bruce johnson Report post Posted November 29, 2008 It has been a little while since we had a shop tour. I finally got my shop layed out today and have got the bench tools pretty well set for now. I have a 12x26 area to work with. It is a more open floorplan than before, but has worked out well. Starting at the patio door - That bench has the belt sander, drill press set up with Norm Lynd's slicker, and the drill press I use to punch holes with. Underneath are 3 scrap storage tubs, and a shelf for strops and power tools like the jig saw and a handheld vaccum. The rack next to it holds some clicker dies above and sandpaper and stones underneath. Next pic - The small file cabinet next to that has patterns and catalogs. The bench has the granite stamp rock on it, and the pegboard next to that has the stamps, mauls, swivel knives and push beaders/ticklers. The stamps are sorted into in green pill vials hung on the pegboard. I have a small wood block in front of the rock to hold the tools in current use. Next pic - the pegboard backs up to a work bench. On the pegboard on the side the round knives, straight knives, string bleeder and other pointy sharp things all live together. With them all in one place it tends to keep you alert when close. Above that bench is a shelf that hold some of the finishes and edge treatments in use, along with tape and band-aids. On the back wall of the tool bench are the groovers, french edgers, edgers, and awls. The dividers and calipers are there too. Under that bench is the silver safe, shoeing anvil for rivets, and one scrap tub. to the right is a parts cabinet that holds the nails, screws, copper rivets, and Chicago screws. All the fasteners are in one place. The next pic shows the tool racks. The rein rounder is mounted on the bench in front. The first rack has the end punches, draw gauges, chisels, big dividers, scissors, and screw drivers. The rack next to that has the spikes, pliers, choke strap, hammers, and bouncer. There is a fire extinguisher next to that, and a splitter on that end of the bench. Under these two benches are some drafting files that hold cutting patterns. They are large drawers that I can keep everything flat, even skirt and briefcase patterns. The next rack holds the saddle hardware, and the last illustration from Will James' book "Smoky". The bench on the end has the other two splitters, the crank skiver, and the crown splitter. The stirrup stretcher is under there, and out of the way. The drawdown stand sits out in that corner of the benchs. The other corner of that end has the big sewing machine, and the flat bed sits next to it. Next to that is the bell knife skiver. The leather is stored on the racking next to that. Some things like strainers, horn wraps, and cinches hang there. The leather is stored in concrete form tubes, thanks for that idea to Greg Gomersall. The saddle trees sit on top for now, and stirrups are on the pegboard hung from the top. The cutting table is a heavy old metal desk. I put pipe sections over the legs to raise it up to a comfortable height. I cover it with scraps of particle board for protection. I have a 2x4 sheet of HDPE to cut on. I like it in the center where I can get all around it. The knives are withing arm's reach. Power tools and supplies are in the drawers, and a file cabinet sits under the middle for office supplies and pattterns. The rack at the end holds part cabinets with hardware and silver. The woolskins are rolled and kept above that. The sliding door goes out to a covered patio. I have a table out there for oiling and another for glueing. The buffers and grinders are out there too. Separating the metal from the leather has helped a lot. The lighting is overhead switched shop lights that are placed so I don't work in any shadows, I put UV film on the windows to keep it cooler and sunlight limited. The walls are all insulated. One of the nicest things are 4 outlets at each electrical box - no more power strips or extension cords. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CitizenKate Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Nice! I really like how you have built separate stations for each task - tooling, cutting, stitching, setting fasteners, etc. That is what I hope to achieve the next time I remodel. That way, you can have numerous projects going at the same time, and don't have to keep setting up and tearing down the setup on a single workbench for each task. Kate Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johanna Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Hah! No coffee pot and no radio- and you call that a shop! Looks great, Bruce. There will be an inspection next month to see if everything is still orderly and neat. ~J Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luke Hatley Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Very nice shop........clean.....neat ...ordely & organized Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Johanna, The shop is actually an attached garage, and the coffee pot is just inside the door. The boom box is in front of the saddlehardware rack,(currently playing a CD by Kandace Kalona, Elton Joorisity). I had a question about the pegboards. They are 2x4 feet boxes made from old fence boards, and the pegboard is screwed to the back. They just sit there, but can be moved if need be. They look pretty ranchy. Sharing a common wall with the house it stays pretty comfortable, but there is a wall air conditioner and two electric heaters. The shop will still be pretty neat. I have to confess I used to be a little/lot messy. I have improved. I got the walls closed in here (used to be open stud walls with remains of insulation - typical rental until we were able to buy the place) and it looked better, I kept it better. After I visited Keith Seidel's shop in September, I do even better than that. Keith has the cleanest, neatest shop I have ever been in. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MADMAX22 Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Hah! No coffee pot and no radio- and you call that a shop! Looks great, Bruce. There will be an inspection next month to see if everything is still orderly and neat. ~J LOL well he has the radio behind the splitter under the buckle rack but your right no coffee pot and no laptop, I would have to have a shop lappy in there somewhere so when I needed too I could hop on the ol internet and figure out how to do something I wasnt sure of ofcourse not like he needs any help with anything from the looks of it. Outstanding looking shop and very well layed out and organized. I like. Makes me kind of jealouse. Enjoy it as much as you can. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonyc1 Report post Posted November 29, 2008 TV and DVD/VCR are missing also! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Randyc Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Bruce Nice shop, very neat, clean, and well organized. Randy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ArtS Report post Posted November 29, 2008 What a great layout Bruce. I'm envious of the space! Really well done. Art Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BruceGibson Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Very nice, Bruce! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
twofour878 Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Can I move in?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badger Report post Posted November 29, 2008 I think working tidily helps keep your head organised. Great shop! Karl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RawhideLeather Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Thanks for that Bruce - now I think I'll go burn my shop down and start over! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rayban Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Very impressive Bruce...you would make Al Stohlman proud! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kseidel Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Great new shop Bruce! As I was looking at your pics, I was thinking how nice to get to see your shop! Well thought out and efficient. After having a big shop, it would be difficult to shrink into a smaller space. I see you are a splitter junkie too.... Keith Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Randy Cornelius Report post Posted November 30, 2008 Bruce, I like what you have done. I will be posting a simular post in the next couple months. I built a new building 2 years ago hoping I would have a new shop soon after but it all takes money to finish. Anyway we put up the ceiling on thanksgiving day being both boys were home to help. Will go up next week and get insulation and wall board. Made them work for dinner! What I have been tossing up and down is what to do about hardware storage. I seem to have collected a lot of hardware, buckles, rings, dees, snaps and saddle hardware. Seems everytime I order I order more tha needed and then seem to never have the right thing for the next job. Now I have it hanging everywhere so I can see what I have got. I have thought about peg board and those little storage bins and several other ideas but maybe someone can tell me some neat storage way that I have not thought about. I will post pictures when the shop is complete it is 20 X 30 with a bathroom and everything. It is slowly coming together. Randy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted November 30, 2008 Thanks for all the compliments and suggestions off and on list. This has been a work in progress, and I have to give credit to about everyone I have had the privelige to visit in their shop. In my old layout the bench with the splitters was more to the center. It kind of divided the room, but allowed me to get to both sides of that bench. The splitters were on both sides, the rein rounder sat diagonally on one corner and the crank skiver on the other. I lost the bench spave it butted up against, and most of the work got done on the tool bench or the table. With the new layout, it really opened the space up, but I lost that other side of the bench to work on. I really like having the two Chase splitters set up. The Krebs style are easily changed and can be reset easier than the Chase patterns. I normally will have the Chases set to a specific depth and not change them much now - one at 11 oz and one at 8 oz. The Krebs does everything else. One of the PM suggestions I got was to mount the bench tools on boards that slide into a slot. They can be stored out of the way, and slid into a slot for use. In my old shop which was