American Craftsman Workshop

ACW Shop Layout

Welcome to the American Craftsman Studio and Workshop. People are often curious to see where I do my work. In this page clients and woodworkers alike can take a peak.

Overall dimensions of the building are 34'x34' with a 10' 4" ceiling height.

There is a storage room 12'x16' that will be used as a finish room in the future. For now that means I am effectively operating in 964 square feet of shop space.

Key points to functioning in a small shop: 

1. Flexibility of space achieved through mobility.

2. Leave some empty space to work on a project, don’t fill every square foot with tools.     (I know it’s hard to do.)

3. Keep it clean.  I clean my shop everyday.  I also clean throughout the day between operations.  It allows me to think of my next move and regain control of my space.  A clean shop lends itself to safety and efficiency.

4.  I have 3 big fire extinguishers.  I think the cost of a $60 fire extinguisher far outweighs the cost of not having one, or not having one large enough.  I watched the fire department hose down the inside of my neighbor’s garage after it caught fire when he was welding. You might ask him what the value of a fire extinguisher is.

I hope you enjoy the views of my creative space and that it may inspire thoughts for yours.

Fire Extinguishers

I felt that it was important to get these to the top of the list.

In the summer of 2006 I was working in the shop when the fire department and emergency services arrived in full alarm mode next door. The garage had caught fire when the neighbor was doing some welding.

I watched from our place as the fire department hosed down the inside of the garage, I could see the water sheeting down the inside of the windows. This was a shocking image to me.

Prior to this incident I had no fire extinguishers in the shop. I realized how risky and foolish this is as I bore witness to the damage the whole situation caused between the fire itself and the remedy of water.

The neighbor informed me that he had an extinguisher which he used on the fire initially, but it was too small. It knocked the fire down, but it popped back to life and the extinguisher was empty. His shop was too far from the spigot for a hose to reach.

All of this prompted me to go purchase 3 fire extinguishers within the hour. I placed two close to either entrance and one in the middle of the shop. If there is a fire, I feel much more confident that I have a fighting chance with three extinguishers to battle with and they are located at strategic points within the shop.

I recommend writing the purchase date on the bottom of the bottle with a permanent marker. They come with a record card to fill out as you check them monthly. I keep a closer eye on their condition than that, for me it's more like every two weeks since I wipe them down that often.

ACW Fire Extinguisher Layout

This map shows the locations of the fire extinguishers within the shop.

Shop Heat

I use a ceiling mounted Hot Dawg furnace. It burns natural gas and is rated at 75,000 BTU. It keeps the shop comfortable at a reasonable cost.

It's combustion air is drawn from the shop so it has to be turned off if there is ever a situation where explosive vapors are in the air. I do regular maintenance to keep the fan blades, heat exchange tubes, and direction vanes clean.

It uses a ceramic hot surface ignitor to light the flame. Since the shop is a dusty environment, over time, dust that settles on the ignitor can cause it to burn out and this seems to happen at the worst possible moment. Because of this, I keep an extra ignitor on hand at all times. The ignitors seem to last about 5 years in these shop conditions.

Milling Area

This is the milling area.

Materials come in the double doors and are staged against the wall for easy access to the table saw, planer, and jointer.

This wall of the shop is covered with 5/8" plywood because it is durable. Sheetrock would get destroyed by stacking materials and ladders against it. I will not even paint this wall because the paint job will just get damaged as well.

The plywood is attached with screws instead of nails. This allows me to remove the panels in the future if I need access to run electric or decide to install sheetrock instead.

Ladder Storage

The ladders and other unwieldy equipment for remodeling is stored close to the doors for easy load out.

Assembly & Finish Area

This end of the shop is a flexible space that is mostly used for assembly of larger pieces and for finishing.

This space is also the area occupied when the mobile tools like the bandsaw or shaper are pulled out. 

Template Storage & Clamp Storage

Here you can see how the templates and clamps are stored. I have found that I like using doug fir framing lumber to create hanging systems on the wall. It creates stand-off and a durable wear surface to take the beating of whatever is in contact with it. 

I also use 2x6's as the base on the floor. It can be bumped and run into with the heavy equipment with no concern. The thicker material also creates a larger buffer zone away from the wall. All of the lumber is screwed to the wall instead of nailed so it can be removed and replaced if needed in the future.

