My shop makes me happy.

Nathan the Machinist

Nathan the Machinist

KnifeMaker / Machinist / Evil Genius
Moderator
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
18,995
It wasn't that long ago that walking out into my shop was depressing to me. There were a million and one things that needed to be done, a mounting to-do list, and it reminded me of how much work I needed to be doing and nothing was as it should be. It was a drag.

Years ago I had a nice shop. It was a nice brick building (technically a garage, though one hell of a garage) on my property with lots of lights, windows, roll up bay doors, air conditioning and space. It was great. And my house was tiny, and I didn't care. But my wife was expecting our second child and we were needing more room, so we sold that property and got a really big clapped out old house that need a lot of work with a little workshop, some studio space and a small garage. The house was literally twice the size as the old one, and the "shop" space was about half. And to make things worse, the house needed a lot of time and money, and with two children still in diapers running around, the shop became a storage space for unpacked moving boxes and non-functioning machinery with literally no shop work getting done for months. Eventually machine tools had to be pressed back into service and tooling had to be fished out and things became a real mess really fast. The shop was a dark, dank cluttered mess with little goat trails here and there. This drug out for years.

I finally got the house in order and began chipping away at the "shop". I built shelving and unpacked boxes and started to organize. I installed lighting. I performed maintenance on the machines. And lately, I've been noticing that I smile when I walk in there. And, when I'm not in there, I wish I was. It is my own personal private domain setup exactly how I want it. It is a little cramped, but I don't care. I have room to do everything I need to do and I've become comfortable in there. I've reached a point in my life where I'm happy with what I've got. Content. And the shop has transformed from a dank cluttered space that made me cringe every time I walked out there, to a tiny little machine shop with everything I've ever needed, working properly, and greeting me with that "machine shop smell" that makes me grin every time I step in there.

There is no real purpose for this thread, I just felt happy and wanted to share with my friends.

Got a personable little shop you love? Tell us about it. :):thumbup:
 
I am fortunate enough to have a shop separate from the house and garage that is all mine. I had it built just prior to starting chemo. It has become my place to escape. When I was going through chemo I could go sit in it and look around and dream (big empty building with a chair in the middle). It still is not perfect but at least all my fab equipment one of my Broncos and all the knife making stuff fits in it without tripping over anything.

I always enjoy your posts Nathan this one is great!
 
I hear you brother. Mine is in the garage but I reclaimed enough shop space in the garage that I would rather spend 2 hours out there and just about anywhere else. I love see guys who have detached workshops or basements to work in. They are very fortunate.

But truth be told my wife fills any space with a quickness it is like playing "Jenga" sometimes :) She is very hot so I will survive :D
 
Nathan, so glad to hear you've got things in order and are smiling when in the shop again.......but we need some pictures buddy!!;)
 
I can totally relate. Sometimes I go out in my little shop space, even though it's too late or early to make noise, to putter and hang out just to "breathe." Yes indeed, share the wealth, lets see some pix!
 
Great sentiments Nathan! I feel the same way about my shop. My wife would call it my lover and that I give it more attention than I do her. Unfortunately that is true at times. I love to be in my shop making knives, I feel satisfied when I'm doing it. I just need to hire a person to clean up after me, preferably one that would work for the knives, not money. I get so involved that cleaning does not get done often enough... I am trying to discipline myself to do better. It doesn't even bother me when it smells like antler grindings in my shop, which by the way is great wife repellent. I can be totally stressed from work, go in my shop and it all melts away. My wife came out the other day and ask what I was doing. I said "nothin" and that was exactly what I was doing...nothin, just settin on my stool at my bench, and it felt great. I'm 5 years from retirement and I can't wait to get up in the morning and go out to my shop...not to the factory. Oh and the truth is, I have a great wife who knows that my knife making is a very big part of me.
Jim
 
Though I don't have a shop, per se, I can certainly relate to the sentiment. Be it ever so humble, there's no place like a man cave.
 
I completely understand, man! I too go out to my shop with a grin, even when it's cold, coz I've got a big ole wood stove in there. Turn on the radio, just set for a while before I shake myself and get to work.

Congrats, Nathan. You conquered a big problem and shaped your environment to please yoursel. Nicely done, Sir!

