Shop Expansion

Ah yes, elbow room. Everyone needs a little elbow room.

  In my case it's really separating the machinery area from the finishing area.
The new work area will have work benches, a sharpening station and cupboards for the hand tools. This room will also be the area that I apply finish to the projects. Before when finishing I either did it inside the house or if in the shop I would have to curtail all machining activity.

 The new area is separated from the machining area by a door. The door is also weather stripped to help keep the dust at bay. I also managed to land a huge window to go in the east wall. This overlooks the pond, redneck tool shed and the new greenhouse. In the distance is the pasture with it's high grass and large trees in the back. It's a real beauty watching the sun come up in the morning.

 This room will also allow me to do some one on one instruction or small like 1 to 3 person workshops. The workshops could be something like making wooden spoons and spatulas for those who are just interested in trying to work with wood. They get to make something useful and take it home and proudly say, " I done that!" I call that class looney spoons.

 It will also be a great area to help those that wish to master a certain skill. Using hand planes, cutting the lovely dovetail joint and so on.

 I also covered the concrete floor with an air gap membrane and over-layed that with OSB plywood for a comfortable floor to stand on. It is also much easier on the tools when they roll off the bench top.

The ceiling is a little above 9 feet. It just feels better to me. It is aggravating when you spin a long piece and it strikes a light fixture. You either need a new bulb or you dent your workpiece.

Getting ready to side the building, and put on shingles

Lower horizontal siding. That needs some paint.

Vertical siding going on and some painting done.

I recycled some old steel barn roofing material into vertical siding. It'll do.

  The progress has been steady, the siding is near complete, cap the corners and horizontal banding, then the eaves and troughs, then wiring and fixtures. Hope to have it insulated an boarded up in a couple of weeks so I can move the benches over and get some of the goodies out of the trailer.

thanks for reading.
Ken

The Greatest Shop of All Time

  Richard shared some photos of his fathers vast collection of tools.
Yes George used them all during his lifetime. He has left quite a legacy behind.
I hope to give new life to the tools that I was fortunate enough to receive by teaching others in my shop with them.

  Every item in this shop had it's own place. It is quite a display of organization to say the least.
All most museum like. I stood in awe for about ten minutes trying to take it all in.
One man's life time in tools. Amazing.

Enjoy the show.

This collection is now dispersed but has been left in some good hands. I am sure George would be very happy to know that all this is still in use today.

Thanks for looking
Have a great day
Ken

Bringing Back Me

  Some may have noticed that there is a new blog link at the top of the page called Bringing Back Me.

  I suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
What is that? A lot of people call it stress. I wish it were that simple for me.
It is also absolutely the wrong way to think of it. Stress comes and goes. PTSD does not. It haunts you. It makes you angry. It makes you detach from society. It can lead you into a deep pit from which you cannot climb out. I often felt that every time I am about to reach the surface another blow knocks me to the bottom. After a while the bottom doesn't seem so bad so you just stay there. Stay there long enough and no one can find you.

 So if you have any interest in PTSD check it out. If you think you have PTSD get help.
Everything I write here are my own observations. I do not claim to have the answers. I only know what is happening to me.

 Also let me tell you I am not crazy. The doctor has told me so and I believe him. I am also not using PTSD as an excuse to duck out of working. Believe me I would much rather be pursing a normal work life like most other people. I like to feel productive just like anyone else.

 Follow my journey if you can. Writing about it makes me feel a little more connected to the world around me. It may help you understand me better or my affliction.

Don't worry there will still be lots of wood working stories on here in the future. Wood working lets me focus my mind. The doc calls it mindfulness. Basically mindfulness through wood working. Sounds like a good book title.

thanks for reading
Ken