Archive for the ‘work shops’ Category

Here is a design for a stand that I really like.  Part of the reason I like it so much is that it is very stable and very easy to build.  The other is, well, it was my idea.  You can make this stand out of anything that you have laying around the shop.  It will work with plywood, hardwood, soft woods, and MDF.  I have built some with MDF and then laminated over it to give it a touch of class.  I have used laminate to just trim out some edges on plywood as well.  Either way, you can make it really slick or basic and fucntional.  You will notice on the bottom I have put in supports for a optional shelf.  Even if you do not add a shelf, it really helps with the stability of the stand.  However I have never known a woodworker who has not needed a bit extra space or turned down a shelf.

Router Table Stand

The main feature of the design is the leg.  It has an “L” shape and lends to the stability of the stand.  You can join two pieces together with any type of joint that you like.  I have screwed them, glued them and brad nailed them together.  I have found that gluing them and then hitting it with the brad gun works very very well and is fast.  You can literally have the four legs together as quickly as you can prep the wood. 

Cutting the lengths and widths of the stand is another straight forward operation.  I used screws for joining them to the legs so that I could make sure I can make small adjustments for my shop floor.  You can dress up the screws with trim washers if you want it to look a little different.

I was talking with a friend last week who operates is own woodworking business.  They do all types of projects but focus on a lot of repeat business from larger companies looking to make impressive display centers.  They use a CNC machine as the center of their shop as well as all the other typical machines you would find in a big shop.  My friend mention the fact that it is getting terribly hard to find highly skilled craftsman these days.  No one really wants to work hard at a craft that focuses on talent, everyone wants to rush things and get as much done as possible in the shortest amount of time.  While that can be good for business, its not good for shop owners since the ranks of which to choose good competent help is getting smaller and smaller each year.  When you do find someone decent they always seem to want huge money.  I myself have a problem paying someone wages that exist in the doctor lawyer level for a days work.  Still if you can manage to find someone that is knowledgeable, it can considerably shorten your training time in guiding them in what you want done.  This in turn creates a catch 22 scenario.  Most applicants today seem to be of the ‘helper” status which does not do a busy shop much good either.

If “budding entrepeneurs” would take the time to realize, they could command good money from the woodworking field, perhaps more would slow down and concentrate on skills that would give them long term work.  Just as the USA is realizing its smart to get back to basics and conserve energy, use less gas and put common sense to work, they are also realizing that craftsmanship is valuable.  A guy or gal thinking about going into the woodworking industry would have tremendous value if they knew how to embrace the Web 2.0 atmosphere of the Internet combined with old fashioned skill in their field.

Wood Magazine has some killer workshop reviews.  You have all seen them I am sure.  The great part about them is that you can get so many good ideas to bring home to your shop.    You can download or subscribe to wood magazines Best Workshops here.

Here is a great sample photo of what is available in the issue.

Killer workshop