Our Workshops

[Ruaidhri]

I'll have to do a quick tidy up to find my own workshop first, but how about some pictures and details of your workshops and equipment?

 

Might be enlightening.

 

Cheers,

Ruaidhrí

[btboone]

I have a couple shots of my shop. This shows my new small mill. On the left is the lathe, on the foreground right is the laser.

[btboone]

Here's one of my bigger machining center before the new one arrived. The laser is on the left here and a Sherline 4th axis mill on the right.

[btboone]

Here's a shot of my assembly room. I have a press on the left and a bandsaw and milling machine on the right. Around the corner, there are saws and other woodworking stuff. Behind and to the right is a metal lathe.

[btboone]

Here's a shot of my lathe. It does a pretty nice job for me.

[btboone]

Here's my finishing room. I've since moved the beadblaster into the nearby closet and added another hand polishing station with more Foredom tools. There's a vacuum system in the same closet.

Edited November 5, 2007 by btboone

[bgray]

I'm drooling, Bruce.

 

Right now, my shop is in the cramped garage.

 

But I'm having a foundation poured in the next couple of weeks on my new shop.

 

1000 sq feet, heated, air conditioned...the works.

 

I'll post pics around the spring when it's done.

 

In the meantime, Bruce, do you mind if commute down to GA and make some pens on your equipment?

 

[dfurlano]

MY FREAKIN EYES!

 

Damn. Nice shop. Some day I will come and see it live.

 

From one "button pusher" to another. ;p

 

Dan

[LDF]

Awesome Bruce!

What are you building, lunar landers?

[btboone]

Thanks guys. It does pretty well. As you might see from the pictures, I like pegboard and bright lights. Can't have too much of either.

 

LDF, I do a few pens here and there, but my mail line of work is titanium rings. I'll be getting the high speed speed spindle for the Tormach this week. I have an order for about 70 college rings coming up.

 

[PenWorks]

Where is the saw dust ? Oh, wrong forum

I am in awe ....... but wouldn't know what to do with it, if I owned it.

Can you play Pac Man on those monitors ??

I wish your pen production, matched your ring out put.

 

I need to retire so I can apprentice for you.

 

 

[btboone]

Anthony, if my pen output matched my ring output, I think I'd retire and work for you!

[PenWorks]

Anthony, if my pen output matched my ring output, I think I'd retire and work for you!

 

Great idea I think you should relocate to Arizona, You can move into my shop, I will move next door.

I can apprentice, increase your pen sales to match the ring production, then we both can retire in Costa Rica !

 

 

[Ruaidhri]

What fascinates me most is that we can see the floor

 

My own workshop looked like that during a dream back in the late 70s

 

Thanks for the pics.

 

Ruaidhrí

[richardandtracy]

I have a couple shots of my shop. This shows my new small mill. On the left is the lathe, on the foreground right is the laser.

And there's me drooling over my latest aquisition. A Boxford 8" shaper.

I seem to have made it into the 1950's for my workshop technology while this is up to the second.

 

And the tidiness. Oh wow.

All my benches are made with timber salvaged from pallets topped with steel plate rescued from skips. I suppose I've got 50 pallets worth of timber in the various benches. Some pallets were 8ft x 3ft, others a more common 4ft x 3ft but fully planked with 6" x 2" timbers. These make fantastic work benches when given legs, a further 1" thick planking and a 6mm steel plate top.

My latest workshop addition - a 250kg swl A-frame crane made from 8ft pallet timbers, a salvaged 60 x 60 x 4mm steel box section and a few bits of salvaged angle iron. I've done the calculations and have a minimum reserve of 6x on ultimate. I think Heath-Robinson must have been a cousin.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

[Eagle]

My shop started out as a 12x16 lawnmower "garage" Since I am a woodworker it presently houses:

 

Grizzly table saw,

Jet 14" Bandsaw,

Rarely seen or used 8 inch Grizzly jointer (but its' in there)

2Rikon 12/16 lathes

Jet 10/14 mini lathe

A used Dremel 16" scroll saw.

A beat up Rtobi BT something or other,Noe of the accesories are installed,I bought it used for the table top and motor.

that's it for large tools and the ususal clamps, and other flatworking tools that most would have in their home/grage shop.

No "specialty" tools of any kind.

