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americas top shops
Home Sweet Shop

sarah brady
Devoted woodworking hobbyist Bobby Hartness

wasnt thinking about livestock when he renovated a charming
horse barn on his Greenville, S.C., homestead. His focus was instead on creating
a woodworkers dream come true. With its comprehensive maintenance system and
souped-up machinery, his shop might tempt any woodworker to take up residence
and for good reason, as youll soon see.
driveway winds past the

Hartness home and gardens,
ending beside a pond at a large, tidy
red and white barn. Formerly shelter
for horses, this building embarked
on a second life in 2001 when businessman Bobby Hartness built on
a modern woodworking shop. Now
the only horses found here power
woodworking machines.
In semi-retirement, Bobby has
become an extraordinarily prolific
builder of fine furniture, and his
shop reflects his whistle-clean, nononsense approach to woodworking.
Power tools are clustered to ease
workflow, and wide corridors make
it easy to move large boards and
sheet goods between work stations.

Toward the center of the 40 x 50'
room, four steel support columns
contain electrical outlets and air
drops and serve as home base for
major power tools.
For example, a 37" belt sander,
horizontal/vertical edge sander and
22" planer are grouped around one
42 w o o dc r a f t m a g a z i n e | 1 1 . 0 7
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americas top shops

column, while 14" and 24" bandsaws
reside at another (along with one of
the shops three router tables). Wall
space is used to store clamps and jigs,
while turning and carving tools fit
neatly in attractive handmade cabinets
with cabriole legs.
Order rules the roost, but
appearances are not neglected. Bobby
built four major banks of oor-toceiling cabinetry (30' wide altogether)
of stunning bald cypress, harvested
from Hilton Head Island in 1961. He
purchased truckloads of 20"-wide,
2"-thick boards of the virgin wood
in a liquidation sale to build the
cabinets, which include most of the
160 handmade drawers throughout
the shop. As a result, everything has a
place, from abrasives and hardware to
finishes, templates and spare batteries.
During construction, Bobby made

sure to have the concrete oor true
and even for building furniture. Its
perfectly at, with no variances in
elevation, he says. The oor is also
spotless, a surprising state for a shop as
frequently used as this one. Neatness
is a virtue for Bobby, who insists on
staying organized and dust-free with
a centralized dust-collection system
servicing all major tools. He uses
exible pipe and industrial connectors
of 20-gauge galvanized steel, and the
setup is controlled by an automated
Ecogate system. This system uses
motorized blast gates that switch on
suction only to those tools in use and
shutting off the airways to others.
A 3-hp collector will only serve one
machine at a time effectively, Bobby
says. For noise abatement his collector
the WorKshop
at a glance
Size: 40 x 50' shop plus living

quarters (kitchen, bedroom, display
areas for finished projects and
antiques) and lumber storage.
Ceiling height: 9'4".
Construction: Wood frame, 2 x
4" studs, 16" on center. Wooden
interior paneling. Poured concrete
oor with expansion joints. Four
steel support columns clad with
drywall.
Heating & cooling: Enclosed HVAC

room contains 7-ton air conditioning
and 160,000-btu forced-air gas
heating units. Large filtration panels
assist with ambient air cleaning.
Lighting: 30 4' high-intensity
uorescent panels and
incandescent spotlights over work
stations.
Electrical: 200-amp single-phase
service panel and 220-amp threephase converter.
Dust collection: Penn State 3-hp
cyclone dust collector; 5-micron
and .05-micron filter bags.
Air compressor: 7-hp Curtis.
PHotoS: DouG JorDan
If I can draw it, I can build it.

Bobby spends plenty of time at this
3 x 4' drafting table before
undertaking any project. He has
designed dozens of pieces: tool
chests, all types of tables, desks,
chests, highboys, chairs, antique-style
pieces, and shop jigs and fixtures. As
an integral part of his workshop, he
built floor-to-ceiling, 8'-wide banks
of cabinet/drawer storage space on
three of the four workshop walls, plus
the 5'-wide bank shown above.
www.woodcraftMagazine.coM
Location is everything: Bobbys shop sits on acreage that the Hartness

family held onto while Greenvilles residential area grew up around it. For many
years, Bobbys sister raised and trained horses here; the original barn is at left,
the built-on workshop, at right. Inside and out, the shop seamlessly blends into
the original structure, which now contains spacious living quarters, a lumber
storage room, and covered parking for cars, lawn equipment and a golf cart.
The 12' garage door opens into a clear staging area about 12' deep.
11.07 | WooDCraft maGazine
43
americas top shops

and a pair of filter bags are closed off
in a corner closet (see photo on page
48). The a/c and heating system also
pitches in with ambient air cleaning;
Bobby installed large filter panels in
the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air
conditioning) closet which trap fine
airborne particles.
An area in the north corner is devoted
to finishing, with a sure way to clear the
air. A variable-speed fan is installed in
a cabinet/window, and Bobby opens a
window on the northwest wall to create
a corridor of moving air. Spray finish
paraphernalia is stored on a wall rack
nearby. Though hes modest about his
finishing capabilities, the worst spray
job is better than the best brushed-on
finish, Bobby says.
Bobbys vertical milling machine is
a tool not found in most woodworking
shops. He uses it to precisely mill
intricate joinery, keyholes, and channels
for inlay. A digital X-Y-coordinate
readout makes it possible from him to
A workstation that works: Outfeed tables added to Bobbys Rockwell

Unisaw extend its surface to 7' in each direction, and an Incra fence
system frames the setup. At first, Bobby thought the four steel support
columns in his workshop would be liabilities, but instead he found
them useful as home bases for larger machinery such as this saw.
The columns contain electrical and air drops, which help reduce cord
clutter, and also host small shelves and a telephone. The green box on
the column here is a control panel for Bobbys Ecogate dust-collection
system, which detects when power tools are in use (by their vibration)
and shuts off suction to unused areas. The result is much greater vacuum
force where needed.
Man with the plans: Even in the midst of all these large machines,
the tool I use most is my pencil sharpener, Bobby says. This view
from the north corner of the workshop shows his 4 x 8' assembly table
(with drawers beneath, not shown).
control the length and direction of cut.

While his technical expertise is
impressive for a hobbyist and his
furniture is beautiful, Bobby never
makes a chore of woodworking and
maintains a youthful fascination with
the beauty of wood and the endless
possibilities of design. He has an
unhurried and appreciative approach.
Sometimes Ill just sit and watch a
piece of rough lumber come out of the
planer. I love to see what the surface
will look like. Its one of the most
exciting things about woodworking.
He typically gets absorbed in only one
project at a time, sometimes working
long hours late into the night. With
everything imaginable under one roof,
Bobbys shop isnt a home away from
homefor him, it is home!
FLOOR PLAN
americas top shops
The Floor Plan

NW
As a new addition, Bobbys

shop was a blank slate with
few rules or limitations. Large,
stationary power tools such as his
36" antique bandsaw and his Delta
Unisaw leave plenty of room for
the operator. His 4 x 8' work table
(on the northeast wall, next to the
12' garage door) is comfortably
accessible from all sides, with
racks of clamps close at hand
for project assembly. Much of
the northwest wall is dedicated
to his Makita LS1212 miter saw
with 8' support tables, topped by
wall storage racks for scraps and
cutoffs. Turning dominates an
area of the southwest wall with
a Powermatic 4224 lathe and a
freestanding storage cabinet for
turning tools, beside two pairs of
French doors. One corner houses
8' of storage cabinets and a
mortising machine, with pegs for
router templates on the nearby
wall.
A central dust-collection
system and electrical outlets on
four center support columns offer
a convenient way to cut back on
nuisance extension cords. Most
power tools not yet mentioned are
clustered around these columns,
with the exception of the vertical
milling machine near the HVAC
closet.
Also at this location is Bobbys
3 x 4' drafting table. Here, he
draws meticulous plans for the
projects he builds. The drawing
nook faces a corner HVAC room
and is surrounded by shopmade
cypress storage cabinets. A full
8 x 8' bath (!) fits neatly between
this area and the dust collection/
storage room. This shows how
completely Bobby has integrated
his living quarters into his shop.
Not shown on these plans, the
adjacent renovated barn includes a
kitchen, living room, office/display
room (see page 49) and bedroom
(with billiards table). Lumber
storage is given its own climatecontrolled 16 x 40' room on the far
southeast side of the building.
www.WoodcraftMagazine.com
sliding
miter saw
mortising
machine
mobile storage
cabinet
spindle sander
disc/belt
sander/buffer sander fan
table saw
4 x 8'
work table
router table
drill press
grinders
jointer
lathe
scroll
saw
French doors to
yard and pond
SW
router
table
24"
bandsaw
vertical
milling
machine
router
table
garage door to
driveway
13" planer
22" planer
14"
bandsaw
shop
carts
edge
sander
belt
sander
wet/dry
sharpener
36"
bandsaw
drafting table
HVAC
closet
to living
quarters
full bathroom
cyclone dust
collector
filtration
cabinet
SE
My only regret is not making the shop 40 x 60'instead of 40 x 50'. Because

of the economy of adding more space, it just makes sense. This shop is
spacious, but its a little cramped for the swing of a piece of plywood.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR SHOP:
Got a top woodworking shop filled with ideas for
smarter woodworking? You could be featured in
Woodcraft Magazine and earn a $100 Woodcraft
gift certificate. Send a short writeup, photos and/or
sketches and rough floor plan, if possible to:
Jim Harrold, Editor-in-Chief

Woodcraft Magazine
4420 Emerson Avenue Suite A
P.O. Box 7020
Parkersburg, WV 26102-7020
Editor@WoodcraftMagazine.com
1 1 . 0 7 | w o o dc r a f t m a g a z i n e 45
NE
americas top shops
Smart Ideas for the Taking
Unique router fixture: This shop-made router fixture positions the router
horizontally or vertically by moving it between two bases. Wooden stops lined with
foam fill the void in the empty base, keeping sawdust contained and improving
the suction of a vacuum hose. In the vertical position, it becomes an overhead
router with a changeable pinwhich acts as a bearing against a templateon the
bottom of the box. The horizontal position makes mortising long boards easy. The
assembly includes adjustment stops on top of the table and a threaded rod in back
for vertical positioning.
6"
2
Diverse dowel
storage: This tall
" shelves dadoed in place
1" diameter
3" diameter
corner rack holds

dozens of dowels,
threaded rods, and
other such items in
plain view. Holes of
various diameters are
cut through the upper
shelves and recessed
in the bottom shelf to
match PVC pipe and
other stored items.
33"
32"
americas top shops
Guidance from above: This simple router jig positions
a support pin directly above the bit. The jig makes it possible
to create profiles on partssuch as gooseneck molding for
grandfather clockswith a bearingless bit. The illustration below
shows how to make it.
1" wood screws
Size to match
your table
/ " bolt
38
"
" bolt
" steel pin
I swear by my...Incra LS Positioner. I can literally work to tolerances of a thousandth of

an inch, and it is so easy. Why more people dont use these, I just dont understand.
Rolling storage: A four-door mobile cabinet adapted from
illustrations: shane wiersma
a magazine plan opens to reveal rows of router bits and smaller

hand tools. The upper router bit shelves are angled forward
for easier viewing of bits in the back rows. Closed, the whole
assembly appears neat and rolls easily into a corner; overall size is
22 x 36 x 72".
1 1 . 0 7 | w o o dc r a f t m a g a z i n e 47
americas top shops

Born-again
bandsaw: Bobby
rebuilt this 36"
1905 Crescent and
added a 32 x 38"
Mylar table, plus
a Plexiglas panel
covering the saws
open pulleys.
It weighs a ton
and runs without
vibration.
Dust collections private digs: In this 8 x 14' room (above

right), a 3-hp cyclone dust collector sucks down the bulk of
dust particles which travel here through a system of flexible
hose from dust-producing workstations. The air is then pulled
through 5-micron and .05-micron filter bags, which are sealed
off in a shop-made airtight cabinet with two tall doors hung on
long piano hinges and sealed with strips of rubber (overall dimensions: 29 x 46 x 74"). Bobby works at his router station
25' from the virtually soundproof dust room, which scrubs air at a rate of 1,400 cfm. Visible over his shoulder on the
southwest wall is steel shelving with hooks for setup blocks, wrenches, and other router table necessities.
americas top shops
Bobby Hartness - designer & woodworker

It isnt important how good a woodworker you are. Its how much you enjoy it that counts.
arly on, Bobby used his skills as a machinist

and engineer to help build the family business, Hartness International, based in Greenville,
S.C. His father started the company as a Pepsi
bottling franchise and became a major innovator in packaging, assembly lines, and conveyor
equipment. In spite of his background, he finds
woodworking more difficult. You have to deal
with warpage and imperfections, which are key to
the beauty in the wood. No two pieces are alike
they have different grain, different
texture, different densityall these
variables. That makes it interesting
and fun.
Bobby is now semi-retired and
spends long hourswhenever
he wantsabsorbed in furniture
projects. Hes a leading member
of the Greenville Woodworkers
Guild, one of the most active in
the country, and is often tapped
by fellow members for design
and technical assistance. He hosts
woodworking events on behalf of the guild at his
home and shop, where many admire his extensive
antique tool collection.
Wood-centric surroundings: The

second floor of Bobbys living quarters
(above) used to be a hayloft, but now
its a showplace for his finished projects
and antique woodworking equipment.
Downstairs (left), more antiques and
finished projects furnish the TV room.
Slant-front desk: Bobby

enjoys the challenge of
reconstructing period
details. He designed and
crafted this desk. (The
chair is by Brian Boggs.)
Multi-drawer cabinets:
Dovetailed drawer sides are
exposed in the modernly styled
cabinet at top, while a more classic
look belongs to Bobbys signature piece at right.
Hes made several of these, some as gifts and some
to store hand tools in his shop. Another houses his
collection of handmade knives by local craftsmen.
11.07 | WooDCraft maGazine
49
The Man With A Plan
John Uhlers Basement Workshop
craig bentzley
When you enter Johns shop, the first

thing you notice is how clean and bright
it is. Within a few seconds, you forget
that you are in a basement. The next
thing that strikes you is the amazing
array of tools that occupy this modest
550 sq. ft. space.
s you cruise down the quiet

suburban streets of America,
most likely youre not thinking
about spectacular workshops, but
its probably no surprise to many
that below ground lie some of the
coolest shops imaginable. Such is
the case with Pennsylvanian John
Uhler, an amateur woodworker who
has managed to get just about every
Rubber floor tiles make the concrete floor easy on the

feet and kinder to dropped tools. Plenty of wall cabinets
and drawers keep hand tools and small items dust-free
and organized.
tool you can think of into his tidy

basement enclave. Its not a big deal
to get a lot of stuff into a limited
space, but to make it efficient and
workable is no small feat. Yet thats
exactly what John has done.
John got the woodworking bug
around age 14. Eight years ago, after
he married and started a family, he
went house hunting, seeking a place
where he could pursue his passion.

He wanted a place with a sound
basement where he could assemble
his dream shop. His purchase of
a 1950s-era Cape Cod proved just
such a place. It has an 8' basement
ceiling, which is rare. John took
measurements and had worked out
the floor plan within days of his first
house tour. Way before settlement,
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Dec 2007/Jan 2008
americas top shops
PHoToS: PauL anTHony
he knew where everything

would go. As his precocious
12-year-old daughter Kim
put it, My dads a man with
a plan. Now 44 years old,
John is settled in and very
pleased with his shop.
When John moved in, the
basement housed a small
efficiency apartment with
various partitions and a
suspended ceiling, which
meant that his first project
was some demolition work.
As he started to remove a
wall that divided his shop
area in half, he decided to
leave about 12" of the wall
hanging down from the
ceiling and covered it with
pegboard. This proved to be a
wise decision because now

it provides centrally located
storage for lots of small
clamps, saw blades, and
other sundries. The next job
was to paint all the walls
white and install plenty
of light fixtures. Despite
the fact that there is little
natural light, this shop is as
bright and cheerful as any
above ground. Interlocking
rubber floor tiles surround
all floor areas not covered
by machinery.
Although John doesnt
get to spend as much time
in the shop as he would like,
hes looking forward to the
time when he can. When
that day arrives, he knows
that all of his planning
will pay big dividends in
efficiency and enjoyment.
The fun of turning is to discover what

beautiful surprise nature has inside the wood
and trying not to spoil it once youve found it.
the WorKshop
at a glance
Type: Basement with outside entrance

and inside access from rst oor.
Size: L Shape, 22'-8" x 26'-9",
with 8' ceiling.
Construction: Concrete block with

concrete oor. Fiberglass insulation in
ceiling between joists to dampen noise.
Heating: Oil-red boiler located in
furnace room off of main shop.
Cooling: Two ceiling drops from
upstairs central air-conditioning unit.
Electrical: 125 amp sub panel with
110v and 220v breakers.
Lighting: (8) 4'-long bulb uorescent
box-type xtures, (7) 4'-2 bulb
uorescent open xtures, and various
task lighting at specic machines.
Dust Collection: Delta 2-stage, 2-hp
unit is located in root cellar off of main
shop. Ceiling-hung, 3-speed ambient
Jet air cleaner plus six small shop vacs
for collection at selected machines.
Air Compressor: 5-hp, 20-gallon,
horizontal Campbell-Hausfeld unit.
Johns table saw outfeed table doubles as a large

layout and assembly area when needed. There is just
enough room to break down 4 x 8' sheet goods. Note
the conveniently located overhead pegboard storage
through the center of the shop.
John spends most of his time in the back corner of

his shop where his lathes are located. After buying
a new Jet lathe, he decided to keep his old lathe so
friends can join him for turning sessions.
www.wooDcraftMagazine.coM
WoodcrafT magazine
51
NW
americas top shops
52
The
Floor Plan
root cellar
11' x 7'
dust
collector
to
outside
closet
An organized
shop is a
happy shop.
bench
router
table
Planning and
organizing
today saves time
and frustration
tomorrow.
bathroom
sW
Ne
closet
study
bench
wall cabinets
22' 8"
9" radial
arm saw
14"
bandsaw
18"
bandsaw
8" jointer
bench
14" lathe
miter saw
26' 9"
V. Shop Vac
1. Tool cabinet
2. cabinet w/buffer
3. Shaper, "
4. 8" grinder
5. 10" Wet grinder
6. Scroll Saw
7. bench drill Press
8. Shaper, "
10" outfeed
table table/
saw cabinet
wood
bin
12" lathe
shelves for wood storage
se
9. belt/disc Sander
10. router Table
11. floor drill Press
12. metal bender
13. Scroll Saw
14. 6" grinder
15. Support bench &

(3) Small Sanders
16. air compressor
17. Spindle Sander
18. delta 12" Planer
If I had to do it over again, I would put down a DRIcore

or similar flooring system instead of rubber mats which
would make it easier to move machinery around.
hoW to sUBmit YoUr shop:

got a top woodworking shop filled with ideas for
smarter woodworking? you could be featured in
gift card. Send a short writeup, photos and/or
sketches and rough floor plan, if possible, to:

Woodcraft Magazine
4420 Emerson Avenue, Suite A
P.O. Box 7020
WoodcrafT magazine
Dec 2007/Jan 2008
furnace room
Due to the limited

amount of time that John
can spend in his shop,
he likes all of his tools
to be at the ready.
Its not apparent in the
oor plan but many of
his tools have staggered
heights so that materials
will pass over the top or
underneath other tools,
which means he doesnt
have to move anything in
order to work long stock.
Note that his planer is
positioned so that all
he has to do is open his
entry door to process
extra long boards. A look
at the oor plan also
reveals that John has two
bandsaws, two shapers,
two router tables, two
drill presses, and two
lathes. As a consummate
recycler, many of his
cabinets and tool bases
were rescued from
jobsites or the landll.
To keep noise under
control, John installed his
dust collector in the root
cellar. The cellar doubles
as a lumber storage area
while still more lumber
is placed on a small inshop lumber rack and
in an outdoor shed. The
oil burner in the furnace
room provides ambient
heat for cold winter
nights. And the carpeted
study gives John a
clean environment for
his computer and large
library. One more nice
amenity: a bathroom,
complete with tub and
shower. When John gets
knee-deep in sanding
dust, he can wash
up without using the
upstairs bathrooms.
wood storage
americas top shops

americas top shops
Fig. 2
Lathe tool
rack: Johns
attractive lathe
tool rack could
double as ne
furniture if it
wasnt function
specic. When he built it, he had a set of eight tools. Knowing
his turning interest would grow, he designed it to hold 15. As
his tool collection grew he realized the rack wasnt tall enough
to accommodate his long bowl gouges. He keeps them in holes
drilled in the bottom shelf of his lathe. Fig. 2 shows the rack as
he originally built it, but his advice is to build it to accommodate
the longest tools you plan to own.
"
" plywood
2"
Johns tall right-angle fence jig clamps to his saws

fence (A) and serves as the foundation for several
accessories. The corner slot-cutting sled a (B) is
used to make decorative reinforcement for smaller
frames. The wedging effect of the free-oating 90
block eliminates the need for a clamp. Hold-downs on
another sled (C) make it easy to cut splines for larger
frames, and a simple sliding work support (D) is used
to cut tenons. He recommends you make your jigs to
suit your saws fence and the projects on which you
intend to use them.
rabbet
10"
Fig. 3
10"
angled
edge
keeps
tools in
place
Table saw tenoning and splining jig:
2"
3/8"
make bins wide and

long enough to hold
your biggest tools.
D
WoodcrafT magazine
53
americas top shops
Assembly bench: When John found

this carvers benchtop at an outrageously
low clearance price at his local Woodcraft
store, he knew he found the nucleus for
an immensely handy shop helper. To
support the top, he used two trestles
from a conference table he found in a
dumpster. John made two long side rails
from maple, milled two Lshaped slots
in each rail, and attached them using
" threaded inserts and male threaded
knobs. The side rails can be adjusted from flush to 1" above the top (A) perfect for
containing work during sanding, planing, and shaping chores. A complementary riser
rail can be inserted into the vise to create a perfect 90 clamping and assembly frame
(B). One end has a pullout (C) that extends 10" to provide extra support for longer work
pieces. A final addition is a sacrificial top from 1/8" hardboard. A cleat on one end can
be clamped into the vise if necessary. Although he has larger benches, John favors this
one for most of his assembly and finishing work.
Adjustable
rail restraints
L-slots let rail drop flush with benchtop

Pullout for extra
support
Sacrificial top
clamps in end vise
Fig. 4
Saw station and stop: Low tech, inexpensive,

and very effective, the extensions can be installed or
removed in seconds. Notice how the heights of other shop
components play an important role in much of Johns
planning. A clever feature of the station is a simple-to-make,
quick-to-use reversible stop (inset).
Cut-out for
easy clamping
Fig. 5
Dec 2007/Jan 2008
americas top shops
5 5
Flip-top router table: The router table is
pretty simple and straightforward on the outside

but the real innovations are on the inside. There
are casters on the back corners, which enable
the table to be easily moved by lifting the front
and wheeling it to a desired spot. When the top
is lifted, the lid stay drops down and engages
an internal shelf to hold it up. There is dust
collection at the bottom of the trough. Below
the trough is a pullout shelf for bit storage and
an ample space below for larger items.
Multi-function drill press table: John

designed this feature-packed drill press table when
this bench-mounted model was his only drill press,
and its still his favorite for daily use. Bolting the drill
press to a heavy cabinet and rotating the head 180
gave him the capacity of a floor model. The aluminum
(80/20) extrusion rail was salvaged from a job site
and has proven to be an ideal fence. The table is long
enough to support most stock and uses replaceable
inserts to reduce tear-out. Check out the clever right
angle table and fence, which are handy for drilling the ends of long stock when the
table is swiveled under the quill. The right angle table is also adjustable fore and aft.
illustrations: ken brady
Adjustable stops
for repetitive drilling
Fig. 6
Replaceable insert
Fence clamp makes
repositioning easy
w w w . W o o d c r a f t M a g a z i n e . c o m w o o d c r a f t
m a g a z i n e 55
americas top shops
John Uhler - manager & woodturner

Woodworking gives us an appreciation of the past, a bond to share in the present,
and a legacy to leave for future generations.
lthough Johns shop is capable of

handling just about any woodworking
job imaginable, he enjoys turning the most
because he can usually start and finish projects in a day or two. His job as a sales manager for a security firm and his role as a devoted
husband and father keep him busy most of the
week. As if this isnt enough, he also enjoys
gardening, volunteers at a local nursing home,
and is actively involved in his church. Its not
surprising that most of his work becomes gifts
for friends and loved ones.
A sampling of Johns turnings. Most of his

turning stock comes from local sources,
much of it free for the taking.
56
WoodcrafT magazine
Dec 2007/Jan 2008
The High-Powered Gift Shop

.
Peter Howell took a different approach to house hunting than most folks.
instead of looking for a nice house that happened to have space for a workshop,
he designed the perfect workshop and then built a house on top.
very time Peter Howells job took

him to another city, he ended up
with a workshop bigger than before.
But the last move, to the West Virginia
town of Hurricane 12 years ago, didnt
provide a suitable offering. Previously
my shops were not as big as I would
48
have liked, Peter explains. So this

time, the workshop was my primary
criteria. If the workshop space didnt
check out, we didnt consider buying
the house.
After three or four months of
disappointment, Peter decided what
he wanted either didnt exist or wasnt

available. We couldnt find any with a
large basement, so I decided to design
and build my own home, he says.
The result was a 20 x 58' main
workshop in the basement with plenty
of room for expansion. Not big enough?
woodcraft magazine
Feb/Mar 2008
americas top shops
the WorKshop
at a glance
Size: Main shop, 58 x 20'; panel saw

area, 24 x 17'; spray booth, 13 x 13';
lay down and storage area, 22 x 14'.
Shop area also includes office and
full bathroom.
Construction: Basement shop with

12"-thick concrete-filled concrete
block with rebar. Interior 4 x 2 stud
walls with fiberglass insulation. HVAC
system is separate from house above.
Suspended ceiling with acoustical tile.
Heating and cooling: 80,000 Btu
furnace; 3-ton condensing unit.
Lighting: 37 four-tube, 40-watts-pertube fluorescent lights.
Electrical: Phasemaster rotary phase
converter rated at 40-hp (200 amp
220 volt single-phase panel).
Meeting Peters needs for safety and precision, his

7.5 hp sliding-table saw has a computer controlled
fence, electronically controlled blade height and
blade angle with digital readouts, a riving knife, and
enhanced dust collection.
Dust collection: Camfil-Farr 10hp dust collector; four Gold Cap

Duraplete cartridges rated at 99.99%
removal of 0.5 micron dust with nylon
over-bags.
Air compressor: 5-hp, two-stage
Quincy, 80-gallon tank.
PHotoS: doUg HetHerington
Gifts for the kids
I have learned through my

industrial experience that the
macho culture of American
males is totally wrong. Men
are not always tough, and the
accident doesnt always happen
to the other guy. Safe practices
and safety equipment like safety
glasses, hearing protection, and
dust and toxic fume respirators
dont make you a wimp. They
show that you care about
protecting yourself and your
family.
Shortly after moving into his new home,

Peter joined the local woodworking club.
Valley Woodworkers of West Virginia
has been making toys they donate to the
Salvation Army since 1991. The toys are
distributed to underprivileged children
at Christmastime.
I got very involved with the toy
project and within two years was selected
chairman of the toy committee, says
Peter. One of my observations was that
it took too long to produce the toys.
With the acquisition of some highend European machinery (which Peter
first saw at an industrial woodworking
show that he attended out of pure
curiosity), club members cut the
production time for each cradle from
6 hours to 2 hours. In addition, they
were able to add rocking horses, alphabet
block and wagon sets, and toy wagons.
Overall production increased from 100
items annually to 300.
Not only does Peter donate his
time, energy, and main workshop
to this cause, but he also donated
his basement
family room
its the only place where the new panel

saw would fit and still allow the main
workshop to function smoothly.
Peter was instantly attracted to the
European tools for several reasons. Their
bases and cabinets are made of thicker
cast iron and steel resulting in less
vibration and noise, and they are more
precise. Although very pricey, these
top-shelf tools have saved thousands of
hours of shop time.
Before, we spent countless hours
hand-sanding each part. This not only
wasted time, but led to results that were
less than uniform, Peter says. These
tools were expensive, but now all we
need to do is put the 400 parts through
the machine once and thats it. There is
nothing left to fix.
www.woodcraFtMagazine.coM
woodcraft magazine
49
americas top shops

