Believe it or not, I do my modelling at my computer desk. I have a fair bit of room there... But, not quite enough. Sooo...

I'm going to build a modeling desk NEXT to my computer desk. Flat work space of approx 3'x2'. Going to have one thin shelf at the back. Thinking of attaching a flourescent mini=light under it... Also thinking of attaching some kind of cutting surface in one area... Various hooks and thingamabobs to hold files, paintbrushes etc etc...

Does anyone recommend use of anything specific for a cutting surface? Approx 1'x1'?

Anything pop into your mind when I mentioned this idea? (I would make it larger, but i"m a little limited for space...

Hints and suggestions appreciated!

Thanks

Azman

For your cutting surface. There are several nice "self healing" cutting boards available out there. I have my work area covered with the vinyl used the cover drafting boards ( also "self healing" )

I too use one of the self-healing pads (1'x1') that I got a little while back from Micro Mark.

If you want self healing you can go to Walmart/Target pick a 'mart and get different size cutting mats in the sewing section.
If you want to get fancy you can put a recess in the table part the size of the mat and drop it in so you have a flush flat surface.
One thing you may want to look in to is a flat floor tile (smooth kind). They come in handy if you need a nice hard surface for cutting things like masks or pe or tape etc.
One thing I did on my work bench is to attach a ruler to the surface so I always had one available. You can either connect it to the edge of the bench or create a recess for it on the top.
One note - check out the office supply stores for 'small size' organizers. There are lots of things that will come in handy.

i build on my desk, i use a glass chopping board which are cheap and easily available from any supermarket.

I would suggest a 1x1 ceramic tile. That is large enough for anything you might need to cut, and you can check for a discontinued style in a tile store and get it for cheap! :-)

For the cutting board I stole piece of stained glass from my wifes crafts. It works great. I can't remember who it was but somebody a while back suggested using a converted baby changing table they got at Ikea. It seemed like a great idea to me. If you do a search for it on here you should be able to find that thread.

HI. On my workbench out in the garage I have an old cabinet door that has a groove cut into it--for decoration I'd guess-- and it works quite nicely for putting things like tube glue, hobby knife, drill, parts, etc into it so they don't get mistplaced (something that happens quite regularly no matter what I do to help the problem). Then I have a piece of ceramic tile that sits on the middle of this 'door' that I work on.

It eventually gets spots of glue, paint and other such substances on it. So then I take an old hobby knife and simply scrape the vast majority of these 'blobs' off before starting another model. Works pretty good too.

I won't say that this is the ideal set up for every model, as I just built the L-track set-up for the Trumpeter K5 and had to use a 4 by 4 foot piece of old plywood mounted on two sawhorses to work on that so I would have the room!!! But this is the excpetion and not the rule.

Take care, sgirty

Thanks for the quick replies guys!

The table I'm building is a bit specialized, to fit in the area that I need... Which will also fit my computer tower case (underneath)... So its easier for me to just build it (I enjoy working with my hands -modelmaking! :-) )

Also, I was thinking of one of those magnifiers on a stand, that have the light attached to it... Does anyone have one? Recommend it? I thought that'd be a great addition for detail work, but maybe there's a drawback to it that I'm not seeing...

Thanks again!

Azman

Well, I am going to vote for a glass cutting board like you would use for cutting veggies for dinner. My wife got me one and it is the best thing I have. I use it's flat surface to flatten wire so that it is perfectly straight, I can cut PE, plastic, or wire on it and get really good cuts and it makes really small parts cast a shadow so they are easier to see. Make sure whatever is underneath has a contrasting color so that you can see things easier.

As for the light, I have a $14 one from walmart that has a magnifying glass, it is everything I need, but I never use it for some reason, it just doesn't suit me. But if you want to get one, then decide you don't want it, it is easier to blow $14 than $60 on a high priced one. Then if you do like it you might upgrade later.

Rob

I've tried using a little magnifying glass on an arm before, and found the distortion caused was very distracting. Granted this was a smaller one, and unlit, but I've steered clear of any magnifying glasses since then. The small gain in magnification simply wasn't worth the distortion it caused. Really threw my eye-hand-coordination out of whack.

Hi,
I hafta agree with the ceramic tile cutting surface. I love mine and I solder some things too so it works well for removing heat so previously soldered joints don't come undone.
As for the light Buy a cheap one first to try out the idea. I seldom use mine but when I need one, I NEED one.
A freind has a "page magnifyer" in a picture-frame on a retractable arm. A lot less distortion.
I gotta get one!
Chuck

why not buy a cheap computer desk with as flat desk to do modelling on I picked a new one up with shelves and drawers in it for £20 and is big enough to hold lamps ect on it and a whole load of other crap on it as well! :-) cutting mats are a good buy you can get an a4 size one here for £1 in pound land in the UK dont forgat a good chair for sitting on and a close supply of beer near by
have fun
mike

For cutting, I have a cutting mat on a rock maple surface. Very solid, very forgiving. I use a lighted magnifier and an opti-visor. I would be lost without them, especially working with PE.
capnjock

Remember to use vertical space. Even inexpensive in/out boxes can hold plastic storage boxes, reference books, cutting surfaces (hard for decals and soft or self-healing for other materials).
Consider the pantry concept. You have one (or two) swing out doors with depth for shelves or hooks, etc. and the back section also can have shelves and/or hooks. Now you're using volumetric space perfectly.

Sealhead (Kansas Sunflower)

I stole my wife's cutting mat that she has for sewing. It's dark green and has a nmber of lines on it for reference. Works great, but they can be a bit pricy depending on where you get them.

