Introduction:

Well welcome to my shop. As you can
see from the picture to the right, this is
a small shop, but through careful
design, a lot of thought, and some
off-the-wall ideas, I believe I have a
small, but very effecient shop. That
may sound like an oxy moroon, but
come along with me as we tour my
shop and we will see what you think at
the end of the tour.

Size:

The shop has three seperate sections
really: the main shop, the sled shed
and the drying kiln.

Main Shop: 12' Wide by 24' Long
Sled Shed:  8' Wide by 12' Long
Kiln:              4' Wide by 16' Long
Sled Shed:

One of the most important features
about my shop is the Sled Shed. While
this section does not get much use in
the way of woodworking, this section
manages to keep all this stuff from
over-running my woodworking shop.
That is important because it allows my
shop to function, and only function as a
place to do woodworking.

You will see in the photo to the right
that I am particular when it comes to
organization. Everything has its place
as you can see from the chainsaw
shelf, the tool boxes and wrenches to
keep tools handy for working on my
sled, and even my snowmobile gear.

If you are into snowmobiling, you will
also appreciate the boards
hilti-gunned to the concrete. This
keeps the carbide runners of my skis
and studs from my tracks from
damaging the concrete floor.
Feed Rollers:

The feed rollers of my shop are also
very important to the overall effeciency
of my shop. Because I placed the feed
rollers in front of a window, and placed
a long bench next to the window, I am
able to cross-cut a 20 foot long
board...anywhere along its
length...despite being only a 24 long
shop.

Keeping a shop small was important
to me for two reasons. The first was
the cost of building the shop itself. With
a baby on the way while building this
shop, I did not want to design a bigger
one, only to never be able afford to
build it.

The second reason was because I
wanted a shop that I could afford to
keep heated...continuously in the
winter...and as you know, the price of
fuel is not getting cheaper.

These feed rolls allow me to work
longer boards in a smaller shop.
Solar Kiln:

I will admit that this solar kiln is not
finished. With more pressing issues,
this solar kiln has been on the back
burner for awhile now. Still with a
sawmill in the family, another on order,
it is foolish of me to purchase s4s
lumber.

When this kiln gets a heater, ventilation
fan, insulation and sensors, I will be
able to dry my own lumber here.

With its close proximity to my feed
rollers, you can see how I can pull a
board out of the kiln, place it on the
feed rollers and bring it easily into my
shop to be worked into a project.

In the future, I plan on utilizing the
space underneath this kiln for a steam
bending system.
Shop Tour: Intro