What do your workshops look like?

[Don Noon]

OK, the shop is functional but not yet final. Lots of tools and stuff is in boxes, rather than on a board on the wall or in undercounter cabinets where they should be. I got tired of the moving and the infrastructure projects and wanted to start building, so the niceties will have to wait.

Photo 1 is the main instrument shop (the 1-car garage), with the nice long bench, heavy vise, windows and lights. In the back, hidden by the big bandsaw, is the drying cabinet, 6" jointer, and the drillpress. Wood storage is overhead.

Photo 2 is another angle, showing a bunch of racks and my sharpening cart. This is also the SCAVM library... in some of those boxes.

Photo 3 is the machine shop, in a corner of the other garage. The mini-mill is set up to sand the plate overhang; I also use it for thickness sanding. It's nice to be able to turn a crank and get within .001" of what you want. Under plastic is a 9" metal lathe, with a jeweler's lathe stored on top of it.

[NewNewbie]

Nice Shop!

I noticed you didn't say anything about the chop saw in the bottom left of picture 1 or the dumb-bell in the bottom right of picture 2.

I think we all have one kicking around in our shops!

I like the set-up you have on your mill drill! I see that you also have a Foredom hanging at the end of the bench.

Looks like a great shop to me! Thanks!

[Marcos Schmitz]

This is my new workshop.

[NewNewbie]

Licastro nice pics.

Maestonet seems to be cutting them off at the halfway point of downloading. Could you shrink the pics or get a smaller shop!

Or better yet, raise the floor up a couple of feet! :)

Very nice tools. Thanks.

[Marcos Schmitz]

Licastro nice pics.

Maestonet seems to be cutting them off at the halfway point of downloading. Could you shrink the pics or get a smaller shop!

Or better yet, raise the floor up a couple of feet! :)

Very nice tools. Thanks.

Ok NewNewbie! It´s done.

Thank you.

[NewNewbie]

Hey you have a floor!

It's too bad that the new forums cut these things down, as the big pics had a lot of detail in them.

Very nice shop by the way! Thanks.

[Ken Pollard]

Found this while looking for something else entirely --

Note the nifty sharpening station.

The photo can be found at the New York Public Library site --

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital...;pos=54&e=w

Don't know if that link will carry thru onto Maestronet. Here's a search under the letter V.

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital....cfm?alphaPos=V

Then look for 'violins'. It's on the 3rd page of 4.

Cheers,

Ken

[Don Noon]

Now that I have finished my first violin, it was time to get back to cleanup and infrastructure. So, for the last week I have been putting up more shelves and building a tool rack. The tool rack is on hinges so it can fold back against the wall. Compare this to my previous photo on page 9.

[joerobson]

Now that I have finished my first violin, it was time to get back to cleanup and infrastructure. So, for the last week I have been putting up more shelves and building a tool rack. The tool rack is on hinges so it can fold back against the wall. Compare this to my previous photo on page 9.

Don,

Is that a Walker Turner bandsaw?

Joe

[Don Noon]

Joe,

Yep. 16" wood/metal Walker Turner with gear reducer. Weighty beast. I retrofitted a Baldor DC motor so I can also vary the speed easily.

There's also an air filtration unit up on a top shelf, out of view, which I will use to create a "clean bench" for varnish work. Eventually. But DEFINITELY before I start varnishing #2.

[joerobson]

Yep. 16" wood/metal Walker Turner with gear reducer. Weighty beast. I retrofitted a Baldor DC motor so I can also vary the speed easily.

sweet toy

[Bill Yacey]

Now that I have finished my first violin, it was time to get back to cleanup and infrastructure. So, for the last week I have been putting up more shelves and building a tool rack. The tool rack is on hinges so it can fold back against the wall. Compare this to my previous photo on page 9.

I see you have what looks like a HP 204B oscillator on the far bench. These are a well built unit.

[Don Noon]

Close... it's a model 202 C. Not that I'd know the difference.

[russellhopper]

I have two studios. My front studio is where I work on restorations, touch-ups, adjustments and other tasks that don't require a workbench or make a mess. I also work with clients here. They can relax and chat while I perform adjustments or make consultations. I love the light in this space and the acoustics are excellent. Behind the desk are two display cabinets for instruments and accessories.

The back room studio is used mainly for making and messier tasks that create a lot of shavings. The benches are made from solid core doors (they weigh about 150 lbs each)bolted to the wall and supported by wood cabinets (they don't wobble). I added a 10cm poplar apron and 2 vises- a maple front vise (I'm left handed) and an aluminum Swiss Vise (love it!). An old chest of drawers holds large tools and vises.

I keep all my power tools in the basement. I have a table saw, band saw, drill press, oscillating sander, disk sander and several grinders, including a Tormek. I mainly use these to make tools and jigs. The bandsaw is the only power tool I use for actually making my violins. I keep the power tools in the basement for the room and mess, but also I feel that having them in the studio gives my customers the wrong idea about what I do, plus they make a mess and are noisy. To a certain extent, I believe there is a certain amount of theatre in every profession. I think customers feel more comfortable when the studio looks what they imagine a violin maker's workshop is "supposed" to look like. It gives them a clue that you know what you are doing.

I try to keep the floor swept all the time, as well as only keeping the tools I need on the bench. I learned this from my training with Horst Kloss, It's more efficient, safer and keeps the tools in shape. In his classes, if he sees a block plane laying on its bed, he reprimands with, "30 push-ups for you!"

My used to be an architect, so I like the idea of the studio resembling an architect's workspace, too.