I hope you’re all surviving and hopefully enjoying the winter months. This morning half a dozen steps out the door I was already on my ass, solidifying my first fall of the year. I guess I have to make up for the number of falls I would have otherwise suffered on my ice bike.
Today, I want to provide an update on the progress I’ve made on setting up my workshop. Overall, 2017 was a good year of growth when it came to acquiring power tools and equipment. The floor plan I originally shared may not ever come to fruition, but I have started to distinctly define certain areas of the shop.
For reference, here’s the original floor plan I came up with:
Today, I want to provide an update on the progress I’ve made on setting up my workshop. Overall, 2017 was a good year of growth when it came to acquiring power tools and equipment. The floor plan I originally shared may not ever come to fruition, but I have started to distinctly define certain areas of the shop.
For reference, here’s the original floor plan I came up with:
Right now, here’s what I’ve got for a floor plan:
I’m one of those weirdos who likes both metal and woodworking which presents some challenges, namely in the dust control, space requirements for moving lumber through saws, and fire prevention departments. Fortunately, I’m usually either doing metal or wood and not both at the same time so preparations can be made accordingly.
Last fall I bought two machine tools I’ve dreamed about owning for a long time - a mill and a lathe. At a combined weight of around 3800 pounds, picking the mill and lathe up and unloading them was a... fun effort. What I’ve done is put them to the rear of the shop and formed a machining area.
I’ve moved the bike lift to the rear of the shop as well and have it positioned between my wall cabinets and a pair of workbenches. This setup has worked nicely because I can work on the bike and various other parts, all within close proximity.
The front area of the shop is being used primarily for temporary bike storage. This works well because the table saw requires a lot of room when cutting lengthy boards and plywood. I'm also trying to keep the front relatively clear in case I need to pull a four-wheeled vehicle in to work on.
Tools
My arsenal of tools has improved significantly due to necessity, which has resulted from homeownership and supporting my girlfriend’s hobby farm interests. Of course, motorsport related needs have also influenced my priorities! I don’t intend on doing extensive reviews of each piece of equipment, but perhaps for those in the market my comments will be helpful. Typically, there is a large amount of research and reading that takes place prior to me making big purchases. What this boils down to for big purchases is that reading reviews are centric to my purchasing decisions.
Dewalt DW780 Compound Miter Saw - I needed a saw to build “chicken tractors” for my girlfriend. I was down to selecting between a Bosch and the Dewalt and ultimately picked the Dewalt because it had fewer articulating joints and I felt its design would result in better cuts. I picked it up on sale at Home Depot and it came with the free stand. One of the nicest features of the saw is the backlight blade which casts a shadow on the board for cut alignment and doesn’t require calibration. Out of the box it was set up pretty well but I still had to make a few minor adjustments.
Last fall I bought two machine tools I’ve dreamed about owning for a long time - a mill and a lathe. At a combined weight of around 3800 pounds, picking the mill and lathe up and unloading them was a... fun effort. What I’ve done is put them to the rear of the shop and formed a machining area.
I’ve moved the bike lift to the rear of the shop as well and have it positioned between my wall cabinets and a pair of workbenches. This setup has worked nicely because I can work on the bike and various other parts, all within close proximity.
The front area of the shop is being used primarily for temporary bike storage. This works well because the table saw requires a lot of room when cutting lengthy boards and plywood. I'm also trying to keep the front relatively clear in case I need to pull a four-wheeled vehicle in to work on.
Tools
My arsenal of tools has improved significantly due to necessity, which has resulted from homeownership and supporting my girlfriend’s hobby farm interests. Of course, motorsport related needs have also influenced my priorities! I don’t intend on doing extensive reviews of each piece of equipment, but perhaps for those in the market my comments will be helpful. Typically, there is a large amount of research and reading that takes place prior to me making big purchases. What this boils down to for big purchases is that reading reviews are centric to my purchasing decisions.
Dewalt DW780 Compound Miter Saw - I needed a saw to build “chicken tractors” for my girlfriend. I was down to selecting between a Bosch and the Dewalt and ultimately picked the Dewalt because it had fewer articulating joints and I felt its design would result in better cuts. I picked it up on sale at Home Depot and it came with the free stand. One of the nicest features of the saw is the backlight blade which casts a shadow on the board for cut alignment and doesn’t require calibration. Out of the box it was set up pretty well but I still had to make a few minor adjustments.
