Discussion
paulrockliffe said:
My workshop is a former Blacksmith's, it's roughly 5m x 9m, but a double garage is plenty of space if you're organised. It's only really cluttered by on-going projects and I have a car in mine. I'll go get some picture.......
Clutter you say?
I've got to hoover the car before I can wash it - don't fancy the mess that wet sawdust will make of the paintwork.
This is what it looks like on the outside. The lean-too at the far end is angled so that there's a good 2.5m width at the far end, so I'm able to keep all the usual rubbish in there out of the way.
I'd forgotten how untidy it is at the moment, I have a wardrobe that is having it's panels covering in vinyl to change the colour, fence-posts ready to go in and wood for my loft project cluttering things up at the moment, it's normally* fairly tidy and behind the fence posts there's a large worktop that flips up. And yes, the car is very small, you'd struggle with a proper sized car! Having gone in this morning I'm regretting organising for the materials for the next phase of my loft conversion to arrive tomorrow!
This is the main work area, I used wall cabinets to give me a small workbench behind to pile crap on as you always need somewhere to pile crap. Helps keep the main bench clear. Believe it or not. One day I'll make a proper worktop and add the desk in the corner for my 'design studio'. All the IT kit is in the roof out of the way.
You can see that if it wasn't for the projects I have a good area for using power tools without having to back the car out of the way. Having everything on wheels makes a big difference and I often take the machinery outside. I added the wall at the back last year, another thing I'll finish one day.... It's mostly glazed as other people's spare glass is cheaper than wood!
Little car has space above for bikes to hang and the lathe and ompressor are tucked behind.
This area is supposed to be for car-tinkering, though it's got a bit over-grown with crap at the moment. Two freezers, sink and tumble-dryer. I'm quite proud of my oak hand-wash station, it's handwash and barrier cream.
Tablesaw, bandsaw and extractor tuck out of the way here. One day the cabinets will have drawers and be useful tool space.
At the other end I have a welding and spray-painting area. The idea is to eventually get this space clear so I can close the doors and make a mess in here, then I'll probably use the powertools more. The ladder is handy, but eventually it'll go to give me more storage space above. I've modified the structure so the mid-collar on the truss can come out so access is from the side. The planer cabinet needs cutting down to take up less space.
I added these lofts front and back and I've got a winch setup to lift the ladder up and down. Eventually there's a lifting beam to go in the main space and the ladder will clip to either loft to serve both. Useful space, though it's full of all the stuff I've not got round to putting on Gumtree at the moment. There's a air filter setup there that seems to make a big difference.
Last pic, more projects in the lean-to, it's mostly full of wood stock, but there's a play house in there to renovate and setup for the kids. More useful storage that I've filled with crap. A major tidy-up is due eventually.....
I'd forgotten how untidy it is at the moment, I have a wardrobe that is having it's panels covering in vinyl to change the colour, fence-posts ready to go in and wood for my loft project cluttering things up at the moment, it's normally* fairly tidy and behind the fence posts there's a large worktop that flips up. And yes, the car is very small, you'd struggle with a proper sized car! Having gone in this morning I'm regretting organising for the materials for the next phase of my loft conversion to arrive tomorrow!
This is the main work area, I used wall cabinets to give me a small workbench behind to pile crap on as you always need somewhere to pile crap. Helps keep the main bench clear. Believe it or not. One day I'll make a proper worktop and add the desk in the corner for my 'design studio'. All the IT kit is in the roof out of the way.
You can see that if it wasn't for the projects I have a good area for using power tools without having to back the car out of the way. Having everything on wheels makes a big difference and I often take the machinery outside. I added the wall at the back last year, another thing I'll finish one day.... It's mostly glazed as other people's spare glass is cheaper than wood!
Little car has space above for bikes to hang and the lathe and ompressor are tucked behind.
This area is supposed to be for car-tinkering, though it's got a bit over-grown with crap at the moment. Two freezers, sink and tumble-dryer. I'm quite proud of my oak hand-wash station, it's handwash and barrier cream.
Tablesaw, bandsaw and extractor tuck out of the way here. One day the cabinets will have drawers and be useful tool space.
At the other end I have a welding and spray-painting area. The idea is to eventually get this space clear so I can close the doors and make a mess in here, then I'll probably use the powertools more. The ladder is handy, but eventually it'll go to give me more storage space above. I've modified the structure so the mid-collar on the truss can come out so access is from the side. The planer cabinet needs cutting down to take up less space.
I added these lofts front and back and I've got a winch setup to lift the ladder up and down. Eventually there's a lifting beam to go in the main space and the ladder will clip to either loft to serve both. Useful space, though it's full of all the stuff I've not got round to putting on Gumtree at the moment. There's a air filter setup there that seems to make a big difference.
