My Shop ~ 2021
My Dad was a real DIY kind of guy. My brother Rick likened him to a ‘Breakdown Mechanic.’ At a young age, he had me help him work on the car, boat, and stuff around the house. He had a Sears contractor table saw and a few other woodworking tools. In high school, I would build things for the band.
This has become one of my lifelong passions, like my music. I bought myself that same Sears table saw and started collecting power, mechanic, and woodworking tools. Over the years, I have built shops in all of my homes.
Early Days
When I moved to Washington, I had a skill saw and some mechanics tools. The first tool I bought was a Sears Router.
I quickly discovered you couldn’t do much with a router until you bought other essentials like a table saw! I did that when I moved to Issaquah in the early 1980s. Most of my early work was building picture frames. I did my first joinery on an oval mirror for the bathroom. I bought a set of Marples Blue Chip chisels and learned how to make joints by hand.
When I moved back from Germany, I started designing and building furniture. My shop was as big as my houseβit was the whole basement of a single-story home with the same footprint. I bought my first inexpensive tools, including a Sears band saw, drill press, and Grizzly jointer. I started buying a lot of hand and power tools.
Early designs from Colorado
My first project involved tearing out part of my living room wall and putting in a custom cabinet for my stereo equipment and drawers for my CDs. An access hatch is in the walking closet at the rear of my master bedroom, providing access to wiring. Several years later, I built the massive cabinet to put my stereo in when I moved to my home in the canyon in 1995. It is extremely heavy and has held up great after innumerable moves.
Atlanta
In Atlanta, I developed my skills further and added essentials like a planer, upgraded my band saw and jointer, and upgraded my table saw to a cabinet saw. I built a router table, as shown in the shot below.
Later, I added a dust collector, upgraded my drill press, and added smaller stationary tools like a mortiser, sander, and chop saw. I was on fire and did some very cool projects.
In the last couple of years, I have been able to locate my shop in a large space in a storage facility. I had them drop a 220-volt line in, and I was in business. It is the nicest shop in terms of space.
Atlanta Projects
Florida
In Florida, I really kicked things into high gear! At first, I was set up in the garage at Satellite Beach and Valhalla. Things were tight at first! In 2020, I bought a 20 x 12-foot shed and located it in my backyard. I spent the Summer fitting it out with electrical, lighting, shelves, and insulated paneling. I am very pleased with the result, although I should have bought a 24-foot-long model. My biggest challenge is always finding room for lumber!
When I finally moved into my shed in 2020, I had breathing room again! I’ve upgraded my planer, added a drum sander, and added many smaller hand and power tools.
More recently, I started veneering and doing inlay work.
My most recent buy was the incredible Shaper Origin hand-held precision router!
Florida Projects
