Welcome to the forums.
My daughter is at OSU (Stillwater, OK)... hence my metal tools are pieces of oak shaped to fit my hand.
My wife keeps thinking it would be nice to move to OK, and I keep telling her the minute we get up there she'll move back to Texas.
Good tip on the worksurface. In the old shop I had my Edlund Drill Press (adjustable knee table) close to the Full Size milling machine. If I have to machine the end of the 8' post it was simple to support the other on the drill press table.