• Hi all and welcome to TheWoodHaven2 brought into the 21st Century, kicking and screaming! We all have Alasdair to thank for the vast bulk of the heavy lifting to get us here, no more so than me because he's taken away a huge burden of responsibility from my shoulders and brought us to this new shiny home, with all your previous content (hopefully) still intact! Please peruse and feed back. There is still plenty to do, like changing the colour scheme, adding the banner graphic, tweaking the odd setting here and there so I have added a new thread in the 'Technical Issues, Bugs and Feature Requests' forum for you to add any issues you find, any missing settings or just anything you'd like to see added/removed from the feature set that Xenforo offers. We will get to everything over the coming weeks so please be patient, but add anything at all to the thread I mention above and we promise to get to them over the next few days/weeks/months. In the meantime, please enjoy!

Not so much a 'build' as a 'choose one and fit it out'

RogerS

RogerS

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And off to pastures new
And you thought I'd forgotten all about woodworking... :)

I need to make some internal doors. I will probably buy in a lot of the timber prepared because my machinery is now very limited. A grotty Lumberjack planer/thicknesser

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and an even grottier Lumberjack table saw. It redefines 'cheap and nasty'.

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I just can't see me shelling out for anything better TBH. They will both be on wheels. I've gone full circle :-(

An assembly bench is essential and I'll make it, like before, from a sheet of thick MDF or possibly some ply (as I have a spare sheet) sat on top of kitchen cabinets. I have no need of a normal bench and rarely used the vice on the one I had in the old workshop. I'd like a long bench to fit the Festool mitre saw in the middle of the run but doubt I will have the space.

I have two possible locations. Option 1 is the garage. A dark, damp and dismal hole but bigger than option 2. Another downside is that it is a fair way away from the house to carry finished doors and carry sheets of ply to. I'd guess 200 metres uphill.
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Option 2 was optimistically called 'workshop' in the estate agent's brochure. It's much smaller but a few degrees warmer and doesn't feel as damp. It is also lighter. It has the benefit of two doors facing each other so longer pieces of timber will be easier to plane or rip etc. It is also much closer to the house being affixed to one of the walls. The electrics are challenged but then again so they are in Option 1 being fed from a very thin cable from the house.

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Thoughts ?
 
My first thought is why do you need to make doors when there’s such a variety of quality readily available doors on the market, if your existing openings don’t match the standard sizes change the frames much less work in the long run. Plus a nice new door in an old frame usually makes the old frame look even more shabby.

My thought on preplaned timber is don’t bother, it will invariably need re-planing & looking at the length of the beds on you planer you are going to struggle to get any decent length of timber straight on that.

Decent new doors are made from either sheet materials or engineered wood so the chances of movement & warping are minimal while making doors in the environments you are proposing & then fitting them in a centrally heated house sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Just my 5 shillings worth, best of luck with what ever you decide.
 
Damp & cold doesn’t have much appeal, but you could fix the lighting in the garage. One of my more successful purchases for the workshed has been a Stanley festoon light which came with 10 E27 daylight bulbs for about £60. In my 8’x10’ space that’s a lot of light coming from all sides (and low because the roof is low) so no shadows. Probably my most satisfying purchase. Might be worth fixing the lighting before deciding.
 
Windows said:
Damp & cold doesn’t have much appeal, but you could fix the lighting in the garage. One of my more successful purchases for the workshed has been a Stanley festoon light which came with 10 E27 daylight bulbs for about £60. In my 8’x10’ space that’s a lot of light coming from all sides (and low because the roof is low) so no shadows. Probably my most satisfying purchase. Might be worth fixing the lighting before deciding.
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I had standard flourescent fittings in my workshop in various sizes up to 2.5m. The pitched roof is a good 1m higher than normal and light was ok but not great so last week I bought 10 LED mains tubes, 1200 size in daylight version and spent a day converting the existing fittings by removing the ballasts and re wiring. Some fittings needed to be cut down to fit the tubes. OK I could have skipped them and bought new fittings but that goes against the grain as I hate throwing stuff away. Result is now a very bright workshop and I'll get my £40 back very quickly in leccy cost savings.
 
