Title aside, I’m not breaking into a show tune from “Fiddler on the Roof.” Merely some wishful thinking regarding my ultimate shop.

After many years, I finally have my shop to where I’m a very satisfied, happy woodworker. My portable power tools, things like drills, routers, and sanders, are among the best out there. My larger machines, while certainly not top of the line, are quite good and I keep them tuned up and running smoothly. Oh, but if I were a rich man…

Well, first of all I’d have space. Lots and lots of space. With really deep pockets I’d enlarge my shop significantly, which is good because…

… the next thing I’d do would be to get a second table saw. This second machine would be set up with a dado head at all times. I hate changing over blades to go from one function to another, and a machine permanently ready to dado would be fabulous.

I’d also have a second band saw. Again, I hate changing blades and unlike with the table saw, every time I change blades on my band saw I always manage to scrape my arms up on floppy blades that have a mind of their own. One machine would always have a narrow blade, the other a wide workhorse resaw blade. Bliss.

My 6” jointer would make way for the biggest out there. I’d like my new aircraft-carrier size jointer to be mistaken for the U.S.S. Enterprise. (The aircraft carrier, not the starship. Although come to think of it, that’d be cool, too.)

I’d hire a yard service that did everything – lawn, shrubs, landscaping, you name it – so I’d never have to take away from shop time to do that mundane stuff. They’d also wash the car while they were here and, if needed, do the screens and gutters. Cat litter box, too.

After the kind of summer we’ve had – air conditioning. Enough said.

I’d use a large portion of my enlarged shop to stock huge amounts of, well, stock. Running out to my local wood monger or Big Box store in the middle of a project would be a thing of the past. You can’t have enough lumber on hand.

More clamps. See above.

Till next time,

A.J.