Hey everyone! A few quick answers to common questions: The black rail over the bench is a camera dolly track. I don’t actually use it at the moment. It was an idea that didn’t work out but it’s 16’ long so it’s staying there for now. Yes, I plan to move the fire extinguisher. Its location made sense at the time but I’ve moved stuff around a lot since. The Portaband is mounted with a prototype bracket that the company who makes it has not given me permission to talk about yet, sorry. It is not yet available for sale.
@@Warped65er And multiple smoke detectors. The standard ionizing detector doesn't go off over half the time. Try an optical detector, and/or a thermal spring-loaded alarm (no power required). A New Years Eve house fire next door left a lasting impression. A little expense for prevention, yada yada...
The upside down mounts for battery chargers and mounts are such a great call. Thanks for the example. I do hope to see the dbit grinder get some camera time soon. It seems to have been a while.
7:34 The look of “THAT’S GENIUS!!!” I shared with my husband when you showed the vertical hand tool dividers 🤯😍. He’s excitedly firing up Fusion360 to design some now!!!
Quinn, your 2.0 shop looks great. This was by far the best shop tour video I’ve seen! The overview images were fantastic, and you clearly explained WHY you made these layout choices. Bravo!👏
Such a well thought out layout. I agree, the ability to prevent visual clutter is so good for the mind. In 50 years of trying I sadly haven’t achieved a clutter free workshop. 😢
@@jlucasound Safety must always be paramount. I don’t think I would ever achieve clinical spotlessness. All I crave is to be free from visual clutter. 👍😀
I enjoy darkroom tours by photographers, and many of the same basic workshop layout principles apply. We need a wet and a dry side, light, music, storage, and thinking space. In fact, I keep looking at mills as the machine tool equivalent of enlargers.
Quinn, I just want to say that your habit of providing a small "you are here" or "this is what I'm talking about" picture in the corner of the video really helps. It's especially valuable in your machining videos, of course. I wish more creators did this. Thank you.
I agree about the hoist. As a young'un I tinkered with custom cars, and I bought an engine hoist rather than renting one for a job I was doing, because I wasn't sure how long I'd need it, planing to sell it when the job was done. It proved so useful that I had it for years, it was surprising how many uses I found for it. And it never worth risking your health by lifting things too heavy - it can take mere seconds to do damage that will trouble you for the rest of your life.
At my last job we needed a way to get a 20kg heating element out of a machine without bending forward. I modified an engine hoist by shortening the front legs and adding a lot of counterweight. If you find yourself using it a lot, put some nice castor wheels on it, the factory ones are complete pants. And, as someone with a lifetime injury, I would add don't one-hand battery drills. I had one catch and tear cartilage in my wrist before I could let go of the trigger. Seven years and two surgeries later, my wrist still bothers me!
My solution is a set of forks on the tractor front end loader. We live on a small farmette and it was 5 years before I finally broke down and bought a tractor. Since then is has become my only engine hoist/machine mover.
I'm with you! Similar to @IanSlothieRolfe 's comment about buying and selling when the job was done, I bought a skidloader when I was building my shop and figured I'd sell it when I was done with the construction. Like Ian says, it proved itself so useful that I still have it 25+ years later!
I have struggled in my shop with some advice from Adam Savage on his tested channel. He always emphasizes first order retrievability which is a concept I love. The problem comes from the impracticality of doing so in a machine shop. Try as I might it doesn’t really work. So much of the tooling needs to live in drawers to keep them out of open air. First order retrievability is a much more of a fabrication or wood worker arrangement. I really dig what you have done with your shop. Style points bursting right out out the front door. I know years ago that you mention inspiration from Adam Savage’ first order retrievability too. It seems vary fitting as I watch his channel, as he gets into more and more precision work, he moves to a system much more in line with yours. Shared conclusions are great.
Quinn, this video is chock full of good tips, tricks and reasons for why you have your shop laid out the way you do. Excellent work! I want to give a professional opinion: as an IBEW wireman that has worked in the electrical industry for almost 18 years, I've seen firsthand just how much of a difference light can bring to a space. (It's such an obvious and simple thing it is often overlooked.) I can't stress this enough: EVERY area humans occupy will be improved by well thought-out lighting; I've seen the difference in structures ranging from homes to data centers. The lighting system you've constructed is exactly what electricians and architects try to do: design a simple and elegant way to get light where it matters most. Two thumbs up! 👍👍
My shop electrical tip: Use two 20 amp circuits for outlets on a wall. alternate from one circuit to another every 32 inches. So circuit A at 0", 64", 128" etc, & circuit B at 32", 96", 160" etc. I used white outlets & plates for one circuit & ivory for the other.
That's pretty much what I did. I've got four 20 amp circuits just for the wall mounted outlets. No two outlets next to each other are on the same circuit, but mine are at 24" intervals because that is what the stud spacing is.
When I worked as an electricians helper during college we always wired kitchens and dining rooms with 3 conductor cable and the upper and lower duplex outlets split. The coffee machine and toaster could share an outlet without problems. Now the requirements for GFI prevent this but it was a great arrangement.
I did the same in my shop - alternating circuits for the outlets and separate circuits for lighting. That way if I happen to trip a breaker I'm not left in the dark and I still have power to finish the task before having to go to the panel.
Must be the time of year - Colin Furze just did a workshop video, and Jeremy Fielding says there's one coming! As someone who is so disorganised in his own space, I'm watching and listening... but will I act? Probably not! Wonderful content as always - not sure why you didn't set the "kitchen triangle" scene to waltz music, but we can't have everything! 😂😂👍👏👏👏
It's Saturday after Thanksgiving, so many of us are probably watching this instead of doing the organizing ourselves... I've actually been doing some cleaning, but I'm losing steam...