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Id take you on head to head regarding the tablesaw Roger
The einhell I recently got rid of would win hands down in any cheap and nasty competition.
Theres a short non fiction book I could write about it.
If I wasnt so traumatised.
I would Imagine most of the regulars here would consider the Evolution I replaced it with as too cheap but the difference is night and day.
I wouldnt disregard an upgrade if I were you.
 
Tough call Rodger, I would go for the shop area close to your home and use the larger one as storage etc.
I wouldn't want to do a daily 200 m trek multiple times a day.
 
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Doug said:
My first thought is why do you need to make doors when there’s such a variety of quality readily available doors on the market, if your existing openings don’t match the standard sizes change the frames much less work in the long run. Plus a nice new door in an old frame usually makes the old frame look even more shabby.

My thought on preplaned timber is don’t bother, it will invariably need re-planing & looking at the length of the beds on you planer you are going to struggle to get any decent length of timber straight on that.

Decent new doors are made from either sheet materials or engineered wood so the chances of movement & warping are minimal while making doors in the environments you are proposing & then fitting them in a centrally heated house sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Just my 5 shillings worth, best of luck with what ever you decide.
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I take your point re the possibility of re-planing but I have had good results in the past.

Buying in is not an option for two reasons. LOML is very specific on style and the door sizes are very weird. It is an 1800's cottage after all with original doors. I'll take some photos
 
Windows said:
Damp & cold doesn’t have much appeal, but you could fix the lighting in the garage. One of my more successful purchases for the workshed has been a Stanley festoon light which came with 10 E27 daylight bulbs for about £60. In my 8’x10’ space that’s a lot of light coming from all sides (and low because the roof is low) so no shadows. Probably my most satisfying purchase. Might be worth fixing the lighting before deciding.
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I could. I had many large square LED panels in my last workshop which worked very well. But that garage is damp and not a very nice place to work in TBH. I'd rather not waste the time sticking in all the cabling etc for all the lights.
 
I don’t think I saw option 2 on my visit but drier, better lighting, proximity to the house have to be a good reasons to prefer over the large damper option 1. Hard to gauge quite how small it is. One certainly has to be better organised in a small workshop with mobile machinery.
 
Windows said:
Damp & cold doesn’t have much appeal, but you could fix the lighting in the garage. One of my more successful purchases for the workshed has been a Stanley festoon light which came with 10 E27 daylight bulbs for about £60. In my 8’x10’ space that’s a lot of light coming from all sides (and low because the roof is low) so no shadows. Probably my most satisfying purchase. Might be worth fixing the lighting before deciding.
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Lighting is everything -I rescued a bunch of 118mm halogen pir floodlamps from a skip.
I strpped out the electronickery and fitted led replacement bulbs
I have them arranged aound all four sides and it transformed the working environment
 
AndyP said:
I don’t think I saw option 2 on my visit but drier, better lighting, proximity to the house have to be a good reasons to prefer over the large damper option 1. Hard to gauge quite how small it is. One certainly has to be better organised in a small workshop with mobile machinery.
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Screenshot 2025-10-20 at 15.50.28.png
 
Roger, I'm not sure which option is depicted by the plan.

But.

I have a prefab concrete garage, which, after insulating and sheeting, works out at 7'6" wide, 15' 8" long, so comparable with your area. In there, I have a Wadkin AGS10", an EB PT, floor drill press, SIP 1220 lathe, floor standed belt and disc sander, ditto bandsaw, both HVLP and HPLV dust extraction, my 5'x2' bench, a trolley-mounted wet grinder and fortyleven hand tools.

