svarn

My Feedback: (11)

My wife is throwing me out of our garage and making me build a separate workshop! How cool is that! (I guess my plan for adding airplanes until their was no room for cars worked!!)

But now I have a dilemma...how to design and layout the perfect workshop from scratch. It would be really great if anyone would share their thoughts on how to build the ultimate workspace. The addition will be 20'x24' with a single car garage door and side door for entry. If you have photos of your workshop you'd like to share that would be terrific. I often catch glimpses of other flyer's work benches, etc. when looking at the various ads but never a whole view.

Help me build the perfect space! Any input would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Sam

Underaged Pilot

My Feedback: (1)

ill help let me gather some photos
but you need electricity

Underaged Pilot

My Feedback: (1)

ok here is some stuff
for soe reasons it wont let me upload the plans but here are some pictures

rc-sport

My Feedback: (12)

Mannnnnn...some guys get all the luck

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

I got that one beat! I have 1900 square feet of basement for the first 4 years in this hobby I had only a 9'x12' room of it. After I caught it on fire she said I need more room[sm=bananahead.gif]. No prob says I and got all BUT that room for the shop. I will post a pic later.

ben beyer

My Feedback: (23)

Check building codes first, you may have to certify even a small workshop like that with the city. Second, while wiring the place may not be so bad, pouring concrete can be. If it doesn't have to be perfect (especially since caulk is a wonderful product) get some neighbor kids or some of your buddies and make them some barbecue with a few brewskies (if they're of age) to help you pour a small pad.

phayd

I'm playing with a 20x24 space in illustrator right now to get and idea of what you have to work with...

Right now, I have 2-5 foot square island workbenches, 2-10 foot by 3 foot wall benches, and still plenty of room for a refrigerator, mini bar, etc...

Oh, and plenty of space to store completed and uncompleted planes.

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Don't forget a cot! :-)

MajorTomski

More than adequate heating and air conditioning and a megga huge vaccuum or dust/vapor exhaust system. Nothing is more miserable that finding the entire shop covered in a very fine layer of balsa dust.

phayd

Actually, a dust collection system would be nice. Mix the dust with a little glue and you have yourself balsa filler too!

BTW, the refrigerator is intended to keep your CA's longer.

phayd

Oh, almost forgot...

A toilet

phayd

Here is a diagram of what I thought up for your space...
[img][/img]

APIA

Remember to add PLENTY of wall outlets, you think that you have enough until you have nowhere to plug in that tool. My bench is 14 ft long, a customized height of 41 inches (prevents sore backs from leaning over) and a run of 5, four outlet boxes. Sometimes this is not enough with all of the chargers, stereo, Dremel, sealing irons just to mention a few. Good Luck!
-Tom

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

I had a string of wall outlets added when my house/garage were built. I had them wired through a wall switch with a red monitor light. Now when I leave the workshop I make sure the light is out. No accidentally left on soldering iron, covering iron or any other heat developing appliance. There are other outlets, not near the work area for leaving overnight battery chargers in place.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Pool, sauna, wet bar, Giant screen Plasma TV, Bathroom (w/ Jacuzzi), E-Z Boy recliner with Vibro Massage.

My wife knows better than to throw me outta my work shop, cause she knows I won't come back

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

Ha! Gunner you nailed how I had a fire in my previous room! Unfortunately I left my soldering iron plugged in and when my wife got tired of looking at a box of smoke gerators on the counter she carried them down to the shop, chucked them on the bench and went back to whatever pregnant women w/ two days before the due date do. After a couple minutes she smelled smoke. Hence the fire dept was called to put out a 3" area of my work bench with a firehose![] That big fuss over setting off 180,000 cu ft of smoke in 3 min.[&:] Followed by a severe chastising for everything from leaving the soldering iron plugged in to storing Nitro, Solvents, "god knows what kind of glue you have there" and a case of Estes rocket motors. Nevermind the gas for the lawn mower, chainsaw, and weedeater.

The good news is my wonderful daughter was born the next day. Something to do with all that excitement?? BTW her first B-day is on 9-28.

Semi Retired Aviator

svarn, there`s no such thing as the perfect space. I guess I`ve built about five houses, and each time the plan is perfect, but before it`s finished, it`s way less than perfect. Give it as much thought as you can though because you`re probably going to be stuck with it for a while.

I wish like hell my wife would throw me out!! You lucky #$%&#

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

New room, still not enough!

svarn

My Feedback: (11)

Guys, this has all been really great. Photos are always the best because you can borrow ideas from what you see. But the comments about dust collection and power outlets are equally useful.

I'm looking to avoid fires like everyone so the idea of the red light on the switch is really great, too...even without a pregnant wife...

I promise to post the outcome in a few months when this is all built so you can all be green with envy....
but seriously keep the ideas and photos coming. Everyone will get a better workshop out of this....

Keep'em comin'
Thanks,
Sam

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

I'm sure someone will have some great pictures of their shop that will help. Unfortunately none of them will be mine. I am limited to the back wall of my garage, and it does limit how big I can build, or how I have to move the subassemblies around. My dream is a shop about the size of yours. I have found ,through NOT having it, that a free-standing work table, or a "peninsula" would be an asset; you can approach an almost complete model from any direction to work on it without constantly picking it up to reposition it. Good lighting is the other thing. Lots of fluorescent lights at many angles from the work tables to minimize shadows, mix different bulb types or use those that approximate natural light. I do have one item that I find indispensible: a desk mounted light with an articulating arm that has a 5 inch magnifying lens and a circular fluorescent bulb around it; detailing and engine work are a lot easier (I'm not exactly eagle-eyed, anyway). Hope this helps.

tucker1865

My Feedback: (6)

MAKE A TWO ROOM STRUCTURE SO THE PLANES AND YOUR SPRAY/MONOKOTE WONT GET DUST. ALSO WHEN DOING ELECTRIC, RUN TWO CIRCUITS, 20 AMP BREAKERS, 12 GA. WIRE AND ALTERNATE THE OUTLETS EVERY OTHER ONE. AND IF YOU ARE THINKING HURRICANE, A HIP ROOF IS BETTER THAN A GABLE. I THOUGHT EVERYTHING IN FLORIDA WAS CONCRETE BLOCK.

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

Hi Ken! Vic here. If you look closely I have done your recomendations already the door skin actually forms a *****ula at the end of my drafting table against the shelves. I also have one of those articulating magnifiers w/a florescent light. I need two more rows of lights at the end yet. Also I have a plan to use a bathroom fan mounted on a 24" box to use as a downdraft dust collector. I will finish it before my next major sanding/painting project. I am looking for an old ATM vault to use as a flamables locker for fuel and rocket motor storage.

airbatic

SVARN,

Throw out the wife. Then convert the unused bedrooms to workshop space.

One must establish priorities.