Setting Up Shop

Sandor Nagyszalanczy

Reviewed by:

Robert Weber

Sandor Nagyszalanzcy is best known for his much loved Art of Fine Tools. In this work he demonstrates that he is as fine a writer as he is a photographer. There are many books out there about how to create a workspace for woodworking, but I think that Sandor’s deserves a look, and I’ll tell you why.

The book is divided into 10 chapters, each covering an aspect of building a workshop from where to physically locate the shop (garage, basement, etc.,) to wiring to plumbing for air to selection of tools. Instead of describing a cookie-cutter approach to the aspects, or even dwelling on how individuals have dealt with these issues, Sandor takes each issue and breaks it down into component parts. He then describes each part in detail and leaves the solution up to the individual woodworker, acknowledging that no two situations are alike.

This book does not try to cover specific workshop issues, such as how to set up a hand-tool shop verses a stationary power-tool shop or somewhere on the spectrum in between. He simply says, “here are the issues with this particular aspect of setting up a shop, and here are the specifics that you are going to have to deal with when you are making YOUR decisions and dealing with YOUR solutions.”

I also believe that the chapters on wiring, plumbing and dust control are valuable for the Galoot because so many of us do need to make accommodations for the apprentices. I’m not salivating over every cyclone dust collector like I used to before my personal hand-tool epiphany, but I don’t plan to do all my stock preparation by hand for the rest of my life, so I understand the value of knowing where to put one.

Finally, the most enjoyable ingredient in this book, and probably my biggest complaint, are the two page shapshots of the shops of such notables as Mike Dunbar, Frank Klausz, and James Krenov. My complaint is that they are only two pages each.

In summary, this is a valuable book for anyone, Galoot or otherwise, who is designing a new workshop, or simply planning improvements to an existing workspace. The issues are laid out clearly, and numerous possible solutions are shown in the abundant full-color photos that Sandor is so well known for.