Safety first
A chemical engineer with 40 years experience
in the chemical and petrochemical industries,
Peter has developed an expertise in industrial
safety. That expertise carries over to his shop,
and during the toy production period hes got
more than just his own well-being to think
about. From September through November
from four to six club members at a time can
be involved in some facet of toy production.
Keeping them safe is a high priority for Peter,
another reason for the European toolshe
was impressed with their safety features.
For example, they include multiple safety
interlocks. If the machine isnt fully ready
to run, it wont turn on. This prevents the
machine from turning on when making
adjustments, he says. Other features include
dust collection that is integral to the design
(to protect the machines circuitry as well as
to help clean the air); easy to find emergency
stop buttons that activate a brake to stop
the blade/cutter; and better designed guards
(to discourage the user from removing an
inferior guard that gets in the way).
When drilling
holes to insert tails
into rocking horse
bodies, Peter clamps
a special jig to the
drill press table
DustCollection
with the drill guide
Nozzle
hole positioned
directly below the
drill chuck. A 5/16"diameter guide
pin penetrates the
jig and slides into
Guide Pin
an alignment hole
drilled into the horse
body. A 5/8" drill
bores a 1"-deep
hole into the body.
Once all horses
have been drilled,
the bit is replaced
with a countersink.
The hinged top
section of the jig is
then opened and a chamfer is cut around the edge of the hole
to ease insertion of the tail. A flexible hose connects the dust
collection nozzle to a Fein Turbo Vac III. Mounting the nozzle on
an articulated arm helps maximize chip collection.
The addition of two

shapers to Peters
shop dramatically
reduced production
time. After running
components through
the bandsaw to cut
them to approximate
size, club members
can cut project
parts to final size
by pattern shaping.
The components are
clamped to a pattern
jig (several are shown
on the wall in the
background) that
rides against a rub collar mounted below the shaper cutter. The cutter cuts
the parts to final size and rounds over the edges in one pass. The shaper
shown on the right has a Tapoa guard that serves as both a dust-collection
hood and a guard to minimize the risk of fingers getting too close to the
cutter. And it includes a spindle that will tilt from -5 to 45; the left-hand
shaper has a tilting spindle as well.
Beyond machinery, Peter has taken

additional steps to make his shop safe.
on the task, all workers
mustDepending
wear hearing protection, safety
glasses, and respirators.
that are on the tools must
stayGuards
there.
Jigs and hold downs keep hands
away
from danger.
A dust-collection system that doubles
recommended
air flows.
duct instead of plastic pipe
forSteel
dust collection. (A grounding wire
along plastic pipe makes the system a
capacitator and increases the amount
of charge that can be stored.)
Anytime 100% of wood dust is not
collected,
Peter wears a P100 NIOSHapproved dust mask.
Feb/Mar 2008
The Floor Plan
americas top shops
bathroom
air
compressor
vacuum
lathe
office
air dryer,
filter
grinder
spindle
sander
disk/belt
sander
dust collector
P30N
table
saw
double
drum sander
shaper
#2
shaper
#1
wide belt
sander
scroll
saw
saw
horses
file
cabinets
radial
arm saw
workbench
jointer
exhaust fan
bench
planer
drill
press
band
saw
finishing
room
P66
table
saw
storage
shelves
router
table
clamps
workbench
file
cabinets
vacuum
sanding
belt
storage
storage
shelves
I swear by my shapers. They are the most versatile tools in my shop. For those jobs that could be done
on either the router table or a shaper, the shaper does the work quicker and better.
When he designed his workshop,
Peter had no idea it would be
Santas toy workshop part of the
year. Good thing he had extra
basement space.
The one thing that changed
was converting the family room to
a shop so I could put the sliding
panel saw there, he says.
But the original design, which
Peter finalized before the house
was built, was on the mark anyway. The tools were arranged to
maximize available space. Tools

that needed long space to function properlythe radial-arm saw,
jointer, planer, and workbenches
were located along walls. Other
equipment was located next to
support columns to reduce the
impact on workflow. As a result,
four club members at a time can
form a production line vastly
increasing the overall volume.
The tool arrangement in the
main shop lends itself to high-
volume production. A workbench

and radial-arm saw are aligned
to facilitate cutting rough stock to
manageable lengths. A few steps
through an unobstructed area
takes the worker to the jointer. A
few steps right takes him to the
planer for surfacing, back to the table saw and the adjacent bandsaw.
From there, its just a few steps to
the shaper for final sizing, then over
to the wide-belt sander and flap
sander. Carts Peter designed (see
illustration on page 53) allow for the

easy transfer of project parts from
station to station.
To keep the work area more
spacious, the air compressor sits
in a separate room; the dust
collector is outside.
Lumber is stored over the fourcar attached garage. Peter had it
specially designed, including a steel
beam and columns, to support 300
lbs. per square foot. Sheet goods
are stored with the panel saw.
w o o d c r a f t m a g a z i n e 51
americas top shops
Resaw jig: This resaw jig that Peter

designed reduces waste and improves the
quality of the cut pieces. Here, Peter inserts a
walnut board between the jig and the fence. Two
featherboards mounted on short pieces of angle
iron allow them to be positioned both vertically
and horizontally, depending on the height and

thickness of the board. A tight, secure
ensures

fit

resawn boards will have uniform thickness and
smoothness. The jig itself is clamped to the

bandsaw table.

2 3
Fig. 1

&

designed this hose reel (left

Hose rack and drill support: Peter

side of photo)15 years ago and it remains a standard in his shop today.
It seemed like I had vacuum hoses lying all over the floor or I was trying
to hang them on the wall. I had difficulty finding them sometimes, Peter
explains. The reel holds 20' of 1" hose on the lower rack and 30' of 2"
hose on the upper rack. A collapsible leaf at each end of the drill press
table gives Peter the flexibility to easily work on vertical pieces, but when
locked into the horizontal position, larger pieces, such as rocking horse
bodies or wagon parts, get plenty of support.



Feb/Mar 2008
americas top shops
Shop cart: Peter designed this cart with the express

purpose of controlling clutter and speeding production so
club members could easily move project parts between
work stations for the next machining operation. Before he
designed the cart, Peter says, We had piles of wood and
components scattered hither and yon on workbenches and
saw tables. We were constantly moving components so we
could use the table saw or workbench.
Fig. 3
Spray booth: Heres a safe solution. With 300 toys that need finish
coats, club members spend a lot of time in Peters spray booth. Peter inserts
a " plywood panel into the 36" exterior door. The panel holds the -hp, 24"
explosion-proof fan. Four large screened windows in the office are opened to
provide clean makeup air while the fan clears fumes and overspray. The
booth walls are covered with 4 mil plastic sheeting; a canvas drop cloth
protects the floor. The spray gun operator is fitted with a full-face supplied
air respirator when working with toxic materials. A cartridge respirator
could also be used, Peter says, but the cartridges would have to be
replaced frequently.
Inset: a block glued to the plywood panel provides a filler allowing the
clamp to hold it securely against the doorstops. It works well. Ive been
doing it this way for a long, long time, Peter says.
americas top shops
Peter Howell - safety engineer and toymaker

Making toys for the Salvation Army not only helps underprivileged children but also is a great way for our club members to learn the basics of
woodworking and how to safely use tools and machinery.
eter got his introduction to woodworking as a

youngster, making wooden boats, planes, and
cars under the watchful eye of his grandfather, a master carpenter. His interest never waned, but other than
woodshop classes in middle school, working with
power tools had to wait until Peter graduated from
college, got a job, and had an income.
I bought a radial-arm saw with my first paycheck,
Peter recalls. In those early years, I used my
income tax refund each year to buy another piece of
machinery, including the drill press and combination
belt/disk sander he uses to this day.
As a chemical engineer, Peter spent 30 years
involved in the design, operation, maintenance, and
management of chemical plants. For the last 10 years
he has been self-employed as a safety consultant to the chemical, petrochemical, refining, pulp and paper industries, and the
federal agencies that regulate them. Yet, at age 63, he has no plans to retire any time soon.
Peter joined the Valley Woodworkers of West Virginia Club after moving to the Charleston, West Virginia, area 12 years ago. It
was his first experience with a club, but his knowledge of woodworking and workplace safety was instantly valuable. He served
as chairman of the clubs Toy Committee and offered his basement shop as headquarters for the clubs annual toy-making
program. From September through November, club members produce over 300 toys, in this and other members workshops,
that the Salvation Army provides to underprivileged children as Christmastime.
Peter says there is significantly less activity in his shop during the December-August off-season. As time allows,
he makes furniture and toys for his family.
With the addition of new power tools
s several years ago,
club toy production increased from 100 cradles each
year to 175 cradles plus alphabet blocks with wagons,
rocking horses, and wagons. The club has donated
5,540 toys since 1991. The toys are made from local
Appalachian hardwoods such as ash, cherry,
walnut, and maple, which the West Virginia
Forestry Association provides. A local business,
Evans Lumber Company, donates hardwood
plywood, and other local businesses donate steel
axles, lacquers, and other supplies, which cover about 90%
of the total cost. The balance comes from the clubs treasury.

got a top woodworking shop filled with ideas for smarter woodworking? You
could be featured in Woodcraft Magazine and earn a $200 Woodcraft gift card.
Send a short writeup, photos and/or sketches and rough oor plan, if possible, to:
54

Woodcraft Magazine
P.O. Box 7020
woodcraft magazine
Feb/Mar 2008
The His-and-Her Workshop

.
can a husband and wife share the same basement

workshop and not drive each other up the wall?
Buzz and nelda Kelly of indian Springs, alabama,
have been doing it for the past 10 years and
couldnt be happier.
Ten years ago, when Buzz Kelly rst
gave serious thought to retiring, he
decided to check out a class offered
by the Alabama Woodworkers Guild.
His wife, Nelda, offered to drive
him. They arrived a little early and
the doors were still locked, so Nelda
hung around, just to make sure
Buzz wasnt stranded. She ended up
taking the class too, and together they
discovered a hobby to last a lifetime.
I dont think at that point
I realized it would cause such a
change, says Nelda about their
newfound hobby.
Both in their 50s, Buzz and Neldas
routine days are vastly different.
42
Now retired from an information

technology career at Birmingham
Waterworks, Buzz spends much of
his day in the shop. Nelda works as a
technical planner for a local bank. I
am so jealous, Nelda says, referring
to Buzzs shop time. If I didnt have
a really intense, busy job, Id probably
go crazy.
Both are avid students of
woodworking. They frequently take
classes sponsored by the local guild
and elsewhere, learning new skills
and then applying them to projects in
their own shop.
The good/bad thing about
both marriage partners becoming
A pair of 7 x 9' garage doors provides

easy access and plenty of fresh air to
Buzz and Nelda Kellys workshop. At the
center of the shop is the table saw with
outfeed table and a rolling auxiliary table
built to the same height. Thats Buzz in
the foreground cutting wood; Nelda is
in the background at the European-style
workbencha favorite work station. We
wish we had two, Nelda says. Colorful
foam tiles provide an easy-on-the-feet
insulated oor surface. Overhead a central
duct attached to the HVAC ductwork
carries dust to a central vacuum.
woodcraft magazine
a p r i l / M ay 2 0 0 8
AmeriCAS top ShopS
the WorKShop
at a glance
Size: 33 x 43' with separate space for

wood storage.
Construction: Cinder block
basement that includes two 3 6'
windows, two standard 7 x 9' garage
doors, and one 2' 8" x 7' exterior
door.
Heating and cooling: Household
HVAC system provides heating and
cooling.
Lighting: Fluorescent lights; three 8'

dual-tube fixtures; seven 4' quad-tube
fixtures; two 4'dual-tube fixtures; plus
task lighting and magnifying work
lamps.
Conceding that they needed more workspace,

Buzz and Nelda opted to close off one of the
garage doors and use the space in front as
a sliding compound mitersaw workstation. A
plywood shell around one side captures dust.
The back of the shell functions as a clamp rack,
as does one side.
woodworkers is that ALL of the money

goes to the workshop, Nelda says
with a laugh. Another is that a weeklong woodworking class becomes a
very viable, even attractive, vacation
opportunity.
PHotoS: Brian franciS
Were the other half

of each other. We talk
while were working.
Its pretty much
togetherness time.
They credit their rapid development

as woodworkers to other guild
members for willingly sharing their
knowledge. The best payback, Buzz
says, is learning what theyve done,
and then coming home and using our
tools to perform these skills on our
projects. Sometimes we tweak what
weve learned to make it our own.
Electrical: All the Kellys 220-volt

tools draw from a shop-dedicated
sub-panel.
Dust collection: Oneida Super Gorilla
3-hp cyclone; two jet 1/5-hp air
cleaners rated at 1,044 cfm airflow.
Air compressor: Single-stage PorterCable rated at 6 hp.
For three years or so, it seemed that

Interjects Nelda, What Buzz is
all we built were shop projects, Nelda
trying to say is that we are incapable of
recalls. Its hard at rst. What they
following instructions.
dont tell you is that to build a shop
Fortunately for the Kellys, at the
you need a shop.
same time their woodworking interests
took off, a relative
decided to part with
his tools, so they
bought them. That
got them started
with a minimal
investment. First
they built a simple
workbench made
of 2x4s. Next,
they moved up
to more nishedlooking tables for
the compound
Equipped with multiple vises and a tool tray, the
mitersaw and table
European-style workbench serves as one of the shops
saw outfeed table,
most versatile tools. Storage space is in high demand in
and then graduated
a shop with two woodworkers. Screws, tacks, and saw
to the Europeanblades occupy one area; various nishing materials sit
style workbench
on the shelves behind Buzz.
they both love.
woodcraft magazine
43
AmeriCAS top ShopS

The good thing is,
he does a lot of the
gruntwork things while
I am at work. Hes good
at sizing and sanding,
some of the things that
are not the fun part of
woodworking, and I really
appreciate that.
Over the years, they have

accumulated a full power-tool
collection, including two lathes,
two scrollsaws, a sliding compound
mitersaw, a bandsaw, a table saw,
two drill presses, an 8" jointer, several
routers, a dedicated mortise machine,
spindle sander, belt and drum sanders,
two router tables, 15" planer, a couple
of sharpening systems, and numerous
hand tools.
They say it takes about $10,000 to
get started, but $10,000 is a drop in the
bucket, Buzz says.
is
44
One of Neldas current projects

is a walnut spice box with nine inlaid
drawers. Here shes using a footcontrolled Dremel tool to groove a
drawer for string inlay.
Those card tables have some

stringing on the tops that wasnt in
the original, says Nelda. Thats the
thing about making your own stuff.
Each piece is uniquely yourssometimes
on purpose.
BuZZ KeLLyS ShoW-StoppinG FiniSh

a patient and meticulous person, according to nelda, Buzz gets the credit for the show-stopping
finish on their projectsa hand-rubbed process that takes about a week.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Buzz and Nelda won a
blue ribbon for this pair of
Federal-style card tables.
Buzzs table is shown with
the top open; Neldas
with the top closed. Both
convert to full- or halfcircle tables.
Things we would change

include buying bigger the rst time
around, adds Nelda. We bought a
6" jointer and then a couple of years
later replaced it with an 8". Our
advicebuy the best equipment you
can afford. Youll be glad you did.
The Kellys go through phases,
in both the types of projects they
make and the woods they use.
Theyve made projects out of oak,
maple, cherry, and walnut, but most
of the projectsa blanket chest, a
barrister bookcase, a lamp, and two
card tablesused mahogany. That
was followed by the walnut phase,
says Nelda, when they created such
pieces as hunt boards and spice
cabinets. Currently they are in an
ornamentation phase, which
involves adding stringing and inlay
into many of their projects. Recently
their matched pair of Federal-style
card tables earned blue ribbons at the
guilds annual show. Their favorite nish
is a hand-rubbed oil nish (see Buzzs
recipe below.) All pieces remain in their
home or go to friends or family.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Sand the bare wood to 220-300 grit.

flood the wood with boiled linseed oilHot. (we use a
small crock-Pot to heat the oil.)
after drying overnight, sand with wet/dry 400-grit
sandpaper using boiled linseed oil as a lubricant to
create a slurry. (You can add rottenstone to highlight the
grain and help fill open-grain woods.) wipe the wood
dry again.
after 4-5 days, scuff-sand with wet/dry 400-grit
sandpaper; wipe down. apply 1 lb cut shellac with
smooth (Viva) paper towels (one or two coats).
Scuff-sand with wet/dry 600-grit sandpaper. Use mineral
spirits for lubricant if desired. wipe down and let dry overnight.
apply waterlox sealer with a paper towel. Let dry overnight. Scuff-sand with 600-grit wet/
dry sandpaper using mineral spirits for lubricant. (repeat this step three to four times.)
Scuff-sand with 800-grit wet/dry sandpaper, using mineral spirits as a lubricant.
Buff with buffing compounds 1 and 2 to medium gloss.
wax and buff.
woodcraft magazine
a p r i l / M ay 2 0 0 8
The Floor Plan
Clamps
Wall-mounted
dehumidifier
Simple 2x4
bench (built
first)
Work tables
Side clamp rack
Window seat
Post
Compound
sliding
mitersaw
Belt sander
Garage door
16"band
saw
Nelda's
scrollsaw
Work
bench
Tornado room turned

into lumber storage
Storage
cabinets
8" jointer
Traditional
workbench (built last)
Outfeed
table
Shop
table
Stairwell
Refrigerator
Jigs & fixtures
stored under
stairs
Table saw
Drum sander
Router table
Garage door
15" planer
Spindle sander
8" wall
Lathe
Grinder
Buzz's
scroll saw
Shelving
Trio of big
machines
play "ring
around the
column"
Mortise
machine
Dust
collector
Two drill
presses
Lathe
Shelving
A Common Sense Layout

Buzz and Neldas shop layout
is constantly evolving. Initially
confined to one bay of the
attached basement-level garage
(the other bay reserved for their
car), they contemplated building a
separate shop. They decided the
basement shop was so convenient
that, instead, they built another
garage for the cars.
This way we could take
advantage of the heating and cooling
from the house, says Nelda. There
is a bathroom at the top of the stairs,
and it was pretty easy to put in a
telephone and rig it with a light that
flashes when the phone rings.
Now the shop occupies the
entire former garage space.
The locations of major tools and

workstations have changed as the
Kellys invested more in their shop
and refined their skills. However,
the locations of the four posts
lined up through the center of the
shop have remained central to the
workflow (see floor plan above).
The posts cant be moved
because they hold up the house,
Buzz explains. So we set the
tools around those posts. I ran
all the ductwork and wiring down
the posts to try to save as much
space as I could.
Metal ducts extend from the
major power tools and up the
posts where they connect to main
duct wired to the overhead HVAC
duct, leading to the Oneida 3-hp
Router tables
dust collector. It is controlled at

each piece of equipment by a
blast gate that turns the system
on and off. A recent acquisition,
the dust collector prompted yet
another reorganization of shop
tools. Before that we had two
dust collectors that I put on each
machine. It was awkward. The
(new) dust collector freed up a lot
of other stuff, says Buzz.
At the shops core is the
Powermatic 66 table saw and
rolling side table along with the
adjacent Performax drum sander.
To the right is a 15" mobile planer;
to the left, a stationary jointer.
The bandsaw and belt sander are
clustered around the end pole.
Storage shelves, workbenches,
and other toolsincluding a pair

of drill presses, router tables,
compound sliding mitersaw, and
a scrollsaware strategically
distributed around the perimeter.
Wood is stored in an attached
room that also serves as a
tornado shelter.
Colorful playroom tiles
purchased at a local home center
offer several advantages. They
are comfortable to stand on, have
prevented many a dropped tool
from denting or breaking, and
provide insulation by covering the
bare concrete floor.
In the winter, the temperature
would fluctuate significantly, says
Nelda. With this flooring, we have
a 65 constant temperature.
americas top shops

Blade safe: This white mahogany blade safe brought order to
the Kellys blade collection. A joint project they completed several
years ago, the safe features 20 drawers. Its easier to build than it
looks. Simple joinery and a " dado cutter, says Buzz.
Fig. 1
Plywood guide: Cutting large plywood panels

down to size on a table saw can be a bit cumbersome,
so Buzz devised this plywood cutting jig. When down,
the flip-up fence shows the exact location of his
circular saw blade, eliminating a measuring step. Now
I just measure one time, flip the board and cut the line
with my saw, says Buzz. The jig is adaptable to other
portable power tools, such as a router and jigsaw.
2
Fig. 2
A p r i l / M ay 2 0 0 8
americas top shops
3&4
Panel sled: Buzz built this panel sled years ago when he had
to cut a large piece of countertop, and it has been a fixture in the
shop ever since. Designed for safety, the sled is constructed of "
plywood on the bottom and 2 x 6" risers. Wooden runners on the
bottom fit into the table saw slots to guarantee smooth, square cuts.
Fence support: Another safety device is
Fig. 3
this simple sliding fence, ideal for cutting stock

on edge. The workpiece is clamped to the
sliding fence and the cut is made as shown here
- fingers well out of harms way. Its much easier
than trying to balance a board on edge, like
when you are cutting a raised panel, Buzz says.
5
Fig. 4
Tool rack : Although they continue to outfit their shop with new tools, the Kellys
occasionally put their old tools to good use. They acquired this lathe and collection
of turning tools from Neldas brother-in-law. The simple angled stand keeps the tools
within easy reach.
americas top shops
Buzz and Neldas Toy Build-A-Thon
n 2007 the Alabama Woodworkers Guild donated

7,400 toys to local organizations. Various guild
members hold build-a-thons at their home workshops in the fall as the deadline for completing the
projects nears. On Fridays, guild members meet at
the local Woodcraft store and use the stores shop
for build-a-thon projects. Cars, jewelry boxes, and
game boards are the most common items.
Buzz and Nelda host one or two sessions at their
home each September and October. On these days,
a shop usually occupied by one or two woodworkers may see 27 guild members at work. In about four
hours they can complete 300 cars and jewelry boxes. Many of the cars are left unpainted so children can paint them as part
of their physical therapy.
Toys are distributed among several organizations, including the Childrens Hospital in Birmingham, the Alabama
Department of Human Resources, and the Alabama School for the Deaf and Blind.

Got a top woodworking shop filled with ideas for smarter woodworking? You
could be featured in Woodcraft Magazine and earn a $200 Woodcraft gift card.
Send a short writeup, photos and/or sketches and rough floor plan, if possible, to:

Woodcraft Magazine
P.O. Box 7020
A p r i l / M ay 2 0 0 8
The (Way) Above-Average

Below-Grade Workshop
.
roger mcclures basement workshop is packed to the rafters (joists, actually) with
tools and accessories, but that doesnt prevent him from keeping a tidy shop.
its all about using space wiselyand creatively.
At first glance, Roger McClures
Louisville, Kentucky, workshop looks
like any other. But then it dawns on
you how much stuff Roger has without
being crowded. When youve been at

the woodworking game as long as he
has, you learn a thing or two about
economizing space.
Because of the size of my shop, Ive
got to use the top, bottom, and middle,
says the 78-year-old retired machinist.
And everything is full.
Roger and his wife, Jo, built
their house 17 years ago. A
standard stairway leads to a twothirds basement underneath.
Unfortunately, wishing it were
a full basement doesnt make
it so, so Roger had to adapt. Over

the years he put the space he has to
good use. Sheet goods, for example,
are stored in an overhead space in the
garage, and long stock enters the shop
through a special covered pass-through
at left (much like a pet door) cut in
the foundation wall. You should have
heard the builder when I told him to
come over and start cutting through
the concrete, Roger says with a laugh.
The pass-through is located above the
Powermatic 90 lathe (see the floor plan
on page 45).
ROGER DEVISED A UNIQUE METHOD of transferring rough stock from

his garage to the basement. Because the garage oor is 3' below the
basement ceiling, Roger had his contractor cut this 12 x 20" pass-through
hole through the foundation well.
42
woodcraft magazine
J u n e / J u ly 2 0 0 8
the WoRkshop
aMeRicas top shops
Because of the size of my shop,

Ive got to use the top, bottom, and
middle, and everything is full.
Once in the basement, long

stock is stored on racks above and
below the compound mitersaw.
Exotic woods, which tend to be
in shorter lengths, are stored
separately on racks Roger built
between the floor joists. I have
to let it cure for up to two years,
Roger explains. Its a great place
for it to air and cure. Clamps,
various jigs, and pushsticks are
also hunglike woodworkers
stalactitesfrom the joists, where
they are out of the way but easily
accessible, as are the drop-down
power cords.
A unique arrangement of
dust collectors, each with its own
remote control, also conserves
space. Roger uses three Jet 650s
with 4" ducts attached to the joists
and running to the tools or, in the case
of the compound mitersaw, making
just a short run from collector to
tool. The collectors are unobtrusively
placed in corners. A ceiling-mounted
Jet air filtration system removes
airborne particles, helping preserve
a healthy shop environment while
keeping fine dust from settling on the
furniture and countertops in the main
living spaces above.
Wall space is put to effective use as
well. Roger built two sections of joisthung cabinets that store a variety of
at a glance
Size: 24 x 30' with separate 8 x 10'

office and 8 x 10' bathroom/finishing/
supplies storage room.
Construction: Basement shop with
concrete walls and 8' (exposed)
ceiling.
Heating and cooling: Lennox twostage sealed combustion gas furnace

and 3-ton air-conditioner.
Lighting: Sixteen 4'-long 32- and
40-watt dual-tube fluorescent lights
plus six ceiling-mounted halogen task
lights aimed at selected tools.
Electrical: Four 220-amp circuits and
eight 120-amp circuits
Dust collection: Three 650 cfm
Jet dust collectors and two shop
vacuums; one Jet 650 cfm threespeed air cleaner.
Air compressor: Puma 4.6 cfm
120 psi.
accessories and provide convenient

parking spots underneath for larger
machines, the majority of which
are mounted on casters with special
parking feet (see Figure 2 on page 46).
A large pegboard rack on a third wall
provides additional storage.
Even a trio of floor-to-ceiling
support posts was put to good use.
Each has a pole-mounted workstation
that Roger designed (see Figure 1 on
page 46). Two support grinders and
the third, positioned next to the drill
press, keep bits (and a telephone)
easily accessible.
PHotoS: BrYan moBerLY
FROM THE OPPOSITE

VIEW, WE SEE an
open area between
Rogers workbench
and table saw. Here,
Roger wheels in his
mobile machines
for planing, jointing,
scrollsawing, and
routing. The area
also provides ample
room for assembling
large projects.
woodcraft magazine
43
aMeRicas top shops

Near the center of the shop is the Delta Unisaw,
equipped with Uniguard and Incra fence. After going
through a series of contractors saws, Roger bought this
one five years ago. Its a fabulous saw, he says. A fixed
outfeed table and a mobile tool chest with a surface
at the same height provide additional support when
working with long pieces. Stationary tools (a 13" planer
and 26" bowl lathe) occupy the space on one side; a
stationary workbench is positioned on the other.
Between the table saw and a larger workbench is an
open work area. Roger rolls the tools stored around the
shops perimeter into position here, performs the needed
tasks, and then rolls them back to their parking spots.
Cushioned rubber mats cover the concrete floor at key
standing locations. At 78, you need all the comfort you
can get, Roger says.
With this arrangement, Roger has everything he
needs to make the furniture and turned pieces found
throughout his home. Finished projects, usually made of
oak, walnut, or exotic woods, include an entire bedroom
suite, coffee tables, end tables, a humpbacked trunk, and
an array of turned pieces and jewelry boxes.
Not bad for a guy who started making airplanes out
of orange crates in the third grade. Projects around the
family farm kept Roger interested until he entered high
school, where the tools in the shop class fueled a desire
to start making his own projects. I dreamed that one
day I would have a shop like I did in my high school
woodworking days, Roger recalls.
Roger had no formal woodworking training, but
during a 40-year-career as a machinist and later an
instructor with Phillip Morris, Roger built a collection
of tools and developed his skills. They didnt have
woodworking magazines like they do today, Roger says.
His years as an instructor continue to serve him
well. Several times a month Roger does product
demonstrations for a tool manufacturer and serves as an
instructor at Louisville-area Woodcraft stores.
MOST OF THE TIME the tools metal fence is ne for Rogers

6" jointer with its short bed. But when jointing long stock, he
lengthens the infeed table with a shop-made extender. Its
a laminate-surfaced infeed table/solid-stock fence combo
attached to the tool with a C-clamp. I only use it when working
with big pieces, Roger explains. Ninety percent of the time I
use the tools fence.
INCOMING ROUGH STOCK CAN SLIDE either over or under the
compound mitersaw, which has two 2 x 10' lumber storage

shelves above and two more below. The No. 2 dust collector
(seen in the near background) is dedicated to this saw. A
12 x 18" dust-collection hood helps keep the shop clean.
It makes a horrendous mess if you dont contain the dust,
Roger says. Box-like wings measuring 4' long on each side
of the saw base provide ample support for long stock.
ROGER BUILT THIS SOLID ROSEWOOD ROUTER TABLE six years ago
and outtted it with an Incra lift and LS17 fence. The surface
measures 34 x 44". Three drawers contain progressively
larger router bits. The table includes emergency stop
buttons for the 3-hp router plus a lockout switch so Roger
doesnt have to take time to open the cabinet and
unplug the router before changing bits. Three drawers
hold various tools and templates for more than 40
different types of dovetails.
44
woodcraft magazine
J u n e / J u ly 2 0 0 8
The Floor Plan

Mobilitythats the
key to Rogers 24 x 30'
basement shop.
With as many tools as I have and
the size of my shop, my tools have
to be mobile, Roger explains. The
exceptions are the Powermatic 90
lathe, Unisaw, planer, and bowl lathe.
The Unisaw with two outfeed
tablesone fixed and one mobile
occupies the center of the shop
(see the Floor Plan at right). A 13"
planer and 26" bowl lathe occupy
fixed positions on one side of the
table saw, while a fixed workbench
occupies the other. The Powermatic
90 lathe is fixed on the opposite side.
Between the table saw and sizeable
workbench behind is an open
workspace. The remaining tools are
parked around the shops perimeter,
providing Roger with unobstructed
passageways around the shop. All
other tools can be rolled into this
area for temporary use.
To conserve even more floor
space, Roger hangs frequently used
items from the joits above and has
built workstations on three beam
support (jack) posts. Drop-down
extension cords and ducts for the
dust collectors are also attached to
the joists to minimize clutter.
Roger stores sheet goods in the
garage where he has a hoist and an
overhead storage area. That way
he can cut the sheets to smaller
pieces in the garage and then feed
them through the pass-through or
carry them down to the shop. Rough
stock slides easily though the passthrough and is stored on racks at
the mitersaw station. Exotic woods
acclimate in racks between the joists
until needed.
Roger equipped his shop with
Jet dust collectors strategically
positioned in corners around the
shop. Its more expensive to do
it this way, but they dont make
as much noise, so my wife can
watch TV and do her needlework
undisturbed. And they do a good job
of containing the dust, Roger says.
The walls are put to good use,
too. Here Roger keeps various tools,
saw blades, clamps, and jigs out of
the way but close at hand.
A trio of small rooms along
one side provides Roger with a
convenient restroom and sink, a
small office, and additional storage.
I would pick a location where I would have an outside entrance.

