small shop tour

Shop Tours | “Small” Edition

Video - September 16, 2022

Woodworkers love shop tours! Even if the person’s shop is nothing like yours, there’s almost always a slick storage or organization idea you can borrow and apply to your own creative space. And for many woodworkers, the shop itself is a lifelong project that’s always evolving and improving in hopes of better efficiency.

Today we’re taking a look at three shops that I’m classifying as “small.” See how Kris, Ben, and Eric organize their shops for the most efficiency possible and without breaking the bank.

Can’t get enough Shop Tours? Check out our Community Shop Tour Archive.

Want to see some of my past Shop Tours? Check out this playlist.

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Shop Tour // Small Shop Layout Tips

I have been receiving lots of request for a shop tour. I’m always hesitant to do so because I never really feel like my shop is finished! A wood shop really seems to be a fluid space that’s ever evolving. I know for sure that I am no where near where I want my shop to be in the long run of things. I did realize that I could possibly help some folks with different ideas for their shops and maybe some general tips from things I’ve learned along my journey.

My shop is a small, one car garage, and there are definitely pros and cons to having a shop this size. The downside is obviously space for tools, although I’m not sure if there is ever gonna be enough space in our shops, right? Most of the time no matter how big your shop is, you’re probably going to find stuff to fill it with. I can definitely say that this is a problem I would like to have.  On the plus side, small shops can be quite cozy, especially in the winter time. My shop is very well insulated, so it is very easy to keep heated and cooled. It’s also nice to have the shop attached to the house, it gives very easy access to getting out in the shop at anytime.

When it comes to shop layout in a small work space, you definitely need to think about all your tools and how you can make them work together to conserve as much floor space as possible. I would recommend doing a sketch and figuring out where you might want things, but some things have to be figured out on the fly. A lot of times a layout might work on paper, but it doesn’t actually work for you when you go out in the shop. The goal here is to have most of your tools where you can use them without having to move a lot of stuff around. I have found that when you have to move stuff to use a tool, you’ll be less likely to actually use it.  Another great idea is to get a lot of your work surfaces on one level so the each tool can sort of act like a “out feed” for the adjacent tool. I haven’t done this much in my shop, but it might be something I implement more going forward.

Wall space is another area you can gain a lot of room in a small shop. Your floor space is the most important and scarce part of a small shop, so anything you can out on the wall and keep off your floor the better off you’ll be. One way of achieving this is to implement the french cleat system, this a hanging system that uses opposing 45 degree angles to hang things off the wall. This system is great because it allows for a lot of flexibility by giving you the option to move stuff around as you see fit!

This is my grizzly G0690 table saw. It’s without a doubt my favorite tool!!

Here is shot beside the table saw, you can see a nice pile of Alder stacked in the floor as well as some 2×4’s from the old miter saw station I had. The pile of scraps in the floor are ready for the burn pile, while the ones in the bucket are savable pieces.

Here is  shot of the french cleat wall beside my table saw, You will notice the Jay Bates finish storage rack along with a bevy of other projects which I have videos available for on my channel!

Here is a shot of my drill press with the garbage can underneath, this is a super handy feature!!

This is a small cabinet that will probably get trashed in the future, but for now holds a few odds and ends.

This is Jay Bates drill charging station that I built prior to YouTube, it comes in quite handy!

This is my harbor freight cart that houses my welder below as well as a bunch of junk on the upper shelf that has accumulated over the years.

This is my 15″ Grizzly planer, it’s a beast and a lot of fun to use.

This is my new Rikon band saw, I haven’t used it a ton, but I definitely look forward to future projects working with it.

This is my little oil filled shop heater, it works quite well for a small well insulated space.

This is my out feed/assembly table. It works great for both purposes and the shelf underneath is great for storing different tools. Below you will see my Ridgid oscillating spindle sander, the case for my Bosch router, and my Porter Cable pancake compressor.

This is the side of the table that is pushed against the table saw, lesser used things are on this side. The casters on the table make it fairly easy to move the table to be able to access these things if need be.

The mft table is a fairly recent purchase and is really more of a luxury item. It sure is awesome to use when it comes to the breaking down and cross cutting of sheet goods though.

Underneath the mft is a stalled project from years ago. One day I’ll actually finish these things.

The one drawer in this cabinet that actually has a bottom in it houses random odds and ends.

Who needs a clamp rack right?

This spot behind the planer is a good place for these systainers that my domino came in.

I can not say enough great things about John Heisz’s tool wall. It not only looks cool, but it functions very well. The power tool storage above is an awesome added bonus. You’ll see in one of the spaces is the festool track saw, this is a highly recommended tool for a small space, it’s super versatile and one of the most used tools in my shop.

Such a great space for storing the tracks for the saw!!

This is the incra ls super system. I love all of incra’s products, expensive, but the amount of finite adjustments make them worth every penny in my book. I have an incra router lift and a porter cable 3 1/4 horse router in the table.

This was going to be a throw away cabinet, but after I started putting stickers on it, I decided I may as well keep it. 🙂

Inside is a lot of random junk, which is usually what happens with cabinets.

What’s on top? You guessed it, more junk haha!

My grizzly dust collector, it sucks 😉

The sheet goods rack is nice to have in any shop. This one is built to hold full sheets and off cuts.

