New Workshop Space

[Dominic]

Well, I've been freezing half to death in my workshop this winter which is in one half of the underhouse garage. Gets hot in summer as well. My car has been freezing outside which means iced up windows every morning.

And all the time I have had this huge 10mx4m room plus a bathroom at the end which I hardly used. I was calling it my music room and had all my amps and stuff there but tended to play upstairs anyway.

Now here is my space. Its got much better natural light than the garage. I should have done this a couple of years ago.




So I have ripped out the crappy old carpet and am going to start making cabinets and benches and drawers and stuff and set it up well. I'll put doors on all the cupboards and try to minimise places where dust can settle and keep it tidy. Get it wired up properly and proper lighting and dust extraction etc. I've always wanted a proper woodworking shop so I can tackle anything. Should be good, I'll keep you informed of progress.
Cheers
Dom

[kiwigeo]

Ever tried finding a 1/8" drill bit youve just dropped on the carpet?

Others will probablly disagree but a hard floor is a better idea in a workshop..its a bit easier to keep clean as well. I left my concrete floor as is with a few small mats for standing on.

Looks like a nice big area youve got there....keep us updated with progress pics.

Cheers Martin

[Allen]

Watch out Dom. Hesh is going to want to move in.

[Kim]

Ever tried finding a 1/8" drill bit youve just dropped on the carpet?
Cheers Martin

This is why we have a baton with 1/2 a dozen rare earth magnet epoxied into it, put a stick in the middle and you have a magnetic broom, no shop is complete without one...only wish pearl shell had a little iron in it, seems the smallest most intricate piece always falls and bounces off at some ridiculuos angle lodging in some impossible crevice and is never found until you have cut a new one, dropped it, and are on your hands and knees looking for that one.

Cheers

Kim

[kiwigeo]

Does the magnetic boom pick up contact lenses?

[Ron Wisdom]

Gonna be great, Dominic.

I know the secret to finding contact lenses AND pieces of pearl:

Stretch a piece of pantyhose over the end of your vacuum hose and start sucking. If you're in the area you can retrieve it easily. I've pulled my wife's contacts out of the sink drain more than once this way.

Ron

[kiwigeo]

Stretch a piece of pantyhose over the end of your vacuum hose and start sucking.

Ron

And then you stick the pantihose back in the drawer and hope like hell your wife doesn't twig that its the Spanish Cedar shavings making her itch like crazy around her neather regions.

[Hesh1956]

Great looking shop space Dom! You will not regret having a bathroom close at hand too........

Although I have had carpeted shops my next shop is going to have a concrete floor in the main work room by choice. It should be way easier to keep clean and I won't have to stress over dripping HHG on it like I did in my last shop.

Great looking space and the windows are cool too.

[Stu]

Nice blank canvas you've got there.
It's great to see the potential a space such as yours has.
Too many options really as far as set out goes as I see it, which is a great thing.
I've got to say that I look forward to seeing you fill that space with
space-saving storage and a steady supply of different things that inspire
you to be within this area to build.
Let's face it, if you can't make that room inspire you to build, then I'm happy to swap with ya .

[Dominic]

Although I have had carpeted shops my next shop is going to have a concrete floor in the main work room by choice. It should be way easier to keep clean and I won't have to stress over dripping HHG on it like I did in my last shop.

I'll just put down some rubber mats along the benches to stand on. Easier on your feet/legs, easy to clean and better if you drop an edge tool.

How is your new place going Hesh. I saw some of your photos of a very big white room on the other forum.
Dom

[kiwigeo]

Dom,

A pic of my humble shop in case you see any useful ideas. The island workbench is a Spanish idea. It can be detached form the main bench work to make more space. Benchtops have 3mm masonite nailed on. When the masonite gets chewed up or grubby I just replace it rather than having to replace the whole benchtop (MDF).




Cheers Martin

[Craig]

G'day Dom,

Your new work area looks to have a heap of potential . You'll love all that extra light . An exciting time for you Dom . Keep us posted with your progress.

I agree with Martin , an island bench ,or a bench in the middle of the shop is very handy. I'll bet you've already thought of it , but keeping your dust making objects in a common area is good thinking also.

Cheers

[joel]

Word can't describe how much I look forward to having just such a space. Looking forward to pictures of the transformation from empty space to luthiers dream workshop.

[Dave White]

Stretch a piece of pantyhose over the end of your vacuum hose and start sucking.

Whoops ... I thought I was on a different website for a minute there Too much infromation . . .

Dom,

Love that virgin space - it looks like the garage of our house when we first moved in. After a few days it looked different and it took me three years to work out how to fight my way in. Beware Parkinson's Law for luthiers!!

