Small Boat Workshop — Top 5 Tips

 06 Sep 26:

Small Boat Workshop — Top 5 Tips

1. Put everything in the shop on wheels. The master rule, stated outright: "Skipper advised me a long time ago to put everything in the shop on wheels, so we can rearrange the shop per project." Benches, carts, pegboard, dust rig, boat cradles — all on locking casters.
2. Take the tool to the work — and do the dusty work outside. Build rolling tool stations thet we can roll out the door so sawing and sanding dust never settles in the shop.
3. Set every work surface to one common height. Saw table, benches, and portable in/outfeed tables all match, so long stock is always supported at a comfortable working height.
4. Cyclone dust collection + real respiratory protection. Run a Dust Deputy ahead of the ShopVac (sander→side port, vac→top port) — the bucket catches the dust and the vac filter stays clean — and also wear an the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for the job.
5. A place for everything, and everything in its place: Pegboard and dedicated homes for tools & parts. Pegboard for hand tools and small parts at shoulder height, wall-mounted chargers to free the bench, and a wall "pattern library" for templates.

Top shop lore: Keep a "moaning chair" (per Howard Chapelle) — a chair to sit and think through the "oops" that just happened, sip some coffee and think through the next job before we start it.

And maybe the top tip we ever got, from Skipper's brother Rick..."Hire a Pro." If the task/tools/materials/methods start to exceed our brainspace, push the Easy Button and hire a Pro. 

Here is Rick calculating whether it will be more fun running over Skipper and calculating the tools/materials/methods/cost of buying a new prop.