possible shop...

[Greg Johnsen]

hey guys

while I've been waiting for wood, I've been going over some shop ideas with my neighbor (who has built a few shops, and has re-designed his 4 times) and he has given me alot of great ideas.

The reason we actually started talking about shops is because I will need a place to work when I decide to start seriously building, and because I have what is needed for a shop, plus all the help I need.

I have 2 rooms that will work as a shop, both are roughly the same size (20'X25' or a little bigger), but I will have to do some thinking about which will be the better choice in the long run.

The reason I'm saying that this is a possible shop, is because there are a few things I have to do in order for my dad to help me with this (his house, some of his money). I have to lose some weight, and as I lose more, the more goes towards the shop, which is a great incentive for me to do so.

Anyways, as I said earlier, my neighbor and I have been going through some ideas (mostly for tools).

He happens to have an older craftsman radial arm saw he's willing to sell me for around $200 or so (great deal for what they can do) and we decided that after some training with the tool, I can use it as my band saw and my miter saw.

We went over some bandsaw ideas, and came out with pretty much the best 14" bandsaw there is, the powermatic. The reason we were even talking about a bandsaw that is that high in price (and in quality) is because it will last me forever, and will never crap out on me. I'll be saving up for this model most likely, and will try to buy used, or when it's during a great sale, because it will definately be worth it. If the powermatic just isn't gonna work out, I'll probably get a used Jet 14" for $200 or so.

For a drill press, we were thinking about a used jet, or maybe a grizzly, depending on what is available and what price I can get it at.

I'm probably going to invest in a jet table top spindle sander, because it's what I'm used to, and they're nice tools. I'm either goin used or new with this.

Most likely goin with 2 router, one plunge and one for a table. This is ok because routers aren't too expensive, and you can get a decent router for just a couple hundred, it's the bits that kill you, and I got addicted to using the nice CMT ones.

Not sure what I'm going to do about a drum sander, or jointer. They're useful tools, but not totally required, and if I need to use them, I can probably take a walk down to my neighbor's.

Hands tools, probably going to invest in a nice block plane and spoke shave (love the lie nielson ones, but I might go groz for the plane). I'll get some microplanes, some rasps (maybe hand cut if I can come up with the money)...

The power tools are going to be on wheels so I can move them out of the way due to other things being in the room, and because I can move things where I need them.

I'l going to get a few square yards of the foam padding for floors, so I can put it in front of the tools I'm using, and in front of the bench.

Speaking of the bench, I'm planning on something simple, but very useable. A 2'X4' bench with dog holes, and a vice. I'm going to have a board that goes over the top of the bench and fits in a few dog holes so I can have a flat surface for designing, writing, gluing, etc...

Please tell me if I left anything out, which I probably did, but I appreciate you guys reading the thread, and feel free to post concerns, tool ideas, or anything.

Experience is greatly appreciated (and yes, I have read all the threads of shops)

Greg

 

[Bryan316]

Dude... aside from my oscillating spindle sander, my bandsaw is my most frequently used power tool in the shop. Easily. And now that I understand what makes a great bandsaw, I want to upgrade. BADLY.

The biggest recommendation for a bandsaw I can make, is the blade guides. SCREW the guideblock method, get rid of them. You're gonna want the full-bearing guides:

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Instead of the little composite-fiberglass or UHMW plastic guide blocks to hold the blade on the sides, this setup keeps the blade straight with sealed lubricated ball bearings. Then there's a bearing behind the blade's flat edge to keep the back pressure on the blade while cutting. The guide blocks get crooked, gouged, worn away, loose, cut by the blade, all kinds of issues. I'm spending more time inspecting my guide blocks than cutting. Trust me, I despise the guide blocks, and am going to be upgrading to the bearing guides ASAP. And yes, there should be bearing guides above the cutting table and definitely below. So if you get a bandsaw that already comes with bearings, it'll be cheaper than getting frustrated and upgrading later.

Also, just commit yourself to spending good money on QUALITY bandsaw blades. I got sick and tired of breaking and re-welding Craftsman saw blades, cuz for 8 bucks, they'll only last 8 bucks worth. If you go get quality blades (I pay $35 per blade for mine) they will last you for years. And yes, it does pay to get different blades for different applications. A big chopping blade, a medium duty smalltooth blade, and then a scrollsawing finetooth blade gets me through all my projects. The only reason I broke one of these blades was plain clumsiness on my part. They've never failed on me during use.


Invest wisely in that bandsaw, and you'll never regret it.

Oh, and a great router. Two tools you'll need the most for guitars, in my humble opinion.

 

[PaleMelanesian]

Budget some money for lighting. It'll be absolutely worth it.

Clamps. Lots of clamps. The cost adds up here, so plan for it.

 

[wilser]

There are other very important things to consider, like dust collection and air filtration. Finishing areas are also important as is climate control ...a cold shop and freezing metal tools is the last thing you want to go to when it's 10 deg outside!

 

[Greg Johnsen]

wils, it's GA, it's never gonna get down to 10 deg, and the shop is inside of the house, and it's heated, so no problem there.

As for dust collection, I have to look deeper into that, but I'll have enough room to get one. If not, I can buy 2 or so high end shop vacs and hook them up to whatever tool I'm using.

Bryan, the powermatic bandsaw comes with the bearings, and pretty much everything else you could want on a bandsaw, and if I go used, I'll probably buy from my neighbor, who has them on his saws as well. They are great though, I totally agree with you.

As for the lights, most definately, I want to get a bendy light for each tool/bench, and then some overheard lights as well, because I love working in a well lighted area.

claps..yah. at about 15 bucks or so for a smaller clamp, they'll run up the price real quickly. Those will definately be in my budget.

thanks guys

Greg

 

[PaleMelanesian]

Inside the house?! No way my wife would stand for THAT!

Dust collection would be priority #1. Also, a door that seals it from the rest of the house. You'll probably need a vent for return air, but put a filter on that. Even with that, there WILL be dust getting into the rest of the house. No way around it.

 

[fookgub]

Even with that, there WILL be dust getting into the rest of the house. No way around it.

Yup. My shop is in the second bedroom of my house. It's a rental place and I just didn't have anywhere else to set up shop. There is mahogany dust everywhere!

I have to wonder about the radial arm saw. It's a good tool to have for sure, but I don't see much use for it in guitar building. Seems like that money could be spent better elsewhere. Maybe it could be used for slotting fingerboards, but besides that a good bandsaw will do pretty much everything you need.

A small table saw would be good for cutting neck laminates, along with all sorts of other uses. I'd get one before I went for a big radial arm saw.

The two routers seems like overkill, too. Why not buy a really nice variable speed plunge router with a table? Porter Cable has a good package. Sure you have to swap your router in and out of the table, but it will save you some cash. Someday down the road, you could get a dedicated shaper, and skip the table mounted router entirely. Also, a good table with a split fence can double as a jointer.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts. I'm not a pro... just a guy with a small shop that makes due with the tools I have.

EDIT: What about a compressor? Not just for shooting paint, either... air tools work great, and being able to dust off projects is nice, too.