I'll have to do a quick tidy up to find my own workshop first, but how about some pictures and details of your workshops and equipment?

Might be enlightening.

Cheers,
Ruaidhrí

I have a couple shots of my shop. This shows my new small mill. On the left is the lathe, on the foreground right is the laser.

Here's one of my bigger machining center before the new one arrived. The laser is on the left here and a Sherline 4th axis mill on the right.

Here's a shot of my assembly room. I have a press on the left and a bandsaw and milling machine on the right. Around the corner, there are saws and other woodworking stuff. Behind and to the right is a metal lathe.

Here's a shot of my lathe. It does a pretty nice job for me.

Click to view attachmentHere's my finishing room. I've since moved the beadblaster into the nearby closet and added another hand polishing station with more Foredom tools. There's a vacuum system in the same closet.

I'm drooling, Bruce.

Right now, my shop is in the cramped garage.

But I'm having a foundation poured in the next couple of weeks on my new shop.

1000 sq feet, heated, air conditioned...the works.

I'll post pics around the spring when it's done.

In the meantime, Bruce, do you mind if commute down to GA and make some pens on your equipment?

MY FREAKIN EYES!

Damn. Nice shop. Some day I will come and see it live.

From one "button pusher" to another. ;p

Dan

Awesome Bruce!
What are you building, lunar landers?

Thanks guys. It does pretty well. As you might see from the pictures, I like pegboard and bright lights. Can't have too much of either.

LDF, I do a few pens here and there, but my mail line of work is titanium rings. I'll be getting the high speed speed spindle for the Tormach this week. I have an order for about 70 college rings coming up.

Where is the saw dust ? Oh, wrong forum
I am in awe ....... but wouldn't know what to do with it, if I owned it.
Can you play Pac Man on those monitors ??
I wish your pen production, matched your ring out put.

I need to retire so I can apprentice for you.

Anthony, if my pen output matched my ring output, I think I'd retire and work for you!

Great idea I think you should relocate to Arizona, You can move into my shop, I will move next door.
I can apprentice, increase your pen sales to match the ring production, then we both can retire in Costa Rica !

What fascinates me most is that we can see the floor

My own workshop looked like that during a dream back in the late 70s

Thanks for the pics.

Ruaidhrí

And there's me drooling over my latest aquisition. A Boxford 8" shaper.
I seem to have made it into the 1950's for my workshop technology while this is up to the second.

And the tidiness. Oh wow.
All my benches are made with timber salvaged from pallets topped with steel plate rescued from skips. I suppose I've got 50 pallets worth of timber in the various benches. Some pallets were 8ft x 3ft, others a more common 4ft x 3ft but fully planked with 6" x 2" timbers. These make fantastic work benches when given legs, a further 1" thick planking and a 6mm steel plate top.
My latest workshop addition - a 250kg swl A-frame crane made from 8ft pallet timbers, a salvaged 60 x 60 x 4mm steel box section and a few bits of salvaged angle iron. I've done the calculations and have a minimum reserve of 6x on ultimate. I think Heath-Robinson must have been a cousin.

Regards

Richard.

My shop started out as a 12x16 lawnmower "garage" Since I am a woodworker it presently houses:

Grizzly table saw,
Jet 14" Bandsaw,
Rarely seen or used 8 inch Grizzly jointer (but its' in there)
2Rikon 12/16 lathes
Jet 10/14 mini lathe
A used Dremel 16" scroll saw.
A beat up Rtobi BT something or other,Noe of the accesories are installed,I bought it used for the table top and motor.
that's it for large tools and the ususal clamps, and other flatworking tools that most would have in their home/grage shop.
No "specialty" tools of any kind.

Bruce,

That is really a wonderful shop, it is so bright and clean too.....incredible.

In my day job I work with a lot of suppliers who run large Mazak's and other types of CNC milling machines, I am used to seeing large scale set up's with lots of sloppy coolant all over the place.....your shop is like a mini machine shop, very amaing, and clean floors...yeah. allow me to apply to be the apprentice to the apprentice...can I watch!!!

This is my shop, I am a hobbiest furniture maker, pen making is second to furniture for me.



My work bench



Shop layout is in a 2 car garage


I have some room right in front of teh table saw for some of the machines Bruce is using!

Hey Jim.

I've always liked your shop. Lots of Canadian tools!

It looks like you are not insulated. How do you keep warm and dry?

Thanks Brian,

I believe in the buy once - cry once thought process, I have 5 Generals in my shop. No I have no insulation, winters are mild here in Canada.

