I have hopes that others will share their personal tips and lessons learned....
- Shop Air conditioning. (Home)... I have a odd shop arrangement. The garage started as a very wide single-car garage, with pass-through doors at both ends, and then another single car garage was added on back. (Tandem garage) It is actually a bit larger than most standard double car garages. It is reasonable well insulated. Two years ago, I installed a small, 8000 BTU, window air conditioner. In the summer months, I turn on the air conditioner the first thing in the morning, and then turn it off at night. This allows the unit to condition the air, in the cooler morning hours. (Remember, all those big cast iron tools hold a lot of heat.) When afternoon temperatures rise into the 90's that single unit will moderate the inside temperatures by 12 to 15 degrees. If the afternoon temperatures exceed 100, the shop will become uncomfortably warm.
Shop dust has not been a problem, other than the foam filter in front, does have to be cleaned regularly. The air moving, over the cooling fins, keeps them reasonably clean. Occasionally, blowing out the fins with a air compressor is recommended.
The air conditioner was purchased from a local gent that repairs them for a hobby. He charged me 15 dollars for the unit. So far, it has performed very well. If it dies, I'll take it back to the same guy, and trade it for another one.
- When designing a new shop area, as far as I'm concerned, THE initial consideration is to think about wood storage. Woodworkers, almost invariable end up with pieces of wood, too good to throw away, and even in hobbyshops, these quickly become a problem. Solve this problem first. Consider tool position second.
- Shop cleaning. I have a Powermatic dust collector, and I use it. I've discovered that dryer vent hose and fittings work just as well as some of the dedicated (and expensive) dust collector piping.
- Shop cleaning. I do not like walking around in sawdust. I end up tracking it in the house, and causing marital disharmony. It's very difficult to get a really good finish in a dusty work area. Over 20 years ago, at an auction, I purchased a cheap electric leaf blower. Now, I open a garage door and simply blow out the entire area. Providing the small tools, (nails, screws, etc, are contained), it is a very quick process.
Cravat: Be careful. Blowing dropped screws and nails into your driveway is not productive.
Cravat: If you live in a sub-division, pay attention to which the wind is blowing. Covering a neighbors car with blown wood dust is not conducive to good relations, or in my case, required me to accompy my neighbor to the local car wash and pay for washing his truck.
5a. Tool care. I have found that there is a great unit for keeping non-electrical tools in pristine condition, and that's the dishwasher. When doing home maintenance on lawn mowers, or the truck, I haul all my hand tools into the kitchen and run them through a cycle in the dishwasher. With the drying cycle turned on, the grease is removed, AND the tools are blown dry, so rusting is not a problem. A quick swipe with a slightly oiled rag, afterwards is recommended.The dishwasher will not remove existing rust. Some tools, specifically old/antique planes, are really prone to rusting, even with the drying cycle. Immediate attention, with some paste wax is recommended.
CAUTION: I've never had any problem with japanning, but I have had old paint removed, and the process will remove any patina, especially on the wooden parts, like the handle and the knob.
Using a dishwasher on non-chromed tools probably should be approached with extreme caution. and NEVER used on a collectable tool.
5b. Occasionally, it is possible, when washing alot of greasy tools, that there will be a slight aroma of petroleum left in the dishwasher.. Empty the dishwasher and do another cycle.5c. I've found that the dishwasher will do a creditable job with buildup on circular saw blades.
5d. NEVER attempt this process, when SWMBO is home.
- I've found that good cabinet saw, properly tuned, with very good saw blade, (60-80 tooth) will usually produce a glue ready edge. Most of the time, I don't even bother with the jointer. For me, it's a gigantic pain in the butt to achieve perfect alignment with joint knives, even with some modern gadgets. I've noted that some of the high end jointers now have corrugated bases on their knives. When the knives are machined sharpened, they are all sharpened with the different knives exactly the same distance from the grinding wheels. Then, when the knives are installed, the corrugations on the base of the knives, fit precisely in matching grooves in the cutter head. Perfection can be achieved in a matter of minutes.
I will probably never buy a new jointer, but if I did, it will have this arrangement.
- Out of habit, with the large tools, I usually purchased a mobile base right along with the tool. Experience has shown me, that in my case, the mobile bases are pretty close to waste of money. After running power outlets, and dust collection piping, leveling (etc) I'm NOT going to be moving those tools very often.
- I highly recommend taking the time to level all the tools and workbenches. I use the disguarded plastic slats from a two-inch widow blind for shims. They are rugged, non-compressible and can be easily cut to any desired length.
9b. A square, (framing or otherwise), that isn't perfect, is pretty close to worthless. The internet provides methods of truing a framing square. But, I know of no method of truing a worn a tri-square. (Any suggestions)
- On a good level, the bubble will exactly touch the inner set of lines when perfectly level. On most levels, you will note that there is usually two sets of lines, the second set, slightly outside the first set. I am reliably informed that if the bubble touches either one of the outside lines, then the level is at exactly the right slope for draining water. Useful for plumbing and flatwork applications. (I actually made it quite a few years without knowing what that second set of lines was all about.)
- ALL my metal tool boxes, and over the years, I've acquired several, have a piece of outdoor carpeting applied with contact cement, to the bottom of the tool box. It stops the tool box from rusting, and stop the box from scraping hardwood floors, when a clumsy oaf (like me) inadvertently kicks the box.
- For years, I would glue a strip of carpeting to the tops of my saw horses. It worked well, but eventually, the carpet would be spotted with glue and paint drips, dirt and this usually meant throwing away the sawhorse. Now, I take the time to create a disposable top, usually of 1/2" plywood. I do not finish the wood top. I've found that I do want a bit of friction between the top and the piece of wood I've sawing or sanding.