Why you shouldn't use 2x4's for shop furniture

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[brianmc]

I agree 100% with your philosophy about an intentional work environment. “A little bit nicer than it needs to be” is my mantra. Painted surfaces, upgraded hardware and accent lighting definitely bring things to the next level. Pursuing Flow is always my goal.

[shanaproctor]

While I don't have a wood shop, I do have a sewing room. I will use your shop greatness mentality to make my sewing room more user friendly. I have some kinks to work out to make the work flow better so that I can stay in the "zone." Merry Christmas, and keep up the great videos!

[jonathanpeever]

This video really resonated with me. My shop has been under construction for 25 years, building out a wall here, duct chase at another time, set of cabinets on one wall, 1/2 of the suspended ceiling a year or two ago and so on as I had time.

This year I had to do some lighting upgrades for my living room reno and realized that I should include the 6 troffers and 2 pot lights I’ve had for close to 20 years ago for my shop in the circuit planning. This after years of 1 troffer and LED worklight as my only lighting. Now I walk into the shop and can’t believe how bright it is and how pleasant it is to work there.

I just did a day and a half of turning Christmas ornaments and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Also your comment on sanding: bang on. I dreaded sanding and the mess it makes but have a Fein vacuum and Oneida Dust Deputy setup to connect to all my cutting and sanding tools and it makes a huge difference. The Fein is remarkably quiet and the Dust Deputy keeps the hepa bag on the Fein clean, so I’ve used one bag in 3 years.

[Broncoman-lkzn]

Bro, thank you so much for this video. As somebody’s new to the woodworking thing, I really appreciate the fact that you amplified that the shop isn’t just a place to build things but an escape and a Zen moment. Building up my shop isn’t just about making it so I can build anything but making it so that I will enjoy building anything.

[farrardk]

Great video! Good 10 minute-ish coffee break length. I just this summer completed (well 90%) of my electrical in my new shop. Sadly, right now, it's a giant storage shed with bright lights. Your concise tips, tricks, and philosophy hit the nail on the head. (Pun intended). Thanks for the encouragement!

[scottmcmurry]

100% on the practice part. I recently built a house (paid someone to, not myself) and intentionally left a lot of it missing upgrades that would have cost a fortune. As someone new to woodworking, taking on projects that will be on display in the house has a high probability of failure, i.e. it looks worse than 3rd owner Ikea furniture sold on FB marketplace. So all the projects I am taking on first are out of site. Either they're in my shop, or in closets, or not permanent fixtures of the home. But I am building all of those things using techniques I learn about on channels like this. If I can make something look great in the shop (etc), I can translate that into something for the living room. Or at least that is what I keep telling myself.

[IanDeRanieri]

Just wanna say the cut at 9:10 was editing gold. Kudos to your editor and great planning for that shot.

[propatriabellum]

Great video. You’re totally spot-on. I have a wreck of a shop and I find myself dreading the idea of stepping foot in it. Time for change. Thanks.

[rogerhughes-tqfu]

Lots of great info. I looked at your shop/garage workbench plans. I like it. Your plans are a lot more detailed and looks easier to understand compared to other plans. Keep up the great work!
Roger

[CLove]

Couldn't agree more. I probably won't do fancy stuff, but the shop tables I have were cobbled together in 20 minutes and it shows.

By contrast, I built a new workbench. I took my time, designed a workbench with specific features I've been needing to solve specific problems, drew up plans, and _voilá_ I love doing woodwork again.

[rossipremier]

Great video, so much from this i should take to my own shop as i plan out a full overhaul of the space. For anyone thst might see this and want to tey that 3m mesh paper...be careful if you do client work or really care about your finish. For some people it works great or they wouldn't keep pushing it. Faster material removal does not mean a better surface, it just means faster. I had to resand an entire top of a sofa table for a client after chasing swirl marks from thst paper on a festool sander with dust extractor. I went slower, faster, pencil trick, tried all sorts of stuff. Changed back to thr festool paper (other high quality paper would probably be good too, festool is just what i had) and swirls gone in one run through the grits. Just be cautious.

[onocoffee]

I have to agree with you. Just started setting up my garage shop a month ago and I’ve been building the carts for the gear I have with some intent in both a unified design philosophy and as a means to experiment with joining methods and different approaches to finishes. Gives me the opportunity to totally wreck things while making something usable and developing skills

[Dennis-kjqx]

Funny you said Snap! I did 2 weeks ago after 25 years. Bran new shop on its way. Proper planning and drafting was time consuming and frustrating. Now it's time to play with all my tools and build, build and build ! Can't wait.

[KurtDNixon]

This is the kind of video that motivates me to get off my rear and get busy doing things, like making my maker spaces much more organized and efficient, which then motivates me to get going on projects I've been wanting (needing) to do.

[rtanderson]

My shop is absolutely a reflection of the reclaimed materials I happened to have on hand, and I hate it. Time to start improving each part of the shop so the commission work is easier to do!

[rickpouley]

Excellent cart for your laser!
I totally agree with you about your shop furniture etc.
My shop is a mess (terribly) and there are days where I am ashamed and also un-inspired to create items.
I know when my shop is looking good, I feel so much better in the shop.
You are also right about our shops are never finished, and keep evolving!
Thanks!! Merry Christmas!!

[TaraKaos]

Granted I'm a newbie woodworker I've only made 3 projects:

End Table
Work Bench
Rolling Table to hold dumbbells

You better believe I've used almost nothing but 2x4's for these and I absolutely love it! Especially my Dumbbell table where I used three 2x6 boards for the top surface and 2x4's for the framing. Most likely I'm still in this honeymoon stage with woodworking but for now I can't stop staring at my projects. My next project is gonna be a 4'x8' assembly/feed table for my table saw. Can't Wait!

[tylerm]

I find myself trying to find a balance between looks nice and let's use up the stack of 2x4s that I brought home from work. I use cheap material but try to fancy them up, joint/square edges, real jointery, paint/stain, and maybe a maple or walnut trim.

[dennissmith]

Great video and great advice. Thanks for the information and I agree. Before I retired a co-worker would give me a hard time about building my own cabinets and finishing them like furniture while he mad an ou lock kits. We still are on different pages and yes his clocks came out very nice. Thanks again

[BruceAUlrich]

I tend toward using what I have to cobble together stuff for the shop, but you're right, if I was a little more intentional, I would like being out there even more.