Hiding behind my dust collector is my shop vac, it sucks also. 😉

The side of the sheet goods rack doubles as small clamp storage.

On top of the sheet goods rack is some more random stuff and some pallet wood. The container is full of different drawer slides.

My 6″ jointer, I constantly wish it was bigger! I guess it’s better than no jointer at all though.

Finally, here is the lumber rack, it obviously houses most of the longer lumber I own, as well as some random trim pieces. A nice thing about this rack is that it’s high on the wall and allows for working space underneath.

One thing that sorta goes without saying is to have everything possible on mobile bases. The tools in my shop have either had a mobile base attached or came with a built in mobile unit which is really handy in small space. You can see that working in a small space is totally doable, there are compromises, but the goal is to get out there and wood work right? With a little planning and some lessons surely to be learned along the way, you’ll have your small shop running efficiently in no time!

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Small Workshop Organization Tips (& Shop Tour)

A little over a year ago, my dad and I finished building my new shed-shop! Since then, I have gotten tons of requests to post small workshop organization tips as well as show off my shop. So, today I’m partnering up with my amazing friends at The Home Depot to round out this shed-shop series and show off my favorite organization tips as well as my shop!

Small Workshop Organization Tips

  Check out the full shop tour and my tips for organizing on YouTube! Make sure to subscribe for more project & shop videos!

This project is sponsored by  The Home Depot  and is part of their ProSpective program.

Having a small shop means that I have to be really organized. If one thing is out of place, it feels like my life is closing in on me and my 144 square foot shop. So, I’m sharing some of my favorite go-to organization tips and shop updates that help keep me and my shop functioning on a daily basis.

Also… can we talk about my GORGEOUS logo sign!? Lizzy from The House of Timber made it for me and I’m obsessed. Please visit her and give her some love!

My Favorite Organization Items:

Pegboard Pegboard Hooks Pegboard Tool Hooks Pegboard Organizers Heavy Duty Shelving Brackets Husky Workbenches Small Parts Organizer Miter Saw Blade (2-Pack) Hybrid Tote with Tool Organizer Ratchet Set With Organizer RIDGID Shop Vac BEHR Deck Over Paint

My Small Shop Organization Tips:

1. Hang Your Stuff

Hi my name is Sam and I am addicted to hanging pegboard in my shop. My pegboard wall is my accent wall, and I don’t know what I’d do without it! I hung the pegboard directly on the exposed studs in my shop, which allows room for the hooks to grab onto the opposite side.

If you don’t have exposed studs in your shop, you can install them over furring strips, which are installed directly into the studs in your wall.

You can hang your tools so many different ways! I use a combination of regular pegboard hooks and tool hanging hooks.

I also love adding accessories to my pegboards such as small baskets for anything ranging from brad nails to shop tools!

I also love getting creative with my pegboard storage. I added a small leftover piece by the entrance of my shop to hang miscellaneous items such as my safety glasses, push blocks, tape measures, and hearing protection!

P.S. Hanging isn’t just for pegboards. Clamp racks are also great for storing on walls as well!

2. Get Creative About Scrap Storage – Reach For The Ceiling

In order to get my scraps off of the floor, I installed shelving brackets in two areas of my shop – one for smaller scraps and one for larger scraps.

I also stored scraps in the ceiling of my shop as well! If the space above you is available to you, use it!

Another option for storage that is underused is space under your workbenches. I love storing items here that come in pre-organized cases such as my new Husky 125 PC Superior Access Ratchet Set . This set in particular has been really helpful for adjusting the wheel sets on my workbenches.

It has 2 ratchets, 115 sockets, 8 accessories, and an ultra-narrow swing arc. I’m all about this kit.

4. Go Mobile

Speaking of wheel sets… did you know that every tool/workbench in my shop is on wheels? Since my space is so small, it’s so helpful to have mobile workstations that can move out of the way. I built my own stands for most of my tools, and you can find those tutorials here and also here .

5. Maintain Your Tools

Part of organizing and keeping a shop in order is making sure your tools are in check. I always keep extra saw blades in my shop, and my blade of choice is Diablo !

I love keeping two different blades around for my miter saw -a 12 in. x 44-Teeth General Purpose Saw Blade (2-Pack) for plywood, OSB, pressure treated wood, hard & softwood and a fine tooth blade for cleaner cutting. 

6. Make A Spot For Everything

Everything in my shop has a dedicated home. I love organizing small parts that need to stay clean into my Husky 10-Compartment Interlocking Small Parts Organizer and then storing it in my workbench drawers. They have this awesome Interlocking mechanism to connect more than 1 organizer, and a handle that folds away, which is great for stacking similar items in drawers.

I also take advantage of my Husky 19 in. Pro Hybrid Tote with Tool Organizer , and not just for carrying tools around! Mobile tool totes are great for organizing and storing miscellaneous items such as wrench sets and specialty tools.

This one in particular h as a universal open center storage for larger tools 6 external pockets, 18 internal pockets and custom Pro Tool Organizer case slot, which makes organizing tools a serious breeze.

7. Liven Up Your Space

It’s amazing what a coat of paint on your walls (or floor) can do! I’ve been looking for a product to cover my floors that mimics the look of concrete and I finally found it! I used Behr’s Textured Deck Over paint to give my floor some life. I applied it using a regular paint roller, and it looks awesome! It actually dried to look like rough concrete!

