Inspiration for my new upgraded workshop

[Jeff-C]

First of all. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

So, my situation is that I am upgrading my log cabin. Currently it is bog standard as purchased (has been used for storage and a home office, and was gifted to us when we moved house);

**LINK**

I am adding a layer of foil backed 'bubble wrap' initially onto the internal wall (foil facing in), and this will be be the vapour barrier. There will be a small air gap then created by batons, and then 25mm of celotex or kingspan polyboard. Finally, on top of this will be 5.5mm ply board for the inner wall. I have had to use slightly smaller thickness insulation due to size issues of shelving units, but something is always better then nothing.

So looking at the cabin dimensions, the plan is something like this:-

- In the 2m x 1 alcove, I will have floor to ceiling shelving units running up the 1m section where the door recess is, and then one of the opposing wall. These are 90cm wide and 2m high (fit perfectly). Then there will be a width wise lower level unit that is 90cm that will fit in under the window at 90degrees to the 2m high units.. Basically this will create a large storage area that is in the shape of "U" .  I then plan to put a large curtain over this area to effectively isolate it from the rest of the shed, meaning that can house all non-aviation DIY equipment.

So this will now effectively leave me with a long thin area approx. 3.7m long x 1.7m wide along the full length of the back wall. This is what I need a little bit of inspiration on. I am thinking of maybe a long 3m kitchen work surface bench sitting on top of some ikea drawer units spaced to create either 2 or 3 areas where I can put my stool in between. This has the added advantage of breaking the area into a few defined building areas. Then above this I was planning on having shelves that run the full width of the wall. This then leaves me at the end of the unit 70cm to store some larger model wings in an upright position.

What are your suggestions and idea? What have you done in your workshop for build benches? How high did you make you bench? What did you use and why? Did you insulate and how did you do it?

Anything and everything that you might have suggestions on would be brilliant, or even pictures would be amazing. This is a one time chance to make this place perfect (and the only time the boss will allow me to move everything in to the house for a few days whilst I rearrange it all), so I need to get it right!!

Edited By Jeff-C on 01/01/2014 10:56:24

[IanN]

Bench height is probably one of your key qs - critical that its at a comfy height for your personal pref for working.

Mine is a kitchen worktop on a std kitchen unit at one end, jigged up to the same height on home made trestles in tne middle and at the other end. Works fine for me and plenty of storage room underneath

[kc]

At first I was very, very envious when I saw the picture of your new workshop........then I realised the danger......

Some of us have realised that the danger is if SWMBO allows one to spend all that money on a 'shed' then perhaps one day SWMBO will throw ones clothes in there too and change the locks on the main house!

[Jeff-C]

Hahaha. Well, if I had it all insulated and all my models were in there......would it be such a bad thing?! Means I can get away from the children!!

In relation to bench height, most units and surfaces sit at about 85-90cm, which is just a tiny bit to low for me to stand at comfortably. That is why I was not going down the kitchen unit route as I want something in the 100cm - 110cm region. I have been told that the hight of the bench is by far the most important thing.

[roger graves]

Hi Jeff

I have the 5 x 3 Walton corner cabin just finished and I carried out the following mods,

1, Screwed floor joists to concrete base.

2, Screwed walls to floor joists.

3, Screwed roof timbers to walls and bolted CLS 4 x 2 to rafters thus making an A frame in the roof which now has a large shelf spanning the lot for airframe storage.

4, Insulated the floor using 25mm styrene suspended under floor decking boards, then fitted laminate floor on top (easy clean)

5 bench, I used 4 x 2 CLS as main support with the same material for legs at approx 1m spacing, this gives me an L shape along back and side wall of 4m and 2.5m. The 2.5 length is used for machinery,pillar drill sander etc with the main 4m length as a building area. The bench is finished with 18mm hardwood faced ply with 3 coats of yacht varnish there are storage shelves under most of the bench. The bench is 1m high.

6 under the window area I have an office desk approx 1.5 m long with storage underneath this will be used for small stuff and drawing etc.

7 Heating I have a 2kw convector heater with 3 heat settings which so far has proved OK.

8 The roof leaked after 6 months threw the rubbish felt away that was supplied and had a proper hot felt applied.

HTH

Roger

[ben goodfellow 1]

build your own bench and storage . i did in my loft 18mm mdf . and use comfirmat screws. it can be to your own spec . everything i have has its own place . , its cheaper and easier

Edited By ben goodfellow 1 on 01/01/2014 11:42:45

[avtur]

Posted by kc on 01/01/2014 11:16:48:
At first I was very, very envious when I saw the picture of your new workshop........then I realised the danger......