Last pic, more projects in the lean-to, it's mostly full of wood stock, but there's a play house in there to renovate and setup for the kids. More useful storage that I've filled with crap. A major tidy-up is due eventually.....
- never.
48k said:
paulrockliffe said:
My workshop is a former Blacksmith's, it's roughly 5m x 9m, but a double garage is plenty of space if you're organised. It's only really cluttered by on-going projects and I have a car in mine. I'll go get some picture.......
Clutter you say?I've got to hoover the car before I can wash it - don't fancy the mess that wet sawdust will make of the paintwork.
paulrockliffe said:
Amateur clutterist!
Clearly! I'd love to have an outbuilding like that. Perfect man den. Very jealous.You said you'd put everything on wheels - I noticed eg the band saw was - have you levelled the workshop floor and then set all your mobile tools so the beds are all the same height as your table?
Loving that space PR! I'll post up some pics of my (tiny) workspace in a bit; but first - my first large project is finished!!!! 
I'm super chuffed with how it's come out, I am really happy! Just this one project has taught me a huge amount. Probably my biggest lesson though is don't rush. Chill out and enjoy the process, it's easier to take a little bit off than put a little bit back on!!
I'm super chuffed with how it's come out, I am really happy! Just this one project has taught me a huge amount. Probably my biggest lesson though is don't rush. Chill out and enjoy the process, it's easier to take a little bit off than put a little bit back on!!
A nice woodworking project is a bee hive.
And if you like wood work, in the context of boat building, the Tally Ho blog is worth watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FhTu3aGM60
(EP19 the best)
And if you like wood work, in the context of boat building, the Tally Ho blog is worth watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FhTu3aGM60
(EP19 the best)
48k said:
paulrockliffe said:
Amateur clutterist!
Clearly! I'd love to have an outbuilding like that. Perfect man den. Very jealous.You said you'd put everything on wheels - I noticed eg the band saw was - have you levelled the workshop floor and then set all your mobile tools so the beds are all the same height as your table?
The workshop floor was very uneven and I took a wall out next to bring what was the garage into the main space, the garage had no floor at all, just earth. In an ideal world it would have been dug out and recast, but I did it on the cheap - it has suspended floor under the Mini that's sat on cast concrete pads, chipboard over that, then where the chipboard goes over the concrete floor I've just dot and dabbed it with concrete blobs. I then went over the chipboard with vinyl off-cuts that another PHer offered me.
It's not very good, but it was cheap!
So no, it's not levelled and beds are at different heights. Perhaps there would be some benefit to being able to run large sheets over the table saw resting on the main workbench, but it's quite niche as I tend to get sheets cut by the supplier and I have some roller stands, so it's never been an issue. I'd focus your efforts elsewhere, but if it's easy to do and you're not compromising on work heights you might as well.
Schmeeky said:
Loving that space PR! I'll post up some pics of my (tiny) workspace in a bit; but first - my first large project is finished!!!!
I'm super chuffed with how it's come out, I am really happy! Just this one project has taught me a huge amount. Probably my biggest lesson though is don't rush. Chill out and enjoy the process, it's easier to take a little bit off than put a little bit back on!!
That looks good. I was going to point out that if you'd gone against wisdom and done your pocket screws on the outside in the corner they wouldn't be seen, but then I saw they're covered by the DVDs anyway.I'm super chuffed with how it's come out, I am really happy! Just this one project has taught me a huge amount. Probably my biggest lesson though is don't rush. Chill out and enjoy the process, it's easier to take a little bit off than put a little bit back on!!
Cheers PR!
Now this has evolved into a 'show-us-your-shops' as well as 'show-us-your-projects' thread, well, it'd be rude not to!
I bought my place just over 2 years ago, and one of the big selling points was the garage and workshop. Very rare to have such facilities in my price bracket, it was virtually a no-brainer to buy it. This is what it looked like when I first saw it...
It turned out that my car didn't actually fit in it though...
So, the wall came down and the paint came out..
To quote Steve Guttenburg in the film Police Academy - "It fits, damn thing fits!"
Roll on two years, and the clutter is accumulating!
It's not a massive space, 2.8m by 2.8m, but it's enough. Does mean good organisation is needed though!
The biggest improvements were the white paint and the LED battens, which turned it from a dungeon to a bright space. Other mod-cons include Wi-Fi! The TP-Link powerline somehow manages to connect with the ones in the house, which means I can run an Amazon Echo plugged into the stereo and stream from Spotify.
I am not by nature the most organised of people, but I find in the shop that everything has its proper place and I always know where everything is. Decent storage space and a label machine help though!
With the house not having a huge amount of storage space, one of my first projects was to gain more. The old workshop room had a ceiling, so I extended from that and built a ladder for easy access. It's only 2 or 3 extra square meters of space, but it makes a big difference..
