Having been raised with 3 brothers, space of my own was hard to come by. I once had my own bedroom…well it was more like a small walk-in closet. To get there, I had to go through my brother’s room. And the funny thing is, I left for only one week and returned to find my room made into a laundry room (I got the hint, I got married and moved).
Today we have a house with 2 bedrooms dedicated as quiet design space. My wife has one where she spends hours researching projects, cutting material, sewing, crafting, whatever hits her. At the other end of the house is another bedroom where I have my design space. It still has my drafting table, painting supplies, drums, congas, and exercise equipment. I can make noise but not a mess.
Everyone needs a space where they can go and just be. And for me, it is now the woodshop. Unlocking the door, I get a whiff of sawdust. Turning on the lights presents a world before me and I find myself smiling, not sure why. Over on the old Boeing drafting table lies my old stereo surround sound. Okay, a bit much but the classic rock fills the room and find I want to start singing….uh, sorry neighbors. There is plenty of light from the commercial overhead lights and big windows. I can sit at the table, coffee in hand and flip through old Fine Woodworking magazines for idea, tips, jigs….fun! There is a wood stove that gets cranked up if it is cold or moist in there. I brought in a dog bed but my dog would rather lay outside the door and chew on a piece of Cherry she stole from inside.
The inside of the shop has come quite far from the days of dirt floor and carpet to keep the dirt down. There are still a few spiders who happen in but they are quickly dealt with. Here are before and after pictures.
Before – after cleaning it out
These were taken from the same location. The rafters are low (7 feet) but I didn’t want to loose the old ceiling look. There is a lot of history to this building which started as a farm implement shed in the old 1900s farm homestead nearby.
There is always work to do organizing. But there is space to work, to mess with full sheets of plywood etc. But I still have tools on wheels so I can push them against the wall and bring them out when needed. This also lets me situate them to maximize space.
Oohh, oohh…I like this song. Turn it up….
“Head out on the highway,
lookin for adventure,
and whatever comes our way
Here and God are ‘gonna make it happen
take the world in a love embrace
fire all of your guns at once and
explode into space
Born to be wild
Born to be wild”
Oh…What? …. to my room?…. Yes Ma’am!
Let’s go dog, to the shop (sshhh….there are cookies in there)
