Home workshops - Who's got one?

[slodave]

Well, I don't own a home and I think my manager would kick me out in an instant, if I did try and bring big power tools and cut some lumber... Anyway, my dad has been into woodworking/carpentry as a hobby for a long time and a number of years ago, built a nice soundproofed workshop at my parents house. It's actually attached to the house, but since it is soundproofed, you can barely hear the loudest of tools in the house.

The workshop is air-conditioned and heated via its own thermostat, has a big air filtration system and dust collection system. It's fully equipt and one can make almost any piece of furniture. Two people can work in there on smaller projects, but it gets tight when working on large pieces.

Although I have made a couple pieces of furniture, I am more interested in woodturning. The lathe is manufactured by a company called Stubby, out of Australia. It's a great lathe for turning very large bowls, but not so good for turning long balusters.

So, what do you have and what are your interests?

[slodave]

Here are some of my smaller woodturnings...
Walnut vase, made for my moms b-day a number of years ago. I'm not a big fan of the way walnut smells when it burns.


Don't remember what wood this is.


Blood wood. Also for my mom.


Maple.


Not sure.


Magnolia.


I'll take some pics of my bigger pieces soon.

Dave

[rusnak]

I have a cramped work area set up for the stillborn 356 restoration and the 914-6 is covered by an inch of dust. Mig welder, compressor, light stand, bench grinder etc garden variety garage mess. No way I'm going to post pictures of that.

But Dave, those wooden vases are beautiful. I love the blood wood one. Do you have a favorite piece or favorite woodworking tool?

[slodave]

I do have a favorite piece, but I don't have a picture at the moment. It's made from Ambrosia Maple and the original log was split. One bowl from it I kept and the other I sent to my Aunt and Uncle in Germany.

The lathe is my favorite.

If anyone does post pics, lets keep them related to anything other than car workshops. There is a thread or two on that already.

[mikester]

I have a cramped garage that I work in - not much room but I do the best I can...

I'd love to have a lathe and turn some bowls - man that magnolia is sweet looking!

[Joeaksa]

Would love to have the room for something like that. Someday...

[MBAtarga]

I've got some woodworking tools. Not as much shop space in the current house as I had before though. I've built furniture - book cases, tables, cabinets, and also have done turnings - bowls, pens, etc. Mostly as a hobby, but sometimes I have done custom work for commissions.

The SawStop saw is incredible! I saw the product's unveiling at the IWF here in Atlanta several years back.

[MBAtarga]

Kitchen table was one of my first projects once I had a home workshop:


Coffee table and End table made to look like versions available at a department store:


Mahogany table lamp made from scraps:


Workbench - took 3rd place ribbon in the woodworking show:


Cherry Glove table made on commission:


Cherry Demilune table - sits in our dining room:


A maple printer stand I made for a friend:


My Rockwell-Delta lathe that I restored:


A grandfather clock finial I turned on commission:

[slodave]

Originally Posted by mikester

I have a cramped garage that I work in - not much room but I do the best I can...

I'd love to have a lathe and turn some bowls - man that magnolia is sweet looking!

Ya gotta start somewhere. My first two guitars were built in the garage workshop at the time (I was still living at home then).

The magnolia aged well. When I first turned it, it was a horrible grey color.

[Zeke]

Dave, nice looking art! I didn't know......

[slodave]

Mark, your furniture is incredible! You have a couple of pieces similar to what my dad has done.

The lathe I use can turn a 60" max diameter bowl or platter (I think, it's large whatever it is).

The SawStop is a great safety saw. Although (thankfully) I have never seen it in action in person, I saw the video where they fling a raw hot dog at it and it stops with only a slight nick in the dog.

[slodave]

Originally Posted by milt

Dave, nice looking art! I didn't know......

Thanks Milt. Although I never did finish my college major, it was in construction management aka contractor. I was going to be a real estate developer, but computers kept calling. I actually worked for a brief period of time making high end cabinetry. I can pour a concrete slab, frame a house, pull electrical...

[Tim Hancock]

I have some woodworking and metalworking tools and a shop.

[KFC911]

You guys do some beautiful work! Tim, for those who may have missed it before, show a pic of the violin you made.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

I have some woodworking and metalworking tools and a shop.

'Tis a mere shed, not worthy of posting.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by KC911

You guys do some beautiful work! Tim, for those who may have missed it before, show a pic of the violin you made.

[notfarnow]

Impressive stuff! The only woodwork I do is house-related... nothing too fine. My best friend is a woodworker, and has a shop very similar to yours. We've worked out a deal where my shop is the "automotive department" and his is the "woodworking department". I have a table saw and router for basics, but if I want to get into anything fancy I use his shop, his tools and his expertise. He does the same at my place for car stuff. Works really well... headboards at his place, headgaskets at mine.

About your table saw... is that the type that stops automatically if it gets a finger? I've never been able to get my head around how that would work.

[Rot 911]

The talent of this group never ceases to amaze me. I just don't have that kind of artistic imagination and talent. Like Jake I can do things like rebuild cars and work on houses, but that is the extent of my talents.

[onewhippedpuppy]

You guys do nice work. I've done lots of cabinetry, but little furniture, and nothing like is pictured here. I'd like to take it on as a hobby, but need better facilities. Right now my tools are randomly scattered throughout my house and garage (where they fit), and I dig them out as necessary. Long term plan is to add a 3rd garage stall/workshop to our house, that would make life much easier.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Beautiful work guys!

Woodworking is one of those things I'd love to get into (my grandfather in particular was a pretty talented woodworker, as is one of my uncles - who has built several pieces of fine furniture). Problem is you really need (1) either a place you own or a warehouse space (I have neither and given the prices in this area, am not likely to anytime soon), (2) a lot of raw material. Again, southern CA isn't really known for having a lot of wood around as an indigenous material. Yes, you can import stuff, but it's difficult and expensive - sure to get a lot more expensive with the rising cost of diesel fuel/shipping.

I have a bunch of light tools to work wood - jigsaws, biscuit joiners, routers, etc. Nothing even remotely close to the large/heavy shop equipment like you show. It's good for what I need (largely building models).

Back in grad school one of my classmates worked part-time for Hamer Guitars. He'd fill up his trunk with large chunks of mahogany that they discarded from the dumpster in the back of the factory and bring them into studio. Pretty funny when a couple of starving architecture students show up with beautiful carved mahogany study models for studio while most other guys are making them out of cardboard or whatever they could scrounge up. Fun stuff.