I love how the place is constantly evolving as I find different uses for it..
Now this has evolved into a 'show-us-your-shops' as well as 'show-us-your-projects' thread, well, it'd be rude not to!
I bought my place just over 2 years ago, and one of the big selling points was the garage and workshop. Very rare to have such facilities in my price bracket, it was virtually a no-brainer to buy it. This is what it looked like when I first saw it...
It turned out that my car didn't actually fit in it though...
So, the wall came down and the paint came out..
To quote Steve Guttenburg in the film Police Academy - "It fits, damn thing fits!"
Roll on two years, and the clutter is accumulating!
It's not a massive space, 2.8m by 2.8m, but it's enough. Does mean good organisation is needed though!
The biggest improvements were the white paint and the LED battens, which turned it from a dungeon to a bright space. Other mod-cons include Wi-Fi! The TP-Link powerline somehow manages to connect with the ones in the house, which means I can run an Amazon Echo plugged into the stereo and stream from Spotify.
I am not by nature the most organised of people, but I find in the shop that everything has its proper place and I always know where everything is. Decent storage space and a label machine help though!
With the house not having a huge amount of storage space, one of my first projects was to gain more. The old workshop room had a ceiling, so I extended from that and built a ladder for easy access. It's only 2 or 3 extra square meters of space, but it makes a big difference..
I love how the place is constantly evolving as I find different uses for it..
Mine is a single garage and a half, which gives me enough room for most things, but I ditched the table saw for a tracksaw to save space.
Like Paul I do a lot more by hand now, so a bench is no.1 priority for me, along with bandsaw and planer thicknesser.
Workshop is laid out like this:
I can move the power tools on the left to accommodate longer lengths if necessary.
Most of my work is hand work in hardwoods now, I've done a couple of courses with Chris Tribe who teaches both hand and power tools so I have a good blend of craftmanship and practicality.
One of the most important things I've learned is the importance of good tools and keeping them properly sharp (the first day of Chris' course is entirely devoted to sharpening chisels and plane irons) I use the Scary Sharp system with is relatively cheap to start with and allows a really sharp edge.
I buy hand tools mostly from Workshop Heaven and plan to have them last a lifetime, you'll see why when you open the link and look at the prices but a really good tool, sharpened well is a thing of joy to use.
One of the other things Chris taught us was how to find good second-hand tools and refurbish them - I have a couple of lovely 1930s Stanley planes I bought in a junk shop for £15 that are as good or better than anything modern costing £300 upwards.
Bench is some Oak worktop a friend gave me (he works for a kitchen manufacturer) with lots of dog holes and a Veritas Inset Vice that I find extremely useful.
Last project was a set of oak tables to go in our new extension. In progress:
And finished, I made one large and 2 small tables to the same basic design:
Like Paul I do a lot more by hand now, so a bench is no.1 priority for me, along with bandsaw and planer thicknesser.
Workshop is laid out like this:
I can move the power tools on the left to accommodate longer lengths if necessary.
Most of my work is hand work in hardwoods now, I've done a couple of courses with Chris Tribe who teaches both hand and power tools so I have a good blend of craftmanship and practicality.
One of the most important things I've learned is the importance of good tools and keeping them properly sharp (the first day of Chris' course is entirely devoted to sharpening chisels and plane irons) I use the Scary Sharp system with is relatively cheap to start with and allows a really sharp edge.
I buy hand tools mostly from Workshop Heaven and plan to have them last a lifetime, you'll see why when you open the link and look at the prices but a really good tool, sharpened well is a thing of joy to use.
One of the other things Chris taught us was how to find good second-hand tools and refurbish them - I have a couple of lovely 1930s Stanley planes I bought in a junk shop for £15 that are as good or better than anything modern costing £300 upwards.
Bench is some Oak worktop a friend gave me (he works for a kitchen manufacturer) with lots of dog holes and a Veritas Inset Vice that I find extremely useful.
Last project was a set of oak tables to go in our new extension. In progress:
And finished, I made one large and 2 small tables to the same basic design:
Schmeeky said:
Cheers PR!
Now this has evolved into a 'show-us-your-shops' as well as 'show-us-your-projects' thread, well, it'd be rude not to!
I bought my place just over 2 years ago, and one of the big selling points was the garage and workshop. Very rare to have such facilities in my price bracket, it was virtually a no-brainer to buy it. This is what it looked like when I first saw it...
It turned out that my car didn't actually fit in it though...
So, the wall came down and the paint came out..
To quote Steve Guttenburg in the film Police Academy - "It fits, damn thing fits!"
Roll on two years, and the clutter is accumulating!