I encourage anyone who is thinking of building a below grade
shop to have a walkout basement.
Lumber door
Dust
collector
Large Lathe Tools
Wall
cabinets
Wall cabinets
and lathe tools
Tool box
Lathe
Mini lathe
Bathroom
Grinder on
pole mount
Table
saw
Jack post
Dust
collector
for
router
Router
table
Lumber
cart
Planer
Jointer
Bandsaw
Storage
Sawblade
rack and
pegboard
tool storage
Belt
sander
Bowl
lathe
Out feed
table
Drill press
Work
bench
Tool
storage
cabinet
Grinder on
pole mount
Spindle
sander
Chop saw
Disc sander
Lumber rack
Work bench
cabinet
Wall cabinets
Dust
collector
Air compressor
Five years ago I bought a Delta Unisaw with Uniguard and

added an Incra fence system. Together, theyre the greatest
thing since sliced bread.
Got a top woodworking shop filled with ideas for
smarter woodworking? You could be featured in
gift card. Send a short writeup, photos and/or
sketches, and rough floor plan to:

Woodcraft Magazine
P.O. Box 7020
americas top shops
Jack-post workstation: Using as much available space

as possible, Roger even put three basement jack posts to work by
designing pole-mounted workstations. In this case, pieces of pine
are cut to fit around the pole, secured with bolts, and topped with 1"
medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and plastic laminate (see Figure 1)
to support a high-speed bench grinder. The center station holds the
telephone and drill bits for the nearby drill press, and the third station
holds the 7" low-speed bench grinder.
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Parking feet: Heres a simple

tip to secure a rolling cabinet that
uses nonlockable casters. Roger
fashioned these parking feet (see
Figure 2) from scrap lumber and 1"
rubber chair leg tips. A quick spin
with a drill driver turns each chair
tip securely against the floor for a
secure grip.
J u n e / J u ly 2 0 0 8
americas top shops
Fig. 3
3
Segment cutting jig: Precision is a must
when cutting segmented rings and staves. Roger
designed the jig (shown above) so each of the
16 pieces in a ring is cut at 11. To make one
just like it, see the Figure 3. To use the jig, clamp
the stock against the 111/4 degree end of the
adjustable stop. Repeat this procedure to make
the initial cut for all the segments. Then reverse
the stop end for end to make the cut at the other
end of each segment. Clamp each one against
the square end.
4
Fig. 4
Stave cutting jig: For cutting staves, Roger uses this jig to ensure safety and precise repeat cuts.
First he attaches a clamp to the 2"-square workpiece and cuts it to the appropriate angle (11). Because
the next cut would be made on a workpiece no longer square, Roger secures it to the jig with toggle clamps
and safely slides it through the blade. To make one for your own shop, see Figure 4.
aMeRicas top shops
Bowl press: Roger designed this press (Figure 5) to glue up

his segmented and stave turnings. The frame and base are made of
solid stock and a piece of Baltic birch plywood. Pressure is applied
by a 1" dowel handle fitted into a German 11/4x18" bench screw
(Woodcraft #01H41; $54.99). The screws foot pad, which he had
made at a machinists shop, attaches with an Allen screw.
Fig. 5
30 triangle cutting jig: Im as proud of this as

any piece of furniture Ive ever built because it was
complicated to build and the edges fit so well,
Roger says of his triangle table with fluted
legs, which measures 21" tall and
26" corner to corner. Made of
American black walnut
with a polyurethane
finish, the table
is the result of a
triangle-cutting
jig (Figure 6)
Roger made that
produces exactly
30 cuts every time
(see illustration).
48
Fig. 6
woodcraft magazine
J u n e / J u ly 2 0 0 8
Roger McClure - A True Master of Many Skills
ot only is Roger an accomplished

turner and furniture builder, but he is
also pretty good with do-it-yourself home
improvement projects too. This space used
to be a deck. After a contractor enclosed
it and installed drywall, Roger built the fireplace mantel, shelves, and cabinets. In fact,
Roger built everything shown here except
the mirror and antique clock.
AN OCCASIONAL DEMONSTRATOR AND TESTER for Incra Precision Tools,

Roger not only talks the talk, he walks it as well as evidenced by this
wooden-hinged masterpiece box. Note the dovetail-within-dovetail
seamless corner joints and beveled top.
ROGER SPENDS A LOT OF TIME at his Powermatic 90 lathe. The 12 x 18" hood
collects dust particles, while a shower curtain suspended from hooks catches
larger chips, causing them to fall to the oor within a conned area for easy
cleanup. A tray on the machine bed keeps tools within arms reach. Also within
easy reach is a remote control for a joist-hung TV and DVD player. I turn off the
lathe and watch technique videos by top woodturners, says Roger. Then I turn
on the tool and try to duplicate what I learned.
SOME OF ROGERS MANY TURNED PROJECTS include (clockwise

from top) a spalted-maple bowl, a natural edge bowl of maple, a
travel mug, a staved lidded container and segmented bowl.
woodcraft magazine
49
Sawdust and Sparks
A Versatile Double-Duty Workshop

.
dave arnold discovered early on that working with wood frequently includes
metal as well. and he discovered that much of what he needed wasnt available
commercially. now, after a few workshop modications, he can make nearly
everything he needsfrom wood or metal.
Dave Arnold described his first
workshop as a hole in the ground
divided by a laundry room. Once, it
took more than an hour just to cut
the angles on a 16'-long fascia board
because of the gyrations required to
get it down the stairs and around the
corner.
No more. The shop Dave, 68, and
his wife, Glenna, designed and attached
to their New Albany, Indiana, home is
so well laid out (see floor plan on page
45), access is no longer an issue. And
whether hes working with wood or
metal, Daves collection of mobile tools
provides plenty of open workspace.
With my finite space and
equipment, Ive not been able to come
up with a better layout, says Dave, a
42
retired safety inspector for the Federal

Aviation Administration.
After spending 13 years in the
basement shop, Dave moved into his
new space in 1990. The first thing he
did was sell his old table
saw and replace it with
a Powermatic 66. Now
the shops workhorse,
the table saw (right) has
been outfitted with an
overhead dust pickup
and guard combination
and an attached
enclosure for his plunge
router and lift system
(both designed by Dave).
I discovered many
years ago that the dust
pickup on table saws, even cabinet saws,

left a lot to be desired, and with shop
space and storage being at a premium,
I wanted to incorporate my router with
the saws side table, Dave explains.
woodcraft magazine
Aug/Sept 2008
the WorKshop
americas top shops
PHotoS: BrYan moBerLY
Build as large a shop as you can, and

put everything that you can on casters.
Make everything that you can mobile.
It allows flexibility.
The remotely controlled separator

also serves the jointer, planer,
thickness sander, wood lathe, and
18" bandsaw, all of which are on
casters or mobile bases.
Three benches, also on casters,
provide plenty of workspace.
His old primary benchtoo
tall (Dave is 5'6") and lacking
adequate storage spacestill has
a place in the shop, but the new
30 x 84" master workbench is
Daves pride and joy.
I had 20 years to think about
the things I would do when I
built my bench. The first thing I
did was size it for me, says Dave
with a laugh. The paneling, rails,
drawers, and stiles all are made
of walnut stock Dave acquired
from a friend 20 years ago. The
top is 8/4 laminated hard maple.
I love the contrast of those two
woods, says Dave.
Although the bench is massive
and heavy (Dave estimates it weighs
more than 600 lbs.), it had to be
mobile. So he designed a retractable
caster system that allows him to
reposition the bench. Using 5" ball-
at a glance
Size: 1733' with 9' ceiling plus

1017' wood storage area in attic.
Construction: Brick exterior on

concrete slab; R-19 insulation, 6" stud
walls, " CDX sheathing; insulated
10' garage door.
Heating and cooling: Natural
gas forced-air heating and airconditioning.
Lighting: Two 24' skylights;
six fluorescent lights with four 4'
bulbs; track lighting with adjustable
spotlights over workbench; multiple
task lights; and portable light stand.
Electrical: Dedicated 60-amp service
panel with multiple 110- and 220-volt
circuits.
Dust collection: Self-customized 2hp cyclone.
Air compressor: 22 gallon, 3-hp
Craftsman.
bearing casters and a veneer screw at

each end, Dave can raise the bench.
Lifting it requires cranking each end
of the bench with its respective screw,
and while its not really difficult, its not
something you want to do every day,
says Dave (see page 44).
As with any shop, adequate storage
space is essential, and Daves shop
has an abundance of it. Rough stock
is stored in the attic and on shelves
around the shops perimeter. Sheet
Consistent with his plan to make

his shop as versatile and user-friendly
as possible, Dave mounted the saw on
a mobile base. When its time to add
or remove stock from the attic wood
storage area, Dave simply rolls the table
off to the side to make room for the
drop-down stairs.
Ever the innovator, Dave refined
a dust-collector design he saw in a
magazine and applied it to his shop. He
used two galvanized garbage cans and
some roof flashing to fashion a dualfiltered centrifugal (cyclone) separator.
DAVE DESIGNED AND BUILT THIS MACHINISTS
CHEST and matching hardware chest from
mahogany, giving each unit 11 drawers.
www.woodcrAftMAgAzine.coM
woodcraft magazine
43
americas top shops

goods are vertically stacked in a special rack in the garage, just
outside of the shops main entry door. Wall-hung cabinets neatly
contain saw blades; sanders and sandpaper; finishing supplies
and spray equipment; glues, tape, and specialty items; turning
equipment and supplies; metal working equipment and supplies;
and more. Multiple drawers, including an 11-drawer mahogany
chest that Dave designed and built, keep smaller items organized
and easy to locate. Including drawers of all sizes, my shop has
94, Dave boasts.
A combination of ceiling-mounted fluorescent lights and task
lights provides plenty of illumination. Electrical outlets every 4'
give Dave the flexibility to roll mobile lights into virtually any
position. To minimize noise transmission to the outside, the shop
has just two windows on the short side away from the neighbors,
but a pair of 24' skylights provides supplemental lighting.
Although Dave has no formal woodworking training, he
traces his interest in woodworking to his childhood in South
Florida. At the age of five he was given a hatchet and promptly
attacked some of the smaller oak trees in the woods behind our
house, Dave recalls. But he cites his interest in aviation (he got
is pilots license in high school) and his ability to tear things
apart in my mind as fundamental to the development of his
woodworking skills.
Im technically oriented, Dave explains, and I have an
inquisitive nature. I am able to pick up a book or manual and
extract what I need. My approach has been to read and study.
Thats how I progressed.
With his accumulated knowledge, Dave was able to build his
own shop and make several furniture pieces for their home. In
addition, he has a special fondness for ornamental turning (see
page 48). African blackwood is his species of choice, but he
DAVE BUILT THIS 2-HP

CYCLONE SEPARATOR
and dust collector for

$40 from a magazine
plan he modified. A
4" hose runs above
the ceiling to allow
clearance for the
garage door. The
blower is behind the
bag inside the box
to reduce noise, and
air is dual filtered
before it returns to
the shop. Solids fall in
the castor-mounted
can; dust particles
settle inside the bag.
My conventional dust
collector was very noisy, and working with the bag was
a pain, says Dave. I can go for years without emptying
this bag.
often uses European boxwood because it accepts details so well.

The heart of Daves shop is his table saw, which features
several modifications. I discovered years ago with the pick-up at
the bottom of the cabinet and all of the action going on above,
efficiency was minimal, he says. Daves answer was an overhead
pick-up system and guard combination. A square steel welded
arm supports the 4" dust-collection hose. The overhead guard is
spring loaded and can be raised and lowered with a handle. To
make the folding outfeed table, see Figure 1 on page 46.
the master BeNch

AFTER 20 YEARS ON HIS MENTAL DRAWING BOARD, Dave
built this master workbench in 2000. For the first time in his
woodworking life, he has a bench that is the perfect height for
him. The base is solid walnut with 8/4 frame and panel construction
with mortise-and-tenon joinery. The top is laminated maple. The front
includes six drawers on ball-bearing drawer slides. Dave lowered the
opposite side top rail down by its own width, allowing for a full-width
(57") drawer directly beneath
the benchtop. Ive got straightedges,
dowels, and bench accessories in there. But
best of all, the 600-plus-pound bench is mobile.
DAVE DESIGNED A RETRACTABLE CASTER SYSTEM (similar to a
landing gearhis background is in aviation, remember) that lets

him to crank up each end and move the bench to suit his needs). I spent weeks
scratching my head trying to figure out the mechanism, The final design included 5"
ball-bearing casters, veneer screws, stretchers, bracers, and nylon blocks. The bench
will clear the floor by 1". Stopblocks assure that the casters are level.
44
woodcraft magazine
Aug/Sept 2008
The Floor Plan

Because local setback requirements
prevented Dave from building the larger shop
he wanted, lumber storage, tool and bench
mobility, and access points dominated his
design plan.
A drop-down stairway lines up perfectly
with the standard-size entry door. When
its time to load up on lumber, Dave simply
rolls the table saw out of the way and has a
straight shot up the stairs. Dave arranged his

workflow to move along one long side of his
shop. His jointer, planer, and surface sander
are all on casters, allowing him to move or
position them as needed, depending on
the task at hand. The wood lathe is the only
immobile large machine, but it is positioned
close to a bench and cabinets housing
turning equipment and supplies. The result is
Sheet goods are

always hard to store
and manage. This
rack makes it easy to
see just what I have,
and work with it.
a small area in the shop that is fully dedicated

to woodturning.
Despite the relatively small size of his
shop, Dave insists on having adequate space
to work on a project. With three benches
to choose from and every item except for
the wood lathe on casters, Dave can easily
approach a workpiece from any side with
elbow room to spare.
Vertical mill
Sharpener
After 20 years, I built my

master benchto fit me.
Its my pride and joy!
CNC
machine
10 years ago, I decided

to dedicate one area of
my shop to metal working.
It has a vertical milling
machine and metal lathe,
plus theres a wire-feed
welder and gas welding
gear stored in the garage.
Metal
lathe
Scrollsaw
Sheet goods
rack
Because of the 9'

ceilings, I was able to
attach some heavy-duty
lumber racks along one
side. It makes for easy
storage of some of my
extra long stock.
Drill
press
Toolbox
Like many of my other

tools, Ive modified my
ornamental lathe to
make it work smarter.
Ornamental
lathe
Master
bench
Bandsaws
Desk
Table
saw
Disc sander
Mini lathe
I swear by my Powermatic
Model 66 table saw. I have
demonstrated balancing a
penny on edge with the saw
running several times.
Adjustable
outfeed
rollers
Lathe
Belt
sander
The 10' roll-up door
with access to my
driveway makes it easy
to unload equipment.
Drum
sander
Grinder
Planer
Jointer
Dust
collector
www.woodcrAftMAgAzine.coM
woodcraft magazine
45
americas top shops

Cut plugs with
13/4" diameter
hole saw
PVC
11/2"x16"
1/4x17"
threaded rod
1/4" washer
3/4x23/8x141/2"
Leg support
3/4x23/8x6"
*34"
23/8"
93/4"
Slot for
Stock mounted
miter gauge
to table saw
(trim to match
saws width)
1/2"
3/8" flathead
machine screw
1/4" notch so rollers fit
flush with top of saw.
3/8x21/4"
1/4" hole
1/2" deep
carriage bolt
16"
*Frame length must be equal to

or less than floor-to-table distance.
3/8"x16"
12"
3/8x21/4"
carriage bolt
knob
Leg
Install and level table

before drilling pivot hole
Fig. 1
3/4x23/8x25"
Adjustable outfeed rollers:
To make outfeed rollers like Daves, see

Figure 1. The rollers are made from
1" PVC pipe. He cut plugs from "
stock and drilled " holes for axles.
Then Dave used a disk sander on each
blank, sanding just enough of a taper
so it would fit inside the pipe. The
frame is oak; the rollers are 16" long.
With a 35"-high table top, Dave made
each section 34" long, allowing for an
inch of floor clearance.
16"
3/4x23/8x5"
Threaded insert
or T-nut
Use hot-melt
glue to tack
wood pad to bolt
71/2"
1"
3/4x1"
Hold down 11/4x13/8x7"

1/4x31/2"
carriage bolt
T-knob
1/2"
1"
5/8x1/4"
deep
recess for
bolt head
1/4x51/2"
slot
carriage bolt
11/2"
1/4x51/2"
slot
5/8x1/8"
deep
recess
for bolt head
Fig. 2
Stop
3/4"
1/4x1"
groove
1/4x31/2"
1/4x4"
notch
3/4"
12"
3"
Attach runner then

trim base to width
to establish cut line.
11/4"
13/8"
1/4x12"
grooves
2"
3/4"
51/2"
slot
Wing nut
Washer
Fence
2x2x30"
7"
5/8"
1/4x51/2"
1/2x2x21/4"
2"
21/4"
3"
Runner
1/2x3/4x34"
Base
3/4x71/2x34"
carriage bolt
Safer taper jig: Commercial tapering jigs just didnt cut it, so Dave designed his own. The premise is that by having
it captured in the miter slot with a lockable fence, you can lock a piece on top. Its much safer to use, Dave explains. A sled
that fits in the miter slot keeps the jig parallel to the blade. An adjustable fence on top is slotted front and back, and Dave
can lock it down with wing nuts. To make one like it, see Figure 2.
Filename: #24 WC Outfeed table

R LeMoine
Copyright 2010 by Woodcraft
Supply, LLC. All rights reserved.
6-14
Aug/Sept 2008
Sheet goods rack: Dave stores his sheet goods in a special rack just outside the shops
main entry door. (See Figure 3 for dimensions.) With his 9'ceiling, he has enough clearance
to tip the 8' sheet on edge when sliding it into or out of the rack.
80The base is made of 24s
covered with sheet metal. That makes it slick, so the sheets will slide right over it, Dave says.
36"
The 26 ceiling frame is attached to studs in the ceiling. Cleats divide
24"
the area into several bays set at an angle.
o
12"
o
80
24"
48"
36"
Secure top frame to studs
with 1/4x31/2" lag screws
24"
12"
24"
48"
51/2"
Secure top frame to studs
with 1/4x31/2" lag screws
#8 x 3" flathead
wood screw
1
5 /2"
Attach scrap plywood
to corral 8' tall and
shorter sheets.
3/4x71/2x30"
Divider cleats
(2x4")
#8 x 3" flathead
wood 38x49"
screw
sheet metal
Plywood scooter:
To ease the transfer of

sheet goods from storage
to the shop, Dave
designed the plywood
scooter in Figure 4. The
base is an 18"-long piece
of scrap with a notch cut
into it. Skateboard wheel
assemblies are mounted
underneath.
3/8"
3/4x3/4x16"
angle iron
21/2"
3/8"
5/16" nut
5/16" washers
3/4x71/2x30"
#8 x 3/4" flathead
wood screw
5/16x2" bolt
1"
38x49"
sheet metal
3/4x36x48"
plywood base
Fold sheet metal over

front lip
2x4"
36"
3/4x36x48"
plywood base
48"
16"
5/16x4"
lag bolt
7/16x31/4"
diameter
ring magnet
48"
36"
Glue magnet
to cup washer
7/16"
3/4x10"
spring steel
Drill or turn recess

so magnet is flush
with bottom
61/2"
13/4"
Can adjust kerf

to fit wood or
acrylic strip 13/4"
Roller skate
wheel
Fig. 4
clamp rack
Fold sheet
Divider
cleatsmetal over
(2x4")front lip Notch plywood
to fit clamps
16"
18"
11/4"
Fig. 3
Attach scrap plywood

to corral 8' tall and
shorter sheets.
2x4"
21/2"
clamp rack
Notch plywood
to fit clamps
43/4"
2"
3/ 4 "
Drill handle
to fit bolt
File handle
Magnetic featherboard:
Filename: #24 WC ply rack

Fig. 5
R LeMoine
Using a magnet salvaged from an old stereo speaker,
5-27-08
Dave designed the featherboard shown in Figure 5. He
used a piece of scrap for the base and attached a file
handle on the top.
woodcraft
Filename: #24 WC p
R LeMoine
5-27-08
m a g a z i n e 47
DAVE PURPOSELY DESIGNED THE ATTIC AREA over the

shop so he could keep store lumber out of the way but
close by. A " plywood cover (seen on the left in the
photo) covers the opening when Dave is working. Its
recessed so its level with the floor, says Dave. When
Im restacking or working intently, it gives me a solid
floor to work on, and its a safety device. Each side
has a sidewall with holes in the bottom. An exhaust fan
draws warm air across new lumber, through the holes,
and out the vent. I can take lumber off a freshly cut log
in summer and take it down to 10% moisture content in
about 10 weeks, says Dave.
Dave Arnold - Applying His Talents to Turning
ith ornamental turning one of his primary

pursuits, his modified ornamental lathe
is an essential piece of equipment. A year passed
between the time Dave ordered it and when it arrived
at his shop in 2001. And as hes done with many of
his shop tools, Dave made modifications (five, to be
exact) to this one. A member of Ornamental Turners
International (OTI), Dave was invited to make a presentation featuring his modifications at the organizations 2006 convention in Maine.
HERE ARE THREE EXAMPLES OF DAVES ORNAMENTAL TURNING DESIGNS. From left: Five
Balls within a Ball is made of European boxwood. Standing 21" tall, the design
includes a captured ring on the stand. The ball was done on a standard lathe; the stand
on an ornamental lathe. No finish was applied.
It took three months of consistent effort and
improvisation to complete it, Dave says. His
Decorative Bowl is made of holly with a makore
base and an African blackwood ring. The bowl
measures 8" in diameter. The Lidded Box measures
15" tall. The egg, which opens, is 3" in diameter and
made of spalted tamarin, an Asian species. The finial, stem,
and fluted ball are makore.

got a top woodworking shop lled with ideas for smarter
woodworking? You could be featured in Woodcraft Magazine
and earn a $200 Woodcraft gift card. Send a short
writeup, photos and/or sketches, and rough oor plan to:
48
Jim Harrold - Editor-in-Chief, Woodcraft Magazine

