Show Us Your Shop!

by Rick Lasita
Jackson, Tennessee

My new workshop is finally completed. Work started in June of 2007 and the electric came on (after inspection) in mid-August. I contracted out the concrete, electrical, framing and roof. I helped with the siding and did most of the inside work. The exterior walls have 3/8" plywood beneath the vinyl siding. The structure is 16' x 20' on a concrete slab with footers. The windows and doors all have double pane glass. The windows are 3' x 6' to allow for maximum light. I chose double doors instead of a roll-up door, as I saw no need for a garage type door in the shop. The ceiling is about 9-1/2 feet high, from which I hung four 4 8-foot fluorescent shop lights and a ceiling fan. The shop is situated about 25 feet from the back door of the house (by code). After I filled in the nail holes in the sheetrock walls and painted, I started moving everything from the garage to the shop.

The NE corner is the carving corner. I mostly do relief carving using my power carver. I have done some birds, as well as some other types of carvings. Now that I have this setup, I think I can get more into carving and not have to worry about putting everything away after each use. A friend of mine in Ohio is a world-renowned waterfowl carver and he is encouraging me to do more of it.

The SW corner shows the workbench I built from an article in Fine Woodworking. I built the tool cabinet as well, but can't remember where I saw those plans. The combo wall unit is 18,000 BTU cooling and 11,000 BTU heating.

I really need to refinish that top on my bench! It is 2-3/4" maple and I used machined 2x4s for the frame. The cabinet underneath is just made to fit.

The SE corner is home for my bandsaw. You will also notice the oak tall clock project that I have in progress. I have a Jet 1-1/2 HP dust collector in the corner that I hook up to whatever tool I am using. I had considered running ductwork for it, but over the past few years I have been doing more and more with hand tools and the need for a central collection system just isn't that great now.

I like building furniture, chairs, tables, etc., and have done some outdoor furniture too. This settee is solid cherry with a hand-woven seat. Once the initial cutting was done on the bandsaw, I used a lot of hand tools to complete this piece. The seat is made from 5/8" ash strips.

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