Have been watching your videos for a while now, and enjoying them greatly. Gave most of my woodworking equipment to my friend Peter, who has a large, bright shop in his basement. We’re near Toronto. He already had a metal lathe and lots of stuff. Recently, he acquired an EXCELLO mill. Helped him get it off the pallet onto to garage floor for cleaning, dismantling, and relocation to basement. Since we are both 75+, we are mindful of safety. Never used a mill or lathe, but find the ancillary equipment interesting as well. I’m the Electrical and Peter the Mechanical guy. We have a mutual friend out on Vancouver Island, Mechanical too. I think we have a fairly good mindset for these things. Hope you enjoy Canada.
First time I've seen an engine hoist in a shop not related to doing automotive work. I have one as well, in my woodworking space. A 2-ton unit from Harbor Freight, and I do catch some static about it, but when I had to lift a brand new table saw and band saw out of their shipping containers, assemble them and place them on their mobile stands, by myself, it was invaluable.
I love, love, love seeing a neat and well organized shop. Few things are more satisfying than having everything in it's place. You've done a fine job and if that software engineering thing doesn't work out I'm confident you could pick up a few bucks helping other people organize their shops.
I'm not saying I let out an audible gasp when I saw your immaculate drawer of nuts, bolts, etc., but... it was the drawer of my dreams. I should also probably get out more... :)
It's nice to see what a nice clean well-organized shop looks like. Mine is as packed full and organized as a land fill, but I'm thankful to have the thinks that I do. I am having to mount thinks on the walls, as I have to make do with the space that I have. Stay awesome.
Thanks for the tour Quinn. That looks very well laid out, and oh so neat and tidy. The ergonomic triangle looks just right, and everything important seems to be within reach, and not too high or low. I would however, make one suggestion or addition, and that would be a curtain on a rail to close off the "dirty" area when needed. Grinding dust and hot work fall out seems to find a way of getting everywhere in my experience. My shop is an absolute mess, so call it an aspirational suggestion from my point of view. I think the only thing I know for certain where it is, is the rubbish bin (trash can).
Shop tours are interesting, as you said, but also gives you some spatial orientation when you're recording a shot where it is. I am happy to see such a neat and organized shop, that inspires me. And I like to do the same thing. As you know, it is a process that you iterate over time as you find what works for you... You've inspired me, I am grateful for your shop tour!
Your shop is awesome and suits your needs. FYI to all, for anything bigger than hobby projects look for a Rockwell Mill from the 60's it is 2/3 the size of Bridgeport and runs on 120/240. I also found a Clausing 10" lathe circa 1950, does it all and can cut threads. Both slightly larger the these machines but well made and repairable. Save and restore the old machines is a great way to go.
Ditto on the lights. I have so many toolboxes that what helps is they’re of different colors. Reds, white, blues, green, orange, yellows. It’s a regular kaleidoscope of colors. Helps this old guy.
Nice digs, blondie. You're right, space is nice. I currently have crammed a 12x30 lathe and a bridgeport into 2/3 of a single garage, and there's no going back when it comes to machine size.
Very nice! Lots of light, low clutter, clean and lots of shallow drawers - that's the goal for my shop. It is so nice to walk into a clean, well lit and organized workspace to start a project. Something that I have not experienced for quite some time now.
Your channel just came up as a recommendation. Your shop looks interesting. Love your demeanor/presentation. So now I will have to start from the beginning to see why you moved to Canada. Thank you for sharing, stay warm, safe, happy and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia
I worked as an aircraft mechanic and worked in numerous hanger's over the years, lighting was important. Lighting was measured in Kilowatt's, thousands of them. In the last place I worked we had 6 rows with 8 1000 watt lamps each and that was only adequate if all lamps were on. The manager found funds to paint the walls white and that made a huge difference. After that, 2 of the 6 rows would give more illumination than all 6 could provide before painting the walls. White in a dirty, dusty environment isn't the best choice, it should be the only choice, invest the savings in cleaning.
I'm so happy to have found your channel. I had a friend how introduced me to hobby machining and just as I got interested and started looking into it, he sadly passed. I had been hoping that he could teach me the ropes but that can't happen anymore. I love your videos oriented towards familiarizing beginners with shop tools and your tutorials. Thank you for making these videos and I hope the new shop works well. Congrats on the move!
Very nice. I'm sure you'll enjoy, especially the canadian spring and summer when the weather is mild. I have a 20x30 free-standing shop with 12 foot roll up doors soon both ends. Springtime in the Texas Hill Country is wonderful, and definitely shop therapy. Good luck, enjoy, and keep em coming.
One of the many things that impress me with your workspace is how well you have avoided the temptation to "Acquire" stuff based solely on the: "Hey! That thing on Kijiji is a great price! I'm sure it might be useful some day!" method. I know I have fallen into that trap to often, requiring a deep purge on a regular basis.
Thank you - your modesty honours you but you have a lot of experience in tweaking your workshop to your needs, you are a successful professional person who knows a thing or three about stuff - sharing that is no different from sharing your work on a steam engine: some people will know ‘better’, some people will learn with interest and the rest will enjoy time spent with you! I am in the second group - I have a lovely small but functional workshop that, for now, only exists in my head 😂 The up-side down batteries and the vertical tool-sorters in the drawers I have introduced in my workshop right away! Thanks for sharing, as always!
Enthusiastic second on the lighting. I bought a double fistful of the lights that you showed when you first got to this shop and now you almost need sunglasses in there. Didn't realize just how much my old eyes were struggling in the previously dim light.
I agree, music is nice for mundane tasks. I have two JBL Eon15 G2 powered speakers (800 watts) and two JBL Eon Sub G2 powered subs (500 watts) in my garage shop. That amount of power is certainly not needed for a home shop, but having all the "headroom" really makes for very clean sound at reasonable listening levels. I also use an old phone to stream music. That system gets turned on every day and is on every second I am in that space. The music system is by far the most used piece of equipment my my shop. Makes time go much faster. I wish my space was as organized as yours. Very nice setup you have. Looks very easy to navigate while busily moving about. Good job!
