Through the years I have worked out of some rather small shops. I have read a lot of books on woodworkers who worked out of their basement or one side of their two car garage. It was an art on how some of them would store their tools and materials when they weren't in use. I enjoyed the cozy feel of the small shop but found when I started getting more orders it just wasn't practical. I always had to stop working after I had sprayed a piece and there was never enough room for more than 2 projects at a time. Even though I feel some of the most beautiful pieces come out of these small 200 sq ft shops I needed more room. It wasn't an easy decision to spend more than $60,000 on a new building, but I felt it would someday pay for itself.

I put a lot of planning on where the wood would be stored, and the flow line of the tools. If the layout isn't right on a big shop you can put on a lot of miles walking from one tool to the next.

The benefits of having higher ceilings and more floor space are priceless. But my new shop is paying off in more ways that one. The time saved in not having to move 3 tools to run a 12' board or leave my lumber in the shed 200' feet away is priceless. A small shop is nice, but big is definitely better.