P.O. Box 7020
woodcraft magazine
Aug/Sept 2008
Better Than New
From salvage to savings
Like the tools he rescues from the scrap heap, the period pieces Glen Jewell
makes for his 168-year-old West Virginia home are better than new.
len Jewell runs a rehab center,

of sorts, but its not for people.
This barn on a three-acre
wooded lot just a mile from downtown
Charleston,West Virginia, is where
rundown or disabled tools
get reborn.
40
Glen, 72, has a passion for furniture

making, particularly period pieces
that reflect the era of the log home he
shares with his wife, Carol. His second
floor workshop occupies a barn Glen
built in a style that complements their
house. Beyond that, he has a passion
for refurbishing old woodworking
machines. Of the 19 major tools in his
shop, only two (an oscillating spindle
sander and a planer) were purchased
new. The others he restored to as good
as or better than new after acquiring
them from the states surplus property
agency, the county school system,
or going-out-of-business auctions.
I sometimes feel like a missionary,
Glen explains. I go out looking for
lost souls, make them whole, set them
on the straight and narrow, and then
send them out to be productive in their

world. I have never had a piece become
a backslider.
It started 30 years ago when Glen
bought two Delta 12" turret-arm saws
for $50. He invested $250 in parts,
restored both saws, and later sold
woodcraft magazine
Oct/NOv 2008
americas top shops

each for $600. The process has been
repeated many times to include at
least seven lathes, eight bandsaws,
five table saws, numerous belt/disc
sanders, drill presses, and other tools.
Glen has calculated that he has about
$10,000 invested in his current tools,
but that new replacements would cost
nearly $57,000.
The Jewells bought their needs

work log home 30 years ago (Glen saw
only the problems; Carol, the potential,
Glen admits). In the 5'9"h10'w15'l
stone cellar under the house Glen set
up shop. Because of its limited size and
the need to move the table saw just to
rip a board longer than 4', Glen vowed
that when he retired he would build a
shop large enough to eliminate all of
the moving and all of the unplugging
and plugging in of cords.
the WorKshop
If youre planning on building
a shop, study what other
people have done. Think
about how they operate and
about your long-term plans
for woodworking. That will tell
you what size to build it.
That day finally came. Glen

retired from Bell Atlantic telephone
17 years ago and set about building
the barn beside the house. The
first floor has space for two cars
and Glens waterfowl-hunting
boat, plus a half bath; the second
floor contains his 2432' shop.
With benches and wall-mounted
cabinets at both ends, and machines
permanently set along the long sides
and in the middle, Glen has plenty
of room to maneuver long boards
and sheet goods without moving
or unplugging anything (see the
floor plan on page 43). There is
one minor exception, Glen confesses.
I have a bandsaw on a mobile base
PHotoS: K.d. Lett
GLENS 12" VARIABLE-SPEED LATHE DOMINATES one side of
the shop. It is flanked by a router-based mortiser/tenoner

and shaper, and a Uniplane, over-arm router, and sander.
Glen refers to this lathe (his seventh) as his felon lathe
because it spent 20 years in the WV State Penitentiary.
at a glance
Size: 2432' barn loft.
Construction: Stick-built barn with

shop over garage. 3" insulation in 8'
walls; 6" insulation in the ceiling. Floor
is unfinished tongue-and-groove yellow
pine. Exterior is stained board-and-batten
cedar. Roof is red tin.
Heating and cooling: Ceiling-mounted
80,000 btu forced-air gas furnace; 1-ton
air conditioner.
Lighting: Twenty-eight 4'-long twin-bulb
fluorescents; halogen task lights over
the workbench, flexible-arm fixtures at
bandsaws; one mobile incandescent
lamp.
Electrical: 200-amp main box with six
110-volt circuits and six 220-volt circuits.
Ten 20-amp three-phase outlets.
Dust collection: Five-inch trunk line
between the shop floor and garage
ceiling. Four-inch Y branches to individual
machines, except for the planer, joiner,
and table saw, where the runs are 2'. A
1-hp blower removes dust from the
work area into a compost pile outside.
Two Jet air-filtration systems cleanse the
shop air.
Air compressor: 1-hp, 20-gallon
compressor on the ground floor garage.
Air is piped to both ends of the garage
and shop.
that I move in order to use my overarm router, which is not very often.
As a period furniture maker and tool
A COLLECTION OF VINTAGE HAND TOOLS, including Glens

grandfathers handmade tenon marking gauge, is
displayed on this end wall, above his mechanical/electrical
workbench. The wall cabinet has eight small parts cabinets
that contain 176 drawers.
www.wOOdcraftMagaziNe.cOM
woodcraft magazine
41
restorer, Glen is self-taught on both counts. But

there was a different motivation for eachmaking
furniture was a necessity; restoring tools, a mission.
I didnt get into it because I had to. I always knew it
was a good piece of equipment. I just didnt want to
see it die on the scrap heap, Glen explains.
When your goal is to furnish a 168-year-old
home with period pieces, you have two choices:
buy them or make them.You can look a long time
before you find a piece that fits or you can afford, so
at first I made the pieces we needed, he says.
With no formal training in either tool
reconditioning or woodworking, Glen relied on
knowledge he acquired on the job and his ability to
retain what he read. I got the training I needed so
I could absorb a lot of information about electro/
mechanical switching machines, says Glen, who was
director of engineering when he retired. I had the
acumen to understand everything they were telling
me, and I could comprehend the technical journals.
Armed with a knowledge of how machinery
worked, the hardest part after acquiring a tool was
tracking down an operating manual or finding
replacement partsthat and getting some of the
pieces up the stairs and into the shop. In one case
the frame of a bandsaw was so heavy, Glen had
to secure an eyebolt to the wall at the top of the
stairs. Then with the help of a come-along and two
friends, they winched it up the stairs and muscled it
across the floor.
So what takes more of Glens time now: tool
restoration or furniture building? Restorations
dont take my time anymore so it is definitely
studying or making period furniture, Glen says.
He also maintains an extensive library on period
furniture and its construction and attends the
annual Colonial Williamsburg Forum: Working
Wood in the 18th Century.
THIS ANGLE GRINDER IS GLENS

PRINCIPAL TOOL when its time to
clean up a new find.
42
ForaGiNG For LoW-cost tooLs

THERE ARE PLENTY OF TOOLS
OUT THERE THAT NEED TLC;
you just need to know where

to look. And the competition
isnt that intense either,
especially now that Glen has
decided hes restored his
last tool. I stopped about
two years ago, but I still
have to keep reminding
myself to pass them up,
he says. If youre interested
in searching for and
reconditioning tools or
buying used tools, Glen
offers these tips:
searchiNG
For tooLs
to restore:
Check out your states surplus
equipment Web site.
Investigate equipment sales from
your local school district.
Search free publications and
newspapers containing classified
ads for tool bargains or going out
of business sales.
Habitat for Humanity may
operate a Re-Store in your area.
Visit the U.S. Governments
surplus equipment Web site at
www.gsaauctions.gov.
BUYiNG UseD tooLs:

Decide in advance the
extent of restoration you
intend. Are you simply going
to put a blade in a worn-out
piece of equipment and put
it to work? Are you going to
make it mechanically sound
but accept its cosmetic
weaknesses? Or are you
going to make it as good
as or better than new?
Then
1. Decide in advance
what the tool is worth
to you. If bidding at
an auction, dont get
caught up in a bidding war.
2. Be patient. If you cant get a tool now at
the price you want, chances are youll come across one later
at a better price.
woodcraft magazine
Oct/NOv 2008
The Floor Plan

Unlike many woodworkers who swear by
their array of mobile tools, Glen designed his
shop for precisely the opposite reasonso
that he wouldnt have to move anything. All
major tools but one bandsaw stay put, for two
reasons. His machines are older and therefore
heavier than many made today, vibration is
reduced, and Glen got his fill of mobile tools
in his first workshop, which was a stone cellar
under the house. If I wanted to plane a long
board, I had to drag the planer out the door.
If I needed to rip a long board, I had to drag
my table saw out the door. I vowed that when

I retired I would build my shop big enough
to have a permanent place for each piece of
equipment, he explains. Now most machines
are positioned around the perimeter in pods
according to functionsanding, scrolling,
shaping, etc. His workbench (a conference
table cut down to 38') is against one wall.
Hand tools store in a cabinet above the bench;
below, movable horizontal dividers between
vertical supports provide 15 cubbyholes to
store portable power tools and jigs. Rough
lumber is stored on the first floor with cutoffs,

trim molding, and sheet goods easily carried
up a 4'-wide stairway to the second floor.
Multiple fluorescent lights combined with four
six-light barn sash windows and task lighting
provide plenty of illumination.
Glens dust collection, though unusual,
is effective and, because there are no bags
or buckets, space efficient. Dust is sucked
through trunk and branch lines, then blown
out a first floor window where it lands in the
compost pile.
Hand-tool cabinet
Oscillating
spindle
sander
Desk/computer
station
8' workbench
I feel like theres

nothing I cant
do in my shop.
15" drill press
Belt/disc sander
Drum/ap
sander
7' assembly table

w/ four vises
Sheet
goods
storage
Router-based
mortise/
tenoner
Vibration is the
enemy of good joinery.
The weight of an old
tool keeps vibration to
a minimum.
Table saw
extension/
router table
20" bandsaw
2hp shaper with
4-speed stock
feeder
Radial-arm saw
10" tilting arbor

table saw
Outfeed
table
Rubber mats here and

there provide some
comfort, but its the wood
floor that makes the real
difference.
Grinder/buffer
12"
lathe
Sharpening
station
6" rotary
plane
8" joiner
Overarmrouter/shaper
Lumber
storage
14" bandsaw
13" planer
Hollow
chisel
mortiser
26"-wide belt
variable speed
sander
Metal/wood
bandsaw
Carving
bench
26"
Scrollsaw
It has worked
okay for me,
but I don't
recommend
a shop on the
second floor.
6' workbench
small parts cabinets
www.wOOdcraftMagaziNe.cOM
woodcraft magazine
43
americas top shops
1
Simple saw rack: This 10slot saw rack allows Glen to store
handsaws in a convenient location
yet still protect the blades. A hole
is drilled at a 22 angle into each
section of block so it intersects the
adjacent slot. Then a small rubber
ball is inserted into the hole. When a
saw is placed in the slot, its weight
pulls the ball down and wedges the
saw into the slot.
Fig. 1
2
Outrigger roller: Because a drill-press table is not very large, a
long piece of wood can shift or get out of level. To solve the problem
Glen secured a small-diameter roller to a piece of scrap, and then
clamped the scrap in a nearby vise to provide outfeed support.
Fig. 2
Oct/Nov 2008
Hands-free kill switch: Most of the time, a woodworker needs both

hands when operating a table saw. Releasing one hand to find a kill switch can
be inconvenient and risky. Glen fashioned this H-shaped device so that the kill
switch can be activated with nothing more than a glancing blow from a knee or
hand. He attached a rubber bumper to the back of the vertical piece so it lines
up with the standard OFF switch. All I have to do is hit that board anywhere
and it shuts the saw off, a real safety feature, Glen says.
Fig. 3
Pattern reproduction fence: With this jig, Glen

can make exact duplicates of a pattern for a candlestick
table. When cutting away small pieces, they sometimes
wedge between the saw and fence causing a rough edge
or worsea bent blade. This design allows Glen to simply
flick the piece out of the way before any damage can occur.
The fence is made of poplar, and its covered with an orange
shellac to keep it from warping.
Fig. 4
w w w . W oo d c r a f t M a g a z i n e . c om
At home with craftsman Glen Jewell
aised on a hardscrabble hillside farm in West Virginia,

Glen learned early on what it was going to take to make
it in the worldindustry, ingenuity, and determination. After finishing high school, Glen packed up those traits and took them
to college, got a degree in business management, and began
a 32-year-career with Bell Atlantic Telephone Company supervising various organizations. Glen employs those same traits
as a woodworker. His passion for woodworking started 30
years ago when he and his wife, Carol, bought their 1840/1910
log home and immediately set about restoring it. Because
one exterior wall of the original log cabin became an interior
wall after the 1910 log home was built over it, the first tool he
used when embarking on a second-floor remodeling project
was a chainsaw. From there, Glen refined his skills and began
making style-appropriate furniture for the home. Today, Glen
and Carol are avid antique collectors, and he is active in the
Valley Woodworkers of West Virgina, Inc., and the Society of
American Period Furniture Makers.
THE ORIGINAL PART OF GLENS HOME WAS BUILT IN 1840,
so many of the pieces he makes are designed to be

period specific. Here he shows off a Queen Anne
spice box. To Glens left is a William and Mary spice
box. Both are made of walnut. In the background is a
Federal style corner table.
THIS WALNUT CANDLESTICK

TABLE is fashioned in the
Dunlap style. (Well show how
Glen built it in an upcoming
issue of the magazine.) Glens
interpretation includes a
border of holly inlay and 120
fans in each of the six corners.
GLEN BUILT THIS CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, BIBLE BOX
from the dimensions on a postcard he received from a friend.

The line-and-berry decorative motif was widely used early in
that areas history. The top includes intricate compass work,
reflecting the areas Germanic influence.

46

P.O. Box 7020
woodcraft magazine
Oct/NOv 2008
Grasping at Saws
The everything-in-easy-reach workshop
Storage areas and workstations operating

in tandem make Bill Sands shop ow as
smoothly as a hand plane on soft maple.
he key to building and outfitting

a well-organized, functional
workshop is planning and
patience. Just ask Bill Sands. After 10
years of planning and four years of
outfitting, his Parkersburg, West Virginia,
shop is on the verge of completion. I
have one more lathe cabinet to build,
says Bill, a 65-year-old retired research
technician. The shop has evolved to
the point where I have what I like.
That means an abundance of cabinets
and drawerssome fixed and some
mobilethat provide Bill with readyaccess to hand tools and accessories
whether hes at the workbench, sanding
station, or table saw.
Bill began his shop design 10 years
ago when he retired and got serious
42
about woodworking.Back then he had a

garage shop and his arsenal of tools was
limited to a radial-arm saw and some
hand tools. He acquired more tools and
set about planning his future shop. I
had a good idea where I was headed
before the footings were dug, explains
Bill. The key is thinking about it, the
kind of woodworking you do, and how
you want the shop to work from one
end to the other. The starting place:
make a plan.
That plan became Bills dedicated
30x40' outbuilding shop with high
ceilings, plenty of wall-hung and base
cabinet storage in close proximity
to the workstations they serve, and
sufficient passageways that provide
Bill with easy movement around the
shop. Its been four years since the shop

shell went up and his wife, Bonnie,
put her car back in the garage. But
because Bill built all of the storage areas
himself, installed ductwork for the dust
collector, and performed myriad other
tasks to outfit the space, making it truly
functional has been a work in progress.
It was one of those pile it all in this
corner and work in that corner type of
thing, says Bill. As I progressed, things
got picked up and put away.
Central to the shop is Bills 4284"
multipurpose assembly table (above).
Bill topped two small workbench
bases with a torsion box, a gridwork
of closely spaced ribs sandwiched
betwen 3/4" MDF panels, to create a
strong rigid assembly table. The box is
woodcraft magazine
Dec 2008/Jan 2009
the WorKshop
americas top shops

banded with white oak and topped with
a replaceable hardboard work surface.
Both bases were bolted to the floor for
extra stability. Eight drawers on the
near end provide plenty of storage for
marking, measuring, and miscellaneous
tools; eight drawers on the opposite
end (close to the lathe) house lathe
accessories. Not only is the assembly
table one of Bills favorite spots because
of its utility when working on a project,
but it (along with his high-back office
chair) serves as the social hub of the
shop. A lot of mental woodworking
gets done there, says Bill. Its the
equivalent of the old pot-bellied stove
at the general store. I think every shop
should have one.
In a spacious cluster behind the
assembly station (see floor plan on
page 45) are the table saw, jointer, and
planer. Instead of the more common
router insert, Bill outfitted the table
saw with a downdraft sanding table as-
shown. Positioned between the table

saw rails, it provides a solid work
surface without interfering with the
saw fence. It is plumbed into the
Oneida dust collector and collects
dust generated by both power or
manual sanders.
To me, good woodworking
is similar to good cooking.
The best ingredients are
required, and adequate
equipment is necessary. But
both are better when they
come from the heart.
at a glance
size: 30 x 40' with 10' ceiling.
construction: Concrete block with 5"thick reinforced-concrete oor. Fiberglass

insulation, 26 studs, OSB sheeting
under asphalt shingles. Vinyl siding
matches the house.
heating and cooling: Natural gas forcedair furnace with 2-ton air conditioner.
lighting: Eighteen 8' uorescent lights
placed in six rows; each row is switched
separately. Task lighting throughout.
electrical: 100-amp distribution panel
fed by 220-volt single phase from house.
20-amp 110-volt outlets in the ceiling and
every 6' along the walls. Ceiling-mounted
110-volt cord reels and 20-amp, 220-volt
outlets in the ceiling and every 8' along
the walls, with one 30-amp, 220-volt
ceiling drop. Two 220/110-volt outlets in
the oor.
dust collection: Oneida 3-hp super Dust
Gorilla ducted with 4" PVC. Three JDS airfiltration systems hang from the ceiling.
Wall and base cabinets behind

and below each of the major
stationary tools store the necessary
accessories. In addition, Bill installed
air compressor: Porter-Cable 60-gallon

vertical twin cylinder. Air is plumbed
throughout the shop through " copper.
Four 30' hose reels are ceiling mounted.
PHotoS: cHad mccLing
dedicated cabinet storage
takes up about 50 running feet

of wall space as shown above,
while dust-collection drops to
stationary tools haul chips and
sawdust to Bills 3-hp Oneida
cyclone dust collector. At right,
rows of open cubbies provide
homes for an impressive lineup
of portable power tools.
woodcraft magazine
43
bills 44' mobile sanding station, with eight storage
drawers on one side and a cabinet on the opposite side, is

equipped with a 4" dust-collection drop and flexible hose.
a fold-out panel clamping jig attached to the wall between the

jointer and planer. I like to build end-grain cutting boards,
explains Bill. Gluing up panels for these and other glue-ups
is easier with a dedicated panel clamping jig.
Several other dedicated workstations with abundant storage
occupy positions at the west end of the shop. Some countertops
are covered with rubber mats to provide traction and protect
workpieces. Cabinets and cubbies above store hand tools as
shown, a various assortment of fasteners, portable power tools,
and Bills collection of hand planes with a mitersaw station
positioned on the countertop. Bill has two mitersaws here
one for fine and one for rough cuts.
Also nearby is the sanding station shown. Most of Bills
sanding and buffing machines are attached to a 44" table,
also equipped with drawers and cabinets for storage. Although
most of Bills power tools are stationary, the sanding station
sits on casters, offering easy mobility. A 4" dust-collection drop
and flex hose make dust collection a snap.
To make the best use of wall space, Bill opted for a
windowless shop, but multiple rows of fluorescent lights and
articulated lights throughout provide sufficient general and
task lighting. Ceiling-, wall-, and floor-mounted electrical
outlets provide power where Bill needs it but keep cord
clutter to a minimum. With a 10' ceiling throughout, the
lights, dust-collection ducts, air-hose reels, and air filtrators
are out of harms way when Bill moves full-size sheet goods or
10' boards into the shop.
In addition to building all of the cabinets and drawers
for the shop, Bill applies his woodworking skills to building
tambour door bread boxes, cutting boards, and keepsake
boxes for storing personal treasures. His wood species of
choice include canary wood, bloodwood, and cocobolo. I
A 3-hp OnEIda dust collector occupies one corner of

the shop by his lumber storage. Four-inch ducts span
the ceiling and the shops perimeter, with eight separate
drops.
especially like canary wood for the color, grain patterns, the
way it mills, and the way it smells, says Bill. And while he
prefers oils and wax, shellac is his preferred finish for bread
boxes; mineral oil for cutting boards.
Although Bill was exposed to woodworking as a youngster,
life got in the waythings like careers and raising a family.
Bill and his wife, Bonnie, were also active in a motorcycle
club, a pursuit that involved spending considerable time on
the road. So it wasnt until he retired that Bill moved beyond
the basics of household repairs and turned to woodworking.
In the 10 years since I have read everything I could get
my hands on, says Bill. He also spent three days a week
overseeing the local woodworkers club shop, absorbing tips
and techniques he picks up from other woodworkers.
Bills mobile
scrap cart
includes a woven
wire bottom
so debris falls
through to the
floor and can be
swept up. The
five-section sheet
goods rack is just
inside the rollup door, making
transfer of large
sheets from
trailer to storage
an easy task.
Dec 2008/Jan 2009
The Floor Plan

Lessons Bill learned while working in a
cramped garage shop served him well when
planning his new shop in a freestanding
building behind his house. And even after the
shell was finished in 2004, his plan continued
to evolve. I strove to arrange everything
for the most efficient use of the finite space
available, Bill explains. I vowed to avoid
cluttering up the shop with things that
dont earn their keep. A simple method
for stocking the shop with sheet goods and
rough stock sets the tone. He simply backs
the trailer up to the 710' roll-up garage door,
giving him easy access to the five-bin sheet
goods rack on one side and the wall-mounted
A well organized
shop challenges me
to improve my skills
and produce quality
in everything I build.
lumber rack on the other. Ten-foot ceilings

allow him to move materials into storage or
to a workstation without interference from the
overhead lights and ductwork.
In his old shop, Bill got tired of moving
machines every time he wanted to work on a
long board or set up a different workstation.
Now, all of his major tools are stationary and
are arranged in an efficient layout for the
basic milling operations of jointing, planing,
and sawing.
Knowing that space would be at a
premium, Bill designed the shop with no
windows to take advantage of as much wall
area as possible. Dedicated wall-mounted
Power tool cubby
cabinets are positioned next to the machines

they serve, such as table saw accessories in
the saw cabinet, the hand saw cabinet near
the workbench, and sharpening stones and
supplies near the sink and bench grinder.
Shop amenities include central heating
and air-conditioning, on-demand hot water,
a well-stocked mini frig, satellite radio, and
a high-back, comfortable desk chair when
its time to turn off the machines, grab a
beverage, and sit around the assembly table
with Bonnie and friends. Sometimes with
Bonnie and sometimes with friends we solve
most of the worlds problems here, Bill says
with a smile.
Planes cabinet
Sharpening area
Sink
Mitersaw station
Wall-mounted
tool storage
Workbench
Screws, nails,
etc. cabinet
Sanding station
Heating/cooling
Air
compressor
Finishing/spray
cabinet
Grinder
Router
tables
Scrollsaw
Tool cabinet
Angle
drill press
Planer
I work to keep
my assembly
table uncluttered.
It makes it a
great place for
problem solving.
Assembly table
Shaper
Clamping station
Jig rack
Table saw
accessories
cabinet
If I had it to do over again,

Id put the dust collection
and air compressor outside
to reduce the noise.
14" Bandsaw
Table saw
Jointer
Oscillating
belt sander
Large drum
sander
Downdraft
table
I wanted to be able
to walk around the
shop and not have to
turn sideways to get
past a machine.
Drill press
station
Lathe
Lathe tool
rack
Resaw bandsaw
Dust collection
Portable
scrap
storage
Grinder
Lumber storage
Sheet goods
rack
americas top shops

Quick-and-easy tote box: Bill designed this tote
box for a class he teaches on joinery. A single plastic tray can

be filled with fasteners or other supplies and slides into an
opening in the boxs base. This nearby wall cabinet contains
24 plastic boxes where Bill stores fasteners and small
accessories. A hemostat and a magnetic wand are stored
inside the doors to make it easier to retrieve items from the
small bins inside the boxes.
Fig. 1
Circle-sanding jig: This disc sander circle-sanding jig

is easily constructed from plywood. By adjusting the knob,
Bill can change the diameter of the circle he is sanding. He
uses it primarily for sanding circular parts he uses to make
wooden toys and puzzles for kids.
Fig. 2
Dec 2008/Jan 2009
3
Fig. 4
Two-handed jointer pushpad: For added

pressure and stability when face-jointing long stock, Bill
designed this two-handed jointer pushpad.
Fig. 3
Dovetail jig workbench:

Bill designed the base that supports
the 24" Porter-Cable Omnijig. A
stork design adds texture and
interest to the cabinet doors and
the shop in general.
Bill Sands
lthough Bill spends a fair amount of time in his

new shop, there is life outside of woodworking.
He decided he was too old and brittle to rekindle his
interest in the motorcycle club. Instead, he and Bonnie
entertain friends, enjoy smoking/barbecuing on ceramic
cookers, and cooking with camp ovens (cast-iron Dutch
ovens over coals). In addition to teaching hand tool and
joinery classes at the local Woodcraft store, Bill instructs
the wood technology class at West Virginia UniversityParkersburg. I like to see the light come on as the students grasp the concept I am explaining or demonstrating, Bill says. The big smiles are great when they have
the opportunity to put their knowledge to work.
heres a sampling of items Bill has made when hes not building
cabinets for his shop:
Bills collection of hand planes allows him

to follow the old saying that real woodworkers make shavings, not sawdust.
clocK/business card
holder made from a knurly
piece of wood, sanded,

waxed, and buffed.
end-grain cutting board
made of walnut, canary wood,

and hard maple.
dodecahedron, a 12-sided polygon
filled with steel nuts, to be shaken for

stress relief.
tambour-door breadboX made of oak.

48

P.O. Box 7020
woodcraft magazine
Dec 2008/Jan 2009
americas top shops
Bright Ideas in a Basement Shop

.
Theres nothing dark and dreary about the workshop Mark Koritz built in the basement
of his surburban St. Louis, Missouri, home.
WORKING IN A LONG AND NARROW SHOP (above), Mark Koritz took advantage of the
obvious storage possibilitiesincluding the floor joists overheadto keep his shop
neat and orderly. Marks 30-year-old workbench (left) occupies a prime spot in the
center of the shop.
o say sunglasses are a

requirement for spending time
in Mark Koritzs workshop
would be a stretch, but a bright space
was a priority when Mark designed his
1555' shop.
Lighting is a key factor in a shop. I
had all the walls and the ceiling painted
white to reflect light and make the
ceiling seem higher, Mark explains.
The result is a long, narrow, glistening
shop. Several white-faced cabinets and
46
benches with white drawers provide

plenty of storage and reinforce the
clean, tidy look Mark wanted. For
a touch of color and comfort, red,
yellow, blue, and green rubber mats are
placed at key workstations.
Im a sort of a neat freak when
it comes to having a nice shop and
home, says Mark. That is not to say
I dont mind lots of sawdust on the
floor when I am doing some of my
free-form woodworking.
Sawdust on the floor is a rarity,

though, because of the four-bag, 3-hp
remote-controlled dust-collection
system. Six-inch PVC pipe attached to
the floor joists runs the entire length
of the shop. Branch lines between the
joists lead to various workstations.
Joints are sealed with rope caulk. The
system culminates in a small room at
one end of the shop. A 2"-thick foam
board attached to the rooms interior
wall dampens sound. Two 1525"
woodcraft magazine
feb/Mar 2009
the WorKshop
at a glance
Size: 1555' with a 1014' bump-out

for wood storage and a smaller 818'
shop for other projects; 8' ceiling
Construction: Poured concrete
basement
Heating and cooling: Forced-air gas
heat and air-conditioning from house
Lighting: Fluorescent lights arranged
in two sections, each illuminating a
separate area of the shop. Plastic
sleeves over the fluorescent lights in
the table saw area protect the lights
from any accidental bumps.
SIX-INCH PVC PIPE (seen in the upper left in the photo above) runs the entire
length of Marks 55' foot shop, sending dust to the dust collector housed in a
separate room. Additional ducts are hidden between floor joists. White walls
and a gray floor reflect light from two long rows of fluorescent fixtures.
reusable filters promote air exchange.

I hose them off about twice a year,
whether they need it or not, says Mark.
Within a 1014' bump-out near
the center of the shop Mark stores
his supply of sheet goods and rough
stock. Years ago he purchased a 16'-tall
cantilevered lumber rack at auction.
What he didnt understand at the time
was that the lumber was included in

the purchase price. Mark cut the rack
down to fit the 8' ceiling, and he built
several additional racks, each designed
to hold various wood sizes. It cost me
more to move my shop with all of the
wood than it cost to move the furniture
in the house, Mark says.
The bump-out provides a secondary
Electrical: Two 2-plug, 110-volt

outlets; seven 4-plug, 110-volt
outlets; five-220 volt outlets
Dust collection: 3-hp 220-volt fourbag Oneida
Air compressor: 20-gal. Craftsman
benefitthe outfeed table for the table

saw juts into the area (see the floor
plan on page 49), providing support to
sheet goods and long boards. Storage
space is always at a premium, and Mark
solved that problem in several ways.
He acquired several white kitchen wall
cabinets and drawers from a friend.
He hung the wall cabinets and made
PHotoS: greee goLdman
A SANDING TABLE BUILT in a Woodcraft class

10 years ago still earns its keep. The fixture
features a grated top to collect sawdust, a
hacksaw blade for trimming sandpaper, and
a shelf for storing extra sanders. To build this
sanding-disc organizer, see the
illustration on page 51.
A 1014' BUMP-OUT provides handy but out-of-the-way storage for
Marks abundant wood supply. On the left in the photo is a rack

holding large-sized sheet goods. Next to that is a cantilevered rack
Mark purchased and cut down to fit his shop. Note how the 6" PVC
pipe reduces to 4" for more efficiency.
woodcraft magazine
47
Its neat to go down

to the shop on a
Saturday morning with
a cup of coffee and
just sit in my old desk
chair, listen to music,
and think about how I
am going to enjoy this
time in the shop.
A CART DESIGNED TO MOVE CAR ENGINES serves multiple purposes in Marks
workshop. It makes moving a large piece of cherry to the table saw easier, and in
the case of his radial drill press, if he needs a temporary surface larger than the
presss table, he just rolls the cart into place and, with a few quick pumps, raises
it to table height.
new base cabinets for the drawers.

Under the saws outfeed table are
several 5' lengths of 4"-diameter PVC
pipe that provide storage for dowels
and cutoffs. Plywood clamp racks
mounted between I-beam support
posts, and banks of wall-mounted
trays holding fasteners and other small
items contribute to a well organized
workshop where everything has its
place and can be found quickly.
Im just like everyone else, Mark

says. There is never enough room to
store stuff.
Opposite the lumber storage area
Mark built a 14'-long combination
worktable and cutoff table. The top
of the table overlaps the bottom to
facilitate clamping. The MDF top is
easily replaced if damaged. Above
the table is an 8' length of perforated
hardboard for hand tools. The hooks
and fixtures are hot-glued in place.