When I had my shed built I had 20 double power sockets fitted around the walls, thinking there would always be spares for odd jobs when I needed them. Nope! I wish I’d put in twice as many!
Great shop tour, My partner Tanya remarked on your awesome pink tool box, and added if you're happy with your machines that's all that matters and everyone else can mind their own business.
This is awesome! When I retire and move, your video gives a bunch of great ideas for setting up a home machine shop. Thank you so much for sharing and giving us the video tour. Very helpful!!!
Our shops are a form of self-portrait? Your far more thought-full than most. -not that the rest of us don't think, but there are linear thinkers, and there are lateral thinkers. I am a lateral thinker. I can explore many ways of doing anything, everything, without actually making any forward progress! A place for everything and everything in its place, is always a wise . Thank you for sharing!
Great video - small shop but perfect for your needs. Really good set up. Some things I would add are a small parts cleaner, a burning torch and some type of fume extraction instead of just opening up a door, and chairs. Where do you store your hazardous materials such as spray cans etc.? I worked in heavy steel and aluminum industry for 40 years and helped set up and or modify multiple work shops and work areas, the employees always liked Vidmar cabinets for parts and tool storage. If we were going to add then they always said they wanted Vidmar cabinets???? Vidmar cabinets are a little pricey but last forever and if the employees love them - well you got to support your people cuz they will support you if you support them so we always got them pretty much what they wanted.
I owned a shop where I designed and built custom machinery. When I thought I was ready to retire, I sold the shop and moved to Upstate NY. It took me about 3 months to become screaming bored, and there was this building ( a tin wall and slant tin roof, dirt floor and the front wall was opened to the outside ) 200 feet behind the house. The structure measured 12x26 feet. The first thing I did was to put down Visqueen sheet vapor barrier then framed out the floor with pressure treated 2x8s. Then I hit the auctions for my machines, I needed to do this first to know how big to pour concrete pads for the bigger machines I wanted. I made two sets of double doors to cover 10 foot spans. That left room for framing out a walk-in door in the center. this way there was nothing in the way of getting anything in or out of the shop. My first machine was a 14.5x 6 foot South Bend lathe that had been dropped from a lift gate, and had all of the handles bent or broken. It took me 6 months to fix, but I was cutting threads with it when it was finished. That machine cost me $300.00. The next two machines were an Enco mill and a Clausing 9x36 inch lathe. While the auctioneer and I were putting the Clausing in the truck we heard something very heavy hit the floor. His fork lift operator had run into the Enco and knocked it over and breaking the quill stop. I had never intended to buy anything but the lathe, but they offered the mill for next to nothing. I only had room on the truck for the lathe so I told them I needed to go home and drop off the lathe and get the money for the mill. They told me they were leaving in 2 hours so hurry. By the time I got back ( A bus flipped on the interstate ) it took me 3 hrs to get back. When I got back they were gone, but the mill and a shop crane were by the door with a note " Enjoy the mill. Just put the crane in the ally and lock it up with the chain back there.
You have a Very clean and organized shop. Clean as well, the only thing I can nit-pick is your fire extinguisher is in absolutely the worst place. It needs to be next to your exit. Great job I wish mine was that organized.
2:40 Well, if this YT machinist gig doesn't work out, you could always be a prize presenter on a game show! Hi Sprocket. Edit: can you do a vid on how you mounted the bandsaw? I just bought an older Japanese portable bandsaw.
Nice looking shop. I have an engine lift, very handy but my most useful tool is a shop lift. Sort of like a mini fork lift with a small 18" by about 36" footprint. I will lift 700 lbs to around 72" with its hand operated hydraulic jack cylinder. Normally I have some plywood on the forks for moving chucks and other things around the shop. Don't know if it was shop built or commercial but it's built from simple materials like angle iron, flat bar stock, plate, casters, cam followers and a tall hydraulic jack.
I see a black bar hanging diagonally across the cabinets. Is that for camera mounting? Another idea for a video would be a walk through of how you do videos. A “behind the scenes” kinda thing. The best channels have great lighting for the video shots. It’s a challenge to get. I’d like to see how you do it. Thanks as always.
Nice layout! I noticed your bench grinder isn't connected to a vacuum. I suggest installing a port in each guard. Then a few pieces of pvc pipe ending with a rubber connector. This makes for a quick detachable connection for your vacuum, and a lot less invisible grinding powder in the air. Don't forget to close the area from the tool rest to the guard below.
I moved from a house with a garage to an apartment, so no workshop anymore, but I have a sailboat in the marina now, and I too have a metrology drawer in it.
I just finished insulating and dry walling what used to be a calf shed that housed my 106 year old model A Monarch lathe with an overhead flat belt drive. I moved my mill which had lived at my brothers shop down the road and installed a ductless heat pump. I'm near ready to have things up and running soon. The idea of having things together in one inviting place will be wonderful. Seeing your space is an inspiration. I still have the problem of wood working tools in the basement, automotive tools in the garage, and machinist stuff in the calf shed. I have found the need to have duplicates of various tools such as adjustable wrenches, screw drivers, and a basic set of combo wrenches in each location to avoid the three location search for the tool that is never in the place you are working. It used to be four locations before moved the mill that was a half a mile away. Really enjoy your channel. David Vik
Wow 🥳 So ‘neatsville’ . Quinn, your shop looks super organised…AND super clean. Looks also like a very safe environment as well. I liked the ‘under-shelf’ idea for your battery chargers and batteries. I’ve sell battery drills stored like that… but not the batteries GREAT idea. Congrats on getting it all together so we’ll. Regards Robert (Australia)
I am going to have to check out the other organizing themed videos. My garage looks like a curio shop that went out of business, was used store broken things and boxes of rags then suffered an 8.0 earthquake before being lived in by a hoarder with an aversion to brooms.
