a 2x4 trame.

.*"tirr*l.+_
-

:r'*m*ni -n!ffi|

\.--
'4
-
I i!

.tl
fi lj
- 1l

r ' E
-.
. J
E

Larry built his draftingtable to convert

into a flat surface,which he needs
when refinishingrifle and shotgun
lf I hadto doit alloveragain... stocks.The rack that housesthe gun
stocks is to the right of the window.
"For whatI do,l'mveryhappy. most
Unlike woodworkers To equip his shop, store-bought
solutions-such as the mobiletool
I talkto,I don't
evenneedmore
space!| built
thissize
shop chest, and the podable clamping
workstationthat supports his grinder-
because I thoughtitwould
work
very
wellforme.lt has." made excellentsensefor Larry.

woodmogozine.com
73
I

o
p$edsandidea
Routers kick up a lot of chips, so Larry
made a cabinet that collects them for
easy disposal.He accomplishedthis
by expandinga small benchtoprouter
table into a floor-standing model and
enlargingthe top with a skirt of MDF.
The removablefence he created
allows the portable dust collector's
4" hose to attach at the reaf out of
the way.

Larrymade his first workbenchsolid-and expendable.lf he does

mar the worksurface,formed by two 1x6s edge-joinedwith biscuits,
he can just cut new boards to replacethem' Larry attached the
clear acrylic dust-collection ductwork above his bench to save
space. "Also, it I get a blockage, the clear plastic shows me exactly
where it is."

74 Americo's Besl Home Wotkshops 2008


draftsman for a lumber
company during a previous
career, Larry Schwager had de-
signed many cabinets and other
wood piecesfor homes.It was only
after he retired that he began to
think that it would be fun to build
thosepiecesas well.
"When I first started,I could see
the difficulty in woodworking,"
Larcy admits. "ft wasn't something
that you could do without training.
But I'd been doing a lot of reading
and I had the background for this,
so I thought it was something I
would like to get into."
Larry, who began woodworking
last year, started with little pieces,
mostly involving scrollsawing and
woodburning.The first major piece
he built was the buffet cabinet
above.Then the requestline heated
up. "My granddaughter,Ali, wanted
woodmogozine.com
a hrgh chair for one of her dolls, my
wife wanted a bench [shown above
rightl to sit on in our bedroom,"
Larry says."I couldn't sayno."
As the weather turns warmer,
and the ski bums depart, Larcy
spends more time outdoors. But
once the Idaho winter beckons,he
looks forward to getting back into
the newly found enjoyment of his
shop. "I hope we have a nice long
winter," he says.
Building this pine buffet-one of
his first projects-taught Larry
severalvaluable lessons,besides
giving him practice in using his
tablesaq mitersaw, bandsaw,
route[ and router table. He
started working on the 48x32x16"
piece before consulting a set of
plans for it. "The plans gave me
ways of building the buffet that
were lots easie6" he says. The
other thing he learned the hard
way was to apply stain with a
cloth, not a brush. "The brush
carries way too much stain and
can cause blotching," he notes.
"A cloth may take longer to do
the job, but the stain can be put
on in lighter layers,as needed."
Larry traced the relief-carving pattern on
this pine bench from the Schwagers' bedroom
set, carving it out with a high-speed rotary
tool and small gun-stock-checkeringtool.
A Porter-Cable half-blind dovetail jig fashioned
the corners; the sides were rabbetedTz" to
accept the seat. A /1" groove routed on the
inside accepts the 14" birch plywood bottom.
Four coats of polyurethaneproduce the high
gloss. The legs were purchased-because
Larry has yet to buy a lathe-and screwed in
place. He added %",oak plugs to cover the
screw heads.
Photographs:
Mike LloydParisStudiosPhotography
75
 .:r
;-{xr,:

When afatherinGreensboro, moved

NorthCarolina, he
retreat,
toalakeside
aworkshop
sawlessofhisson,intown.Constructing that'sshared
together by
bothhelped anewgeneration
andintroduce
bringthemcloser towoodworking.

'Great! How much room do you

ownsizing had a very
positive upside for
WayneSouthard.Not on
thejob front but the homefront.
When Wayne and his wife,
Donna,decidedto move from a
large lakefront house in North
Carolina to be closer to their
families in the Greensboroarea,
Wayneand his son, David, col-
laborated on a workshop on
David'sproperty in neighboring
Kernersville.Not only does it
allow Wayneto see his family
more often,but the shop'sflexi-
bility and size more than meet
his needs to be creative and
improvehis skills as a hobbyist
furnituremaker.
"I built a basementshopseven
years ago in this great big lake
house an hour away from mY
grandkids, but visits from our
families were too infrequent,"
saysthe sixtysomethingWayne,
who has been woodworkingfor
'Also, I was
nearlyeight years.
driving 100 miles round-tripto
work eachday.Davidhadalmost
two acres. So I said to him,
'What if we build a workshopon
your property?I'll pay.'He said,
need?' Now he's gotten more
interested in woodworking since
it was finished."
Along, shot
straight
Wayne's former shop encom-
passeda l2xl5'main shopand a
l0xl2' finishing and storage
room.The new facility measures
16x36',and wood is storedin a
shed.The shop'slengthandrect-
angular configurationare great
for ripping long boardswithout
having to angle the tablesaw.
That's an improvementover his

Americq's Besl Home Wolkshops 2008

76
I
I Sharinga woodworkingshop
helps cementthe father-sonbond
between Wayne Southard,rght,
and his son. David.

The Southardfamily shop takes
on a long, lean look, yet it has
ample space to house both men's
tools. Each contributedto the
shop before it went up. David
had built the long workbench
alongthe left wallto use in his
constructionprojectsas a civil
engineer.Waynewas more of
the woodworker.Now they've
collaboratedon a numberof
furniturepieces.
TYPE:Wood-frame
outbui l di ng.
S IZE :16x36'57
, 6sq f t .
C ON S TR U C TI O N:
Concrete-impregnated
hardboardexteriorwalls,
dryw al il nsi de;1 0'high
c e i l i n gd; o u b l e - h u n g
windows.
H E A TIN GA N D CO O LI NG :
Heatpumpprovidesheat
and ai r-condi t ioning;
t wo
cei l i ngfans.
E LE C TR IC A L:
200- am p
service,accommodating
120-and 240-volt
receptacles on everywall.
LIGH TIN G:Tw elvedual-
bulbenergy-efficient

u fluorescents.
D U S TC OLLE CTI O N:
Shopvacuumconnectedto
machi nesas ne eded.
AIRCOMPRESSOR:
25-gallon Sears
St/z-hp,
lT-_*.
Craftsman.

Garagedoors are 10' high,making

it easy to move stock into the
shop and large pieces out of it.
Glasswindows in the garage
doors,coupledwith the flanking
double-hungwindowsand the four
dual-tubefluorescentfixtures,let
in ample light.The windows stay
open duringthe warmermonths,
keepingthe shop pleasantlycool.

woodmogozine.com
77
H /
Waynepositionedthe main
workbenchnear two double-
hungwindows,which let in
plenty of naturallight and can
be openedfor cooling.The
three wall cabinetshang on a
cleat rail that runs aroundthe
perimeter,allowingcabinets
to be moved,removed,or
added as needed.
7B
Cleat rail
former shop, which consistedofforming the concrete floor and
footings and doing the drywall-
two adjoining rectangularrooms.
That made moving long lengths ing, they provided the rest of the
labor, which included construct-
of wood more difficult.
ing the frame, and the exterior
Wayne admits the width of the
new shop is far from ideal. siding of concrete-impregnated
"I would have liked to make a hardboard.
bigger building," he acknowl- The Southards epoxied the
edges, "but the building codesfloor to seal the concrete, reduce
wouldn't allow anything biggerconcrete dust, and help keep the
in the desired location. If wefloor clean. It took an entire day:
wanted more width. we couldn'tfirst washing the floor with
have located the shop where itmuratic acid twice, using a brush
and pressure washer; then thor-
is." Plus, they would have had to
take down a rather large tree,oughly rinsing the floor and
adding to the cost. drying it with fans for several
hours; and finally rolling the
in:friends,
Pitchinq epoxy on in 6x6' sections and
andfamily
neighb6rs, sprinkling on the flakes while
David,Wayne,and his stepsons, the sectionswere still wet.
grandchildren,andfriendsbegan A 200-amp box powers every-
work on the frame structurein thing. But the Southards added
March 2006 andfinishedup the 30-amp and 50-amp circuits that
fbllowing February.Except for await a dust-collection cyclone
Americo'sBestHomeWorkshops 2008
thefloorphn

Like newlywedscombiningtwo households,Wayneand David Southardpooled their own hand and

power tools. The roominessof the shop enabledthem to store everytool without needingto disposeof
duplicates.All heavy tools are on casters for mobility.

Installing10'-high
ceilingsallowedfor
tall garage doors;
togethe4 they more

ih.s-; than accommodate

large projects. David
t
i designedthe shop
I
It to resemblean old-
t fashioned carriage
house,down to the
exterior sconces.
The shed behindthe
shop stores lumber.

The bag below the tablesaw collects sawdust. When

Wayne or David connect a hose, the waste is sucked
into a portableshop vacuum.

woodmogozine.com 79
 C l e a t rail

-f
ra.

fu-
ABOVE:Ample outletsat two
levelsalong each wall allow for
flexibilityin connectingtoolsto
power sources.Mobile bases
and casterskeep these tools and
stands podable.

RIGHT:The Southardscentered
their tablesawside-to-sidein
the shop, nearthe sheet-goods
rack. For long stock,
the adjustable-heightbench
providesan extended
,*L 'ry*l.ll
utv

and stable outfeedtable.

ShowcaseY0uR
Workshop
Seepage127for details.

lf I hadto doit alloveragain...

