NickWheeler
Active member
Hi Folks-
I lurk here a lot, but have only posted a couple times. Another member suggested I post in this section of the forum because of some photos I put up in the FLOORING section.... so I figured, "Why not?"
My "job" is pretty odd to most folks. I am a full-time, custom knife maker. I started carving knives at 11, started trying to make one out of a file by 12... fast forward a "few" years, and I'm looking back at a Mechanical engineering degree, welding degree, and machinist cert.... so I could do what I started doing at 12.
So anyway, I've been working out of the same "two car garage" for many years now, and have accumulated a rather large lot of stuff. It is far too cozy... but it works.
The following pics are of my old shop... which is a two-ish car garage my Great-grandfather had built from wood that was rough cut at his saw mill. He had a "slap it together and move onto the next thing" attitude from all that I have seen, so I've spent many, many, MANY hours trying to fix (usually just tear down and rebuild) those things.
*** The good news, for me, is that my fiance and I bought a house this summer out in the country, with a 36X48 shop. It's fully insulated, finished out (walls and ceiling), full bathroom, windows, two man doors... LOTS OF THINGS I've been dreaming of for YEARS. Due to some large projects I have going, I'm still working out of the old shop right now, and trying to figure out the best lay-out for my new shop before I start moving things like the 5,000 pound Cincinatti Mill or the 4,000 pound forging hammer.
So anyway... here are some pics of my old shop. I hope to share some of the new space in a month or two.
When I found this poster, I fell in love. I had worked at a state park for four summers while going to college. The park had been built by the CCC... which was closely tied with the WPA (Works Progress Administration) AND, my 100# Little Giant forging hammer was purchased by the WPA and brought to Washington in 1929. It even has a brass WPA emblem riveted to the hammer. HOWEVER, in a small shop you don't have a lot of room for a 35" X 45" poster!!! So the next two pics were my solution
I lurk here a lot, but have only posted a couple times. Another member suggested I post in this section of the forum because of some photos I put up in the FLOORING section.... so I figured, "Why not?"
My "job" is pretty odd to most folks. I am a full-time, custom knife maker. I started carving knives at 11, started trying to make one out of a file by 12... fast forward a "few" years, and I'm looking back at a Mechanical engineering degree, welding degree, and machinist cert.... so I could do what I started doing at 12.
So anyway, I've been working out of the same "two car garage" for many years now, and have accumulated a rather large lot of stuff. It is far too cozy... but it works.
The following pics are of my old shop... which is a two-ish car garage my Great-grandfather had built from wood that was rough cut at his saw mill. He had a "slap it together and move onto the next thing" attitude from all that I have seen, so I've spent many, many, MANY hours trying to fix (usually just tear down and rebuild) those things.
*** The good news, for me, is that my fiance and I bought a house this summer out in the country, with a 36X48 shop. It's fully insulated, finished out (walls and ceiling), full bathroom, windows, two man doors... LOTS OF THINGS I've been dreaming of for YEARS. Due to some large projects I have going, I'm still working out of the old shop right now, and trying to figure out the best lay-out for my new shop before I start moving things like the 5,000 pound Cincinatti Mill or the 4,000 pound forging hammer.
So anyway... here are some pics of my old shop. I hope to share some of the new space in a month or two.
When I found this poster, I fell in love. I had worked at a state park for four summers while going to college. The park had been built by the CCC... which was closely tied with the WPA (Works Progress Administration) AND, my 100# Little Giant forging hammer was purchased by the WPA and brought to Washington in 1929. It even has a brass WPA emblem riveted to the hammer. HOWEVER, in a small shop you don't have a lot of room for a 35" X 45" poster!!! So the next two pics were my solution
. I just got to the point where you discovered the void in the wood. I'll finish it tomorrow. Like a good book, it was hard to put down! Awesome work.
" 