Table Saw

I have been using this Jet cabinet table saw since 2000 with no problems. It is smooth, accurate, powerful, and reliable.

I would not hesitate to recommend it for these reasons.

My only complaint is that they did not make it easy to remove and reinstall the blade guard. I have always been irritated that any company would put forth only a moderate effort to facilitate safety on a machine like this. For this reason, I have chosen to leave the blade guard off because I would be constantly removing and re-installing it with wrenches due to the cuts I make.

It seems that newer models now have 

Compound Miter Saw Station

I highly recommend the Hitachi C10FSH sliding compound miter saw. It's operation is smooth and accurate.

The laser on it can be adjusted to either side of the blade and it is very accurate, enough so that I can rely on it to line up the cut without lowering the blade to double check before cutting.

Even as a 10" the cut capacity is competitive with many 12" saws. It is high on my list of tools that I recommend.

The only things that would make this saw better in my mind, is if they included the extra fence for the right side and if this had a dual laser for each side of the blade. At that point there would be no qualifying competitors to this thing.

The benches on the left and right are made entirely of salvaged material. The tops are from a Burger King remodel project, the 4"x4" legs and bottom shelves are from pallets that carried industrial electrical supplies.

Jointer

The jointer is a Grizzly G0543. It is an 8"x75" with a spiral head cutter that uses the carbide knives.

This jointer is great. It has plenty of power and is a smooth operator. The knives last forever.

My only suggestion is that they make the fence taller. 

Dual Headed Drum Sander

This is a ShopFox 26" dual headed drum sander, model W1678.

It does a nice job and has paid for itself with the work that I do. 

My biggest complaint with ShopFox is their distribution system. I cross reference the part numbers to the Grizzly counterpart model when I need something. Some of the parts under the hood even came painted Grizzly green.

If you are planning on making money in the shop, I don't believe you can do it without a sanding machine. That is if you are milling a lot of flat stock that can be sent through the machine.

Sander, Planer, and Dust Collection

If you buy a sanding machine, you will need to have sufficient dust collection. I have a ShopFox 2hp single stage dust collector located close to the sander for maximum effectiveness.

The dust collector came with a 30 micron bag and had to be replaced with a retrofitted 1 micron pleated filter which works wonders. The dust collector is wired at 220v and hooked up to a wireless remote.

The dust collector works well but it is a screamer. My brother's shop had a comparable Jet model dust collector, it was quiet in comparison and had just as much power that I could tell.

The surface planer is a 15" Jet JWP 15CS. It uses straight knives and has served me well since 2000. A planer this size is well matched to the capacity of most all the stock I bring to the shop. I would very much recommend it.

Mobile Assembly Table

This is my main assembly table. It measures 4'x8', is mobile, and has a white laminate top. 

Flexibility through mobility. Success largely depends on this principle due to the size of my shop.

The overall construction is just plywood screwed, glued, and stapled together. The structure itself creates a torsion box for the top to rest on. This means that I do not need to make an extra thick torsion box top. 

The top is made of one sheet plywood for strength and topped with one sheet of MDF. The work surface is white laminate because it creates a bright and durable work surface. It is edged out with ash. The top can be removed and replaced in the future once it gets too worn.

With a laminate top I can use it to draw on full scale and wipe it clean. I don't need to worry about damaging it although I want it to last so I am still careful. I also don't need to worry about getting stain, finish, or glue on it because it all wipes off with solvent or can be scraped off. 

The compartments underneath were designed around basic storage containers and tool cases. I seemed to hit on a nice combination of compartments that accommodate many different types of tools.

Mobile In-feed Table

This in-feed table measures 30"x60" and is mobile.  It supports material being fed into the table saw. 

I use it long or side ways depending on the support needs of the material.

Not wanting to waste any space, the cubbies house a variety of tools. It is a great table.

The top elevation is about 1/8" below the surface of the table saw.

Outfeed Table -1

The table saw does not need to move very often and this table never needs to move so I decided to give it legs.

Since I decided to give this table legs I made them tapered and I also put arches in the stretchers. This was the first time that I had done any of these things, it was a perfect project to practice on, and they all turned out great.

The legs and stretchers are constructed of framing lumber, doug fir 2x4's and 4x4's.

Overall size is 3'wide x 7'long and sits about an 1/8" lower than the table saw surface.

