NSD - finally have the new shop set up

[Rodent]

after what seems like a couple eternities, I finally have the new shop set-up and open for business. I first saw this location in late may, secured it in mid-June, and loaded most of my shop stuff into it in early July ... and then my day-job went ballistic and I was forced to ignore the shop while I completed two customer projects

here's a pair of images of the space as I took posession of it. I was able to get the walls painted prior to loading everything in, and this definitely helps with the overall brightness





this past weekend I was finally able to get the final bits of stowage installed, and I finally have room to get back to work!

here's a peek at the front side, with business office, final assembly, and select customer soundroom on the left and main entrance to the shop floor on the right. I'm situated in second growth Western Maples, Douglas Fir, and a small grassy area perfect for sipping a cold one after a busy day turning expensive wood into sawdust



a peek at the business office ... if we've exchanged e-mails after mid-July, I've probably typed it sitting here looking out at the rain. I'll update this with additional images once I have my new assembly bench and wall display completed



first task for getting set-up was to construct a new workbench. here's the carcas prior to receiving the bench top



and then after the top was installed. that's a 2T arbor press I use for presing frets on the left, and a vacuum pump I use for gluing body sandwiches on the right ... o, and that's a heritage Plus 5 in final assembly on the bench to give this some scale. this bass will be seen in the greater Austin, TX not too long from now. you can also see a mini lathe I use for making wooden knobs



(apologies for the dusty lens) a peek at part of the wood stash, ShopSmith, and router table on one side



dust collector, oscillating drum sander, thickness sander, bandsaw, and planer on the other side




I'm almost out of space, and I still have a couple tools to load in (dupli-carver used for neck contours, and a horizontal belt sander with fretboard radiusing attachment) ... gonna be tight me thinks

all the best,

R

[RedemptionBass]

Awesome... so jealous.

[bassmanhamilton]

Love it! Nice space and lots of nice new shiny tools too. Congrats!

[blendermassacre]

is your dust collection sufficient? Looks great. I like the bench construction.

[Rodent]

is your dust collection sufficient?

the way I'm running it, by only connecting to one tool at a time via a short 4" flex hose, yes. if I was to have installed a more permanent dust collection system with fixed ducting I would need to move up to something more significant with a cyclone to remove most of the chips

Looks great. I like the bench construction.

thanks - this is the third bench I've built in the past 15 years, and I think I finally got everything right how I like it.


all the best,

R

[Reticle]

Oh man, I want that Jet 22/44..... I had a chance to get one with a cabinet, mobile base and in/outfeed tables and tried to hold out thinking the guy would come down a bit more. Of course he sold it about an hour later and I cried for a week. Very nice shop, I am quite envious.

[M0ses]

What's a ShopSmith?

Congratulations, that's quite a shop, you lucky man. Right now my shop is almost unusable because all of my tools take up all the space >< Soon I'll be moving out though, and have no shop at all....and hopefully soon after that I'll have an entire basement to myself.

[Dark Horse]

Color me green with envy.

Congrats !

[BassCycle]

Niiiiiiiiiiice. My shop is so tiny, only 10 X 12. I usually end up doing the actual work outside because the tools and supplies take up most of the space on the inside.

[moonshinegtrs]

Thanks for the post. I have finally found a building for my new shop. I have been working out of boxes for over a year now. Moving in this month.

Your new place looks great

Moonshine .

[blendermassacre]

Originally Posted by Rodent

the way I'm running it, by only connecting to one tool at a time via a short 4" flex hose, yes. if I was to have installed a more permanent dust collection system with fixed ducting I would need to move up to something more significant with a cyclone to remove most of the chips





R

Makes sense. My dad and I made, marketed and sold dust collection kits for quite a while, based off of a cyclone design he got from a guy, so dust collection is kind of my forte. I saw a lot of tools and not a lot of dust collection, so I got a bit worried. IMO every penny you can spend on collection is worth it.

[blendermassacre]

Originally Posted by M0ses

What's a ShopSmith?
.

it's a pretty cool multi tool. Table saw, sander, lathe, etc. Some are awesome, some aren't worth the $$.

[Rodent]

Originally Posted by M0ses

What's a ShopSmith?

a multi-tool that I use mostly as a horizontal drill



a drill press



and a disc sander



it's the first powered shop tool I owned after I obtained a router. this specific 510 model is a replacement to my original mid-60's era Mark V unit, and it's quite a bit more solid in its adjustments.

I use the horizontal drill to install threaded inserts into necks, drill the trussrod nut tunnel in neck heels, and to route the side jack tunnel in bodies. the drill press is functional enough with the benefit of a simple to use depth stop.

one thing I would never use it for it to make use of the table saw option - that's just too little support for my taste, and I find that tilting the entire table to make an angle cut is just plain dangerous for anything other than small pieces. I can't see using it to cut neck blanks

all the best,

R

[Rodent]

Originally Posted by blendermassacre

Makes sense. My dad and I made, marketed and sold dust collection kits for quite a while, based off of a cyclone design he got from a guy, so dust collection is kind of my forte. I saw a lot of tools and not a lot of dust collection, so I got a bit worried. IMO every penny you can spend on collection is worth it.

nice! and agreed. I didn't skip on collection due to $$, my choices were based on what shop space I could find and what loads the electrical system could handle

if the shop was just a bit larger and had one added 220v circuit, I'd definitely have a hard plumbed dust collection system with a cyclone ... next shop

all the best,

R

[blendermassacre]

Originally Posted by Rodent

nice! and agreed. I didn't skip on collection due to $$, my choices were based on what shop space I could find and what loads the electrical system could handle

if the shop was just a bit larger and had one added 220v circuit, I'd definitely have a hard plumbed dust collection system with a cyclone ... next shop

all the best,

R

A small portable dust collection system can be great. My dad has a 30 x 40 woodworking shop, so plumbed 6" hard lines is a great thing to have.

[Staccato]

Been watching with interest. Thanks for the update. Glad you're in!

[vbasscustom]

yea the shop i am using is a 60x40, absolutly massive. he has 2 cyclones running all the time, plus 5 over head air filters, he uses 6 inch hard lines and they have cleanouts every 5 feet in case something gets jammed up. its a pretty wicked system

[mikeyswood]

Congrats! Can't wait to see some dusty floors.

[joeyl]

very nice shop, I see you have decided to remain in the seattle area.

[Musiclogic]

Hey Rod....after Gibson left in 84(started move in 81, complete in 84) I spent some time at Heritage, that bass looks nothing like a Heritage

Glad to see you getting back into the fray. Good luck with the new shop.