This is Part 1 of Built to Last: A Reflection on Environmentally Conscientious Woodworking.

• Built to Last: A Reflection on Environmentally Conscientious Woodworking
• Part 1: I turned my woodshop into a personal solar farm.
• Part 2: Getting a handle on workworking chemicals, or sometimes we all need to vent.
• Part 3: Furniture as Revolution.
• Afterwards:
• Part 5: The best tool for the job is you

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For almost a decade, I’ve dreamed of building an off-grid solar system to power my woodworking, provide reliable back-up power for my home, and reduce the number of 2-stroke engines in my life. This was finally the year where I had the time and resources to do it. 

My workshop isn’t big. The 12-foot by 16-foot shed houses not just my tools and workbenches, but also all our yard and gardening supplies, storage for assorted seasonal gear and decorations, and a pile of robot parts. So I needed a compact system that still delivered the amps. 

Building a small off-grid solar system is simpler than you might think. Building a small off-grid solar system that can run power tools is a bit more complicated. 

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