Getting closer

All of the tools are cleaned an polished up.

Most of the tools are set up, just the jointer and radial arm saw to go and one check left on the table saw.

I picked ups some good buys at my favorite store yesterday.  Woodcraft had some of their dust collector components on sale so I swung by.  While I was there I picked up CMT cross-cut and rip blades they had on the clearance table.  I think it's the first time in my life I've had decent saw blades.

Last weekend was great with three days as the Woodworking Show.  Collected lots of good information as well as the router bits, templates, and information to build the cabinets for the shop and wet bar (the basement is the next construction process).

You know what's next . . .

Time to make some saw dust.

Almost There

The junk is out of the shop and the last of the ceiling mounted stuff is up.  The ladder is out of the shop for the first time in almost a year and a half.  It feels really good to have it this far.

The three power drops are up.

The air filter is hung and operational.  It moves enough air that all of the air in the shop will go through it about 20 times and hour.  In the process it will take out almost all of  the dust down to 1 micron.  Thanks to Regan and Barb for helping be hang it.







With the ceiling stuff done and all of the garbage at the dump, it's time to put the tools in place.

 

Today began the process of tweaking the tools into alignment and fine tuning the setup.  The scroll saw is ready to go and the table saw is almost there.

No More Assembly Required

The last of the tools is assembled.  The band saw and jointer are complete.

Big tools mean big boxes and big Styrofoam.

The last things left to do are to hang the air filter and cord reels.  I still need a base for the midi-lathe but that won't be much of a challenge.  After that it's time to get everything tweaked in and starting to make some noise and dust.

It's not often you get to say your goal is to make noise and dust.

Some Assembly Required

With the construction phase of the shop complete, it's time to start assembling the tools.  The jointer and bandsaw are in process.  Here are the major tools in the shop ready to go to work. 

Construction Phase - Complete

This weekend marked the end of the construction phase in my shop.  The last coat of paint went on Saturday afternoon.  The remainder of Saturday and part of Sunday were spent cleaning up.

And on Monday the real fun started.  The dust collector is assembled and tested.  The planer stand is ready for the planer and the jointer base is ready to be mounted to the mobile base.

This weekend was fun for another reason since I had some frequent help.  Danae and Renata were great help cleaning up and holding pieces in place while I assembled the tools.  Here are some pictures from the weekend.

One step closer

I just left the shop after checking out the 2 coats of primer that went on last weekend.  If all goes well I will start cutting in the corners on the color coat tomorrow night.  After that 2 coats of the primary color on Saturday.

And you know what that means . . . the tools start getting assembled on Sunday.  It is, perhaps, even more important to me than the Packers' game.   That's not sacrilegious is it?

BTW - I am on a photo hiatus of the shop until it is done and the tools are in.  But don't fret, it won't be that long.  There may even be a video tour in the future.

A few big weeks

Wow.  I didn't realize it had been more than 2 months since I posted.

So here's the short version.  I got a lot done in November but spent most of December not being able to climb a ladder or stand on the cement to get anything done.  The push to get the electrical installed the first week of December did a job on my knees so I spent December on ice and meds.  It's okay though.  I don't think we were home a single weekend all month.

Well, the lights and and ceiling fans are hung and operating.  The lighting in the shop is fantastic.  No shadows or dead spots.

 

Today I declared the walls ready for primer and paint.  This is a good thing since I am really rather sick of plaster and dust.  The paint colors have been picked.  The upper portion of the walls will be Raffia Cream and the wainscoting will a beadboard plywood painted New Chestnut.  I hope to complete the wall prep and paint the walls on the Martin Luther King long weekend.

 

Many of the tools are in the shop.  They just haven't been unpacked or assembled.

Another major accomplishment happened this weekend with wonderful help from the Krieger clan (Regan, Danae, and Renata) and Barb.  I have years and years of woodworking magazines I have collected.  Thus far, they have been in cardboard boxes that were heavy and not very functional for a library.  I finally found some plastic bins to store everything so we spent New Year's day watching football and sorting and putting all the mags in order.  I think I could actually find something now.

 

So what's a shop blog without a discussion of tools.  Santa's elves were very busy bringing quality toys and I must have been a very good boy.  It started with a Dewalt planer and mobile stand arriving in early December.  January will start with the delivery of a Jet jointer this week.  These two tools will be invaluable as they allow me to buy rough cut wood or helping me process the wood off my own property.  Either way, it will help save money.  The final tool should arrive in the next week or so.  The Jet spindle sander will make quick work of sanding curves and making templates.