Frank M

You'll love the Grizzley cabinet saw!

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Stu in Tokyo Japan

Nice question.

For a dream shop, I would want something on grade, instead of B1

Big is nice, but too big (yes there would be such a thing) then you would need a bicycle to get around

If money was not object (the real definition of a dream shop) I'd move back to Canada, and buy some land just outside of my hometown, say 200 acres. I'd build a nice house for my wife and kids, all one floor, no stairs to fall down when I get old. I'd build a HUGE garage to house all of my two and four wheeled toys, and work on them too. For a wood working shop, I'd build a nice big building, I think a rectangle is better than a square, something like 60' x 120'. There would be a division of space, certainly at least a machine tool room (read NOISY) and a hand tool area, plus an office area, with computers, Big screen TV DVD etc, and a desk and draughting table etc, reference library too, as well as a nice big soft sofa for the power naps I like to take. A full bathroom with a shower, and a small kitchen space too.

The finishing room would be a separate building, it would be not far away, connected to the main shop by a closed in walkway, with a concrete floor (easier to roll the carts the work it on) the finishing room would be a full on pro type, with the stainless steel walls, the full filtration and the water under the floors thing too. Big, big enough to also paint a car or truck in.

Next to the main wood shop would be a welding shop, full on welding stuff, Tig, MIG and sticks, plus hot wrenches too. Not to mention big steel cutting band saws. Next to the welding room, in the same building would be a machine shop, lathes, mills, CNC machines.

Behind the main wood shop would be a large bandsaw mill in it's own building, so I could mill trees in any weather, and beside that would be a VERY large barn like structure with tall ceilings and good ventilation that would be my storage area for wood, and in there somewhere I'd put a commercial kiln.

I'd have power from the city etc, but I'd also have a generator or three (five?) that could run everything if needed. I've have my very own underground gasoline tank for my various two and four wheeled toys too.

I'd need a second garage for work toys, stuff like front end loaders, tractors, snow plows, fork lifts etc.

While everything was being built, I'd take a year or two and go to the US and enroll in some really good school so I could learn the basics of making fine furniture from the best teachers.

Once I was up and running, I'd start a business building fine furniture, and I'd try to hire the best and the brightest up and coming wood workers to come work for me, so I could have the chance to learn from them for a while. I'd pay them well, and treat them the best I could, giving them the freedom to do what their talent pushes them to do.............

I'd have guest house for cabins on the compound, and I'd build a large workspace with some of the basic tools needed to teach, I'd get someone in to teach classes to kids and to others that are interested in woodworking. I'd try to have seminars too, get some of the best and the most talented wood workers to come and teach and hold classes in the summer.

For fun, I'd put in a full on dirt bike area, MX and enduro, and I'd build a smaller scale race track for shifter carts and supermotard bikes. The land would have to have a small lake of some sort for fishing in as well.

Helipad would be nice too....

Well that was sure a nice little ramble

Now back to reality....

For things that I use the most in my shop, well I'd say my whole shop is the best tool/jig I've built, but really, it is all a whole, very little work would get done without all of it working together, so it is hard to pick out one or two things.

I guess my cyclone & duct work, would have to count, and the setup for my SCMS too.

Cheers!

pmspirito

The Orlando Florida woodworking show is next week, the 8th and 9th of December. I just know Santa has some goodies there for the Dream Shop just waiting to be picked up. There is an 18 inch dovetail jig from Hartville Tool on the way via UPS right now. I also picked up a Starrett dial caliper that reads in fractions and decimals. WOW is it cool. It raises your level of accuracy 10 fold. I ordered it from McFeely's the square drive screw people.

jnam

My dream shop would be the one I have now but with me a few more years experianced and knowing all. Yet I plan on having sooo much fun learning all there is to woodworking and doing as much as I can. I just finished my first set of drawers using dovetails and even rabbeted dovetails that came out almost perfect. I have not often felt such an overwhelming sense of accomplishment (barring the births of my 3 kids...have to include that of course) I have been sharing my time in the shop with my kids and we all danced around when I finsihed the last drawer.