"l don'tthinkwe'dchange ifwehadmore
0fcourse
anything. space, have
wecould
onesuper area
storage shed
0ftheseparate
instead behind weusenow."
theshop

BO Americo's Besl Home Wotkshops 2008


and a welder, respectively,if
they'reeveradded.
David designedthe building
to receiveample outsidelight,
augmenting the fluorescents.
When open, the windows let in
welcomedfresh air. Two ceiling
fans provide additional relief.
Air-conditioning and heating
ductworkruns throughthe attic,
out of the way.
Three sections define the
shop:The back end housesthe
workbench and planning area,
the tablesawandjointer, as well
asothertools.(Seethe floor plan
on plge 79.)A larger workbench
and an adjustable-height bench
command the middle section.
The front of the shopis dedicated
to assembly andfinishingspace.
Wayne installed all the
machineson mobile basesso he
can easily reposition tools or
cabinetsto accomplisha layout
that suitsany purpose."We can
woodmogozine.com
.t
This gridded 2x2 frame elevates
and holds plywood flat and
steady for cutting and saves
wear and tear on the workbench
surface. When not in use, the
frame hangs neatly on the
portable sheet-goods rack Wayne
built. (See page 83.1
do all our cutting, for example,
and then set that work asideif
we've also got a project that
needsplaning."
One thing they avoided, so
they could havemore flexibility
of tool locationto accommodate
the relativelynarrow space,was
a centraldust-collection system.
Instead, a shop vacuum plugs
into ports on eachtool.
Thenextgeneration
The Southardfamily shophas a
place for every tool, and plenty
7'gr
of spaceto assembleand finish
projects.There's also room for
other uses,such as vehicle and
boat maintenance,without hav-
ing to move anything outside.
Adjustablesupports on this rolling
What's movedinsideis a father I
workbench enable Wayne or David
and son-and grandsons-to to raise or lower the worksurface
sharein a tradition."The biggest for various projects or to act as an
thing I get out of this," Wayne outfeed table for the tablesaw. Holes
says,"is passingon the nuances ,n'' for bench dogs were drilled 5" apart
of woodworking." / in the worksurface.
81
 ptopctsardlde o

Wayne and David fashioned a cleat-rail system for their shop that
supports clamp racks and cabinets. Clamp racks at the rear of
the shop are simple 3/c"plywood uprights screwed to horizontal
2x4s. Each clamp rack hangs on the cleat railthat runs around
every wall. No hardware is needed to hold the cabinets on the
rails; a beveled edge on the rail accommodates a mating beveled
cleat. To learn more about how to build this cleat system, visit
woodrnagerzine"c o m/c Ieatsystetn.

Besidesholdingclamp racks
(top,left), the cleat system
also supports a dozen 18x30"
speciallybuilt birch plywood
cabinets (above).

A flip-top mobilecabinet holds two

tools-a real space saver!When
Wayne flips the rotating shelf, he
can bring up a mitersawor planer.
Carriage bolts and lag screws hold
the tools in place.

82 Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

 Insteadof buildingtheir portablesheet-
goods rack with two slopingsides,as
most plans callfo6 Wayneand David
made one side perpendicularto the floor
so they could store the rack flush against
the wall. The straightback also makes a
good place to hang the plywood-cutting
frame shown on page 87. Shelvesof
varyingwidths hold longer boards.

a;

prufile
woodrruorkert
ayne Southardhas been into woodworkingonly
for about eight years,but he's learnedquickly.
"I've graduatedfrom the basics and into the
Three generations
advancedelectives,"he jokes. For example,he's paying
of Southards helped
closeattentionto the little tricks that help work get done fashionthis computer
more efficiently. desk. Wayne and
"The biggestthing I learned,"Waynesays,"is that when son David admire
you'recutting out pieces,make sureyou label them so you their handiworkwith
know what they are.That might soundvery elementaryin David's9-year-oldson,
retrospect,but you'd be amazedhow long it takesyou to Brandon.
realizeit's a little thing that makesa big difference."
Once Wayneand his son, David, got their shop up and
runningon David'sproperty,fatherand sonpumpedout the
shop wall cabinets,sheet-goodsrack, and clamp racks.
Then,Waynebeganwork on an entertainmentcenterwhile
David startedon the computerdeskat right.
GrandsonsBrandon,9, and Tyler, 13, helped sand the
shopwall cabinets-their first experiencewith powertools.
"They like learning about woodworkingfrom Grandpa,"
Waynesays,proudly.
Photographs:Bert Vanderveen,Vanderveen Photography

woodmogozine.com 83
 l'\.\i,.r._
r t't'-
i .
lr l.-*
L lt
r \
i:' ,i'-.4
r--I
.)'1;J
a\
,)t

Stff=r-\

I I
aa ome woodworkers sPend
Besides functional,
completely
being \ so much time in their
J shops,they joke that they
Hahn's
Brian inwooded
shop Wisconsin live in them. Brian Hahn actu-
ally did-for five months while
ofhome.
hasallthecomforts And his home in Avoca, Wisconsin,
was being built. That's why he
whynot? itwoshishome!
Forawhile, addeda finished plywood floor,
z/qbath, eating area, sofa bed,
and so much more.
Oh, he works in the shoPtoo.
That's wherethe retired chemist,
59. turns and carves eclectic
bowls and lamps, and produces
furniture from wood he harvests
from his 73 acresof mostly for-
ested property about 60 miles
west of Madison. "I built the
shop to be inhabitable," Brian
says."It's my office-I comeout
to work for eight hours,and then
I go home.Also, I live out in the
country,and if there'sa fire, theY
can't get to you real quick," he
quipped. "So if somethinghaP-
pensto one building, the other is
a fallback."
Theshop first
comes
Brian sayshe'd always planned
to harvest wood and use it to
craft his turnings. So when he
wasnearingretirement,hebegan
scouting property in rural Wis-
consin, bought some in 1992,
and settled there six years later.
Afterhe movedbacktohis native
state from Delaware, Brian

84 Americo's Besl Home Wolkshops 2008

 'w
?-f;{;i
**e
-::----
ABOVE:In Brian Hahn'sshop,
you'llfindamenities,such as
a finished plywood floor and
casement windows, that you
wouldn't find in most home
workshops.The window
behindthe cabinet has a
cherryflip-up hingedframe
with Lucite sheets that keeps
lathe-generatedflying objects
from striking the window
glass.The sand-filledgrinder
stand Brian designed (at left
in photo) stores fixed-angle
tool rests for sharpening his
turning tools. He discovered
that a standard face shield
gives him bad eye strain
and headaches,so instead
he substituted the baseball
catcher's mask (while wearing
safety glasses).
woodmogozine.com
LEFT:Windows on every wall of
Brian's shop add plenty of natural
light but reducethe wall space for
storage. lt's a trade-off Brian is
happy to live with.
TYPE: Wood-framed
outbui l di ng.
SIZE: 26x48',1,248sq ft.
CONSTRUCTION: 2x6
framedwalls,scissortrusses
for extraceilingheight.
Tongue-and-groove wood
flooring,two layersof 3/+"
OSB toppedwith 3/+"
varnishedplywood;standard
engineered joistson 16"
centers,supportedmidspan
by a beam,in turnsupported
tl by postson footings.
H E A TIN GA N D CO O LI NG :
Ir, Forced-aircentralheating
and air-conditioning.
ELECTRICAL:200-amp
service,14 double-duplex
outletswithtwo independent
20-ampcircuitsin each;
plus four 20-amp24O-volt
circuits.
LIGHTING:PrimarilyT-8
32-wattdual-tubefixtures.
l DUSTCOLLECTION:
Portableshopvacuum.
JDS air filterhangingfrom
ceilingabovetablesaw.
LEFT:The unique movabletailstock
of Brian's new Robust lathe tilts
back for easy access to ends of
workpieces. Brian was concerned
that the plywood floor wasn't sturdy
enoughto handlethe 700-lbtool.
"But except for being a little bouncy,
it's fine," he reports. Turningtools
and accessories hang nearby.On the
backing board that holds the lathe
chucks, Brian fastened the dowels
perpendicularto make it easier to
slide the chucks on and off.
85

F',
,F"
:i,
Er*-s-
IFri
EEEix&+'
ABOVE:Brian nailed the
layout of his shop in the
first attempt, although he
had to compromise on the
plan he originallywanted.
(Seefloor plan, opposite.)
"Experts will tell you to
arrangethe lumber rack,
then the tablesaw,and then
the jointer for good work
progression.Instead of
tackling that at the onset,
I positioned the drill press
first because it wasn't
mobile,and lwanted it
where it wouldn't be in the
way when lwas doing other
things," he says.
86
began building the shop first,
then started work on the house
two monthslater.
From May through September
of 1999,Brian lived in the shop,
which he says was almost as
large as his old house.
Brian intendedthe shop to be
a home away from home from
the beginning.The 26x48'build-
ing is constructed with 2x6
framing. Scissortrussesallowed
for a l0'cathedralceiling,which
gives Brian plenty of clearance
and afforded him headroom to
hang an air cleaner.(Brian didn't
install a dust-collectionsystem,
but a portable shop vacuum
suffices.) Drywall covers the
2x6framing.
One corner of the building
becamean office, with a sleeper
sofa,deepsink, anda microwave.
He got rid of the refrigerator he
used when he took up residence
in the shop.
Contributing to the hominess
are French doors, which Brian
installed in front of his tablesaw.
They do add practicality, he
insists."I canjust openthe doors
andrun boardsin andout," Brian
says. 'Also, it contributes to
ventilation." Casementwindows
- - i
:t!-'-
overlook Brian's acreagqwhich
contributesmost of the wood he
uses for turning. He stores the
wood in an areaon the other side
of the office.
"That storagearea is the only
thing that tells you this isn't a
residential house," Brian says.
"That, and the double-duplex
electrical outlets [separatecir-
cuits for each duplex outletl are
4' above the floor instead of at
shin level, like a regular house.
That makesthem easyto get at."
Also, the electricalboxesdeliver
20-amp service instead of 15,
and there are plenty of extra cir-
Americo'sBeslHomeWolkshops2008
tutu@
l@ Buttino-a
Jry"y*:i@=
I W I Storaqe
Iu|
,ffi*@ r
Grnder
;f$[: ]
Lathe tool ra
Workbench
Workbench/outfeed
table
|:==] strip
I lffifllsancier
I:T
| ?l