Some of us have realised that the danger is if SWMBO allows one to spend all that money on a 'shed' then perhaps one day SWMBO will throw ones clothes in there too and change the locks on the main house!

And the problem with that would be

 

There is more serious problem which I could see ... when SWMBO allows one to spend all that money on a shed (with contents) ... and then demands similar spending rights on here interests ...

Avtur ... SK8 ... marriage guidance specialist !!

Edited By avtur on 01/01/2014 11:57:52

[Colin Leighfield]

I'm very envious of all you better organised blokes. I work in a shed 12x6 and the time I should spend tidying up always get put on one side to build something else instead. As it becomes impossible, some completed models finish up in the garden shed adjacent, or in the garage loft.

Really it's not good enough, I've got to improve. This is how it looks today.

[John Privett]

Colin, I suspect some of us will be looking at that picture thinking how tidy it looks!

[Colin Leighfield]

Believe me John, you can't see the half of it mate!

[Jeff-C]

Colin.

That is surprisingly more tidy than my cabin at the moment, hence why I have HAD to do something about it. You really have managed to pack a lot in to a very small space. Thank you for sharing.

Do you have heating in there? It doesn't look like you have insulated in there, so must be quite chilly.

[Colin Leighfield]

Jeff, I've got a blower heater which is surprisingly effective, it warms up very quickly. I suppose the fact that it's wood provides a degree of natural insulation and it's not drafty.

[Mogs]

I have an angle poise lamp fitted upside-down to the roof above my bench, a bit like the dentist, which I find very useful. It also doubles up as the bulldog clip store.

[Jeff-C]

Mogs

that is a really good idea. I have an old watch makers lamp that has a large 30cm magnifying glass in the middle. Imagine a make up mirror with a light running all the way round it, but instead of a mirror it is a magnifying glass. Really great light and useful for small soldering and things, but a pain to constantly work behind and not all that easy to move around.

so your light is on a sort of friction mount which let's you move it and then it stays in that position?

[Olly P]

Jeff - Have a look at my 'New Shed' thread, it showswhat I have gone through over the last few months.

Storage is key, and don't forget about the roof as a storage area. I have recently (last weekend) put some hooks into the roof beams and some screw in loops into my fuselage building board, and it is now hung overhead. this is a lovely neat solution I will be using for more bulky flat items in the future.

A quick couple of photos showing how it was a couple of weeks ago - it is a bit more useable now....

[Mogs]

Posted by Jeff-C on 03/01/2014 09:02:53:

so your light is on a sort of friction mount which let's you move it and then it stays in that position?

If you were to imagine your foot is the lamp, there is a wingnut and spring-washer on the coach-bolts at the "hip", "knee" and "ankle" positions, that occasionally need a twist, but mostly it stays where it's put. I'm not sure my system would hold the weight of the lamp and lens. I botched mine together from scaps of wood and old table lamp, it aint pretty.

[Gordon Tarling]

Don't think anyone has mentioned it, but give some thought to an 'island' workbench if you have the space. Being able to work on a model from all sides without having to keep re-positioning it or reaching over is a real blessing.

[Ernie]

Hi, Jeff,

I think that there are several things that need considering. here are a few

1 Good solid benches, fixed to both floor and wall, especially to fix a good big vice to. The height is important, so if you sit on a stool or a chair, work out the best height from there. Of course, the building board is most important, There is plenty advice about that elsewhere on the forum.

2 I don't decide where everything will go at first, I move the bits around till I'm happy about everything, then fix them down.

3 I have about 6 cheap anglepoise type lights dotted around, so that I can have light where I need it most.

4 You will need storage for tools, Easiest are cheap plastic tool holders from B&Q, or a board with pegs for each tool. I use a big piece of cork to stick knives into. For drills, dremel tools etc., I have a chunk of hardwood, with holes drilled in it. And, lots of these wee plastic drawers for all your nuts and bolts

5 I can't talk about electrics, 'cos mine are a mess, with lots of multipoints. you do need many socket outlets.

6 And if your electrics are like mine, a fire extinguisher

7 If you have the space, once you have the layout sorted, A workplace for each activity is usefull. ie...a couple of firebricks for soldering on, a wee box for airbrushing into, etc.

8 I do agree about the island if you have the space

9 I wouldn't dare show you mine, because its a mess

ernie

[WolstonFlyer]

I am just jealous of you guys that have any shed or garage to build your models in, I have a 8"x6" garden shed but it is mainly full of kids bikes and lawn mower.

