Hi Mike, I have the biggest Sears Crafsman Ind. bench they make, 72"x 32" as with a 1 1/2 inch top and seven drawers. To actually build on I use three 'celotex' accoustic celling tiles taped together, they hold pins well but are not too hard to push them into. You can get them at any large home improvement place. The only trouble is they need to be replaced after a couple of kits as they dent easy and always seem to get that way after a couple of kits or so. Before that I was building on a real mickey mouse set up, a old 4' folding game table, talk about rickitey, how I ever used that and came out with decient planes I don't know, but did anyway. My old home did'nt really have a garage as such so my 'workshop' was a 10'X12' lawn building out in the backyard had electric and TV even . . . but now in my new home I have a three car garage, the third bay of which is my shop, I really did it up right for once. I really have two benches, the main one being the sears and behind me a smaller 4' one I have my disc/belt sander and my scroll saw on with a area left for cutting, drilling, sanding etc. I also have a six shelf 24"X 48" storage unit across one end so the whole thing ended up shaped like a squared 'G'. Have a four 48" tube hanging flo fixture for lighting . . . and yeah, I still have the TV but now with cable and a stereo too. I spend alot of time out there. (alot of it just to get away from the wife and kids to watch what I want on TV in peace and quiet)

How do the Inst. look? How about any supplement Inst. on his mods? Be really on the look out for stuff he's changed but doesn't tell you about nor shows you on the plans . . . examine the parts closely and compare to the plans to pick up on any differences/substitutions. If your kit is anything like mine or my e-mail buddy Loran's (astro-jeff) there's going to be some. At least Ray groups pts. together so you'll at least have some idea as too what they're for, SOME idea . . . I had a few pts. left still in the tail group bag when it was done . . . I guess they go somewhere else but I have not a clue as to where yet!!!!! That's been my only complaint on this kit, the Inst. Well have fun looking things over and then getting started building.
I thought I would have mine done by the beginning of summer but am just starting the wings. At this rate it'll be Christmas before I'm done, luckly living in SoCal thats not a big a deal that it would be back east or up north even though it does get somewhat cool in the winter (to us) we can still fly most of the time. The trouble I have right now is that it's 103 degrees outside right now, maybe 120 in the garage, just a little too warm to be out there right now, in the winter it gets down to freezing at night out there. We seem to have two seasons here: too hot and too cold. In the winter it can be 80 in the day and 38 at night, thats what gets to you, the big swings in daily temp.
Rick K