Dave
 
Nathan,
I know how you feel bro. I just built a house 3 yrs ago. Two kids need lots of space. I use the attached two-car garage as a shop, until I can afford a seperate building. Most nights my wife or one of the kids sticks their head in to let me know it's supper time. Usualy 15 minutes or so later they remind me again. I tend to lose track of time when I'm in the shop. I'm fortunate to have this space, and even more fortunate to have a family that supports my paying hobby. My kids use to tell people I was a machinist, now they say "I think he's a knifemaker".
 
My wife and I recently bought our first house. before we even moved a single box I informed her that there would be no cars parked in my "shop" I too will just hang out in there sometimes. at the moment winter has come and there is no heat out there. I'm on the look out for a propane space heater. I have an electric infra red unit that is normaly used out at the in law's farm to keep the chicken shed warm but there's no chickens this winter so I nabbed it. However it dosnt throw enough BTU's to do much good. also the wiring out there needs to be re-done there's only one light fixture and 2 outletts all on one breaker in the house. when I have the light the grinder and the heater on it trips the breaker. so my shop time lately is just a few min. at a time. thinking that if I cant find a suitable propane heater, I'll be building a small room around my grinder that the electric heater will be able to handle...
 
Great thread! I feel the same way. Its kind of leave your problems at the door when you walk into the shop. I still need better lighting in mine as well as some sort of dust collection, but its my "home".
 
This is a very interesting concept. For a while, I had a 1 foot by 2 foot section of a flimsy plywood table in my dad's shop and some clamps, but he and I worked out an arrangement and so I am now in the basically unused hayloft of our barn that previously housed cows. I made myself a bench that is erm, well, shall we say, solid. looks were not what I were going for, and I did not get them. but, it works. it needs some adjustment, but it works. it really is relaxing to be able to go out there and just file or hand sand for hours on end. staying away from power tools was probably the best decision I have ever made just becuase it makes me slow down and think about what I am doing. I love being in my shop space. It isn't heated, but I have insulated coveralls, which is the second best invention ever, behind the ratcheting tie down. it is quiet, unless I chose to listen to something, and no one else comes out there. it is pretty cool.

EDIT: wow, I rambled really, really far. suffice to say, I like it.
 
Good to hear, Nathan. Sometimes my shop doesn't make me smile, either and it bums me out when I become aware of it. The doldrums or the times when it just seems like work always clear up in the end, though. I feel better when I've gotten some heavy orders out and can putter around for a day or two, cleaning up and putting some work and love back into the shop itself.

My shop is good sized and separate from the house, just a short walk across the driveway. I spent all day the other day installing a new lighting circuit, and installing these 4x40 watt fluorescent fixtures I was given and fixed. With the floor swept and the amazing new amount of light, I feel that much happier being in there.

We have a foot of snow on the ground now, and another foot at least on the way tomorrow. It's cold, but I get up early and start a fire in the woodstove out there. It takes an hour or two while I make breakfast and drink coffee for it to warm up a bit in there, but by the time I go out and turn the radio on, there's no other place I'd rather be all day.

My newly operational power hammer still gives me that gleeful feeling when I glance at it or use it... and any day now I'm going to pick up a good mill/drill from a neighbor and install it inside. Can't wait.

I love my shop too.
 
this thread is great. I cant wait to get my shop back. I had to give it up when I got deployed and I never knew just how much I loved it before I lost it. I used to go there staight after work and it was my own domain where I could leave all my problems at work and I was in charge. being in the military is frustrating sometimes just because you have so little control over your own time, but once I got in my shop I felt like my own man again. I have already talked to my land lord and she is holding my shop till i get back next month and I cant wait, plus I have a TW-90 waiting for me at my parents house ;)
 
My shop makes me happy to. Only I have the oppisite problems to most of you! No snow here but it gets damn hot in my shed! 7.5 x 7.5 meters all in corougated tin. Its like a sauna at the moment. if its 35 deg c out side its at least 10 more in the shop.
 
I am happy for you Nathan and share your feelings. By all the responses, we are all in the same boat it seem. My Shop is the garage, attached to the house and a good third of it is used for “house stuff”. I would love a separate building with a little more space. It would improve the moving around/more machinery part but I already have the good feeling of it being my little haven. As frustrating as it is sometimes, like Salem said, a bad day in the shop is still better than a good day at work. ;)

Thanks for sharing Nathan.
 
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