Small power tools are stored in the
drawers beneath the tables and in an
adjacent eight-drawer cabinet.
A 20-gallon air compressor provides
air to the workbench, saw table,
and assembly table, providing Mark
with plenty of supply lines for his
pneumatic tools. The compressor also
doubles as a convenient way to clean
equipment and surfaces.
CONTROLLING AIR FLOW through the dust collector duct to the chop saw is simple with a length of metal conduit with
one end hammered flat and bolted to the blast gate (above left). A plywood door on each side of the chop saw (above)
increases the dust collectors efficiency. Mark uses slip-pin hinges to keep the doors in place. If a door blocks the desired
saw angle, he removes the pins and the doors.
48
woodcraft magazine
feb/Mar 2009
The Floor Plan

3 hp
dust collector
Drill press
22" drum
sander
Grinder
Wood
storage
Cyclone
dust collector
Router table
Lathe
Outfeed
Outfeed
Marks 1555' basement shop is divided into

two sectionsthe dusty end and the clean end.
I tried to keep the tools that produce the most
dust at one end of the shop, Mark explains.
Included here: four sanders, a router table, and
a lathe. A table with down-draft dust collection
serves the random-orbit sander, spindle sander,
belt/disc sanding station, and the drum sander.
At opposite ends are a radial drill press and
standard drill press, both with dust collection,
along with a mortiser and a bandsaw dedicated
to resawing. At the shops center stand the
workbench, a variable speed bandsaw set up
for fine scroll cuts, and a sanding table. A jointer
and planer await action nearby.
A 1014' bump-out dictated the location of
the table saw. With the outfeed table protruding
into the bump-out, Mark has room to rip an 8'long piece of rough stock or a 48 sheet.
Because of the shops length, Mark has
adequate space between his tools, work
surfaces, and benches, so he rarely needs to
move any equipment.
A garage door that lines up with the interior
door leading to the basement makes it easy for
Mark to get his sheet goods and rough stock
down to the shop. Once there, rough stock is
placed on the cantilevered rack. Sheet goods
rest on a second rack Mark built. An open
cabinet also functions as a wood storage unit.
The way I am set up I really

dont have to move anything
around much except when
I need to run long pieces
through my shaper.
Sanding station
Work &
cutoff
table
Planer
Jointer
Spindle
sander
Mitersaw
station
Sanding
table
Bandsaw
Work &
cutoff
table
Sheet goods storage
Workbench
8-drawer
cabinet
My workbench is set up so
that it is a little over 8' from
the panel stora .
Sink &
storage
Outfeed
Wall-mounted
lumber racks
and lumber storage
Table saw
Clamps
Resaw
bandsaw
Bookshelves
Work table
Finding a place in the
shop for large drawing
pads was difficult, so I have
slide-out shelves under the
workbench for them.
Horizontal
drill press
I installed lighting on its own

circuits in two sectionsthe
front and back of the shop
to conserve energy and try to
be somewhat green.
Mortiser
Steps to first
floor home and
garage
Drill press
Microwave
americas top shops
Two-box clamp rack: Mark took advantage of the dead

space between the posts to store clamps. Here, C-clamps and
light-duty bar clamps are neatly organized in the rack while
spring clamps grip the I-beam resting above. On the opposite
side, a rack mounted on top of the posts holds longer paralleljaw bar clamps.
Fig. 1
Hardware storage rack: Finding the right screw

is simple with this screw storage rack. Mark can take
a single box off the rack or, if the job requires different
types of screws, he can take the whole rack. Boxes and
mounting rails are available at most home centers.
Fig. 2
Feb/Mar 2009
Joist-mounted spray can

organizer: Here is a simple way to
keep small items close but out of the way.
Made of scrap 14, rails across the back
keep items from falling off.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Sanding-disc organizer:
This rack is a simple way to solve the

woodworkers perpetual problem
convenient storage. The top and
base are made of " plywood; the
sides and shelves are " plywood.
Shelf supports are simple plywood
strips glued into place. I made it
lightweight so I could pick it up and
move it, says Mark. But I should put
a handle on top.
Fig. 4
Mark Koritz
ark splits his spare time among his shop, work, and other activities and
has no plans to retire. Currently Mark manages national programs for the
worlds largest floor-covering company. An accomplished carpenter long before
he was a woodworker, Mark spent the first years in his new shop replacing
doors and floors and cutting crown moldings and rosettes. The house was the
project, Mark says.
And while he occasionally helps his kids with home improvement
projects, Marks main interests have evolved into the more artistic elements
of woodworking, including entertainment units and a hutch for the house.
Clocks, trivets, candle and flower holders made of unique pieces of wood have
expanded his list of finished projects.
A self-described free thinker, Marks idea of a nice piece of wood is one
that is gnarly, knotty, or somewhat decayed. His lumber stash includes pieces
that his woodworking friends have rejected as ugly or unworkable.
Sometimes Ill look at a piece for a year or two before I can figure out what
to do with it, Mark explains. Sometimes it comes out great, and other times it
may be firewood, but most always it comes out pretty nice, so I am told.
Mark uses shellac as a seal coat before applying a Clear General Finish to
his projects. He does not stain or dye wood, preferring to work with a woods
natural color. His preferred species include walnut, maple, cocobolo, wenge,
purpleheart and yellowheart.
A SAMPLE OF SOME OF MARKS more delicate

work: a 468" walnut and maple box; a clock
mounted on a walnut box suspended on brass
rods between two posts; various-size flower
boxes made of spalted white oak.
END-GRAIN CUTTING BOARD
made
THIS MAPLE HUTCH is one of

Marks favorite creations. The
square part of the base is made
of veneered maple; the curved
part is solid maple. The top and handles
are cocobolo with a natural edge.

52

P.O. Box 7020
woodcraft magazine
feb/Mar 2009
americas top shops
A Woodturners Wonderland
Instant gratification seven decades in the making
By Robert J. Settich
With floor space at a premium, Russ created uncluttered pathways around

his tool-filled shop, reserving the middle for his major milling operations.
nstant gratication is how

J. R. Russ Blaser, 82, describes the
appeal of woodturning. Starting
with seasoned wood, the retired
manufacturing plant manager can
sometimes turn a rough blank into a
signed and nished work of art in a
single evening. But the path to todays
quick success actually spans seven
48
decades of woodworking. And at a key

point during Russs development as a
turner, a Woodcraft employee provided
help that transformed raw interest into
polished skills.
Russs rst major piece of shop
equipment was a radial-arm saw
purchased in the 1950s, shortly after
he married Jacquetta. We started with
nothing, Russ chuckles, not even

a pot. So he scrounged up secondhand furniture and used the saw and
an assortment of hand tools to mend
broken legs, busted drawers, and other
woodworking problems.
But Russ wasnt content to merely
x items that other people had broken.
He expanded his tool collection as
woodcraft magazine
a p r i l / M ay 2 0 0 9
the WorKshop
at a glance
Size: 17 39' plus 10 17' finishing

room; 7' 10" ceiling
Construction: Poured concrete
basement oor; 24 exterior walls
with fiberglass insulation; 24
partition walls.
gas forced-air furnace and airconditioning system shared with the
house above.
PHotoS: BiLL KrzYzanowSKi
Within a step or two from his lathe, Russ can put his hands on this collection
of most-used tools, accessories, and supplies. Small chucks and other
wood-holding systems also share this space, but his large vacuum chucks
hang on the wall just to the right of this cabinet.
resources permitted, and broadened

his skills. Russ eventually designed
and built a wide range of cabinets
and furniture, including tables, curio
cabinets, and accessories.
Throughout his business career
and well into retirement, Russ always
had a basement shop accessible only
by a ight of stairs inside the house.
But he nally convinced his wife that
they should look for a new home that
combined two benets: a modest
downsizing and a walk-out basement.
The couple spent a year searching for
a new house that they could call both
home and shop.
The unnished basement
represented a blank slate, so the
retired plant manager tapped his deep
well of experience to create a workshop
thats comfortable, safe, and efcient.
In terms of overall layout, youll
see that Russ laid out three lines of
machines: one down each long wall,
and another straight down the middle.
That way, he can move in a linear
fashion from one machine to the
next in a single row. For example, he
can break down a long piece of stock
into project blanks at the mitersaw
located just inside the shop door before
jointing and sawing further down. But
he can also work side to side among
machines that are clustered nearby
in adjacent rows. One good example

involves the lathe, grinder, and honing
wheels clustered at the one end of the
shop. And even though the machines
are only a few steps apart, the setup
doesnt feel crowded.
Designing multiple production
paths into his shop reects Russs keen
awareness that a home workshop needs
a exibility thats different from setting
Lighting: (26) 4' dual-tube

uorescent fixtures in shop area.
Lathe area contains additional task
lighting via incandescent lamps
clamped to joists and on portable
stands. Finishing room has (10) 4'
dual-tube uorescent fixtures.
Electrical: Two 120-volt, 15 amp
lighting circuits. Four 120-volt, 20
amp wall-outlet circuits. One 220volt circuit at 30 amps serves the
lathe, dust collector, and planer.
Dust collection: 1.5 hp Delta
dual-bag unit fed by galvanized
metal ductwork and controlled by
blast gates located at each major
collection point.
Controlling dust in a shop is a must. Russs whole-shop dust-collection

system and air-filtration units work together in chips, sawdust, and fine dust.
woodcraft magazine
49
Russs three principles of

good shop design:
1. Positioning stationary
tools so that they can be
used in sequence or as a
clustered workstation.
2. Storing accessories at
the tool that uses them.
3. engineering safety into
the overall design.
Russs shop-made contractors saw stand on locking casters keeps blades
and accessories in easy reach. The top and sides provide space for
pushblocks, throat plates, and other essentials. The central door, opened in
the Inset, conceals the PVC dust-collection fittings.
up a manufacturing line that cranks out

identical products every day. In a home
shop, Russ comments, you might
restore a trunk one day, build a cabinet
the next, and turn a bowl after thator
sometimes have all three going at once.
So a real key to efciency is a layout that
adapts to the needs of multiple projects
instead of forcing you to work in only
one way.
Russ designed plenty of storage
into his shop, so that accessories are
within arms reach of the tool on which
they are used. A three-tier rack near
the drill press organizes dozens of bits
and countersinks. He can swing out
an individual storage block to make
his selection, or lift it off the pivot and
carry the organizer to his workbench.
Russs base for his contractors saw
also reinforces the maxim of storing
equipment where its needed. The
drawers organize blades, throat plates,
wrenches, and other items needed at the
table saw.
Subtle storage strategies even play
a role in making Russs shop a safe
place. For example, he stores a pair
of earmuff hearing protectors atop
his shop vacuum, forcing him to pick
them up before he can turn on this
wailing machine. When you integrate
safe practices into your shops design,
50
Russ says, using safety gear becomes

a natural part of the work ow, not a
separate chore.
But safety also has a more
prominent role in the overall shop
design. Fluorescent lights provide a
high level of ambient light in the work
area, and additional task lighting

especially at the lathekeeps detailed
tasks brightly lit. Russ takes on dust
control with an aggressive multi-faceted
approach explained in The Floor Plan
on page 51.
Twin cabinet towers support Russs mitersaw station and provide handy
storage space in drawers and behind doors. The Inset shows a fence system
that permits precision repeat cutting. The stopblock attached to the calibrated
fence has an extension that reaches right up to the blade.
woodcraft magazine
a p r i l / M ay 2 0 0 9
The Floor Plan

At a manufacturing plant, the manager is responsible
for all phases of operation, including production,
efficiency, and worker safety. And as you study Russ
Blasers shop, youll see that he is still the take-charge
plant manager, even if he is also the sole employee.
Dust control is a subject that Russ takes seriously
because of the health risks involved. Nearly every
machine connects via ductwork to the 1.5 hp Delta
dual-bag dust collector. To supplement that first line of
collection, Russ also designed and built a pair of wallmounted air cleaners (page 52).
Russ mounted them on opposing walls, with each
exhaust aimed in an opposite direction. That way, he
creates an overall circular airflow within the shop to
improve the systems efficiency and the shops air
quality. The cleaners feature blower motors having
dual-speed capability. This lets Russ run the motor at
the high setting when hes making dust fly, but he can
then throttle back (and save energy) for continuous
air filtration.
As Russ focused on developing his turning skills,
he retooled his shop to reflect his interest. He made
a serious investment in a new lathe: a Oneway
2416 shortbed, which can swing a workpiece 24" in
diameter and 16" between centers. Everything about
the toolincluding the price tagis heavy-duty. Its
massive constructionabout 650 pounds of steel
and cast irondampens vibrations from out-of-round
workpieces. Even with having a ground-level door to
his shop, Russ remembers, moving in the lathe was
an adventure.
Russ prefers an upright working posture, so he set
his workbench top 39" above the floor. He repeated
this dimension at virtually every other workstation in
the shop, enabling the tools to perform supporting
roles for each other. For example, when he places a
long board at the mitersaw, its end rests on the router
table. And when he routs a long piece, the mitersaw
returns the favor.
Russ took an economical approach toward lumber
storage. He built a 2x4 wall at the end of his shop and
drilled horizontal holes into the edges of the studs.
He then cut pieces of " electrical conduit, and put
them into the holes to support the lumber. This setup
is very strong and allows free air circulation around
the boards. Inexpensive shower curtain liners on rods
near the ceiling shield the stored lumber from wood
chips created at the lathe. This strategy eliminates a
tedious clean-up chore.
The clutter-free finishing area features generous
cabinet storage, an explosion-proof exhaust fan, and
a lazy-Susan table (see page 52) that makes it easy to
apply a uniform coat on turnings.
Workbench
Utility sink
Finishing area
Explosion-proof
exhaust fan
Furnace +
water heater
Hardware chests
Workbench
Wall-mounted
tool board
24 72"
workbench
Bandsaw
Mitersaw
station
Downdraft
sanding table
Performax
sander
Wall-mounted
air cleaner
Router
table
Drill press
Worktable
& outfeed
Dust
collector
Disc/belt
sander
6" Jointer
Shop vacuum
Wall-mounted
air cleaner
Table saw
Long clamp
rack
Thickness
planer
Honing
wheel
Work
table
Lathe
Locating lumber
storage at the far end
of my shop opened
up convenient space
for workbenches
and storage in the
entrance area.
A separate finishing area

lets me go directly to
applying a finish without
having to wait for dust to
settle in the shop.
Lazy-Susan
table
Lathe tools
... a real key to

efficiency is a layout
that adapts to the
needs of multiple
projects instead of
forcing you to work
in only one way.
Air
Compressor
Wood
storage
Grinder
americas top shops

Wall-mounted air cleaner: You can easily change the dimensions of this
cabinet, shown in Figure 1, to suit almost any furnace-style blower motor, just be
sure that you can utilize a standard filter size stocked at your local hardware store or
home center.
Use glue and screws to make the cabinet strong, and take extra care to build it
square. (If the carcase twists, youll have a tough time sliding in the front panel.) To
reduce weight and conserve materials, you could make that panel from 1/4" plywood.
You can buy a new blower motor assembly at an industrial-supply house (such as
Grainger: grainger.com), but scouting up a used unit is an environmentally-friendly
and economical alternative.
131/2"
311/2"
Figure 1
3/4"
1/4 x 1/4" grooves
1/2" from edges
3/4"
1" 1"
1"
41/4"
Hole cut to
suit blower
1/4 x 1/2" rabbets

in door and back
311/2"
101/2"
241/2"
11/4"
#6 x
flathead
wood screws
Blower
24"
12 x 24"
filter
3/4"
3/4"
111/2"
2x4x
blocking
Frame
#6 x 11/2" flathead
wood screw
3/4 x 113/4 x 24" MDF

Switch
box
1/4 x 1/4" grooves

1/2" from edges
Lazy-Susan finishing table:

Russ takes advantage of the timesaving convenience of spray-finishing
his turnings. The finish is always ready,
and theres no messy cleanup. To
ensure consistent results, Russ put
together a revolving finishing table,
as shown in Figure 2, so that he can
easily maintain a consistent distance
to the surface. A 9" lazy-Susan bearing
(Woodcraft #124300) offers good
stability and smooth action, even under
heavy loads.
The relatively small scale of Russs work allows him to bypass the need
for a compressor. Instead, he uses the inexpensive Preval aerosol system
(Woodcraft #142198). Russ pours his choice of finish into the glass reservoir
and screws on the power unit.
Figure 2
3/4
9" lazy Susan
x 34"-diameter
plywood
Surplus
machine
base
24"
3/8
x 3/4"
rabbets
221/4"
161/4"
12"
23"
17"
A p r i l / M ay 2 0 0 9
72-drawer hardware chest: Russ drew on his manufacturing

background to produce a storage center that keeps hardware neatly
organized and instantly accessible. Figure 3 gives you the essential
dimensions, and you can even upsize or downscale the unit to serve your
individual requirements.
Heres a tip that will ensure precision and save time. Saw or rout all of
the dadoes for the sides into a 14"-wide blank, then rip the individual sides
to width. A 26"-wide board will yield four vertical dividers, so youll need
two of these blanks, dadoed on both sides.
Russ kept drawer construction simple, relying primarily on glue and airdriven brads instead of fussing with intricate joinery. His one upscale touch
involved routing a dovetail slot for the drawers content-identification card.
The card springs securely into place, but you can change it in a wink.
1/2" dadoes
1/4 x 223/4 x 361/2"
11/2" dadoes 1/4" deep
1/2" rabbet
/2" dadoes
11/4 x 2233/4 x 3611/2
/4 x 22 /4 x 36 hardboard
/2""
11/4" deep
/4" deep 11/2/2""rabbet
rabbet 1/4" deep
hardboard
hardboard
11/4" deep
/4" deep
Figure 3
37"
37"
37"
61/2"
6611/2/2"1"
/4" solid 3
11/4" solid wood facing
*6
*63/4/4""
/4" solid
wood
woodfacing
facing
1/4 x 313/16 x 61/2"
*6
*611/2/2""
11/4 x 313
/4 x 313/16
/16xx6611/2hardboard
/2""
hardboard
hardboard
3399/16
/16""
*63/4"
1/4 x 1/4" rabbet on

11/4 x1/121/"4" rabbet
top,on
bottom, sides
/49x /4" rabbet
on
11/2"
/2"
3 /16
"
top,
bottom,
sides
back edge
top,
bottom,
sides
1
9/16
"
3933
/916
"
/16" /2"
back
backedge
edge
11/2"
/2"
221313/16
/16""
*61/2"
2299/16
/16""
2299/16
/16""
22
2233/4/4""
231/4"
23
2311/4/4""
*Cabinet 1/2" plywood

*Cabinet
top,
bottom, sides,
plywood
*Cabinet11/2/2""plywood
top,
and dividers all
top,bottom,
bottom,sides,
sides,
and
have
anddividers
dividersall
all 1/4" solid
have
wood facing
solid
have11/4/4""solid
11/4 x 11/4"
wood
/4 x /4"
woodfacing
facing
rabbet
rabbet
223/4"
213/16"
29/16"
29/16"
(Same dado
(Same
spacing for dividers)
(Samedado
dado
spacing
for
dividers)
spacing for dividers)
1/4" dadoes
21313/16
/16""
11/4" dadoes 1/8"2deep
/4" dadoes
11/8" deep
/8" deep
213/16"
1/4
x 1/4"
rabbet
*63/4"
*6
*633/4/4""
1/2" dadoes
11/2" dadoes 1/4" deep
/2" dadoes
11/4" deep
/4" deep
Drawer exploded view

1/4 x 21/2 x 61/4"
11/4 x 211/2 x 611/4"hardboard
/4 x 2 /2 x 6 /4"
hardboard
hardboard
Drawer front side view
11/2 x 2 x 3"
/2 x 2 x 3"
1/2
x 2 x 3"
x 1/4" rabbets
11/2 x 11/4" rabbets
/2 x /4" rabbets
I.D.
I.D.
card
card
61/4"
6611/4/4""
1/2
x3x
11/2 x 3 x 611/8"
/2 x 3 x 6 /8"
3/4 x
33/4 x 211/2 x 311/2"
/4 x 2 /2 x 3 /2"
61/8"
3311/2/2""
I.D.
card
x 3/8" 221/2/2""
rabbet
1/2
11/2 x 33/8"
/2 x /8"
rabbet
rabbet
33/8"
/8"
21/2"
1"
1"
1"
31/2"
1/2 x 1/2 x 31/2"

21/2 x 31/2"
11/2 x 11/2 x 311/2" handle
/2 x /2 x 3 /2"
handle
handle
1/8"
11/8"
/8"
1/2
3/8"
americas top shops
J.R. Russ Blaserpassionate woodturner/successful plant manager

Russ Blaser capped his long career in manufacturing with a 27-year stint at H. D. Hudson Manufacturing. The firms
name is well-known to any gardener who has ever used a compression sprayer, but the company previously also made a
wide range of metal products for farmers and ranchers. By the time he retired in 1990, Russ had served as plant manager
at several of the companys factories.
For most of his life, Russ used a lathe for strictly utilitarian needs: replacing
a broken leg or spindle on a chair, for example. But that outlook changed
completely in 1993 during an Elder Hostel class at the Arrowmont
School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Russ returned home with much more than a few
turningshe was also brimming over with enthusiasm
for a new-found passion. One of the people Russ
talked with was John Larson, then an employee of
the Woodcraft Store in Lenexa, Kansas.
Every time Russ visited the Woodcraft store,
he and John brainstormed about starting a turners
club for the Kansas City area. John talked up the idea
among the stores patrons, and he and Russ hosted the
first meeting in 1994. Starting with only a dozen charter
members, the organization now numbers 150 turners.
The Kansas City Woodturners Club (kcwoodturners.org)
kcwoodturners.org)
outgrew the back room at Woodcraft, so the members
now gather at a leased facility of several thousand square
feet in the Kansas City suburb of Merriam, Kansas.
54
woodcraft magazine
a p r i l / M ay 2 0 0 9
Welcome To Our New Workshop

Your key source now and in the future for great ideas and projects
by Jim Harrold
THE WORKSHOP
at a glance
Size: 30 50' with a 9' ceiling
n this special issue of Woodcraft Magazine we are excited to

introduce you to our new 30 50' workshop. Why? Because we now
have a place that lets us generate a truckload of workshop ideas,
techniques, and project plans for making your shop more organized,
efficient, anddare I say ita pretty cool place to hang out. What
you notice right away from glancing at the photos is that we have
outfitted our shop with three distinctly different cabinet areas built
on three budgets. These include the MDF workshop, the melamine
workshop, and the birch plywood workshop. Here, price differences
come down to sheet goods, hardware, and countertop costs.
Where the cabinets do not differ is in their general construction.
Everything you see is built from the same basic 24"- and 32"-wide base
and wall cabinet plans. As youll discover in Super-Easy Workshop
Cabinets on page 28, we took the mystery out of cabinet building by
going with the simple 32-millimeter system. If you can count to 10,
you can build these cabinets, though it helps to have an inches-tomillimeter measuring tape. Now lets look at the three contrasting
areas and our shops specs, overall features, and floor plan.
24 woodcraftmagazine.com
Construction: Concrete block and

insulated 2 4 stud walls; double
layers of 5/8" drywall or 5/8" drywall
and 5/8" plywood (for screwing
items to the wall anywhere along its
length above 4').
gas forced-air furnace and air
conditioner; room thermostatically
controlled.
Lighting: Ten 8' fluorescent lights
operated by a single on/off T-8
switch; 32-watt bulbs.
Electrical: 200-amp service
panelfourteen 110 outlets and
seven 220 outlets with two of each
ceiling-mounted.
Dust Collection: Oneida 3 hp Pro
Series 1500 with cartridge filter,
metal fittings, and spiral metal
piping (6" and 7" main trunk with 4"
and 5" branch lines).
Air compressor: Porter-Cable 3
hp, 60-gallon air compressor.
June 2009
Three hardworking workshops from one great plan

Whether youre adding storage to the back of your garage or outfitting a dedicated workshop building, chances are,
one of these cabinet choices will suit your style and wallet. As you can see we used a cleat system for hanging our
wall cabinets and tool boards.
1. MDF
Fast and low-dollar MDFThis

handsome workshop could easily be
built in a few weekends for under
$700. Constructing the cases with
Confirmat screws (recommended
for MDF) speeds the work, as
does cutting out and hanging the
frameless slab doors. While one
cabinet contains four quick-toassemble Metal Box drawers (Inset),
all the others contain shelves. In
other words, more simple slabs. We
painted the cabinets with two coats
of General Finishes milk paint (one
part outback brown, three parts snow white), and topped the base units with
a double-layer MDF countertop, edged with " maple. This we finished with
two coats of clear water-based polyurethane and a coat of paste wax. Maple
pulls (purchased through the VanDyke catalog) provide a nice accent while
matching the edging.
2. Melamine
Mid-range, easy-to-clean melamine cabinets

Smooth, white laminate surfaces set this workshop
apart. The " Marlite panels in the maple cabinet
door frames let you jot down dimensions, phone
numbers, and more with erasable markers, while
the thin sheet-metal-on-Marlite door panels let you
pin up paper designs, receipts, and cut lists with
magnets (Inset). Underneath the counter, drawers,
shelves, and pull-out trays provide versatile storage
in the base cabinets.
3. Birch Plywood
Showy, premium cabinets with an all-wood lookConsider birch plywood cabinets for a touch
of class and craftsmanship. We paid $15 more for a sheet of birch plywood ($43) than we did
for a sheet of MDF. We outfitted the base cabinets with Metal-Box drawers as well as shelves
and pull-out trays for storing portable power tools. Full-extension slides
for trays let you take advantage of the cabinet storage room while the
165 full-overlay hinges on the base cabinet doors provide clearance (left). To further dress
out this workshop, we topped the base cabinets with a hard-wearing, 1"-thick by 12'-long
laminated maple countertop. Framed glass doors for one wall cabinet let you view prized
planes or collectibles. Finish for the cabinets consists of three spray-coats of General Finishes
Satin High Performance Water-Based Topcoat, a tough, fast-drying product with acrylic and
urethane resins. (See more on workshop finishes on page 54.)
Opening photo: Doug Rowan
June 2009
woodcraftmagazine.com 25
Creating a first-class woodworking environment

Complementary
tool boards
For easy access to frequently

used hand tools, we included
perforated hardboard tool boards
that you build to fit and hang on
the beveled wall cleat. Unique to

this system is that we did away
with commercial metal hooks
and hangers and made custom
hangers from scrap. (Youll
find a variety of the hangers
on page 42.) Small rectangles
of perforated hardboard back
the hangers, allowing you to fix
them to the tool boards with
plastic wall anchors and screws.
This approach enables you to
quickly relocate the holders
as needed. Better still, they

stay put when secured, unlike
metal hangers which often fall
off when tools are removed.
Dust collection and

healthy shop air
Our whole-shop metal-pipe dustcollection system from Oneida

provides swift and complete
collection of sawdust and chips at
every floor machine. The cyclone
dustcollector
unit (Pro
Series 1500)
features a
3 hp Baldor
motor with
an external
cartridge
filter. It sits
outside the
shop along
one wall.
To turn it
on we use
key-fob
remotes which we hang at
convenient locations. Blast
gates terminate each branch

duct line, allowing the system
to effectively service any two
major machines simultaneously.
(See our story on whole-shop
dust-collection on page 46.)
Comfort and good looks

underfoot
The basement where we located

our shop has a concrete floor
that, as many of you know, raises
havoc on your feet and legs.
We wanted something easier
on the dogs so we contacted
the Southern Forest Products
Association for suggestions. They
recommended Southern yellow
pine flooring and put us in touch
with Grizzly Forest Products.
As soon as the walls were up,
we installed 1 6 tongue-andgroove vertical-grain flooring
and finished it with four coats
of General Finishes Satin WaterBased Top Coat . (See how to put
in a workshop wood floor on page
56.) Floor mats in front of the
major machines and workbenches
add even more comfort.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR WORKSHOP SPONSORS
Putting a workshop together from scratch is no small feat, and we would be remiss if we did not include
a special thanks to the sponsors who helped make our dream a reality. Here are the participants:
Adjustable Clamp
Earlex
Bessey Tools
Festool
Assortment of Clamps
www.adjustableclamp.com
Assortment of Clamps
www.besseytools.com
Danco
Euro Hinges, 110 & 165

www.woodtechnology.com
Delta/Porter-Cable
2 Random-Orbit Sanders
2 Trim Routers
Drum Sander
6-Gallon Portable Air Compressor
60-Gallon 240-Volt Air
Compressor
www.deltaportercable.com
HVLP Spray Station Pro

www.earlex.com
Kapex KS 120 Sliding

Compound Mitersaw
Clean Tech Vacuum
Domino Joining System
MFK 700 Trim Router
Plunge Router
MFT/3 Multifunction Table
www.festoolusa.com
Forrest Blades
Saw Blades
www.forrestblades.com
Franklin International
DeWalt
Glues & Adhesives

www.titebond.com
26
June 2009
13" Thickness Planer

www.dewalt.com
woodcraftmagazine.com
Freud
Router Bits & Saw Blades

Biscuit Joiner
31/4 HP Plunge Router
Doweling Machine
www.freudtools.com
General Finishes
Wood Coatings
Water-based Finishes
Oil-based Finishes
www.generalfinishes.com
General International
Excalibur Scrollsaw
Overarm Blade Guard
Benchtop Mortiser
www.general.ca
Grizzly Forest Products
Tongue-and-groove Southern
Yellow Pine Flooring
www.grizzlyforest.com
Hafele
Metal Box Drawer System

