Here's My Workshop!
by Bob McConnell
Lake Arrowhead, CA
In 1996, I sold my medical supply company and retired at 49, moving to the San Bernardino mountains
outside Los Angeles. After buying our dream house, I was crawling around in the "build up" area
under the house and got the idea of putting in a workshop under the house. After 4 months of
planning and executing, a local contractor and I built the shop. It is basically two rooms, one 16
x 16 and another 6 x 10 that I use for wood storage.
Note: click on any picture to see a larger version.
The University of Tennessee is my alma mater, and I am their number one fan. The clippings on
the wall tell the story of their sports highlights, including the 1998-99 NCAA football
championship, the first BCS National Championship game. Other clippings are memories of my own
sports exploits as I am still involved in several sports and compete in "Masters" events all over
the West. I run the 50 meter and 100 meter dash as well as play center field on a Senior Softball
team (ages 60-64) that recently (2009) won the AAA World Championship in Las Vegas.
Woodworking is my passion and I spend many pleasant idle hours in my refuge, Bob's Volunteer
Workshop - I have enjoyed more than a decade of woodworking projects there. I was fortunate to hook up with
a local master wood carver and took his class in that art. I mostly make kids toys, furniture,
carved signs, and lately, projects utilizing the Carvewright machine.
Want to see more shops? Check out our
Shops Gallery
, featuring many of the
shops that we have featured in previous editions of Wood News.
Do you think your shop belongs in this column? We invite you to
SEND US PHOTOS
of your woodworking shop along with captions and a brief history
and description of your woodworking. (Email photos at 800x600 resolution.) Receive a $50 store gift
card if we show your shop in a future issue.
