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My First Shop – Huntingdon, PA

My First Shop (1995-1998):
The shop in our house in Pennsylvania was located in part of our large basement. We added insulated walls to close it off from the rest of the house and deaden sound as much as possible. I learned to love basement shops - especially after we moved to Michigan and switched to a garage shop. Basements have the great advantage of being cool in the summer and warm in the winter. We ran a humdifier to alleviate and moisture problems. The main problem with a basement shop is accessibility - getting large tools and lumber downstairs and finished projects upstairs can often be a challenge. Check out the Adirondack Chair page for a painful lesson learned in this regard.

Here are some pictures of the old shop. Check 'em out....

This is a good view of the back of the Jet Contractors saw. I added a router table extension (left side of picture) and house my shop vac underneath.

This shows the bench wall. The bench was an old bowling alley top. Worked well. The base cabinets were misc leftovers. I used the pegboard system in my current garage shop as well. I like having everything organized and right where I need it. Jet saw in foreground with the in-progress Plant Stands. Who's that good lookin' guy at the bench?

The other side of the bench. Drill press on the right with a homemade hangining cabinet that houses all my drill and router bits. Acrylic front keeps out the dust. WorkMate below the cabinet.

Wall opposite the bench. Stored sheet goods and lumber on this wall. On the right wall was a long utility bench. I used the far end (pictured here) for a finishing area. The vent fan barely visible above the shelves adequately ventilated the shop when needed.

The bench on the right continued towards the main bench wall. If you went slightly out of picture (near the photographer) you'd find a compound mitre saw station built into the white bench. It allowed me to support long boards on the benchtop for accurate, stable cuts.