The New Workshop - Part 5

I'm tired from a long day of shoveling snow.  Got 4 more inches this morning on top of the foot we already have in the yard so I shoveled it off.  Then we got three more inches by noon and I had to shovel that off.  At 3:00 pm I bought a new snowblower and cleared the snow again.  It's still snowing!  Great weather for model trains.

 

It seems my work tables are now covered in junk, so I better work on clearing them off before I go any further.  I want my main bench clean so that I can use it.

Another seven shoe boxes were filled tonight.  These were consolidated from about 10 boxes.

There!  The desk is uncovered again.  I found all kinds of things including tons of Caboose Industries Ground Throws that I lost many moons ago.  This evening I went through all of my remaining paint and threw out a lot of it.  So much $$ waste with paint.  The new drawer set has been installed under the desk and I filled it with clamps and other miniature tools.

It seems I keep everything, so I'm making it a point to throw away or put in the sale box anything that I don't think I can use on the next two layouts.  All my S-scale stuff is going, and some N as well.

It hurts to get rid of stuff.

The New Workshop - Part 4

(Sung to the tune "These are a few of my favorite things")

Blow dryer, lab mixer, old power packs,
Crushed mixing cups and some bottles and sacks,
Three coffee cups and some coal in a lump,
This is the stuff that I took to the dump!

Electronic keyboard and old Dremel cases,
Worn loco cradles and saw blades with spaces,
Dried up old paint and some things that were mashed,
This is the stuff that I threw in the trash!

When the room's small.
When you've got it all.
When you want to poupt.
You screw up courage and check your dismay!
And then you can throw it away!

Damn I hate throwing my stuff out.  But I've got to make some room and most of it I don't use.  The blow dryer was never used once though I thought I'd need it to dry something.  The lab mixer is a hot plate and a stirring tool, but never did more than heat my coffee back up.  The rest are triplicates of junk I didn't need in the first place.  Never save tin cans!

The New Workshop - Part 3

After working all day in the garage trying to get my workbenches and construction tools sorted out and put away, I finally got some time tonight to work on the train shop again.  Glass of sweet tea in hand (can't hardly get it out here in Utah so I have to make it myself) I headed down to the shop.

 The big problem with trying to unpack and put away the garage is that I keep finding boxes labeled for the train room.  Found three more today!  Crap.  Where am I going to put all this stuff?  A quick trip to the Wally-Mart allowed me to bring home 30 Sterilite brand clear plastic shoeboxes at $0.97 each, and 10 double size shoe boxes for $2.50 each.  While this isn't my favorite brand it is cheap and will last a long while before cracking.

 I've had to move one module (the big one) from the Dixie Central layout back into the room because it was blocking the hall.  Now it is blocking the room. 

 I unpacked and cleaned up the shelving unit that I will use in the corner for storing the shoe boxes.  It is not as sturdy as my big steel shelves, but it is smaller and will have to do.

 Gradually I'll open each box and start putting things into the boxes.  Each will be clearly labeled with a 2x4 inch white label and Sharpee ink.  Then when I'm done I'll sort them into functional areas like "tools" and "supplies".

 I made sure to get boxes that interlock.  That way they stay stacked when my clumsy butt knocks them over.

 The tops and bottoms nest into each other as seen in the photo.

 Glue and chemicals are stored on the very top in open containers so that I can keep them upright.

 The more I unpack the more cluttered the desks get.  Wait...I'm trying to unclutter them!

Professional movers make $8.00 per hour.  So needless to say my small parts bins were packed sideways and the parts fell out.  My tool boxes were also packed sideways and were a mess.  

I unpacked three boxes that were 4 feet high and this is all that I got on the shelf.  Crap!  Where am I going to put all this stuff?

The New Workshop - Part 2

Drawing of the workshop...

The New Workshop - Part 1

Happy Thanksgiving!  I finally got some time to work on the new train workshop.  I'll post the drawing of the room later, but for now it is a 10' x 11' spare bedroom in the basement with a closet.  Much smaller than my custom built 12' x 12' shop, but it is more than enough room.

 My helper was cleaning the tool boxes while I moved the shipping cartons around to give us some working space.  I am going to use two old computer tables that my wife and I used for our old office.  We've sense bought two new desks for the office, so these old ones will make good shop desks.  The are steel reinforced and have thick and very deep tops.  In all the two desks are about 10' long.

There is a nice basement window here that suprisingly gets a lot of light.  I'll put the main workbench in front of this window.  The room is painted the same blue/gray as my last shop.  The reason being that this blue/gray works well with digital photography.  My main toolbox will sit on the window ledge giving me more table top.

 I've got boxes coming out of my ears!  With this smaller space I'm going to have to shrink my collection of equipment.  Might as well start now.  I put up a box with "sale items" on it and started removing duplicate items, things I've not used in years, broken stuff and obsolete items in odd scales.  The first things to go were the microwave that I used for molds (I'll do that upstairs now) and the old tube tv, which will be replaced with a Black Friday Door Buster model in 15" size.  This will open up a lot of space on the workbench.

I'm going to go modular with this shop.  I'm putting in lots of shelving over the desks and in the corner and will use the tried and true method of storing things in clear plastic shoeboxes.  The wife is going to pick me up some new ones as many of mine are in bad shape or broken from the move.  In the previous shop I had only kept supplies in the boxes, but now we'll have to use them for tools as well.

Going through the boxes is fun!  It is forcing me to really think about what I need to keep and what is just junk that I've felt I've needed to hold on to.  The sale box is already filling up.  Since my focus is going to be more on building structures and cars for future layouts and the Dixie Central, I'm putting more of the layout construction stuff in the back of the closet where it won't get in the way.

 I recently bought these three shelf, rolling cabinets.  None of them survived the move.  They are just too fragile.  All of them will be eliminated and replaced with plastic shoe boxes.

This weekend we'll put a shelving unit in the corner and build shelves in the closet to store boxes.  I want to be sure I can see EVERY clearly labeled box. 

Stay tuned as I get back into the swing of model trains!

Building a New Workshop

I've decided that the best use of space in the new smaller house is to set up a shop in one of the 10 x 10 bedrooms and focus on getting the modules for the Dixie Central finished for my AP Certificates.  Here in Utah the weather is cold and the nights are dark, so I'll get a lot of good model building done.  Meanwhile I'm collecting HOn3 rolling stock for the next railroad and will take over the family room.

The shop will be a 10 x 10 bedroom with a large closet.  I've taken our two old office desks for use as shop benches.  They are steel frame and very solid.  The will fit along the long wall and the main desk will be in front of the basement window.  I've removed the door from its hinges and stored it until I get through with the job.  It opens inward and chews up a lot of space.

I'm going to continue with using plastic shoeboxes for storage.  The plastic rolling three shelf units are flimsy and not strong enough to last.  I'll build in some shelving in the closet and will erect one large shelf unit outside of the closet in the corner. 

Over the desks I'll need storage as well.  I'll probably build some wooden shelving and run power to the desk by way of a power strip.  Lighting will be needed as well, and I have a lot of desk lamps.  Since Black Friday is coming up I'll buy a new flat screen tv for watching cable/videos.

The rooms is cozy and will work out fine.