I now have a working door handle and latch on my shop door. I had a screen door handle/latch that I had bought for my screened in porch and ended up not using. Being cheap and not wanting to buy anything, I decided I want to use it for my door.  The thing is, it's made for doors up to 2" thick and mine is 4" thick. So, for a while now, I've been just using the inside latch and opening the window and reaching in to open the door.

I looked high and low for the screws of the proper side/thread that were at least 4" long. No luck. So I contacted a friend I know that works in the fastener industry and he supplied me with some lengths of all-thread of the proper size/thread along with some dome nuts.

I used a bit of welding rod to span between the outside button and the inside latch.





Also built a lumber rack this weekend. Just some 2x4 and 1x4 arms screwed to the studs.





Unfortunately, I don't have any "nice" lumber of significant size. Just some pine boards, small cedar cut-offs, and pallet scraps. But, it definitely helped clear up some space.

That thing in the upper left corner is a genuine antique. Although I'm sure it's really a footboard, my grandparents used it for the headboard on the guest bed for longer than I can remember. I used it as the headboard for my son's first "big boy" bed after he outgrew the crib. I've been hanging on to it for a long time now with no use for it but too attached to it to get rid of it but no idea what to do with it. But one of those "picker" shows on TV (the one with the two women) gave me an idea for it. I'm going to attach a bench seat to it and it will become the back of the bench. I'll put it in the girls' room where I'm sure they'll cover it with stuffed animals. But it hangs nicely where it is for now.

Shop Layout Planning

I took a step back in my shop layout planning.  I read a few articles online (which I can't seem to find now to link back to) and went with the "graph paper and scale cutouts" process.  I outlined my shop dimensions on a sheet of graph paper, and cut out scale representations of the major tools that take up floor space.  That includes my table saw, jointer, three Shopsmiths (one of which is a dedicated drill press) and the router table I mentioned in the last post.  Although I don't have them yet, I also cut out scale representations of a workbench and outfeed table.  I didn't even account for a dust collector and air compressor.  I hope to keep those outside the shop and run the appropriate hoses inside.

Conclusion:  I don't have enough room.  Or maybe I have too many Shopsmiths.  Nah, I just don't have enough room. 

Well, I do have enough room, I just need to figure out the best use of it. 

For one thing, the router table will either have to be a bench-top design that can be pulled out for use and stored (under my existing counter, workbench, or outfeed table) when not in use.  Or, I need to integrate it into another existing table such as a wing of the table saw or in the outfeed table or workbench.  I've been hesitant to do this because what if a setup I don't want to undo on one interferes with a cut I need to make on the other?  But I have the three Shopsmiths so with the proper planning and tool usage, this shouldn't be a problem.

Another idea is to make one of the Shopsmith 10ERs (The Black Baron) into a short shorty.  A "shorty" Shopsmith is one that has had the tubes cut shorter (typically about 18") but still long enough that the carriage and table will fit.  (A "mini" Shopsmith has had the tubes cut so short that only the headstock will fit on the tubes and is used just to power SPTs like the bandsaw or jointer.)  This still gives it room for the carriage and table.  It can still be tilted into drill press mode.  I could never cut the older, heavier, thicker, and more rare 10ER tubes so I would swap them out with the Mark 5 and cut it's tubes for use on the 10ER and make it a shorty.  Then I would put it on a short bench that would roll under the center section of the shelf I built against the back wall.  Hence a "short shorty."  That should free up some floor space, but I've only envisioned this in my head - I haven't gone out to the shop and measured everything to see how this idea might work.