- Joined
- Oct 19, 2005
- Messages
- 20,015
For the last 20 years I have molded my knife shops to fit into the space that I rented. I've had 5 different leases by now, and while I think my shops have been workable, they have never been just right. The shape of the space, the neighbors, and the electric panel were always things that had to be accepted and worked around.
Well, last year Leah and I bought my grandads old place in N. Mississippi. Its 150 acres of gorgeous hilly land. My parents live there in grandads log cabin he built himself for retirement. Once this was done I started planning my 'forever' shop. My grail shop. By the end of 2025 I had a slab poured and a septic system installed. Last week the metal building was put up. The building is 30'x50' with a 10' porch on the front 50' side. The walls are 14' tall at the edge of the roof. It took them two days to do this. While I was there overseeing the building crew I hired a contractor to do the interior. It should be done by October.
Upgrades over every shop so far:
1. The dusty room where the loud or dusty machines will live has two rollup doors. One on either end of the space. This will allow me to roll up the doors, determine which way the wind is blowing, and blow the shop out completely. If you only have one rollup door, this is not possible.
2. The electrical panel, this time, will be extra spacious with plenty of amps available.
3. The loud dust collector and compressor will be housed in a lockable shed outside the building!!
4. The entire shop will have blown in insulation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more freezing and sweating and freezing and sweating.
5. My shop will have a shower. A lot of the materials frankly stink when you grind them. G10 and Ironwood are two specifics. When I leave the shop you can smell me from 10' away. This has always been a problem if I need to say meet with the kids teacher, etc. No more!
6. I'll have a full kitchen at my disposal with a real stove. I can cook at the shop.
7. My shop will have a showroom with cases full of knives available for purchase including but not just Fiddlebacks.
8. The new shop has a 10' wide by 50' long front porch which faces East for sunrise views and cool shady evening sit ins.
Pics of the building itself and my plan are below. The graph paper plan is set up where each square is 6" by 6".
Well, last year Leah and I bought my grandads old place in N. Mississippi. Its 150 acres of gorgeous hilly land. My parents live there in grandads log cabin he built himself for retirement. Once this was done I started planning my 'forever' shop. My grail shop. By the end of 2025 I had a slab poured and a septic system installed. Last week the metal building was put up. The building is 30'x50' with a 10' porch on the front 50' side. The walls are 14' tall at the edge of the roof. It took them two days to do this. While I was there overseeing the building crew I hired a contractor to do the interior. It should be done by October.
Upgrades over every shop so far:
1. The dusty room where the loud or dusty machines will live has two rollup doors. One on either end of the space. This will allow me to roll up the doors, determine which way the wind is blowing, and blow the shop out completely. If you only have one rollup door, this is not possible.
2. The electrical panel, this time, will be extra spacious with plenty of amps available.
3. The loud dust collector and compressor will be housed in a lockable shed outside the building!!
4. The entire shop will have blown in insulation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more freezing and sweating and freezing and sweating.
5. My shop will have a shower. A lot of the materials frankly stink when you grind them. G10 and Ironwood are two specifics. When I leave the shop you can smell me from 10' away. This has always been a problem if I need to say meet with the kids teacher, etc. No more!
6. I'll have a full kitchen at my disposal with a real stove. I can cook at the shop.
7. My shop will have a showroom with cases full of knives available for purchase including but not just Fiddlebacks.
8. The new shop has a 10' wide by 50' long front porch which faces East for sunrise views and cool shady evening sit ins.
Pics of the building itself and my plan are below. The graph paper plan is set up where each square is 6" by 6".
