I’ve wanted one for years, and have finally installed a window in my shop. I knew I’d like it, but the result is even nicer than I’d hoped for.

After years of having it on my wish list and trying to find the time (and money) to do it, at last my woodshop is open to the world. I wanted some natural light, and also wanted a way to exhaust some of the hot shop air to the outside in the summer – drawing in a bit of cool air from the house – and achieved all three.

With the hard work of installation, repairing drywall where a new header had to go, then casing and trimming the opening, all that’s left is to prime, paint and install some blinds.

Now, I never walk into a dark shop. Even at night, the streetlight a few dozen yards away shines enough light into the shop that I can easily make my way around. Never again will I be suddenly plunged into total darkness if a power failure occurs while working. Emptying out my shop vacuum, a dirty chore that sends volumes of fine dust into the air, is now a snap – open the window a bit, turn on the fan, and that dust magically disappears.

There were a couple benefits that I hadn’t counted on, too. I now have a quick source of natural light for checking finish colors. I can raise the screen and toss out trash bags without having to open the big door (which I hate to do in the deep cold of winter or the 90+ degree heat of summer) or drag them through the house. Likewise, I can slip 2-by lumber easily into the shop through the open window. And my window on the world even lets me know when the mailman arrives.

In fact, there’s only one downside to this new openness in the Hamler shop: It’s now much, much easier to hear my whack-job neighbor when she mows her lawn for four hours every day.

A.J.