Larry Ciesla Woodworking

Shop construction


In 2004 I was lucky enough to be able to construct a new building totally dedicated to woodworking.  The building is a well insulated 30x40 foot pole building that is situated a short walk just west of my home.  Since the building is so close to my home, it had to be attractive and fit in with the general theme of our property.  Since we live in rural Illinois and already have a horse barn, the choice of a pole building was easy.  The pictures in the next few pages tell the story of one of the most pleasant experiences of my life!

Construction began with preparing a level pad on which the building would be placed.  Here you see the skeleton of the pole building going up.
This is the east side of the shop with the entry door I normally use to get in. (Top of page)  
I stuck as many windows on the south-facing wall as I could.  Each window is 3x4 foot and I've been amazed at how much the shop will be warmed on a cold January morning just be the sunlight entering in. (Top of page)
This is the north side of the shop facing my driveway.  An overhead door will eventually be installed. (Top of page)
This trench will hold 4" PVC pipe that will run from the far wall to the center of the shop where the table saw will be located.  The other end of the pipe will come out of the concrete near where I will be placing my dust collector.  Notice the orange paint on the gravel where I marked the approximate location of the saw.  Also notice that I've roughed in the electrical service panel against the north wall.  Just after Idug the trench for dust collection I dug a smaller trench to hold underground PVC counduit to run power to the center of the shop.  I installed wiring for both 220 for the saw and 110 volts for other tools that will be located at the center cluster. (Top of page)
The roughed in 4" PVC and electrical wires are now complete.  Here I've just started the process of insulating under the concrete pad in preparation for the radiant floor heating system.  The first step was to install foam insulation along the 2x6 bottom floor board.  If you look closely you will see this running along the ground.  This insulation will prevent heat from leaking out the side of the slab - a major issue with radiant heating.  Next I installed a heavy duty vapor barrier directly on the gravel.  This vapor barrier actually runs up about 4 inches against the wall creating a kind of dish in which the concrete will be poured.

Notice the 4x8 sheets of 1" thick pink foam insulation.  These will be installed over the vapor barrier to insulate the concrete from the ground.  (Top of page)