I’m starting to get excited about the idea of working with my tools again, and investigating some of the new creation technologies. The problem is space: I need a small space I can afford to get “shop dirty”. And in an urban environment, space is always at somewhat of a premium. I don’t need a large woodshop in which one might, say, create furniture, but I’m going to need something.
I’m going to need natural light; warm and dry; secure; stable/level floor; easily cleaned; dust and fume extraction system for sanding and soldering. For some of the projects I have in mind, I’m also going to need reasonably consistent draft and temperature control – nothing extreme, but a 3-D print can be ruined by a draft cooling the filaments. I’ve been chatting with my instructor in 3-D printing, and there is a great machine available for a ridiculously low price – but it’s going to require a cubic half-meter of space to operate in.
I turn my attention to the last unallocated space on our property – the quick and dirty shed that we built beneath the laundry room to hold the contents of my garage when I turned it into a recording studio many years ago. Let’s take a look.
For a moment I’m tempted to quit before I begin. Cold, chilly, cramped, dirty, stuffed with half sorted rubbish.
A good friend comes over to help me muck it out. In the course of a hard afternoon we get it cleaned out and make a number of discoveries. It’s been inhabited by rats; the concrete is rough and chunky; the wall of steel cabinets on the right will have to go. But it’s something – and I’ve also found some useful tools left over from previous jobs.
First up – the slab is rough and won’t make a good floor, but the ceiling is too low for me to lay a subfloor, so I investigate a floor leveling concrete product which is rated for final surface as well, and get to work mixing and pouring.
A couple of hours of hardening later and – that looks a lot better. I can work with that.
Test