My Shop

A few years ago I came to the point in life that we all do eventually. I realized that I was indeed mortal! I've always enjoyed working with my hands, but, since leaving service in the U.S. Navy in 1973, I never really held a job that needed that.

I owe a tremendous debt to Norm Abram of the New Yankee Workshop on PBS. I'd been watching him for years and wishing I had the time (and the SHOP!) to do what he made seem so effortless and fun. Finally the boss agreed that we weren't getting any younger and now was the time to "GIT 'ER DONE!"

My friends Earl and Troy Sterry came to my aid and used their collective years of building experience to add the necessary room to my existing barn/garage which enabled me to carve out 600 square feet of working space. I didn't spare the insulation, which helps the propane bills! Here are a few pictures of what eventually evolved from years of dreaming and planning. Questions and comments are welcome.


The view as you enter the front door, looking toward the back wall, where my main workbench and my finishing room are. My dust collection ducts run along the ceiling. The lighting fixtures were found along the road with a "Free" sign on them!	The long wall with my assortment of power saws. The lumber rack over the saws is very handy! By the way, I'm really impressed with my Rikon 14" bandsaw.

This is my "finish room", just off the main shop. While it works well at keeping wet varnish and shop dust apart, it really shows its worth in the winter, when I can leave newly glued or finished pieces overnight without having to heat the entire shop. A small oil-filled electric heater set on low is enough to keep the room in the 60's during our 30 below Maine winter nights.	The backbone of my (and any) shop, my table saw. I chose this Ridgid 10" contractor's saw because it came with an ingenious dolly mechanism which allows it to be easily moved around the shop but still sit solidly on the floor when retracted (a real value when space is at a premium!) I added the extension at the right, which serves very nicely as a router table. The fence extension is my own modification of Norm Abram's router table fence. It works beautifully.

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