I keep my nuts and bolts in Raaco cabinets on one wall, and have set aside drawers for every Metric bolt size from M3 up to M12. Not all are full, though. But when I first bought a size bolt of say, M8(the bolts I use most often) I also bought washers, nuts, nylock nuts, capped nuts and so on for that size. Sure, the closest HW store is just 25minutes away by car(but I might be working on my car... )or it's evening, or sunday... Having 'everything' in most sizes has saved me from taking a hurried trip or bus ride to town more than once. I also have electric connectors, and all kinds of other stuff in those drawers.
Lovely little shop. When I worked in industry and we did continuous improvement projects we talked about mums kitchen, where there was a place for the knives, for the pans and pretty much everything else. Were the most used things were in the magic triangle for easy access. Then we had dads garage!!!. This always brought merriment to the proceedings, but also instant understanding of what was needed for a productive work area. My workshop/garage is sort of a halfway house, my wife says I have too many tools, "Get rid of some". My brother in law came to my rescue with "There is no such thing as too many tools. There's only not enough storage". A statement I have to agree with.
I totally agree with the light issue! Because i have suffered alot working in ashop that has low light and shadow problems while the work requires high precision But in my humble opinion your shop is so organized and everything in its exact place where it should be (follower from sudan)
I run a small job shop; most of my time is spent converting people tooth brushes into cat toothbrushes. I watched your shop tour with obvious delight because I promptly steal all your ideas because you must have a better thinker than me. Anyway, I want to say you done good once again as is the tradition. Like the cat who ate cheese and sat by the mouse hole with baited breath, we be anxious to see what you make next. Best wishes for you and your new shop. 🥸👍👀✅
I totally enjoy your videos Quinn, much better than most mindless TV shows. I'm old and so are my tools, 1946 820 10"Logan, 1952 Benchmaster Mill and my shop looked like yours 45 years ago. 45 years of adding more tools I needed as my skill got better you would say my shop is a mess. Yet I manage knowing where everything is. As my long passed lady said what I needed "a 6 car garage with an apartment over it" Keep up the good work.
HiYa Quinn, Im so glad that you shared with us your shop layout tour. I will admit as the father of 3 adult girls now, the amount of time they spent growing up watching & helping me fabricate & machine items for our large farming operation in Australia that ONLY a woman can inject the correct amount of space & a loving look into the place that you undoublably spend a great portion of yout time.
The triangle is big in blacksmithing too. The forge, the anvil and the vise are your big three. You need to move fast to keep the heat up. Maybe even more than cooking :-)
Great workshop, Quinn. It will get even better with age. I didn't see an air compressor; very useful for hi-speed die grinders, and for blowing swarf out of deep holes. Downside is the swarf tends to get spread around (bye bye clean workshop) but your mill will do that anyway. Not a lot of space for material racks; you will need more with time. Yes, I watched your video, but that's just a start! DON'T upgrade to larger machines; buy them in addition to your existing ones. If you traded in the ones you know and love, the new ones will likely disappoint you. I still have my first lathe, an English Myford I bought new 53 years ago, and it can do some things my more recent and larger Chinese lathe cannot. (and the converse is also true). 😄😄😄
That is an incredible number of years of putting together a little shop. I'm in the midst of sorting out my mess. Some good ideas in your little shop tour.
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Hey everyone! A few quick answers to common questions:
The black rail over the bench is a camera dolly track. I don’t actually use it at the moment. It was an idea that didn’t work out but it’s 16’ long so it’s staying there for now.
Yes, I plan to move the fire extinguisher. Its location made sense at the time but I’ve moved stuff around a lot since.
The Portaband is mounted with a prototype bracket that the company who makes it has not given me permission to talk about yet, sorry. It is not yet available for sale.
More than one fire extinguisher isn't a bad idea either.
@@Warped65er And multiple smoke detectors. The standard ionizing detector doesn't go off over half the time. Try an optical detector, and/or a thermal spring-loaded alarm (no power required). A New Years Eve house fire next door left a lasting impression. A little expense for prevention, yada yada...
great shop layout. off topic but I have that same car "drip tarp", very useful.
The upside down mounts for battery chargers and mounts are such a great call. Thanks for the example.
I do hope to see the dbit grinder get some camera time soon. It seems to have been a while.
Hey I have one of the tri sheet metal machine. Hint add another crank handle the other end much easier to use with equal pressures.
7:34 The look of “THAT’S GENIUS!!!” I shared with my husband when you showed the vertical hand tool dividers 🤯😍. He’s excitedly firing up Fusion360 to design some now!!!
Quinn, your 2.0 shop looks great. This was by far the best shop tour video I’ve seen! The overview images were fantastic, and you clearly explained WHY you made these layout choices.
Bravo!👏
Such a well thought out layout. I agree, the ability to prevent visual clutter is so good for the mind. In 50 years of trying I sadly haven’t achieved a clutter free workshop. 😢
find a man with a clean desk, sack him now.. clean just meens an empty mind,
@@garryharrington8255 There is though a distinction between a “clean / clear” desk and a “cluttered” desk.
It is so difficult, isn't it?! I just try to opt for safe, if not spotless. I do dream of a lab quality workspace. Maybe someday! 😊
@@garryharrington8255 I am not sure what you "meen".
@@jlucasound Safety must always be paramount. I don’t think I would ever achieve clinical spotlessness. All I crave is to be free from visual clutter. 👍😀
This is my new blueprint for a shop now. I have half a garage as well so this was perfect.
I enjoy darkroom tours by photographers, and many of the same basic workshop layout principles apply. We need a wet and a dry side, light, music, storage, and thinking space. In fact, I keep looking at mills as the machine tool equivalent of enlargers.
battery chargers UNDER the cabinets... brilliant! great shop, hoping to have one like that one day, even half as nice as yours. good stuff
Quinn, I just want to say that your habit of providing a small "you are here" or "this is what I'm talking about" picture in the corner of the video really helps. It's especially valuable in your machining videos, of course. I wish more creators did this. Thank you.