Surprisingly, you guys… I thought this would be hard to clean. But, I just use my RIDGID Shop Vac to clean my mess and it works like a charm! Nothing gets stuck in the texture and I couldn’t be happier!

While this space is ever-changing, I am so proud how far it’s come and how many awesome projects I have already built in my shed-shop!

I can’t wait to see where it is in one year from now! I know it’s going to go by just as fast as the first year.

Have a small shop and want to save this post for later? Make sure to Pin It !

In the meantime, friends… Happy DIY’ing!

I acknowledge that  The Home Depot  is partnering with me to participate in the promotional program described above (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

OTHER PROJECTS YOU MAY LIKE

Sam Raimondi

Sam is a full time psychologist and part time content creator from Long Island, New York.

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Steven Adams

Very nice and spacious for its size. I’m curious on what size wheels that you use on your tool stands as well as the brand. Do they hold up well? Do they all have locks for stability and do they support well enough?

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DIY HUNTRESS LLC

• Introduction: Beginner’s Set of 20 Hand Tools
• 1: Workbench & Tool Storage Buying Guide
• 2: Layout, Marking, & Measuring Buying Guide
• 3: Handplane Buying Guide
• 4: Hand Saw Buying Guide
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• Step 1: Understand & Buy the Right Woodworking Hand Tools
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10 Jaw-Dropping Woodworking Shop Tours

Table of Contents (Skip to a Section)

• Introduction

1. Frank Klausz Woodworking Shop Tour

2. bill anderson’s woodworking shop, 3. david ray pine’s woodworking shop.

• 4. Wayne Henderson’s Guitar Woodworking Shop
• 5. Don Williams’ Off Grid Woodworking Shop

6. Phillip Lowe’s Furniture Making School

7. elia bizzarri’s windsor chair workshop.

• 8. James Huggett’s Woodworking Shop

9. William Brown’s Woodworking Shop

10. colonial williamsburg hay cabinet shop.

• Vote for your favorite workshop!

Disclosure: WoodAndShop.com is supported by its audience. When you purchase through certain links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission, at no cost to you. Learn more .

By Joshua Farnsworth

In the above video I share 10 amazing woodworking shop tours that belong to woodworkers that I’ve had the privilege to visit over the years. And below you can see the full workshop tours of all 10 amazing workshops! These woodworking shop tours will give you a rare look into the wood shop of some famous woodworkers, and give you some wood shop layout ideas to inspire your own woodworking workshop.

One of the things that I attribute the success of the Wood and Shop community to is that it isn’t just about me. It’s been about many skilled woodworkers who I’ve had the honor to film and visit their workshops and learn from and become friends with. So in the video, and the article below, I’m going to share a quick summary of 10 of my favorite woodworking shop visits. You can also find all of my workshop tours here .

And I’d love you to comment below to vote on your favorite wood shop. Alright, let’s start with the woodworking shop tours!

Our first woodworking shop tour takes us to New Jersey to the workshop of Frank Klausz. Frank is one of the most famous woodworker in the world. This Hungarian woodworker was taught hand tool woodworking by his father behind the communist iron curtain of the former Soviet Union. After immigrating to the United States Frank started his own cabinet making wood shop.

His amazing furniture making skills and fun personality drew millions of people to him through Woodworking videos, books, and magazines. After he retired he built his dream woodworking shop in New Jersey. And he built it inside an old water tank! Frank has a vast collection of woodworking hand tools and power tools, but especially plumb bobs and beer bottle caps. My favorite part of this woodworking shop tour is when he surprised me on camera and said… “thanks for visiting my shop, but I don’t let you go without you cutting me some dovetails!” And then, just like that one video turned into two, and Frank still couldn’t let me go, and wanted me to film a video demonstrating his Monster Molding plane. I certainly didn’t mind! These videos have become some of my most popular, and I hope you watch them so you can learn from this master woodworker. Thanks for the fun day Frank!

The next amazing woodworking shop on my list belongs to hand tool expert Bill Anderson. Bill is a woodworking instructor at Roy Underhill’s Woodwright’s School, and also at my traditional woodworking school here in Virginia. Bill’s wood shop sits concealed in the peaceful green wooded mountains of North Carolina. He designed his dream workshop in a way that is both functional and charming. It’s a perfect woodshop layout. He displays his hundreds of incredible antique handplanes and other woodworking hand tools on custom built-in shelves throughout his workshop.

I’m pretty sure Bill knows more about restoring hand planes than anyone in the world. And if you head upstairs, you’ll see some of his furniture projects in various stages of completion, along with many tools and piles of wood that Bill has ready to go for his classes on making hand planes and other woodworking hand tools. I’ve had the pleasure of filming several DVDs with Bill on using, rehabbing, and making different kinds of woodworking hand tools. You can see them here . Thanks for all your inspiration Bill!

David Ray Pine is a well-known historical furniture maker and restorationist who works professionally out of his scenic woodshop in the lovely Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Ray has been featured in Fine Woodworking Magazine and other well-known national publications for his work and skills as a full-time woodworker. Ray’s main focus is on traditional period furniture, but he also has a talent for making any style that his clients request. Ray’s work is absolutely exquisite.