Fixing Brackets
www.hafele.com/us
Incra
Measuring, Marking, and

Positioning Tools
www.incra.com
JDS
Air-Tech 750ER High-Efficiency

Air Filtration System
www.jdstools.com
Jet
Portable Dust Collection

Belt Disc Sander
14" Bandsaw
6" Jointer
12" Jointer/Planer Combo
Drill Press
www.jettools.com
The Floor Plan

Key to any woodworking shop is the arrangement
of tools, storage, and workbenches. In many shops,
everything revolves around the table saw. That holds
true in our shop as well with the SawStop table saw
front and center. A few steps away, however, sits the
Jet jointer/planer. This tool combination needs to
stand together for ease of milling project stock into
parts. We made sure that we had ample space at
the infeed and outfeed ends of these machines for
running long stock through. The Makita mitersaw also
resides near the middle of the room for sizing longer
parts to length. Similarly, the Rikon bandsaw sits near
the lathe work station for prep-cutting turning blanks,
as well as resawing.
In addition, we created tool stations where cabinets
containing accessories are within an arms reach.
We built a shallow 6"-deep cabinet for drill bits
near the Jet drill press, and a similar cabinet hangs
on the wall above the Pinnacle router table. A set
of cabinets dedicated to sharpening features a
countertop of plastic laminate to catch the drips and
spills of oil and water.
We located our workbenches to allow plenty of
walk-around room for working on a project, and we
dedicated one end of the room for storing lumber
and sheet goods. A corner of the shop is set up for
turning. While no shop is perfect, this one has more
than enough bells and whistles to make working in it
a joy. If youve been re-thinking your current shop or
planning a new one from scratch, turn to page 64 for
our pull-out Dream-Shop Planner. Then, plan your
shop to complement your woodworking interests.
By doing so, you will have taken the very first step in
creating a bragging-rights workshop, one that finally
and fully addresses your project-building needs. n
Kreg
Pocket Hole System

www.kregtool.com
Magswitch
Universal Featherboard
MagJig Universal Base
Combo Kit
MagJigs
www.magswitch.com.au
Makita
10" Slider Compound Mitersaw

18-Volt Cordless Drill Driver
Trim Router
www.makitatools.com
Oneida
Stationary Dust Collection

System/Consultation +
Installation
www.oneida-air.com
Padco
Pinnacle
Measuring & Marking Tools

Router Table
Premium Coping Sled
http://www.woodcraft.
com/featuredbrand.
aspx?brand=pinnacle
Powermatic
10" Table Saw, 1 HP

18" Variable Speed Drill Press
www.powermatic.com
Rikon
14" Deluxe Bandsaw with Fence

12" Disc Sander
www.rikontools.com
Rockwell
18-Volt Lithium Tech Cordless

Drill/Driver
www.rockwelltools.com
Compressor
Mortiser
Bandsaw
MDF
cabinets Belt/disc Scrollsaw Drum
Sander
Drill
press
sander
Birch
cabinets
Workbench
Mitersaw
Dust
collector
Workbench
Router
table
Table saw
Mitersaw
Jointer
Planer
Table saw
Bandsaw
Melamine
cabinets
Jointer/
Planer
Workbench
Sharpening area
Assembly table
Desk
Chair
Furnace
Clamp rack
Sharpener
Lathe
Lathe
tool
cabinet
Clamp
rack
Lumber rack
SawStop
Cabinet-style Table Saw

52" Extension Table Assembly
Extra Blade Cartridges
www.sawstop.com
Sjbergs
Elite 2500 Workbench & Cabinet

Combo
DUO Bench Cabinet Combo
www.sjobergs.com
Stanley Bostitch
Teknatool International
Nova DVR Lathe
www.teknatool.com
Tormek
T-3 Sharpening System

www.tormek.com
Triton
Oscillating Spindle Sander

2 HP Router
www.triton.com
Whiteside
Portable Compressor
Pneumatic Nailer
www.bostitch.com
Router Bits & Bushings

www.whitesiderouterbits.com
WoodRiver
Steel City
13" Portable Planer with

Helical Head
5-speed Granite Mini Lathe
10" Granite Table Saw
www.steelcitytoolworks.com
Planes & Chisels

www.woodcraft.com
Woodhaven
Metric Shelf Pin Jigs

www.woodhaven.com
Floor Finishing Tools

www.padco.com
June 2009
27
Americas Top Shops
For the Love of Woodworking

The super-organized and self-maintaining workshop
By Jim Harrold
t 58, Mike Panzano of Sewell, New Jersey, pays

homage to his father, a career carpenter and
specialty woodworker, as he fondly recalls his early
exposure to his favorite hobby. When I was three
years old, says Mike, Dad would put tools on the
kitchen table and have me name them and describe
what they did. He goes on, When I was six or seven,
we went to the local lumberyard, where Dad tested my
ability to know a wood species by smell. This, it turns
out, proved to be a wonderful bonding experience
that lasted until Mike was 42. We were a great team,
he says of that golden time. And, more than 50 years
later, Mike still buys his specialty wood at the same
lumberyard. If only his dad could have seen Mikes
ultimate tribute to him, his shop.
Mike was able to integrate his home and shop into a

pleasing architectural design.
Aug/Sept 2009
In 2007, and at the

encouragement of his wife,
Rosemary, the couple set out to
create a new home, which would
allow Mike to build the attached
workshop of his dreams. This
would be the space where he could
actively ply his lifelong interest
in woodworking, from building
furniture for his home and family
to creating a wine cellar and
tasting room. Having thought long
and hard about the shape, tools,
storage, and overall organization,
Mike followed through on his
mission, with the end result taking
a top prize in Woodcraft Magazines
Americas Top Shops Contest.
The shops grade-level
perimeter walls describe a space
that measures 24 36'. The shop
includes a one-car-wide garage
door for easily moving tools and
materials in and projects out,
access doors to the adjoining
house and backyard, and a bank of
Beyond the assembly table (foreground), where Mike houses his sliding table
saw jig, is the table saw accessory cabinet tucked under the saw table itself.
multipaned windows for flooding
the shop with pleasing natural
light. These complement the high-
THE WORKSHOP
at a glance
Size: Overall shop 24 36'; nish

room 10 10'; dust-collection/aircompressor room 8 10'.
Construction: 2 4 stud walls

with high-density insulation;
building attaches to the house via a
vestibule, forming an L in relation to
the main building. Includes a garage
door for delivery of materials and
pickup of completed projects.
Heating and cooling: In-floor
radiant heat and dedicated airconditioning system.
Lighting: Twelve two-tube, 8'-long
high-intensity fluorescent xtures.
Additional 4'-long xtures. Ten
oversized windows.
Electrical: 200-amp dedicated
electrical service with some floor
outlets located near selected
machines.
Dust Collection: Oneida 5 hp
cyclone dust-collection system
with metal piping and ttings with
some in-floor ductwork to selected
machines. Two JDS ne-particle air
ltration systems.
A melamine countertop with a fence serves Mikes radial-arm saw and

mitersaw. Below, full-extension drawers create storage for supplies.
Photos: Paul Anthony
Air compressor: Ridgid 4-gallon

compressor.
Aug/Sept 2009
The most eective

skill my father taught
me was to visualize
the desired outcome,
to see the project
being built many times
before beginning the
actual work.
Tricked out with jig-making

hardware, Mikes multifunctional
drill-press table features a plywood
platform containing a Kreg Heavy
Duty Trak (#145829) with Kreg Flip
Stops (#145822), four-arm knobs
(#27R14), T-Track (#142805), and
Magswitch Mag-Jigs (#147833)
to secure the jig to the steel table.
(Products are available from
Woodcraft Supply.)
intensity fluorescent light fixtures
on the vaulted ceiling, creating
ideal conditions for accurate
paint matching and finishing,
says Mike.
Inside, custom-made base
cabinets with full-extension
drawers run along the west wall
as shown on page 47, and provide
the 19' melamine countertop
for supporting rough-sawn and
surfaced stock at the radial-arm
saw and mitersaw. A few standalone cabinets sit at strategic
locations around the shop floor.
Together, a total of 19 cabinets
offer dedicated storage for hand
tools, hardware, sanding supplies,
jigs, table saw accessories, and
46
more. The long countertop,

meanwhile, includes a Kreg fence
system with stops and work holddowns. As youll see in Smart
Ideas for the Taking, and in the
photo at left, Mike turns to his
jig-making skills to speed work
while adding precision and
safety to several tools.
As part of his shop design,
Mike had thermostaticallycontrolled heating and cooling
systems installed. Because he
built the shop from scratch,
he was able to go with
radiant floor heating to
keep temperatures even
throughout the shop
without sacrificing space
for dust-collecting
radiators.
To collect dust at
every tool, Mike chose
a whole-shop dustcollection system thats
serviced by a mighty
5 hp, 5 cyclone dust
collector by Oneida. He avoided

running pipes vertically from the
ceiling to selected free-standing
tools by routing portions of the
ductwork under the floor. Says
Mike, This eliminates stacks
and the chance of tripping over
a flexible hose. He created a
separate 8 10' room for the
dust collector and located the air
compressor there as well to muffle
the noise.
Mike further supplemented
his shop maintenance approach
by installing two large JDS fineparticle air-filtration systems,
making his shop virtually dust
free and environmentally friendly.
He created a 10 10' finishing
room to store finishes and
completely isolate projects from
dust during the finishing process.
Dust
port
Mike stores his routers and

router accessories in this dedicated wheeled cabinet
set up for cutting clean, crisp dovetails with his Omnijig. Note the
dust port below the jig for eective collection.
Aug/Sept 2009
The Floor Plan
cabinet Mike built for his dovetail

Porter-Cable Omnijig sports wheels.
The finishing room serves doubleduty and includes Mikes drawing table
for designing projects. Here, he can to
take full advantage of his five years of
art training. Though not apparent in
the floor plan, a handy bathroom lies
just outside the shop in the vestibule
leading into the house.
his store of lumber and sheet goods

for trimming large sheets into more
manageable pieces. When floor
space and traffic flow become more
importantsay, for a large project
assemblyhe parks the machines out
of the way to maximize floor space.
Having wheels under many of his
machines also helps with cleaning any
residual sawdust. Even the customized
Mike took two years to formulate the

layout for his shop. He located one of
his favorite machines, his Powermatic
table saw, at the center, a few steps
away from his wood storage rack.
Because his planer and jointer are
mobile, he can pull them away from
the walls when needed to surface,
edge, and size rough-sawn stock. He
also keeps a vertical panel saw near
Dust collector
I cant overstate
the value of a vertical panel saw in a
one-man shop.
Air
compressor
Finishing
and design
room
Scrollsaw
Mortiser
Lathe
Jointer
19 feet of cabinets and

counter space make it
easy to keep the shop
highly organized.
Vertical
panel saw
Router
table
Bandsaw
Sander
Radialarm saw
Ornamental
mill
Under-floor
dust collection
Under-floor
dust collection
I welcome new
lumber and say
goodbye to finished
projects from this
staging area.
Cabinets
Dovetail jig
and cabinet
Under-floor
dust collection
Table saw
Mitersaw
Drum sander
Assembly table
Shaper
Planer
Clamping
table
Staging
area
My heavy steel
assembly table is a
multiuse fixture of
the shop.
Cabinet
Drill press
Sanding
center
Garage door
Aug/Sept 2009
Americas Top Shops
Smart ideas for the taking

Bandsaw
blade rack
Figure 1
Mike made and hung

these opposing U-shaped
laminations to store his
bandsaw blades. In the past,
when hed fold his blades
into hoops, theyd sometimes
spring back and bite him.
To build the holders, simply
glue and screw laminations
of " plywood together;
then bandsaw them to
shape and secure them to
wall studs, spacing them
the needed distance apart
to accommodate the size of
blades you use.
Figure 2
Mag-Jig
11/2" radius
21/4
x 3" recess
for Mag-Jig
6"
8" or 12"
Width of 23/4"
saw fence
36"
3/4"
grooves
for T-track
13/4"
T-bolt
9"
4"
3/4"
groove
for T-track
11/4" washer
5-star knob
101/2"
1/4"
slot
21/2" kerfs
Multipurpose table saw fence
Set up a fence stop or control ripcuts with hold-downs using this versatile saddle fence which you custom-make to
fit over your saws existing fence. Like other jigs in his arsenal, Mike locks this one in place with Magswitch Mag-Jigs.
T-tracks, T-bolts, washers, and knobs let him add a fixed stop or featherboard. By cutting an arch in the fence side, you
can cut rabbets along a workpiece edge safely and easily.
48
Aug/Sept 2009
Figure 3
Washer
11/4"
#8 x
panhead screw
8"
3/4"
3/4"
counterbore
deep with
a screw hole
centered inside
3/4"
#8 x 11/4"
panhead screw
1"
1/8"
1/2
plywood
plywood
2"
x 3/4 x 2"
8"
Note: Use clamps to secure

jig to work in order to hold
router with both hands.
17"
2"
Self-centering slot-cutting jig
Finding the exact center for routing slots in the edge of a workpiece just got a whole lot easier with this
scrapwood project. Here, the arms pivot, collapsing the sides against the workpiece, making quick work of
mortising slots with a handheld plunge router. Size the circular base to match the base of your tool.
Sliding jig for dadoes and rabbets
For cutting rabbets, tenons, and dadoes at the table saw, Mike made this precision jig, which employs
a T-Track for miter slot runners and for easy adjustment of the fence stop. Construction consists of "
plywood for the base and hardwood stock of various thicknesses for the remaining parts as well as
common jig hardware.
Figure 4
2"
11/2" diameter
knob
13/4 x 31/2 x 6"
31/2"
18"
13/4"
3/4 "
plywood
6"
11/2"
31/2"
1 x 11/8"
knotch
11/8"
41/2"
3/4 x 4 x 26"
fence
3/4 x 41/2 x 6"
stop block
4"
26"
1"
121/2"
23/4"
Filename: #30 TS Rou

R LeMoine
3-30
T-track in a
3/4 x 1/2" dado
T-tracks spaced
to suit table saw
Aug/Sept 2009
A window on Mike
and his woodworking
shopping mall in Moscow.
Having worked with wood
all his life, Mike retreats to
his shop whenever he can to
challenge himself with yet another
assignment. My woodworking
projects, he says, are mostly
period reproductions, and I love
to give them away to friends and
family. That said, his
four-drawer walnut
lamp table, shown at
right, stayed at home
and catches your
eye the instant you
step inside the front
door. Says its creator,
Working on your
artistic skills is as
important as honing
your technical skills.
Proportion, color, and
visual appeal come
from the artistic side.
A second hobby
of Mikesstudying,
tasting, and collecting
fine winesprompted
him to construct
the temperaturecontrolled wine cellar
shown at left, with
built-in storage for
By stepping into Mikes wine cellar you get a taste
up to 500 bottles, a
for the variety of woodworking hes tackled, from
wine-tasting table
the chestnut table to the pine hutch to the wine
made from reclaimed
storage built-ins.
Upon graduating from college 37
years ago, Mike Panzano began
building his own business, what
today is an international advertising
agency that specializes in the
marketing of unique experiential
destinations. A recent job, for
example, involved creating a
program that promoted a mega

Got a top woodworking shop filled with ideas for smarter
writeup, photos and/or sketches, and rough floor plan to:
50
Mike used his Legacy milling

machine to turn the four identical
legs of this walnut lamp table.
American chestnut, and a pleasing
pine hutch. A much longer harvest
table, also of American chestnut,
resides in an informal dining room
just off the kitchen. Mix in a few
baby cradles and hobby horses
for children and grandchildren of
friends, and the portrait assumes
its final appearancethat of a man
whose love of woodworking and
family blends in the earthen hues of
native woods and the joy of giving. n

P.O. Box 7020
Aug/Sept 2009
Americas Top Shops
The Compact, Good-Neighbor Workshop

When a home has its own furnituremaker, the whole family wins.
By Jim Harrold
ocated on a corner lot in the quiet, idyllic suburbs of

Naperville, Illinois, west of Chicago, the Jaromin residence
doesnt look any different from the surrounding homes. To
the casual passerby, its attractive two-story structure with
two-car garage blends right in. Even if you stopped out front
and gave a listen, you might only hear a lawn mower, children
at play, or birds warbling in the tree boughs overhead.
You may have no clue that just behind the garage lurks a
fully-loaded, yet tidy, home workshop capable of producing
custom furniture for every room in the house. Only the
bump-out addition shown on page 49 suggests otherwise.
To keep machine noise from entering his home, Patrick
insulated the adjoining stud wall with Homasotes 440 Sound
Barrier, a structural 4'-wide, 1/2"-thick sheet good material made
from cellulose fiber that applies vertically over the interior
Double doors provide the main entrance to the

shop, opening into the garage where Patrick
stores his sheet goods and project stock.
Oct/Nov 2009
framing. He used the same material

to clad the dust-collection closet,
quelling the noise for both the
neighbors and himself.
The attached shop
structure sits on a
concrete foundation
and includes double
doors. These open to
the garage at the front
of the house, making
it easy to transport
plywood and boards
into the shop, and
furniture out. A single
door at the rear end
offers entrance to the
backyard. The oak shop
floor sits a few steps
above the garage floor
and covers the 4'-high serviceable
crawl space below, accessible
via a large trap door. Its here
where Patrick keeps his remotecontrolled compressor and stores
a variety of shop and family items.
Ive found it (the crawl space)
The add-on structure just behind the garage encloses a 300

square foot workshop; the white exterior door (left) provides
access to a closet that houses the shops 3 hp dust collector.
invaluable for running cabling for
audio, networking, TV, and extra
power circuits, he says.
Inside the shop, Patrick chose
to line his walls with attractive
tongue-and-groove pine that
proved cost-effective and
practical. Says the craftsman: The
THE WORKSHOP
at a glance
Size: 14 x 22' with a vaulted ceiling and

same-size 4'-high crawl space below. Twocar garage doubles as wood and sheet
goods storage as well as an assembly space
for oversized projects.
Construction: Attached wood frame
addition with a poured concrete foundation
and crawl space. Exterior walls are
thermally insulated, with no additional
soundproofing. The interior wall, shared
with the family room, retains its former
thermal insulation and exterior OSB layer,
plus an added layer of soundproofing
Homasote and tongue-and-groove paneling.
Heating and cooling: Forced-air HVAC
system shared with the house and a wallmounted 240V electric space heater.
Lighting: 2 skylights; (4) 4-bulb, 4'
fluorescent fixtures; 2 tracks, 6 lamps each.
Electrical: Power provided by 200-amp
main panel: (2) 120V/20 amp general
circuits, (1) 120V/15 amp circuit for lights,
(1) 240V/20 amp for the dust collector,
(1) 240V/15 amp for the compressor, and
(1) 240V/30 amp dedicated to the Grizzly
drum sander. Additional power provided
by a 30-amp sub panel in the garage into
the new shop: a 240/20 amp spare for
the table saw (for future rewiring) and a
240V/15 amp circuit for the bandsaw.
With two main 6" trunk lines around the upper reaches of the shop, Patrick
provides collection for all his dust and chip makers, including his favorite tool,
a 15-year-old Grizzly dual-drum sander that he purchased used for $400.
Photos: Mike Crews
Dust collection: A 4-bag, 3 hp, 2100 cfm

Woodtek dust collector with 6" main
trunk S&D (sewer and drain) lines having
4" S&D drops.
Air compressor: 17-gallon oil-less
compressor.
Oct/Nov 2009
This modern-day shop tool helps Patrick design projects, nd answers to his
woodworking problems at online forums, and order parts and supplies.
Finally, Patrick selected the

south wall to serve as his primary
countertop area. Above it hang
a pair of wall cabinets with dryerase doors for jotting down notes;
sitting below are several cabinets
containing drawers for shop
supplies. Unique to this area are
his pull-out saw-blade storage rack
and his custom-made mobile base
for wheeling out his jointer when
needed (see page 52). In the loft
at one end of the shop, youll find
cubbies where Patrick sorts and
stores choice pieces of stock for
upcoming projects. Still more stock
and sheet goods stand just outside
the double doors opening to the
shop from the garage.
keypads says volumes about

walls of my former garage-based
5
Patricks skill in everything
shop had /8" drywall; it proved
electronic. In addition to his air
easy to patch, but limiting when
compressor, he programmed his
I wanted to hang a jig wherever I
lights, vent fan, dust collector, and
needed. Now, with wood walls, I
can hang anything anywhere, from air-filtration system to activate
from several convenient spots
cabinets to clamps to jigs.
around the shop upon various
While Patrick admits to living
cues. His techy inclinations dont
in a safe and quiet neighborhood,
stop there. As shown above,
he opted against having windows
Patricks networked computer
in the exterior walls to improve
station fulfills a host of needs.
security and to maximize hanging
Ever since I discovered
space. To capture natural light
Googles SketchUp
for sanding and
software, Ive used
finishing, as well
. . .with wood walls,
it exclusively
as for warming
I can hang anything
to design my
up the interior,
anywhere, from cabinets shop, furniture
he had a pair
projects,
of skylights
to clamps to jigs.
and workshop
installed in the
fixtures, he says.
vaulted ceiling.
He also installed
For artificial
a TV and DVD
lighting, he chose
player in the shop
four 4'-long
that he connected
fluorescent fixtures
to a pair of ceiling speakers.
(each with four bulbs), and two
tracks containing six lamps each.
Controlling the shops key
Using SketchUp, Patrick designed a pull-out
components via a network of
saw blade rack with full-extension drawer
simple on/off switches and two
slides for his radial-arm saw.
50
Oct/Nov 2009
The Floor Plan
With a space as limited as mine,

says Patrick of his 14 22' workshop,
there were few options available. The
only reasonable place for my table
saw was along the fireplace brick.
(See the floor plan.) So rather than
moving materials straight from the
garage, into the shop, and directly
onto the saw, he breaks down large
sheets in the garage first and then
brings the rough-cut parts into the
shop. Its not really a significant
concession, says Patrick.
The second feature he wanted was

a full-length countertop with tracks
for stopblocks along the long south
wall. This is the perfect home for my
mitersaw and radial-arm saw, he says,
giving him plenty of work support for
long boards. Later in the planning,
Patrick realized that the perfect place
to store the jointer was in a cubby
below the countertop where he can
simply roll it out for use. Mobile bases
supporting other key tools, such as his
bandsaw, help him maintain a clutter-
free work area for assembling projects

by simply pushing tools out of the way.
To increase countertop space, he
uses his cabinet saws sizeable outfeed
table as a workbench to perform all
kinds of functions, from small project
assembly, to design work, to a place
where Patrick can pull up a stool
and browse through woodworking
catalogs. Lastly, his utility sink and
finish storage area offer up a place to
prepare finishes and clean applicators
after spreading a coat or two.
Clamps
Clamps
Door to
backyard
Marker board
My sander buys me
valuable time for design
and building. Purchased
used, it was a real bargain
and a great find!
Drill press
Planer
Radial-arm saw
Drum sander
A long surface is a
must! Pairing my radialarm saw with the
mitersaw made a ton
of senseand serves
me well.
Storage
cabinets
Bandsaw
Table saw
One of the best
decisions made early
on was to include a
crawl space under the
shop. It really helps
cut down on the
clutter. In a shop my
size, the extra storage
is invaluable!
Fireplace
Jointer
(rolls under
counter)
Desk/table saw
outfeed extension
Mitersaw
Inlaid
track for
adjustable
stops
I've gotten a great

deal of inspiration
and satisfaction
participating in online
woodworking forums,
so it was important
to have this valuable
resource on hand while
working in the shop.
Utility sink
Finish
storage
Computer
station
Trap door access Spindle sander
to 4' crawl space
below
Dust collection
Sheet goods
storage
Garage
Oct/Nov 2009
1 /2" hole
31/4"
45o bevel
31/4"
Americas Top Shops
71/4"
8"
41/2"
81/2"
71/4"

26"
Pull-out jointer base
21/4" hole
perpendicular to the jointer bed. When he needs to joint

stock, he simply wheels the tool out of its cubby below
the long countertop. Note in the photo how a floor track
guides the outrigger wheel, causing the tool to move
straight in and out of its storage space.
While working through a host of practical solutions for

maximizing floor space in his shop, Patrick stumbled
upon the idea of building a pull-out jointer base out of
2x stock, " plywood, and nine fixed casters that run
Figure 1
71/2"
153/4"
3/4"
8"
123/4"
31/2"
11/2"
11/4"
2" casters
3"
3"
331/4"
451/4"
153/4"
Cordless-drill charging station
it can easily be expanded. The top shelf serves as yet

another place for holding related items. Secure it within
a foot or two of a receptacle.
This simply-constructed plywood storage solution mounts

to wall studs and holds up to three portable drills, but
Figure 2
Filename: #31 jointer

R LeMoine 8-21
6"
26"
241/2"
4"
45o
4"
10"
4"
11/2" cord holes

71/4"
31/4"
45 bevel
31/4"
"8
41/2"
81/2"
71/4"
21/4" hole
26"
Chuck holders
52
Oct/Nov 2009
Woodworking for the family

Now 40 years old, Patrick has worked with
wood since age 13. My very first project was a
coat rack I made for my parents, he says. When
majoring in technical theater in college, he worked
as a freelance actor, graphic artist, set designer,
and technical director for several small theater
companies in Buffalo, New York. Here he built
platforms, flats, and set pieces from construction
lumber in tiny shops using crude, low-end tools.
Built for his youngest son, this dresser features

eye-catching dovetail joints in contrasting walnut
and cherry.
title VP of Technology
for JG Sullivan
Interactive, Inc.
His re-introduction
to woodworking started
shortly after getting
married and moving
out to the citys western
suburbs. I began by
purchasing a small, inexpensive benchtop table
saw to remodel our master bedroom and other
home-improvement projects, he says. Then an
experienced woodworking neighbor suggested
he join him for a trip to a woodworking show.
It was there I purchased a contractors saw and
my hobby/passion really took off, Patrick says.
Shortly after, the first of his three children entered
his life and he began the tradition of building
custom cribs and dressers for each child.
To see more of Patricks projects, shop
construction, and workshop, go to:
http://tenonandspline.com/blog.
The only exception to this was a brief summer

stint working in a two-man woodworking
shop building everything from cherry-veneer
bank desks to teak sailboat hatches and replica
architectural moldings and corbels. In a few short
months, I learned a great deal about casework
construction, veneering, and working with
hardwoods
r, drill Topshop
(8-21) and serious power and hand
tools, says Patrick.
Then, in 1998, he gained acclaim for a
childrens Web site he had created (Alexs Box
of Crayons) and from that exposure landed
a real job in Chicago. Today, hes a Java
developer and systems administrator with the
Got a top woodworking shop filled with ideas for smarter
writeup, photos and/or sketches, and rough floor plan to:
With drawers and a door, this

playful maple and cherry dresser
features butterfly hardware and
an inlaid butterfly to match.