I agree about the hoist. As a young'un I tinkered with custom cars, and I bought an engine hoist rather than renting one for a job I was doing, because I wasn't sure how long I'd need it, planing to sell it when the job was done. It proved so useful that I had it for years, it was surprising how many uses I found for it. And it never worth risking your health by lifting things too heavy - it can take mere seconds to do damage that will trouble you for the rest of your life.
At my last job we needed a way to get a 20kg heating element out of a machine without bending forward. I modified an engine hoist by shortening the front legs and adding a lot of counterweight. If you find yourself using it a lot, put some nice castor wheels on it, the factory ones are complete pants. And, as someone with a lifetime injury, I would add don't one-hand battery drills. I had one catch and tear cartilage in my wrist before I could let go of the trigger. Seven years and two surgeries later, my wrist still bothers me!
My solution is a set of forks on the tractor front end loader. We live on a small farmette and it was 5 years before I finally broke down and bought a tractor. Since then is has become my only engine hoist/machine mover.
I'm with you! Similar to @IanSlothieRolfe 's comment about buying and selling when the job was done, I bought a skidloader when I was building my shop and figured I'd sell it when I was done with the construction. Like Ian says, it proved itself so useful that I still have it 25+ years later!
I second all the nice comments. I used to use strings etc to hold chuck keys, then settled on strong magnets. The strong ‘clunk’ is a nice plus.
Nice job. You are 100% rite about the lights. Good luck in Canada.
I really like how clean your workshop is. Such a pleasant difference to many others who look like 18th century ones. Dark and greasy :)))
I have struggled in my shop with some advice from Adam Savage on his tested channel. He always emphasizes first order retrievability which is a concept I love. The problem comes from the impracticality of doing so in a machine shop. Try as I might it doesn’t really work. So much of the tooling needs to live in drawers to keep them out of open air. First order retrievability is a much more of a fabrication or wood worker arrangement. I really dig what you have done with your shop. Style points bursting right out out the front door. I know years ago that you mention inspiration from Adam Savage’ first order retrievability too. It seems vary fitting as I watch his channel, as he gets into more and more precision work, he moves to a system much more in line with yours. Shared conclusions are great.
Quinn, this video is chock full of good tips, tricks and reasons for why you have your shop laid out the way you do. Excellent work!
I want to give a professional opinion: as an IBEW wireman that has worked in the electrical industry for almost 18 years, I've seen firsthand just how much of a difference light can bring to a space. (It's such an obvious and simple thing it is often overlooked.) I can't stress this enough: EVERY area humans occupy will be improved by well thought-out lighting; I've seen the difference in structures ranging from homes to data centers. The lighting system you've constructed is exactly what electricians and architects try to do: design a simple and elegant way to get light where it matters most. Two thumbs up! 👍👍
My shop electrical tip:
Use two 20 amp circuits for outlets on a wall. alternate from one circuit to another every 32 inches. So circuit A at 0", 64", 128" etc, & circuit B at 32", 96", 160" etc. I used white outlets & plates for one circuit & ivory for the other.
That's pretty much what I did. I've got four 20 amp circuits just for the wall mounted outlets. No two outlets next to each other are on the same circuit, but mine are at 24" intervals because that is what the stud spacing is.
@@smallbyrdz3823 I actually put the lights on a seperate circuit for lights only.
When I worked as an electricians helper during college we always wired kitchens and dining rooms with 3 conductor cable and the upper and lower duplex outlets split. The coffee machine and toaster could share an outlet without problems. Now the requirements for GFI prevent this but it was a great arrangement.
I did the same in my shop - alternating circuits for the outlets and separate circuits for lighting. That way if I happen to trip a breaker I'm not left in the dark and I still have power to finish the task before having to go to the panel.
Must be the time of year - Colin Furze just did a workshop video, and Jeremy Fielding says there's one coming! As someone who is so disorganised in his own space, I'm watching and listening... but will I act? Probably not! Wonderful content as always - not sure why you didn't set the "kitchen triangle" scene to waltz music, but we can't have everything! 😂😂👍👏👏👏
It's Saturday after Thanksgiving, so many of us are probably watching this instead of doing the organizing ourselves... I've actually been doing some cleaning, but I'm losing steam...
And mr Carlsons Lab too, whose next I wonder?
@@grilnam9945 lol! I just watched Mr. Carlson's one - having said that, that's been going on for months now!
@@Tibyon no Thanksgiving here - I'm in Ireland! 🇮🇪👍
...none in Blondihacks' Canada either*! 👍
Such a good video. Was sponsorsed by some bada$$es
Have been watching your videos for a while now, and enjoying them greatly. Gave most of my woodworking equipment to my friend Peter, who has a large, bright shop in his basement. We’re near Toronto. He already had a metal lathe and lots of stuff. Recently, he acquired an EXCELLO mill. Helped him get it off the pallet onto to garage floor for cleaning, dismantling, and relocation to basement. Since we are both 75+, we are mindful of safety.
Never used a mill or lathe, but find the ancillary equipment interesting as well. I’m the Electrical and Peter the Mechanical guy. We have a mutual friend out on Vancouver Island, Mechanical too.
I think we have a fairly good mindset for these things.
Hope you enjoy Canada.
Congrats on the new shop but what I really mean is I’m glad you’re done with moving all that shop equipment. It’s such a pain in so many ways.
The new shop is looking great Quinn! Lot's of good helpful tips on layout and organization.
Thanks Adam! It’s been a long time coming, but I know you know all about that! 😄
Great Job, well thought out, perfect "Happy Place"
Neat idea for the battery charger
Thanks for the video.
I think you missed one very nice feature of your shop, a window with a view.
