Preparing the Shop

It's been cold this winter. Really, really cold. And at the same time, we've been pretty much shut down as far as full scale framing right now, as the shop isn't insulated and it's tough to keep it warm enough to do a lot of work in there.

However, we have a big year coming up. We have frames on the docket, and projects and apprentices coming for their three month apprenticeships. We'll have a lot of people in the shop, working on beams and pegs and all kinds of other projects, so Raphael and I decided to do some upgrades.

First of all, he began organizing all the tools, which, after a busy fall season, needed to be sorted, cleaned and put away in some new homes. We also began throwing out things that accumulate when you're busy, stuff that was no longer good to use, or just didn't need to be stored in our workshop any more.

Then, we worked on planning out what needed to go where, so we could create more stations for things like all of our axe and tool handle wood, an axe and maul shelf, a chainsaw area, and lots more shelves. Raphael did pretty much all of it, although I did help with the planning! I did a lot of peg carving, and moving things and sorting them out.

I did make a new small shelf for our chisels on our tool warming rack, to hold the mallets and slick and chisels more securely.

In the end, the things we added to the shope will make some big differences in how things flow, and what we have room for, and much more. Organization is key to success, and being prepared for a big year is really important too. It was a great feeling having this section figured out.

As soon as we get back up to our Amish sawyer, we'll get more shelving wood for the other side of the shop, and it's upgrade too!