Hello all,

Santa is going to let me convert the garage into a model building workshop. I have been collecting ideas and a few pictures of things I like, but would like to get as many ideas at possible so I can do it right the first time. What things in your area help you with your model building? to this point I have been sprawled out on the kitchen table so I don't have a lot of experience with a perminate work area. Any advice on any part of it is welcome including comfort, storage, ventalation, lighting, etc. I mean ANYTHING you can think of please pass on. If you have pictures that would be great also. Thanks for your time

Hey Andrew:
I posted a thread the other day, about a decent shelving system
that may interest you. .https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/41276&page=1
I like it because it can change and grow as your needs increase,(we all need more place to store our "stuff").
cheers
Bruce

Hi Andrew
I too, as yet, have no experience in building a permanent work-haven.
But as I paint artist type things, I find plain ordinary daylight is the best light to work under...so if your garage has a window, that would be the best place to put the bench.
Its a start anyway...lol.

I'll be watching this post closely too...for when I take the plunge.

Cheers
Peter
:-)

If you want a cheap work bench?

Go to a "do-it-yourself" shop and buy a cheap door and 2 trestles (or make small shelves where you can put the door on.).

It gives you a table surface of 80 cm by 2+ meter at almost no cost.

Hey Andrew,
One thing that I did when I got to make my own workroom was to cover the wall behind where I sat with pegboard. Maked for a huge amount of storage at my fingertips. Another was to get my hands on old kitchen cabinet bases. made a great base for my workbench.
Craig

Hi Andrew,
Please check the following old posts that can give you some ideas.
Workshop location
Your workbench

best regards

If a window isn't near get some of the "Daylight" or Full spectrum Flour. Lights..... I switched to those in the basement, What a difference!!!

Pegboard behind the bench is good.... sketch stuff out on paper and get a few ideas going....... You'll constantly make changes... I know i do!

Andrew- 2 things that I believe are essential are:
1.)Full spectrum overhead lighting, with at least one Halogen task lamp
2.)A comfortable chair with good back support, which can be adjusted to the correct height.
Save your eyes & your back! You can't really replace either!
Athird thing I find useful is a good, solid drafting table. It can be used as a workspace, and when not building is very useful for sketching out dio ideas, clipping references, cutting mat board, etc.
HTH!

The thing I like most about my workspace is my "work bench". I went to IKEA and bought 2 table tops, and some of their adjustable height legs, and an office chair that can reach bar-level heights. Went home and assembled it now I have an "L" shaped work area. One part is 42"long and the other is 54" long. Since the corner is so deep (and I can't reach it without standing on my tiptoes) I put my TV and DVD player there. The height is great also if I feel like just standing and put a couple of fiddly bits together and then leave again. Best of all is the parts for the table were less than $100. Any way hope it helps. (I'll post a pic today if possible)
Edit: One is pre-toolbox, one post-box ($30 at Wal-mart, stackable, rolling, that's the upper half)

An important requirement is the heating and/or cooling of said workplace. I find that I can get more accomplished year around if I can work in a "shirt sleeve" environment.
capnjock

Okay. Here goes.

1. Consider the white cabinets and shelves with doors that you assemble yourself.
2. You can get ready made countertops in a choice of several colors for your worksurface at home improvement stores fairly cheap.
3. Epoxy the floor or add linoleum or tiles so you can find the flying pieces.
4. Use vertical space.
5. Consider storing items on vertical pegboard panels that swing out on piano hinges to use cubical space.
6. Instant-on fluorescent lights for general lighting-no flicker.
7. OTT lights for closeup task work.
8. As much horizontal workspace as you can manage. Nope. That's not enough. You need more.
9. A place to run your paint booth exhaust to the outside.
10. Remember A,B,C. Keep the tools and such that you use all the time where you can reach them without moving, your "A" space. Keep the items you use from time to time where you can reach them without leaving your seat, your "B" space. Keep the seldom used items where you have to get up to get them, your "C" space.
11. Comfortable chair. Here's a place to splurge.
12. Bar refrigerator.
13. Many outlets with adequate amperage and wiring gauge.
14. A temperature and humidity reader.
15. A sign that says, "NO GURLS ALOWED" (Peter Pan).
16. Don't forget a bookshelf for your reference materials and another for "show and tell".
17. You STILL don't have enough horizontal storage space. How about a slide out shelf under your worksurface, like a keyboard drawer, to keep sub0assemblies nearby, but not in your prime work area.
18. Yes, I'm an aero-SPACE engineer.
19. I'll try to post some pictures of my playroom. If I only had talent!

Sealhead

. Kitchen cabinets for a bench base and wall storage.

