Greetings!

[GeorgeL]

Hello everyone. My name is George and I'm new to the Raleigh area. I'm currently living in a temporary apartment in Raleigh but am in the process of building a home in Fuquay-Varina with a dedicated 20 X 29 woodshop in the basement under the garage. The house should be ready in about 2 months at which time I plan to equip my new shop. I have yet to make a firm decision on which brand of machinery to purchase. I'm looking for a 10" cabinet saw, 8" jointer, 17"-18" bandsaw, 15" planer and a cyclone dust collector. (Any input would be appreciated.)

The resources available on this website will be a great help.

 

[DaveO]

Welcome, to the site and the state/town. I am glad to have you here. You're just down the road from me so holler if you need anything. I would love to help you to spend your money on tools, let us know what your budget is, that will make many of the decisions. Your shop sounds to be about the same size as mine, I will be interested in how you lay it out. Don't be a stranger, and I hope to see you around!!


Dave

 

[GeorgeL]

You're just down the road from me so holler if you need anything. I would love to help you to spend your money on tools, let us know what your budget is, that will make many of the decisions.
Dave

If you get to help me spend the money you also get to help me move the tools into the basement! :icon_thum

At the moment my budget isn't exactly "firm". It will depend on the sale of our current house in Indiana. I'm most likely looking in the $4K - $6K range. As we speak, I'm leaning toward Grizzly. Unless of course I do really well on the house sale then I may spring for a PM2000 and Grizzly for the jointer, bandsaw and planer. I've been reading all the reviews I can get my hands on but have had limited success getting my hands on actual equipment.

I hear there are a few good hardwood suppliers in or around Fuquay. I can't wait to visit them.

 

[DaveO]

I am a big fan of Griz equip. if your budget is limited. Lots of bang for the buck. If you need help moving tools into your shop...that's why I offered my asistance:-D Check the list of wood suppliers on the left side of the home page for a good selection of places to go. There is only one I know that is in the F-V area, and it isn't the most shopper friendly. But for a 1/2 hour drive you have several places that are fun to visit and give good customer service. If you are interested in seeing some of the not high end Griz equip. my shop is always open to visitors (when I am there, of course).

Dave

 

[McRabbet]

George, welcome to the site and hope you survive the agonizing wait for the new shop...er house to be finished. I recommend you drive up to Muncy, PA and go hog wild looking at their tools and then bringing home a G1023 xxx tablesaw (I have a G1023SLX), an 8" spiralhead jointer, a good 17" or 19" bandsaw and the new 2 HP Canister dust collector. Been there, done that. Look at the pics called Grizzly Trip in my photo gallery. I actually brought home a 6" jointer and a 14" bandsaw with my tablesaw, but you get my drift. Advantage to going up there is hands on selection, no shipping cost, but you do pay PA sales tax. Suggest you take a truck!

Enjoy your selections and welcome again to the site -- you'll love it here.

Rob

 

[cskipper]

Hi George! I wanted to welcome you to NC and our site. I know you'll find lots of friendly folks. We'll also be really glad to help you pick your tools, trust me, if you ask you'll get plenty of opinions! Enjoy the site, post pictures when you can.

 

[SteveColes]

George, welcome to our little world

 

[clowman]

Welcome to the site George. Where are you comming from? I hope you find our area welcoming, and this site equally as welcoming. I hope to see you on the site often. There are some pretty good people here, and all of them will graciously help you spend your money.

 

[GeorgeL]

Clay,

I'm relocating from Valparaiso, IN. I work for CARQUEST Auto Parts in Raleigh. My familiy is still in Indiana prepairing our current home for sale.

George

 

[D L Ames]

I'm in the process of building a home in Fuquay-Varina with a dedicated 20 X 29 woodshop in the basement under the garage. The house should be ready in about 2 months at which time I plan to equip my new shop. I have yet to make a firm decision on which brand of machinery to purchase. I'm looking for a 10" cabinet saw, 8" jointer, 17"-18" bandsaw, 15" planer and a cyclone dust collector. (Any input would be appreciated.)

The resources available on this website will be a great help.

George, Welcome to NCWW and congrats on the new house and dedicated woodshop. Looks like you'll be in for some high adventure here shortly when it comes to filling your shop with new tools. When the electrician wires your basement don't forget to have him add plenty of 110 and 220 circuits to power anything you end up getting.

As far as not yet making a firm decision on which brand of machinery to purchase.....keep in mind there is no rules on color coordination for the shop.:lol: I have a mix of machines from Delta, Jet (old color), PM, Rikon, Bosch, PC and Ryiobi so far. I still need to maybe add a touch of Yorkcraft gray and maybe some Performax white or Woodmaster cream to spruce things up a bit.

