Tuesday, January 25, 2011

360° Shop Complete


I can now stand in the shop and turn in a full circle and see only woodworking. Cool.

It's nothing special really, just a relatively cheap door from the home center, but it makes a big difference. With the door installed in the wall, my last view of the water heater, furnace, and random junk pile is no more (well, until I open the door). I really like the feeling I get when I close that door - suddenly I'm in the shop.


I was going to make my own door. But with time tight I went with the pre-hung option and just bought it. Of course, you get what you pay for, and in the end I had to take it completly apart and fix it - nothing was square or true. Still, it was faster.

I haven't decide yet if I am going to paint it.


12 comments:

  1. I vote for a couple coats of clear shellac. It's the door to a wood shop, so let the wood speak.

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  2. Am I the only one that immediately fell in love with the drill press? Where did you find such a beautiful tool?

    BTW, I was hoping for a 360 view of the shop with everything in it's place.

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  3. I second the sweet drill press, and I second the call for a 360° shop tour!

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  4. Looks great! And that's a good tease. Cuz it sure makes me wanna see the rest of the shop. :)

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  5. Hey Dan, nice work. I also vote for a clear shellac or varnish type finish. maybe even just oil and wax?

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  6. Door? There's a door? All I saw was the drill press too!!

    I like the way you did the molding around the door, especially the top piece that comes out past the vertical ones... (can you tell I don't know the right words?)

    I say, it would look really nice with a clear shellacking. Or orange shellac if you like slightly darker tones.

    Good work.

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  7. Dan - I mostly agree, but somehow I keep wanting to see it a bright, cheery red. Must be the dark Alaska winter getting to me...

    Dave - I love that post drill too - I just wished it worked! It's a project. The shop made chuck, that I picked up in a junk shop in MA is threaded the wrong way - as you drill, it loosens. Bummer. I've kept it as a possible model (well, backwards model anyway). The drill's original chuck only accepts 1/2" round shanks with a machined flat spot for the lock screw. These come up on eBay occasionally, but go for way too much. But it's a great, and fun machine, that makes me (and my boy) happy. Maybe I should do a post on it?

    Oh - and its one of the very rare tools that I actually found here in Alaska. I spent about an hour combing through a junk store with no luck, and just as I was about to give up, I spotted the flywheel. Score.

    Dave, Eric & Jamie- Okay, I'll start working on a shop tour!

    Trevor - Hmm. Oil and wax sound good. Thanks!

    Philip - Thanks! Well, I do like shellac, so maybe...

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  8. For the drill press you could re-grind a bunch of spade bits so that they cut in reverse. Then only people in-the-know would be able to use it.

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  9. Another vote for a shop tour! I like the idea of not painting the door too.

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  10. Backwards chuck: is there room to drill a horizontal hole, and just put in a pin?

    --GG

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  11. Oh -- yep, agree: love the post drill.

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  12. Philip - I like the way you think! That could work...

    Trip - Yep! I'm working on it, but I want to do it right. So like a lot of things, it's going to take me longer than I would like.

    Gye - Not sure I understand your idea. It's the jaws that loosen - I don't think I made that clear.

    Thanks all!

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