New Workshop Space

[Stu]

Hey Stu, what drawer slides are use using for the 1200mm drawers?

I ordered a bunch of heavy duty slides from Timbecon. I was going to use them for the bigger/deeper drawers and use the lighter white ones for smaller drawers.

Cheers
Dom

I'm using the crappy Bunno's white sliders at present and they're holding up just fine.
I built a mix of drawer sizes with the top 4 being 100mm height and the
others get larger. The other set to the right are larger in height again from 150mm to 250mm.
The carcases are 16mm melamine and everything else is 16mm mdf
including drawer sides and bases. The top is two 16mm mdf sheets glued and screwed to 32mm thick.

[Arnt]

Hi Dominic, here's a link to a thread over on OLF with pictures of how I did my new workshop. My basement shop is probably quite similar to yours, like you I have one large window and several smaller ones higher up on the walls.

http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/view ... 01&t=16908


I went with a large assembly table in the middle because I had enough space for it, in your case the L shaped bench might be a better idea as there is not much room left on one side of the table in your second plan.

What are the dimensions of your workshop? If you have the space, I recommend putting the dust producing machinery in a separate room, it makes it a lot easier to keep at least part of the shop tidy and relatively dust free.

[Dominic]

Been busy at work lately but have managed to get some work done on the new workshop. I have thought very carefully about what needs to go into the spaces. I would like to be able to have a clean bench with everything away. I want to keep the surface area that dust can cling to to an absolute minimum.

First I levelled the base for a large L shaped bench. It is 600mm wide against the window and 1150mm on the rest so there is heaps of space there.
Then I have built different sized boxes using pocket holes to house drawers of different depths and widths to store all my tools, jigs etc and cupboards for bigger stuff and these are screwed together to form a flat bench top around 900mm high.
I add another layer of 18mm mdf to the top of that and I found some laminex at the salvage yard which goes on top for hard wearing protection. This will be edged with hardwood.



Next I tried out my new dado blade and cut all my drawers with box joints. Once the jig is set up its easy. And the bits just go together so nice.
I love my new table saw.

Here is a pile of drawer pieces ready for assembly with bases slid into the dadoed groves and glued. Note the two piles have offset pins and grooves. Thre are more piles of bits around the old workshop waiting to be put together.




Here is the jig with the dado blade. If you haven't seen box joint jigs, you slide the jig back and put your side up against the pin next the the blade and push the jigs through the blade. Then you put the new dadoed groove over the pin and cut the next slot and on. The mating piece starts with a groove and not a pin so the bits mate.




Dom

[kiwigeo]

Looking good there Dom, nothing more satisfying then watching a workshop take shape. What brand and model is the table saw?

Cheers Martin

[Allen]

Looking great Dom. I just received a new blade and an 8" dado set in the post yesterday and can't wait to get a chance to use them as well. I bit the bullet and ordered ones from Forest Manufacturing in the US before the $AU took a dive.

I have heaps of little bits of timber lying about that are going to get turned into some small boxes for gifts.

[Dominic]

Martin, thanks mate, I have the carbatec 12 inch saw MBS 300.

Allen, I did the same, but I ordered a dado and a box cutting blade from the US made by Freud from Woodcraft. The box cutter blade cuts two widths, 1/4 and 3/8 by switching the blades around and it cuts perfectly flat square joints. The dado leaves very small ridges that need to be removed. I got both blades cheaper than buying one dado set here. For small stuff the box blade set might be the go and it was only about $80 US, not bad.

I've been making different TS jigs for guitar building, we should compare some time.

Cheers
Dom

[Allen]

I saw some box making sets after the order had been processed and in the mail. I'd have like to add them to the order and saved the postage. It'll have to wait now. And yes, the reason I bought in the US was that they were less than buying local. That really annoys me.

[Dominic]

Allen, I'm pretty relaxed about getting stuff OS now. If local wholesalers and retailers passed on the savings from the strong dollar they would get our business. But they keep their prices the same and increase margins.
A lot of this stuff is made in the US anyway so we are just cutting out a few middle men.

But, it seems the market is turning against the dollar at the moment and we are back to 80c when we looked like gaining parity a few months ago. The market can be a fickle thing.
Dom

[Craig]

YO Dom !,

Your workshop progress is looking fantastic . I have an ex- draughtsman's cabinet with the large drawers too , and have found it very handy at keeping your work from being damaged and keeping the benches clear etc .

Love your saw ( read jealous ! ). I'm sure if I had one , it would be very busy. ,,,,One day ,,,

Keep us posted as you develop your work area. Good stuff mate

Cheers

[Dominic]

OK, after the wounds from my fight with the table saw healed I got back on track and have nearly finished the big bench. Here are a couple of pics.

These draws have heavy duty bearing slides that are full extention and smooth as. I can keep all my power tools I them and they stay smooth with the weight.

The double cupboard is about 500mm deep, half the width of the bench top but the single one is about 1100mm deep so i can store weird long stuff.
The top is 2 layers of 18mm mdf with fake wood grain laminex on top and hardwood edging.


This is from the other side. 8 small drawers with lighter weight slides, a narrow cupboard for dishes and one very long drawer under the top with heavy duty slides so i can keep all my important tools right there where I need them.
The drawers on the left have not had there face pieces put on yet and you can still see the box joinery. The faces cover up the gaps and make it easier to get everything lined up. And I have to finish the bench top but I want to get a sparky to put a sub main for the whole workshop in near here so that has to get done first.



Another angle. The 2 big drawers on the left can easily hold an guitar. You can also see the dadoed grooves in both big and small drawers. All the drawers have grooves so I can fit dividers later on if I want.


Now I just have to put in some new dust extraction ducting through the wall and i can start moving all the machines in. 2/3 of the space is still empty for that.
Dom

[kiwigeo]

Hey Dom......how come theres always a bottle of beer in those photos???

[Allen]

Sweet indeed Dom. Looks like you've thought well out into the future for most conceivable needs. That's oing to be a lovely place to work.

We see the beer, but where's L'fridge?

[Craig]

That's a fantastic bench Dom. and very well thought out. A safe place for lots of things and still very handy. The work area in general is looking ideal for building instruments . I sense a really good vibe too !

Great work Dom.


Cheers

[Dominic]

Yeh, I am going to like working in there.

Hey Dom......how come theres always a bottle of beer in those photos???

Martin, are you telling me you can make guitars without beer?

[Allen]

I'm not. I think that's just about impossible. And my L'Fridge is only 2 paces away from the work bench.

[kiwigeo]

My builds are often lubricated with a good red.

Yeh, I am going to like working in there.

Hey Dom......how come theres always a bottle of beer in those photos???

Martin, are you telling me you can make guitars without beer?

[Sam Price]

Stunning workshop, well done!...I can hear the smooth sound of those drawers sliding effortlessly open and shut.

I have got to get myself a larger workspace...