I created an aisle down the centte, everything, but everything, is on wheels and agin' the walls until needed. Shelves rool!!
In mitigation, I don't store wood, or do my metal work in there. They're contracted out to the utility room and a leaky greenhouse (just became antediluvian in there, MUST fix!).

So,it can be done Mucker. Have faith and start organising.
 
My workshop is 3.6x3.6m so not much smaller.
If you can put up with the Photofucket images here is a taster. I do have the luxury of dust extraction above the shop .
www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk

Andyp's workshop

The outside. Regrettably I only converted the righthand half to the workshop The entrance inside the barn. The cabinet to the left of the door will shortly be moved a few feet further to the left to accommodate a camvac, cyclone and dropbox. I have plenty of space above the workshop for...
www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk
 
AndyP said:
My workshop is 3.6x3.6m so not much smaller.
If you can put up with the Photofucket images here is a taster. I do have the luxury of dust extraction above the shop .
www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk

Andyp's workshop

The outside. Regrettably I only converted the righthand half to the workshop The entrance inside the barn. The cabinet to the left of the door will shortly be moved a few feet further to the left to accommodate a camvac, cyclone and dropbox. I have plenty of space above the workshop for...
www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk
Click to expand...
Andy, extraction above - that’s what I’m planning, do you notice a lack of suction with it having to defy gravity?
 
No is the simple answer but I’ve never really had anything to compare.
Since that thread things have moved on. I’ve a twin motor camvac above, 4” pipe down to a cyclone atop a 200l drop box barrel which is outside of the workshop, 4” pipe feeds two inlets in the workshop. I’ve no decent images anymore. I have to go to the UK for a few days in the morning. When I get back I’ll try and remember to update a thread if you’re intrested.
 
AndyP said:
No is the simple answer but I’ve never really had anything to compare.
Since that thread things have moved on. I’ve a twin motor camvac above, 4” pipe down to a cyclone atop a 200l drop box barrel which is outside of the workshop, 4” pipe feeds two inlets in the workshop. I’ve no decent images anymore. I have to go to the UK for a few days in the morning. When I get back I’ll try and remember to update a thread if you’re intrested.
Click to expand...
Thank you, no don’t worry I have a totally different type of setup, I will just have to let it suck and see, it’s pretty powerful and only has to raise it by about 5’ a lot of shops run it along the ceiling which is similar and they work ok.
Ian
 
SamQ aka Ah! Q! said:
Roger, I'm not sure which option is depicted by the plan.

But.

I have a prefab concrete garage, which, after insulating and sheeting, works out at 7'6" wide, 15' 8" long, so comparable with your area. In there, I have a Wadkin AGS10", an EB PT, floor drill press, SIP 1220 lathe, floor standed belt and disc sander, ditto bandsaw, both HVLP and HPLV dust extraction, my 5'x2' bench, a trolley-mounted wet grinder and fortyleven hand tools.

I created an aisle down the centte, everything, but everything, is on wheels and agin' the walls until needed. Shelves rool!!
In mitigation, I don't store wood, or do my metal work in there. They're contracted out to the utility room and a leaky greenhouse (just became antediluvian in there, MUST fix!).

So,it can be done Mucker. Have faith and start organising.
Click to expand...
Cheers Sam. Encouraging. It's Option 2. I have to remember to save space on a wall for my future battery storage project.
 
SamQ aka Ah! Q! said:
Roger, I'm not sure which option is depicted by the plan.

But.

I have a prefab concrete garage, which, after insulating and sheeting, works out at 7'6" wide, 15' 8" long, so comparable with your area. In there, I have a Wadkin AGS10", an EB PT, floor drill press, SIP 1220 lathe, floor standed belt and disc sander, ditto bandsaw, both HVLP and HPLV dust extraction, my 5'x2' bench, a trolley-mounted wet grinder and fortyleven hand tools.

I created an aisle down the centte, everything, but everything, is on wheels and agin' the walls until needed. Shelves rool!!
In mitigation, I don't store wood, or do my metal work in there. They're contracted out to the utility room and a leaky greenhouse (just became antediluvian in there, MUST fix!).