Again, welcome to the site and happy shopping. You might want to consider making the trip to Charlotte for The Wood Working Show, 17-19 Feb. Many of the major machinery vendors will be there and you will have ample opportunity to drool over all of the tools.

D L

 

[sapwood]

Greetings George and a warm welcome to the sunny south :-D

I think you'll find this a great place for input on your new shop--layout, tools, wiring, and even a lighting pro. Steve D has been gracious enough to provide members specs for shop lighting.

Sapwood

 

[GeorgeL]

George, Welcome to NCWW and congrats on the new house and dedicated woodshop. Looks like you'll be in for some high adventure here shortly when it comes to filling your shop with new tools. When the electrician wires your basement don't forget to have him add plenty of 110 and 220 circuits to power anything you end up getting.

As far as not yet making a firm decision on which brand of machinery to purchase.....keep in mind there is no rules on color coordination for the shop.:lol: I have a mix of machines from Delta, Jet (old color), PM, Rikon, Bosch, PC and Ryiobi so far. I still need to maybe add a touch of Yorkcraft gray and maybe some Performax white or Woodmaster cream to spruce things up a bit.

Again, welcome to the site and happy shopping. You might want to consider making the trip to Charlotte for The Wood Working Show, 17-19 Feb. Many of the major machinery vendors will be there and you will have ample opportunity to drool over all of the tools.

D L

DL,

I have no intention of color coordinating my shop, I'm just looking for the best equipment for my money. Personally, I would love a Powermatic or Unisaw but by spending more on a table saw I have less to spend on something else. I was intending on getting a Rikon bandsaw, the 340 but now that they have upgraded to the 345 I hear they have an issue with the tensioner. At the same time grizzly updated their saws to include cast iron wheels and the price is lower.

As for the woodworking show I fully intended to go but as it turns out I have to fly back to Indiana that weekend.:cwm21:

George

 

[GeorgeL]

Welcome, to the site and the state/town. I am glad to have you here. You're just down the road from me so holler if you need anything. I would love to help you to spend your money on tools, let us know what your budget is, that will make many of the decisions. Your shop sounds to be about the same size as mine, I will be interested in how you lay it out. Don't be a stranger, and I hope to see you around!!


Dave

Dave,

Here are some images of my shop and the proposed layout. I am very open to suggestions.

The shop itself is not ideal but I had to work with the builder and the town to get them to do this much. The shop is located in the basement under the garage. To accomlish this the builder had to use 12" I-beams every 4' to support the load of the 3-car garage.

The metal pan (ceiling) is 8' the I-beams drop to 7'. The overall dimensions are 19' wide by 29' long

I was playing with the shop planner on Grizzly's web site. I inserted all the equipment I plan to have in the shop. I'm flexable on placement.

Any ideas or suggestions?

George

 

[DaveO]

Wow, you are really going subterrainian. I have never heard of a basement under the garage. Those beams may become a point of frustation when working with 4x8 sheet goods. I've got an 8' celing with lights hanging below and I've knocked them of their hangers more times than I can count.
It looks like you have things well planned out using the Griz planning program. As long as you plan on having some of the smaller machines on mobile bases, then I think that you have it thought out well.

Dave

 

[GeorgeL]

Those beams may become a point of frustation when working with 4x8 sheet goods. I've got an 8' celing with lights hanging below and I've knocked them of their hangers more times than I can count. Dave

I know, it was either this or get pushed into a 10' X 10' corner. Originally the basement was supposed to be 1' deeper to allow for 9' ceilings in the shop but the town wouldn't allow it. Duct work for the cyclone is going to be a challange as well.

George

 

[GeorgeL]

Welcome to the state and to this site!

Looks like you will have a great place to work, probably cool down there and hard for thieves to get in. :eusa_shhh

I think if you center the DC on the wall and run a tree up to the ceiling you could hide the long runs up in the joists. With lighting recessed as well, you shouldn't really miss the height. It would be hard on me though. Being over 6' tall I have always wanted a tall workspace. So, I am building my shop with a cathedral type ceiling, 12 feet high at the center ridgeline. I would gladly trade my high ceiling for so much space though, I have only 16x16.

Some light, bright colors will help a lot towards making your space feel taller too.

I know what you mean, I'm 6'4" myself but I'm sure I'll get used to the low ceilings. I like the idea of placing the DC on the side wall and running the ductwork between the beams.

 

[lwhughes149]

George
Welcome to North Carolina. Love your shop space. I have 20 x 20 and the ceiling is low but I am only 5'2" so ceilings are never a problem for me. Reaching over a table to turn on the heat is quite a challenge though. What you planning on making in that new space? Again welcome.