Blood, Sweat, and Sawdust

One of the biggest hurdles I’ve faced in my small garage shop is finding where I’ve left things.  My second biggest hurdle is clearing the clutter off my workbench while working on a project.  Needless to say, the solution was something that goes against my very nature.  You see, I’m not a very organized person.  However, I believe one of the keys to experiencing joy in the workshop is having everything in its proper place, and having everything within easy reach.

So, I set on what I believed would be a long and frustrating journey to get my shop organized.  I was immediately pointed towards Tom Clark’s Practical Shop Cabinets.  What I learned reading his book was nothing short of miraculous.  I didn’t have to spent months getting organized.  Neither did I have to spend a small fortune.  All that was needed was a few tools and some inexpensive birch plywood.  

The construction methods Tom lays out are easy to learn and provide for very sturdy cabinets.   He lays out a few simple plans and provides you with the knowledge to design cabinets that match your specific needs.  I decided to start with a small sharpening station on casters.  In the future, I plan to make a miter station with several banks of drawers and a mobile assembly table.  If you have ever wanted to make your own custom shop cabinets, I highly recommend his book.  It will you the confidence you need to get started.  

Check back for updates.

Here is my nearly finished sharpening station.

This is another mobile cart I’m working on for my miter saw.