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My Old Workshop - 1996

The main bench is a 3 ft. x 8 ft. area and is covered with white laminate. Underneath are drawers for all my supplies and equipment. It also has a cabinet where I store my 14" x 16" glass. I installed a switch that turns on a light when the door is opened (like a refrigerator). I also have a metal box that I use as a scrap bin. At the present time it only has brown, tan and mixed colors. Underneath the bench where the toe kick is, there are separate boxes that hold the other colors of scrap glass. The scrap glass sizes range from 1" x 2" to 4" x 6" and I have them sorted both by size and color with a box for each. On the bench is a guide for strip cutting.

On the top of the bench are my fan and my radio. The radio helps me keep focused so that I don't go crazy and can work on my projects longer. It's easier to work with a beat.

Recently I raised the bench another 3 inches higher because I am tall and when the bench was at its normal height, my neck was bent down too far and I was getting neck strain. Raising the bench seems to have helped some. It also allowed me to have two small pockets directly beneath the bench where I keep my scoring board and my bench brush. Glass Bins

In the rear of the bench, I have milk crates that contain special glass. One has just iridescent glass, another one has just clear textures, another one has just glue chip scrap, another has colored mirror, three whole boxes of just antique and the other are sorted by size: 12" x 12" box, 12" x 16" box, 8" x 12" box and three boxes of large scrap that are generally rectangular in shape. On a separate shelf, I have a box that just has art glass, mottled glass and general expensive glass. Bin Over Oil Tank

On the opposite wall I have an oil tank in the way (by the way, my shop is in the basement), I built a separate cubby box between the end of the tank and the pipe that holds glass up to 20" x 20" It has a bi fold door to make it easier to open and to keep dust off of it.

Against the left wall is the exhaust fan. There is also a shelf that contains a box with my jewels and separate boxes that have filigree and miscellaneous items.

Grinders

I have another bench on the other side of the shop with just grinders on it. From the left is my band saw. Recently I had to raise the height of it because it was too difficult for me to work on project at its original height. I also painted the little table that is part of the band saw white (it originally was black) because the extra reflection helps my see the line through the darker glass. The next grinder over, is my twin spin grinder by Inland. I can grind angles on it. The bits on it are the 5 inch disk and an 1/8 in. bit for tight radiuses. The next grinder is my Wizard grinder which is the all-purpose grinder. This is the one that I am constantly using. The bits I am using are 1 inch standard and 1/4 hole cutter. Behind the grinders is a splash shield so that I won't have an electrical short. I have a built-in desk lamp to give extra light and I just hooked up a basic water line so that I can fill up my grinders and have it drip feed for hole cutting. To the right of the bench is my Wiz grinder that just has a speed cutting bit on it and I rarely use it.

Inside the bench itself, I store my strips of glass and boxes of iridescent scrap, restoration glass and other miscellaneous glass.

Kiln Bench

Adjacent to this bench, is another bench with my quick fire 6 kiln, lapidary saw, and electric came saw. In that bench, I keep the large, jagged scrap. Underneath the bench, there are little scrap boxes that are meant for just mottled and art glass that are separated by color. Directly next to the bench, I just built a 6" x 32" wooden box to keep glass around 20" x 32".

Since this is also a basement/laundry room, I also have a sink available so that I can easily wash off my projects.

I try to take a photograph of my shop every year to track the progress of what it has looked like over the years.