Time for a shop tour! Every now and then, I’ll be taking a snapshot in time of the workshop. The purpose will be to see how it changes over time, and also to give you, the reader, a more detailed look, as well as my goals for the future of the workshop and this blog.
The story of the current state of the workshop will be mostly told in pictures
, and I’ll finish with my future plans for the workshop.
Further, this is the first post that is finally caught up to the present day!
And now all future posts can be close to real-time 
I’ll be posting
as things happen, and also having some sort of social media presence soon that I
haven’t finalized yet, but will be linked in the blog.
Garage Tour
I’ve broken this into three parts: woodworking, electronics, and CNC machines. Software will be covered in another section since it’s not located in the garage.
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| Garage workshop layout diagram, with woodworking taking up most of the room, electronics station on the left, and CNC machines in two of the corners |
Woodworking
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| Woodworking portion of the workshop |
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| Table saw and outfeed / work table, with clamp wall and dust extractor in the background |
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| Outfeed / work table, waxed for protection and maximum slickness to lower the chances of wood snagging on it |
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| Clamp wall, with more clamps added since it was built |
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| Hanging cabinet contents, with quick access to commonly used large tools on bottom; glue, finishing materials, and chemicals on middle; bits, setup blocks, and accessories on top |
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Tool chest contents, with commonly used hand tools on top, and many tools, jigs, and fasteners in the remaining drawers; one of the drawers for my wife’s  equipment  |
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| Standing cabinet contents, with air compressor and empty cases on bottom; uncommonly used large tools on second shelf; charging station (incomplete), Forstner bits, dado blades, and table saw accessories on third shelf; push blocks, extra sandpaper, cups for chemicals, and random materials on top; hex keys on the doors |
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| From left to right: router table, planer, and jointer |
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| Router table cabinet, with push blocks, bits, and uninstalled drawer slides on bottom; table rings, lift crank, router wrenches, and router box on top |
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Even though I prefer push blocks, every machine that could require a push stick has a magnetically attached push stick on its side, just in case I need one quickly while using it  |
Electronics Station
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| Electronics station, VERY incomplete |
There is definitely a lot I want to do here! I have a lot of electronics equipment in the house that I want to bring out here, but I’ve resisted due to the wood dust. I’ll discuss this more in the Future Plans section.
CNC Machines
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| 3D printer, currently inoperable |
Neither the 3D printer nor the laser (not pictured) are currently in use, but I’d like to change that and integrate them into my workflow! I’ll discuss this more in the Future Plans section.
Software
I have two computers: one for my job, and one for my personal computer. I solely
use my personal computer for my projects, since it has the better screen and
specs. I do wish that I had a motorized standing desk, but the shape of the room
prevents it. Otherwise, I’ve very happy with my current setup 
Though, I
do need to work on cable management 
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| Personal computer and desk setup. I’m writing this article in this picture! |
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| Personal computer closeup, with the cable management inside the case much better than on the outside |
I primarily use JetBrains software for full stack work (mostly PyCharm and WebStorm), and the standard Arduino IDE for Arduino work. I’ve used various software for electronics work and also Fusion360 for CAD/CAM work. However, I’m looking for other solutions for this type of work—preferably open source and on-premises solutions—and I’m sure I’ll cover more about this in a later article.
Future Plans
I’ve broken this into short term and long term goals for my vision of the workshop. Short term goals are things I want to accomplish this year, and long term goals are things I want to eventually accomplish at some point in the future, but there is no hard time limit.
I’ll also list everything in loose order of importance, but this is not a strict
order. I’ll be working on things as we feel like it. And it is definitely a
we thing. My wife is just as much a part of this as I am, and I
wouldn’t have it any other way
Before we start, here is a reminder of the current layout of the workshop:
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| Garage workshop layout diagram, with woodworking taking up most of the room, electronics station on the left, and CNC machines in two of the corners |
Short Term
For 2024, I want to accomplish as much of the following as possible:
Better Electronics Workstation—This area is so neglected, and I
have many ideas for projects which will take advantage of this area. I have
equipment in the house, like my oscilloscope, which I have resisted bringing out
here due to the wood dust. And the other equipment, such as my soldering
station, doesn’t have a true “place”. I’d like to address better dust resistance
for the area and also have a better layout for the equipment.
