Sunday, December 19, 2010

The New Workshop - Completion and Summary

The workshop project is now complete.  When added up I've spend over 40 hours on getting the shop back to workable condition.  Is it completely finished?  Probably not as I'm always buying tools and changing things for different projects.  But "finished" means that I can find everything, it has been cleaned and put away in a marked location, and finally I can start building again.


Some key learnings from the shop project:

1.  You don't need everything so throw some stuff away.  Even if it is really cool or expensive, if you aren't going to use it in two years, chuck it out.

2.  Don't carpet your shop.  The only reason mine has carpet is because I have a foot injury that requires it.  If you have a workshop, tile the floor with black and white tile like my old shop.

3.  Cleaning and moving is a pain in the but.  Set a goal to work at least 30 minutes a day and use a TV or good radio to pass the time.  Even better, get a friend to come over to help.  The drudgery will pass by quickly.

4.  Use clear storage bins that interlock/stack.  The are easy to move around and cheap.

Have fun with your shop!  You ARE going to clean it this month, right?  Look for an article on this topic in the near future.

Final Design (click to enlarge)




Article Summary:

Building a New Workshop 

The New Workshop - Part 1 

The New Workshop - Part 2

The New Workshop - Part 3

The New Workshop - Part 4

The New Workshop - Part 5

The New Workshop - Part 6

The New Workshop - Part 7

The New Workshop - Part 8

The New Workshop - Part 9

The New Workshop - Part 10

The New Workshop - Part 11

The New Workshop - Part 11b

The New Workshop - Part 11 Addendum

The New Workshop - Part 12

The New Workshop - Part 13

The New Workshop - Part 14

The New Workshop - Part 15

The New Workshop - Part 16

The New Workshop - Part 17

The New Workshop - Part 18

The New Workshop - Summary


6 comments:

  1. Scott,

    You attacked the project with the gusto & expertise you do on all of your model railroad projects and it really payed off - it looks great. How much will you charge to do my shop (grin)?

    Rick

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  2. Scott,
    Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this workshop project. It will save me several mistakes in mine. Back in part 17 you mentioned your "test track", could you share plans for it? I saw one I really liked at a show but made the all too familiar error of trusting my memory as to how it was made.
    Thanks again, Dan Desclos (Maine)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Look for an article on the test track in the near future.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very nice! I haven't read the details yet, but if you're floor plan is to scale I only have 1 comment: Your door is too small! (:
    .
    --Paul E Musselman

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yup, the door is tiny, and is no longer there! I removed it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That should be "...if YOUR floor plan..."
    .
    --Paul E Musselman

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comment!