I
Potter's Microwave I lorinoer
wheel
t-.il Vise
Tablesaw
oFFrcEsreePer I
tl

LEFT:Brian started with a standard

European-stylebench, but it was too
small for his work, so he built a new
one, adapting the design of Rhode
lsland School of Design master
woodworker Tage Frid, who has
described his benches as "a machine
for clamping." Brian's hard-maple
benchtop is considerablywider than
Frid's design but features his classic
multiplevises.

woodmogozine.com
87
 ,4
ABOVE:A combination of movable and stationary shelves gives Brian the flexibility to change the
layout of his shop as his needs evolve. His workbench is near two windows for plenty of natural light.
cuits. "With all the circuits at 20
amps, I can plug in anything
anywhere and not worry about
blowing a breaker,"he says.
Brian alsodidn't skimp on the
altitude-he's 6'2" tall, and
"everything in the shopis scaled
for me," he says.He hasno trou-
ble reaching the tools hanging
on rackshigh on the walls.
But the grabberis the polished
floor. Over a 3/q"plywood surface
glued on top of two layersof z/i'
OSB, Brian appliedfour coatsof
McCloskeyGymSeal,which is a
tung-oil-basedfloor varnish.
Afloorforallseasons
The floor might strike some as
extravagant,but Brian has his
88
reasons."My old shopwasin the
basementwith a concretefloor."
he relates. "I decided that was
the last suchfloor I wanted.This
floor is worth all the hassle."The
polished surface can become
somewhat slippery, but Brian
puts up with it becauseit's for-
giving on tools that get dropped
onto it. "I'd rather the floor take
the damageinsteadof the tool,"
he says.'Also, the floor is easier
on my feet-it isn't cold. And it
was easy to run the plumbing
and wiring underneath."
When Brian got done carving
out space for the z/qbathroom
("It's a real treatto not haveto go
100 feet outside to my home to
usethe facilitiesin the winter!")
and a storagearea, he was left
with a 25x28' spacefor his table-
saw, jointer, drill press, and
bandsaw,as well as two lathes
and multiple workbenches.
From his earlier shop, Brian
brought his oversizemain work-
bench,a modification of a Euro-
pean-stylecabinetmaker'sbench.
"That was too small for what I
was doing," he saysof one of his
first big projects."So I widened
and lengthenedit and stiffened
up the top, using hard maple."
The top also disassemblesfrom
the legsfor easyrepair.
The 3x8'benchis perpendicu-
lar to a wall out of necessity.
When Brian installedtwo case-
ment windows on each wall. it
Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008
left him enough wall spacefor
somesmallertools,but little else.
Still, the windowsprovideplenty
of naturallight.
Brian works with greenwood,
which is moisture-heavy,so the
shop becomesvery humid and
the windowsfog up in winter. He
insulated the windows on the
inside with plastic wrap. "But
there's no way I can eliminate
that problem,"he notes.
That minor headacheis well
worth the trade-off for Brian,
who has created a workspace
that's his own retreat."It makes
up for when I workedin an office
and had to walk to the end of the
hall to see outside," he says.
Thosedaysare gone.
 'l

LEFT:To store his buffing wheels and to give

his shop a consistentand unifyingaccent,
Brianemployedthe same batch of reclaimed
cherrythat made up the other hangersand
hofders.The 30"-long,3Ax17z" wall cleat
attaches to studs with 2Vz"deck screws.
Buffingwheels hang on %" bolts screwed into
1x2 oak strips.The strips hang on 2" deck
screws so Brian can move an entire strio to his
lathe. The hole spacings vary with the different
diameters of buffing wheels.

LEFT:Brian had some open

space below a cold-air return
vent, so he placed a C-clamp
rack there. The rack is made
of a 14x30" backing board
and a %" plywood scrap lefi
over from Brian'sflooring.The
blocks holdingthe largerclamps
are made of 2x4 scraps; the
smallerclamps hang on 3/n"
galvanizedwater pipe, secured in
counterboredholes.

LEFT:Putting an office into

a workshop may strike some
as a luxury;to Brian it was
a necessity,born of the fact
that the shop was his home
while his house was being
built. He even broughta
double sleepersofa into the
shop office to sleep on.

p*-i-;r:;

ri
ss
If I hadto doit alloveragain...
"l'daddadust-collection
system;
it wouldhave
tobeoutoftheway.Butaside
from
some minordetails
andmaybesome moredouble-duplex
outlets,
l'mhappy."

woodmogozine.com
89
 r*k
Brian turned these projects for monthly challenge
competitions conducted by the woodturners club in
Madisoh, Wisconsin.The natural-edgecherry-burl bowl,
atnear left, comes flom a damaged cherry tree on Brian's
acreage, the first wood he harvested from his property. He
turned the lamp from a chunk of curly maple. The "see-
through" egg at far left uses maple for the outside and
yellowheart for the inside. Scrap OSB from rim joists of
Brian's house supplied the material for the platter.

(ll
Derived from a Swedish postwar
design, this cabinet Brian made in
1984 features adjustable pull-out
shelving and plenty of drawers to
hold his files, chisels, bits, and other
hand tools and accessories.

90 Americo's BestHome Workshops 2008

 #8 x2" F . H .wood screw

-\
l
.,

"--*J---
314"

#8 x 3" F.H.wood screw

into wall stud
Brian's wall-hung clamp racks came out of
-./---\ a desire to clean out the area underneath
.."'./ #8x2l/2" F.H.wood screw
3" his main workbench, where his clamps were
difficult to get at. But he had plenty of wall
space, so his clamps hang on these racks,
with blocks cut from 4x4s. The protruding
heads of roundhead wood screws keep
the clamps from sliding off the fronts of the
blocks. "You just have to measurehow much
/' space you have for a rack, make sure you
(
#8 x 2" F.H.
wood screw N give each clamp enough room, and mount
the backing board to wallstuds," Brian says.

rian Hahn started building a house when he was in first grade-his

Nothing makes Brian happier
than to turn raw wood into
usable stock.
father let him hammer in some sheathingwith a l2-ounce tool. "I still
have the hammer," Brian says."I was always into woodworking."
He built a model sailboatout of 2x4s, soldwoodcarvingswhen he wasin Boy
Scout camp, and crafted a pair of speakercabinetsin college. Today,Brian has
graduated to turning functional and decorative bowls and lamps, as well as
building cabinets.All of it he crafts from wood he's harvested.
Brian caught the turning bug when he went home for the holidays in 1980to
find that his father had bought a small lathe. After turning a few bowls and some
candleholders, Brian bought his own turning equipment, which gave him a
respite from his careerin scientific instrumentation researchand development.
But he remains a woodsman at heart. "I never get tired of saying to myself,
'Okay, which
tree do I want to harvestthis year?' " he says.
View Brian's resawjig atleft in action at woodmagazine.com/resawvideo.
Photographs:Jim Nelson, Nelson Photography

woodmogozine.com
91

apartments
Ittookseveral andonebasement
forSamuel toputtogether
Daigle theshop
hewanted.ButnowforthisFrench-Canadian,
gismognifique!
everythin
lsltsownrewad
ike many woodworkers,
SamuelDaigle discovered
his love of the craft from
his grandfather.Much later, the
emergency-room doctor relied
on his patienceto constructjust
the shophe wanted.
"At first I got into woodcarv-
ing," recallsSam,who lives in a
baysidetown in New Brunswick
in the CanadianMaritime Prov-
inces."I didn't needmorethan a
few tools for carving." When he
started doing more woodwork-
92
ing, he bought a portable table-
sawthat he would haul out to the
balcony of whatever apartment
he lived in. "I'm guessing the
neighborsdidn't carefor that too
much," he says.
When Samandhis wife, Julie,
bought their home in 2001, he
finished the basementto accom-
modatea shop."Butby thattime
I was doing more and more
woodworking,and I startedseri-
ously thinking about what I
needed,"he says."I knew I was
Americq's Besl Home Workshops 2008
m
t
il
going to do more and more, but
still wasn't sure of exactly what
tools I'd haveto get."
proiect
Aone-year
Preparation for outfitting his
new shopspacebeganin earnest
in 2004. For six months, Sam
read a considerableamount,and
looked aroundthe Internetto see
what other woodworkers were
doing. After formulating his
diagnosis,he was ready to Pro-
ceed with the treatment, which
 ln SamuelDaigle'sshop, his
tablesaw,shaper,jointe4and planer

t are stationary-that means he had

to plan carefully where to put them.
Thanks to ample space between
machines,Sam has plenty of room
to work. A trough in his tablesaw
outfeedtable alignedwith his jointer
allows him to joint 10-12' boards
with ease.

TYPE:Outbuildingattached
by a breezeway.
SIZE:Shoparea
676 sq ft.
C ON S TR U C TI O N:
2x6
framingfor wallsand roof;
layereddrywalland OSB
walls;faux hardwood
laminatefloor.
HEATING:Electricwall
heatingunits,plusheating
fan in loft.
C OOLIN G:One window
air conditioner;
otherwise,
naturalcooling.
ELECTRICAL:Dedicated
100-ampbox, including220-
volt receptaclesfor every
stationarymachine.
LIGHTING:Two rowsof five
dual-tubef Iuorescents;
scatteredtask lights.
D U S TC OLLE CTI O N:
3- hp
cyclonelocatedin bathroom
off mainshop;8"-to-6"-to-4"
ductworkrunsthrough
spacebelowshop.
A IR C OMP R ESSO R:
Locatedin workbench,for
ai r nai l er.