I do not woodwork during the winter months, I do have a construction heater and when I get the itch I run it and get out there, but it takes a long time for the cold to get out of the steel tools and machines. I shut down from early November till mid to late April.

I play hockey, well not this year, bt I will be back next year, so the shop is an off season hobby for me.

I was hoping to wait for two things before I posted these - the new camera I've promised myself, and a MAJOR tidy up

Unfortunately, back problems and family issues have prevented the Great Reorganisation of 2008 (so far) and indeed cut my shop time to very little of late.
Having seen you folk put your shops up, I'll have to bang away, and hope you'll believe I am normally an extremely tidy worker

Workshop is 17' x 8'. Pannelled with 1" insulation under panelling. Electricity is on a separate circuit from house, with over-ride switch inside door, as is first aid kit and fire extinguisher
Hard hats, Racal filtered air mask etc are in use - I apparently only have one set of lungs.
Japanese gear - ori nomis, dozuki, ryobas etc are carefully stored (not vis in pics).

Please be gentle with your comments

Inside door on left - supposed to be books but they keep coming back into the house
Somewhere in there is a planer, router table, dremmel, jigsaw and other bits & bobs


Moving along on the left side - the saw has a 10" blade (but it's heavy!!). The section of shelf where the planes live has a piece of old carpet sprayed with WD40 - so not smart cracks about lying them on their sides



Next on left is a Kity 613 bandsaw (dust extraction under). Also is a welder - under the plastic bag and the compressor for my air tools.


Bottom left is the Myford Super 7 (tooling etc on shelves behind and above).


Bottom right is mill/drill & some saws (more to be tidied!). The little Carbatec is on loan to a friend who is re-doing his own lathe & used to sit here also.


Up on the right (the dust extractor is buried under some boxes) is my Record No4 - the main woodturning workhorse. With the headstock swiveled it will swing 32". The bed-bars on it at the moment are 36". Behind are a few of my favourite tools, many shop made and all razor sharp


More tools above


and finally top right:


Questions, comments (remember - gently!!) welcome.

Cheers,
Ruaidhrí

Ron has just pointed out , elsewhere, that today is April 1st !

I wish I could say the untidiness above was an April Fool joke - unfortunately it is not

Regards,
Ruaidhrí

Here's what I have cookin....

http://pencraftonline.com/page.cfm/Shop-Project

We started framing today. I'll keep this page updated with new photos as we go.

I'm pretty stoked.

Ruaidhrí,
Congratulations on such an inspiring shop for ALL of us "maker wanna bees".......
I'm interested in starting the pen manufacturing process and was wondering if anyone would like to share in their experiences of what to get started with now that I see some have gone through the trial and error phase.
Jim in Oakville I'm interested in your shop too as I'm reachable by phone or visit (I'm in Guelph)
Once again I think we are all in awe of the shop Ruaidhrí.

Thanks Ray - unfortunately it's likely to inspire people to be untidy ......rs
When I eventually get around to tidying up properly I'll pop up a few pics
On a more serious note - feel free to email if you want to discuss, or pop up a post.

Brian - all I can say about that tiny shed of yours (LOL) is Bloody Wow!!!!!!

Cheers,
Ruaidhrí
Green with envy!

Hi All,
Attached some pictures of my workshop, nothing special but I am rather happy with it !

Regards,Francis


http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h89/foun...toolgrinder.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h89/foun...super7lathe.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h89/foun...lingmachine.jpg
http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h89/foun...t=workbench.jpg

Looking good Francis. Love the Super 7
I finally fitted the coolant tank and pump a week ago (if you are interested, I got it from Axminster, very reasonably priced - give me a shout if you want any info).

Enjoy the workshop

Cheers,
Ruaidhrí

Wow, Francis.

I really love that Myford. If it ever needs a new home, you can send it my way!

Same goes to you and your lathe, Ruaidrhi!

Thanks Ruaidhrí.
Very kind of you, but I already have a coolant tank & pump.
I've bought the machine (second hand) a few years ago, fully equipped and with all cutting tool & micrometers for a humble 1000 €!
I only installed a measuring dial on the tailstock allowing precise depth drilling up to 25mm & a digital measuring rule on the cross slide
Lately I've also added a second dial on the carriage, allowing automatic feed turning for lengths below 25mm.
Francis

I would love to see pics of folks working on pens in their shops. Any of those?

I wish you hadn't posted that!!!
Mine (an earlier model to judge by the colours) cost an arm and a leg.

One of the snags of living in Ireland - not many Super 7s about

BTW - I hope that (coolant tank info) didn't sound condescending

Cheers,
R