Workshop

When it came to sourcing timber for a new project, rather than paying a visit to his local timber merchant, Gareth Jones turned to the offcuts pile, using various bits to make a range of tool racks

Old and collectible tool enthusiast Daniel Letts shares some of his recent finds, including a moulding plane that holds a very elusive maker’s mark

In this second part Phil takes at look at some innovative exterior security products.

Some 20 years ago, when I first became seriously interested in woodworking, I began by making furniture for the house. Money was tight, so I used melamine-covered chipboard held together with dowels and screws, and worked on a cheap copy of the famous Black & Decker workmate in a cold, damp single garage at the end of the garden. My early skills, on the other hand, came from my father, who was a cabinetmaker and later a carpenter too, so my…

Continuing on from part 1 of 'Setting up shop', Alan Holtham sheds some more wisdom on designing your own workshop.

• If you’re still struggling to get to grips with your layout, I’ve formulated the following summary for setting up a workshop, based on about half a dozen previous arrangements of mine in a variety of different situations. They’re presented in no particular order, and the list…

Make time for organisation While I was working, there was never enough time to set up or maintain a workshop. Since leaving the rat race, however, I’ve finally been able to convert my garage into a proper workshop which has been a source of enormous satisfaction. Apart from the luxury of being able to manoeuvre easily and find everything when I need it, I’ve realised that organisation + self-discipline = efficiency. It’s…