First steps to a healthier shop

This weekend I took one of the first steps to a healthier shop.  I found a shop air purifier on Craigslist for $20. I have been looking at them on and off for a while and they can range from $100 to $300 or more so it’s been one of those things that I put on my get to list.  Well for $20 if it works half way decently it’s worth the money.  Now I just need to get it mounted to the ceiling so that it can do it’s job.  Maybe tomorrow night.  Tonight I spent the majority of the evening cleaning the shop and it’s still looks horrible.  I am going to spend the next several days trying to get things cleaned up and reorganized.  I have really let the shop go over the last month or so and it was getting difficult to walk around and there is no way I could paint the Jelly cupboard with the amount of sawdust that was in there and would be kicking around.  I still have a lot of dust to clear out and a bunch of reorganization.  I have said on this blog that a clean shop is a safe shop and a safe shop leads to a healthy shop and a healthy woodworker.  I finally listened to my own advice again and couldn’t take it any more it was time to clean.  So hopefully during this week I can get the shop organized cleared up finish the couple things on the Jelly Cupboard get it in some paint and out of the shop and move on to our WIWW nightstand.  I wish I could do this full time and crank out plans and designs and tutorials for you but alas this is a hobby and unfortunately they sometimes have to take a back seat to life.  Plus it is REALLY tough to tell Grover Jr. that I am going out to the shop and not let him come out there because I am going to be using the table saw.  Tonight was great because he Loves to play use the shop vac.  He isn’t playing he is helping Daddy.  Actually he really does a good job.  He gets a lot of the saw dust where it should be. 

Speaking of G.JR.  I can’t tell you as a parent how awesome it makes me feel that he has an interest in woodworking.  We bought a small little project for he and I to do and he is begging to put it together so we will be working on that this week as well.  I love my time with him I only hope that as he grows and becomes a teenager that he will keep the interest in woodworking and it will be something that he and I can share for the rest of our lives. 

Okay ladies…  I’m calling on you.  Once we have this WIWW Nightstand build complete what can I help you learn?  Are there other types of woodworking that you are interested in other than building furniture.  Turning or Scroll Saw.  There are all kinds of things that are out there.  In addition to building furniture I also do Pen turning and scroll saw work, both are a ton of fun and require much different skills but both require lots of concentration, both of these allow me to kind of go into my own little woodworking world and relax.  They are much more artistic in nature than just building a cabinet or a table, not that you can’t get artistic with a table.  Anyway post some comments on things that you want to learn and I will do my best to help you in your journey whether its me showing you or even pointing you to online/offline resources on the particular subject.  Okay enough for tonight.  I got a little long winded tonight. 

Have a Great Day!

 

Technorati Tags: woodworking,safety,shop,family,health

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No Shop Time – BOO HISS and Grumble even

I am sure I am not the only woodworker that feels this way, but I feel like I don’t get enough shop time.  Actually I don’t get enough consistent shop time.  I will go through phases where I will be out there most every night for a week or so and then guess what happens life gets in the way again and I have a slump. 

My wife and I started a project together that I mentioned in a previous blog.  This was a momentous occasion for me finally something that I am interested in that we can share together. 

I mean I have a BUNCH of hobbies to many sometimes and some I just can’t afford right now.  I have been a pilot since I was 16 years old, I fly stunt kites, remote control airplane and play guitar among a few other hobbies. 

However woodworking has started becoming more of a passion than just a hobby.  I am finding myself wanting to learn more about the artistry of working wood and learning all the techniques both old and new. 

So for her to express an interest in learning this hobby I couldn’t have been happier, but unfortunately life tends to get in the way of hobbies and we have yet to be able to finish this project.  I am looking forward to completing it with her she is very close and as I mentioned in the previous blog she is doing a great job.  I hope this is a start to a shared addiction hobby for the two of us. 

It will totally be easier to convince her we need more tools if she wants to use them as well.

Keep your eyes peeled and hopefully sometime this week we can finish out the project and get it posted.

Have a Great Day!

Technorati Tags: Shop,time,projects,life,hobbies

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Shop Safety: The Top 3 things I consider key

Safety is the name of the game when it comes to working with power tools and wood.  I can’t stress enough how important this part of woodworking is.  Things can go wrong way to fast.  In just the few years that I have been active in the woodworking hobby I have already know several people to have had accidents.  It seems the most common injury so far is has been a finger hitting a table saw blade.  This can lead to a very severe injury.  I will just leave it at that.  When you talk about shop safety you can go in many directions.  I am not going to talk about tool safety at this time.  I am going to focus on a few things that don’t always seem to get a lot of press. 

1) Eye protection

I don’t care what tool you are using ALWAYS wear some form of eye protection.  I use eye protection even when I am sanding.  You never know when something could come flying off and with power tools they are accelerated that much faster.  We want to keep your eyes in place. 

2) Hearing Protection

I will be the first to admit that I don’t always use hearing protection.  Some tools are louder than others.  Typically when using a router, planer and even a table saw I will wear ear protection.    Those tools in particular can be very very loud. 

3) A clean/organized shop is a safe shop

It is extremely easy to just leave a shop in shambles and I am as guilty as the next guy of leaving it a mess between projects.  However I find that when I take the time between projects to sweep up all the sawdust, it makes all the difference in the world.  Spend a little time putting up all your tools that you used for the current project all the way down to the screws and sandpaper.  Keep the floor around your tools free of obstructions.  It is very easy to trip over the smallest thing or even slip on a rogue screw.  Taking a little time to clean and organize the shop can make all the difference on how a project goes. 

Well these are the three big things that I try to take into consideration when I am planning a project.  Practicing these three rules will go a very long way in keep you safe and focused. 

Let me know what you think.  What safety items do you take into consideration when beginning a project? 

 

Stay tuned later this week I will be showing the use of a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig and what I am calling a stain story board.

 

Have a great day!

 

--GROVER

Technorati Tags: Safety,Shop,tools,hearing protections,eye protection,organization

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