Tom Clark

Greetings,

I got into woodworking backwards. I started building amateur telescopes, and after a couple of years a friend who was visiting my shop asked where my table saw was. “I don’t need a tablesaw – I have a bandsaw,” was my uneducated answer. Since I had spent my career working in machine shops, the bandsaw was the normal way of cutting material.

“It’s about time you learned something about woodworking,” was his answer. So I did. I joined a woodworking club and had a ball. Soon I was building far better looking telescopes.

Next I started teaching myself cabinetmaking, as building out my shop with needed storage space was sorely needed. It wasn’t long before everyone who came into my shop asked where all the shop cabinets were coming from. When told I built them they usually looked at me like I was from another planet! I just like designing and custom building things to fit my needs, and of course since shop-made cabinets are far cheaper than purchased ones, the money saved could go into new tools needed for the shop.

There is a Shop Tour of my 40x60 workshop here. It took awhile to learn how to get the photos loaded in the right order! I was able to build my dream shop 10 years ago, and here's wishing that everyone is able to build their dream shop sooner rather than later. It is nice to finally have enough space to spread things out a little bit.

The photo below is one of the larger telescopes I built. Building projects like this is what created the need for a larger shop.

Tom

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Daren

Welcome Tom. If you have your heart set on it you can "edit album" and that gives you the option to "delete album"...I don't see the point, the order they are in looks just fine to me ? That is a nice looking shop you have, very neat.

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TexasTimbers

Cool story! That's a great looking shop. I am jealous of the organization and neatness.

I don't see any reason to reverse-order the pictures either, but if you have a touch of OCD I understand.

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Flame Box Elder

Tom Clark

Thanks for the welcome Daren and Tex. It took awhile but I am figuring out which buttons to push to work my way around this forum. I hope OCD is something good because I must have it!

TexasTimbers

OCD is good. ADHD ain't bad niether. I have them both.

The more alphabets in your DNA the better I say.

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Handyman

Tom Clark That is a real nice show room of tools and cabinets. I have never seen one nicer. How ever you are missing one thing that makes a real work shop. Yep the thing you find in ever real work shop across the nation. And out of all the things you have in that nice shop of yours, you just dont have it. SAW DUST man weres the sawdust. you have to have a little sawdust some were to make a real shop. I just didn't see any. Oh yea I did see some in your router table. You might want to clean that up.

I am just messing with you. Thats a nice shop. A little too clean but a nice shop never the less.

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Collector of Old Tools
Fixer of all things broke
Expert = Drip under pressure

Handyman

Tom Clark One more thing I didnt mention as well as others. That is a very nice teloscope you made. Out of all the nail bending, thumb smashing, sawdust breathing wood workers I have known, I have never evern heard of anyone that makes wooden teloscopes.
Welcome aboard.

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Collector of Old Tools
Fixer of all things broke
Expert = Drip under pressure

crafter1956

Welcome aboard & very nice telescopes.

Champanada

That really IS a nice "shop" !! Mine would fit inside that one easily!! Great photos too. I am looking to build a desk very similar to the one that you have posted. Any suggestions? I have been looking for some sort of executive desk plans but....... oh well.

Tom Clark

Champanada,

Welcome aboard to you too!

I have lots of suggestions, but they don't always suit everyone. I never build from plans - ever. If I see something I like I just go ahead and make my own hand-drawn sketch and then start building. I have this 'thing' where I always re-design things to make construction more suited to my own style, and usually find plans not to my liking. For instance, the original mag article on the desk had it made from solid panels, with a verniered mdf top. I made mine from plywood (20 years ago and I was pretty much a beginner), added the lap drawer, and used metal drawer slides because I wanted easy to open drawers. I'm sure lots of 'fine woodworkers' are freaking out about now, but like I said, I was a beginner and did it my way!

Here's a place for a few more of my ideas from a page on my web site.

Champanada

Thanks Tom for the cabinet tour, it really helps. I don't think that I actually NEED plans to build my desk, I just need to know a little more about the basic construction of a typical desk before I pour a bunch of money into it and mess things up......... know what I mean?

gto

Awesome shop thank for posting your pictures very inspirational.

Trappeur

Your shop is truly an inspiration Tom! And organized unbelievable, even down to the pencils laying on your desk! Unbelievable...Maybe one day I can have a mini version of yours. Right now I'm working out of my little shack/horse barn and in the basement of my house...I don't dare put up my pictures! lol Thanks for sharing...

Trappeur
(Your little dog is so cute!)