Poll - Where is your shop located ?

[Finnr]

Right now I am set up on my porch with plans to build a shop for the forge this summer. Probably good thing I am single . Somehow I don't see a Mrs taking kindly to coal smoke right next to the kitchen door.
Finnr

[keykeeper]

Currently, I'm using an 8 x 10 or so enclosed shed attached to a larger storage building. All forging outside in modified 55 forge, my little anvil situated on a stump. The shop area stores everything when not in use. Two swing open doors about 3 x 6 each with tool hangers for hammers, tongs, etc. Just swing open the doors, fire up the forge, and go. Wide open doors alow easy access for anything needed while forging.

It's not the size of the shop, it's how you use it!!

[Frosty]

My shops have been varied over the years. Started in the backyard of my parents house with entirely improvised tools except for hammers.

Moved to Alaska in 72 and suffered a hiatus of smithing for some 7-8 years. Slowly got back into it, mostly as an alternative to knocking off a half rack of beer every evening after work. (This is typical for off duty drillers, especially out of town drillers) Most of those operations were around a camp fire, some more sophisticated than others depending on how long we were in a camp.

Home at the time was a mobile home in South Mountain View (A neighborhood in Anchorage) where I kept everything stowed in a shed and the arctic entry. I unpacked and repacked every time I wanted to do any smithing or fab work. To keep the neighbors mollified I did a LOT of gratis knife sharpenning and light metal repair, some light fab, etc. PR is important you know. <grin>

Around 95' I ran into a local bladesmith through a farrier aquaintence and rented space in their forge. I escaped THAT situation, short money, tools, equipment, trust and respect for my old "buddy."

I met my wife online in the winter of 96', got married july 11th 97', bought 30 acres of woods and started building the house. In the past going on 10 years most of my smithing has been outdoors, then under a tarp tent attached to the front of a 40' Connex (shipping container).

Four years ago we subdivided the 30 acres, selling 15. This paid off a bunch of debt and left me enough to start construction on a real shop. I lucked out and bought a 30' x 40' red iron steel shop kit just before steel prices went through the roof. I spent almost $10,000 on the foundation and slab, mostly because of a building boom but also because of all the stuff I crammed into it.

Well, I've been putting the new shop up, mostly solo, for three years now and would've had it closed in last fall if I hadn't taken the dirt dive and shattered my arm last sept. I'll get it close in this summer though.

It'll have a separate machine shop area inside to keep the machine tools clean but the bulk will be a fab shop and smithy. Deb gets room in the "machine shop" for her fold forming, enameling, repousse and other metallic pursuits.

Frosty

[ThomasPowers]

Finnr---you just have to find the *right* lady I still remember my wife telling me "I think you should buy that: anvil, triphammer, bader grinder" and then when we moved to NM allocating part of the money we made selling our old house for a shop and professional moving of my equipment from OH.

Good luck on the search!

Thomas (23 years of marriage in August)

[CurlyGeorge]

Mine is in the back of a one car garage. I put in a 12" square roof vent with a 12" fan under the roof, and a hood hanging above my forge. I finally got the derned thing to draft and it now works very well.

[Brian C.]

My shop is my garage, which is 1/2 of my basement (bi-level home). Therefore I move the gasser and its cart outside onto the driveway when forging.

[Kevin Dunlap]

Hello everyone, been reading for a while, finally found a subject I may be qualified to talk about(my shop).40x50 Quonset type steel building,dirt floor 15' ceiling,1-12'x12' door,3' man door. Smithy set up in back end, coal forge, propane forge, anvil, vise, treadle hammer, power hammer. Welders, and air compressor in front corner by big door, grinder,drill press,cut off saw with attached steel rack down 1 wall, fridge,tool cabinet,wooden work bench,table (junk magnet),swamp cooler, and 2nd fridge down other wall. Try to keep center section clear enough to pull a pickup, or trailer in far enough to close door behind.Shop is approx 100' from house, and roughly same distance from only close neighbor, so far no complaints about noise or smoke.

[Mills]

24 x 20 2 car garage, with too much stuff in it. but the commute to work is dynamite!

[Jmercier]

Corner of a detached 2 car garage. I've never parked my truck in the garage ever since I bought the house.. so it may turn into the whole two car garage being my shop if I get enough /stuff/ to call it a proper shop.

http://www.tharkis.com/images/shop.jpg

[Frosty]

Nice use of the comically small scaffold you can find at the Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

Frosty