It's not a massive space, 2.8m by 2.8m, but it's enough. Does mean good organisation is needed though!
The biggest improvements were the white paint and the LED battens, which turned it from a dungeon to a bright space. Other mod-cons include Wi-Fi! The TP-Link powerline somehow manages to connect with the ones in the house, which means I can run an Amazon Echo plugged into the stereo and stream from Spotify.
I am not by nature the most organised of people, but I find in the shop that everything has its proper place and I always know where everything is. Decent storage space and a label machine help though!
With the house not having a huge amount of storage space, one of my first projects was to gain more. The old workshop room had a ceiling, so I extended from that and built a ladder for easy access. It's only 2 or 3 extra square meters of space, but it makes a big difference..
I love how the place is constantly evolving as I find different uses for it..
We have the same chopsaw! Excellent bit of kit for the money, nice purchase! Now this has evolved into a 'show-us-your-shops' as well as 'show-us-your-projects' thread, well, it'd be rude not to!
I bought my place just over 2 years ago, and one of the big selling points was the garage and workshop. Very rare to have such facilities in my price bracket, it was virtually a no-brainer to buy it. This is what it looked like when I first saw it...
It turned out that my car didn't actually fit in it though...
So, the wall came down and the paint came out..
To quote Steve Guttenburg in the film Police Academy - "It fits, damn thing fits!"
Roll on two years, and the clutter is accumulating!
It's not a massive space, 2.8m by 2.8m, but it's enough. Does mean good organisation is needed though!
The biggest improvements were the white paint and the LED battens, which turned it from a dungeon to a bright space. Other mod-cons include Wi-Fi! The TP-Link powerline somehow manages to connect with the ones in the house, which means I can run an Amazon Echo plugged into the stereo and stream from Spotify.
I am not by nature the most organised of people, but I find in the shop that everything has its proper place and I always know where everything is. Decent storage space and a label machine help though!
With the house not having a huge amount of storage space, one of my first projects was to gain more. The old workshop room had a ceiling, so I extended from that and built a ladder for easy access. It's only 2 or 3 extra square meters of space, but it makes a big difference..
I love how the place is constantly evolving as I find different uses for it..
mgtony said:
I turn all empty draws upside down so I don't waste time ratching through them. In fact, only a couple of draws in that one have anything in, I should really stick it in the loft out of the way...
paulrockliffe said:
That looks good. I was going to point out that if you'd gone against wisdom and done your pocket screws on the outside in the corner they wouldn't be seen, but then I saw they're covered by the DVDs anyway.
Thank you! On the first iteration of this (which I buggered up..) I had the pockets holes on the outside, and I didn't like the way it looked. Fortunately I had to redo the side panels after making a bloody stupid elementary measurement mistake, so I could hide them on the inside. paulrockliffe said:
If you wall-mount your shelves, put them up high and hang a small ladder off the end you'll get some bonus space underneath.
You know, I would have never considered doing that. Good idea, ta! 
Mark Benson said:
Those tables are lovely Mark. Great workshop as well! 
geeks said:
We have the same chopsaw! Excellent bit of kit for the money, nice purchase!
I am super chuffed with it. It works really well, and feels like a tool worth three times the price!Edited by Schmeeky on Tuesday 11th June 14:09
Loving this thread, started to make various bits at our new house as I've finally got decent workshop space.
New gate for the woods reusing the old ironmongery & repairs to an arch window that needed a new bottom rail & a couple of the glazing bars remaking. Looking forward to getting my teeth in to plenty more projects as I've got lots of windows to repair and doors to make.
New gate for the woods reusing the old ironmongery & repairs to an arch window that needed a new bottom rail & a couple of the glazing bars remaking. Looking forward to getting my teeth in to plenty more projects as I've got lots of windows to repair and doors to make.
RSVR101 said:
Loving this thread, great to see some amateur woodworking, nothing more satisfying than having a go yourself and getting a good result. Impressed to see someone attempting 5 part doors, not a simple task even with all the right kit.
We do it for a living so if anyone wants a job...
Loving the projects that folks have built on here, especially the cat storage unit We do it for a living so if anyone wants a job...
Would love to go professional on woodworking after probably 35 years of increasing my hobbyist skills. Problem is, nobody would pay me enough money as an employee compared to the what I have to earn to live today. So it will be a retirement thing.
I have seen a few things which I could knock out with quite a cheap material cost but are highly labour intensive - which would price me out as a business but would just be fun as a retiree just to earn a beer or two and change some currently mundane things in people’s houses towards a really unusual take on the solution. Can’t say too much more at the moment, but in a few years... all will be revealed.
A few customers at 30-40k each for a capstan table (YouTube link I provided linked earlier) would be an ideal start for me to found the business for the 100 quid knock outs later on. Dreams.. dreams...
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