I installed a retractable reel about a week ago but will be relocating
it from near the compressor to nearly the center of the shop, because
there is only about 21' feet of hose which gets caught up on the TS and
other equipment when I drag it over to the workbench on the wall
opposite the reel.

Five wall cabinets to hold and hide lots of stuff! Plus keep most of
the dust off those items.

An overhead retractable 110V cord with a 3-outlet molded plug.

Can I give more than three? Here goes:

painted the walls semi-gloss white.

Lot's of light: 11 4 foot fluorescents in a two car "studio" g

Weather striped the door to stop drafts; the shop is much warmer in the
winter because of that one improvement.

Just added a TV last week to supplement the CD player, cassette
player/radio.


What I'd like to have but won't (do to one thing or another)

1. Utility basin
2. A John
3. more R-O-O-M
4. higher ceiling
5. wood floor



dave





Rich Stern wrote:

I just finished a project and was cleaning up the shop, moving stuff around to
get at all the sawdust, putting tools back, etc. I was musing about changes
I've made to my workshop over the years, thinking about the successes and the
failures. Here's what I came up with for my best three:

1) Compressed air from an overhead, retractable reel. How the heck did I get
through the early years without this? I leave my portable compressor hooked up
via quick disconnect to a feed line for the overhead reel. I can disconnect
and roll out quickly if I need the compressor in the yard, garage, or at a
neighbor's. The reel also has a quick disconnect, stuffed with a blowgun when
not using any other air tools. This setup is great for woodworking, but the
air gets used for all kinds of other tasks, too.

2) Stopped overcrowding the shop with machines. For years, my semi-portable
power tools were set up and ready to work. Visions of moving from station to
station with effortless efficiency. I thought it made projects go faster. The
opposite is true. As I run low on space, the shop gets messy and projects
begin to crawl. Now I take out the miter saw, belt/disk sander, scroll saw,
etc. only when needed. The rest of the time, I enjoy the free space around the
bigger machines. The shop stays much cleaner.

3) Rolling tool chest. You know, the mechanic's type. Just a low end,
stacking unit from Lowes. Measuring tools, wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers,
drill bits, etc, stay organized and dust free, and I can wheel the thing around
if needed. My pegboarding of all this stuff never stayed organized. Somehow,
I manage to keep it neat in the rolling cabinet.

What are your best three easy imrpovements?