Replies

1. 
   MacS | Jun 22, 2007 05:55am | #1

   I wonder now many of the basement and garage workshops are in fact a decitated workshops. I do my woodworking in my basement, but it is a dedicated workshop in that it isn't used for any other purpose.

1. 
   noviceneil | Jun 22, 2007 04:50pm | #4

   I have a 2/1/2 car garage that at one time housed a large number of raccoon families who did their usual damage over 15 years. After the divorce I got rid of them, moved out the cars,cleaned it up (about 200 lbs of raccoon feces, had it repaired, insulated it and put up OSB covered with bead board...no cars or critters (cats excepted) allowed..at first there was lots of room but the space is slowly filling up with tools, cabinets, wood, etc...truly one of my favorite places to be, along with the gardens and the pond

   Neil

1. 
   woodwish | Jun 22, 2007 10:16pm | #5

   My lovely wife and I were getting tired of fighting over getting her SUV in her garage/my workshop so a few years ago we decided that for my 50th birthday we would build a new workshop in the backyard, and do it right.  We built a 16' x 32' shop with another 16' x 12' covered area for storage.  AC/heating, plenty of light, 10' ceilings, lots of cabinets, etc.  Really turned out nice.

   Seems that many of her friends had husbands going through a midlife crisis, finding new mistresses, fast cars, etc.  My lovely bride of 30 yrs. decided that the shop was cheaper so I bought a new truck instead of a Corvette, she refers to my lathe as my mistress, and she knows where I am at night.  Probably the best thing we ever did!

2. 
   vincentedwards | Jun 27, 2007 03:45pm | #12

   Same here- but my favorite perk of my basement is the garage doors. The sloping driveway leading into my basement makes tool and furniture access much easier. The downside is 6' 6" ceilingsMy summer projects include better floor treatment, above grade insulation, and an electrical upgrade.

2. 
   parttimeprofessor | Jun 22, 2007 10:05am | #2

   I now live in a condo so my balcony is my workshop. I have a custom-built tool cabinet with a fold out workbench out there and its great working in the great outdoors, although my wife gets upset when I forget to close the balcony door. Obviously my neighbours would not be impressed with the sound of power tools, so I have been forced to accumulate and learn how to use those old-fashioned hand tools. The buzz of woodworking for me now comes from the journey, not the destination.

3. 
   Gittercritter | Jun 22, 2007 02:03pm | #3

   I need to be able to choose more than one. I have a 30 x 12 basement workshop.  Tend to do finish work in the garage. I do luthiery at work and do some projects outside, just because its nice out there.

   I'll bet there are others who like to work in multiple locations.

   Oh, my wife has outlawed using the kitchen counter for anything beyond drawing plans. She got tired of seeing clamps while cooking.

4. 
   sapwood | Jun 24, 2007 05:54am | #6

   I don't need to practice, I do everything perfectly.

1. 
   tinkerer2 | Jun 25, 2007 07:33am | #7

   I was wondering when someone would come up with that answer.  Don't you love going to a doctor who has a practice instead of a work schedule. 

   I have a dedicated building for workshop and storage.  Been working on it for three years, sort of, and am just now getting it far enough along to work in it.  I got the heating installed last December.  Hope to get it insulated within a month and then would like to drywall and woodwork simultaneously.  Still have a lot of junk to dispose.

2. 
   jackplane | Jun 27, 2007 01:16am | #11

   I practice my woodworking under a bridge, where I live. It's a little difficult standing and sawing on a concrete embankment, but the constant rumble of traffic forces me to stay focused, and has helped me become a better woodworker.....Expert since 10 am.

5. 
   hubiedoo517 | Jun 25, 2007 10:34pm | #8

   I always wondered if anyone else has set up shop in their bedroom like me. I live in a beach bungalow with no garage or basement. The only choice I had was to set up shop in my bedroom or not at all (yeah right...), and the other bedroom is occupied by my aunt whom I share the house with. The room is all shop with a bed in one corner and my t.v..

   Hubiedoo517

6. 
   user-223998 | Jun 26, 2007 02:00am | #9

   I live in a condo where i keep all my tools in the basement and work outside. Its a bit of a job sometimes because i have to haul all my stuff up the stairs then out the back door and into the yard, then back again when i have finished, its going to make getting a shop someday all that much sweeter!

1. 
   espalier | Jun 26, 2007 08:52pm | #10

   in the attic.
   warmer than outside in the summer,
   colder than outside in the winter.

7. 
   woodkat | Jun 27, 2007 05:50pm | #13

   My shop is a spare bedroom in my house. I laid 6 mil poly down on the carpet and put 2x4's flat side down and screwed 2 layers of roof sheathing (wafer board) down so I have a wood floor I could sweep and roll equipment on. All of my tools; table saw, 16" band saw, drum sander, drill press and dust collector are on wheels. The only things that don't roll are the jointer and work bench, but I can slide the bench around some. My thickness planner and miter saw are on a rolling cart that I keep in my other spare bedroom which is actually my office. I can roll them in as needed. I also have an air cleaner that hangs from the ceiling which helps keep dust from migrating into the rest of the house. It's nice to be in a climate controlled enviroment but the major drawback is that it's tough to do more than one thing at a time. This setup requires you to think out your whole process so you don't end up having to set up the same tools multiple times, instead I try to work it so each task is complete before moving to the next. 

8. 
   9619 | Jun 28, 2007 04:26pm | #14

   Ruth,
   You asked "Where do you practice woodworking?"

   Doctors practice medicine. When they learn how to do medicine, they will do medicine, not practice it.

   I do working; I don't practice it.

   Mel

   Measure your output in smiles per board foot.