Good country shop video

[Joel_BC]

In my opinion, every homestead needs what I call a “mixed shop.” A shop, or "tool shed" or plain “shed” (Aussie term), being a work space. It’s where you can do repairs, maintenance, or modifications on devices and equipment — not to mention, making things from scratch from various materials. And making things can involve materials ranging from wood, to plastics, to steel or aluminum, to leather and others.

I like this video because it’s a tour through a shop that truly provides for many of the processes indispensable to any homestead or small farm. And for hobbies, too.

True, the guy has more tools than many people would feel the need to acquire (though they’re orderly enough accommodated for findability). He’s definitely got more woodworking equipment on-hand than I do. And while you could do small-engine work in this shop, it doesn't offer much space for positioning a vehicle larger than something like a small motorcycle. But the guy’s instincts for developing a shop suited to country living are excellent.

What more can I say? He’s got good benches, roll-out drawers, various parts bins, materials storage, etc.

Comments would be great, folks.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

I couldn't see the video, but I agree. A shop was on our list of things we definitely wanted when we were looking for a new place to live. We wanted a place to store "stuff", a place to do woodworking, and a place to work on machinery, motorcycles, lawnmowers, tiller, and possibly even the car.
We have a great 2 1/2 stall shop, but it seems that most often we work on our projects in the carport.

 

[Joel_BC]

I couldn't see the video, but I agree.

What happens when you try to watch it? (Or rather what doesn't happen?)

A shop was on our list of things we definitely wanted when we were looking for a new place to live. We wanted a place to store "stuff", a place to do woodworking, and a place to work on machinery, motorcycles, lawnmowers, tiller, and possibly even the car.
We have a great 2 1/2 stall shop, but it seems that most often we work on our projects in the carport.

I'm sure there's a good & natural reason for that. Sometimes a more open-air situation is best... I'd assume most often you're finding there's an advantage to work in your carport.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Last night it wouldn't play (maybe YouTube was down) but it played just fine this morning.
Wow! That guy has a great shop! We have a table saw (two actually), and a jig saw, miter box/saw, a scroll saw, a circular saw, drills, wrenches, etc but not everything is sorted and neat yet.
We have another shed for storage but it's currently holding stuff for a friend who was deployed for a year. So 1/3 of our shop is currently holding stuff we brought when K. and I moved down from Wisconsin and haven't unpacked yet. We've been getting stuff out as we need it, but have spent more time outside this summer than focusing on the house.
The other 2/3 of the shop is currently storing 3 motorcycles. (One is for sale, one is our son's who is in Germany until next month.)
The carport seems to have become our favorite place to work, but we do plan on having the shop fully usable before winter.
On a side note, the scroll saw was only used once for a project when I bought it from a neighbor for $75. He had the receipt, all the blades, and a detachable, adjustable light. I picked up a table saw for $15 at another rummage sale from another neighbor (in WI) who hadn't used it in two years and just wanted it gone. The second table saw I bought from an older couple at church for $35 ($50 with the base) who had a newer one. I didn't want to move the bases so we left the first base (it was wood and rickety). My brother needed a base for something else, and he paid me the $15 I had into it. These things don't have to be super expensive if you watch garage sales or, like the guy said, trade.
Our shop has 2 long wide tables. I'll take pictures.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

My mistake, we have two radial arm saws, and a table saw. Once I knew we had the house and shop, my mission last summer was watching for saws at rummage sales. (Wisconsin has GREAT rummage sales, at least where I lived.) I got the radial arm saws for $15 and $35, and the table saw for $50.
So this is our shop right now. We have two tables that are 2'3" wide, 31" tall, and 14' long. We have three wood shelves that are 2' deep, 3'wide and at least 7' tall ( two have 7 shelves, one has 4). We have a wire standing shelving unit that is about 6' tall, 4' wide, and 18" deep (5 shelves). Even better, there are electrical outlets everywhere and a chimney so we can eventually add a wood stove. It was obviously made and used as a shop in the past. It was a big selling point when we were house shopping. (When we were house hunting and came here the first time, we spent almost an hour checking out the shop, shed, fruit and nut trees and property before we even looked at the house. Nothing wrong with the house but we were sold before we ever stepped inside.)

 

[Beekissed]

Joel, will watch this when I get back and comment then. I could only wish for some of the tools I can see just on the loading pic...went to a great yard sale the other day with just such great tools and for great prices, even saw some of the same at the local Habitat store, but, alas, didn't have the money to partake at the time. Ain't that always the way?

I'd love to have a shop where the doors slid back like on a barn, so that one could more easily bring the wood and materials to the tools instead of the other way around. I'm constantly toting saws, hand tools, etc. to various work spots when it would be nice to have it all in one place.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

@Beekissed two of our doors are garage doors that roll up. We actually used the table saw in our shop yesterday and it smells GREAT in there! Fresh sawdust (very very fine sawdust on everything.)
@Joel_BC I like the way this guy stored everything. We have room under our tables for shelves or some of those rolling drawers. And tons of room on the walls. Our wood is stacked outside but it's under an old boat cover that was here when we got here (up on bricks and pallets to keep it off the ground).
Using the table saw yesterday pointed out an issue. We might have to divide the shop to keep sawdust from getting to things with oil. Maybe 1/3 of the shop for working on mowers and engines, and a wall separating that from the woodworking. I wonder how that guys keeps everything so CLEAN. Is there a good way to catch all the sawdust from a table saw exhaust, and could that dust be used somehow?

 

[lcertuche]

I would love a shop like that. My granddad inlaw had a shop and hung his tools on pegboard and then paint the whole shebang bright orange. When something wasn't in the empty spot he knew exactly what was missing. Anyone in the shop could easily put back the tools to the right spot. Also the bright orange side of the tools were easy to spot on the ground.

 

[Joel_BC]

I'd love to have a shop where the doors slid back like on a barn, so that one could more easily bring the wood and materials to the tools instead of the other way around. I'm constantly toting saws, hand tools, etc. to various work spots when it would be nice to have it all in one place.

On our homesite, my shop situation is far from ideal. My table saw (one of my tools that gets the most frequent use) is in our large shed that also has my big lumber rack, and at the other end has our firewood supply for winter — in between these two ends, this shed is where we store garden tools, wheelbarrow, garden carts, and trash & recycling bins. Then also I’ve now got two separate compact spaces, one in our basement for working with wood, and another behind an outbuilding where I work with metal (welding, cutting, grinding, and sometimes doing small-engine equipment tasks). Most I can say is "I get by”— on so many tasks and projects I’m toting tools and/or components of projects back and forth over a distance of a hundred feet.

Plus, my metal-working/small-engine space is unheated, being open-air on one end... uncomfortable in winter! It’d be great to have one heatable building with separated areas to work with wood (which is sawdusty) and with metal (which often involves sparks or flame). A building with a bay door to make it easy to bring things in or out, and to be able to take larger or awkward projects out onto a gravel or concrete pad, in the warmer months.