. Plastic milk crates, also for wall storage.

. Zip-Loc plastic containers in various sizes.

. A swing-arm magnifyer, with either flourescent or incandecent light source.

. Rubber matting if you're going to be doing some stand-up work.

. A space on the bench with a raised edge to put parts where they won't roll off.

I'll keep thinking.

Art

hey, maybe pm zzz guy or check in the tools section for his thread, i know he's buidling a desk so if you need advice or ideas iam sure he could lend a hand.

Frank

got my magnyfier[sp], with light and a hands freemagnifying glass from e bay, both for 15 bucks and shipping[7.50], so look on ebay for stuff that is needed too.

lights and more lights

wal mart 6 drawer tool box[ top and bottom roller]
mmmmmmmmm

more powerrrrrrrrrrrr

plastic parts storage containers[ big lots ]has tons of drawers for small stuff. and they are clear to help ya find said stuff......

reb

Something which I notice has not yet been mentioned, something which I now find essential to me when building, is a PC!
Others may not think this important, but it is invaluable to me if I am unsure about how something is placed, correct colours, how to do something, etc.
I have a U-shaped work space, 1 desk with pc on, 1 desk to the right of it and 1 desk opposite it with a swivel chair in the middle, that way when I'm working, and need to know something, I swivel 180 degrees and have instant access to photos on my PC or internet.
I have the gallery pictures on this site open quite often when I'm working for cetain references.

I have only a table in the living room, my wife is constantly telling me to clean it up when we have guests, but it serves my purposes. I have a magnifying lamp, a holder for all tools, unfortunately no paint holder, you may want to grab one of those, and you may also want to place it near a window, sunlight makes models look different, and you could spot some places you missed before or want to change.

Here's a couple more:

. Drawers installed under the bench.

. Various sizes of PVC, cut to differant lengths and glued to a lazy susan turntable for storing brushes, pencils, knives, etc.

. A 2 or 3 drawer file cabinet for storing kits, and you can put in some hanging folders for your decal sheets, instructions, magazines, etc.

I don't know what your budget is, but take a walk around Home Depot and check out shelving units, cabinets and the like. Also, Sears has that new modular work bench/cabinet/peg board set up.

Art

Thanks for all the great ideas, keep them coming! And thanks for the links, I should have searched before i posted. I will keep checking the thread and when I have some plans done I will post them and get more input then. Thanks again for your time.

Utensil trays make great shelves for paint. Just mount them on the wall.

Andrew, here are two pis of my workbench that my dad and I built. It's basically built out of 2x4s and hardboard. To the left is the spraybooth that is in the "painting section". The workbench is shaped like an "L". I had an electircian install outlets along the back and two right beside each other in the front and to the side. Hope this helps, Wingman out..

Here are two pics of my "Cave". The whole room (really a large closet) is all done with Home Depot cabinets, countertops and lighting.

take care of
good ventilation
gas detectors - if u use gas
fire detectors and fire extinguishers ..
Please do that !!!!!

Andrew, you say Santa is going to let you build your model shop in the garage, so then you are going to partition it off from the regular garage,I hope, so somebody can't come and open the big doors on a windy day, and blow all your model stuff clear out of sight.

I know I tell people not to do something, but that makes them want to do it all the more, and they would open up that big door sure enough.

Like I read in a couple other replies, they say light is important, comfort is important, and quick and easy accessibility to all your mainly used stuff is important.

Probably if some of us had some pictures of your work area, they might be able to send you in a direction on what to buy, or build, or where to position it.

The only thing everybody is different, to what one will like another won't, so some of that, you haft to trial and error until you get everything to where you want it.

The thing is, if you can, is try not to put it in permanent, until your sure that is what you want. Keep testing different positions until you get it right.

Peg boards help a lot with that on the walls, that way you can position everything to just the right spot, and you don't haft to tear up anything.

Make sure you got all the safety overloads on all your electric work, and have the right fire extinguisher handy, in case of any accidents, we don't want anything to happen to you or your family.

Kerry

My wife let me appropriate what has turned out to be a fantastic modeling desk: An old computer desk. This is the inexpensive, pressed-board type of desk that has a simple slide-out keyboard platform. The key is the slide-out platform (by platform, I'm referring not to one of the metallic trays, but a simple large flat piece of pressed-board). Having the ability to slide that level in and out is great. It practically doubles the work space you have directly in front of you and has saved me from having to do the "fallen part on the floor scramble" more times than I can count because I can pull that piece all the way out to my seemingly ever-expanding gut. I don't have to hunch over as much, so it saves wear on the back as well.
Just thought I'd share what has worked out very well for me.