Outfeed Table-2

The outfeed table design of cubbies and boxes creates a ridgid structure so there is no need to create a thick torsion box top. The structure under the top is a torsion box in itself.

The top is made of one sheet of plywood and one sheet of MDF with white laminate as the work surface. The laminate is an enduring surface and is bright. 

This table is a wonderful companion to the table saw with plenty of stability and storage underneath.

Base For Clamp Storage System

The base of the wall clamp storage system is a series of 2x6's attached to the wall framing. The 2x6's create stand-off to keep the clamps clear of the wall and protecting it from damage. 

Any number of clamp storage methods can be screwed to these 2x6's now.

Clamp Storage

The clamp storage is made up of 2x6's surface mounted on the wall and screwed to the wall framing. The 2x6 lumber provides stand-off and protection to the sheetrock.

Clamps come with various needs for hanging. I have invested in Rockler's clamps that have legs. The legs create stand-off which allows the handle to clear the table and spin freely when being operated. The cool thing is that the Rockler brand of clamps also integrate a bit of a hook into the legs that will catch on a wall mounted cleat. 

I have attached a couple of cleats to the 2x6's for the Rockler brand clamps to hang on. The Jorgensen clamps require blocks of wood to hang between. In either case, the 2x6's protect the sheetrock and I have the ability to use any variety of hanging methods that may be called for.

Continue on to see detail shots of each hanging system.

Versatile Clamp Storage

This clamp storage system is strong, and versatile. At the same time it provides protection to the walls.

Pipe Clamp Detail

Here is a close-up shot of how the pipe clamps hang on the wall clamp storage system.

The Rockler brand of pipe clamps are my favorite of all the clamps on the wall. 

Aluminum Bar Clamp Detail

Here is a close-up shot of how the aluminum bar clamps hang on the wall clamp storage system.

Jorgensen Clamp Detail

The Jorgensen clamps are very heavy. The best way to hang them is by screwing blocks of wood onto the 2x6 system. The clamps then seat nicely between the blocks and the 2x6's keep them from damaging the sheetrock.

Rolling Clamp Storage

My smaller and most used clamps are stored on this rolling cart. This allows me to store them out of the way and pull them over to the assembly bench when needed.

I may have to get a bigger model in the future, I could use more of the clamps you see stored on the cart and I am already at capacity. 

The rule of clamps is you never have enough of the ones that you need.

Template Storage

For the template storage I went with a system similar to hanging the clamps. 

I attached 2x4's to the wall. This creates stand-off and protects the sheetrock.

I drilled a series of 1/2" holes at a 5° angle and 10" apart. Then I installed dowels some are 5" long and some are 8". I decided that I like the 8" dowels the best. 

Each template just needs a hole drilled in it near the balance point so that it hangs in good order with it's neighbors. Short ones can go over the door to the storage room (future finish room) and the longer ones go to the left of the doors where they do not conflict with anything else.

Shop Base Trim

I use 2x6 lumber as the base trim in my shop. The thickness and height protect the wall from most all variety of mobile bases. I don't worry about denting the trim, the wall, and there is no finish to damage either.

It is attached with screws so that it may be removed in the future if necessary and it actually looks great. 

Mobile Parts Cart

During project production there is often a need for temporary storage. This 4' scaffold makes a perfect mobile parts cart and they cost about $100 at the big box stores. 

I used plywood to add more shelving than comes with it standard.

Air Compressor

I have had this air compressor since early '98. It is a single-stage oilless compressor and that makes it LOUD. For this reason I have placed it away from me in the storage room. 

It is only a 25 gal tank but it (just) works for all of my air needs. When it dies, I am sure that I will purchase a larger tank.

Air Compressor Blow-Down Valve

I keep the water blown down out of the compressor on a regular basis. I blow it down first thing when I go into the shop and also throughout the day I will blow it down. 

I don't use the automatic valves because this is an old compressor and they seem to foul the automatic blow-down valves and cause them to leak. I used to do maintenance on air compressors in commercial buildings with the automatic valves and I was constantly rebuilding them (the valves that is.)

I use a double valve set-up just to insure that it does not leak. The first valve in line always seems to leak over time but the second one holds up forever.

I have the compressor up on a shelf and it is easy to reach without getting down on the floor, so keeping the water blown out is an easy task.