[Jim in Oakville]

Bruce,

 

That is really a wonderful shop, it is so bright and clean too.....incredible.

 

In my day job I work with a lot of suppliers who run large Mazak's and other types of CNC milling machines, I am used to seeing large scale set up's with lots of sloppy coolant all over the place.....your shop is like a mini machine shop, very amaing, and clean floors...yeah. allow me to apply to be the apprentice to the apprentice...can I watch!!!

 

This is my shop, I am a hobbiest furniture maker, pen making is second to furniture for me.

 

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/jimshaver50/IMG_9047.jpg

 

My work bench

 

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/jimshaver50/IMG_3346.jpg

 

Shop layout is in a 2 car garage

 

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/jimshaver50/IMG_3345.jpg

I have some room right in front of teh table saw for some of the machines Bruce is using! :ltcapd:

 

Edited December 15, 2007 by Jim in Oakville

[bgray]

Hey Jim.

 

I've always liked your shop. Lots of Canadian tools!

 

It looks like you are not insulated. How do you keep warm and dry?

[Jim in Oakville]

Hey Jim.

 

I've always liked your shop. Lots of Canadian tools!

 

It looks like you are not insulated. How do you keep warm and dry?

 

 

Thanks Brian,

 

I believe in the buy once - cry once thought process, I have 5 Generals in my shop. No I have no insulation, winters are mild here in Canada.

 

I do not woodwork during the winter months, I do have a construction heater and when I get the itch I run it and get out there, but it takes a long time for the cold to get out of the steel tools and machines. I shut down from early November till mid to late April.

 

I play hockey, well not this year, bt I will be back next year, so the shop is an off season hobby for me.

[Ruaidhri]

I was hoping to wait for two things before I posted these - the new camera I've promised myself, and a MAJOR tidy up

 

Unfortunately, back problems and family issues have prevented the Great Reorganisation of 2008 (so far) and indeed cut my shop time to very little of late.

Having seen you folk put your shops up, I'll have to bang away, and hope you'll believe I am normally an extremely tidy worker

 

Workshop is 17' x 8'. Pannelled with 1" insulation under panelling. Electricity is on a separate circuit from house, with over-ride switch inside door, as is first aid kit and fire extinguisher

Hard hats, Racal filtered air mask etc are in use - I apparently only have one set of lungs.

Japanese gear - ori nomis, dozuki, ryobas etc are carefully stored (not vis in pics).

 

Please be gentle with your comments :embarrassed_smile: :embarrassed_smile:

 

Inside door on left - supposed to be books but they keep coming back into the house

Somewhere in there is a planer, router table, dremmel, jigsaw and other bits & bobs

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/ruaidhri/FPN%20Stuff/PlanerRouter.jpg

 

Moving along on the left side - the saw has a 10" blade (but it's heavy!!). The section of shelf where the planes live has a piece of old carpet sprayed with WD40 - so not smart cracks about lying them on their sides

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/ruaidhri/FPN%20Stuff/Carving-and-planes.jpg

 

Next on left is a Kity 613 bandsaw (dust extraction under). Also is a welder - under the plastic bag :embarrassed_smile: and the compressor for my air tools.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/ruaidhri/FPN%20Stuff/Bandsaw-1.jpg

 

Bottom left is the Myford Super 7 (tooling etc on shelves behind and above).

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/ruaidhri/FPN%20Stuff/Myford.jpg

 

Bottom right is mill/drill & some saws (more to be tidied!). The little Carbatec is on loan to a friend who is re-doing his own lathe & used to sit here also.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/ruaidhri/FPN%20Stuff/MillDrilland-saws.jpg

 

Up on the right (the dust extractor is buried under some boxes) is my Record No4 - the main woodturning workhorse. With the headstock swiveled it will swing 32". The bed-bars on it at the moment are 36". Behind are a few of my favourite tools, many shop made and all razor sharp

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/ruaidhri/FPN%20Stuff/Hone-and-Compo.jpg

 

More tools above

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/ruaidhri/FPN%20Stuff/Toolrack_left.jpg

 

and finally top right:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/ruaidhri/FPN%20Stuff/Toolrack_right.jpg

 

Questions, comments (remember - gently!!) welcome.

 

Cheers,

Ruaidhrí