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

Journals…more than just notes?

Are journals more than just for jotting down notes and drawings of your adventures?  

Maybe it is the prepper in me, but I augment my kit with redundancies, especially when it comes down to my journal or note taking “gear”.  

I utilize a Rite in the Rain notebook and cover made by tactical tailor.  I have been using Rite in the Rain for years, this is not a product recommendation, just stating that it is my trusted go to.  

Where I may differ from most is, that I choose to use a binder type book.  Meaning I can add, remove pages etc.  I find the versatility of this more beneficial, so I can get rid of scratch notes, scribbles and transfer the full note to a page and replace it in the book.  

Maybe I am an organizational freak, but I have it divided into sections where I or someone else can easily access the information from within.  

What I like about this it allows me to keep information that I find useful, not just what I discover or write down.  For example, I keep temperature conversions from between Fahrenheit and Celsius for both weather and cooking.  I keep food measurement/conversions.  Things I don’t want to try to remember and can easily refer to.  As I research, learn and get more confident in some other skills, I will include more wild edibles information, maybe with pictures for reference, medical remedies from wild edibles, and specifically list some of my medical issues.      

Now for the good stuff, what do I keep in there that is not written down!  

-Various needles for repairs.

-A magnification card (helps me to read small print, and other uses)

-A smaller rite in the rain booklet for navigation points

-Protractor for map navigation and or measurements (there is also a standard 7” ruler on the binder along with a metric ruler on the opposite cover)

-Several small safety pins 

-One 16P nail

-Pencils, Pens, and Marker

-Ready made butterfly bandage

-The zipper pull is an exotac tinderzip, it has a core that is a highly flammable, waterproof, and easy to ignite.

The paper can be used as tinder, or trail markers for travel/rescue, the ideas of how to use a simple journal can probably go on and on.  I have not weighed the journal, but if you are already bringing it and the small very light items added make the very little extra weight negligible.