P.O. Box 7020
Oct/Nov 2009
Americas Top Shops
A Workshop Born from

California Dreaming
Some craftsmen dig deep to create their favorite space.
s a nine-year-old, Fred
Sotcher built his first shop in
a corner of the porch at his
parents home in Los Angeles,
California. As his interest in
woodworking and electronics
grew, he relocated his operation
into the garage. But even with his
active imagination, Fred never
dreamed where his hobbies
would lead him as an adult.
50
Fast forward to 1989: past

his first career as an aerospace
engineer, his move to San Joses
Silicon Valley, California, where
he bought a small ranch house
with his wife, Marion, and 19
years after founding Sotcher
Measurement, an electronics
specialty company in Silicon
Valley. The location had already
become famous for extremes. As
Dec/Jan 2010
Fred and his wife raised their home

and dug a full basement for a shop.
the microchips produced there
shrunk in size, real estate prices
responded proportionallyin
The Workshop At A Glance

Size: Overall shop is 1,500 sq.
ft., including an 80 sq. ft. office,
100 sq. ft. finishing room, and
80 sq. ft. of wood storage. A
separate 128 sq. ft. wooddrying shelter sits outside.
Construction: Concrete block
basement walls with R16
exterior insulation and R14
interior foam insulation. Ceiling
insulated with R16 fiberglass
batts for thermal and acoustic
isolation. Poured-concrete
floor. Walls and ceiling covered
with " fire-rated drywall.
Heating and cooling: Natural gas
forced-air system located outside
of shop. Cooling not required.
Lighting: (29) 4-tube fluorescent
Cabinets above the table saw store jigs in space otherwise wasted.
the exact opposite direction.
So much so that today a lot of
only one-eighth acre commands
a seven-figure price tag.
Business was good, so Fred
and Marion didnt get too
alarmed when they realized that
soil settlement problems meant
that they needed to address
the structural stability of the
Photos: David Butow
house. And while moderate

jacking and new piers would
do the trick, Fred saw that he
could lift the house and build a
basement workshop. Ten months
and $165,000 later, the house
settled on the new nine-foothigh concrete block walls.
Fred knew that his diverse
interests demanded a flexible

fixtures 4' long recessed

into the ceiling for general
illumination. Incandescent task
lighting at several machines.
Electrical service: 100-amp
service feeding outlet boxes
at every tool site with both
120- and 240-volt power.
Dust collection: Two-stage 2 hp
unit in a sound-dampened room.
Automatic blast gate switches at
planer, radial-arm saw, and table
saw; other gates are manual.
Three-speed air cleaner hangs
from ceiling above sanding area.
Air compressor: 3 hp
compressor with 20-gallon
tank located in garage; feeds
lines throughout the shop.
shop design. Says the craftsman,
No matter how well you design
a shop, things change over time.
As an electrical engineer, he
made sure that every tool site
offered the option of 120- or
240-volt power. With dualvoltage boxes, he could move
tools or add new ones without
the need for rewiring. The
receptacles are spaced every 48"
horizontally and a back-friendly
42" above the concrete floor.
The shop also abounds with
hundreds of feet of low-voltage
wiring that feeds music speakers,
telephone and data jacks, as
well as dust-control circuits. But
you dont see any of the cable,
because Fred buried it near the
ceiling for a neater appearance.
All of the low-voltage wiring
terminates in a structured
wiring center that allows
Fred to make circuit changes
quickly and without pulling
new cable. As in many shops,
manually opening any blast
gate actuates the dust-control
Dec/Jan 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com
51
Americas Top Shops
Freds lumber racks create

species-specific bins for
vertical storage. Adding
12 slats (Inset) adapts the
bin for stowing shorts.
Fred added a beefy top to a dental chair base,

creating a fully articulating workbench.
system. But Fred went one step

further, equipping his mostused tools with a small motor
that opens the gate whenever
he powers up the machine.
The lumber racks carry
forward the concept of
adaptability because they neatly
corral vertical lengths. But with
the simple addition of 12 slats,
they can also store short lumber
pieces horizontally. Each laddershaped module begins with a pair
of 2 2 8' fir uprights that have
3/4" dadoes 3/8" deep spaced 12"
on center. The dadoes accept the
ends of glued and screwed 12
fir rungs that are 21" long to
make an assembly 24" wide. Fred
screwed the ladders to the wall,
spacing them on 24" centers.
But when it comes to multi-axis
versatility, the real prize winner
in Freds shop is a workbench
mounted atop a dental chair
base. At a local woodworkers
52
club meeting, one member

offered up the heavy beast,
Fred explained, and I shot my
hand up. Everybody looked
at me. They couldnt figure
out what to do with the thing.
And at the time, Fred admits,
I didnt either. But he soon
designed a 30 30" workbench
top of 3"-thick laminated ash
perforated with round bench dog
holes in a 6 6" grid pattern. He
then added double-screw vise
hardware and a full-width jaw.
An undercarriage then mated
the assembly to the electric/
The principal concept

in the shop design was
flexibility. No matter how
well you design a shop,
things change over time.
Dec/Jan 2010
hydraulic base, animating it

with a wide range of motion.
This bench is the best thing
I ever did for myself, Fred
admits, because it allows me
to position a workpiece at the
optimum height and angle
for the work I need to do.
To conserve floor space in both
the shop and living area, Sotcher
opted for a circular staircase. To
provide a more practical path
for lumber and machinery, Fred
added an exterior stairwell.
Plywood sheets hinged along
each side of the 36"-wide steps
convert to a 30 ramp. Freehanding a cart up or down that
slope would be a bit too exciting,
so he purchased an electric
winch (Grainger item #55A18)
with a lifting capacity of 4,000
lbs. Fred straps lumber and
sheet goods to his shop cart
and delivers them into his shop
without breaking a sweat.
The Floor Plan

The two access points to the
shop help define its overall
geography. A space-stingy spiral
staircase joins the basement
shop to the living space above,
while a set of steps to the side
yard provides the entry for
tools and materials as well as
the exit for finished projects.
Next to the central staircase,
Fred sited his table saw as well
as a room for his dust collector.
This island location is also home
to other machines, including a
router table, overarm pin router,
bandsaw, shaper, and an alwaysready sharpening station.
When sheet goods enter the
shop via the exterior steps,
Freds cart can easily deliver
them to the table saw for
immediate use. If the panels
wont be used immediately, they
move to a storage area near
the office. Lumber entering the
shop can go into the species-
specific storage bins or straight

to the jointer and planer,
conveniently located near the
exterior doors. A radial-arm
saw with long side tables makes
crosscutting easy, and then its
on to the table saw for ripcuts.

Tool stations along the exterior
wall perform further machining.
Project parts come together at
the workbench and assembly
table, again near the doors.
I even built
lumber bins for
the bathroom.
The finishing
room has a 1 hp
explosion-proof
exhaust fan.
Wood lathe
The office contains

my woodworking
library and computer
planning center.
Sink
Milling
machine
Overarm
Bandsaw router
Router
table
Shaper
Sanding
area
Mortiser
Dust
collector
Sheet
goods
storage
Metal
lathe
Sharpening
station
Jointer
Clamp cart
Table saw
Bandsaw
Workbench Portable power

on dental
chair base tool station
The lumber
bins provide
both vertical and
horizontal storage.
Drill press
Scrollsaw
Workbench/
assembly table Hand tools
stored on wall Radial-arm
saw built into
long bench
Planer
Winch
Sump pump
Material
handling cart
Dec/Jan 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com 53
Americas Top Shops

Adjustable planer
carrier sled
This jig flattens the face of twisted

boards, short ones included,
and even those wider than your
jointers capacity. Place your
stock on the board with the stop
and then index the holes in the
top component onto the dowels.

Use pairs of tapered shims to
immobilize the workpiece and
remove any rocking motion.
Space-saving tool holder
An easel-backed chisel rack

conserves space on your
workbench and prevents hand
tools from rolling. When not in
use the tool holders hang on wall
cleats as shown on page 50.
Modular tool holders
54
Dec/Jan 2010
Storing portable power tools

in the open means that you
never need to root through
toolboxes or cabinets. Instead,
you simply grab and go. Here,
storage flexibility provided
by the interlocking French
cleat hanging system puts
every tool in plain sight.
A window on Fred Sotcher

and his woodworking
Fred Sotcher, 72, hasnt slowed
down since he retired 12 years
ago and turned over management
of Sotcher Measurement to his
son, Marc. In fact, Fred may have
even shifted into a higher gear.
His furniture projects, such as
a jaw-dropping corner cabinet,
attest to highly developed skills.
But when you talk to Fred about
woodworking, he quickly turns
the spotlight away from himself
and shines it on his 140 students
Freds cockleshell corner

cabinet features a hand-carved
interior and door panels.
at The Girls Middle School in

Mountain View, California.
In an 800-square-foot shop
at the school, Fred runs a
program that allows sixth
through eighth grade girls to
select and build a variety of
projects from lumber kits that
he prepares. The students are
responsible for cutting parts
to final size, and then shaping,
assembling, and finishing.
Over the years, Fred says, Ive
been able to equip the shop with a
pretty good variety of equipment:
six lathes, four scrollsaws, three
drill presses, three bandsaws,
and two mitersaws. After a
bit of prodding, Fred admits
that he donated all of the
equipment to the school.
Interestingly, the program is
a long way from the structured
woodworking curriculum
found at public schools. For
the most part, the girls are
not that interested in learning
woodworking. What they are
interested in doing is making
things. So the focus is on
allowing them to be creative.
When students are particularly
enthusiastic about the program,
hell sometimes invite one or
two at a time to his home shop
for personalized mentoring.
Even though Fred Sotcher

is known as a woodworking
teacher, the real lessons that
the girls gain go well beyond
sawing and sanding. They
grow in creativity, confidence,
and self-discovery.
and earn a $200 Woodcraft

gift card. Send a short writeup,
photos and/or sketches,
and rough floor plan to:
Americas Top Shops Woodcraft

Magazine P.O. Box 7020
Parkersburg, WV 26102-7020,
editor@woodcraftmagazine.com
How To Submit Your Shop

Got a top woodworking shop
filled with ideas for smarter
woodworking? You could be
featured in Woodcraft Magazine
One of Freds students made

this jewelry box, complete with
an intarsia rose on the lid.
Dec/Jan 2010
55
Americas Top Shops
Big-Sky Getaway
Wide-open Montana workshop
invites in the mountain view.
wo years ago, Nancy

Ballance traded her Harley for
a brand-new 1,000 square foot
woodworking shop in Hamilton,
Montana. And to make the swap
even more improbable, Nancy
didnt own a motorcycle at the
time. Fact is, she never has.
It was the motorcycle Nancy
planned to give herself for her
60th birthday. For over 30 years,
48
she reminded her husband,

Larry, about the inevitability of
the present: I could see in his
face that he wasnt sure that
he believed it, but he thought
maybe he did. The reminders
became more frequent after
the couple retired from the
computer industry in California
and moved to Montana four years
ago. About that same time, Larry
Feb/Mar 2010
Nancy and her husband, Larry,

used an architectural software
program to design a shop thats in
harmony with its scenic location.
started talking about building
a woodworking shop on part of
their three-acre lot. The couple
seemed to talk past each other
for awhile until Larrywho
is neither a motorcyclist nor a
woodworkercrystallized an
offer: Give up the motorcycle
and well build you the shop.
Nancy thought for awhile
and finally agreed. It was
a good trade, she said. It

was the right thing to do.
Nancy and Larrys home
and shop reside at about
the north-south midpoint
of the picturesque 100-mile
long Bitterroot Valley. Every
morning, the sun rises over the
Sapphire Mountains, setting
into the Bitterroots that serve
as the border between western
Montana and eastern Idaho.
Its exactly the kind of wide
open country that a Montana
highway engineer, Bob Fletcher,
had in mind when he composed
a poem that Cole Porter bought
for $250 and turned into the
song, Dont Fence Me In.
Nancy and Larry collaborated
on planning the shop, producing
a design that brings the
expansive mountain landscape
indoors and then blurs the
boundary between indoors and
out. The generously-sized and
abundant windows flood the
shop with light and fresh air,
while the attached greenhouse
has a sliding-glass door that
opens from the shop. A second
slider leads from the shop to
a patio where Nancy often
works. She enthuses, Its a

beautiful spot to sit and carve.
An entry door neighbors a
double garage door. In fact, the
shop has so many windows
and doors that theres a real
shortage of wall space thats
uninterrupted from the concrete
floor to the 10' ceiling. In
hindsight, Nancy admits, I
would have done just a single
garage door, which would have
given me more wall space.
Nancy designed a series of

silhouette girls enjoying a number
of woodworking activities,
including the operation of
hand and power tools (offlimits in her own youth).
The finishing room, bathroom, and break alcove make up the shops east
wall. Note the special decorating touches in and around the alcove.
Photos: Chris Autio

Size: Overall shop 32 34',
including a 9 12' 6" finishing
room, bathroom, and 5 8'
alcove break room. Storage attic
reached via a flight of steps.
Attached greenhouse, 7' 6" 11'.
Construction: 2 6 exterior
stud walls; blown-in R-19
insulation in walls, R-30 in
ceiling, and R-38 in roof.
Heating and cooling: Ceilingmounted 240V-, 5,000-watt
electric heater (The Hot One
by Cadet), providing 17,000
BTUs. Cooling not required.
Lighting: (8) 100-watt
incandescent bulbs, plus (3)

8'-long fluorescent fixtures with
(4) 4'-long tubes in each one.
Electrical: 200-amp main panel,
providing 240V to ceilingmounted heater, plus 220V
circuit for future use. 110V
outlets located 42" above floor,
and spaced 48" horizontally.
(9) 110V outlets in the ceiling.
Two switched outlets for
mitersaw and dust collector.
Dust Collection: Portable -hp,
30-gal. Shopsmith unit thats
wheeled from tool to tool.
Air compressor: None
Horizontal surfaces abound,
with two workbenches, a
downdraft sanding table, and
two additional work tables. Her
Shopsmith Mark V continues the
horizontal lines, as do the long
cabinets flanking the mitersaw.
In fact, the only three vertical
elements in the shop are a drill
press, bandsaw, and lumber rack.
The theme of openness
continues throughout the shop.
None of the storage cabinets
Feb/Mar 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com 49
Americas Top Shops

or spaces below the work
tables have doors, so Nancy
can quickly locate the tools
and supplies she needs.
Because shes typically
advancing several projects at
the same time, the 9 12' 6"
finishing room helps her boost
productivity. She no longer
needs to wait for the finish
to cure on one project before
continuing work on another.
With all the open storage, dust
collection is crucial. Nancy opted
away from fixed ducting because
she thought it would detract from
the clean architecture of her shop.
Instead, she employs hoses and
a portable dust collector. Added
to this effort is her shop-made
downdraft sanding tablean
effective problem solver. Nancy
discovered that commercial
versions cost plenty because
they include a built-in motor and
Nancys Shopsmith Mark V served as her main tool for over

30 years. Her scale model in woodwith its articulating
partswon her a ribbon at the Montana County Fair.
filtration system. With a stroke of
design clarity, she whisked away
that expense by installing a port
below the tabletop that connects

to her dust collector. The tables
open shelves store abrasives and
finishing supplies (see page 52).
The shop also serves social and
educational needs. As part of the
design, Nancy included an alcove
containing a table and chairs
where family and the group of
fledgling female woodworkers
she mentors can relax and
enjoy coffee or lunch together.
About Nancys Harley

dream: Its one of those
things that never quite
goes out of your blood,
she admits. If somebody
told me theres a revved
up motorcycle just
outside the door, Id be
on it in a second.
The leaping trout motif captured Nancys heart during a Yellowstone

vacation. She quickly sketched the idea to preserve it.
50
Feb/Mar 2010
The Floor Plan

lumber, tools, and the mountain
view. A sliding-glass door to
the porch opens to a favorite
place for carving and handsanding. Ample attic storage
above, accessed by steps, serves
both the shop and home.
A dedicated finishing room
with its double doors ensures
dust-free surfaces, even when
production swings into high
gear in the main shop area.
for coffee. Note in the alcove

photo earlier how she feminized
her shop with scrollsawn
cutouts of a girl creatively
engaged in woodworking.
But the openness doesnt mean
the shop is light on woodworking
tools and supplies. Hers is a
full-function shop thats wellorganized to keep the focus on
woodworking. A double garage
door opens wide to bring in
Many woodworking shops

become so chock-full of
stationary power tools that
its difficult to find the space
to set down a coffee mug. But
Nancys shop abounds with open
surfaces: two workbenches, two
work tables, a sanding table, and
a long counter that holds the
mitersaw. And thats before you
count the table and four chairs
where Nancy and friends gather
Open storage
cabinets help me
instantly find tools
and supplies.
Greenhouse
Portable dust
collector
Miter saw
I still use Shopsmith
accessories that
my father and
grandfather bought
for their machines.
Out on the
porch, I can carve
while listening to
the birds.
Workbench
Scrollsaw
Downdraft
sanding table
Sliding door
to patio
Drill press
Planer
Storage
cabinets
Vertical
lumber storage
The finishing room

promotes dust-free
finishes, even while
Im working on other
projects.
Finishing room
and sheet goods
storage
Bathroom
Work tables
Bandsaw
Workbench
Break area
Stairs to
storage attic
Garage door
Feb/Mar 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com
51
Americas Top Shops

Downdraft sanding table
If your shop doesnt have room

for this full-scale downdraft
table, consider half-sizing the
lengths of the top and base
for a better fit. You could even
omit the legs, creating a unit to
place atop your workbench or
sawhorses when needed and then
compactly stow to conserve space.
Abrasives and finishing supplies
fill the shelves underneath.
52
Feb/Mar 2010
Adjustable tenoning jig
Sure, you can buy a tenoning jig, but the handles

are either lifeless plastic or cold steel. Build
your own jig and youll enjoy the lifetime
satisfaction of gripping a pleasing wood knob
and handle that you crafted yourself. An
insignificant detail? Not for a wood lover.
Power tool Boxes
Heres an open-and-shut case for portable power tool

storage. First, glue and nail the four sides. Cut the
top and bottom about 1/8" oversize in both length and
width. Then, after assembly, use a flush-trim bit in
your router to rout away the excess for a perfect fit.
Feb/Mar 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com 53
Nancys woodworking journey

When Nancy was a teenager,
she spent long hours in the
shops of both her father and
grandfather, watching them
use their Shopsmiths to create
furniture and other projects. The
two men were, Nancy says, very
different in the way they worked,
which was good, because I saw
two different styles of working.
Her grandfather, who was legally
blind, taught her patience by his
example of setting up power tools
strictly by feel. From my father,
Nancy said, I got the idea that if
you can dream it you can do it.
But even with that positive
outlook, it was a time, Nancy
This mantel clock tour de force

showcases Nancys impressive
skills in turning, carving,
shaping complex moldings, and
executing intricate joinery.
recalls, when people considered

woodworking as too dangerous
for a girl to do. But the desire
remained, because I would just
sit and watch them work.
When she finally bought
her Shopsmith, in 1977, Nancy
Nancys carved trout suspended
says, I read the manual from
in a stream bed captures the
cover to cover, but everything
local color of Montana living.
already seemed second
nature. For over 30
years, Nancy didnt even
have a shopmerely a
workbench and a corner
of the garage for her
machine. But that didnt
stop her from tackling
large projects, including
a corner china cabinet,
bunk beds, and more.
Today, Nancy passes
along her woodworking
knowledge to a group of
eight women who have
impressed her with their
own determination. She
also has one male protg
with nearly boundless
enthusiasm and energy.
He loves going over to the
shop, Nancy said, and
he can sand like crazy.
Hes new to woodworking,
but at only a year and
a half old, Nancys
Even before she had a shop, Nancy designed
grandson, Jack, is new to
and built ambitious projects such as this
nearly everything. n
corner china cabinet for her mother.

54


Feb/Mar 2010
Americas Top Shops
A Fitting New
England Shop
Every square foot of Louis Lovas

30 30' saltbox-style workshop is
spoken for, including the front porch
where he sometimes entertains
his woodworking buddies.
Take the time to plan an ecient, custom

work space, and itll love you back with time saved.
By Jefferson Kolle
n one very significant way,

little difference exists between
the furniture that Louis Lovas
makes and his shop in Hollis,
New Hampshire. His philosophy
is Never design as you go,
a lesson he learned after 25
years as a program designer
in the computer industry. My
professional work requires a
tremendous amount of planning
and forethought, Louis says. I
find both processes rewarding.
46
In fact, they serve me well in all

I do, woodworking included.
Having worked out of his
garage for years, Louis at last
had the luxury of designing
a new workshop around his
needs. No more would he have to
arrange his tools to conform to
an unaccommodating structure.
From the outside, the shop
reflects quintessential New
England style with its steeppeaked saltbox roof, symmetrical
April/May 2010
window placements, and fulllength overhanging porch. But

like any good architecture, a
thoughtful exterior hints at
a well-conceived interior.
His garage of old taught him
many things. For instance, he
learned to place his large tools
on wheels. By mounting them
on double-locking casters,
he can adjust the floor plan
for the project at hand. I
can reconfigure the shop to
Hold-down
accessory
Microadjustment
device
This clamshell cabinet houses planes, chisels, and marking and

measuring devices. Other cabinets hold supplies and tool accessories.
accommodate different stages of
a project, as well as large or small
multiple pieces, Louis says,
simply by rolling the big tools
to different parts of the room.
He chose to place his
stationary workbench in the
middle of the room, so he
can access it from all sides.
Especially when Im working
on big case pieces, he explains,
its easier to walk around
the furniture than move the
piece around on the bench.
The window locations take
advantage of natural light.
The large Palladian window
at the east gable end receives
lots of light throughout the
day. Four 8'-long, double-tube
fluorescent ceiling fixtures
provide supplemental lighting.
Other electrical features
include 20 separate 110-volt wall
and ceiling outlets and three 220volt outlets. Louis electrician
convinced him to install a bright
red, wall-mounted, push-button
shunt switch that connects
to all the shop circuits except
Photos: Scott Gibson
for the ceiling light circuit. In

case of an emergency, I can
hit the switch and everything
shuts down, Louis says. It
gives me peace of mind, plus
a break on my homeowners
insurance premium.
The ceiling and the 2 6'
exterior walls contain fiberglass
Louis tricked out his Unifence

with a hold-down accessory and
a micro-adjustment device.
batt insulation. This buffers
against the brutal winter cold
while retaining the heat rising
from the in-floor hydronic
heating system in the concrete
below the strip-oak floor. Louis
opted for a single through-wall
air-conditioner to cool things off
during the occasional scorcher.

Size: Overall building 30 30';
shop space 20 30' with
a 9'6" ceiling height; first
floor storage room 7 30';
attic storage 20 30'.
Construction: Outbuilding;
concrete slab floor covered
with strip-oak flooring;
2 6' stud walls with
fiberglass insulation.
Heating and cooling: In-floor
radiant heat with propane-fired
boiler in first-floor storage room;
wall-mounted air conditioner.
Lighting: Natural light via
6'-wide French doors and
Palladian double-hung windows;

(4) 8'- long double-tube

fluorescent ceiling fixtures.
Electrical: (20) 110-volt wall
outlets on walls and ceiling; (3)
220-volt outlets on walls and
floor. Shunt switch that shuts off
power to everything except the
lights in case of an emergency.
Dust collection: Ceilingmounted air-filtration system
(JDS Air-Tech 750 ER);
mobile 11/2 hp, 300 CFM
Jet Dust Collector, barreltop model; 16 and 20 gal.
Craftsman shop vacuums.
Air compressor: PorterCable 2 gal. pancake.
April/May 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com
47
Americas Top Shops
Louis created a temporary 10 16' finishing

room with two heavy-duty clear plastic
curtains that slide on ceiling tracks.
In the rear of the building,
under the lowest part of the roof,
is a 7 30' room that contains the
furnace and storage for offcuts,
large jigs and fixtures, as well
as finishing tools and materials.
Doors provide access to the shop
area and to the outside for easy
loading of projects and supplies.
Louis employs the buildings
second floor for rough-sawn
stock, accessing it from within
by a pull-down staircase and
from the outside through a
large door. The back room
and second-floor storage add
immeasurably to Louis desire
for a tidy workspace. I like
everything to be neat, he says.
Otherwise it clutters my mind.
Inside the shop, Louis planned
a place for everything. The
majority of the caster-equipped
power tools have dedicated
storage built into their custommade stands. Well-stocked wall
cabinets offer more storage while
enhancing the look with pleasing
designs and craftsmanship.
48
Louis souped-up a pair of

1980s Craftsman 10" tablesaws
that he bought for less than $75
each. One he set up for ripping;
the other, for crosscutting.
He installed 2 hp, totallyenclosed, fan-cooled (TEFC)
motors and balanced pulleys
with power-twist belts. He
equipped the crosscut saw
with a JessEm sliding crosscut
table. Underneath is an enclosed
bin with a vacuum port and
storage for accessories.
He located the ripping saw
in front of the multi-paned
French doors that serve as the
shops main entrance. Beyond
lies a full-length front porch
(see the exterior photo). Not
only is this outdoor space a
good place to hang out with
woodworking friends, but it
proves handy when ripping
long stock. Louis simply swings
open the double doors and lets
the boards exit off the outfeed
table and into the protected
porch area under the roof.
When spray-finishing, Louis uses

a window fan in a plywood frame
to exhaust fumes to the outside.
The router in the ripping
saws extension table shares the
same rip fence. Like the other
saw, the green cabinet under
the saw holds a dust-collection
bin and port, plus storage
for blades and accessories.
A large stationary 3 42 84"
maple workbench top once
served duty in a bowling alley
before being cut to size and given
a new role. Says the proud shop
owner, My workshop is not
just a place to design and build
furniture, its a sanctuary, a place
where I can get away from all
the stress and strain of being a
caring father and an engineer.
My professional work is
very creative, but it also
requires a tremendous
amount of planning and
forethought.
April/May 2010
The Floor Plan

Louis applied a tried-and-true
approach when he designed his
30 30' shop. I used a piece of
posterboard and cut out each
machine/workstation to scale to
lay out the floor plan, he says.
By incorporating the 7 30' back
room into the design (under the
low side of the saltbox roof), he
was better able to control the
clutter. The second floor contains
additional storage for roughsawn stickered stock, accessed
by a pull-down staircase or an
exterior door for loading wood.
Large power tools rest on
casters; those without mobile
bases sit on custom-made

cabinets with storage underneath,
painted green to match Louis
planer. This mobility provides
flexibility when doing different
machining operations. His 42
85" stationary workbench
sits away from the walls,
letting him work at the
bench from all four sides.
Ample daylight enters the shop
along its sides and front through
Compressor
Bandsaw
Cabinets
Supply
cabinet
Drum
sander
Horizontal
router table
Router
table
Outfeed
table
the huge, east-facing 7'-long archtop window, the 6'-long double

French doors, and four doublehung windows. Louis opens the
doors to create more outfeed
room when ripping long stock.
A unique feature is the
temporary finishing room that
Louis makes by pulling clear
plastic industrial curtains along a
ceiling-mounted track to partition
off a 10 16' area. This keeps
dust off the piece hes finishing
and overspray out of the rest of
the shop. A window-mounted
fan exhausts the area when he
sprays shellac, his favorite finish.
Drill
press
Air conditioner
Exhaust
fan
Grinder
Assembly
table
Planer
Ripping
tablesaw
Workbench/
router table
Lathe
Backroom
storage
Dust
collector
Mitersaw
Crosscut
tablesaw
Shelving
Clamp
cart
Hand tool
cabinet
Lumber
rack
Lathe tool
cabinet
Furnace
April/May 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com 49
Americas Top Shops

Curve-cutting bandsaw wing and jig
Louis built an auxiliary table that he bolted to

his cast-iron table using existing mounting holes.
Added to this is a hinged extension wing that
he equipped with a pivoting trammel T-arm for
cutting large radii from 36" to 60". The slot in the
arm allows for 10" of adjustment. Its recessed on
the arms bottom face to accommodate a nut that
locks the knobs threaded stud/pivot pin in place
along the slot. The pivot pin fits into a hole along
the wing. The position of the hole is located in
the wing to match the radius of the desired arc.
When in use, the outside end of the hinged wing
rests on a work-support stand. For cutting a curved
apron, Louis makes a full-sized drawing of the part
to determine the thickness of the needed blank. He
then adheres a workpiece on edge onto the MDF
carrier of the T-arm with double-faced tape. He
adjusts the arm to curve-cut the concave face of
the apron. With the saw on, he swings the arm and
workpiece through the blade. To make the aprons
convex (inside) cut, he reattaches the workpiece
to the inside of the kerf to match the desired part
thickness and swings the arm through the saw a
second time, resulting in a workpiece thats ready
for sanding. For more, hit the Slideshow button at
http://www.linthillfurniture.com/thebandsaw.html.
Carrier
Outer
sleeve
Adjustable
arm
Adjustable
work-support
stand
3/4"
36"
5"
29"
3" rabbet
3/8" deep
19"
5"
5/16" slot
10" long
3"
3" rabbet
3/8" deep
1/2" slot 1/2" deep

on bottom face to
house nut
Drop-leaf extension wing

Auxiliary bandsaw table
sized to t
50
April/May 2010
Wing
Piano hinge
Pivoting pin hole

located where needed
3"
Mobile clamp cart
Louis rolls this 221/2 36"

plywood clamp cart up to the
stationary bench for projectassembly glue-ups. Border rails
on the top keep screws and
other items from rolling off. The
basic cabinet rests on a stout

base with four swivel-locking
casters. In addition to the open
compartments, a simple drawer
offers room for supplies such as
glue, glue brushes, and rags.
Locking
rabbet joint
36"
5"
#20 biscuits
dado, 3/8" deep

1" from top edge
2"
4"
22"
13"
3/4"
3/8"
1/2" groove
1
31/2" /4" deep
dado,
deep
133/4"
rabbet,
deep
31/2"
32"
3" swivel
caster
3/4 x
3 x 5"
bracket
31/2"
38"
31/2" half-laps
161/2"
Magnetic hand-plane jointer fence

Louis used rare-earth magnets
and a rabbeted piece of maple
to make a simple fence for his
Lie-Nielsen #62 plane. A shaped
piece of wood glued at the front
123/4"
2"
3/4"
1/2"
3/8"
34"
end of the fence helps house

the plane while conforming to
its shape. Recessed metal cups
screwed in the fence hold the
1"-diameter
rare-earth magnet
Shaped wood
glued in place
magnets that secure the iron

plane in place. Louis finds that
the fence makes it infinitely
easier to true a boards edges.
1/2"-diameter
rare-earth magnet
14"
(length
of plane)
21/8"
13/8" rabbet
1/2" deep
11/2"
April/May 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com
51
Americas Top Shops

Louis prole in woodworking
Louis Lovas traces his passion
for woodworking to a book on
the subject that he received
at age 13 on Christmas Day,
1972. He grew up on a farm in
rural Ohio under the parental
guidance of his machinist
father. In addition to building
and repairing fences and
animal stalls, he says, I
recall making footstools and
a saddle rack for my dad.
After a decades-long hiatus
spent building a career and
raising a family, he got back into
woodworking when he created
an elaborate playhouse for his
three daughters. At first, he set
up shop in the familys two-car
garage, which meant the cars
stayed out all winter. Every time

I went out to brush the snow
off the vehicles, I thought about
having a dedicated shop, he says.
Louis considers himself largely
self-taught, while admitting that
Im an avid reader and have
learned a tremendous amount
from the many professional
woodworkers who shared
their experience in books and
magazines. He draws inspiration
from classic designs and then
draws detailed plans on graph
paper prior to building. And
when he presents a design to a
customerabout half his work
is done on commissionhe
will often make a full-scale
model to show them.
This eye-catching
jewelry box by
Louis demonstrates
his eye for design,
symmetry, and
working with
contrasting woods.
When Louis rotates the top of this

cleverly-designed coffee table, the four
leaves drop down between the legs.