Sam didn't want to stand on stools or

climb ladders to access his storage loft,
so he built a long cabinet he just steps
onto when reachingfor wood. Over the
particleboardwall, Sam adhered the
same type of faux hardwood he used on
the floor."l can hang hooks, it doesn't
scratch, and it's easy to clean," he says.

woodmogozine.com 93

I
"i.5ael i'ol
i\
ABOVE:Sam plannedhis shop
to have ample and reachable
storagespace,abundant
naturallight,and enough room
to maneuver.He placed his
machinesside by side "because
you often go from one to the
other.I can planeand joint long
boards,and there'snothingto
obstructthem in front or back."
94
Rr''Efn;Tirtit
r-o
^il
ffi",F,ff=::T
took six more months. Realizing
he wasn't going to get the ideal
space, Sam designed the shop,
beside his garage.to maximize
the space.
During construction, builders
added a breezeway to the 12-
year-old house that fronts the
Bay of Chaleur. This little sec-
tion connects Sam's attached
garage and shop and isolates the
shop from the main house."This
lets me work at any time of the
day or night without disturbing
my family," Sam says-and
without having to tug on boots to
slosh through snow to get there.
Part of the breezeway's space
Sam 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 the
structure,whichconsistsof kiln-
dried 2x6 framing for the walls
and shingle roof, and sectional
simulatedwoodflooring.
Sam dug a 6' crawl space
underneaththe shop where he
ran dust-collectorductwork.
andserenity
0rder
Three electrical wall heating
units combine with an electrical
heating fan beneath the ceiling
to 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.
Americo'sBestHomeWorkshops 2008
.rii
I
(
!87-
They're there to stay; he elected
not to install casters on anY of
his machines, all of which run
on 220 volts. Ample receptacles
make it unnecessaryfor Sam to
plug and re-plug. He ran the
wires under the floor, so there's
little to trip over.
The dust-collection ductwork
transitions from 8" to 6" to 4",
allowing it to tuck neatly beneath
the 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.
 lf I hadto doit alloveragain...

;tq ;
"lwould designawider tothegarage
entrance
tomake
andaddaboutafootofwidthtothebathroom
thedust-collection easier
basket toempty."

ABOVE:Lookingeast
through two sets of
triple-panel,double-paned
windows,Sam can admirethe
view of the Bay of Chaleur,
steps away from his shop.
tr
RIGHT BecauseSam does
some stone carving(see
page 981,he constructed a
downdraft booth (far left in
photo)with clear acrylicwalls
to keep the dust out of the
shop. Placinghis bandsaw
in front of a window blocks
his view a little,but it was the
best spot to give him ample
rip space and good lighting.

:_l
Fi
fr#.r
b
F*:
l:qg$ *
1, o
ABOVE:The compact turning center illustrateshow
Sam placed a layer of pressed wood behind the drywall
throughoutthe shop so he could hang accessories
whereverhe neededthem. "l knew I was going to hang
a lot of stuff, and I didn't want to always look for studs,"
Sam explains."That extra layeralso helps in keepingthe
noisedown."

LEFT One of Julie Daigle'sconditionsof havinga

dedicatedbuildingfor a shop was it had to have a
pleasinglook. Sam installedtwo frosted-glassdoors
and decorativeglass dividersto match those on their
house.Above his sharpeningstationto the left of the
doors hangsthe air cleaner.

woodmogozine.com 95
 26'

Cyclone
dust
collector

v
. Tablesaw

tablesaw
alignswith jointerbed

m
tril:il|
GARAGE E]
Withlumberstorageabove Planer

workbench Air

'-:
-:Fr cerrrng-nung
F_--kj air-fittratiSnsys-tem

Doubre 1il1"!"L / ^^^YPilg^^,^

xK:.Fil'diE\' I""15a0t"

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

Sam devised a sliding dust

One of the things Sam likes collector to make lathe
best about his shop is the 312- cleanup more efficient.
sq-ft storageloft, which is above He fashioned a box out
the adjacentgarage.To reach it, of scrapwood and sheet
he simply steps onto a sturdy metal, and cut an opening
for a flexible 4" pipe, which
29"-high countertop,which also
runs beneath the floor and
houseshis mitersawstation.
connects to the cyclone.
The four setsof windows not Attaching rectangular
only let in plenty of natural light pieces of scrap ultra-high
but also afford Sam a clear view molecularweight(UHMW
of the picturesquebay that bor- plastic enables the box to
ders his hometown.This corner slide side-to-side.A knob
of paradise reminds Samuel locks it in place.
Daigle that life is good and the
rewards of patience are worth
waiting for.

96 Americo's BesfHome Workshops 2008

pruFcBandideas
Sam was dissatisfiedwith how difficult it
was to move the fence that came with his
shaper.So he built his own out of an old
tablesaw fence, plus strips of 3/c"plywood,
with an openingfor a dust-collection
hose.Solid-maplefeatherboards 11l2"
thick attach to the recycled countertop
with countersunkscrews,and slide up
and down. A turn of the fence-adjustment
handle moves the whole fence forward or
backward; the fence-lockdown knob locks
the fence. By looseningtwo screws, the
two countertop pieces can slide to hug the
shapercutter.Holes Sam drilled into the
top of the fence house bits.

Sam designedhis tablesaw

extensionfor ease of ripping,but he
also made sure it wouldn't get in the
way of wood being worked on at his
adjacent jointer. Sam made his own
rollers using2T2"black PVC pipe. (He
installedtwo long rollerson one side
of the trough and six shorter ones on
the other to accommodate boards
of different widths.) Compaftments
hold smallerand exotic pieces of
wood, as well as jigs and sleds, plus
Sam's dado set.

woodmogozine.com 97
 prcfectsandid o

Sam constructedthis compact organizerout of maple

scrap in a couple of hours.Shelvesfit into dadoes cut
into each side. Using lighter-weightwood will allow it
to hang on any wall (screwed into wall studs), even if
your wall isn't lined with faux hardwoodflooringover
drywall,as Sam did in his shop.

Sam craftedthis ash-and-ceramictable when he and his

wife, Julie,first moved into their new home and Sam built
his shop. Sam still crafts wood furniturebut also experiments
with wood turningsand stone caruings.He's proudestof
his 12-15"-tallsegmentedvases,made of walnut,maple,
and butternut.

98 Americo'sBestHomeWorkshops 2008

emg an emergency room
physician has taught Sam
Daigle a key lesson about
woodworking.
"The injuries I see remind me I
haveto be careful with my tools," he
says, with a laugh. Actually, Sam
doesn't consider it a bit ironic that
his careerand his hobby are similar.
"You have to be good with
your hands in both of them," he
points out. "Like the variety of
things I create with my hobby,
I really enjoy the diversity that fam-
ily medicinebrings me."
Sam and his wife, Julie Langlois,
also an M.D., reside in Bathurst,
Canada,a small bilingual commu-
nity in Sam'shomeprovinceof New
Brunswick, northeastof Maine.
Sam's grandfather helped the
youngster develop an interest in
woodworking. "When I was young,
woodmogozine.com
When he moved into his new
shop, Sam had a considerable
amount of leftover oak, so he
used it, along with leftover ash,
to build his versatileworkbench.
Oak isnit the hardest material
for a benchtop and it does
dent a little, admits Sam, who
combined two 1S"-wide planks
for the worksurface. But he had
it around, so that's what he used.
Sam used the interior space
to install an air compressor for
his pneumatic nailer.Oak-front
drawers on one end hold his
router tools and accessories as
well as finishing materials.
my grandfatherusedto have a dedi-
cated shop outside the house," Sam
recalls. o'He seemed to enjoy his
retreat so much. I didn t want to risk
waiting for retirement to have this
much fun."
Now, Sam hopes to passhis love
of woodworking on to his 4Vz-year-
old daughter, Anabelle. "We've
already done a few birdhouses
together," Sam says proudly. Just
what the doctor ordered.
Sam and his daughte4 Anabelle,
spend some quality time together
at the poker table Sam crafted. He's
already got Anabelle interested
in woodworking, just as his
grandfather sparked his zeal.
Photographs:
RaymondChiasson,
lmageriPhotography
99

hen Leland Frerichs
Anartistbyavocation, Frerichs
Leland was designing his
brand-new shop, he
outapractical
notonlyfigured wayt0 realized that his penchant for
producingartwork in wood dif-
makethemostofthewallspaceinhis ferentiated him from many of
his fellow crafters.But he also
shop, it lookspectacular!
make
butalso shareda common malady with
them-he had too many things
and nowhereto put them.
He also had a self-described
fixation on staying organized.
"When I want something,Iwant
it now and don't want to dig
around finding it," he says."I
had a wrench missins for two
100 Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008
'J
!
{;,"
:i::l:::fiw
'l: ?.-lj:{:,?i
ffi*.,i': l3',,'dqwF;':rgt
ili':*l'46f,;:ii:il
ffi*tEr
weeks once; it about drove me
crazy. I promised that if I ever
redesignedmy shop, I wasn't
going to let that happenagain."
Leland, 53, got his chance
when he and his wife, Susanne,
erecteda 12x32' outbuilding in
the backyardof their ranch-style
homein Longview,Washington,
60 miles north of Portland,
Oregon.But he didn't do it solely
with cabinetsor drawers."My
drawers afe a mess," he says.
Insteadhe turnedto his walls.
Practicallyeveryinch of those
walls is covered with 3/4"
 =
---
€
.-
'-r
-rllll
i"--l
{-l
q-l
n-l
{III
e-r
E:TEI
r-r
irr-rr
!tr*-l
.-*r Leland Frerichs'well-organizedshop
-r;
":-_r
may be the only purple woodworking
-: shop in the world.
-.
*:
rI

*
i; e;r
;fl ,...\.
:+:. TYPE: Prefabricated
.,$#,
outbuilding.
,.
SfZE: 12x32'(384sq ft),
plus 4'overhangto act as
a porch.
CONSTRUCTION:Wood
framewith plywood
sidingand floor;shingled
roof;steelservicedoor;
s/e"drywallfor ceiling,'/2"
for wallswith R-19
-l' 'r, i,_q

- \d
*+rl insulation.
j' -rii'
i" -i.":-
HEATING=220-volt
ABOVE LEFT:Gustomized(and colorful)tool holders ABOVE:Numerousstyles and electricheater
and cabinetry line this entire corner of the shop. Each brands of clamps each tout a suspendedfromceiling.
tool has a specific place to call home. Abundant customized rack next to Leland's
overhead light fixtures keep shadows at bay. workbench. ELECTRICAL:12O-volt
outleton almostevery
stud,plus 10 boxesin the
ceilingfor lights.

melamine-coated particleboard
with rabbeted hardwood cleats
attachedhorizontally.(Seeillus-
tration, page 105.) They hold
Leland's vast collection of hand
tools, clamps, and other items.
For hangers, Leland used W'
MDF. If an item is too heavy for
one hanger,he attachesa second
hanger to the bottom at the
appropriatedistance.
Custom-built
Leland built the panels so he
could easily remove and
reposition what's hung on them.
Every tool or set of tools has
a custom-built rack. "I'd seen a
bunch of my friends get into
trouble wheneverthey wantedto
add or remove something from
their walls," he says."They al-
wayshad to dismantlea frame or
hanger.I didn't want to have to
removeanything."
Also, Leland's youngest son
has shown a huge interest in
woodworking;somedayhe'll use
all the tools in his own shop.
"I'd like to just take everything
off the walls and haveit be his."
Leland savs.
Leland dismissed perforated LIGHTING:Eight4'
hardboard out of hand as not doublefluorescent
looking good. So he just sat fixturesalongcenter;one
abovedrill press;one off
down and startedthinking about to the side of worktable;
the way he d hungcabinetsinside and threefixturesabove
the house,using notchedcleats. workbencharea.
"I knew it would work," he says,
confidently."It wasjust a matter DUSTCOLLECTION:
16-gallonshopvacuum.
of getting the dimensionsright."
To achievethe snug shapeof
eachtool on eachholder.he laid
the tool down on wood and very
carefully traced around it, cut it
out, and cut the back, allowing a
pencil-width border. "When I
positioned the front and back

woodmogozine.com 101
 ;?

