# My workshop



## mredburn (Nov 20, 2009)

I have been trying to get my shop in order to take pictures of a nice clean well organized shop. (sigh) Well I realized that was an impossible task. MY shop is part of the house not seperate, I share my shop with my father who is 73 now. He doesnt always pick up or clean up when he is done for the day. Im not much better somedays. We are constantly working on projects,, dad is trying his hand at making bamboo fishing rods. My shop area is shaped like an L with a fat bottom leg. its 62ft long and 29ft wide. the bottom leg of the L is 29x39ft. The pictures start at the front garage door entrance and rotate counter clockwise around the shop. As you can see like most shops space is at a premium. I have most of my tools on wheels so they can be used and put out of the way.


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## mredburn (Nov 20, 2009)

*shop continued*

I have 10ft high ceilings which is really nice when youhave that 8ft project you need to stand sup. there is a 7x11 ft closet off the back left corner that serves as a catch all. (picture 4)  Pictures 2&3 are of the wood rack. The last picture is of the double doors into my office, the small door on the left is a 36x80 inch standard door into the garage.  where I have my plywood scraps rack and some more tubs of cut offs.  Finding things can someday be a game of wheres waldo.  Enjoy and comments are welcome.


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## mredburn (Nov 20, 2009)

*last 2*

pictures of the left wall and the closet at the back and the sandpaper cabinet to the right of the wood rack. I am lucky in that if you need a tool to build it I probably have it, just can I find it.


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## Steve Busey (Nov 20, 2009)

Wow, kinda like mine - 10 pounds of shop in a 5 pound room!  Took me a while to spot the lathe in your pics. :wink: I'm reminded of the "I Spy..." books I used to do with the kids. 

Nice man cave - enjoy!


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## WoodCarverOH (Nov 20, 2009)

Do I see a new TV show "Extreme Shop Make Over" ? :question:
Maybe Norm could host it.


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## markgum (Nov 20, 2009)

wow... and I only get a 6x6 spot in the garage, someday....


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## USAFVET98 (Nov 20, 2009)

I find myself cleaning my shop and our garage shop way too often. Here is what I do. I wait for a nice day and pull everything outside. Sweep it out and at that point you will know how much room you have. As your putting stuff back, chuck the stuff thats garbage and stow away the stuff you dont use. It sounds like a lot of work, but its actually easier than you would think.


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## mredburn (Nov 20, 2009)

USAFVET98 said:


> I find myself cleaning my shop and our garage shop way too often. Here is what I do. I wait for a nice day and pull everything outside. Sweep it out and at that point you will know how much room you have. As your putting stuff back, chuck the stuff thats garbage and stow away the stuff you dont use. It sounds like a lot of work, but its actually easier than you would think.


 

 BUt It would take ALL day just to pull the stuff out.


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## robutacion (Nov 20, 2009)

Hi mredburn,

From the images and from I see in within, I would say that is a shop of 50 years of gathering stuff so, I reckon is your fathers shop now been passed on to you, sort of speak...!:biggrin: am I right?

Gees... I had a work shop like that once, wasn't much I would need to built a house from beginning to end...! from the left-overs shelves, racks, etc., I can also see a lot a cabinet making building stuff, and a few of those tools/machines that we always buy to do 1 job, to never touch it again...! Don't worry I know the feeling, I was actually buying tools and machinery because they were different and I would maybe used them one day, mostly I did some I didn't! 

That's why, guys in a tool shop, there ain't possible to do only "window shopping", huh?

Just the amount of brains cells needed to remember where everything is, will make grey hairs grow very fast...!:redface:

Thanks for showing your "manufacture"!

Cheers
George


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## mredburn (Nov 20, 2009)

Sorry Robutacion but that stuff is all my collection, although it spans 30+ years, I was a diesel mechanic 30 years ago and still have the tools from that. When I buy tools I end up buying double, one for me, one to keep my dad away from mine. LOL :biggrin:


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## jttheclockman (Nov 20, 2009)

Do you think you have enough routers?????????????????????????  Ever hear of a wrench???:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


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## titan2 (Nov 20, 2009)

jttheclockman said:


> Do you think you have enough routers????????????????????????? Ever hear of a wrench???:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


 

*Yeah, I was thinking the same thing!!!*
 
*What brand lathe do you have there?*
 
 
*Barney*


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## cnirenberg (Nov 20, 2009)

Mike,
All I can say is, wow.


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## pssherman (Nov 20, 2009)

I thought you said it was impossible to clean and organize your shop. Compared to mine, yours is spotless. I can actually see the floor in some of your pictures.


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## Wheaties (Nov 20, 2009)

cnirenberg said:


> Mike,
> All I can say is, wow.



My thoughts exactly. Hope someday to have that much room... and tools!


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## stolicky (Nov 20, 2009)

jttheclockman said:


> Do you think you have enough routers?????????????????????????  Ever hear of a wrench???:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:



I was thinking the same thing.  I actually lost count.

Nice shop...


