Finally Got My Workbench Assembled

[AHill]

Not quite a year after moving into my new home, I was finally able to get the top reattached to the base yesterday, thanks to some family help.  I have a Sjobergs Elite 2500 and it's a real beast of a bench.  The top easily weighs 200 lbs.  I built a custom cabinet with drawers for the bench when I purchased the bench several years ago that houses all my planes.  But the cabinet is mostly empty now.

When I moved to Orlando, the movers piled everything was into the garage.  Without any storage buildings or sheds, I had to cram all my gardening tools and other things in the garage.  The movers - whose English was not so good - labeled every box that came out of my California garage workshop as "tools".  Well, thanks!  So, I rented a storage facility and began to move items out of the garage and then slowly rearrange things so I had access to tool boxes and the like.  I had packed all my hand planes in their original boxes and moved those myself, so I know they are safe.  So, now, the major task will be to slowly reunite the tools in packing boxes to their homes in my workbench drawers and other places.  I'm also going to need to refinish the workbench surface, as it's got a lot of dust and stains from laying around, disconnected from its base.

The shop is smaller than my California shop, but I have a plan.  There might be something built before the end of the summer!

[AgGEM]

I know it feels good to have your bench back in service. Sort of the foundation for everything else.

[Mike Brady]

I recently moved and am reassembling my shop, but in a smaller basement space than before.  My frustration has been not being able to find tools that I carefully packed (too carefully) into large boxes in November.  Stepping away from the confusion for a few days helps ease the frustration.  Fortunately there has been no damage or losses, and saving the tool manufacturer's boxes was worth it because packing them was no easy to do.  I did the same thing with my electronics, using the original boxes.  

One thing that is better about my new situation is the lighting.  LED tube lighting is really inexpensive now and easy to install.  

I agree with Alan that getting that essential and familiar bench set up again is a huge step toward feeling involved with woodworking once again.

[Admiral]

I recently moved and am reassembling my shop, but in a smaller basement space than before.  My frustration has been not being able to find tools that I carefully packed (too carefully) into large boxes in November.  Stepping away from the confusion for a few days helps ease the frustration.  

I moved my shop three times and had the same experience twice.  It took me until the last move to number each box in magic marker on all four sides, and while packing simply wrote down a quick inventory of what was in each box on a steno pad (remember them??).  Third time was the charm.

[cputnam]

Try moving your father's and your own shops into a single # 2 size no-car garage simultaneously

[Mike Brady]

I moved my shop three times and had the same experience twice.  It took me until the last move to number each box in magic marker on all four sides, and while packing simply wrote down a quick inventory of what was in each box on a steno pad (remember them??).  Third time was the charm.

Ok, that's settled:  I'm letting Admiral help me pack next time.

[Bill Holt]

A few years ago, there was a survey here: What Is The Last Tool You Would Give Up?  Several of us answered...Workbench.  I still fell that way.  It is the very heart of my shop.  So I feel your joy, congratulations! 

I am toooo OOOOOld to move my shop!

[hbmcc]

Still struggling to make room out here. After major effort last fall, the density has gone from cheddar to swiss cheese.

The pieces of bench and piles of 'stuff' boxes lean against walls, fill temporary racks. I argue with Wife to get her 'stuff' out of the two-car garage. Don't even mention cars. They had their one opportunity before the moving vans arrived 25 years ago. Most of the major use groups--plumbing, woodworking, electrical, house repair/maintenance projects--are kind of organized, in those piles I mentioned. 

Before committing the bench to permanent garage structure it needs room. There still is not enough for a small work surface in the garage. I know without squeezing the piles further. 

Now what? Find a new hobby, I suppose.....

[mongo]

Still struggling to make room out here. After major effort last fall, the density has gone from cheddar to swiss cheese.

The pieces of bench and piles of 'stuff' boxes lean against walls, fill temporary racks. I argue with Wife to get her 'stuff' out of the two-car garage. Don't even mention cars. They had their one opportunity before the moving vans arrived 25 years ago. Most of the major use groups--plumbing, woodworking, electrical, house repair/maintenance projects--are kind of organized, in those piles I mentioned. 

Before committing the bench to permanent garage structure it needs room. There still is not enough for a small work surface in the garage. I know without squeezing the piles further. 

Now what? Find a new hobby, I suppose.....

rent a dumpster.  get rid of some stuff....  Someone here I think it was Cian once told me "space is a tool"  you know what he was right.  Eg: kept the hand planes and ditched the double drum.

I also stopped keeping as much scrap, this also includes scap electrical, pluming, spare screws nuts hardware etc. 

next comes storage.  organize and build as much as you can so things have a space.  this is where I am working right now.  I am in a very differet space than I was before I moved 3 years or so ago.

[jstraw]

I had the luxury of not needing to sell my old house when a job change made me move inland 2 hours, from the old house on the coast. The old house became the weekend retreat.

So, when it came to moving my shop, I did it myself, one truck and trailer load at a time. I could take my time and build my storage as I moved and keep well organized.

Two things I realized. First, no matter how organized I thought I was, I still lost stuff. I have lost an entire box of finishing supplies that I know I moved. Second, after moving everything I need to the new shop, the old shop is still half full of stuff I thought might need someday, but never have.

I have made a commitment to get rid of the stuff left in my old shop and declutter my life a little. So far, I sent some tools to a forum member who is teaching classes to homeschoolers. I gave an old bandsaw and drill press to my nephew’s Boy Scout troop to auction off and raise money. But, I still struggle to make that big dump run I know I’ll have to make.