Using available shop space

[Mike Girouard]

Greetings to the group!

Mine is a small wrecking empire - an aluminum shed only about 10 X 12. So I have to think hard about what I put in there and I lean towards multi-tasking machines whenever possible.

Right now I'm thinking of getting a bench top planer. NOT a thicknesser, mind you. What I want is to be able to "true" the edges of, say, up to 6" X 1" stock - soft woods, mostly. But I've started wondering if I may be better off thinking instead about a bench top router table. My thinking is that I should be able to accomplish the same trueing function using the router table's fence and a straight bit. (Just a sideways planer, really!) Then I'll still have the routing functions in the same space. Any serious flaw in my reasoning?

FoggyTown

[Wilson Lamb]

If the fences are very long, compared to the workpieces. The router table will be good for doors, drawers, etc too. You might even have different fences for jointing and other work. Remember, there has to be an offset, which can be a shim on the outfeed side or a split fence. The shim, and some practice, would make it easier to keep the fence straight over its whole length.

My son has a small shop. He put a bench all the way along one wall and a small window in each end wall. He sometimes works with wood sticking out both windows!

If you can live with the bed length, my choice would be a benchtop jointer that's pulled out when needed. A small jointer and motor went for $75 at our recent club auction.

Wilson

[patriarch]

[e-mail] (Mike Girouard) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

If you are really space constrained, and you want to do as you stated, true an edge in a small piece of softwood, then you can simply mount a handplane, sole up, in your wood vise, and run the piece across the blade.

Quiet, too. Gary Rogowski called it his 'cordless jointer', on one of his videos.

Oh, wait. You wanted to buy a new power tool. Well, go ahead. Enjoy!

Patriarch

[bridger]

how about a jointer plane, bailey #6,#7,or #8? of course it won't help for ply or mdf, but it'll cover most stuff and take up very little space....

[toller]

My experience is that a good sawblade gives a better edge than a benchtop jointer.

[max]

I traded my 8 inch Powermatic and bought the Delta 6 inch benchtop jointer. The tool is awesome. I have excellent results. Of course it took me months to learn to use the Powermatic, but only minutes to learn to use the Delta properly. max

[toller]

Well, you are better than me. I got rid of my Delta benchtop because I couldn't get anything over 15" straight. (Of course, I can't imagine why it would take months to learn to use your Powermatic...)

[max]

I'm not too smart for a boy! I could do the basics pretty quickly, but long heavy boards, and proper feed techniques take a while. Plus, the blades were slightly out of alignment and the tables needed to be leveled. I did not know this when I started. max

[igor]

I recently realized I could do something like this in my basement shop -- and it is why I want to build a rolling workbench. With the bench (or TS) rolled to the center of the room, open window at one end and open bathroom door and then furnace room door at the other. Great minds ... I'm even thinking of building a basic frame 6' bump-out outside the window and wrapping it in sheet plastic so I don't lose too much heat in winter (or cold in summer). -- Igor

[Prometheus]

FWIW, I've got more space than that, but I still shy away from getting a jointer because of the space it would take up. If all you're doing is jointing the edges of softwoods, why not look into a nice hand plane? For the cost of one of those low-end benchtop planers, you could get yourself a high-end hand plane, and it would take up almost no space. They're not the easiest tools to learn to set up and use, but once you've got it figured out, hand-jointing can be a real joy to do.

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

[Silvan]

I can't be bothered to draw a diagram. There are some pictures of my "old" shop on my web site, but they don't show the new saw, the retrofitted workbench top with dog holes, or the JET mini lathe.

I have a 10'x 12' shop too. I have:

• 48" x 36" workbench with dog holes over most of its surface

• two face vises, a multi-purpose vise, a railroad track anvil, and a permanent propane torch station

• sundry hand planes

• floor model drill press

• tool cabinet (wall-mounted)

• Crapsman contractor's saw with waffle wings; 24" rip capacity on either side

• JET mini lathe

• Delta 6"/36" combination belt/disc sander

• useless Crapsman banshee with useless Crapsman banshee table

• sundry portable power tools

• Delta scrollsaw.

• Delta el-cheapo jointer

• semi-permanent 18 gal. Shop Vac with trash can cyclone dust "well it sort of collects a good bit of it anyway" collection system

• sundry axes and hand saws and other tree whacking accessories

• overhead wood storage (really unsatisfactory, because it's not flat enough to prevent warping :( )

• miscellaneous other crap

It's tight. I have to suck in my butt and shuffle things around a lot, but it's all mine.

You can do a lot in a little space when you have no choice.

[Badger]

I have a 9 x 24 garage that has to store 7 bicycles, a vintage matchless m/c, spares for several vehicles inc wheels and tyres for a land-rover, I also have a huge wood lathe/table, a bench, portable saw/router table, setting out table, workmate, saw horses, welding gear.....I manage, but its not easy, though the boys can practice their 6 yard shooting (air rifle and pistol) along the centre line!

Niel.