Wood shop and time

For some time I have felt the yen to create things. However, on a resident's budget (both in $$ and in time) you have to be careful what you choose. Specifically, I have to do something that I can work on for a while, then walk away for days with no adverse consequences. I need something where materials are cheap. And I need to be able to produce things both nifty and useful. So I chose woodworking.

First things first: workbench. I went through the scrap pile at a worksite to find a few odds and ends:

I had a design in mind, and had just enough to do it. Instead of one big piece of plywood for the top, I had a lot of 1.5' x 1.5' squares, which I assembled into the tabletop.



I made a frame to support it, and cut out the ends so that everything is somewhat close to flush.



I then added the legs. I did double legs on each corner, just because I felt like it. Logan assisted.


The table was not as rigid as I'd like, so I added lower leg braces.



It's more or less done. I leveled it by cutting off the legs, as the floor of the garage is not level. At some point I'll add a vise to the edge as well.

Now, of course, I'd be needing some tools. Slim budget = Craigslist. Found a guy in Waco with a woodshop who can't work in it anymore. He had a ton of stuff, including a lot of stuff I couldn't fit in my garage. I picked up a router, a scroll saw, some clamps, and a vise for a song. These were most emphatically used tools, and he hadn't cleaned them in a while. Please note the spider carcass on the router below:


And the rust on the tabletop of the scroll saw.



All these things cleaned up nicely with a little sandpaper and windex. I also found a dozen scroll saw blades in the side compartment, and they are still fully functional. I also managed to make the table completely perpendicular, which it was not on arrival. All in all, a good day.

My first project will be this dinosaur puzzle I found on a website. Logan will love it!