His detailed chair making skill and wood carving ability is what has impressed me the most on my repeated visits to his home and woodworking shop. Ray also uses a good mix of woodworking hand tools and power tools, and acknowledges that even for production work, sometimes woodworking hand tools are still the best choice. Ray’s shop-made historical workbench is the scenic center point of the shop, with all of his woodworking hand tools within reach. But what I was impressed with most were the power tools. In Ray’a wood shop he didn’t have any fancy, large woodworking machinery or tools, and most all date back to at least the 1970’s when he opened his woodworking shop. Yet his furniture is some of the most lovely I’ve ever seen. It reminded me that the tools are important, but they don’t make up for craftsmanship. Aside from his full time job as a professional furniture maker, Ray also teaches at my woodworking school, and the students love him!

4. Wayne Henderson’s Guitar Wood Shop

One of the most unique woodworking shops that I’ve had the honor to visit and film is that of world-renowned guitar maker Wayne Henderson, owner of Henderson Guitars. Wayne’s functional and unassuming guitar-making wood shop is a famous stopping point along Southwest Virginia’s Crooked Road , a pilgrimage route of sorts, for lovers of bluegrass and old-time music. His woodworking shop is adorned with stacks of exotic wood and instruments in various stages of completion, and is anything but tidy.

Wayne showed me one of the first guitars that he ever built. He made it out of a cardboard box when he was just seven years old. Over the years Wayne’s guitars have evolved and have become highly sought after. He has made guitars for some of the most famous musicians in the world, including Eric Clapton, Brad Paisley, Doc Watson, and Norman Blake. But as well-known as Wayne is, he sure doesn’t act like it. He’s a quiet and humble man with a humble woodshop, who loves making some of the world’s finest guitars and mandolins. And he intentionally does it on a custom, small scale, non-production way. And what a lot of people don’t know is that he is quite a musician as well. I was awe struck at the rich sound of his guitars and his picking skills on his mandolin. Wayne is truly an American treasure.

5. Don Williams’ Off Grid Wood Shop

Don Williams is the owner of the largest private woodworking shop that I’ve ever been to before. Don is a well-known woodworking writer and instructor who spent his career working as a furniture finishing expert at the Smithsonian museums in Washington DC. But he retired to his dream off-grid farm in the mountains of Highland County, Virginia where he lives in a small chestnut log cabin with his wife. But his property didn’t have a wood shop, so what did he do? He bought a four and a half story timber frame barn on Ebay! This massive structure was disassembled and shipped to his property from several states away, and reassembled as his woodshop and woodworking school.

When visiting Don’s woodworking shop I was immediately struck by the scale as I walked through the wooden doors and looked straight up to the timber-framed rafter above. It was like walking back in time. Don’s shop is filled with vintage hand tools, power tools, marquetry and Parquetry projects, wood finishing stations, and a handful of workbenches for his students. His workshop, which he affectionately refers to as “Don’s Barn” is fully off the grid, and runs off of a small hydroelectric generator that’s fed by a small stream. Don’s woodshop layout and overall property were like heaven to a country boy like me!

Visiting Phil Lowe’s woodworking school in the charming seaside town of Beverly, Massachusetts was another highlight for me. The historical brick school and woodshop sits within a short walk of the sailboat-filled Beverly Harbor. The Furniture Institute of Massachusetts is a school for woodworking students who want a custom learning experience from a world-class woodworker and teacher. Woodshop classes range from one or two days all the way up to multi-year full time woodworking apprentice programs. Phil has been featured in so many woodworking magazines, books, and videos that it’s hard to name them all. But even more impressive is his skill as a furniture maker.

His high-end furniture tells the story of his ability as a woodworker. Phil’s woodworking school has a very comfortable layout. When you first enter the school, if you turn left you enter the design room where students learn how to draw full-sized plans for their furniture. Walking down the hall you enter “the bench room” where all the hand tool work is done. This room is filled with workbenches, with student’s furniture projects, and the walls are filled with vintage and new hand tools. I was like a kid in a candy shop! Moving out of this room you enter the two rooms dedicated to power tools, woodturning, and lumber storage. In this room Phil showed me a historical Marquetry Donkey machine that he built to demonstrate traditional wooden picture making to his students. Visiting this woodworking shop and school was such a fun experience!

Visitors or students to Elia Bizzarri’s cozy Windsor chair-making shop in North Carolina are first greeted by a simple hanging sign along the road that has a painting of a Windsor Chair. My first visit to Elia’s woodworking shop was when we filmed a DVD on making a continuous arm rocking chair. Elia built his colorful woodshop out in the woods behind his house, and it serves as the spot for his full-time profession as a chair maker and teacher. The historical colors of his school seem to match the sometimes colorful chairs that he makes from logs. As a teenager he used his rough hand tools to build his first workbench, which now stretches almost the whole width of his woodshop.

Around that time he also decided that rather than going to college he’d rather learn to be a professional chairmaker. He apprenticed under a well-known Windsor chair maker, and now Elia makes some of the most beautiful Windsor chairs in the world and teaches classes at the prestigious North Bennet Street School and at Roy Underhill’s Woodwright’s School. The main floor of his workshop is heated by a wood stove, and is open to accommodate his classes on chair making and green wood turning. Elia’s enormous lathe and bandsaws are very heavy vintage machines that are built to last. Chair parts and hand tools are scattered across the workbench surfaces and walls, and his shaving horses and wood shavings complete the happy atmosphere. In the woods outside his woodshop is where Elia does a lot of the green woodworking of his operation where he begins the process of turning logs into chair parts. And if you’re lucky Elia might just pull out the guitar he made with guitar making legend Wayne Henderson, who I featured in the video.

