Setting up the Workshop

My friend Ray M. was able to pick up the work bench that I wanted.  He & Rick S. dropped it off at the house on Friday AM.

This work bench is 8' (count 'em!) long w/a maple top.  It weighs 165 lbs.  I have exactly the right spot picked out for it in the garage.  Remember we have a somewhat oversized 2 car garage and Angel & I only own one car (un-American, I realize that...) so my shop space gets to be pretty big.

On the way back from yoga class this AM Lyn spotted a garage sale.  We picked up an inexpensive wheelbarrow.  We've been pricing them and this was a great deal even if it does need a tiny bit of work.  The garage sale people also had a full-on metal work bench (actually it looked like a teletype desk).  It had a smallish bench vise mounted on it.  $10 for the whole thing.  I was sorely tempted, but I am afraid of using up too much real estate in my shop, so I passed.  After all, I am seriously considering some kind of blacksmith shop and/or welding shop for my space, so I need to save some room.

I have a pile of high quality scrap wood.  It includes some nice pieces of cedar and quite a bit of purple heart.  I've got the purple heart organized and put on a shelf, but the rest of my wood is fairly disorganized.  Once I've got it straightened up I'll have still more room.  I am pretty sure that I'll "need" a bench grinder.  That is best set up on its own stand (that can be bolted to the floor) rather than on the work bench.  Why do they call it a bench grinder then?  Anyway, that means more floor space.  It is important to keep things organized.

Oh... back to *my* work bench: my goal for the day is to get this thing built and get my heavy bench vice mounted on it.  This will finally give me a good work surface.  That will make lots of little tasks that I've been struggling with go much more smoothly.

BTW, our garage stays pretty comfortable.  When we built it, the guys said that no one had seen a garage this well insulated.  That's primarily because of the guest quarters over the garage, but it makes for a much nicer workshop too.

Hey, I just figured out that I can add photos to this blog... you use the "Add Photo" button!!!  I'll try to do another post soon that includes a photo of the shop.

I'll try to do more later.  Right now I feel a strong urge to mess with wrenches.