So,it can be done Mucker. Have faith and start organising.
Click to expand...
That's about the size of mine but I share it with 4 bikes and cycling kit!
 
Roger, you will be buying an EV next ! Just like Alchemy and hens that lay golden eggs there is no such thing as a free lunch.
 
Spectric said:
Roger, you will be buying an EV next ! Just like Alchemy and hens that lay golden eggs there is no such thing as a free lunch.
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No chance of an EV...hate the sound of them as they creep and squeak their way along the road.

We've had the discussion around payback times and will agree to differ as there's no point raking it up all over again.
 
Our EV is nearly free to run and doesn't creak as it creeps along :ROFLMAO: Sorry Rog. That said I would not buy one again if I had to pay to charge it, as they are not much fun to drive. I like cylinders. Ideally lots.

Re Milk. We had a very nice man and his wife visit today who we commissioned to make some walnut / test tube vases for our guest tables - he delivered them and I've just asked him to make me a dozen or so service boards. I had no idea milk deliveries still took place, but it turns out he works nights as a milkman. They deliver to schools, businesses and private houses every day all around our area of Kent.
 
RogerS said:
View attachment 36300
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Tad bigger than my workshop area of 11ft 4" x 7ft 4"... although I've a 7ft x7ft ish area at the end as well.

I'm a bit late coming through to your post so I'll read through to the end to see how far you've progressed... I may have some suggestions for you - that I posted photos of in one of my 2 intro posts.
 
RogerS said:
😂. Come back to the thread in 2027 for an update, I suggest. This project ain’t going anywhere fast. Too much else to do.
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Mine's been in a state of 'resurrection' for some time... and is still a WIP. Hopefully I'll start a thread on mine... and some of it may be of interest to you as you plan yours 🤞😉
 
Mmmmm…..given the recent weather even Option 2 is very damp. Any cardboard boxes seem to suck up moisture from the air and lose all rigidity. I can see any tools rusting while I look at them.

To use the ‘workshop’ as the workshop will mean putting insulation in everywhere, losing the daylight in the ceiling, a false floor. Rapidly moving into Why Bother territory. I also need to check but I have a sneaking feeling that it won’t even be possible to get one door up the stairs as the door is so wide. So it will be glue up in the bedroom time. :eek:

Thinking things a bit more, that is going to apply to all the doors upstairs…….which means I have to make them. And I have lost all interest.
 
Making doors brings back memories. I was silly enough to make 16 of these in various sizes and was sick to death of it by the end as well as having backache.
A grade 2 stable conversion and customer was very pleased so all good in the end apart from having to make a number of replacement catch systems as their dog thought the oak had a nice taste.P1010020.jpgP1010022.JPGP1010023.JPG
 
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Spectric said:
So do I, it is those extra details which can set a job apart. @Lons where do you buy the oak from ?
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it was donkey's years ago Roy and I bought the oak from John Boddy at Boroughbridge. My customer was a good friend and extremely fussy so I drove down with the big trailer and selected the wood personally, I remember it wasn't cheap but they got another large order later for around 200m2 of T&G oak flooring for the same property.
When he moved house a few years later he wanted me to make another 8 doors. The second word in my reply was "off". ;)
 
Cabinetman said:
Very nice Lons, but 16? That is a bit much I agree.
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It was a real pita Ian, I'd have enjoyed making a couple but was thoroughly pe'ed off by the end especially as most of it was done in the evening and on Sundays.
Only the upstairs doors were a standard size as I'd bought casings for the renovation. All the downstairs doors were individual sizes and larger than normal. I'd forgotten that there were 3 matching cupboard doors on top of that though they came a few months later. The whole renovation job was well over 18 months and it grew so I was back and forth for years.
 
Yes John Boddys has long gone and is now a builders merchants. You do ask yourself what went wrong, to expensive or people just did not want the quality.
 
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