Model Boat Mayhem

Mess Deck: General Section => Beginners start here...! => Topic started by: dave parker on November 13, 2019, 09:41:59 am

Title: Your work area
Post by: dave parker on November 13, 2019, 09:41:59 am
looking for inspiration before designing my workshop/hobby room


Any hints and tips, photos, do’s and dont’s would be gratefully received


Where do you all work your magic?!?!!!
Title: Re: Your work area
Post by: david48 on November 13, 2019, 10:04:14 am

One thing I found useful was a low bench that you could sit at ,as my build increased in size I had to stand up to work inside it  ,so I could see in .Normal bench height is about 30inches (760mm). I made one about the height of a chair seat ,18 inches (460mm).
 It worked for me ,again all depends on space.
David
Title: Re: Your work area
Post by: dave parker on November 13, 2019, 10:08:05 am
One question I do have is about bench height for tools like sander, pillar drill and band saw.
Where I want to put the bench for these I have to build it above a cupboard which means bench height is about 1000mm
To be this seems ok as will be stood rather than sat when using
Does this sound ok?
My working bench is standard heifht
Title: Re: Your work area
Post by: sabre on November 13, 2019, 10:16:54 am
Mine is a full length kitchen worktop in the garage sitting at a height of 36" on angle brackets along the wall and propped up by three  breakfast bar support legs from b&q at the front.   It's at the same height as our other worktops, a bar stool works well with it too but nae drink.   Small vice fitted at one end and just a perfect height for working whether seated or standing.
Title: Re: Your work area
Post by: david48 on November 13, 2019, 10:20:24 am

The low bench was just for working on the models . Stand upright put your hands at a comfortable height to work and the bands saw /drill press  grinder work surface will feel right to use . A normal kitchen work surface is about 850 mm( look at Axminster tools at bench dimensions)
David
Title: Re: Your work area
Post by: grendel on November 13, 2019, 12:41:44 pm
Ihave a workshop (in the conservatory) for all manner of carpentry, metal work, basically all the messy stuff, out there are my major power tools, (table saw, bench drills band saw etc.
indoors I have a standard kitchen table - boarded over in 1/2" ply which is my clean work area, beside that is a stand where the current model resides, small parts are fashioned in the workshop or at the table and then installed, the relatively clean area can be used for shaping planks, basically light work, but cutting the plank stock is messy so would be a workshop job.
Title: Re: Your work area
Post by: tonyH on November 13, 2019, 01:10:10 pm
Plenty of light and plenty of power points.
One thing that has proven to be of benefit over the last 15 years or so is covering the work surface with proper lino. It takes a lot of hard knocks and can be scraped down to a decent surface to clear glue, resin, paint etc. :-))
Title: Re: Your work area
Post by: sabre on November 13, 2019, 05:21:04 pm
Talking of light I have a rechargeable portable work  light similar to this fixed above the bench.  Great for working under the car too.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/T-SUN-Rechargeable-Waterproof-Detachable-Emergency/dp/B075R1KZNR?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_2 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/T-SUN-Rechargeable-Waterproof-Detachable-Emergency/dp/B075R1KZNR?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_2)
Title: Re: Your work area
Post by: tigertiger on November 14, 2019, 02:34:55 am
For electrics, you can never have too many power-points/sockets. It is always possible to use trailer sockets/power cords, but wall sockets are much more convenient. I have banks of 4 sockets around the workship (I often use up to 3 at a time in one place. These are about 300mm above bench height. One set in each corner, and two additional sets on each wall.
I have two runs of strip lights, each is about 500mm in from the sidewalls, that way I have multi-directional light and I am never working in my own, or any, shadow.
My floor was concrete, not ideal, and I painted it with a two part resin paint. This is non-slip and easy to sweep. I also stand on some thick exercise mats next to the bench, these are warmer and have some give. A wooden floor is always better, unless you are going to have very heavy machinery.
Bench height is about 800 mm. The same as most of our kitchen, but I am not tall. One rule of thumb I saw was that if you stand up, and hang your arms by your side, the bench should be at wrist height, or thereabouts. Many benches are 800mm or more deep, if you have a small workshop this can be tight. My bench is 600mm only, and is more than enough for most carpentry jobs, modelling jobs are smaller. I also have the bench on 75mm/3 inch wheels, so that I can pull it out from the wall and work on all sides of a job.
Not all of my power tools are full size, because of space limitations. I have a 10 inch bandsaw, mounted on a wheeled cabinet, so that it can be moved around as needed. I also have something called a 'mini drill', it is like a slightly undersized drill press, that only weighs 9kg. Even a small drill press can be nearly 30 kg. At only 9kg the mini-drill is easy to put away and does not need permanent bench space.
Title: Re: Your work area
Post by: tonyH on November 14, 2019, 11:54:23 am
Another thing that I've found very helpful is making sure that the work bench is as level as possible, simply because its then easy to get keels, masts etc. pretty vertical using a plumb-line.
Title: Re: Your work area
Post by: Colin Bishop on November 14, 2019, 01:22:40 pm
And it also stops the cylindrical craft knives rolling off and pinning your foot to the floor....

Colin
Title: Re: Your work area
Post by: tonyH on November 14, 2019, 02:43:59 pm
First aid kit, Fire extinguisher, De-fibrilator?????????????????
Title: Re: Your work area
Post by: tigertiger on November 14, 2019, 03:28:32 pm
First aid kit, Fire extinguisher, De-fibrilator?????????????????
 


Haha! too true. I think the first aid kit is my number one toolkit. Mostly for splinters and small cuts.
Needle, tweezers, iodine, and band-aids.