There are just a few "dream" tools and jigs but never enough "dream" experiance or knowledge.

Right now I am working on a dust collector system for my shop using the plans of Bill Pentz ( http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/Index.cfm ) this will make life so easy. This would be my dream tool right now.

Pa's Primitives

I have my dream shop, with all the name brand power tools one could want with the exception of a lathe..........down the road. For those who envy me.............I envyed everybody else for 40 plus years...........been reinvesting monies from products and given my sons all the junk tools that I had for so many generations.

The one dream I have is someone to clean up after me,,,,,,,,,when I get going on a project I dont look back until it is done. Then when I look back.......Oh My Gawd
did I make this mess

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Pa's Heritage Collections
http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r33/BobGlen/Hertiage%20Collection/

cmarshall

I'm in process of building mine now. I put up a 40 by 80 foot building. Half of it is a shop with under the concrecte wiring and dust collection. I'm hanging the tin (liner) inside now and will began wiring before long.

CliffR

Best router:
There is no “best router.”

Hand Held: The PC-690 is pretty much the gold standard for hand held routers but, there are plenty of others. Bosh is superb. Lots of folks like their FesterTool routers a very great deal.

Stationary Application: I like the Triton 3.25 HP router for stationary table applications but the Hitachi has much better collets. I like the Triton because at the show price $190.00 it’s plenty powerful and cheap. If I had to pay list or even Amazon’s prices I’d get the Hitachi hands down.

Best/most useful store bought jig:
The PC Omnijig and then the Leigh D4

Best home made jig:
My Mortise machine made with a commercial X-Y milling table and a whole lot of heavy Angle iron. (Is that a jig or a machine? I think it may be a machine.)

Best workbenches and shop layouts:
Bench: whatever works. Some folks put a very great deal into their benches. They look great too. I drive nails and screws in my bench. It’d kill me to abuse one of those lovely work of art benches.

Best Router bits:
I like Whiteside but I am not above buying cheap bits off Flea-bay.

Most important Stationary Machines
#1) Sliding Table Saw: Martin, Felder, Felder/Hammer, or MiniMax, with a slider large enough to Cross a 12’ Sq sheet of Baltic Birch.
#2) Jointer Planer
#3) Band Saw re-saw: MM, Hitachi or – dare I say it: Rikon, Wood Tek, Griz
#4) Router tables- Yah plural. More than one is always good. Three isn’t too many
#5) Shaper
#6) Molder
#7) Double Drum Sander
#8) Mortising Machine


For The frugal woodworker:
Take a long hard look at General, Wood Tek, and Grizzly. General is making some great machinery for very good prices.

sawstop

As for the favorite jig
I have not bilt this mortise jig yet but it is the best one I have found in any magazine.

Have you found it easy to use Ken?
Do you find it to be accurate?

Dan

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One can never have too many Tools or Jigs for woodworking

bobj3

Hi Dan

Did you see the one Bob and Rick ( of the RWS )came up with ?,,,It's quick and easy to make and it's accurate.. because of the geometry of the jig. (beariing on the base plate,plus it's quick and easy to use., you know Bob R.

http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fix...ge-router.html

Bj

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Bj

lrr

Yep, I have a basement shop, and I yearn for more room, EASY ACCESS (!), and plenty of natural light.

Regarding outlets, I went nuts on my shop, installed a subpanel in the shop, so I have plenty of 110V-20A circuits, and also several 220V circuits.

Recommendation:

If you run 20A circuits in a new shop, run two circuits to the same quad box(es), and use different color outlets to identify two separate circuits. That way, you can plug a saw in one circuit, and a shop vac in another, and not trip the breakers! I'm about to rewire mine, so I do not have cords running across the floor to different circuits.

Of course, you could also install a dust collection system, but I'm sure there are plenty of reasons to have dual circuits in close proximity.

Lee