Kids and the shop

A big perk of a Quiet Shop is that my young kids can 'help.' Connor, my three year old, loves to cut wood and play with the vice. I let him play with block planes, ryoba saws, mallets, braces - lot of things. He loves playing with 'real' tools. Because I avoid the power stuff, nothing is loud or super dangerous. Admittedly, a ryoba saw or a plane blade can give a wicked cut, but they are far more forgiving than a tablesaw. Connor's learned to be very delicate in the shop. We made him a little workbench of his own for Christmas.

What's a Quiet Shop?

A Quiet Shop, to me, is a workshop that co-exists peacably within a family home. I have two children (ages one and three). Located in the basement just behind the furnace and next to the washing machine, my shop has very few power tools. This allows me to putter at my bench in the evening without waking the children (and my wife) with a cacophony of screaming machines. It allows me to listen to Mozart rather than motors. The only sounds heard through the floor above are my occasional outbursts of profanity.