My Next Shop

[T.J.]

Long time, no post! I hope everyone is well and getting some reasonably good spring weather this weekend.

After having a big 30x40 pole barn shop for a year and life taking the sorts of turns that it does for all of us, I'm now finally living closer to my day job than I ever have. (I've commuted an hour each way for 18 years) I'm currently living in a small apartment just 5 minutes away. However, of course, there's no shop and all my stuff is in storage. I've been here about 6 or 8 months.

It's tough finding anything with a good shop *in* town, so I've been looking in a semi-rural area near Little Rock, but still only about 20 minutes away from work. I had planned to bite the bullet and put my shop in storage like this until either A) I found a place under 30 minutes from work or B) I got married again.

Well, option A came first (I can't see giving up my hobbies indefinitely just to avoid moving again when the next stage of life starts).
I found this place clocking in at 22 minutes from work and it checks off almost all of my wish list. I'm now under contract and the inspection is next week.
As it happens, this is right next to one of my coworkers who has lived in this area since the 70s and she says that break-ins are generally drug related, but not rampant. Probably similar in frequency as you would expect.

I moved to the apartment sort of suddenly and put my shop in storage when I was RIGHT in the middle of building my split-top roubo with Benchcrafted hardware kit. So, I'm dying to get back to it and finish it!

It's on the corner of a residential road and a VERY low traffic 2-lane highway. The cinder block "garage", as I understand it, was once a small store or something. You can tell by the boarded up window to the right of the entry door. It has an automatic garage door and 3 entry doors: side to the house, front and rear. New roof in 2014, new sheet rocked ceiling. There *is* a storm shelter inside the garage, so I imagine I'll use that for storage and leave just enough room for me and my dogs if The Big One comes. ;-) I believe the garage is 30X30 feet. There is a dark corner behind the storm room that I think will make a good lumber rack area.








I'm really looking forward to getting moved and getting the new shop in shape!
Current plans:

-- Add a couple of 220v outlets.
-- Tear out the junky shelves (on the side you can't see).
-- Probably repaint that same wall in white.
-- Add a bunch of LED shop lights on the ceiling.
-- MAYBE paint the ceiling sheetrock white for better light reflection.

Also:

-- A miter saw station of some kind. I had a radial arm saw for a while, but got rid of it since I didn't use it much at all. I think I'd use a sliding miter saw more often for cross cutting and it would be easier to build a fence/station for it. Plus, it would be easier to move. I have a little fixed chop saw, but would like to upgrade that to maybe a Bosch slider.

Tool additions I'm planning after moving in:

-- Mig welder
-- Large air compressor
-- Cyclone

[jteneyck]

Good to see you back.  Having a shop again, and a huge, walk in/out one at that, is going to put a smile on your face for sure.  Look forward to seeing pictures as you bring it to woodworking life.  

Any heat/AC in there?  I've only been to Little Rock once.  August.  90F and 90% RH.  At least the people I met were nice.  

John

[T.J.]

Good to see you back.  Having a shop again, and a huge, walk in/out one at that, is going to put a smile on your face for sure.  Look forward to seeing pictures as you bring it to woodworking life.  

Any heat/AC in there?  I've only been to Little Rock once.  August.  90F and 90% RH.  At least the people I met were nice.  

John

Thank you! I had the big 30x40 pole barn with TWO roll up doors last year, but the house was just too far from my new job. About 40-45 minutes. So, I gave it up. I'm just sick of commuting that far.

Excellent point: there is no heat or air in the shop. When I looked at it in person, it was remarkably cool inside, so the current plan is to add a couple of fans and see how it goes this summer. If the summer heat gets out of hand, there is a boarded up hole in the back where an AC unit was at one time. I suspect I would go that route, if necessary.

For winter time, I'm still considering options. There *is* a propane tank onsite, but I don't think there is a run to the shop.

[fredhargis]

Congrats! that will be a great shop. The LED lights are a good idea, and if you need heat it's not hard to run a propane line. Keep us posted.

[BrokenOlMarine]

Very nice, having room to move around, and leave things set up is a blessing.  I know you will be happy to be back at it.  My shop is thirty feet from my door, but I haven't been up to working  in the shop for a couple months.  I miss it.  I know  YOU have to be in withdrawals. 

[Big Dave]

Setting a new shop is always fun, and you're gonna have a lot of fun in there...
 

[stav]

Nice. A shop with a house attached.

It looks like a really great space.

[T.J.]

Nice. A shop with a house attached.

It looks like a really great space.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to it.

[T.J.]

Well, folks, we made a deal and closing is next Friday.

There were a number of things on the inspection to be fixed, but we managed to come to an agreement on an amount left in escrow for repairs. It should cover all of what I need done quite nicely.

Moving the first week of June!

[Foggy]

If that is the storm room in the third picture I would strongly recommend rehanging the door to open inward. If you are sheltering in there and the building comes crashing down you quite likely going to be trapped in there by debris until someone comes along to clear the way for the door to open. That could be minutes, hours, days, weeks, or until you die of thirst or starvation.