8. James Huggett’s Woodworking Shop

James Huggett’s charming workshop sits on the edge of the woods in Earlysville, Virginia, just a few miles from my woodworking school . James started woodworking about 45 years ago while in the United States Navy. About seven years ago, in preparation for his retirement, James built his dream workshop in the woods behind his house, and now works full time building custom furniture for clients along the East Coast. He spent decades designing his dream workshop, down to the smallest detail with the perfect wood shop layout. His designs included large windows & skylights to provide plenty of lighting from multiple directions. Built-in work tables line one of the walls where he does his hand tool work, sharpening, and wood carving.

He also has a workbench in the middle area of the shop, along with his machinery. All of the machines are on mobile bases for flexibility on larger projects. His ingenious and highly flexible dust collection hose reaches to any machine, while the dust collector is housed in a back storage area to cut down on noise. One nice touch is the attic fan housed in a cupola on the roof. With the push of a button he can suck dusty or smoky air from the workshop in a matter of a few seconds. Along the other side of James’ shop is his lumber storage area, a shelf full of woodworking books, and his design area. He builds many types of furniture for his clients, but his favorite styles are more aligned with traditional New England furniture, including American antique styles from the Newport, Philadelphia, and Boston families. As you can see, James is a very talented furniture maker, and one of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet.

William Brown’s woodworking shop is a hidden treasure in his basement in central Virginia. And William is also a hidden treasure. As a doctor by day and furniture maker by night, William has largely gone unknown in the woodworking world until recently. Over the past several decades he has created some absolutely stunning high-end historical furniture. His work includes lovely case pieces, ornate chess tables, dressers & chests, Windsor chairs, and some of the most intricate tea boxes I’ve ever seen.

But his real talent is in wood carving. He’s known for his gold-leafed Bellamy Eagles and other animals that adorn stately homes around the country. He has made such a huge volume of high-end furniture that I had to dedicate a second video just to his furniture. Everything in William’s woodshop is in the perfect place, and he has so many well thought out woodworking solutions, tricks, and jigs. I learned so much in just one day! William uses a good mixture of hand tools and power tools. Always the best tool for the job. And last year, right before the pandemic hit the world, William opened his woodworking school, called the Maine Coast Workshop in the lovely seaside town of Camden, Maine. So if you’re going to be up that way, definitely sign up for a woodworking class!

I’ve saved my one of my favorite woodworking shop tours for last: the Anthony Hay Cabinet Shop at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. Colonial Williamsburg is the most famous living history museum in the United States, and was one of the capitols of colonial America. Many woodshops dot Colonial Williamsburg, but my favorite is the Hay Cabinet Shop. I received an invitation to film a series of videos by my friend, shop supervisor Kaare Loftheim. Stepping inside the woodshop really does feel like you’re stepping back in time. The shop is an actual working shop that takes commission work from other shops and buildings within Colonial Williamsburg, and all furniture is built entirely in a traditional way, with woodworking hand tools.

The workbenches, lathes, and hand tools are all 18th century reproduction tools made in a nearby workshop. Edward Write, the journeyman harpsichord maker and Bill Pavlak, the apprentice cabinetmaker demonstrated how they cut veneer with a large frame saw. Apprentice cabinetmaker Brian Weldy demonstrated traditional chair assembly, and also using a treadle lathe to turn a lovely walnut spindle. And finally Kaare showed me how to cut his secret mitered dovetails. You can watch all of these videos here at WoodAndShop.com. This was truly an amazing experience!

Well I hope you enjoyed seeing these jaw dropping woodworking workshops! So which were your favorites? Please vote in the comment section below. And while you’re down there, please subscribe to my newsletter so you won’t miss my other upcoming videos and articles. I’ll see you next time here in my shop!

TOOL GUIDE SHORTCUTS:

HAND TOOL BUYER’S GUIDES

• Intro to Buying Woodworking Hand Tools
• Workbench & Tool Storage
• Layout, Marking, & Measuring Tools
• Sharpening & Honing Supplies
• Mallets & Hammers
• Hand Drills, Braces, & Bits
• Tools for Curved Work
• Tools for Green Woodworking
• Woodworking Clamps, Gluing & Fasteners
• Tools for Wood Carving
• Products for Wood Finishing, Sanding & Scraping
• Wood Turning Tools & Lathes

POWER TOOL BUYER’S GUIDES

• Intro to Buying Woodworking Power Tools
• Bandsaw & Accessories
• Drill Press
• Power Jointer
• Thickness Planer
• Table Saw & Accessories
• Dust Collection
• Hollow Chisel Mortiser
• Power Router, Router Bits & Accessories
• Power Miter Saw
• Other Woodworking Power Tools

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About the author: joshua farnsworth.

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Josh, i liked all 10 shops. bob

Me too Bob!

I have to say that i am partial to the Hay Cabinet shop in Williamsburg. i have been to Williamsburg countless times and am in the shop every time it is open. i remember a visit when i had just started into woodworking and was asking about how long it took to make a set of Cabriole legs… i was astounded at how short a time it took using hand tools. i do period reproduction furniture in my spare time …  Read more »

Yeah, it’s an amazing place Robert!

