Old Time Wood Works

The Shop

For some reason there is a great public interest in a craftsman's shop? For fellow woodworkers it for the ability to gloat over ones tools, floor space, and the view from the shop, but for my customers or future clients the curiosity is to see if my shop is nothing more than a stump.

My shop was at one time , an open 14'x 10' bay in an old pole barn; the contents was a lathe, small band saw, small light and a stationary grinder, all powered by 300'of extension cord. Seems the times have changed; now my shop is a 48'x 24'pole barn with heat and power. Yahoo! I have devoted a 12'x12' part of it for the studio show room, but the rest is full with machinery, hand tools and lumber.

When I was a small lad, my father had a tool room, or really a tool cage in the basement of our home. The walls where made out of chicken wire, and it had a lock on the door. He loved his tools and had a lot of them, but unlike a collector he used them. I recall standing outside of this cage and probably drooling at the sight of it all, the lock was not doubt in place to keep my brothers and I out. Sad to say he never shared his passion in these tools or the building trade with any of us. Upon his death, the tools where given to a friend of his, how gave them to his son and I have no doubt lost them all in a years time?

When it comes to tools, honestly I don't know if I wll ever recoup on the expenses, by way of owning my own business, but as a hobbyist and a guy that loves this stuff, I don't know if it really matters. Some day maybe my son or daughter will join me and when I'm too old to do this, it will all be theirs.

So for those of you curious about the shop, enjoy the pictures.

With three good size work benches and 5 vices, and a pattern makers vice, I am able to work on several things at once. One of my favorite benches not included above is a converted salon chair base with a butcher block top. With its hydraulic base and the ability to spin and lock, I am able spend many hours sitting comfortable in front of the wood stove, cutting, and chiseling the smaller work. It also accompanies me on the road for craft fairs and shows.