A Nice Little Feature I Forgot To Mention

When in the process of building my shop, it struck me that the way that I had to position my stairs was going to make it difficult to get long boards above stairs for storage. I was discussing the shop with Colonial Williamsburg Cabinet Maker Karre Loftheim on a trip down there a few months back and he suggested a trap door in the above stairs floor. What a great idea! I took his advice and I'm so glad I did. Made getting 15' lengths of mahogany up there possible when it otherwise would have been tough to get 9' lengths up there. I just shoot them from right outside the front door on up through the opening. And as an added bonus, it's a cool place to take aerial pictures of the shop. :)

Shop Update: FINISHED........

.............for now. I mean really, is any shop ever TOTALLY finished. There's always improvements that you want to make as you get in there and work and get a feel for what might make things work better or make the flow of work more efficient. For example, I know I want a dedicated sharpening station, but I don't know where yet. I know I want a built in spring pole lathe, but that's going to take time. But I'm in! The workbench is in place, with the tool chest by it's side. All the windows and doors are trimmed and painted. Baseboard up all around. Peg rails with custom made cherry pegs installed are hung, with saws hanging from the pegs. Lighting, check. And they provide more than enough light. And not a harsh light either. AC/Heat Pump, check. Works great. Runs quietly and cools the space very quickly. Guess I'll be finding out about the heating capabilities soon enough. 

I've actually been working out of the new shop for about two weeks now. Cutting, molding, and installing the trim for the windows, doors, baseboard, and peg rails. I gotta tell you, it's a JOY to work out of. It so nice to have a dedicated space and to have that space look the way you want it to. It's quite an inspiring place for me actually. It makes me want to keep it clean and organized. Even on night's when I haven't wrapped things up out there until 11 at night, I've not yet failed to sweep up before coming in. Needless to say, I couldn't be happier with the place. Put me a cot and a mini fridge upstairs and I could be quite content out there for weeks. I'd have to install a privy out back though. :)

Health issues that have reared their ugly head again recently may slow my progress a little, but I'll keep plugging away. I've got a desk to build that I promised to the most beautiful woman back in the spring just before this shop odyssey began. I may sneak in a built in shelf here and there while working on the desk, but I have to get my focus straight and concentrate on completing that desk for my wife. MUST.....RESTRAIN.....FROM.......STARTING......THE SPRING POLE LATHE. 

Oh, and next spring I'm planing on a used brick sidewalk and some shrubbery out front and a nice tree, possibly a river birch, off the left front corner. Man I've got big plans. This has been one fun project.

Anyway, here are some pictures with a sort of a 360 view of the shop and a few detail photo's thrown in.

Why Is This Picture Significant To Me? (And To My Wife)

Because this is the first time in about 10 months that my wife's car has been able to be parked in the garage. Which in turn means that there has been pretty major progress on my new shop, and that my workbench, tool chest, some 14' lengths of mahogany, and other miscellaneous woodworking items have made there way OUT of my wife's parking spot and INTO my new shop. More to come on that VERY SOON.  :)