Even though Phil Lowe has left us, I think his shop, methods and approach to woodworking are at the top. I have been a fan of his for many years. All the rest of the shops are nothing short of first class also.

Sad about Phil Lowe. Glad you enjoyed these tours!

Josh, actually I had seen parts of many of the shops on this tour through videos that I have followed on your website or purchased through you. It is unlikely that I will ever have a shop like any of these, but it is great to walk through them with you and steal an idea here and there for my own humble work area. Thank you (and your guest artisans) for sharing!

Thanks for watching all these tours Gordon! And regarding having your own dream workshop: “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” (Napoleon Hill)

Well Josh, I may be on the list (#9), but I vote for Colonial Williamsburg! It gets top marks for aesthetics, IMO. –Wm. Francis Brown Maine Coast Workshop

Ha! Yeah, hard to compete with those guys in the Anthony Hay shop.

Hello! Thanks for putting this together for all of us to enjoy! It’s great to see these kinds of places and enjoy the tradition of them, even though they sometimes make you wish your own shop was a little different than it is. I enjoyed all of them very much, but would like to see more of #9’s shop and hear about him. Mister Brown seems like a very talented person who I would like to hear more about

William Brown’s work is absolutely impressive. Unbelievable how beatiful furniture can be made, I am so amazed about quality of work, beauty and harmony. In terms of the workshops I liked William’s and Phil’s.

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Shop Tour: Chris Harpster, Optimizing a Small Shop

My Name is Chris, I’m a degreed mechanical engineer and a hobby woodworker. I’m originally from Pennsylvania (USA), but move around frequently due to my job as an Army Infantry Officer. I post woodworking and shop videos on my YouTube channel , share my work on Instagram and maintain a Woodworking Blog and Website . I have been creating and working with wood and other materials my entire memorable life. My father retired as a Shop teacher and Carpenter and taught my siblings and I basic construction and woodworking skills. I have many fond memories apprenticing under him in his shop over the past 30 years. I consider myself an intermediate and mostly power-tool woodworker and cabinetmaker. I have a passion for leading and teaching others. I have a great deal more to learn about fine wood working, joinery and more refined hand tool skills. I have been slowly piecing my own shop together over the last 10-12 years keeping it mobile and mover-friendly along the way.

This (photo 1) is an overview of my current shop space . In total, all of my tools, storage, and indoor work area occupies half of a two car garage; the space is 21’ x 9’. My shop is centered around a central assembly table island that is 40”x 96” with machines integrated into the perimeter of the table. I have a full walkway/work area that varies from 18-40” on all sides of the bench when in the garage.

In this photo (2) you can see the way I prefer to work when the weather cooperates, outdoors! You can also get a better understanding of my overall layout. All of my machines have parallel runs and shared out-feed in order to optimize work flow in the smallest possible space. I’ve been building this current arrangement since Fall 2015. My goals for this layout are to keep the shop as ready to work as possible. Each machine can be accessed and set-up almost immediately with minimal interferences similar to a larger shop with dedicated work-spaces. Each machine is energized and dust-collection is at the ready.

In this next series of photos (3-7) I’ll show you my main tool and material storage cabinets along the exterior wall of my shop space. My pride and joy of shop storage is the mobile tool wall and storage cabinet . This fulfills the requirements of having many tools visible and at the ready on the wall and covered storage for less-frequently used tools and materials. Having a tool wall that is also mobile simplifies the process when I relocate and reestablish the shop. The upper wall portion disassembles for ease of transportation.

The next two (8-9) photos show a less-used area of the shop along the back wall that I use for small assembly, firearm-smithing and reloading. I splurged on the Harbor Freight metal cabinet to keep my reloading accessories organized, mobile, and contained away from the dust. I also keep my small parts bins on that bench/cart which I often dig-through before going to the store to purchase new or hard to find hardware.

Here you can see the most-confined work areas (10-11) around the drill-press and band-saw. I think my set-up allows for just the right amount of work space indoors without being too limiting.

My intent in the next four photos (12-15) is to give you an idea of the amount of work-space in and around the bench while it is indoors. Nearly any operation can be completed with the exception of planing without moving the bench or restricting my movement within the work area.

For the next section I’ll take everything outdoors to show you everything expanded under better lighting and let you get up close with each of my machine mounts and storage areas. My goal is for every tool and machine to have a dedicated home which helps me to return my shop to order once a project or workday is complete.

The next three photos (16-18) detail my mobile tool wall and storage cart. Prior to building this fixture, my shop was nearly always a mess! This allows me to customize, organize and store nearly everything with room to grow. Some of my favorite simple projects on the wall are my hand-saw till (a borrowed design from Alan’s Woodworking), f-style clamp racks , and chisel holder .

I store other mechanics tools, large power tools hardware and finishes on several carts and rolling toolboxes. (19)

Here is my air-compressor cart (20-21), one of my first personal shop projects inspired by a design featured in The Family Handyman. The cart keeps all of my air nailers, brads, and commonly used tools together and mobile. I added an auto-retracting air-hose reel several years later which makes compressed air an absolute dream to use in and outside of the shop.

