This is where my shop is as of the end of 2014. Much more usable as my wife has graciously given up her side of the garage. Future new garage for parking cars is in the works…

Panorama of one half of my shop.
Panorama of one half of my shop.
Panorama of the other half of my shop.
Panorama of the other half of my shop.
Sjoberg Elite 2000 workbench with cabinet. Love this bench. Made in Sweden from European beech. Very heavy with a plus 4″ thick top at the edge. Vises are very powerful but do have a bit of racking. I keep a Lee Valley Vise Rack Stop handy when I have to crank it down, you can barely see it in the right vise. The only drawback about this bench that I see are the 1″ dog holes, making it difficult to find hold down accessories, i.e. everything is made for 3/4″ dog holes. I had a blacksmith make 2 holdfasts and they work very well. I may decide to add some auxiliary 3/4″ dog holes at some point. I keep most of my hand tools, chisels, planes, saws, etc. in the cabinet below. See the clamp rack behind the workbench? That is a closet rack system and it’s the BEST thing for clamp storage. I have about 70 clamps on it and room for a lot more. Not expensive and ultimately adjustable.
This is my sharpening station. Using Norton waterstones, flattening with sandpaper on a granite block. Use a Veritas Mk II jig and a strop. Recently added a DMT EE for carving chisels.
This is my sharpening station. I use Norton waterstones with a Veritas Mk II jig, and a strop. I flatten with sandpaper on a granite block. Recently added a DMT Extra Extra Fine for sharpening carving chisels. Some more hand tools on the wall behind.
Screws, nuts, bolts, charging station, pencil sharpener, coffee maker, power strip, shop towels, and general catch all. Everyone has a place like this.
Screws, nuts, bolts, charging station, pencil sharpener, coffee maker, power strip, shop towels, and general catch all. Everyone has a place like this.
I keep all my finishing supplies in this Gorilla cabinet that I bought at HD on sale. Nice to have everything in one place.
I keep all my finishing supplies in this Gorilla cabinet that I bought at HD on sale. Nice to have everything in one place. Jig storage is to the left.
This is the front of my shop showing my DeWalt chop saw, Rockler router table with their FX lift and Porter Cable 890 router and Kreg fence, old Craftsman sander, Jet spindle sander, Porter Cable drill press, and way on the far end a recently purchased DeWalt scroll saw.
This is the front of my shop showing my DeWalt chop saw with Forrest crosscut blade and zero clearance insert, Rockler MDF router table with their FX lift and Porter Cable 890 router and Kreg fence, old Craftsman belt/disc sander, Jet spindle sander, Porter Cable drill press, and way on the far end a recently purchased DeWalt scroll saw. Everything, except the drill press and scroll saw are hooked up to a wall mounted shop vac with a HEPA filter.
Jet spindle sander, which I REALLY like.
Looking from the other end is my Jet spindle sander, which I REALLY like.
Porter Cable drill press (Lowes special) works well, but there's about .004" runout. I've replaced the spindle but I live with it. The DeWalt scroll saw works great after I figured out how to keep the light off the table (I bent the mounting bracket).
Porter Cable drill press (Lowe’s special) works well, but there’s about .004″ runout. I’ve replaced the spindle, rotated it, and fussed with it, but I live with it. The DeWalt scroll saw works great after I figured out how to keep the light off the table (I bent the mounting bracket).
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My wood storage used to be on the other side of my shop, behind 2 support posts. Literally impossible to get to anything. This new setup, though not perfect, works well. There’s 2 wall storage units, one for long stock and the other for shorter stock. Cutoffs live in the shop built storage bin.
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Plywood storage works well. The basis is a roll out cart (covered with ply) attached at one end to the wall. It’s on wheels but I only “rolled” it out one time, I think. The cart was inspired by Marc over at WoodWhisperer.com.
This is my DeWalt 735 planer.
This is my DeWalt 735 planer. Has been retrofitted with a Shelix helical cutterhead. Wow, what a difference that made! Doesn’t bog down even on full with cuts in hardwoods and very quiet. It also has a Wixey guage on it that gives you easily repeatable cuts, stock thickness, etc. Very slick once you figure out how to use it. The 735 is a no brainer if you have limited budget and shop space, and there is very little to no snipe. Of course with the upgrades you’re up to about $1400, but the basic 735 planer with a stand, infeed and outfeed tables, and extra blades can be had on sale for $6-700. That’s a really good deal, just have ear plugs nearby.
Love this jointer. It's a Grizzly GO490X, X means it has a helical cutter on it.
Love this jointer. It’s a Grizzly GO490X, X means it has a helical cutter on it. It is dead square and co-planer, and you can balance a quarter on it. The first one was destroyed by UPS Freight and Grizzly replaced it. Like I said, I love this jointer!
