Shop pics (not mine, unfortunately)

That is a slick shop. Neat, clean, organized. How does he keep the clutter factor so low? It looks like a world record for efficient use of space.

Big windows and a great dust collection system look like a good place to start.

 

WOW.

I just went through the whole series of pictures. I like how he outlined the construction of his guitars with the pictures. Very tidy compared to some of the pictures of other shops.

 

Where's the sawdust? If that's a shop then I build in an anti-shop.

 

That pic was taken just after construction, had to have been. I'm sporting a consistant three inch layer of shavings in my workshop at home. Shavings, not sawdust, cause I'm running a lathe and I usually suck pretty bad at it, so if I mess up on cheap firewood I usually use it to practice my cuts. I'll cut all the way down to the toothpick. Thank you shop-vac.

 

It looks like he built several small benches, the minimum size and correct height for specific tasks, instead of a large bench to use for everything. It looks like he made a substantial investment in money and space on the dust collection system as well.

I like the idea that the photos were taken immediately after the walls were painted and the tools were rolled in. The inside of my chest cavity is not as clean and organized as that shop!

 

I'd like to see a thread started on messy shops. Maybe I wouldn't feel so bad about how disorganized my studio is.

 

Oh, I'm your poster boy for messy shops! You would seriously think I have some sort of mental disorder if you saw what it looks like now.

I kid you not.

 

did you see how organised everything was? NOTHING was out of place...not even the fretboards on the shelf!

the instruments look gorgeous...his approach of building in groups of 8 is brilliant way to balance his work from both a craftsmanship and business perspective.

I've see a lot of builders work from "stage" system, but that requires a lot of space and time switching up equipment.

The only drawback to building this way is the possible monotony...you'd really have to love buffing to spend several days straight buffing not one, not two, but 8 guitars...

great thread. Thanks, Basschair.

 

Hey, what may look like disorganization to some may be an efficient system to others.

 

agreed - think of the effeciency wasted in redundantly sweeping and cleaning. time spent actually building basses is needlessly spent removing the cushion off the shop floor (my feet are already starting to ache!) Any dust on tool surfaces is really just a well planned scratch/dent inhibitor ... remove this stuff and you exponentially increase the amount of time spent sanding out those little dings that accumulate from bumping otherwise hard surfaces.

I want a shop where I'm not oppressed from actual work, one where it's OK to create a little dust, one that isn't a photo op for New Yankee Workshop, and one where the in-laws are afraid to tread without prior invitation



R

 

We all have some mental disorder, most of us just haven't been diagnosed! I see it everyday, as my day job consists of running a facility for adults in the mental health system

 

Well, um thanks, that's comforting as hell. :scowl:

My shop building is about 200 feet from the house so this is a nice buffer zone to keep the undesirables out. We keep in contact with a pair of radios. Works great. I'm so isolated and into what I do that when someone DOES find their way out there, I'm usually startled if they knock on my door so I've installed a brass knocker on the corner of the building for them to knock on as the come around the corner. I can usually hear this even when a machine is running or I'm under my earmuffs.

 

Agreed most heartily. Instrestingly enough, my workshop is an offshoot of my bathroom, so to get to it, you have to travel through that bog of oppressiveness. If thats not a deterrent, nothing is.

And worst come to worst, run a couple of example cuts with a dull skew and cover them with saw dust.