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## mredburn (Nov 20, 2009)

Sherline 4400 lathe, Taig mill,


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## mredburn (Nov 20, 2009)

I believe there ar a total of 38 routers, 22 trim, 8 porter cable 3 1/4 routers, and 8 misc mid size routers  plus some for parts.  I have a few.


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## HSTurning (Nov 20, 2009)

mredburn said:


> I believe there ar a total of 38 routers, 22 trim, 8 porter cable 3 1/4 routers, and 8 misc mid size routers plus some for parts. I have a few.


 
So when you need a new bit.  Your just buy a router to go with it?  Wish I had the space.  Looking for a house now with a large garage or detatched out building.  From what I have seen in most shop pick, most of us turners/woodworkers just need to fill every space possible and then complain we need more space.  We are all pack rats:biggrin:


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## mredburn (Nov 20, 2009)

HSTurnings
I tried to tell Hunter_27 that he would need to think about adding on to his shop almost immediatly. No matter the size of your shop we tend to overfill it. I just happened to get a good buy on routers one day. I do tend to buy in bulk if I can.


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## HSTurning (Nov 20, 2009)

I do the same.
Was having an issue with my lathe.  The local rockler had a deal for a $200 VS lathe so bought one.  Used it for 2 maybe 3 weeks.  Its on the floor now. If I have a problem with mine again I have a back up and I can always make it a buffing set up.
When I see blanks or kits I want to try I buy 2 to 10.
When I make a pen for a gift or make the first of something new I make 2.  1 to keep and the other to give/sell.  
I have 5 different kit styles I have yet to make that I have had for over a year.  I also buy tools the same way.  I buy something not to expensive to try and then get the one and have a back up if there is a problem with the main.


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## hunter-27 (Nov 20, 2009)

mredburn said:


> HSTurnings
> I tried to tell Hunter_27 that he would need to think about adding on to his shop almost immediatly. No matter the size of your shop we tend to overfill it. I just happened to get a good buy on routers one day. I do tend to buy in bulk if I can.


 I will need to add on but I hope I can get a few years out of it first. :wink:


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## hunter-27 (Nov 20, 2009)

mredburn said:


> HSTurnings
> I tried to tell Hunter_27 that he would need to think about adding on to his shop almost immediatly. No matter the size of your shop we tend to overfill it. I just happened to get a good buy on routers one day. I do tend to buy in bulk if I can.


 Just 1 day huh?


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## Lenny (Nov 20, 2009)

Mr. mredburn,
You WIN ! I thought I had a lot cramed into a small space but you have A LOT in a large space!!!  I like that much better than the customer we built a home for who outfitted his shop with a whole bunch of nice pricey tools and never uses any of them. He just likes to be able to show off his nice shop.
Thanks for the tour.  =0)


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## KD5NRH (Nov 30, 2009)

Steve Busey said:


> I'm reminded of the "I Spy..." books I used to do with the kids.



He does need a little Waldo doll to hide in there. 

So mredburn, what's the excuse for the shotshell reloader and two tumblers being way up there out of reach and dusty?

Correction: three tumblers.  And how many fire extinguishers?  At some point, it just makes more sense to have a flood system with pull handles near each exit point.


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## mredburn (Nov 30, 2009)

I believe at last count I have 8 fire extinguishers around the shop and 2 large first aid kits one on each side of the shop for easy access.   The reloaders went into hibernation when I started buying ammo in bulk. I still have 10 cases of shot shells I havent used yet.  I got a great price on shells on day and bought 20+ cases. THE nearest trap range is 90+miles away and I dont get out to shoot as often. I did the same with my pistol ammo. I have always believed if 1 is good ten is better.


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## KD5NRH (Dec 6, 2009)

mredburn said:


> THE nearest trap range is 90+miles away and I dont get out to shoot as often.



Yikes, sounds like you may be in the wrong business: there are clay shooters all over the place here, and they will spend a fortune for access to a nearby range.  I guess I'm lucky to have some acreage 5mi from the house where I can go shoot all I want whenever I want.  Our future plans do involve building on that land so I can put a thrower on the back porch and pistol and rifle backstops nearby so I can just step out and shoot for a while whenever the mood strikes.

Of course, my wife's already agreed that we need at least a 20x40 insulated shop out there even before the house gets built, so I may not have much time for shooting once I start expanding the tool collection to fill that.  :biggrin:


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## mredburn (Dec 6, 2009)

I was president of the Ft Myers gun club for 4 years and acting past president when the City of Ft Myers canceled our lease and bulldozed the property. There is a big difference between a hand tossed target and a trap/skeet range. I have 10 Acres myself and have a 200 yd range about 20ft wide on the south end but its all forested property otherwise. And its protected wetlands to boot. I had to get a DEP wetland permit to build the house. It took 2 years and 15,000 dollars to get that permit, it did not include the county building permit which was another $17,000.00 dollars. Trap and Skeet fees for non members are $8.00 a round of 25 and does not include shells.


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