The Workshop

We have two workshops, one in the backyard, and one inside our home... in a spare bedroom. They are small spaces, but they're well designed and perfect for what we need them to do.

This is the heart of the outdoor workshop. A 90's Delta table saw with cast iron top. Model No. 34-444. It's a great saw. I only cut things at 90 degrees on this saw, so I took my time setting it up and locking that perfectly square setting, It hasn't needed re-adjustment since.

At about 70 years old, this Logan 820 lathe is an absolute beast. I got this lathe back when I was making smoking pipes. Most pipe makers opt for a metal lathe vs. a wood lathe because it offers more precision when cutting the intricate details of a pipe. It also allows perfect repeatability, so it's great for production work.

This unit has all the bells and whistles, with a quick change gear box to change the automatic feed.

I stripped it down to bare metal and refurbished it top to bottom. It runs pretty much how I would imagine it did when it was new. Pretty amazing for a tool this old. I often think about replacing it with something more modern, but I haven't run into any limitations yet... and many times I've been thankful for it's simplicity when forced to do the odd bit of maintenance.

Using a metal lathe for wood is a dangerous game. Wood dust is abrasive, and it'll eventually wear out this lathe to the point of not being accurate anymore. After more than a decade of constant use, I'm starting to see the wear set in... but I'd guess she probably has a couple decades more to go before retirement.

This workbench is a nice example of my over-all philosophy on how I outfit my workshops. The legs are obviously modern, straight from Home Depot. The top, however, is reclaimed from my grandfathers old workbench. I repurposed it after he passed, way back in my teens when I was still working out of my parents garage. This bench has followed me ever since, evolving along the way.

All of my other tools and shop furniture have evolved in tandem, a collection of old and new things, whatever fits the purpose at hand. Most of my tools are used, hand-me-downs, or home made on a budget.

Is this bench well worn? yes, but it's flat and true in the places that count. That is what is important. It doesn't need to look fancy, it just needs to fill our needs.

There were many times when I would obsess over the aesthetics of my tools. And I admit, I would love a solid hard maple workbench with hand cut joinery throughout and all the fancy accessories. But necessity has taught me that I care more about what I can do with these tools. And even if this bench is a little rough around the edges, it's perfectly capable of making beautiful things.

Recently, I fitted the bench with a built-in motor to use with sanding discs. This is one of the essential pipe makers tools.

Here it is with a padded sanding disc attached. I can sit here and sand all day long.

Moving to the indoor workshop, we've got the cleanest photo this space will ever provide. Every year or so I do a little refresh on this space, and this photo was taken after an unusually deep cleansing. It doesn't always look this neat.

A grizzly g0704 milling machine, a good small mill painted in the right shade of green, paired with two oak machinist chests and a repurposed dresser.

In the corner, a Japanese made Jet drill press.

A peek in my drawers.

While the outside shop houses the big lathe, this tiny Taig lathe is allowed to stay inside. A sweet little thing, best for parts that are about the size of an acorn.

And finally, we find ourselves back outside. Here, we collect many of the raw materials that go into our work; lichens, dye flowers, mushrooms, and cherry burls...

More glimpses into the workshops will come in future posts, but I think this is a good place to start.