This is my SawStop. One of the very few tools I have purchased that did not need a bunch of tweaking. It's a 3hp 220v cabinet saw. Upgrades include mobile cart, overhead dust collection, Forrest Woodworker II blade, Freud SD508 8" Super Dado set, homemade crosscut sled (shown) and outfeed table, Incra 1000HD miter guage, and recently purchased Jessem Clear-Cut TS stock guides. It is dead accurate, with about .002-3 toe out on the fence. This is a beast!
This is my SawStop. One of the very few tools I have purchased that did not need a bunch of tweaking. It’s a 3hp 220v cabinet saw. Upgrades include mobile cart, overhead dust collection, Forrest Woodworker II blade, Freud SD508 8″ Super Dado set, Micro-Jig, Mag Fence, homemade crosscut sled (shown) and outfeed table, Incra 1000HD miter guage, Incra Miter Express, and recently purchased Jessem Clear-Cut TS stock guides. It is dead accurate, with about .002-3″ toe out on the fence. This is a beast!
Rikon 10-325 band saw with Carter guides and Kreg fence. HW Wood Slicer blade. The table had a bow in it, which I shimmed to flat with the swing arm covering the blade slot. Adjusting the stock guides is very hit or miss (mostly miss) so I upgraded to the Carter micro adjustable set, much better. The stock fence is not very adjustable so I also upgraded to the Kreg fence and am very happy with it. Magswitch fency (yellow thing hanging on the post behind it) comes in very handy for resawing. Nice setup, but I can see eventually upgrading to 2 bandsaws, one set up for resawing and ripping, and one with a 1/4" blade for tighter curves in thicker material that can't be done on the scroll saw.
Rikon 10-325 band saw with Carter guides and Kreg fence. Highland Wood Slicer blade.
The table had a bow in it, which I shimmed to flat with the swing arm covering the blade slot. Adjusting the stock guides was very hit or miss (mostly miss) so I upgraded to the Carter micro adjustable set, much better. The stock fence was not very adjustable so I upgraded to the Kreg fence and am very happy with it. Magswitch fence (yellow thing hanging on the post) comes in very handy for resawing. Nice setup, but I can see eventually upgrading to 2 band saws, one set up for resawing and ripping, and one with a 1/4″ blade for tighter curves in thicker material that can’t be done on the scroll saw.
This Rikon 1 hp dust collector is one of the first pieces of equipment I purchased when I started building out my shop a few years ago. I added a HEPA filter and a Super Dust Deputy, so it performs well despite connecting everything with 4" coiled hose. I added iVac blast gates and controller, which is a terrific upgrade. I hate opening and closing blast gates, and iVac handles that automatically, I don't have to do a thing.
This Rikon 1 hp dust collector is one of the first pieces of equipment I purchased when I started building out my shop 4 years ago. I added a HEPA filter and a Super Dust Deputy, so it performs well despite connecting everything with 4″ coiled hose. I added iVac blast gates and controller, which is a terrific upgrade (see my review). I hate opening and closing blast gates, and iVac handles that automatically, I don’t have to do a thing.
My old Shopsmith has been retired to my lathe. I don't do much lathe work so it's certainly serves well as that.
My old Shopsmith has been retired for my lathe. I don’t do much lathe work so it’s certainly serves well as that. Maybe some day when I get more shop space I’ll upgrade.
This is my almost ultimate assembly table. Why? Because it is BIG, 4' x 8' with plenty of room for everything you need, and within arms reach. It's built from 2 sheets of 3/4" ply screwed to a 2x6 frame, and it is nearly dead flat. What you can't see is the other reason it's so special. It sits on a Noden Adjust-A-Bench leg set that adjusts height wise from below my waist to chest height (I'm 5'11"). It's the better part of $500 and is built from heavy guage steel, but is worth every penny. I built my own stretchers and caster set. It's remarkably solid too. I would not trade this thing for the world!
This is my almost ultimate assembly table. Why? Because it is BIG, 4′ x 8′ with plenty of room for everything you need, and within arms reach. It’s built from 2 sheets of 3/4″ ply screwed to a 2×6 frame, and it is nearly dead flat. What you can’t see is the other reason it’s so special. It sits on a Noden Adjust-A-Bench leg set that adjusts height wise from below my waist to chest height (I’m 5’11”). It’s the better part of $500 and is built from heavy guage steel, but is worth every penny. I built my own stretchers and caster set. It’s remarkably solid too, you can see my shooting board on the back corner. I would not trade this thing for the world!

Well, that’s my shop. It’s a hybrid shop with a good mix of hand and power tools, and it all fits in my two car garage, about 660 sq. ft. True, there’s a lot of money invested in it, but I’ve done it over years. I make most purchases based on need, i.e. during a project I realize I need a tool to get the job done better and faster. I have very few tools that I’ve never used. Only one I can think of is a GyroJaw!