Shop Tour FYI

ByPaul Sellers

I think you might like this. It was fun putting it together and it’s very real!

32 Comments

  2. That was very nice!
    The tour gave me some ideas on how to better organize and now I understand the reason for your bench well.

    1. wow small but very systematic workshop…someday i will have my own workshop were i can spend my time..just like yours…thanks

  3. This was nice. I would be interested in some construction details for your “backdrop” shelf and your lumber racks, if that’s a possibility. Particularly the latter — I can probably assume the shelf is basically a large dado’d bookcase with a cavern underneath.

  4. I really appreciated the close up shop tour, seeing your collection of tools, and your comments. I was pleased to see your wood storage section as I have a similar one. I have often told people I have never seen a piece of wood I did not like and who knows when I might need it.

  5. I feel very lucky to have you in the world and sharing your talents and skills. Thank you! You are a treasure Paul.

  6. Been watching and reading your videos and post’s since I started woodworking 5 years ago. Really appreciated the tour. Never understood why the well on the workbench before. Would like to see the wall the videos are taken from. Rick

    1. look at 1st picture in blog “OPEN HOUSE UPDATE SOARS!” dated 24 June 2018.
      The idea is to demonstrate that one can do any furniture in a (relatively) small space.
      Those who have followed Paul for a long time, perfectly know this is not a real garage.
      There is no fourth wall as the video crew needs as much space (if not more) as Paul needs to work wood.

  8. The best part of this video, for me, was that you mentioned you didn’t use the broom, it was just there because it looked nice! Such is your influence on my purchases (in a good way), I’ve been looking at my own “normal” broom in disgust for a while now, considering upgrading to the proverbial witch’s broom like yours. You saved me the expense, and I’ve since apologised to my own broom for my irrational treatment of it. I suspect this could be a metaphor for much of my consumerism and life!

    Also, I’m fitting a new vice at the moment, and the idea of having it sticking out a bit (I’m limited in that by bolt positioning, I can maybe extrude by a couple of cm) makes complete sense, so I’m glad I watched before fitting.

  9. Hi Paul
    I was at a bootfair on sunday and found a stanley honing guide the number on is 14-050 it is not like the other type ,I know that you say that we should learn to sharpen freehand , I was just wondering if you have seen one and used one of them.

  10. I enjoyed it too given I’ve a small workshop of my own. What I really wanted to see though was what’s behind the cameras, what do you see from your side of the bench?

  11. I really enjoyed this tour, and particularly the addition of the drawer below the apron. I would love to see how it was done.

    I also liked the little knobs you have added to the saw hangers. Definitely going to add those to mine as my bench is moved into place every time I use it and the saws have been known to fall off.

  12. Thanks, Paul for the tour! Perhaps the nicest aspect of your shop…it’s home! The efficiency and economy of space is exceptional. All the little touches here and there appear to be hand crafted…another bonus! Is there a separate area there for finishing? Also must assume you do cleanup with a vacuum as the broom isn’t used! Thanks again!

  13. You are providing a service to many people, like myself. Thank you, and I hope to continue seeing you and your work for many years.

  14. Thank you so much for your generosity of spirit, for sharing all you do, for the magnificent book on essential woodworking tools, for your Englishness!!! For the clear, simple, precision of your work and videos. Thanks for the tour of your garage which seems to be a similar size to mine. Because I am multi disciplined, and the same age as yourself, I need a large amount of plumbing, electrical, mechanical, tiling, tools as well as a large amount of portable tools ( drills, jigsaw, circular saws, multi tool that I cannot do without). So literally every square inch of my garage has to used so that every item has a specific place and there it must stay until needed. I even need to use each face of each roof joist as storage. So it was especially encouraging to see yourself having to deal with the same issues as I do. Thanks to you I am just completing my own work bench. It too is a space for storing all kinds of things. It hasn’t a well and it’s inconvenient Veritas vice is flush with the bench side for using dogs. My beautiful , ancient Record 53E end vice that is 15” between its steel jaws, epitomises the integrity and soundness of traditional English workmanship. Over engineered? Perhaps , but in an accountant driven world where providing the minimum in return for the maximum (money), this vice served an old man for decades befor I acquired it twenty five year ago and still works as it would when new. Lighting is critical and an array of LED strip lights provide a good distribution of light. Six double sockets around the walls mean I have easy access to any whatever I do.
    Thank you very much again for all your kindness and experience

  16. Thanks Paul that was lovely. It was really helpful to hear you explain some of the aspects of your workbench and also to see that the bandsaw is your only power tool. Is there any advantage to storing wood vertically rather than horizontally?

    I live in New Orleans where humidity for much of the year is 90% or higher and my shop is what I would describe as semi air-conditioned. My routine has been to sticker wood for a week or two when I get it home from the lumber yard to acclimate to the shop, then store it horizontally in some racks that I have built. However, storing most of it vertically would be a real space saver.

    Thanks again for all you do.

  17. Nice video! I like how a lot of the layout of your workshop is through “living in it” to determine where and how you want things. To that point, do you find any layout to be more efficient for hand tool woodworking?

    Power tool users always talk about setting up the machine jointer, planer, and tablesaw next to each other so stock preparation goes faster. Do you put specific planes in your tool well at the beginning of a day? Keep your chisels in a specific spot?

    1. I start out each project with freshly sharpened tools in their usual stowage places around the bench. Planes over to my right, smaller tools like chisels directly opposite me in two trays in the deeper well on the opposite side of the bench and then things like squares and chisel hammers, dovetail saw, etc in the well. Gradually they all get pulled out as needed but rarely do they go back until I am ready for a basic declutter. this occurs several times in the day.

  19. Hi Paul
    I watch you shop tour and noticed that you have a Stanley 14-050 honing guide do you use it is it any good , I found one at a boot sale and tried to use it and fined it very hard to get it to stay square when honing a chisel,I have not seen one before .
    J.Bolton

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