Pics of my shop... if anyone wants to have a look

[Ajcoholic]

A little back ground - I am a 41 yr old woodworker. It has been my passion for many years - full time since I graduated Conestoga College's 3 yr woodworking program in 1995. I started working full time at the age of 24 in my father's shop, which I eventually took over. I recently (in 2010) sold it, and moved to a new town, and started a brand new shop. Having learned what worked and what didnt, I set up the new shop the best way I felt I could, for the work I do (a mix of custom wood furniture, cabinets/casework and custom mill work).

I purchased an old, empty, 6000 sq ft metal building, and built a wooden structure approx. 3200 sq feet within it that is insulated & heated, and is the working side of the shop. The remainder I use for material & general storage.

I spent about 6 months selecting my machinery, dust collection, spray equipment, all hand tools, etc. Since I sold my other shop turn key and left pretty much everything - I was indeed starting fresh.

Since woodworking is pretty rare up here in the North (very few shops exist) I dont often get to share ideas and talk about work. I just found this site recently. I know this is not a "hobby" type shop, but I know others here are also doing woodworking as a career.

For me, woodworking is what I eat, breathe and sleep!

So, here are some pics...

From the main entrance looking from left to right:

[Ajcoholic]

My main working area is the 4x8 low table. It also houses most of my hand tools in drawers around the perimeter, as well as two vises. I also have one of the Lee Valley carvers benches I use a LOT for sanding, assembling doors, drawers, etc as it is at the right height for me (I am 6' tall).

I have some windows in the outer wall, which allow in natural light (faces east) and a great view of the forest here.






I have a decent selection of pipe, bar and smaller clamps... as you can never have too many clamps!
My main saw is the Griggio 10' slider, but I use the Sawstop 10" saw more than anything. And for cross cutting, the 14" radial arm allows me to cut up to 4" thick, and 28" wide.

[Ajcoholic]

I have a decent sized spray room, with a 12foot wide booth. Lots of room for racks, and placing cabinets around without having to take them back into the shop. The finishing room stays very clean, which makes finishing a lot easier. I use graco HVLP guns with Binks pressure pots to spray my finishes (one is set up for clear, one for solid coloured lacquers).

As I like to use pneumatic tools like sanders and drills, and some of my equipment requires air as well, I opted for a 10HP IR compressor, which is much better than the 5hp unit i had previous. Also, since my shop is out in the boonies, I have a large three phase rotary converter to run my equipment.

I keep the converter & compressor in a separate room (where all my electrical panels are as well) to reduce noise, and keep the dust out of the compressor as well.

[Ajcoholic]

For dust collection, I have a 7.5 HP Belfab unit which works great for the size of my shop, coupled to an Oneida cyclone. The bins make dumping shavings very easy. I had a bag collector in the old shop, which was a royal pita. No more bags... ever!

Also, two band saws - the Laguna 16" is set up to resaw only. The old Concord I have set up for general cutting, with a new set of Carter guides and a 1/4" blade.

[Ajcoholic]

For wood processing, I have a 16" Cantek jointer, with a Cantek 20" HD planer. Both have carbide helical heads. Very good cut, very smooth and long lasting.
For sanding, I have a Cantek 36" wide belt sander (two rollers with a platen), an 8 foot Ducet stroke sander and a 6x108 Ducet edge sander. General intl spindle sander for curved stuff.

The Cantek line is sold by Akhurst machinery. I bought most of the heavy equipment from Akhurst and was very pleased with the service, both pre and after sale.

[Thom@Calgary]

Ok....my shop fits inside your spray booth, but otherwise...

What a sweet set up. Seriously, it's like workshop pron looking at all the shiny stuff. Plus, that TC+S combo is sick - probably cost more than my old Porsche! I would kill for a week working in there ...no, really.

Thanks for sharing.

[BRIEN]

Very nice shop indeed, you have some serious tooling there. How do you heat the shop??