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Surface Plate - I botched some machine work I did on my 1975 Kawasaki H2 cylinder heads and needed to carefully flatten the head gasket sealing surfaces. I picked up this 24” x 36” granite surface plate from a retiring machinist. The surface plate allowed me to get my cylinder heads sorted out and the bike back together. Surprisingly, I’ve used the surface plate for quite a few jobs and it has been a nice addition to the shop. It’s also about 600lbs, in case you’re wondering, making it another ... fun move.
Sawstop Table Saw - After constructing one chicken tractor, the table saw was necessary to facilitate making lighter structures. I selected the Sawstop primarily because it features a safety technology that will retract the blade should I accidentally send my fingers into harm’s way. The saw is also well made and beefy, leaving little doubt of its rigidity. I would recommend this saw to anyone.
In my efforts to conserve precious shop space I’ve been slowly working on a table saw cabinet design that will enclose the base, and when closed will act as a workbench. The table top can fold down and serve as an outfeed table. On the side of the cabinet is a router table that can be folded down when not in use.
In my efforts to conserve precious shop space I’ve been slowly working on a table saw cabinet design that will enclose the base, and when closed will act as a workbench. The table top can fold down and serve as an outfeed table. On the side of the cabinet is a router table that can be folded down when not in use.
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1980 Bridgeport with 9” x 48” table - I’ve wanted a mill and lathe for almost a decade and was at the point with a number of projects that I couldn’t make certain parts without them. I had looked at used machine equipment off and on for a number of years and finally decided to pull the trigger. I did a significant amount of research and had to come to terms with the fact that I would probably never feel as prepared as I wanted to for this sort of purchase. From figuring out how to rig the equipment, to inspecting it, and to using it there were some stones I felt would remain unturned until I took the plunge and got the equipment. If anyone’s interested, buying used machining equipment would be worthy of a post on its own because so far I’ve had quite an adventure.
With surgery, all the wiring, and everything else that has been going on I haven’t had much time to actually use the mill. So far I’ve cleaned it up and have been going over all the controls to ensure everything is in good working order. I’ve got several impending projects so 2018 should be a fruitful year of machining.
With surgery, all the wiring, and everything else that has been going on I haven’t had much time to actually use the mill. So far I’ve cleaned it up and have been going over all the controls to ensure everything is in good working order. I’ve got several impending projects so 2018 should be a fruitful year of machining.
1987 Supermax LE 1338 lathe - My nightmare lathe. Unfortunately my lathe did not come as advertised and I have a lathe project I did not anticipate. If anyone’s in the business of making parallel sided metric splined shafts let me know...
Rigid Shop Vacuum - My Shop Vac brand shop vac died after a meager two years of service so I replaced it with a Rigid. So far so good and overall I’ve been impressed with the Rigid. It’s more powerful, lighter, and easier to maneuver.
Supermax air filtration unit - Apart from my shop vac I don’t have a dedicated dust collection system so some dust ends up airborne. I picked up the Supermax unit on a Black Friday sale and have been enjoying much cleaner shop air ever since.
Electrical
With the acquisition of machine tools came wiring upgrades. Both my mill and lathe use 3 phase motors so motor conversions to single phase or a 3 phase electrical solution was required. I opted for the later with the expectation that I may add more three phase equipment in the future. I was able to track down a 7.5 hp rotary phase converter on Craigslist and made the necessary connections. Learning the basics of three phase was interesting and this is definitely an electrical project I think most folks with a basic understanding of electrical stuff could handle.
Supermax air filtration unit - Apart from my shop vac I don’t have a dedicated dust collection system so some dust ends up airborne. I picked up the Supermax unit on a Black Friday sale and have been enjoying much cleaner shop air ever since.
Electrical
With the acquisition of machine tools came wiring upgrades. Both my mill and lathe use 3 phase motors so motor conversions to single phase or a 3 phase electrical solution was required. I opted for the later with the expectation that I may add more three phase equipment in the future. I was able to track down a 7.5 hp rotary phase converter on Craigslist and made the necessary connections. Learning the basics of three phase was interesting and this is definitely an electrical project I think most folks with a basic understanding of electrical stuff could handle.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this write up on the progress I’ve made with my shop and that it inspires you to keep working on yours. If there’s anything you want to learn more about please leave a comment.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading!