First time I've seen an engine hoist in a shop not related to doing automotive work. I have one as well, in my woodworking space. A 2-ton unit from Harbor Freight, and I do catch some static about it, but when I had to lift a brand new table saw and band saw out of their shipping containers, assemble them and place them on their mobile stands, by myself, it was invaluable.
I love, love, love seeing a neat and well organized shop. Few things are more satisfying than having everything in it's place. You've done a fine job and if that software engineering thing doesn't work out I'm confident you could pick up a few bucks helping other people organize their shops.
I'm not saying I let out an audible gasp when I saw your immaculate drawer of nuts, bolts, etc., but... it was the drawer of my dreams.
I should also probably get out more... :)
When a local hardware store went out of business, I picked up their Midwest Fasteners hardware units at the auction!
It's nice to see what a nice clean well-organized shop looks like. Mine is as packed full and organized as a land fill, but I'm thankful to have the thinks that I do. I am having to mount thinks on the walls, as I have to make do with the space that I have. Stay awesome.
Thanks for the tour Quinn. That looks very well laid out, and oh so neat and tidy. The ergonomic triangle looks just right, and everything important seems to be within reach, and not too high or low. I would however, make one suggestion or addition, and that would be a curtain on a rail to close off the "dirty" area when needed. Grinding dust and hot work fall out seems to find a way of getting everywhere in my experience. My shop is an absolute mess, so call it an aspirational suggestion from my point of view. I think the only thing I know for certain where it is, is the rubbish bin (trash can).
Shop tours are interesting, as you said, but also gives you some spatial orientation when you're recording a shot where it is. I am happy to see such a neat and organized shop, that inspires me. And I like to do the same thing. As you know, it is a process that you iterate over time as you find what works for you... You've inspired me, I am grateful for your shop tour!
Your shop is awesome and suits your needs. FYI to all, for anything bigger than hobby projects look for a Rockwell Mill from the 60's it is 2/3 the size of Bridgeport and runs on 120/240. I also found a Clausing 10" lathe circa 1950, does it all and can cut threads. Both slightly larger the these machines but well made and repairable. Save and restore the old machines is a great way to go.
Ditto on the lights. I have so many toolboxes that what helps is they’re of different colors. Reds, white, blues, green, orange, yellows. It’s a regular kaleidoscope of colors. Helps this old guy.
Nice digs, blondie. You're right, space is nice. I currently have crammed a 12x30 lathe and a bridgeport into 2/3 of a single garage, and there's no going back when it comes to machine size.
I like the use of cutting down cardboard boxes for dividers and organizerz.....simple and perfect...thanks for the idea
Very nice! Lots of light, low clutter, clean and lots of shallow drawers - that's the goal for my shop. It is so nice to walk into a clean, well lit and organized workspace to start a project. Something that I have not experienced for quite some time now.
Your channel just came up as a recommendation. Your shop looks interesting. Love your demeanor/presentation. So now I will have to start from the beginning to see why you moved to Canada. Thank you for sharing, stay warm, safe, happy and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia
I've always felt that painting the walls of the shop white is as important as installing tons o' lights.
I worked as an aircraft mechanic and worked in numerous hanger's over the years, lighting was important. Lighting was measured in Kilowatt's, thousands of them. In the last place I worked we had 6 rows with 8 1000 watt lamps each and that was only adequate if all lamps were on. The manager found funds to paint the walls white and that made a huge difference. After that, 2 of the 6 rows would give more illumination than all 6 could provide before painting the walls. White in a dirty, dusty environment isn't the best choice, it should be the only choice, invest the savings in cleaning.
I'm so happy to have found your channel. I had a friend how introduced me to hobby machining and just as I got interested and started looking into it, he sadly passed. I had been hoping that he could teach me the ropes but that can't happen anymore. I love your videos oriented towards familiarizing beginners with shop tools and your tutorials. Thank you for making these videos and I hope the new shop works well. Congrats on the move!
shower curtain across the dirty side helps keep the shmoo off the clean bits and just fold away
Very nice. I'm sure you'll enjoy, especially the canadian spring and summer when the weather is mild. I have a 20x30 free-standing shop with 12 foot roll up doors soon both ends. Springtime in the Texas Hill Country is wonderful, and definitely shop therapy. Good luck, enjoy, and keep em coming.
One of the many things that impress me with your workspace is how well you have avoided the temptation to "Acquire" stuff based solely on the: "Hey! That thing on Kijiji is a great price! I'm sure it might be useful some day!" method. I know I have fallen into that trap to often, requiring a deep purge on a regular basis.
Since I don't use my shop crane often, I disassembled it and it fits under my workbench along with an engine stand.
Thank you - your modesty honours you but you have a lot of experience in tweaking your workshop to your needs, you are a successful professional person who knows a thing or three about stuff - sharing that is no different from sharing your work on a steam engine: some people will know ‘better’, some people will learn with interest and the rest will enjoy time spent with you!
I am in the second group - I have a lovely small but functional workshop that, for now, only exists in my head 😂
The up-side down batteries and the vertical tool-sorters in the drawers I have introduced in my workshop right away!
Thanks for sharing, as always!
Oh Canada! Awesome! I would love a video on sourcing materials etc in Canada.
That was a kick in the ass to break some bad habits. Going to spend some time getting better organized.
Thinking bench... I love it both as a concept and layout wise. It's perfect.
Great to know that my little patreonage contributes to such a neat and pleasant work environment. 🙂👍🏻
Thank you for the support 🙏😊
Good lord above, Cleaner than any part of my garage. I have a lot of work cut out for me before I even start to work on my lathe!
Enthusiastic second on the lighting. I bought a double fistful of the lights that you showed when you first got to this shop and now you almost need sunglasses in there.
Didn't realize just how much my old eyes were struggling in the previously dim light.