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LEFT:Leland designed and built ABOVE:Behind his drill

this cabinetjust for drill bits and press, Leland keeps his
accessories. Like the rest of his tool tablesawjigs within easY
holders, these can be repositioned reach via a mounting board
'First, f':)*
'& '^ ::.!f t* 'x-!
easily to accommodate new with custom holders.
acquisitions. F r i e n d sa n d f a m i l y a d o r n

enough
allow space n* cabinet doors.

'l'hc
collector.
foradust .hop. c \ t c r i ( ) r 'p t u ' p l c c t t t t - S L r s u r r n cS. h c t l i t ' c c t c r lt h c s l t o l - r ' s 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
tnr\t\ stut'l.,lri ith thc n itttlori I o o l i l t t r l l c c l . " l - i . t s\t c l t l ' t t t r r i i l c t h c l l t e l . o l ' t h c h t t t t s c .l t t t c ll t J x ( r '
putinan
Second, ei r r i n gu n r lt h c r l o t t tc' l t s i r t gI .: rc t t l n c l I t i c t ' c t t ' r i n g t t i t l c c i c l cr i l l l t t t l t r t l t ' t h l t t\ ' , c l l t ( ) l l t h c r i c s t c l t t l 0 l
o n el o u t l i c s t r l u rs . t h c i n t c t ' i o r ' r i c c o L r l c lc l o r i i t l i o t t t ' b l t e l ' . t r . t t ' c l t h c b u i l t l i n g .
exhaust put
Third,
fan. t l l r z z l c ru r t l t b l i c h t r c l l t t r si l t t t t l ttl r n l l ' c i t n t t t t ' c c r t i t t ra [ l l c . "
el ri l i - p c p p c tt'' c r - l s . l - c l u n r l s l n s . " S l r c \ L l ! S C \ t c r ll l l t l Addinqawoodfloor
entrante
inanoutside \ \ c c ( ) n el ' c t c l t n u t l o t ' i t r t l l ' t h c forprdcticality,
comfort
Inlivingcolot r u r t l u n r l b L r r l t ll t s h t i 1 t . "I't t t l t s lnstcucl ol' i.t c()rtcl'ctc I'ltlot'"
tothestorage
area $ lrnlctl sOrtictltitig \ cl"\ ('hristnlrr in,\Ltgttst. [ - c l l L n t l eh o s c u t t t t t l . l t l r l t t t l
' r ' t S l t t " "[ - c l l r r t r ls l t r s . " l t l l l i t l \ c s l t Q r r i c l . , l r r t r l i t t t o L t tu l t o l c - t r l t c rcu\()ns. "l-hc l'irst \\ ll\ tll\
abovetheshopitself." S o o r l e( ) n tr i t s t l o r i l u t t I t i t t s b L r i l i l i n s ; . r st t n s t t i l i t b l el i r r t h c i r ' l',ncc\."Irc crplains. "llcitts ott
-l'hc
t k r i n g r n t h c s l t o l ' r .u t t t l i t r t c t t t rcsiclcntiltl ncighborlroorl. thcr e( ) n c r c l c l t l l c l l t r i s l r l . i l l c r ' .
o k r r r r \ i t h t h c e o l t l t ' so l ' t l t c t o t t l s t l c c i r l c c l o nl t I l x - l l ' p r c l i t b r i c l t c t l \cc()lr(l ri lrs lrcutirtc. \\ihcrt it"s
-l'hc
t o g c t h c t ' .t h l t t : ' l t r c I t t c n I t l t t t I i r i r s l - r L ri rn g . " sLr'r.rcturc. c o t r p l c l t t l c l c t lr l J e o l t l . r t l t l l ' i t . t 9t t n l t e o t t c r c t c l l t t o t '
ncctlcrl."lrc sln s. Cinrntcrl n r ( ) s t \ \ o ( ) t l r tt t t ' l i c t ' s orcrhurtg thltt luccs lltc ltltcl' ol i ' l i k e u l r l l ' i l t t t r t li r ' e .
'[-hirt l - c l u r t c lu c k l c t lu l o l ' t l i r r s t o l ' l t t c
I - c l u n r le h o s c t t t e t t t t t h i l t c i u ' c n ' l l t s c o l o t ' - c o r t s c i o t t sI .l t t t t t t l i t h c h o t . t s c a. c t i n t l t s r . tl t o r - e h.
'r' tlcel..ittg.
l'Lrnctiorr ri ith lirrnt rlocslt't l l l h u r c t h c l s s i s l i u t c co l ' u u i l L ' l - c l u n r l l t r l c l c r tl n o - l x - l ' c L t t - i l t s L r s i n gl l l x l 0 s u n c l
-l-hc
s r r r ' 1 ' r r iisucr \ ( ) l t cr i l t o ' s r i : i t c r l l t i s n ilh ;.t k llte k lilr et l l t l t ' l l l i c lirr riintlon:. lt l(r tttltitt tlttttl' riallsturls u t ' c l + ' ( ) l te c l t l c t ' .

102 A m e r i c q ' s B e s tH o m e W o r k s h o p s 2 0 0 8
 v<F

'-r-
t

and he installed an electrical

F outlet on almost every one. He
: alsoinstalled 10electricalboxes
in the ceiling for the lights.
'-r---
The eight4'doublefluorescent
fixtures along the centerof the
ceiling provide ample general
illumination. For detail work,
Lelandaddedanotherfl uorescent
fixture abovehis drill press,one
betweenthe workbenchand the
outside wall, and three more
above the workbench. Like all
the fine points, the extra work
wasworth it.
"Bringing a shopup from the
groundwasahugeundertaking,"
Leland concedes,"but it has
been a very fun project. The
future holds many satisfying
hours in the shop,and I plan on
enjoyingeveryone of [hem!"

t LEFT:Lelandconstructedthe
wall-mountedlumberstorageracks
froma designhesawinWOOD@
magazine'sWoodworking J igs,
-,;ltt'
HomemadeTools & ShopOrganizers.

tlre f fu r - - r #n rur r
i*#J'*r'"J *.
::,Tn'"",:il:,".::',
:::i;;ilT,:il'n:"'":'
andclampracks,toolholders,
andcabinets
F "J""::il:"fj,Hber

woodmogozine.com
103
 e

tr€*s#Mink

Leland based these clamp racks, #8x2" F.H.wood

which extend from floor to ceiling -f
3/2" V-
of his shop, on designs he'd seen s/gz"
shank hole,countersunk
L
inWOOD@magazine.To caPture 1Y2'
the pipes of his pipe clamps, he
drilled a pair of 1J6"holes in each
support with a Forstner bit and
finished forming the notches with
a scrollsaw.After forming the
supports, he glued and screwed 143/c"
each one to a backing board.
v-
11/z'
BACKING
*Formnotchesto fit your particularclamps. BOARD

PIPE.CLAMPSUPPORTS
#8 x1t/t"F.H.woodscrew..-___---r' lr>
)

Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

104
 11/zx 3" frame
g/a"rabbets/q" deep #8 x 3" F.H.wood screw

7a"melamine-coated
particleboard
11/zx 3"
1"brad mounting
-l- cleats
---l 1/c'
ll
. ----l1/zu

7a"rabbets
e/q"deep

t/a" rabbets
t/a" deep
1 1/e'

Tool rack back -l I

.
'/2
/ ll'

with careful calculations,melamine-coatedparticleboard,pine, two types of

plywood, and some patience, Leland built these racks to attach the tools he uses
most often onto his wall units. "l find hangingthem makesthem so much more
accessible than storing them in drawers," he says. "l can reach up, grab a tool,
and off we go."

Plasticlaminate

11/2"
#8 x 21/2"F

Leland'sworkbenchis one of just a

few stationary objects in his shop. He
3/a x 31/2" constructed the top using two layers of
carriagebolts %" plywood laminated face-to-face and
Te"washerand nut covered with plastic laminate.The 1/2"-
thick work surface is banded with solid
stock. The base consists of 2x4s and
2x6s bolted and screwed together for
rock-solidconstruction.