Shop Storage—I’m already having some issues with some of my
storage areas: some are too densely packed and hard to use, while others waste a
lot of space and could be better utilized. This problem will quickly get out of
hand as I do more diverse work, such as more electronics, etc. and I’d like to
get ahead of this now.
Remove Built-Ins—These built-ins were here when we bought the
house. They’re okay, but not well laid out. We’ll keep the one at the top of the
diagram, but the other one on the left wall will be removed. Easier said than
done, since there is a LOT of stuff still on the shelves from when we moved.
Mini Split—Otherwise known as a ductless air conditioner, this
will be a massive improvement over my oil heater and dehumidifier that I just
roll along the ground right now. If I want to store nice wood in the workshop, I
need to control the temperature and humidity. I’ll put this on the wall where
the built-in will be removed.
Material Storage—For now, I’ve just been leaning wood on the side
of the garage built-ins, but I’ve also not had nice wood until now. Ideally, I’d
store all my wood up high (where the built-in will be removed) so that there is
no contact with the porous garage floor getting the wood wet, flat so that it
doesn’t warp, stacked in a way that I can see what I have and get to it easily,
and I want it out of my way since floor space is at a premium.
3D Printer—This was used a grand total of two times before it
collected so much dust over the years that I just haven’t bothered to use it.
I’ll want to clean it up before turning it on from not just wood dust but also
gypsum dust and more. Turning it on now will probably destroy it.
Laser—Years ago, I had a business with my wife where we made custom
laser engraved items. The business is gone, but I still have the laser. I’ll
want to evaluate it to see if it still works, and if so, how to integrate it
into my workflow to be a value-add to my work. The laser is optimized to engrave
and cut wood and plastic, but can mark on metal with a molybdenum-based marking
solution.
Band Saw—Something that I noticed when I went to the lumberyard
for the console bookshelf project (article
coming soon) is how important it will be to be able to resaw my own lumber to
make thinner pieces out of thicker pieces. I want to stop relying so much on my
planer which will just waste wood as it shreds through this nice thick wood to
make the thicknesses I want. And I’ll put it—you guessed it—where the
built-in will be removed.
Workbench—I need a better clamping solution and storage
for some of the hand tools I use. I am very much a hybrid woodworker, meaning I
use hand and electric tools, and I want to have a workbench that can accommodate
both. This will replace at least one of my temporary work surfaces.
Miter Station—While I don’t have a miter saw, I do have my mobile
work table and table saw which I can use in a similar manner. But it would be
much more convenient when cutting long stock to have a miter station. I will put
this on the wall where the built-in will be removed.
Drill Press—I have a precision drill guide (that I haven’t used
yet), which I can use to drill holes in wood in a very controlled and precise
manner, but it’s still not the same as having a full drill press. Hmm, but where
should I put this?… I know! On the wall where the built-in will be removed
Long Term
I have no real time limit in mind for these, but I do know that I want to accomplish them eventually:
Small Wood Lathe—Lathe work isn’t something I’m particularly
interested in doing manually, but I do want to make rings, knobs, chess pieces,
and other small parts.
Metalworking—Ironically, my engineering degree focused on
giving me the expertise to design and analyze metal and plastic structures; and
yet, I have a workshop which can do almost no metalworking! I’d like to fix that
and get either a manual mill like a Bridgeport or a small enclosed CNC
mill/lathe like a Tormach. I’d also like to get a very simple welder for when
the occasional need arises.
More Space—I’ll eventually outgrow the garage workshop, but I
still want to be close to home. It’s likely we’ll move in the next 5-10 years
anyway, so I hope to have more land and build a large, detached workshop where I
can have different large sections/rooms for different things (e.g. paint,
electronics, finishing, etc.). I want it detached just in case I ever
accidentally start a fire 
, my family will still be safe in
our home.
Sum-Up
I didn’t realize how many goals I had for the workshop for this coming year
until I wrote this! And these goals are just for building out the
workshop—this isn’t even all the other projects I have in mind to complete
this year! I’m excited to get started on these, and I hope you’ll follow along
with me Please sign up for my newsletter below that will keep you up to
date with my latest articles and projects! The next project I’ll be starting is
the console bookshelf, and it’s my most
intimidating woodworking project yet, so keep an eye out for that!
Until next time,
Pixel