I agree, music is nice for mundane tasks. I have two JBL Eon15 G2 powered speakers (800 watts) and two JBL Eon Sub G2 powered subs (500 watts) in my garage shop. That amount of power is certainly not needed for a home shop, but having all the "headroom" really makes for very clean sound at reasonable listening levels. I also use an old phone to stream music. That system gets turned on every day and is on every second I am in that space. The music system is by far the most used piece of equipment my my shop. Makes time go much faster. I wish my space was as organized as yours. Very nice setup you have. Looks very easy to navigate while busily moving about. Good job!
Worth the tour, now back to cleaning up and organizing mine.
Lovely job on the demonstration model. 😄
Good setup. Excellent lighting is the most important tool in the shop.
Agree, and make it daylight (5000K) color temperature.
When I had my shed built I had 20 double power sockets fitted around the walls, thinking there would always be spares for odd jobs when I needed them. Nope! I wish I’d put in twice as many!
Great shop tour, My partner Tanya remarked on your awesome pink tool box, and added if you're happy with your machines that's all that matters and everyone else can mind their own business.
This is awesome! When I retire and move, your video gives a bunch of great ideas for setting up a home machine shop. Thank you so much for sharing and giving us the video tour. Very helpful!!!
I really like the new shop. I pretty much had my shop layed out but I'll have to rethink a couple things. Thanks 😊 and thanks 😕
Great looking shop , love it
Our shops are a form of self-portrait? Your far more thought-full than most. -not that the rest of us don't think, but there are linear thinkers, and there are lateral thinkers. I am a lateral thinker. I can explore many ways of doing anything, everything, without actually making any forward progress!
A place for everything and everything in its place, is always a wise .
Thank you for sharing!
Great video - small shop but perfect for your needs. Really good set up. Some things I would add are a small parts cleaner, a burning torch and some type of fume extraction instead of just opening up a door, and chairs. Where do you store your hazardous materials such as spray cans etc.? I worked in heavy steel and aluminum industry for 40 years and helped set up and or modify multiple work shops and work areas, the employees always liked Vidmar cabinets for parts and tool storage. If we were going to add then they always said they wanted Vidmar cabinets???? Vidmar cabinets are a little pricey but last forever and if the employees love them - well you got to support your people cuz they will support you if you support them so we always got them pretty much what they wanted.
Wow what a great set up. Thanks for sharing.
Great setup Quinn. I 100% agree: you can NEVER have too much light in a shop!
I owned a shop where I designed and built custom machinery. When I thought I was ready to retire, I sold the shop and moved to Upstate NY. It took me about 3 months to become screaming bored, and there was this building ( a tin wall and slant tin roof, dirt floor and the front wall was opened to the outside ) 200 feet behind the house. The structure measured 12x26 feet. The first thing I did was to put down Visqueen sheet vapor barrier then framed out the floor with pressure treated 2x8s. Then I hit the auctions for my machines, I needed to do this first to know how big to pour concrete pads for the bigger machines I wanted. I made two sets of double doors to cover 10 foot spans. That left room for framing out a walk-in door in the center. this way there was nothing in the way of getting anything in or out of the shop. My first machine was a 14.5x 6 foot South Bend lathe that had been dropped from a lift gate, and had all of the handles bent or broken. It took me 6 months to fix, but I was cutting threads with it when it was finished. That machine cost me $300.00. The next two machines were an Enco mill and a Clausing 9x36 inch lathe. While the auctioneer and I were putting the Clausing in the truck we heard something very heavy hit the floor. His fork lift operator had run into the Enco and knocked it over and breaking the quill stop. I had never intended to buy anything but the lathe, but they offered the mill for next to nothing. I only had room on the truck for the lathe so I told them I needed to go home and drop off the lathe and get the money for the mill. They told me they were leaving in 2 hours so hurry. By the time I got back ( A bus flipped on the interstate ) it took me 3 hrs to get back. When I got back they were gone, but the mill and a shop crane were by the door with a note " Enjoy the mill. Just put the crane in the ally and lock it up with the chain back there.
Yea. I don't know who you are but man that's a good one.
I love the appearance of Sprocket! Thanks Quinn
You have a Very clean and organized shop. Clean as well, the only thing I can nit-pick is your fire extinguisher is in absolutely the worst place. It needs to be next to your exit. Great job I wish mine was that organized.
welcome to Canada 🙂thanks for the great tour. i definitely see some points for my own workspace 🤔
Thanks for the Tour, lots of great advise and ideas 👍
2:40 Well, if this YT machinist gig doesn't work out, you could always be a prize presenter on a game show! Hi Sprocket. Edit: can you do a vid on how you mounted the bandsaw? I just bought an older Japanese portable bandsaw.
"I'd like to buy a vowel, Quinn."
Nice looking shop. I have an engine lift, very handy but my most useful tool is a shop lift. Sort of like a mini fork lift with a small 18" by about 36" footprint. I will lift 700 lbs to around 72" with its hand operated hydraulic jack cylinder. Normally I have some plywood on the forks for moving chucks and other things around the shop. Don't know if it was shop built or commercial but it's built from simple materials like angle iron, flat bar stock, plate, casters, cam followers and a tall hydraulic jack.
Looks great! Congrats on the move.
I see a black bar hanging diagonally across the cabinets. Is that for camera mounting? Another idea for a video would be a walk through of how you do videos. A “behind the scenes” kinda thing. The best channels have great lighting for the video shots. It’s a challenge to get. I’d like to see how you do it. Thanks as always.
Oh what a nice workspace.😍😎🤠
Rudi from Germany.
Incredibly ingenious setup!!
Nice layout! I noticed your bench grinder isn't connected to a vacuum. I suggest installing a port in each guard. Then a few pieces of pvc pipe ending with a rubber connector. This makes for a quick detachable connection for your vacuum, and a lot less invisible grinding powder in the air. Don't forget to close the area from the tool rest to the guard below.
I moved from a house with a garage to an apartment, so no workshop anymore, but I have a sailboat in the marina now, and I too have a metrology drawer in it.