3/ex 5" carriagebolt

woodmogozine.com
105
To fashion his hand-tool holders,
Leland laid each toolon wood,
carefully traced around the
perimeter;and cut out a left-hand Tracedoutline Lengthto suit
and right-hand side for each tool.
The slightest amount of space keeps
them snug.
I
31/z'

t
)(*toth from t/2"to3/q"
dependingon thickness
of tool PLIERHOLDER

PLIERAND WRENCH HOLDERS

# 1 7x 1 " b r a d
Traced outline
of lockingplierhandles

3Y2"
t
th" rabbel
t/e"deep
HOLDER
LOCK]NG-PLIER
Tracedoutline
of wrenchhandle

HOLDER
ADJUSTABLE-WRENCH

106 Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

 w*ffiMlM
Leland built two lumber racks: one for longer boards and the othe6
shorter rack along the adjacent wallfor holding 3/" material,as well as I

shorter pieces. Having learnedthe hard way what happens when you t
don't attach uprights to studs, Leland now knows to carefully seek
them out before hanging anything bearing weight.

hen Leland Frerichs was a Lately,Leland has combined

farm boy in Iowa, his dad his woodworking and artistic
built the budding wood- skills to produce what he calls
shop in the barn. "There segmentationartwork. "l tend
was an 8' workbench, [perforated to lean toward the free-form
hardboard], and a 44' table," he artistic side of woodworking,"
remembers."My first tablesawcame Lelandsays. "Should lfind a
conventional pattern or design
from JCPenney."
that suits my fancy, I usually
No wonder, then, that when the
end up changingit in some
opportunity presenteditself to design manner to make it my own."
his own shop, he settled on a barn
look. It's wherehe devotestime to his
artistic woodworking.
Leland specializesin what he calls
segmentation pieces, like the two
African facesat right. Like his shop,
he lends his work a unique style: "I
enjoy designingmy own projectsand
building unusualthings."
He even came up with a no-muss/
no-fuss technique to paint them. He
makes a colored stain by diluting
latex paint with water, then dips
cheeseclothinto the can and applies
the cloth to his surface.He's donethis
successfully on pine and cabinet-
grade plywood. "It picked up the
RIGHI Leland built a holder for an antique
grain real well," he says,"and it took
drill press his father gave him.
just aboutthree to four hours to dry."
The youthful Leland used that tool
in his first shop, which his father
Photographs:Gory Remmers, Bell Studio built for him in the family barn.

woodmogozine.com
107
One toolhereandonetool
there, andbefore heknewit,
thiswoodworker needed
a
workshop! Instead
ofadding
on,JeffTobert his
upgraded
unusually shapedqarage,
littlebylittle.

pry or Jeff Tobert, it started

with a workbench. and
"rnessing aroLlnd" doing
woodworking alon-qside his
fhther, Gerry, in his mini shop.
"Our farrrily was staying with
my dad while our home was
bein-e built in Spruce Grove,
Alberta, west of Edmonton,"
says Jeff. "We wound up bein-e
there fbr six months. and I fbund
rnyself working with niy dad in
his shop. I had always liked
doing things with rny hands. and
I thought it would be great to
have a workbench, so Dad and I
made one." He and his father
also made some furniture pieces
at his dad'splace.
After Jeff and Leanne, his
wif-e,moved into theirbungalow-
style honre, its an-eledtwo-car
-qarage became horne to Jeff's
workbench. That might have
been the end of it. "Br"rtthe bench
worked oLltso well." Jeff recalls.
"So I thought it sure would be
nice to have a tablesaw..."
Befbre long, Jeff added a
rollter. and that needed a router
table. so he built one. He added a
drill press,jointer, bandsaw and
befbre you know it, he started
thinkin-e about his workflow.
The shop was well on its way.
"l started to plzrn stuff out," he
says."That's when I got the idea
to really set Llp a workshop, and
there was no turning back."

108 Americo's Besf Home Workshops 2008

 TYPE: Attachedtwo-stall
garage.
SIZE: lrregularly
shaped.
(Seefloor plan on page fi|.)
Approximately500 sq ft.
HEATING:Direct-ventgas
wallfurnace.
ELECTRICAL:50-amp
subpanel;four 220-volt
outlets,eight11O-volt
outlets
on threecircuits.
LIGHTING:Seven
fluorescentfixtures(three
quad-tube,four dual-tube)
on dedicated20-ampcircuit.
DUSTCOLLECTION:All
majordust-producing tools
attachedto 3-hp cyclone;
shopvacuumfor minor
cleanups.
i
ABOVE:lt took nearly
four years, but Jeff
Tobert transformed an
angled garage into a well-
equipped,workableshop.
Jeff maximizeswall space
with hangingcabinets,tool
boards, and a lumber rack he
designed.

LEFT:Like many home

workshops, the space also
is used as a garage. Jeff's
tools roll away and store
conveniently,leaving space
for a pair of vehicles.The floor
pfan on page 177 shows these
in both the stored and in-use
locations.

woodmogozine.com
109

Thiswell-plannedcorner
combineshomes for Jeff's
mobile tablesaw/router
cabinet,his mitersawtable,
and storagefor wood and
other materials.Jeff designed
the tablesaw/routercabinetto
store underneaththe mitersaw
table, maximizingthe use of
space.Jeff's dust-collection
cyclone,which he added
recently,is located high
and out of the way. The loft
providesadditionalstorage
withouteatingup valuable
floor space.
110
The vehicles wet'e parked at
an angle, so Jeff would be work-
ing with an irre-9ulararea. "l
needed to decide where I'd have
the most rooffl to cut sheets.and
that was alon-9the longest axis,"
he says. "Ripping doesn't take
lhat nruchroorn.but crosscutting
is a pain in the butt. So I pro-
jected out front the wall how
much room I'd need, and that
was where I put my tablesaw."
A knockdown worktable Jeff
clesi-unedand bLrilt helped too.
(Seepuge II4.)
versatility
Wanted:
Alon-e the lon-e wall, Jeff posi-
tioned his drill press. tnitersaw
table, and a workbench in what
he calls a hobby comer. He
rnounted most of his tools on
&''
rnobile bases so he could store
them ollt of the wo), either
a-gainstthe wall or, in the caseof
the tablesaw/routercabinet. un-
derneaththe mitersaw table.
"My jointer and planer are on
wheels,"Jeff says."My bandszrw
is also on wheels, even though it
stayswhere it is.
"I need tools, carts, and work-
benches that give maximum
function but store easily and eat
up a small amount of storage
space," Jeff explains. "That's
why I put a router table in combi-
nation with rny tablesaw.I used
to have independent rollter tables
with open bottoms, but I found
them noisy, and a lot of chips
escaped out the bottom." The
obvious solution was to enclose
the router in a cabinet.
Americo's Besf Home Workshops 2008
 tllefhff@ Knock-down
worktable
(Stored)

s
S helves

K-
Cord and
storage
planer
tii utll

Tablesaw
.Jointer
(lnuse)
Benchtop
toolstorage
shelves
l
I
Belt-sandercabinet
and bladestorage

Bandsaw
Knock-down
worktable
(ln use)
Garbaoe
Vacuum

Spindle
O
I
16'

sander
t-:--.l

t5i3i""JrEX
I
I Storageloft S'nk
Jointer I Cyclonedust collector.
(Stored)
Drill I
press I Lumberrack Mobilelumbercart
ll
rl
Clamp
rack
ffiy Heater
rl
tl

ABOVE:The angled
walls and stepped
ceiling of Jeff's garage
were elements of the
structure's bungalow
design-not idealfor a
workshop. For sufficient
crosscutting room, Jeff
positionedhis mobile
tablesaw parallelto the
longest wall, where he
also situatedhis drill
press and mitersaw.

LEFT:As with most garages in

Jeff's community,his shop floor
slopes toward the garage doors so
water can exit. The slope required
him to place all his tools-whether
stationary or movable, like his
jointer-on risers with adjustable
feet so they could be leveled.The
dust-collection ductwork shown
here was an add-on, as were many
features of Jeff's evolving shop.

woodmogozine.com
111
 utilities
Adding
The garagewas alreadyheated,
so Jeff didn't have to deal with
that issue.But he did have to
considerelectricity-there were
only basic receptaclesinstalled
in the ceiling along with three
otheroutlets.
A neighborwho is an electri-
cian installeda 50-ampbreaker
subpanel.It's wired for 220 volts
and includes several 20-amp
circuits. Cables feed through
existingconduit and a wall into
the main panel.
For a few years, Jeff's shop
lacked dust collection. "One
Christmas, though, I got a
presentof a portabledustcollec-
tor that connectsto my various
tools. But it was just too time-
consumingto hook up, unhook,
hook up, andunhook,"Jeff says.
So he installed a central duct-
work system and invested in a
3-hp remote-controlledcyclone
dust collector.
Jeff upgradedother tools ashe
went-a process he says he

wouldn't have repeated."I went

When Jeff remodeled his
mitersaw table, he placed the
saw on top of it and built boxes
the height of the saw bed. That
gives him a stable, level surface
for miter-cutting long stock, and
allows easy access to the saw if
he wants to transport it.
from a 6" jointer to an 8" jointer,"
he says."I shouldhavewaitedand
just got the 8" modelto startwith.
I alsostartedwith a benchtopdrill
pressand replacedit with a floor
model.The right thing to do was
go for the floor model. It's better
to plan right the first time."
Jeff will have a chance to Put
into effect what he learned:He's
designing and equipping a new
workshopfor himself and his dad
at his father'sacreage."This shop
won't be as innovativeor as clever
as my first one, and it won't have
the challenges," Jeff acknowl-
edges. "But going through the
shop-designprocessalready will
help me do this one exactlyright."
lf I hadto doit alloveragain...
"lf I realized
I needed ashop, I wouldhavegonerighttothelayout now
I have
instead ofevolving it.Also,lwouldhave boughtthe atonce
besttools instead
ofupgrading littlebylittle.When it'sgoing
I buyalathe, tobemylastlathe."

112 Americo's BestHome WorkshoPs 2008

 LEFT:Ghips from Jeff's router collect in
the cabinet and funnel through a hose into
the dust collector.Another hose attaches
to the router fence.

BELOW:Jeff's nifty jig makes it easy for

him to cut tenons. The plywood box slides
along the fence; other adjustments can be
ABOVE:Jeff didn't want his router made by moving the fence or raising the
fence hose getting in the way of router blade. A 90'stop holds workpieces plumb.
or tablesaw operations,so he brought
the hose up through the extension
table. "lt operates like a dream,
completely dust-free," he says.

LEFT:Jeff added an outfeed table to

his tablesaw/routercabinet. The router
fence attaches to his dust-collection
system. Drawers hold tablesaw
accessoriesand router bits.

proffiadkhm
Jeff wanted his tablesaw on #8 x 11/z'F.H.wood screw
a movable base, which he
constructed out of medium-density
fiberboard (MDR to which he
attached 4" locking swivel casters. Optionalopeningfor tablesaw
But the MDF alonecouldn't
support the weight of the 500-
pound tablesaw.The answer was
to construct a solid-wood subbase
that attaches beneath the MDF
platform. The tablesaw can rest
on the subbase because it
protrudes through a cutout in
the MDF platform.

