For some reason there is a great public interest in a craftsman's shop? For
fellow woodworkers it for the ability to gloat over ones tools, floor space,
and the view from the shop, but for my customers or future clients the
curiosity is to see if my shop is nothing more than a stump.
My shop was at one time , an open
14'x 10' bay in an old pole barn; the contents was a lathe, small band saw,
small light and a stationary grinder, all powered by 300'of extension cord.
Seems the times have changed; now my shop is a 48'x 24'pole barn with heat and
power. Yahoo! I have devoted a 12'x12' part of it for the studio show room,
but the rest is full with machinery, hand tools and lumber.
When I was a small lad, my father had
a tool room, or really a tool cage in the basement of our home. The walls
where made out of chicken wire, and it had a lock on the door. He loved his
tools and had a lot of them, but unlike a collector he used them. I recall
standing outside of this cage and probably drooling at the sight of it all,
the lock was not doubt in place to keep my brothers and I out. Sad to say he
never shared his passion in these tools or the building trade with any of us.
Upon his death, the tools where given to a friend of his, who gave them to his
son and I have no doubt lost them all in a years time?
When it comes to tools, honestly I don't know if I will ever
recoup on the expenses, by way of owning my own business, but as a hobbyist
and a guy that loves this stuff, I don't know if it really matters. Some day
maybe my son or daughter will join me and when I'm too old to do this, it will
all be theirs.
So for those of you curious about the shop, enjoy the
pictures
Old Time Woodworks
The shop