Material storage can be a headache in any shop space if you allow it to be disorganized. My dad always had multiple to nearly a dozen lumber racks full of curing and aging woods. I don’t have the luxury of space or ready access to a sawyer so I store my dried lumber and sheet-goods on a mobile cart. My design is a mash-up of several features likely found on Pinterest. As one of the three largest fixtures in my shop, its my best solution so far to keeping materials and project parts and those ever-useful scraps somewhat organized and mobile. I kept the length to 6ft so that it isn’t too obnoxiously large when I’m not storing full-sized sheet goods or lumber on it. (22-23)

From time to time I’ll set-up auxiliary benches outdoors or stack materials on several folding saw-horses. (24) I built them approximately 8 years ago in my first personal garage shop and still find them getting used from time to time.

In the next series of twelve photos (25-36) I detail the main work-bench and each machine fixture set-up. Please note my goal of not limiting the capacity or set-up time for each machine.

The table saw is always ready to go for both cross-cutting and ripping operations. Building the large out-feed table was the best safety upgrade that I’ve ever given my shop. I will never go back to a saw with no out-feed support.

My planer, which is generally only used for milling at the beginning of a project has a specially designed drawer mount . The design is my own, but several key elements were borrowed from the American Woodworker, Power Tool-Friendly Bench.

My miter saw is recessed into the table to allow for full 96” of cut-support and allows unlimited length material over-hanging the bench. I may enhance this with an auxiliary fence or stops in the future.

My drill press mount (31) with drawer is such a simple but user-friendly consolidation of things I routinely use that I’m not sure why it wasn’t one of my first ever projects. Tracking down drivers, bits and drills used to be an organizational nightmare.

My small 9” Band-Saw (32-33) is mounted on a simple French-cleat to allow for removal when running 10’ or longer material through the table saw or wide material on the drill press. Although I’ve never found a small band-saw with as much power, I do frequently find myself limited by both the re-saw and cut width capacities of my small saw.

The next few photos (34-36) show my jointer mount , router-table and sander set-ups which I frequently use.

Last but not least I wanted to highlight the power-source for my work-bench and show the under-side with wiring and dust piping. (37-38) I have a 30A sub-panel in my attic which feeds both 120 and 240V to the garage. Having the shop/bench on its own circuit prevents any of the larger machines from tripping a breaker on start-up or high-load cutting operations. I used to routinely have to re-set 15A breakers when running the table saw and shop-vac on the same circuit and highly recommend a similar dedicated sub-panel for those that are able. I was able to capitalize on an unused HVAC circuit already wired to a sub-panel in my attic.

Thank you for taking the time to poke around in my shop! Thank you Jay for giving me the opportunity to share this on your site! I absolutely love having the freedom to create and build in my small space and would encourage anyone considering beginning woodworking to take the plunge. I’ve spent a lot of time planning and researching the optimal layout for small spaces. The layout you saw above existed in dream and sketch form approximately 4 years before I had the chance and funding to start building it! I hope I can save some of you similar time and some mistakes by allowing you to critique my design. For those interested, I also made a video tour to go along with this article. I hope you enjoyed the tour and gleaned a tip or two for your own shop. Happy Building!

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20 comments.

If Ikea designed a quality woodshop, it would be this. You did a great job. I love how mobile the whole thing is. Thank you so much for sharing!

Thanks David for the kind words! Glad to share!

Respectfully,

Chris Harpster

Thank you for opening up your shop and all the great ideas for utilization of a small space. I’ve been struggling with the same issue (10’5″ x 15’10”) for almost a year and you have inspried me to work a bench idea incorporating some of what you have accomplished. The mobility of everything really makes it work.

Thanks for the kind words Tom, Don’t ever hesitate to reach out if you want to talk shop or layout! I’m glad you liked my design!

This is a awesome way to keep a organized and a small shop guy’s,Good job my brother I love it to bro,I can’t wait to get my shop I hope soon, Much love and Happy New Years to all your Family and Friends :)

Thanks Thomas! Hope you’re having a great 2020!

Hi David, This is so well thought out! Excellent planning, and use of available space. If I had seen this 4 years ago, I might have saved myself the expenditure of building a large shop. (My original was 20′ x 7′.) Thanks for the showcase!

Glad to help, don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever want to talk shop! Hope the shop build goes well!

One thing is missing: Sawdust! I can’t help but think that sometimes being too organized can be detrimental to the purpose. My son, a friend, & I built an airplane in a 2X garage 12 years ago: It was tight and without organizational discipline, we couldn’t have done it. (The airplane was a Van’s RV7A.) These days I joyfully butcher wood and manufacture sawdust in that same space. I particularly like the Dewalt Planner arrangement — out of box thinking. Good job.

I salute you for your service Sir.

Thanks for taking the time to comment and the kind words! Its an honor to serve. The airplane project sounds outstanding. I deep cleaned my shop with compressed air before the photos ; )

Awesome work on this entire design. I love he idea of the planet and jointer being on slides and planer being in a system to raise it up. That’s genius. So many great space saving ideas.

Thanks Scott, I really appreciate it! I’ve since added a support leg to the Jointer-drawer that folds down.

Thanks for sharing this – it’s full of good ideas and excellent and practical solutions. I’m sure to come back for gleaning more of your solutions!

Hello. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. In fact, I was a little impressed with how much you managed to make in such a small space. Thumbs up.

I like! I have a dedicated shop space and it’s nowhere near as organized. Some great ideas and thanks for sharing.

