A well-designed, well-built workshop can do more for your woodworking than a new tool. A good shop is a place where you want to be -- a safe, well-lit space where work flows efficiently from machine to bench to finishing area. The articles included in this book offer ideas and solutions on everything from designing your floor plan for workflow to the nitty-gritty of picking the right tools.

• Locating and organizing your shop
• Good floor plans
• Essential tools
• Good choices for lighting and heating
• Dust control and collection
• Shop safety
• Benches, vises, aprons and pegboards

THE NEW BEST OF FINE WOODWORKING series collects classic articles from the last 10 years of Fine Woodworking magazine (published between 1992 and 2002). Organized by topic, fully indexed, these books make it easy to access the best woodworking ideas and information straight from the experts.

Introduction

1. Locating and Organizing the Shop
The Shop as Tool
Great Shop in a Two-Car Garage
The Almost Perfect Basement Shop
Turning a Parking Place into a Great Shop Space
A Well-Organized One-Man Shop
Smart Shop in a One-Car Garage
Dream Shop in the Woods

2. Outfitting the Shop
My Five Essential Power Tools
Essential Tools

3. Lighting, Heating, and Flooring
Shop Heating Choices
Lighting for the Workshop
Low-Cost Shop Floor

4. Dust Control and Collection
Four Ways to Control Wood Dust
Small-Shop Dust Collectors
Protecting Your Lungs from Woodworking
Dust Collection for the One-Man Shop
Dust Dectector
PVC Pipe Dangers Debunked

5. Shop Safety
Woodworkers First Aid
Protect Your Hearing in the Shop
Pain-Free Woodworking

6. Mobile Machines and Shop Equipment
Basement Shop on Wheels
Section 7. Shop Accessories
Woodworking Benches
Vises Are a Woodworkers Third Hand
A Woodworkers Apron
Not Your Fathers Pegboard

Credits

Index

Fortunate is the woodworker who can say his workshop is not wanting for more floor space. Most one- person shops, whether you work wood for recreation or vocation, are busting at the seams with lumber, scraps, tools, jigs and all the miscellaneous stuff that woodworkers collect in the course of building furniture. To make things worse, many of us put up with the ignominy of having to share our workspace with a washer and dryer or family car.

Ive squeezed my woodworking shop into what was once used as a family room in a split-level home. In order to make this 420 sq. ft. shop function, Ive had to put most machines on wheels. Mobility allows me to configure the shop for a variety of tasks, from rough milling long boards to creating a space for spray finishing. Its not ideal, but with four windows and finished walls, its a lot more pleasant than my former cinder-block basement shop.

Like the authors whose work is featured in this book, Ive made every effort to get the most out of my shop. Layout, storage solutions, choice of tools, dust collection and safety were all important considerations in its evolution. Aesthetics are important too. When I moved into my shop, I figured the obnoxious pink-toned walls would eventually be hidden by a fine layer of sawdust. Despite my best efforts, the pink held on like a bad case of red eye.

After three years, I finally painted the walls and floor, too. As a bonus, the paint job helped me see better due to the more reflective, neutral colors surrounding me. My shop isnt really done; its continually evolving, like that of most woodworkers, and Im always looking for new ideas. The articles in this book are intended to offer solutions on everything from the big picture issues of design and workflow to the nitty gritty of picking the right tools. Originally published in Fine Woodworking magazine, these articles represent the innovative spirit of woodworkers everywhere, in shops large and small.

Anatole Burkin
editor, Fine Woodworking