Az,
One thing, If you get a piece of glass for your cutting surface, make sure it is "tempered" glass. The picture glass you get in a craft store will break of leaned on to hard. You may be able to find a piece of temperd glass at an auto glass shop, or the glass on the front of entertainment centers is also tempered.
Just a thought.

Hmmmmm, the big 'modeling desk' question has arisen again!

Here's where I start to feel a wee bit guilty.
My older children have grown and moved out of the house, thereby freeing up a couple of rooms. One has been turned into a Sewing Room for my wife, and the other is now my Modeling Room.
(yea, we're an EOE household ).
Anyway the entire room is devoted to modeling pretty much. My desk (there's two, connected) is 'L' shaped. one measures approx. 8' x 2.5', and the other 7' x 3'. When put together they create an L that is 11' long by 2.5' on one side and 7' x 3' on the other. The smaller of the two desks(to my right) has an overhead portion built into it similar to a computer desk, with an all metal, fully encapsulated, flourescent 3' x 1.5' light fixture that has a three-position/4-bulb output (I can have the two outside bulbs on (higher wattage) or, the two inside bulbs on (lower wattage,) or all four bulbs on at once). This unit is mounted above the main work area in a fully hooded fashion so that I am never looking directly at the light source itself. The other table(the larger of the two) is a plain flat surface and 'free-spanned' underneath (they both are) so that I can roll my desk chair the entire length of both desks(no knee impediments). I have covered both desk tops completely with a white coated soffit material I use at work. It's a satin finish so it's not tough on the eyes and brightens up the work area just right, and is easy as heck to wipe clean. The larger desk also has two self-healing cuttin mats, one (to the far left) is a green OLFA brand mat measuring approx. 36"w x 24"t and a smaller clear bluish mat (to the near left) measuring 24"w x 18"t with grid lines on the X and Y axis as well as on the diagonal at irregular intervals. Underneath the clear blue mat is a sheet of metal. The metal is there so I can use my MicroMark jig-setting magnets on top of the clear grid and the magnets will hold the models which I have aligned along a grid line, together while the glue is setting up.
Now, between the two cutting mats (we're still on my left) is a homemade 'turntable'. This was made from two pieces of round 12" wide particle board ($1.97 at Home Depot), one metal gimble ($8.95 at H.D.), and a 12" smooth white ceramic bathroom floor tile. I use this 'contraption' for many things, not the least of which is to paint my model and simply spin the turntable a little bit to get the other angles. I have a small box (again, homemade) that I can slip underneath it to elevate the kit to whatever height is needed for better access to the 'hard to get at' parts of the model.

Along the back (to the right) of the extra deep desk (the 3' deep one) is a row of those inexpensive plastic 3 and 4 drawer parts bins you can get at Walmart for $5-$6. I keep the majority of my 'pieces/parts' in those. To the left are most of my quick reference books and magazines so they are at arms length (I think I'm going to build Verlinden's V-100 so I can have a proper, heavy bookend! ). In the middle is a small little 'bookrack' that I picked up from a sewing store (supposed to hold bobbins ) that is perfect for my Tamiya paints and such.
For in-close work lighting, I have a professional grade lighted magnifier boom light that I got from a friend who worked at Martin-Marietta. They were upgrading to newer models and he just gave me that one (couldn't do without it to be honest). It has a circular flourescent bulb and provides more than decent illumination (but obviously in the 'blue' range). To my left (on the longer desk) is an additional boom style lighted magnifier, only this one is a much, much cheaper unit, and is incandescent. Again, good illumination but this one is in the 'red' range.
Back to my right. I have a small desk style (flip up to activate) OTT-Lite. This is the light I use when trying to acertain 'true' colouring. Love it.
The majority of my modeling tools are in several small 'tackle' and compartment style boxes to my immediate right. Directly in front of me and just a little to my right (when I'm modeling) is a very nice sized Black & Decker 8" Workmate bench top vise, the kind with nice little hand cranks and holes provided for alligator clips. When I'm not using it for holding a kit for assembly, it serves as a convenient airbrush parking spot. :-)
Lastly, behind me, are bookcases full of reference manuals, books and magazines. Interspersed amoung these (and on the top) are some of my completed model kits. This is one of my faux paux's, I don't have any of my kits 'under glass'.......my bad I guess.

Now, I must apologise for rambling on so long about my modeling desk, I didn't originally mean to get so long-winded, but...........what the hey! If this diatribe has bored you to tears, I sincerely apologise, but, if there are a few 'A' types out there who enjoyed it.?.............great!

Tread.


Oh, before I go, on the far left wall are open shelves. These contain many small (I think 2.5 quart) claer plastic containers. Within these are all of my kits in their respective stages of assembly. They are all labeled (with simple masking tape labels) with what they are and the stage they are at. And, (believe it or not) with which historic era they belong. There are presently two sets of shelves, I'm thinking about increasing that to three.
BTW, if you think I'm being a little too, too, ......well, you know, about this. I have to tell you all that our dear 'Gunnie' is at least a little to blame for it all!!!! He's the one who 'affected' me like a bloody modeling virus. After seeing, and having Gunnie share some of his modeling 'style' with me, I made some changes...............................................

Did I mention that my computer is right there as well? Complete with printer and 21" screen?
Now all I have to do is master the technique of posting pictures and I can bore you all with photographic proof of all this rubbish. #:-)

.......wow, reading back over all that.........that has GOT to be my longest post, by far!

jeeeeeeeeeez.

Tread out.

Treadhead... GEEZ, take a breath!!! lol

I was concerned about space as wel so I built a shelf of sorts a few weeks ago... I'm not good at cut and paste, so go to galleries and search under my name...

sorry gunnerk19, would love to see your pics, but couldn't find it.

Tread.