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

woodmogozine.com
113
 %" Balticbirch This versatiletable with a
plywoodcovered removableworksurface allows
with laminate Jeff additional space to assemble
projectswhen alignedwith his
Table leaf levelers
outfeedtable. Continuoushinges
allow the rectangularsides and
folding end assembliesto collapse
for easy storage. The tabletoP
leaves each consist of two PlYwood
skins over lattice frames, covered
with plastic laminate."l can't do
heavyhand-planingon it," Jeff
says, "but it holds nice and secure,
keeps the base corners at 90o,and
leg levelersallow me to adjust the
heightto match the sloPeof mY
garage floor."

/+" dowelswith mating

holesin top

Continuous hinges30" long hinge

joiningsideassemblies Continuous
30" longjoiningboth
to end assemblies ' halvesof
end assembly

profi
Ie
woodrnror{tert
he woodworkingmagazinesJeff Tobert liked to read all empha-
sizedhow easytheir projectswereto build. So Jeff built them.
"Dad andI hadbeenmaking smallprojectsfor my daughterswith
a scrollsawand handtools,but I alsosubscribedto a bunchof magazines,
including WOOD@:'Jeffsays."So I startedbuilding the nightstandsand
bookshelvesthey featured.They really weren't hard. My woodworking
more or lesstook off from there." This quartersawnoak cabinet stores gloves, boots,
Jeff, who coacheshigh school football, has developeda coach'sgame and other winter gear.To match the grain pattern as
plan to most projects.First, he doesa scaledrawingof the project.If that much as possible on the legs, Jeff used a router-
doesn'tanswefall his questions,he builds a mock-upof the complicated table-mounted lock-miter bit. The four-part finish
elements,or eventhe entireproject,usingrough-gradeplywood.Then, if starts with aniline dye, followed by stain, coated
it looks good,he graduatesto constructingthe actualproject. with shellac,then sealed with polyurethane.
'At the end of the day, it's just a piece of
Mistakesdon't bother him.
wood," he says."You can alwaysstartagain." AlanHigh,WillowCreeklmaging
Photographs:

Americo's Best Home Workshops 2008

114
 ftomtheeditors
ofW00lTragazine
:PF,ff:,

One-DayWorkbench MobileStorage 0n-the-Mark Super-Flexible 3-Drawert tilityCabinet

PlanDP-00319
$3.25 PlanDP-00321$2.75 MitersawStation ShopStorage PlanDP-00275 $5.95
PlanDP-00276$4.95 PlanDP-00280$5.95

Roll-Around
ToolBase Gyclone
DustGollector Bench-Tool
System MobileSawing& MobileMitersawGenter
PlanDP-00061$6.95 PlanDP-00068
$10.95 PlanDP-00560
$6.95 RoutingGenter PlanDP-00098 $7.95
PlanDP-00271
$8.95

FiveGreat
Glamp Swivel-Topped
Tool MobileToolGabinet Full-Service
Workbench Full-Service
Workbench
0rganizers Cabinet PlanDP-00260
$7.95 Plan,Part1,DP-00058
$A.gS Lift-UpRouter
& ToolTable
PlanDP-00230
$6.95 PlanDP-00063
$8.95 Plan,Part2,DP-00059
$8.95

UniversalWall
Gabinet Space-Saving BenchtopRouterTable LumberStorageRack BasicWorkbench and
PlanDP-00140$8.95 WorkGenter PlanDP-00151$7.95 PlanDP-00135$7.95 6 Waysto Beefit Up
PlanDP-00168
$6.95 PlanDP-00456$7.95
Download
anyottheabove
woodworking plansforthepriceslisted,orhavehemmailed toyouforanadditional
di.ecfly $3per
plan(S+H).
Fordownloading
theplanyourself ortoviewa larger go
image, towoodmagazine.COm/planS
Cailtoll lree l-888-036-tt478 forpaper-ptan credir
cardorders.
 Leave iodevise
itt0ourreaders ideas
clever thatmake more
theirworkshops more
efficient,
oiginized,orjustmore woodworkers
fun.Weasked allacross tosend
America
North ustheir
bestsuggestions. pages
Thefollowing teem withjigs,fences,tables, andother
racks, projects
cuthours
ttratwonttakelongtobuildbutcould offyournextwoodworkingjob.Thankstoall!

Fence
Rabbet-Cutting
fromBruce
Greenawald, Pa.
Schnecksville,
A H"r"'. a no-clampwayto add a sacrificialrabbet-cutting fenceto yoursaw'sregularfence.Bruce's
boxfencefits overhisT-square-style rip fence;whenthe MDFsidegetstrashed,he easilyreplacesit.
Thismodelis Bruce'ssecondstabat the boxfence,addingseveralimprovements alongthe way'An
aluminum T-tracktuckssnuglyintoa s/a"dadoVz"deepin the MDF,allowing him to tightenthe bolts
securing thefeatherboardto thesacrificial faceof the box."Thisprovidesmuchsmoothermovement
and better lockdown of the board
feather and otherattachments thanwithjustthe regularfence,"Bruce
explains.Thetwo handleson top helpwhen he moves thefence aroundtheshopfor storageor when
he setsit in placeoverthe regularfence.Onthesidefacingawayfromthecamera,two buift-inclamping
screws,madeusingbrassT-bolts,attachtheauxiliary boxfencesecurely to hisripfence.

Americo's Besl Home Workshops 2008

116
 Com
bination
Route
rTableAltlorkbench
fromDonHenderson,0rleans,
0nt.
amping/downdraft-sand
Arh is router/cl ing table(aboveandtop) is Don
Henderson's onlyworkbench.Thefence,whichDoncalls"anexercise
in overkill,"
is madefromthreelengthsof 2x6 birch,witha cutoutin
the middleforthe router-bit
opening.
Thetop andendsaremahogany,
andthe facesaremaple.Thefenceis alignedforeandaft usingtwo
steelrulesembeddedintotheworksurface andcrampedin placevia
thethreadedknobon the rightend.Sixadjustment screwsbehindthe
movablefaceslevelandsquarethe fenceto the table.
{ Dtill'PfgSSTabl€ DonHenderson's dritt-press
tabteconsistsof two
layersof 3/q"
MDFwitha/2" phenolic top.Additional 3/+"
MDFshapedto
conformto thedrill-press tableis partof the mountingsystem.Thecenter
viseassistsin drillingtoolhandlesandotherodd-shaped objectsthat
requireaccurately drilledholes.

woodmogozine.com
117
 Vz" pipe

Rack
Clamp
Portable
fromDoug Red Minn.
Wing,
Dankers,
A t-it<emostwoodworkers, DougDankershasmanyclamps
andlittleroomto storethem.Hissolution:a portableclamprack
madefromscrap3/a" plywood.Dougestimatesit took himabout
fourhoursto constructthe rack,whichconsistsof a simplebox,
top,drawer,andthreadedironpipes.HiddencastersallowDoug
to wheelit whereverhe needs.Longclampsstanduprightin
a setof holesin thetop andwithinthe
top-to-bottom-aligned
cabinet.A plywooddrawerat the bottomholdssmallerclamps.
) Oougused%" pipeto hanghisspringclamps;onehorizontal
pipeholdsmorethana dozenclamps.Dougthreaded the pipes
together withteesand elbows,thenstuck the pipeends intotwo
holesin the plywoodbase.

(abineVExtension
Storage
Blade
Saw lable
from Dobbs,
Charles Mo.
Gladstone,
{ Cfrartes Dobbshadan abundance of sawblades
to store,but not an abundance of room.So fromscrap
redoakandmelamine-coated particleboardhedevised
this multidrawer storagecabinet,whichalsoservesas a
tablesawextension table."l didn'twantthe drawersreal
fancy,"he says,"buttheyhadto be sturdyenoughto hold
the blades."A lubricationof paraffinhelpsthedrawers
slidein andout.Half-inchdowels
screwedto the bottomsof the
2"-deepdrawersholdhisblades
in place.Hardboard spacers
betweenthe bladesprotectthe
carbideteeth.

118 Americo's BestHome Workshops 2008

 #
.:iii$
r..:,i

Bits-and-Accessodes
WallCabinet
fromOrvHale, (alif.
Escondido,
{ Orv createdthis 32x24x8"
wallcabinetusingmelamine
shelvingmaterials.Dadoesin the
verticalsupportsmake it easy
to adjustthe spacingor add
additionalbit holdersas needed.
Lockinghingeskeep the cabinet
door open for easyaccess.

Tablesaw
Extension/Router
Table
l The22x48'tablesaw extensionin Orv'sshopalsodoublesas a
routertable,orv builta routerfencewitha vacuumportthatattaches
to thetablesawripfence.Thedrawerat leftfitsundertheendof the
worksurface andprovides accessory storage.

Finddozensof FREEprojectplansat
wootlnragazi
ne,conr/f
reeplans

woodmogozine.com
119
 !
E - - - f l

$uilr'-
*tlil
rilililllnl ?
'-t'.
.a.,::
rR
[ . v
H r+*=,fl-t-;
I
I
:\

Unit
Chemicalstorage
West
fromKeithBetscher, ftester,0hio
paints,
) Keithneededa securecabinetto store his
finishes,solvents,and otherchemicalsand fluids.
He foundone when his family'suprightfreezerwas
damagedduringa move.Keithremovedthe powercord,
door light,thermostatcontrol,and two Freoncoils.To
the original18x21"wireshelves,he added plasticbins
made by Akro-Mils(800-253-2467, akro-mils.com). From
scrap plywood, Keith cut a bottom and dividersfor the
freezer'spull-outbasket.He sorted chemicalsand fluids
by type, labeledbins,and appliedsignsto the door to
identifythe freezer'snew use.The freezer'soriginallock
keepsout inquisitivechildren.Totalcost: around$70 for
10 plasticshelfbinsand safetysigns.

