Jason asks:
t the end of the month my wife and I will be moving to
>Charlottesville, Virginia. Unfortunately, the place we're moving into
>doesn't have any room for a shop. This will be a temporary (2-3 year)
>move for us, but I don't want to totally give up woodworking,
>especially since I've just started at it and want to develop my
>skills.
>
>Does anyone have any advice on how I could go about finding shop
>space? I don't need tons of space, since I mostly use hand tools and
>take on relatively small projects. I thought about trying to find
>other "shop-less" woodworkers in C'ville to share space and tols with,
>but after reading some past posts in this group's archives I decided
>the communal route wasn't worth the hassle.
When I needed space and didn't have enough, I rented a basement from a local business (sub shop, actually). Great spot, except for a 7' ceiling and a hard to deal with door (when you had a 10' board in your hands). Also needed major rewiring...when I moved in, there was a light circuit and that was it. Some guy had wired (open) a coffee pot to the light fixture wires, so that when the switch was on, the coffee pot was too. Yanked that within seconds.
I used that place for 3 years, then moved in with a buddy who already had an overcrowded shop. We're still good friends, but it ain't my fault!
I'd suggest you look around for a similar off-area rental (with good locks, and, unless you've got some experience, decent wiring). Business basements for some types of businesses are not used...check out old buildings (Charlottesville has a lot) with hairdressers or small sandwich shops or similar places above. Hell, even an insurance agent's office might work. Any business that doesn't need extensive basement storage should work.
I'm sure others will have other ideas, too.
Charlie Self
I think we agree, the past is over. George W. Bush