The Evolution of a Home Woodworking Shop

This article is a bit on the long side but I couldn't find another way to describe my thought process. For your convenience I have included the following chapter list and placed each chapter on a separate web page. You will find navigation aids on each page. The first part of the actual article has been placed on this page, below the chapter index.

The Chapters

Introduction

Web site statistics offer a fascinating look into the interests of the site’s visitors. My current statistics are an excellent example. Nearly half of the top twenty search terms are related to shop layout including the number one search term and four of the top ten. Layout is a really hot topic. I readily admit shop organization is my favourite topic, especially since I am a recreational woodworker and not a professional. I never have to worry about how my shop time is spent. That’s the best part about an obsession – it’s mine and I get to pick how I obsess over it.

Since our shop experiences are so personal and distinct, it seems only logical that every shop is distinct. This applies to professional shops too. Why is that? Simply stated, there is no single, correct way to work wood. Every woodworking goal can be accomplished by any number of methods. Every method requires a different set of skills and tools. Thus, every woodworker will require a different workshop. The time-honoured mortise and tenon joint is an excellent example. It can be cut by hand using a mortise chisel, milled on the table saw, routed out, or created using some specialized machine. Each method requires vastly different tooling which, in turn, affects shop layout. However, there are other factors to consider.

Layout is also influenced by the types of projects undertaken, the amount of equipment in the shop and the skill level of the woodworker. The novice probably won’t have so much to move around and would be better served by jumping in and building something rather than losing sleep over how things are organized. The veteran woodworker will probably spend more time revisiting the choices made in the past and likely will have accumulated several additional tools. These additions tend to render older organizational choices obsolete necessitating change lest the woodshop remain in a state of chaos. I’ve been there.

As usual, I’m taking the long way around the barn – I’ll try to get to the point. Having recently made a cross-continental move, I am presently drawing out plans for a new workshop. A new shop is something like a blank canvas – waiting for your inspiration to transform it from four empty walls into a place where creativity can flourish. As I sit, pondering a new shop to be built over the next year, I think back to the shop I left behind, reflecting on what I learned from it. This presents an opportunity. What better way to illustrate my theories than to show you how my last shop evolved, from four bare walls to the overstuffed, yet effective workspace it became. You probably think I spend an inordinate amount of time pondering and not enough time building. Maybe I do. I can assure you that most of what follows made it to paper (or LCD screen) after the fact. It wasn’t until I started typing that I recognized this thought process. So, take it for what it is - my experience. Whether you agree or not, or use the information or not, or even enjoy it or not, the fact remains; the number one search term in my site statistics is still shop layout. Here goes.