Setting Up Shop

Starett-Athol Vise gifted to me from my father-in-law…sat out in a field for 20 years – restored

Shop Moves

Moving around for most of my career, I had little to no room/space for any kind of workshop.  I had some tools, from when I started driving, and when I got married I received a Craftsman Toolbox (hobbyist kind).  I still have this tool box.  As we moved and children came, we bought more furniture, destroyed more furniture and found that a lot of it was cheap and not like the “old” furniture growing up that couldn’t be broken.  What does all of this have to do with setting up shop?  Point here is, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a workshop.  

Patience

I started small, many years ago with hand tools, maybe a power drill, and then a miter-saw, as time went on more power tools were added in no specific order, table saw, bench vise with no bench, dremel tools, sawzall you get the picture.  Even now with a dedicated garage that I get half of for a workshop, I still have to set up and configure things.  

Completed my first work bench

Modular Answer

I went with a lot of modularity, especially when I finally built a workbench.  I put it on wheels so that as we continued to move it was easier for me to position it and move it around on my own.  I was watching YouTube when I saw April Wilkerson’s demonstration of these wheels.  I thought they were perfect and way better than the castor’s I was using, and they are.  

Current Setup

This enabled me to move not only my workbench, but as I have expanded and added a grinder and drill press, the cabinet that I have them set on is mobile as well. I play to put wheels on my leg vise as I have my anvil stand, because now I can store my tools and move them around as I need to work with them. Below is a link to the wheels she recommended and I can definitely vouch for, are amazing. 

Wheels for Purchase