 
WOOD SHOP TOUR UPDATE Further improvements add to an already impressive shop. SHOP OWNER: Darren Stevens LOCATION: Dothan, AL I have made several changes to my shop since I submitted photos for Shop Shot #800 last year. I spent December 2006 - March 2007 making improvements. I revamped my tablesaw. I removed the router table and installed shorter rails for the fence. I also totally disassembled, cleaned, and painted the saw. The saw is now easier to move around. 
I had accumulated quite a bit of extra material from various projects the last three years. I used it to build a wall-hanging tool cabinet and new workbench. I bought and read The Toolbox Book by Jim Tolpin. His book has a wealth of photos and research that provided me with numerous storage ideas. 
I removed the old lumber rack and plywood storage bin. The new lumber rack uses 2x4 and dowels. It is strong and adjustable. I replaced the bin with a partition/wall built with 2x8’s. I slide plywood behind the partition. 
My new workbench is based on design ideas I gleaned from several sources. The drawer design and color came from Norm's chef table. Most of the other ideas came from two books: The Workbench Book by Scott Landis and The Workbench by Lon Schleining. 
The top is a combination of practicality and opportunity. I needed a top that would take the abuse serving as an outfeed table for the tablesaw. Based on the way I work, I also knew I would need to replace the top periodically. The opportunity aspect came in the form of a solid-core door reduced drastically in price. I simply attached a piece of oak veneer plywood to the door, banded it with oak, and drilled dog holes. I used a slot-cutting bit to rout a slot that lines up with the dog holes. I use hold-downs that ride in the slots in combination with the dogs to hold boards in place. This allows me to mount my vise in the face position. My goal is to add a sliding board jack so I can joint boards by hand. I drilled a hole between the dogs to accept a traditional holdfast. I added a crosscut stop similar to one I saw on Frank Klausz's bench. The base is made from a variety of materials: maple, poplar, pine, cypress, plywood, and MDF. The drawer runners are maple. I can access the drawers from either side, a valuable feature when I roll the tablesaw out of the way. . . .
Darren Stevens
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