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We started this reno in April. I'm ecstatic to have finally got to the end of my workroom. What an interesting time it's been trying to keep up cash flow and production while simultaneously making the shop unusable for periods of time. Anyway, the hard stuff is behind us, now I can get to the fiddly bits of finding proper places for all the little things instead of just shoving them from one bench to the next.


Kickin' bandsaw...


Kickin' dust collector to clean up after it...


Bid holding rack for upcoming builds...


Tablesaw ducted in and on sliders to make it accessible...



Shelf for bodies, above which there is nothing to fall...


Main workbench with collapsible extension for fitting necks...


New solid and larger bench with the vise which will make neck carving life easier...underneath is compartmentalized storage slits for frames in the mold...




And a smaller 10" bandsaw for cutting out tops, backs, brace ends etc. FWIW, this ROK brand makes a really great little saw. Only 1/3 hp, but cut through 4" neck blanks easier than the 1hp General 14" which it replaced. A right proper bandsaw, not a cheap piece of junk. If you're in the market for a wee saw, well worth the 300$...


And last but not least, double thickness shop mats everywhere.

Time to clear out the garage and start thinking about the CNC:)

Looking good, congratulations! I would like to have a wood storage arrangement like that (among other things).

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Having been to Ed's shop a few times I can say that he has really utilized his space well. Even the rafters hold many clamps and spots for tubes of purfling and bindings.

Looks really good Ed. Way to go, must feel good to have "arrived". Keep up the great work.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

I can't even describe how good it is to be done. I really thought it would be a week long project, not ten months. Denial is one of my strong suits, I guess.

Great stuff ED, it looks well thought out.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

That'a pretty slick with the table saw. Love seeing peoples shop photos.

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http://www.wideskyguitars.com
https://www.instagram.com/wide_sky_guitars/

That was the lynch pin of the whole project. Before, I'd have to slide the stand up onto, or around the loose shop matts and plug in the vacuum to the 2" port. Not that big of a deal, but having to do it over and over again when you're trying to get stuff done gets tedious.

Shop life much improved...

Woah! I love what you did with the table saw!


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The irony is after all that effort to mount the tablesaw like that, I use the Laguna 95% of the time for straight cuts. The tablesaw now has a dado blade and is used for only cutting truss rod slots and x brace lap joints, neither task requiring the tablesaw to be away from the wall...

Sweet, can't wait till I can have a post with the same title!

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Pat

Just keep pushing...

Fantastic! You've done a great job and you came up with elegant solutions. I'm envious...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Everything is well thought out, Ed. I'm sure your guitar production will improve, and your frustration level will be much lower! Might be time for me to rearrange my shop, for the fourth or fifth time!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Ed, I've been looking at one of those Bosch saws since I only run a 7 1/4" Diablo in mine anyway. Can you use it with a fretting blade?

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Most definitely! It's a very good saw. Though the cheaper DeWalts also work really well. Bosch is about 600, the DeWalt closer the 300...

Curious to know what you chose for mats -- type and supplier. Have now been working in my new shop for a few months and realize that tile on concrete is not ideal. Many choices for mats, but not so easy to identify something durable, easy to clean, truly anti-fatigue and easy on the wallet.


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I don't know if these qualify as truly anti-fatigue if that's a technical thing as opposed to 'do they work', but, I got them from Canadian Tire.

11.99$ for a four pack. I double layered them, the whole floor cost ~100$...

You're obviously happy with them, and I couldn't have asked for more detail on the what and where -- thanks!


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I'm actually tempted to cover the entire floor with floating tongue-and-groove OSB or plywood panels, which are durable enough to withstand rolling machines and easy to sweep, while easy on dropped tools, and save the antifatigue mats for standing areas around benches. Certainly the Canadian Tire price on the mats is the lowest I've seen.


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I though about that too, but I no longer have any machines to roll, so I went cheap and easy...

They're were on sale, btw. Regular 17.99...

Looks great. Just curious - how many square feet of space do you have? I'm working at setting up my shop now in 300 sqft. I can see it's going to take some creativity to make it work out. I use the shop for things other than guitars so I use the tablesaw, jointer/planer and chop saw a lot. Working right now on a table for the chop saw that's tall enough to roll the jointer/planer underneath, has a good dust hood, and a downdraft saying table built in.

11' 6" x 10' 6", with the cubby under the stairs with the dust collector adding about another 10 square feet.

Nice! You've really done a lot with such a small space.

The thing is, with this setup, the shop now feels huge. Definitely good enough for all my needs. Mind you, there are two more workspaces, so all I need in here is the stuff to do my own tasks...