Hobby Heaven
After retiring from John Deere, Dean Feight knew he wouldn't be content sitting in a rocker enjoying sunsets. Rather, he designed and built a workshop that accommodates his many hobbies, including woodworking and target shooting. He insulated and covered the 9'-high, 2×6 stud walls with drywall, then added 1⁄4 " perforated hardboard over 1⁄2 "-thick wood strips. Over the concrete floor, he laid furring strips with foam insulation between, then topped them with 3⁄4 " plywood and vinyl tiles.
Power to tools in the center of the shop runs beneath the floor. A ceiling-mounted heater warms the shop in winter, and a window air-conditioner keeps humidity down during the summer. His air compressor resides in a nearby machine shed, so he ran a supply line underground to the woodshop. He even placed a skylight above the tablesaw location to provide plenty of natural light.
Part of Dean's 80 acres include a shooting range. So, beside the usual woodworking equipment, he tucked in a workbench with a sturdy top and plenty of storage dedicated to reloading rifle and pistol shells.
Dean also owns a metal lathe and milling machine. Besides making and repairing parts for his guns, he has made several tools such as hammerheads, mallets, and turning tools. "These machines are invaluable to me. There's hardly a week goes by that I don't use one or both," he says.
Dean chose thin-wall PVC drainpipe for the ductwork on his dust-collection system, and says he's never had a problem with static discharge in 40 years of using the system. He switches the dust collector off and on with a Long Ranger remote. He supplemented a commercial air cleaner with a shop-made box that houses furnace filters and connects to his dust collector.
When Dean isn't in his shop, you'll find him on the shooting range or out fishing on his 2-acre pond. The rockers on the porch don't get used much around his place.