m103

Hi Kevin,

What amazes me here is that in the age of cable TV dream shops, we all need a reminder that most of us "real people" are constantly bucking the same exact space/organization issue. I'm a fan of the small in-home shop personally -- it definitely limits how many in-progress projects can be set aside before something *HAS* to get finished! I have to agree with others too -- the skills one can hone using hand tools instead of constantly reaching for the machines are priceless.

I freely admit I grew up shop spoiled -- was totally shocked the first time I visited a friend whose parents DIDN'T have a shop in their basement. [Oh you just need your dad to drill a hole in that. What do you MEAN you dad doesn't have a drill press?] Your babe is going to grow up with a far different view of the world than their peers, and kudos to you for it! I can't imagine not knowing the things I know from years of being my dad's "extra hands". How do those people function? heh!

I see your shop has a ceiling. If you can drop those panels temporarily or access your floor beams from outside of the shop, you can do some very quick things to limit noise in the rest of the house, such as feeding some strips of styrofoam sheet insulation between your floor beams, or if you can hit some good salvage -- sound deadening ceiling tiles chopped down to fit the gaps. (am I seeing right? looks like melamine coated masonite? -- great for lighting but horrid for sound if not insulated)

Having been in the Army, I have some "pro" experience with the issue of [how much can I possibly fit into this space and still function?] You definitely have some dead space issues going on there that you might want to spend a little time at the kitchen table with some quadrille before moving anything else around. If it's possible to adjust your machines to a more even feed height, one good set of shop horses could solve some feed space issues for you, allowing you to group your machines much more tightly abreast. I also see your blue cupboard has only TWO tools hanging inside the door. That's a whole lot of hanging tool space that you aren't taking advantage of YET.

I have to agree with others on the harsh lighting/shadow issue. I would suggest keeping an eye on craigslist and other similar places for some 4-foot fluorescents. Even if you run into a bad ballast, new ballasts are cheaper than brand new shop lights.

Don't read me as the great doomsayer. I'm just the 30-something daughter of a Capricorn mechanical engineer who was raised from the cradle on this stuff -- like I said: "shop spoiled". I see lots of things that can be improved-on, but I think you've already done a great job too :)

~m