smaller I dropped an Osborne 84 and broke it several years ago. I got a little nervous after that. I got used to the layout of not having a long bench space to work, but may move the rein rounder, crown splitter, and crank skiver to boards. I use them a little less. Once the electrical work is finished, I can finish off the ceiling. I am going to put in an overhead shelf along one wall. That will free up some storage space under the bench for the tools go under there. One of the better things I bought was the drafting files. All of my cutting patterns fit into them and lay flat. Makes it easier to find them and put them back right away. I got that idea from visiting Ken Nelson in Rapid City last spring. Mine came from an office furniture supplier. At some point I will have a stamping bench with an inlaid stamprock too. Keith, I have been trading up splitters for several years. I like the Chase patterns and I like the Krebs style. (Information - Keith has a 14" Chase style that is very nice. You don't see a 14" everyday.) On the fall trip I got an HF Osborne Chase style from Keith Pommer. After I got back from my fall trip, I ended up with a Randall Krebs style and a 12" Hanson Chase style too. I sold one of the Chase patterns and the Krebs. I have another Hanson Chase pattern and the HF not pictured. Yeah, I'm a splitter fan. Randy, This is the best hardware storage setup in any of my shops or layouts. The saddle hardware is all on the pegboard. On the racking by the patio door is the rest of it. I have 4 18 drawer parts cabinets that back up to each other, and parts drawer facing out on the end too. There are a couple on the shelf below it also. All of the silver is in two of them - sorted by size and pattern. The buckles, snaps, and rings take up two. The other ones have misc fasteners like rapid rivets, tacks, odd nails, etc. One has the oddball stuff - crystal bling, spots, that kind of stuff. It is a lot handier to have the hardware in drawers than taking up way more space on the wall. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hidepounder Report post Posted November 30, 2008 Very nice Bruce! You have some good ideas. I'm envious! Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HARVEY Report post Posted November 30, 2008 Bruce, glad to see you finally removed that half-eaten cheeseburger still in its wrapping from your work bench. As one who's been in your shop, I think you should give on-site tours, or sell 2-for1 admission tickets to the museum AND your shop. Lookin' good, my friend. Harvey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rayban Report post Posted November 30, 2008 (edited) My wife asked me if I was planning on straightening up my shop area (Garage) before the kids came over for Thanksgiving...you know what that means....so I did, and she even commented on how nice and orderly it looked...nothing like yours Bruce, mind you......so while my grand-daughter was here she asked me if I would make her a simple little bracelet, so I did. When I was done with it, the shop looked like I'm used to it looking..... Edited November 30, 2008 by Rayban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bree Report post Posted November 30, 2008 Geez Bruce... Do you need an heir for all that great stuff?? Nice job! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hennessy Report post Posted November 30, 2008 i'm too old n decrepid to take inspiration,my shop is 25 x150 and my work space remains about 5 sq ft.i lose a tool ,i go looking for someother tool and i find the missing one.once i found a two year old order,customer said he expected to wait tho.i'm ashamed,but i'd like to share a tidy trick with you bruce ,my carving tools are in a angled block of wood 8 x 20 inchs,i divided them up into an order backgrounders etc etc allocated them a space on the board top to bottom.then i painted the space eg ;backgrounders blue,bevelers green and so forth,i painted handles also to correspond.i reckon it simplifies finding a tool a bit,anyhoo anyone know about patents.enjoy your good posts n work amigo hoo roo,peter john Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doug C Report post Posted November 30, 2008 Bruce, I really enjoy looking at the pictures of your shop. It's interesting to see how others have their shops laid out and what tools they are using for their craft. Your shop is very well organized and looks to be very efficient. I have to work very hard to keep my shop as organized and clean as you have yours. Doug Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tae Report post Posted June 13, 2009 Oh geez, where did you get that compass on the wall? That is like 20 inches long! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted June 13, 2009 Tae, I got that big compass/divider at an antique store - $6. We collect a few things that are "Johnson" - Johnson fishing reels, old Johnson wax containers, Johnson soda bottles, Johnson and Johnson, etc. The lady who runs this shop found this for me - a William Johnson Newark, NJ compass. It has US Navy etched on the back. Probably a surplus deal from one of the naval depots in the area. Close guess on the size - it it 24". It is just a peach for scribing out big circles for rope cans and rope bags. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
