Sometimes being Woodworker’s Journal’s “Field” Editor, I feel like I’m way, way out in some field. What I mean here is, I’m one step removed from the day-to-day feedback we receive in our home office from readers about what we publish. A lot of mail comes in, but generally I don’t get to see it. I work from home, which is several states away.
Posts Tagged ‘Shop Organization’
A Miter Saw Station for Many
August 13th, 2010 by Chris Marshall328 Comments »
Workbench You Can Build in an Afternoon
May 28th, 2010 by Chris Marshall11 Comments »
If you're looking for a quick project this Memorial Day weekend, or any other for that matter, here's a low-cost bench option for you.
A couple weeks ago, I reported on my trusty old, cosmetically challenged workbench. The goal, really, was to support those of you out there who are more concerned with utility in your shop fixtures than high style. In other words, you build sturdy workaday shop fixtures so you can get on with more important projects. And, that’s okay in my book; I do it, too.
Closer Look at Our Full-featured Miter Saw Station
May 7th, 2010 by Matt Becker252 Comments »
Chris Marshall shows us around his Ultimate Miter Saw Station, featured in the June 2010 issue of Woodworker’s Journal magazine.
Matt Becker
Internet Production Coordinator
EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to the enormous amount of interest in this project, we have made the Ultimate Miter Saw Stand (including the plans for the entire project and the optional Scrap Bins, as well as the Cutting List) available as a Downloadable Plan in our online store. Click here to purchase and receive the plan immediately!
Getting it Done in ’10
January 1st, 2010 by Chris Marshall3 Comments »
Ah, resolutions…
Depending on how you look at them, they could be the best or worst part of flipping the calendar to January.
Here are my plans for 2010: instead of vowing to drop 20 pounds or remodel my basement—both of which are equally unlikely—I’ve made a couple of woodworking-related resolutions this year. The first one should be easy to pull off:
1. I’m gonna tame my tangled mess of air compressor hose.
Sounds ridiculously easy, doesn’t it? Right now, it lays on the floor in a pile where it gets in my way, because the hose has a memory to it and doesn’t coil up easily. I kick it around and shove it here and there, but I need a better solution. Retractable? Maybe hung from the ceiling? This year I’m going to figure something out. (Advice anyone?)
Got Rules for Your Tools?
September 30th, 2009 by Chris Marshall15 Comments »
When it comes to staying organized, drawers work for me.
“Put things back where you find them.”
Can you still hear that one ringing in your ears from childhood? I can, but in my shop, it’s one rule I really do try to live by.
Some woodworkers wonder what kind of real work gets done in a clean shop. I guess for those folks, clutter helps get the creative juices flowing, or at least it doesn’t grind productivity to a halt. But the “Oscar Madison” approach sure doesn’t work for me. (more…)
No More “Name That Grit”
May 7th, 2009 by Chris Marshall4 Comments »
Here's my sad excuse for sandpaper organization. Amazing it lasted this long!
Aside from being a dull-as-dirt photograph, this empty box is not:
A) Evidence of my secret stash of cookies. I don’t have one, but if I did squirrel away a few boxes in the shop, they’d be Thin Mints. No question.
B) A rough idea of how many boxes of Girl Scouts Cookies® my kids have eaten this spring, although it’s probably pretty close.
C) Some sad prototype for my next Woodworker’s Journal project.
Actually, this Thin Mints carton, circa 2001, has been my poor excuse for sandpaper storage. Tattered, taped up and tossed around the shop, it’s been a dumping ground for the past eight years.