Table
Outfeed
Ind.
Winamac,
fromJerryJones,
{ Wfrena collapsingoutfeedtable resultedin a severe
saw-cut injury,Jerry realizedhe neededan outfeed
tablethat would remainsolidlyuprightand enablehim
to cut longerboardsand plywood panelssafely'His
4x3' outfeedtable bolts into placeon the tablesawrear-
fence rail.The top is 3/a"
particleboard;Jerry salvaged
agricultural disk bladesfor the bases.Lockingnuts,
part of the table-height-adjustment mechanism,keep
everythingin place.

Americo'sBeslHomeWorkshops 2008
120
 WallCleat
System
fromDwayne
Ackerman,
Wadesville,Ind.
p DwayneAckermancustom-
designedtheseholdersso items
could hangon a wallcleatsystem
he'dseenin ldeaShop 5 in WOOD@
magazine.(Youcan buy the plansat
).
Th e cl e atr ailis 1x 3 pine ,w i thth e to p
Mating bevelcleat
edgebev el- r ipped at 45 ' to a l l o wa
matingbeveledcleatto slip over
it for a secureattachment.Rounded-
overedgesand a coat of clearfinish
giveeach holdera professional look. Cleat rail
-/
r

lf The systemis sturdyenoughto

hold Dwane'sgrinderand accessories.
A spacernearthe bottomholdsthe
backboardplumb."Screwthe beveledcleat
railto studs,"Dwaynecautions."l learned
that the hard way." Mating bevelcleat ,

ii,l;ii
e
p+.' 1#
fi
lr

lt
il

A fo hanghis clamps,Dwaynefirst hunga pieceof plywood

on the cleat,then screwedthe plywoodto the wallto add
extrasecurity.The holesfor the %" steelrods upon whichthe
l,$fi"# clampshangare angledslightlyupwardso the clampswon,t
i,rj$i ' - slideoff the frontsof the rods.

ffrr
woodmogozine.com
121
 --l
t'

{ {
Stand
Drill-Press/Mortiser
Portland,Ore.
Paris,
fromGreg
{ t-it<ethe mobileplanerstand below,Greg customized
this standfor his drillpressand hollow-chisel mortiserto
ensurethat his top-heavybenchtoptools would be stable,
whereverhe movedthem. Eachsupplydrawerfacesthe same
directionas the tool aboveit, so it's easyfor Greg to access
whateveraccessorieshe needs.For the base,Greg used the
metalcomponentsof a Delta 50-322Planerstand ($57from
toolmart.com, 800-735-8665) and shortenedthe legsto yield
the properoverallworkingheight.The unit moveseasilyon four
3" heavy-dutydouble-lockingswivelcastersfrom Woodcraft
($16 each, 800-225-1
153, woodcraft.com).

i
lvi
!

F-{
.l

*j*=:

Mobile Stand
Planet s
fromGreg Portland,Ore.
Paris,
--
) ft seemedto Greg that a benchtopplanerweighingmore Eil
than 90 lbs on top of a narrowmobilebase might topple if it ran
over a cord or wood Scrap.So he fashionedan enclosuresimilar
stand above.The only differenceis
to his drill-press/mortiser
that both drawerson this stand open in the same direction.
Gregreplacedthe MDFtop on this tool and his drillpressand
maple he bought at a local
mortiserwith a sectionof 11/2"-lhick
hardwoodsupplier.

proiectplansat:
Finddozensof FREE
. , r : i ' ! t E " i ' ,
. , i i r " ' l

Americo's Besf Home Workshops 2008

122
Retnctable
Sander
lable
fromDennis ()ahille0nt.
Masotti,
I EverytimeDenniswantedto usehisoscillating spindle
sander,he hadto haulit out,lift it ontothe bench,attachthe
dust-collection hose,and put it all backwhenhe wasdone.
Tosavetimeandeffort,he installedthisplatform,basedon a
kitchenapplianceadd-on.Lifterbrackets($8Sa pairfrom Lee
Valley,800-871-8158, www.leevalley.com), whichlockin place,
mountto woodsupportsboltedto the legsat hisworktable.A
removable 2" vacuumhoseon the backsideconnectsto his
shopvacuum."NowwhenI wantto sand,"Dennissays,"all
! do is liftthe sanderuntilit locksintoposition(asshownat
right),andlowerit out of the w6ywhenl'm done."

0ftitalSander
Holder
fromJoel
Nowland,WestPoint,
Utah
{ Wnenyousetyourrandom-orbit sanderdown,
you'reforcedto waituntilthepadcomesto a complete
stopto keepit fromvibratingoff yourworkbench.Joel
doesa lotof sanding, whichrequires continuously
pickingup andsettingdownthe sander.Hewanted
a handyplaceto holdthe sanderwhileit powers
down.Thekeysareto angleand padthe armsthat
holdthe tool-Joel securedfoampipeinsulation with
tape-and to provideclearance
electrician's for the pad
to continueturningfreely.

woodmogozine.com
123
 Table
Outfeed
Tablesaw
lowa
Leighton,
fromBillBruxvoort,
also fold
) eitfwanteda stableoutfeedtable that could
down when not in use.He constructeda squaretable
4'
with a top of 3/+"
white melamine-coatedparticleboard
edged with rubberT-molding,then installedhinges
betweenthe tablesaw'sback edge and outfeedtable'
The leg/railassemblyalsofolds in on hinges.

I
Y

I
'l lrack
Hoist
Neb.
fromStanHarder,0maha,
{ Most woodturnersvisitingStan Harder'sshop are
fascinatedwith the homemadehoisttrack abovehis lathe.
Initiallyintendedto help lift heavylogs onto the machine,Stan
now usesthe apparatus,made from an 8' pieceof angleiron
boltedto ceilingjoists (below),mostlyto movethe lathe's
tailstockout of the way with ease.The carriage(bottom)
consistsof bolts,moreangleiron,and four wheelsfrom in-line
skates.(Stanfinds used skatesat secondhandstores')The
hoistextendsfrom the headstockof the latheto just overthe
outfeedtable of Stan'stablesaw.When he doesn't use the
carriagefor extendedperiods,he storesit to keep it out of the
way and to preventthe wheelsfrom flatteningout.

Bolted to
ceiling joist

:-*

Americo's Besl Home Wotkshops 2008

124
 latheTool
0rganizer
fromBenBall,Sugar
[and,Texas
{ Ben,a seriousturnerfor
the pastfiveyears,createdthis
organizer for quickandeasy
accessto hisnumerous turning
toolsandhandheld accessories.
HegluedtogetherPVCpipesof
differinglengthsanddiameters
usingPVCcement.Theback
sideof someof the pipesalso
arescrewedto the perforated
hardboardto preventthe entire
assemblyfromtopplingforward.
He mountedcontrolsfor his
lathe'svacuumchuckon a piece
o'f63/tx13"plywood."Thatway,"
he explains,"thecontrolsare
handyto the latheandtakeup
no wallspacewhatsoever."

Dear Readers,
We're planning
already ournext
issue
ofAmerico3Best
HomeWorkshops!
We're
looking
forinteresting,
hardworking
shopsthatarewell-organized
andfullofproblem-sglving
ideas
such projects,
asstorage jigs,orother
special woodworking
solutions.
Seepage
127
tolearn
howtosubmit
your orjustyour
fullshop ideas.

woodmogozine.com
125
 (art
Plywood
fromSammy Hargrove,Dallas,Texas
{ Sammyhadtoo manY
plywoodsheetstakinguPtoo
muchspacein hisshop.So he
createda portablePlYwood cart
that not onlymoveseasilYon
t
castersbut alsoletshimloadand
unloadsheetswithoutdifficultY,
- thanksto the rollersat each
I

I
end.Sammyusedpine2x4sto
createthe 76x31"frame,2x8sto
whichheattachedthecasters,
ands/c" blackpipeof various
heightsfor the uprights, sPaced
11"apartandanchoredintoPiPe
flanges.Forthe rollersat each
end,SammyturnedsixPieces
of woodto 11A" diameter, drilled
holesthrougheachcylinderand
inserted7+"steelrods.Thenhe
fed the rodsintoshortPieces
of /2" pipeat eachendand in
betweenthe rollers.Conduit
bracketoverthe Vz"PiPeholds
theassembly in place."l cantilt
a plywoodsheetup andget it on
the cart;everything storesneatlY
out of the way,"SammysaYS.

Hand-IoolBox
Neenah,
fromJeffFeuerstein, Wis.
) InJeff'stoolchest,everytool looksas though
it belongs.Hecut out a pieceof 1"-thickrigid-foam
insulationfor eachof the drawersof hisoffthe-shelftool
box,tracedthe outlinesof thetoolshewishedto storeon
eachpiece,and routedeachrecessintothe rigidfoam
witha 1/2"straightbit. Heavoidstoo snuga fit by routing
slightlyoutsidethe markedlines.

Americq's BestHome Workshops 2008

126
 $q}Feffr
0F
we publishedissuer of America'sBestHome workshops.
fn2007, l*l
You loved it. You're holding issue2. Now, we're gathering
f
I submissionsfor issue3. we're on the lookout for all types of
shops:basements,outbuildings,garages,small-spaceshops,and any
other shopyou think woodworkersmight like to scour for ideasto
createor upgradetheir own shops.
Besidessearchingfor great workshops,we're also looking for
problem-solvinghelpersfor the gallery section,like thosestarting on
page 116.
Would you like your shopor a friend's to be considered
for nationalexposurein the next issue?If so, sendus the
following, taking your cue from the featuredshopsfound in
this issue:
. A photo of eachshopwall.
o Three to five photosshowingthe overall layout.
o Close-upsof dedicatedmachining or
storageareasand problem-solvingshopprojectsthat
successfullyfill one or more needs.
. A rough sketchof the floor plan that showsoverall
shopdimensionsand includesthe locationsof tools,
workbenches,and wood storage.
r A short write-up of what makesyour shopgreat and how it servesyour
woodworking interests.

Sendyour submissionto:
America's Best Home Workshops
WOOD@Magazine
1716Locust St..LS-221
DesMoines, IA 50309-3023

or you can e-mail your submissionto homeworkshops@meredith.com.

The deadlineis September1, 2008. Submissions cannotbe returned,
but pleaseinclude your daytime telephonenumber,mailing address,
and e-mail address,if you haveone available.

woodmogozine.com
127