About Small Shop Big Ideas
Small Shop Big Ideas is about making the most of the tools, materials and space you already have.
I work out of a small workshop where I build woodworking projects, improve the way my shop works, mill and dry my own lumber, experiment with tools and technology, and find practical solutions to everyday problems.
Some projects start with a pile of scrap wood. Others start with a problem in the shop that needs a better solution. Sometimes it means building a new tool or jig, incorporating 3D printing, or finding a completely different way to use something I already have.
The goal isn't to have the biggest shop or the most expensive tools. It's to keep building, experimenting and finding better ways to make things.
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Where It Started
Small Shop Big Ideas originally started with a simple goal: turn reclaimed and leftover materials into something useful.
Pallet wood, scrap lumber and other materials that might otherwise have been thrown away became home decor, gifts and small woodworking projects. Working with what was available forced me to be creative—not just with the finished project, but with how I built it.
That idea still runs through much of what I do today. Whether I'm using workshop scraps for a small project, milling a log into lumber or building a shop solution from materials I already have, I enjoy figuring out how to get more from what's available.
Where It's Going
Over time, Small Shop Big Ideas has grown beyond individual woodworking projects.
I'm increasingly interested in the entire process: sourcing and milling lumber, drying it, building with it, improving the workshop along the way, and experimenting with tools and technology that make a small shop more capable.
That includes practical shop upgrades, dust collection solutions, chainsaw milling, kiln drying, scrap and upcycled projects, 3D-printed woodworking tools, and whatever other problems are worth figuring out next.
I don't always know exactly how a project is going to turn out when I start. That's part of the point. I share the process, what worked, what didn't, and the ideas that might help someone else solve a similar problem in their own shop.
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Find projects, resources and videos to help you make more from your own shop.