Well designed and executed by a mechanical engineer with a disciplined military mind. I salute you!

WOW, WOW, WOW – Thanks for sharing!! Many great idea that i can use in my shop!

First class all the way…lots of helpful ideas that will show up in many shops. I have sometimes thought of posting my shop as the key entrant in the most disgusting workshops in the country. I know that work can be done in far less time with organization, so maybe if SWMBO would nag more it would actually happen. Joe

I imagine that the Assembly Table and Tool Wall units are very heavy when loaded with tools. They look like they would be very difficult to budge, even with heavy duty wheels. What about that? and what sort of wheels are you using?

They are pretty heavy for sure, once you get the casters aligned, it rolls pretty easily. I don’t mind rolling it. Here’s a video of one of my moves for reference. I personally don’t mind it because of the rigidity provided by it inertia for working on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc5NW8jY1GQ&t=307s

The main bench and lumber cart have 4″ casters and the tool wall has 3″

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Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro Tour is included in most guided tours’ itineraries. Opened in 1935, under Stalin’s regime, the metro was not only meant to solve transport problems, but also was hailed as “a people’s palace”. Every station you will see during your Moscow metro tour looks like a palace room. There are bright paintings, mosaics, stained glass, bronze statues… Our Moscow metro tour includes the most impressive stations best architects and designers worked at - Ploshchad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya and some others.

What is the kremlin in russia?

The guide will not only help you navigate the metro, but will also provide you with fascinating background tales for the images you see and a history of each station.

And there some stories to be told during the Moscow metro tour! The deepest station - Park Pobedy - is 84 metres under the ground with the world longest escalator of 140 meters. Parts of the so-called Metro-2, a secret strategic system of underground tunnels, was used for its construction.

During the Second World War the metro itself became a strategic asset: it was turned into the city's biggest bomb-shelter and one of the stations even became a library. 217 children were born here in 1941-1942! The metro is the most effective means of transport in the capital.

There are almost 200 stations 196 at the moment and trains run every 90 seconds! The guide of your Moscow metro tour can explain to you how to buy tickets and find your way if you plan to get around by yourself.

Moscow Metro Tour

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Description

Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

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Moscow Metro Underground Small-Group Tour - With Reviews & Ratings

Moscow metro underground small-group tour.

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Tour Information

Key Details

• Mobile Voucher Accepted
• Free Cancellation
• Duration: 3 Hrs
• Language: English
• Departure Time : 10:00 AM
• Departure Details : Karl Marks Monument on Revolution Square, metro stop: Square of Revolution
• Return Details : Metro Smolenskaya
• If you cancel at least 4 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
• If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
• Tours booked using discount coupon codes will be non refundable.

Go beneath the streets on this tour of the spectacular, mind-bending Moscow Metro! Be awed by architecture and spot the Propaganda , then hear soviet stories from a local in the know. Finish it all up above ground, looking up to Stalins skyscrapers, and get the inside scoop on whats gone on behind those walls.

Know More about this tour

We begin our Moscow tour beneath the city, exploring the underground palace of the Moscow Metro. From the Square of Revolution station, famous for its huge statues of soviet people (an armed soldier, a farmer with a rooster, a warrior, and more), we’ll move onto some of the most significant stations, where impressive mosaics, columns, and chandeliers will boggle your eyes! Moreover, these stations reveal a big part of soviet reality — the walls depict plenty of Propaganda , with party leaders looking down from images on the walls. Your local guide will share personal stories of his/her family from USSR times, giving you insight into Russia’s complicated past and present. Then we’re coming back up to street level, where we’ll take a break and refuel with some Russian fast food: traditional pancakes, called bliny. And then, stomachs satiated, we are ready to move forward! We’ll take the eco-friendly electric trolleybus, with a route along the Moscow Garden Ring. Used mainly by Russian babushkas(grannies) during the day, the trolleybus hits peak hours in the mornings and evenings, when many locals use it going to and from their days. Our first stop will be the Aviator’s House, one of Stalin’s Seven Sisters, followed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — and you’ll hear the legends of what has gone on inside the walls. Throughout your Moscow tour, you’ll learn curious facts from soviet history while seeing how Russia exists now, 25 years after the USSR.

Local English-speaking guide

Pancake snack and drink

Additional food and drinks

Tickets for public transport

Souvenirs and items of a personal nature

Tips and gratuities for the guide

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking

Dress standard: Please wear comfortable shoes for walking. For your Urban Adventure you will be in a small group of a maximum of 12 people

Traveler Reviews

This tour exceeded our expectations. Nikolai (Nick), our tour guide, was very knowledgeable, thorough, and has a great personality. He didn't take shortcuts and really covered everything that was on the agenda in great detail. We saw beautiful metro stations and learned the history behind them, including many of the murals and designs.

We did the tour with Anna her knowledge and understanding of the History surrounding the metro brought the tour alive. Well done Anna!

This tour was amazing!

Anna was a great tour guide. She gave us heaps of interesting information, was very friendly, and very kindly showed us how to get to our next tour.

Amazing beauty and history.

An excellent tour helped by an absolutely amazing guide. Anna gave a great insight into the history of the metro helped by additional material she had prepared.

great tour and guide - thanks again

great will do it again, Miriam ke was very good as a guide she has lived here all here life so knew every interesting detail.a good day