Vacation is Over...Back to Work

It's been nearly two weeks since I posted here and I've been missing the work and the writing.  In addition to what seems like a never ending series of snow storms and shoveling, I've also had the poor fortune to alternate sickness with my wife.  So with all the household duties (and did I mention shoveling?) as well as the very low temperatures in the basement, my shop time has been reduced to practically zero.  Even this past weekend (a four day weekend for me) I only really felt well enough to spend a few hours in the shop on Monday.  Still not totally well, and gearing up for a bathroom renovation, I opted to continue the workshop overhaul instead of working on my wife's bedside table project.  As I had mentioned before, my shop space had become a catch-all storage area for the detritus of a past life.  I had concentrated initially on the areas around my two benches (one for tin and one for wood) so that I could at least humor myself with some small projects while I performed the herculean cleaning task.  But as the spring gets closer, I have to find a space for a new hand tool friendly work bench.  And with the bathroom looming, I actually need to get some (or all) of the power tools accessible and ready for work.  That said, I managed to clear another corner of the basement and re-purpose some items for a more inviting work space.

My new miter saw station.

 My miter saw used to live on an old rolling microwave cart along one of the long walls adjacent to my workbench.  It was really not as much of a pain as that might sound.  The saw itself is far from a precision instrument, and so, I really rarely used it in the shop except to break down long boards. Since then, I've bought a rip panel saw, and actually prefer to perform this operation by hand.  The saw generally is used at the site of a project on a pair of garbage, store bought saw horses (too tall to saw on, too short for a comfortable working height) and a piece of plywood.  The saw's new home though, is a re-purposed cabinet that I had built for a friend years ago, but had never finished as a move had made it obsolete.  In the coming days, I'll finish it up so that it can safely house all of the accessories for the miter saw, my table saw, and maybe even my circular saw. Maybe an hours worth of work, if that.  I cleaned out a small niche near the stairs for the cabinet, making more room in the center of the shop.  My son has claimed the cart for a desk, so I'll have to pull the wheels off and give it a thorough cleaning.

With the new location for the miter saw and the microwave cart gone, I had more room along the wall adjacent to my bench and decided to space things out there.  I began to move a  set of drawers my grandfather had built to hold his tool chest (now a coffee table in my mother's house) and that now holds mine.  Of course things were going too well, so one thing had to go wrong. I would guess that the chest of drawers is at least 40 years old.  And the ocean air here in Rhode Island hasn't done it any favors.  Long story short, the lower rail tenons pulled out of their mortises.  It'll be a quick fix tonight, and it was the only mishap of the afternoon.

My tool chest and the damaged chest of drawers.

A close up of the damage I inflicted.

The cleaning and organizing is an ongoing task and I have neglected to post photos, or mention some of the steps I've taken in the new year.  One of the biggest annoyances I've faced is that my tin patterns have never really had a dedicated space.  At this point, I am probably approaching 75 or more patterns which have been living wherever I could find a nail to hang them.  Many had fallen and become separated from their mates.  I am now about two thirds of the way to reassembling the pieces and providing proper storage.

Tin and copper ware patterns neatly sorted and hanging ready for work.  A shop made form sits below the peg rail.

Another few hours of sorting pattern pieces and I may someday have a table saw again.  Clearly, I'm in no hurry to have it back.

When I invited my lovely wife down to see my progress, she rather quickly fled upstairs.  But little did I know, my work had inspired her to lend me a helping hand.  When she returned, she had all the supplies required to eliminate at least five years worth of spider webs, and in some cases, their deceased occupants.  The effort may not have been completely altruistic, but it was greatly appreciated.

Little by little, the shop is really coming along.  The sense of dread I used to feel about going down there is slowly giving way to sense of joy to be there.  Even if it's only for a few minutes to look around, brainstorm, or just spend some time.  The next few nights will be for some small work, gearing up for what I hope will be the productive weekend I've been searching for.

Hope springs eternal, I just pray for no snow.