52


April/May 2010
Americas Top Shops
A Wood-Warmed
Workshop
Oregons Willamette Valley is a fertile
area for timber and woodworking.
ost of the wood that Tom

Elder carries into his shop exits
as smoke up the flue or ashes
that go into the compost pile.
But you would be wrong to
guess that youve met a careless
woodworker who incinerates his
48
botched woodworking projects.

On the contrary, Toms a very
safety-conscious guy who works
to exacting tolerances in both
wood and metal. The cold fact
is that Tom feeds his filbert
trimmings from his 800-tree
June/July 2010
Toms 62'-long freestanding

building combines a woodworking
and machine shop.
orchard into a wall-mounted
stove to keep his 1,792-squarefoot shop comfortable, even
during the coolest and dampest
months in Harrisburg, Oregon.
As with many craftsmen, Toms
introduction to woodworking
A high-efficiency dust-collection system keeps Toms shop so clean that

he never needs to dust the trophy heads hanging on the south wall.
began in his youth. In junior

high he took an interest in
making gunstocks and small
woodworking projects. His only
formal woodworking training
occurred in the schools shop
class, but it was enough to
encourage a lifelong interest.
As time allowed, and as his
passion for the subject grew, he
found himself at the local library
reading magazines and checking
out woodworking books. It was
in one such book that he found
the classic European-style
workbench that he later built for
himself, dovetails and all. Unlike
the European style, however, Tom
opted for metal screws in his vise
and changed the height to his
Photos: Susan and Joe Essin
Size: Overall shop, 62' long.

One end is 32'-square with
bathroom and kitchenette. The
remaining 24'-wide section
contains a machine shop.
Construction: Outbuilding with
insulated stud walls and attic and
12"-wide wood siding. Peaked
roof has extended overhangs.
Heating: Wall-mounted wood
stove with powered heat
comfort level. He also reversed
the plan to serve his southpaw
ways and chose blood-red
Jatoba (Brazilian cherry) for its
hardness and sheer good looks.
For contrast, he embellished the
workbench with birds-eye maple.
By mixing woods of great color
and figure, he simply followed
through with his philosophy.
Says Tom, Why not use nice
woods and do the best job you
can working with them? It wont
save you any time by going with

exchanger; ceiling mounted

220-volt electric heater.
Lighting: (20) fluorescent fixtures
8' long, each contains two tubes.
Electrical: 90-amp service
panel fed from house.
Dust collection: Oneida 3-hp
two-stage, cyclone dust
collector with felt filter bags.
Air compressor: 5-hp
motor, 60-gallon tank.
less attractive woods. Toms
wall-hung clamshell tool cabinet
and base cabinets provide
further testimony to his love
of handsome quality woods.
Like his choices of workshop
woods, the way he preps lumber
stock differs from the more
traditional approach. Unlike most
shops that rely on a tablesaw
and thickness planer to break
down and dimension stock, Toms
go-to tools are his 24" Agazzani
bandsaw and 38" Woodmaster
June/July 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com 49
Americas Top Shops
Tom's laminate-topped assembly

table features pull-out trays that
keep hardware in easy reach.
The shops main heat source is a scratch-built stove fed with prunings from
Toms filbert orchard. A lean-to shelters the wood from frequent rains.
drum sander. Now, he says, I
use my bandsaw more than my
tablesaw for such tasks. When
Im working by myself, I find
this tool safer and even faster.
Tom outfitted his bandsaw
with a 1" carbide-tipped blade, a
3-hp motor, outfeed rollers, and
an Incra fence for routine chores.
For serious resawing (hes
sliced stock up to 15" wide), he
installed a shop-built fence with
stainless steel rollers. With this
setup he has sliced a piece of 10"wide white oak to .008" thick.
You could hold it up to the light
and see right through it, he says.
After resawing, Tom runs the
lumber through the 38" 5-hp
Woodmaster drum sander. As
long as I did my part steering
the wood past the bandsaw
blade, Tom notes, I can sand
out all the mill marks with a
couple of passes at 100 grit. To
make his sanding station more
accommodating, he built infeed
and outfeed tables. He also added
50
the optional reversing switch

(for an extra $150). This lets him
reverse the feed belt direction
for another pass to eliminate
the need to carry the milled
stock around to the front of the
drum sander between sanding
passes. For the final pass, he
feeds from the normal direction
to achieve the best results.
Tom knew that without a
highly efficient dust-collection
system, the drum sander
could quickly fog the shop. So
he chose a dual-stage Oneida
3-hp cyclone and designed and
built a plenum fitted with 16
polyester felt filter bags to serve
it. The system operates with
astonishing efficiency, capturing
up to 99.9% of particles down
to .2 microns. A furnace filter
scrubs the air one final time
before returning it to the shop.
Tom heats his shop with a
wood stove that he built by
welding together 14" steel
sheets. To maximize its heat
With its outfeed rollers and Incra

fence, Tom's 3-hp, 24" bandsaw
cuts with speed and precision.
output, he purchased a Magic
Heat brand heat exchanger.
Mounted in the flue, this unit
activates an electric blower to
pump heated air into the shop.
To supplement the stove,
Tom also has a ceiling-mounted
electric heater set at 50,
enough to circulate air, control
humidity, and prevent rust
from blooming on his tools.
I find the bandsaw safer

and even faster than
the tablesaw.
June/July 2010
Bandsaw
Clamp
racks
Clamshell wall
cabinet
6' sliding
door
Lumber
storage
Dust
collection
Wood
stove
Kitchenette
Assembly
table
12' sliding
door
Workbench
Planer
Drum
sander
Bathroom
Tablesaw
Router
table
Planer
Drafting
table
The Floor Plan

Materials enter the shop through a 12'wide sliding door that has sheet goods and
lumber storage racks immediately next to
the opening. Tom prepares to break down
sheet goods by supporting them on his
assembly table and sawhorses. He then
uses a Festool circular saw and guide rail to
cut blanks 18" oversized. The components
move to the tablesaw for final sizing.
Solid stock also rests on the assembly
table and sawhorses for initial roughcrosscutting to length with a Festool jigsaw.
Tom squares one edge of each blank at
the jointer before moving the lumber to
the 24" bandsaw for resawing or ripping.
The lumber then passes through the 38"
drum sander to remove milling marks.
Project parts then move to other
stations, such as the router table, tablesaw,
or workbench for further machining.
Tom usually glues up his projects at his
assembly table, because the top is dead flat
and its laminate surface resists drips.
Illustration: Oddlyeven
Bandsaw
12' sliding
door
Milling
machine
Bench
Tool
board
Metal
lathe
Air
compressor
Metal
lathe
June/July 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com
51
Americas Top Shops

Adjustable
fence
34 912 2"
Fixed fence
114 912 2"
Tom has a zero-tolerance joinery

policy: if a joint isnt perfect, it doesnt
leave his shop. To achieve a flawless
fit, he built this two-way shooting
board. The triangle can be adjusted
for right- or left-hand shaves, or
removed for shooting square ends.
By shimming the adjustable fence,
he can achieve dead-on accuracy.
1" counterbore, 14" deep

Angled fence
434"
9"
158"
14" all
thread
2" long
45
38" dowel
#10 x 14" threaded
brass inserts
Nut Washer
Two-way shooting board
Brass knob (or star knob)

14" all thread 112" long
Adhesive-backed sandpaper
14" hole
15"
Base
34 912"
34"
38"
Determined
by width of
benchtop
Cleat
112" wood
screw
114"
118"
UHMW
layer
Ledge
34 278" base length
Though two are shown here, Tom built four

such maple sawhorses that nicely nest together
to reduce their footprint when not in use.
Based on similar sawhorses he found at the
College of the Redwoods, he added top spacer
strips to bring the sawhorses level with his
assembly table, expanding the supporting roles
of both shop fixtures. The sacrificial spacer
strips sustain damage when Tom breaks down
sheet goods, but theyre easily replaced.
26"
134"
1"
2"
812"
2"
Notch
34"
Rail
34 3 26"
214"
3"
Leg
34 3 2514"
Tenon,
38 214 34" long
Tenon,
38 214 112" long
Foot
R=2"
R=38"
3"
2734"
Stretcher
34 3 24"
812"
52
Cleat
14 114 234"
Spacer strip
Nesting sawhorses
34"
June/July 2010
18"
A window on Tom
and his woodworking
While Toms first woodworking
project was a gunstock, it
followed that his second
would be a rifle rack. After
getting married in 1959, Toms
then dormant interest in
making gunstocks returned,
although the time demands
of work and family made
woodworking an occasional
rather than continuous hobby.
For much of his adult life,
he worked as a mechanical
contractor in the metallurgical
and forest industries, and was
able to retire 20 years ago at
age 50. He and his wife bought
their current home about 17
years ago and spent the first two
years gutting and rebuilding the
house. Tom recruited a friend to
help him frame the workshop,
and then completed it himself.
With the shop built, Tom began
filling it with power equipment
and making shop essentials.
I could get by without all the
machinery, Tom quips, but
not my bench; it is the most
important item in the

shop. The shop, striking
in its appearance, goes
way beyond being a
showplace. Tom enjoys
making furniture
such as the quilted
and birds-eye maple
china cabinet he built
for his granddaughter,
shown at right. A more
recent project is the
quilted maple and
Gabon ebony hand plane
and presentation box
(bottom) that he crafted
for his son. The set
also includes a lignum
vitae adjusting mallet.
With all of his inroads
into making furniture,
Tom occasionally
returns to his earliest
woodworking roots,
making gunstocks from
walnut and maple. He couples
this with his considerable
gunsmithing skills. I buy
barrel blanks, he says, thread
and chamber them, put them
on the actions and, of course,
build the figured stocks to
fit. Life could be a lot worse
than when one hobby fulfills
the needs of another.
Special thanks to Joe and
Susan Essin of the Eugene,
Oregon, Woodcraft store.
Illustrations: Frank Rohrbach
How To Submit
Your Shop
Got a top woodworking
shop filled with ideas for
smarter woodworking?
You could be featured in
Woodcraft Magazine and
earn a $350 Woodcraft gift
card. Send a short writeup,
Americas Top Shops
Woodcraft Magazine P.O.
Box 7020 Parkersburg,
WV 26102-7020, editor@
June/July 2010
53
Americas Top Shops
The End-All
Workshop
Following six previous eorts and 45
years of woodworking, Dick Reese
nally has his shop of shops.
By Jim Harrold
hen you do something

over again, and again, and again,
your chances of getting it right
vastly improve. That, in short,
describes the journey taken by
Centerville, Ohio, craftsman
Dick Reese. Back in 1965, while
fresh out of college, the basement
of a townhome served as his
first shop. As he climbed the
ladder at NCR (National Cash
Register) Corporation where
he spent his career, relocations
and job improvements spurred
him to start anew, creating
woodworking shops in a garage,
a barn, three basements, and,
most recently, the main level of
56
the two-story dedicated

building shown at right. The 1,764-square-foot main level
Dicks woodworking
serves as Dicks shop, the unfinished
passion began in his
basement provides storage, and the
teen years, thanks,
second level houses a design room.
in part, to the family
create his be-all and end-all shop,
tradition. His grandfather made
this time, from the ground up.
cabinets by trade, while his
Following retirement in 1995,
woodworking father owned
Dick turned to designing and
and operated a lumberyard and
building a new home and his
restored antique furniture. Both
seventh shop. Says Dick, I had
served as mentors, along with
several things in mind. First, I
the woodworking books and
wanted a separate shop building
magazines he checked out from
that was not part of the main
libraries or purchased. Throw
house. Yet, I wanted it to look
in Dicks exhaustive hands-on
like it belonged with the house.
experience, and you might say
His solution: link the buildings
he was more than prepared to
Aug/Sept 2010

Size: Overall two-story,
30 50' building with basement,
plus an additional 10 12'
dust-collector/jig storage
room. Main level shop includes
a 12 15' finishing room;
ceilings, 10' high throughout.
Construction: Poured
concrete foundation walls
with insulated 24 stick-built
frame construction and brick
veneer. Entrance features a
ramp for moving equipment,
stock, and projects in and
out. The shop flooring is
tongue-and-groove oak.
Heating and cooling: Two
forced air HVAC systems. One
serves the basement and shop,
the other, the upstairs. They
are isolated for dust control.
Both have humidity control.
Lighting: (17) dual, 8'-long,
T-8 fluorescent fixtures with
electronic ballasts to eliminate
hum plus incandescent task
lights at workstations.
with a breezeway and style them

similarly. I also wanted a shop
that was large enough so that
the stationary tools could indeed
be stationary, he continues,
i.e., I didnt want to deal with
equipment on mobile bases. That
desire translated into a bigger
shop, in this case, a 30 50' space.
Added to this is a 10 12' dustcollector room that cuts down
on the ambient noise in the shop.
By having a basement, I could
run my ducts down through
the floor from the tools and
then return to the shop level in
the dust-collector room. This
eliminated the exposed pipes
that snaked along the walls and
Photos: Robert Hock
Electrical, Internet, and security:

Dedicated 200-amp panel for
shop. In addition to circuits
for the HW heater and HVAC
systems are 220-volt circuits
for dust collector, tablesaw,
large bandsaw, planer, air
compressor, and radio room
(upstairs); 110-volt circuits
service (14) outlets throughout,
along with (8) lighting circuits.
The security system stems from
the main house system as does
the telephone and cable (TV and
Internet) access. Wireless access
points throughout allow for
connectivity. Two TVs and a stereo
system provide entertainment.
Dust collection: Four-bag Reliant
(1980 CFM) dust collector
with under-floor ducts.
Air compressor: Two-stage, oilfilled compressor, with 80-gal.
tank in basement. A black-pipe
manifold circles the shop with
various drops, including one
over the assembly table.
Hardware, jigs, and clamps share space in Dicks dust-collector room.

Aug/Sept 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com
57
Viewing Dicks woodturning corner, you glimpse his lumber storage trees
and fixed 15" planer with below-floor dust collection.
ceilings of his earlier shops. Dick
also located his air compressor
in the basement to reduce shop
noise. He separated his finishing
activities in a fan-ventilated,
dust-free finishing room in
one corner of the main shop.
He further reduced noise
by shutting off his dust
collector in its own room.
Unlike his basement shops of
old that were devoid of natural
light, Dicks on-grade shop
embraces the sun. In my new
shop I wanted a lot of windows,
he says. These, he admits, cut
down on available wall space
for storage. Where possible, he
added specialized wall cabinet
storage, like the drill bit holder
shown above, right. Similar wall
cabinets store his measuring and
marking tools and router bits.
Most of my storage, however, is
made up of base cabinets with
lots of drawers. I built them to
fit various spaces and functions
58
as I moved in and set up shop.

One big improvement over his
previous shops, Dick cites, is
in lumber storage. I designed
and had built steel support
posts with crossarms that float
between the ceiling and the
floor. The crossarm trees can
be spaced as needed. I spaced
them to hold 12'-long lumber."
Storing jigs in most shops can
be a hassle. Dick, a consummate
jig maker, stashes his in his
dust-collector room. I make
jigs when I have a specific
need, he says. Most come
from woodworking magazines,
he claims, but Ill modify or
improve them in some way.
In spite of the shops plethora
of features and wealth of space,
Dick observes, I dont think
too much about saving time
or overall efficiency. I enjoy
spending time in my shop, and I
guess Im more interested in the
journey than the destination.
Dick mounted this custom-made

bit cabinet on the limited wall
space near his drill press.
I dont think too much

about saving time or
overall efficiency. I enjoy
spending time in my shop,
and I guess Im more
interested in the journey
than the destination.
Aug/Sept 2010
Storage
Toolboxes
Storage
cabinet
Sharpener
Cabinets
Spindle
sander
Sink
Belt
sander
Finishing
table
Bandsaw
Performax
sander
Finishing room
Router
table
Workbenches
Radial-arm
saw
Small parts
storage
Mitersaw
Dust
collector
Saw blade
storage
Jig storage
Double
door
Outfeed/
assembly
table
Double door
and ramp
15" planer
Sharpening
bench
The Floor Plan
Illustration: Oddlyeven
Toolbox
Tablesaw
Granite
surface
plate
During the planning phase,

Dick laid out his workshop to
scale and made cutouts of all
the stationary tools, cabinets,
and benches. I moved things
around until I was satisfied
with the layout, he says. Once
done, he gave his architect the
approximate weights of the
heavier items (planer, jointer,
tablesaw, lumber rack, and so on)
so she could ensure adequate
floor joisting to eliminate the
possibility of the floor sagging.
He also asked for a ramp
outside the double front doors
for easier hauling in and out.
As shown in the floor plan, he
set the planer at an angle out in
the floor to maximize the length
of lumber he can thickness (a
whopping 20'). In my opinion,
says Dick, the tablesaw is
the most important tool to
place. I centrally located mine
and combined it with a large
Scrollsaw
Drill press
12" jointer
Storage
Bandsaw
Lumber rack
Wood lathe
Metal
lathe
Clamp
rack
Basement and
top floor stairs
outfeed table that also serves

as an assembly table. I wanted
access to all sides of the saw and
plenty of support to cut 4 8
sheets by myself. He likewise
provided ample space around
the jointer and other key tools.
Once I had decided on machine
and bench placement, I ran
electrical wiring into boxes that
were floor mounted next to the
appropriate tools. This tactic,
drawing from his former shops,
got rid of any tripping hazards
posed by electrical cords.

Dick located his woodworking

bench a few steps away from
his tablesaw and planned for
access all around. Says the
craftsman, I essentially do
all of my handwork here. His
remaining benches stand along
the wall, serving other purposes.
In his finishing room he
installed a wall of cabinets
topped with a counter that
runs the entire length. It
includes a deep sink with hot
and cold water, employing
a tankless electrical heater.
Aug/Sept 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com 59
Americas Top Shops

Auxiliary workbench
One of my best ideas, says

Dick, was to build an auxiliary
workbench to sit on top of my

woodworking bench. Its much
easier on the back than bending
over the typical height bench,

and it lets me keep delicate work
closer to eye level. The bench
raises the working surface just
over 10", allowing Dick to stand
comfortably when routing
grooves and doing string inlay, as
well as other meticulous tasks.
Edge-joined 114"-thick maple
makes up the top, along with
breadboard ends to allow for
expansion and contraction.
This attaches to a pair of sturdy
stands with countersunk
lag screws and washers. The
bench simply clamps to his
primary bench and includes a
quick-release vise and holes for
bench dogs and hold-downs.
11/4 141/2" top,

length to suit
4" dog
holes
3/8 1" long tenon
6"
41/2"
13/8" dado,
3/4" deep
Top rail and foot
13/8 2 141/2"
Breadboard end
11/4 3 141/2"
Leg 13/8 2 71/2"

1/4" chamfer
1/2" radius
11/2"
1/4 2" lag
screw w/
washer,
counterbored
60
Aug/Sept 2010
Flush-trim router jig
To save time and achieve perfect

results when applying edge banding
to plywood, Dick created this simple
flush-trim jig for his trim router. It
consists of scrap materials from the
shop and an acrylic baseplate to which
the trim router mounts. When in use,
the adjustable carriage rests on the
surface of the edged workpiece and
glides along as shown. The baseplate
acts as a fence, keeping the jig snug
to the edge for the flush-trimming
duration. At outside corners, Dick adds
a temporary sacrificial block to the
shelf being trimmed, holding it in place
with double-faced tape. This allows the
bits bearing to go beyond the corner.
#4 1" F.H.
wood screw
Handle
3/4 11/4 61/2"
#6 11/4" F.H.
wood screw
Window
1/4 21/4 61/2" acrylic
1/2"rabbet,
1/4" deep
#6 11/4" F.H.
wood screw
Counterbored
holes for
router base
screws
3/4"
1" dia. hole,
centered
Side
3/4 21/2 10"
Mounting
plate
3/8 7 7"
acrylic
Handle support
3/4 41/2 51/2"
#8 114" R.H.
wood screw and
washer
Notch
1/4 3/4"
Illustrations: Frank Rorhbach
Aug/Sept 2010 woodcraftmagazine.com
61
Americas Top Shops

Taking it to next level
Like his progression of
workshops over the years,
Dick continually takes his
woodworking, in his words,
to the next level. For the past
three years hes plied his passion
for challenging 18th century
furniture of the Federal period,
with his current efforts being
a Baltimore Federal demilune
card table and an 1805 New
York Pembroke table. One of
my favorite projects (shown
below) is the Massachusetts
62
highboy that was

completed in
2009. I worked
on it for about
13 months. Total
time to actually
build and finish
spanned 250
to 300 hours.
I built it from
curly cherry and
finished it with
wiping varnish.
It was during the same year
that Dick appeared on three
episodes of The American
Woodshop with Scott Phillips.
The episodes featured his inlaid
spice box (shown above), the
highboy, and a trestle table that
he designed for his home office.
Currently, he is the incoming
president of the Western Ohio
Woodworking Club, which
boasts 225 members and
directs its effortsamong
other activitiesto building
Christmas toys for the local
childrens hospital. The club
awards a scholarship each
year to a deserving student
at Rio Grande Universitys
school of woodworking. Says
Dick, We also sponsor a youth
activity at the Artistry in Wood
show where kids between
5 and 12 can come to our
booth and build kit projects
created by club members.
The projects include tool totes,
pencil boxes, bird feeders,
and birdhouses. The members
oversee the activity by teaching
woodworking and helping
the kids assemble the kits.
In spite of his stock of power

tools, Dick continually refines
his craftsmanship. As I improve
my skills, he summarizes, I
find myself spending more
time with the hand tool part of
woodworking. I seem to enjoy
the solitude of just using hand
tools in my shop, listening to
the local public radio station,
and just being quiet without a
lot of power tools running.
How To Submit
Your Shop
Got a top shop filled with ideas

for smarter shop planning
and woodworking? By all
means, let us know! You could
be featured in Woodcraft
Magazine and earn a $350
Woodcraft gift card. Send a
short write-up, photos, and/
or sketches and rough floor
plan to Americas Top Shops
Woodcraft Magazine P.O.
Box 7020 Parkersburg,
WV 26102-7020 editor@
Aug/Sept 2010

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americas top shops

Home Sweet Shop

Devoted woodworking hobbyist Bobby Hartness

driveway winds past the

sheet goods between work stations.

Copyright 2010 by Woodcraft Supply, LLC. All rights reserved.

americas top shops

During construction, Bobby made

Size: 40 x 50' shop plus living

Heating & cooling: Enclosed HVAC

PHotoS: DouG JorDan

If I can draw it, I can build it.

Location is everything: Bobbys shop sits on acreage that the Hartness

11.07 | WooDCraft maGazine

Copyright 2010 by Woodcraft Supply, LLC. All rights reserved.

americas top shops

A workstation that works: Outfeed tables added to Bobbys Rockwell

control the length and direction of cut.

Copyright 2010 by Woodcraft Supply, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Floor Plan

As a new addition, Bobbys

My only regret is not making the shop 40 x 60'instead of 40 x 50'. Because

Jim Harrold, Editor-in-Chief

Copyright 2010 by Woodcraft Supply, LLC. All rights reserved.

americas top shops

Smart Ideas for the Taking

" shelves dadoed in place

corner rack holds

Copyright 2010 by Woodcraft Supply, LLC. All rights reserved.

americas top shops

Guidance from above: This simple router jig positions

I swear by my...Incra LS Positioner. I can literally work to tolerances of a thousandth of

illustrations: shane wiersma

a magazine plan opens to reveal rows of router bits and smaller

Copyright 2010 by Woodcraft Supply, LLC. All rights reserved.

americas top shops

Dust collections private digs: In this 8 x 14' room (above

Copyright 2010 by Woodcraft Supply, LLC. All rights reserved.

americas top shops

Bobby Hartness - designer & woodworker

arly on, Bobby used his skills as a machinist

Wood-centric surroundings: The

Slant-front desk: Bobby

11.07 | WooDCraft maGazine

Copyright 2010 by Woodcraft Supply, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Man With A Plan

John Uhlers Basement Workshop

When you enter Johns shop, the first

s you cruise down the quiet

Rubber floor tiles make the concrete floor easy on the

tool you can think of into his tidy

where he could pursue his passion.

Dec 2007/Jan 2008

Copyright 2010 by Woodcraft Supply, LLC. All rights reserved.

americas top shops

PHoToS: PauL anTHony

he knew where everything

wise decision because now

The fun of turning is to discover what

Type: Basement with outside entrance

Construction: Concrete block with

Johns table saw outfeed table doubles as a large

John spends most of his time in the back corner of

designed this hose reel (left