One question though - it seems like lots of people use standard shiplap garden shed type constructions, so how do you prevent damp and frost damaging your models and electrics. Even tools like my expensive snap-on spanner set have eventually started to show signs of some corrosion after being left in the shed a few years.

[Ernie]

SWIMBO is a very understanding person. We bought a shed with a house beside it

ernie

[Vecchio Austriaco]

Wolston Flyer,

corrosion (caused by condensation) is an issue. If you do not heat the shed you cannot avoid it. No matter if it is insulated or not. I have the problem on my lathe accessories - the lathe itself is normally protecrted with some oil, so not really an issue. And this is an apex shed, nice and rain-tight. Only way is to have a frost protector (for instance a small oil radiator), thermostate set to just 10degC.

See here a picture - just taken after I moved the shed into my mini garden. Was less than one year old at that time, so I didn't leave it at my previous place.

Will leave that shed with my old house, planning already for the next one...

It will be a log cabin, probably from BillyOh - anybody out there with experience about their quality?

VA

[kc]

I suggest reading Workshop Construction by Forrest & Jennings ( MyHobbyStores publication ) for ideas on insulating floors and vapour barriers etc. In the same series a book on Workshop Electrics by Alex Weiss might be worth reading. This series of books is normally in most libraries or they cost about 8 pounds to buy.

The Workbench Book by Scott Landis published by Taunton shows lots of proper woodworker benches if you want to build a real carpenters bench.

A proper woodworkers vice should be inset into one of the benches even if you build simple benches. Much easier to build it in rather than install afterwards.

Lots of white surfaces to reflect the light around will always help and especially if you want to take photos for a build blog. Nothing beats long fluorescent tube lighting in my opinion. Not fashionable in houses so they are often thrown out!

[Jeff-C]

Thank you all for your ideas.

KC- will certainly have a look at those books when I get back from work, thank you very much.

Vecchio - Those are some fine looking sheds. One thing I was told before I moved, was if I was going down the shiplap shed route, then even just a small amount of insulation in between the batons on the walls makes such a huge difference. That is why I am planning a slightly more complicated airgap / insulation system on my cabin. I want it to be totally useable all year round, and a neighbour has a job lot of thicker kingspan that I can put in the roof space (although I won't bother boarding over this, just fit the insulation). The idea then is to have a few frost fighters (greenhouse heaters) in various places around the cabin. Hopefully if I install 4 of those (to make around 500w), it will distribute the heat evenly and allow the shed to stay at a constant temp during the winter, and cost less than £1 or so per day to keep the freezing chill out during winter.

Olly - I have actually been following your thread, and I too am very jealous! What an amazing space you have. It is almost as large as the downstairs of my house!! Storage is so important, that is the reason that I want to try an utilise the recess for total storage as it then can be hidden away to give the room a little bit better "feng shui".

In relation to lighting, I was thinking of getting a few natural light strips on on the main rafter, and then having some multi-directional spots to go under the full width shelf that I am planning to have above the workbench. These can then be turned on and off individually to make for more efficiency and to make individual work areas.

Then comes the headache of plug sockets. I get the idea that more is better! I want everything to be as neat as possible, but I can't help but feel having a few 4 plug multi-blocks at each workstation is going to be the easiest.

Just so you know, hopefully the boss will be heading away for a few days with the kids next week as we have building work done, which means I will have the house to myself (as I have to babysit the builders). Perfect time to move everything from my shed into the house, and get stuck in to doing the project. There will be lots of pictures to follow!

Edited By Jeff-C on 04/01/2014 08:49:14

[Jeff-C]

Vecchio,

I have just seen your shed again on Olly's thread. I still can't believe how much you have managed to pack in to there, (and a lawnmower!!) Very neat and tidy and a real inspiration!

Edited By Jeff-C on 04/01/2014 08:54:18

[Vecchio Austriaco]

Jeff- the lawnmower was in the shed only when it stood at Bloxham - since it is in Milton Keynes I have the luxury of 2 sheds - one for the usual garden stuff plus cycles and the other one as workshop only. Also the computer is back in the house.

I completely insulated the workshop (alu-plastic laminate damp barrier, 25mm styrofoam,8mm MDF) so it needs very little heating energy. But of course - condensation is a problem also here if it is not constantly heated.

I am looking forward to my next shed - project

VA, moved house 9 times so far, 3 different countries....