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Wow, now I feel normal. Others with rug on the floor or working in the living room! Luckily the landlord let me pull up the rug in the spare room so I moved a step up in both cases, but at least I can tell the wife I’m not the only person who thinks it is totally normal if not expected to cover the rug with chips and shavings. I’m lucky, when I started doing that I got a shop vac instead of a divorce for Christmas.
Lumps of plant. That’s great. I’d guess that the vast majority of hobby woodworkers make due without a proper bench, at least for a few years. I realized I was getting shop envys while back after looking at shop threads on other sites, thinking mine had to look like the fancy, or asst least clean, ones. It clicked that it’s like watching TV… all the women are beautiful and all the men both handsome and rich. I’m neither, and my shop is messy and small. But I love working in it! I’ve gotta go see the thread you linked to…
I’m relatively new to woodworking myself, been at it a few years and not any sort of expert.
Workholding is one thing I seldom see covered in advise to beginners. We don’t often have a bench with a vise when starting out. This was a huge problem for me at first.
I tried a metal vise, awful. I put wood jaw plates in. That just made it not mark the wood as it didn’t hold it well. I tried modern clamps, awkward to impossible. Sometimes I could clamp the workpiece to a piece of wood, then clamp that wood to the bench I’m working on (bench as in homework, computer, etc. Not even a proper adult sized office desk). I screwed a planing stop to the top, then another thinner one replaced it. Helps a lot for a very few things. I made a wooden vise – hand turned and carved a 28″ by 2.25″ bench screw and matching nut. No lathe, just brass screws as centers. Spun it by hand, holding a pencil to mark the high spots, then removed wood when it was not spinning with spokeshave, plane, and finally card scraper! Lots of work, lots of fun. I get to pat myself on the back everytime I look at it sitting in the corner on the floor since I haven’t finished my proper bench to mount it on.
I finally bought three handscrews from HF, $8 each. You can spend more but its one of those things that is safe to buy there as it’s hard to screw up. They clamp to each other, hold really well, and with three you can hold things in so many ways, clamping one to another and then that one to a work surface. More and larger is better, but three is a good start.
One thing about actual vises – it isn’t just the vise itself, but how it works with the bench layout. Here I’m in the realm of regurgitating stuff I’ve read like I actually know it, but it makes a lot of sense. Again, Chris Schwarz book and various articles cover how the whole bench works as an integrated workholding device. He discusses a variety of vises as well, seems they tried most of the common options on one bench or the other in the book. Definitely worth a read when designing a workbench or choosing a vise.
I am setting up a 12 by 8 foot room as a shop. It is made harder by having three doors and a window, so only one clear wall. It is between the living room and bathroom so that also limits layout – people, including guests, need to be able to safely traverse it! Sounds like that could be larger than your porch, but I feel a lot can be done in a small space.
I’ve certainly seen a number of shop build threads showing situations like you describe on other woodworking sites. Sawmillcreek has a whole section on workshops.
As for cost, I’m on a VERY tight budget and I’m learning to go a piece at a time. I mostly make tools I need, or tools to make tools, and only sometimes actually turn out a project like a piece of small furniture. But I’m learning a lot and having great fun. I joined here so I can start focusing on actual end-result type projects. Look for roadblocks that are slowing you down – usually for me it’s that one tool I keep trying to do without due to expense and end up making everything take longer. I’m no expert, just another somewhat new woodworker who’s also figuring this stuff out.
As for shop size, I don’t think it needs to be nearly as large as you often see online. Most use a corner of their garage but don’t post a bunch of photos on forums about their shop because, well, they only use a corner of their garage! I’ve worked on a normal small office desk for a couple years and am only now finishing up my bench, and I had to make it just 5.5 feet long. I know it will work for the vast majority of what I want to make. For other stuff I’ll put something as an extension, if needed. Power tools take up a lot of space, a ton of money, and make noise and dust (and eat fingers). I was hand tool only until just recently.
I broke down and got a shopsmith off craigslist because it came with a bandsaw and, of course, has a drill press mode. It also came with a planer. People either love them or hate them, but I took it completely apart and found it very easy to tune up in spite of the abuse it suffered in previous owner’s hands, thanks to how very well built they are. For a hand tool oriented woodworker in a small shop, it is a great fit. I won’t use the table saw function, its scary and weakest function – hardly ever, and if I take up woodturning seriously I’ll get a real lathe, but the bandsaw and drill press are great. They last so long that there are many on craigslist, got my setup for less than I’d have paid for separate used bandsaw and drill press – so glad I did.
I know I’m going on here, but last thing – I’d worry about securing the tools in either a shed or porch. Around here it would be a problem, no idea where you are.
Thanks,
Fitzhugh -
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