Peter Follansbee’s unplugged workshop – FineWoodworking

Synopsis: Peter Follansbee does his woodworking in a freestanding timber-frame shop that’s just under 200 sq. ft. He only uses hand tools, so the shop has no electricity. A woodstove keeps the place warm in winter. The shop includes an 8-ft.-long workbench, a foot-operated pole lathe, an auxiliary bench, and hand tools on shelves and in chests, cabinets, and boxes. There’s also a loft, with storage for additional tools and for unused furniture.

When the time came to build my shop, I started at the town hall. The woman there told me, “Under 200 sq. ft. you don’t need a permit.” I knew what to do from there. The first thing was to get my friend Pret Woodburn. He knows timber framing like I know joined furniture. Pret and I accidentally (that’s a story for another time) found a source of air-dried white pine 6 in. by 6 in. and 3 in. by 6 in. And in Jack Sobon’s book Timber…