Below 265 SQ/FT 200 Square Foot Tiny Texas Workshop

[goofiefoot]

Here in south Texas, we have a lot of mesquite, and I've been enjoying working with it in the shop. I needed a woodworking mallet, so I built one from a small slab I had laying around. This was a fairly easy build, and the final product turned out well. Boiled linseed oil really popped out the grain in the mesquite, and it looks amazing in the sunlight.



Check out the full build, and watch it come together:

I also got the wood lathe up and running. I found a cheap dresser on Marketplace and used some scrap boards to get the height just right. I've never used a lathe - just watched some YouTube videos - so I was anxious to get started. I sharpened the tools and started practicing. My first project was simply turning down a blank and practicing some tool work. Then I decided to use one of the mallet cut-offs to make my own magic wand. I think it turned out pretty well!







I've got the shop to a good point to actually start working on things and that's a huge step for me. I've spent a good amount of effort building tool and supply holders for the french cleat wall with the goal to get stuff off the floor and workbench so I have a clean workflow. The dresser for the lathe stand has nice drawers to hold supplies as well. I have a few more cabinets and stands for my tools I want to build, however, I feel I'm at a really good spot to actually start working!



Stay tuned! More's on the way.

 

[goofiefoot]

I had a cool partnership opportunity come up with Oneida Air Systems. One of their reps reached out after watching my dust collection cart video, and wanted me to take their newest Dust Deputy 2.5 for a spin and give it a review. I've been happy with the original Dust Deputy, so I was really pleased to try out the new kit, which came with a 10-gallon steel drum to replace my 5-gallon Home Depot bucket.

 

[goofiefoot]

I finally got around to building my deck for the shop. With lumber prices finally starting to dip down, I grabbed some pressure treated wood and knocked this out in a couple days. I'm glad to have a nice, level space to work on dusty, messy, fume-y projects to keep the inside of the shop a little cleaner.

 

[goofiefoot]

Finally, I have the shop to a point where I can get around to showing off some projects!

My wife started a new teaching position this year, and asked if I could make her a pointer for her classroom. I did it one better and turned an oversized magic wand out of purpleheart - purple is her favorite color.









The purple color faded as I turned and sanded the wood, so I found a good way to bring that color back before I applied the finish. A little acetone and some time in the sun - brought back the color big-time.

Here's the full video showing the entire process:

 

[goofiefoot]

I built a mobile workbench a few years ago, before we moved and well before I built this workshop. It's served me well, and I use it every time I'm in the shop. It's never really clean (whose is?), but it's held up well.



I had put a couple videos together at the time to document the build, but I wanted to re-make it to show the full build all in one go:

Another shop update - I got a "real" table saw! I found a deal on a used Grizzly I couldn't pass up, and it's awesome! It came with a mobile base, a couple of nice blades, and a Grizzly dust collector. I've got it tuned up, and it works extremely well.



I'm looking at adding a router table and lift to the right side between the fence rails at some point.

 

[goofiefoot]

I picked up some free mulberry wood destined for a fireplace a while back, and have been anxious to do something with it. This past weekend I turned my first bowl on the lathe, and while I made a ton of mistakes (and learned from them) I am extremely pleased with how this turned out (see what I did there?).





The grain in this wood is amazing! A lot of depth and flash to it. I've got a lot of the logs cut down and drying in the shop, so I'm looking forward to making more stuff with mulberry.


Here's the full video, showcasing the highs and lows of turning this bowl.

I'd love some input/advice/suggestions from you woodturners on how to improve my turning, so don't be shy about feedback!

 

[captain14]

I’ll watch the video later, but you may want to search GJ for a woodturners thread and post your question. I have seen other turning projects here.

Here’s a starting point.

Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

It's time for some woodworking fun in the garage. Back in the day, schools taught woodshop and every dad in the neighborhood knew some woodworking skills. Well, the schools are giving up on trades and dad is no longer a reliable go to source for woodworking knowledge. There are sites which...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[goofiefoot]

I’ll watch the video later, but you may want to search GJ for a woodturners thread and post your question. I have seen other turning projects here.

Here’s a starting point.

Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

It's time for some woodworking fun in the garage. Back in the day, schools taught woodshop and every dad in the neighborhood knew some woodworking skills. Well, the schools are giving up on trades and dad is no longer a reliable go to source for woodworking knowledge. There are sites which...

www.garagejournal.com

Thank you!

 

[goofiefoot]

I've finally completed some of my shop projects, and have been working on condensing video footage down into watchable chunks. The first one was the most needed - my miter saw workstation. I love having the extra storage from the drawers!

I've also been enjoying lathe work, particularly bowl turning. Here are some of my recent pieces:

These I turned from each half of a piece of ash firewood I found in my dad's woodpile. The spalting was a nice surprise.




I made this spalted maple platter for my mom's birthday. I think it came out nice.



I found a mesquite log on the beach and turned this dish from one half. I'm still considering what to do with the second half.

 

[goofiefoot]

I finished up another tool cart that saves some space in the shop. It gave me the excuse to buy a new sander, too.

I'm behind big-time on editing videos, and hope to have more updates soon.

 

[goofiefoot]

I'm really proud of this one! We replaced our 1970s front door before we moved out of our last house, and I thought I might be able to do something with the mahogany, so I lugged it along when we moved. Fast forward 3 years, and I finally found a good use for it. I got to use some new (for me) joinery techniques and used most of the tools in my shop (as well as a buddy's). The finished product turn out pretty well - not perfect, but I'm pleased. My video is a bit long, but shows all the cool stuff I got to figure out along the way.