Looking forward to some "filling in" pictures.

[Bob Connor]

G'day Dom

That low window really took my eye.



A low bench in front of that window would be great for sanding, carving necks, checking finishes for gaps etc.

The natural light is perfect for this sort of stuff. We've got one in our shed and I don't know what I'd do without it.

[matthew]

Dom, If you're ever up in Sydney ... at Reverse Garbage in Marrickville they have these things called "Skins". These are about 6'x3' and made of that camping mat material but about 4mm thick. They cost $6 each and are great for scattering over the floor to catch the sharp end of gouges and glue drips. And easy to sweep clean. And warm under the feet, unlike Canberra Concrete! A+++++ recommended.

[Dominic]

Thanks Matthew, I will check it it out.

Bob, I've had a few days off work and been drawing all over the floor with chalk working out where to put things. My actual building benches will be at that end of the room under the window. The design of the room is bit silly because the window goes into the alcove there a bit (this is my wood stash, a bit hard to see in the pic). So a bench can't go all the way along the window because I need to be able to get past it to the cupboard. All the machines will be along the the wall opposite the window and down the other end. The table saw will be in the middle of the room.



or like this


Any thoughts on the merits of the two benches? A big central table vs the L shaped one against the window?

I am thinking I could have a couple of shower curtains or something to divide the space and try to keep the building end dust free when I am really making a mess.

I was very inspired by this work bench by Oz Tradie and want to do something simiar for under all my benches. Very cool.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/showpost. ... tcount=292

Better get cracking.
Dom

[Bob Connor]

I like the L shaped bench Dom.

I think shower curtains would be like a "fart in the wind" trying to keep dust out.

We really struggle with this even though most of our machinery is hooked up to a dust extractor. Next buy is going to be an ambient dust filter.

I'd really like two rooms. One assembly room - and one for the machinery that makes all the dust.

[Dominic]

Yeh I'm inclined to go for the wrap around L bench. I want to put a cupboard attached to the ceiling all the way around above the bench so I can put stuff in it (no, really) but also use the underside to support go-bars. So anywhere on the bench can be a go bar deck.

You could be right Bob about dividing the room with curtains (although I'm not at all certain why based on your fart test; farts in the wind can be some of the most effective if the snipper/ripper wishes to avoid detection). I have thought about getting some sliding glass doors from the salvage yard to make two rooms. If I could get the right set for the right price.

But I'll also get a room air filter for sure. The CarbaTec one for my sized room and smaller is about 420 bucks. I also think I'll make a down draft sanding table that's connected to my dust extraction system.
And I am in no rush so i have time to think it through. So I will keep bouncing ideas around.
Cheers
Dom

[kiwigeo]

One more idea. I have my go-bar deck set up in middle of the workshop sitting on an patio table. That way I can get in to all sides of the thing. When not in use the deck can be dismantled and the table stored away.

[Dominic]

Hey Martin, thanks for the tips. I was planning on building a permanent cupboard above the L shaped bench but attached to the ceiling (no upright posts for better access). Can then use the underside for go bars and don't have to take it down.

But my other development is to set up my vacuum press so I can glue on braces etc with that. I have the pump which I use for clamping and bridge gluing. I'll do a post on it when its up and running. (gee, sounds like I have said that a few times lately)
Cheers
Dom

[Sam Price]

That's a nice bit of space, Dom, similar to the space I have, albeit twice the size. I find the high windows rather frustrating though, but the lighting is perfect, even on overcast days.

[BillyT]

Stretch a piece of pantyhose over the end of your vacuum hose and start sucking.

Whoops ... I thought I was on a different website for a minute there Too much infromation . . .
Dom,

Don't worry Dom it is! And don't worry about Ron's wive's neather regions, Ron alwys uses his own panty hose!

[Stu]

I was very inspired by this work bench by Oz Tradie and want to do something simiar for under all my benches. Very cool.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/showpost. ... tcount=292

I was going to suggest this but you beat me to it, Dom.

I use these for most of my fretting, routing stuff, planes and fiddly tools and it's really great for binding, purfs, veneers and anything that will fit in a 1200mm wide drawer.
Three carcasses in all and about 2900mm full benchtop length
I should have built this sooner as it frees up a heap of space .


cheers, Stu

[Dominic]

Hey Stu, what drawer slides are use using for the 1200mm drawers?

I ordered a bunch of heavy duty slides from Timbecon. I was going to use them for the bigger/deeper drawers and use the lighter white ones for smaller drawers.

Cheers
Dom