I dig that power station. Great idea
Tidy! Great, thanks for the tour.
I just finished insulating and dry walling what used to be a calf shed that housed my 106 year old model A Monarch lathe with an overhead flat belt drive. I moved my mill which had lived at my brothers shop down the road and installed a ductless heat pump. I'm near ready to have things up and running soon. The idea of having things together in one inviting place will be wonderful. Seeing your space is an inspiration. I still have the problem of wood working tools in the basement, automotive tools in the garage, and machinist stuff in the calf shed. I have found the need to have duplicates of various tools such as adjustable wrenches, screw drivers, and a basic set of combo wrenches in each location to avoid the three location search for the tool that is never in the place you are working. It used to be four locations before moved the mill that was a half a mile away.
Really enjoy your channel.
David Vik
Wow 🥳
So ‘neatsville’ . Quinn, your shop looks super organised…AND super clean.
Looks also like a very safe environment as well.
I liked the ‘under-shelf’ idea for your battery chargers and batteries. I’ve sell battery drills stored like that… but not the batteries
GREAT idea.
Congrats on getting it all together so we’ll.
Regards
Robert
(Australia)
Top notch shop. Gives me some ideas for mine. Huge thanks!
I am going to have to check out the other organizing themed videos. My garage looks like a curio shop that went out of business, was used store broken things and boxes of rags then suffered an 8.0 earthquake before being lived in by a hoarder with an aversion to brooms.
Thanks for the wonderful idea of hanging the tool battery chargers upside down! I would never have thought of it! I'll hang mine tomorrow.
I keep my nuts and bolts in Raaco cabinets on one wall, and have set aside drawers for every Metric bolt size from M3 up to M12. Not all are full, though. But when I first bought a size bolt of say, M8(the bolts I use most often) I also bought washers, nuts, nylock nuts, capped nuts and so on for that size. Sure, the closest HW store is just 25minutes away by car(but I might be working on my car... )or it's evening, or sunday... Having 'everything' in most sizes has saved me from taking a hurried trip or bus ride to town more than once.
I also have electric connectors, and all kinds of other stuff in those drawers.
Lovely little shop.
When I worked in industry and we did continuous improvement projects we talked about mums kitchen, where there was a place for the knives, for the pans and pretty much everything else. Were the most used things were in the magic triangle for easy access. Then we had dads garage!!!. This always brought merriment to the proceedings, but also instant understanding of what was needed for a productive work area. My workshop/garage is sort of a halfway house, my wife says I have too many tools, "Get rid of some". My brother in law came to my rescue with "There is no such thing as too many tools. There's only not enough storage". A statement I have to agree with.
I totally agree with the light issue!
Because i have suffered alot working in ashop that has low light and shadow problems while the work requires high precision
But in my humble opinion your shop is so organized and everything in its exact place where it should be
(follower from sudan)
Nice! My shop isn't as nice as yours, but never hurts to look at others for ideas. Thanks
Welcome to Canada from Acme Machining, Acme Alberta. Hope you brought some warm Clothes, it gets cold up Here.
I run a small job shop; most of my time is spent converting people tooth brushes into cat toothbrushes. I watched your shop tour with obvious delight because I promptly steal all your ideas because you must have a better thinker than me. Anyway, I want to say you done good once again as is the tradition. Like the cat who ate cheese and sat by the mouse hole with baited breath, we be anxious to see what you make next. Best wishes for you and your new shop. 🥸👍👀✅
Wow. Your shop is soo clean. I’m embarrassed to say but, I think it’s cleaner than my kitchen.
I totally enjoy your videos Quinn, much better than most mindless TV shows. I'm old and so are my tools, 1946 820 10"Logan, 1952 Benchmaster Mill and my shop looked like yours 45 years ago. 45 years of adding more tools I needed as my skill got better you would say my shop is a mess. Yet I manage knowing where everything is. As my long passed lady said what I needed "a 6 car garage with an apartment over it"
Keep up the good work.
“Dirty end of the shop” is the garage door…BRILLIANT! Thanks. I’ll use this
nice video, i realy did get a few nice ideas from your video. The vertical hand tools organizers and under cabinet storage are definatly great.
OK, so now we need to figure out how to make beef jerky with that dehumidifier. Obvious next project. Thanks for the tour!
HiYa Quinn, Im so glad that you shared with us your shop layout tour. I will admit as the father of 3 adult girls now, the amount of time they spent growing up watching & helping me fabricate & machine items for our large farming operation in Australia that ONLY a woman can inject the correct amount of space & a loving look into the place that you undoublably spend a great portion of yout time.
The triangle is big in blacksmithing too. The forge, the anvil and the vise are your big three. You need to move fast to keep the heat up. Maybe even more than cooking :-)
Blonde, you need chip containment for you mill. Those little buggers throw chips everywhere!
Great workshop, Quinn. It will get even better with age.
I didn't see an air compressor; very useful for hi-speed die grinders, and for blowing swarf out of deep holes. Downside is the swarf tends to get spread around (bye bye clean workshop) but your mill will do that anyway.
Not a lot of space for material racks; you will need more with time. Yes, I watched your video, but that's just a start!
DON'T upgrade to larger machines; buy them in addition to your existing ones. If you traded in the ones you know and love, the new ones will likely disappoint you. I still have my first lathe, an English Myford I bought new 53 years ago, and it can do some things my more recent and larger Chinese lathe cannot. (and the converse is also true). 😄😄😄
You are one smart lady, Quinn. Your ideas on small shop organization have given me some of my own because a small shop is just what I have.
Excellent vid. Love the organization.
You overlooked an important unit of measure in your lighting notes. The total works out to 20.0 Smoots, plus or minus an Ear.
That is an incredible number of years of putting together a little shop. I'm in the midst of sorting out my mess. Some good ideas in your little shop tour.
I love the flight safety pantomime style demo of the triangle 😜