[Ajcoholic]

I also use a Cantek 7.5 HP tilting arbor spindle shaper (can see it in the last pics in the background)

My newest piece of equipment is my 48" by 48" Shopbot CNC router. It was a long time since I did CNC back in college, but it is a great asset to the shop. I run a lot of carvings, moldings, panel cutting, etc that is anything but square or rectangular. It has a 4HP industrial spindle on it, so it is quiet and powerful.

[Ajcoholic]

Very nice shop indeed, you have some serious tooling there. How do you heat the shop??

I use a high efficiency furnace, on propane. Not too crazy cost wise. I think last year my heating bill was just over $3K. But I keep the temps about 62 C.

AJC

[Ajcoholic]

Not easy to see right now, since I have a bunch of cabinets that need the drawers installed - I have a used, 1980's era hydraulic copy lathe. I bought it used for a steal, and I use it to make anything from ballusters for stair case work, legs for stools and chairs, etc. It is a beast! Its nice to not have to farm out turning work, which I used to do. I can turn a spindle for a railing in a minute or so.

[Ajcoholic]

On the other side of the working shop, I store my materials. I stock several species of hardwoods, and a lot of plywood/sheet stock also. Buying close outs, and lift quantity is a good way to save a lot of $$.

[Ajcoholic]

And finally, in the old shop I didnt have a dedicated room to store some of the metal working equipment I have, as well as my sharpening stones, grinders etc. So in this one I have a small tool room. I grind a lot of my own HSS cutters for matching moldings, and make some of my own tools from O1 steel. I have a small lathe, and a mill/drill and a small mill to repair parts for machines, etc.

Having the dust free room for this stuff is a blessing.

[Ajcoholic]

Well, that's about it. I am a third generation woodworker - my grandfather (on my dad's side) was a carpenter in Europe. My father came to Canada in the late 1950's and started his business in the late 60's - and now I am keeping the family business alive. My son, who is only 16 months, will grow up with a lot of time in the shop... and perhaps he will take over from me some day.

Woodworking is such a great thing. It can be a hobby, a profession, or in my case both! I'd live out here at the shop if my wife would let me ;)

Thanks for letting me share the photos. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them. If you are ever in the Timmins (North Eastern Ontario - about 8 hours North of Toronto) area look me up and stop by for a coffee. The coffee is ALWAYS on, and I love to show you around and talk a little woodworking.

AJC

[Ajcoholic]

Oh yes, some of you might be wondering where are the hand tools? Well, I suffer from some OCD (basically I have a thing for extreme organization). All my hand tools are generally stored around the shop in cabinets. I do use a lot of hand tools (chisels, planes, saws, etc) with a mix of hand power tools (routers, sanders, drills & drivers, etc) the general wood working stuff. I am also a neat freak- the state of the shop as it is in the photos (taken today while I was packing it in for the day) is as messy as it gets! Everything in my shop has a place, and everything gets returned to that place immediately after use. I am so used to it, it might seem odd to some, but its the way I work.

[mreza]

Nice shop and equipments. Should be a joy to work there.

[Andre in Quebec]

Man what a shop you have , now you're getting me dreaming.

[Lobster]

I envy you .... this is the type of shop setup I would love to be able to own professionally one day, very nice.

[mikeddd]

Hello Andrew

That looks like a very cool place to spend time, very nice setup. Thanks for the tour.

[kevinhanna]

Nice shop indeed. I'd be gitty working in there.

Do you have a brother Al? ;) Sorry, I'm sure you've heard that before.

K.

[Ryan in Edmonton]

Andrew, you have a fantastic set up, congrats. And thanks for taking the time to post pics and the write up about the shop and what you do.
I haven't really mentioned it on the forum yet but I am currently waiting for permits from the city to build my own dedicated shop in my back yard. It will be nothing compared to yours at only about 525 sq ft, but it will beat the heck out of the half of the double attached garage where I am squeezed into now. It's good to see your layout to get some ideas too. My equipment is vastly smaller and fewer than what you have, but maybe one day I will get there.
Thanks again for posting Andrew.
Ryan