New to SOS, about to build a work station

B

Bill451

Joined
Jul 26, 2012
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I found Donnie's build log while surfing recently, and it has inspired me to fulfill a lifelong dream of building ship models. I retired in 2006 from teaching systems analysis and design and programming classes at the university level, and when we lived in the San Francisco Bay Area I sailed as often as possible.

Please help me design my work station. I will take any and all suggestions to heart. I've been building furniture for almost 40 years now, so it will be possible to incorporate your design recommendations into the ideal work space for building wooden ship models--usually in the 1:100 scale range (hopefully around 36 inches from tip of bowsprit to tip of main boom). Bluenose and Flying Fish are in my build inventory (both from Model Shipways), but I won't start on them until I've built the work area.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Bill
 
Welcome aboard. There are a few people that have shared there work station on the forum. An easy and cheap way to start is with a card table. You are working in miniature. A place to keep parts and tools. Ax you are working on the kits, you will find out what tools you need and those that you want. The saying that you learn by experience really applies to this hobby.
 
Gary,

Thanks for your encouragement. My wife bought me a T-shirt years ago that at least somewhat describes me: "Rule 1--you can't have too many tools" and "Rule 2--refer to rule 1." She always allowed me to have at least one new tool for each project, and in many years of furniture building I've had lots of "needs" for new tools. As you know, it is even more important to use the tools; and I plan to get rolling soon. Donnie shared a U-shaped table design with me, and with his permission I will post that.

Bill
 
Anja,

I also have a hobby-related room that will house my work station, but I have windows on two walls (adjoining) so it limits my layout possibilities. Donnie's idea of a U-shaped table has gotten the mind working about the best way to proceed, and I've always enjoyed my L-shaped corner table for my computer system--six feet on each side with a 45-degree inset for the keyboard. My work station will also house a monitor for another hobby--film negative scanning. Today is a SketchUp day to attempt assembling all the parts floating around in my head. I want to start working on a model, and that will happen soon.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Bill
 
Popeye,

Donnie's idea of a desk surrounding the central chair has much to recommend it, and since you have two tables (as does Anja) it appears that one cannot have too much space. Your encouragement and welcome are much appreciated.

Bill
 
I have two work tables and a bookshelf for reference materials. I use a DVD case to hold my tools that I will be using on my build so that I do not have them taking up space on my work table. My power tools and special tools that are need during some parts of the project are stored in a white 6 foot cabinet. All of this is in a spare bedroom that i set aside for modeling. I keep my spare wood in a box on top of this cabinet.
 
GaryM,

From looking at the various build logs here and on MSM it seems clear that I will be able to use/need every square inch of counter space I can muster up. Having the tools off the work surface makes good sense, and I tend to be a pack rat. I'm also thinking about cases with plastic drawers (I have two in my shop for small items, and they work well) and mounting them on the wall above the desktop (as opposed to sitting them on the desktop and taking up valuable real estate). Several build logs show plan sheets spread out beneath the model, but I was originally planning on a cork board on the wall in front of me to have those sheets visible. What are your thoughts?

Bill
 
What I do is get everything photocopied. These then go on the wall. I keep the originals in the ship box. That way, if I tear them while making mesurements or while comparing my work to the plans, it is not a problem. Ocassionally accidents do happen, no matter how careful you try to be.
 
Popeye,

Makes sense. Short of laminating all the plan sheets, it seems reasonable to keep them out of harm's way. Those photos I've seen with plans on the build surface must be of brave souls who never spill--too bad I'm not among that group.
 
Popeye,

I'm back to the idea of a cork bulletin board for posting sheets of plans. My workbench will be such that I can reach up from a sitting position and place dividers on the plan to verify scale measurements. I've just about got the work space designed--an epiphany this morning got me closer to the final layout.
 
Possibly a silly question: if we copy plans, will they be exactly 100%? Years ago there was a movement afoot to make copy machines unable to reproduce currency by disabling the 100% copy feature. Since we are building to exact scale, will a second (third, fourth, etc.) copy of the original plans be smaller as copies go farther away from the original? Any insight will be welcome.
 
Thanks for the input on plan copying. One of the great things about living in rural Nebraska is the low population. Our town has about 1500 residents, and there is no traffic light--but alas no Kinkos or other copy place either. Rapid City, South Dakota is only about three hours away; and I do get there several times a month. Guess I'll have to plan my trips to include visits to a good copy facility.
 
GaryM,

Although I have not heard of any advertising recently, I believe it is still presented during the summer. I saw it about 20 years ago when our faculty brass quintet was on a recruiting tour. It was performed at night, and the lighting was spectacular--an open-air forum as you probably remember. If you wish, I'll be glad to check on that.
 
GaryM,

There is an excellent hobby store in Rapid, and that brings up a question you (or others on the SOS forum) may be able to answer:

What is your opinion of the Byrne miniature tools? I see on his web site that he makes a table saw, disc sander, thickness sander, and a drawing scale (for scale dowels). These appear to be well-constructed and intelligently-designed units, and as a furniture maker I have the "big brothers" of these tools in my shop.

I love equipment and being able to make my own items, but I also want to be realistic. As a model ship builder, will I need and use these machines regularly, or will they sit on the shelf most of the time? I plan to move into scratch building after I get a few MS kits under my belt (Phantom, Bluenose, and Flying Fish are already in inventory).

Thanks for your guidance and direction.
 
I am not familiar with their tools. The miniture tools that I am familiar with are Dremel, Proxxon, and those sold by Micro-Mark. With kits, there is rarely any need for most of the heavy duty items. If you move into scratch, the tools will be somewhat dictated by the intended scale you chose.
Each manufacture has their own way (sometimes for designs purposes) of doing things. They all have something to offer and one of their techniques might just fit you best.
 
GaryM,

Thanks for the advice, and it seems reasonable that I should wait until I'm finished with the kits I have before investing in tools that won't be needed until scratch building is truly on the horizon. Some day I will probably have a miniature woodworking shop to mimic my full-sized shop, but that is not necessary yet.
 
There are many tools that are needed to work in miniture. Most of these make the job simplier and allow the job to be performed without frustration. This includes several styles of tweezers of various lengths, precision paint brushes, etc. The Dremel rotory tool and it numerous accesories is almost indispensible. It allows us to do better detail work and in less time. Over the years, I have purchased most of the non-motorized tools from Micro-Mark and hobby shops. The amount of money spent on these items can be substantial. The main idea in the early stages is to look for those items that can make you job easier, less frustrating and allow us mere mortals a chance at better precision.
 
GaryM,

When my wife was alive we had an agreement: each new project would need at least one new tool. She was incredibly understanding, and as a result I have a well-equipped furniture-making shop. I've started assembling tools for my voyage, and so far I have a Dremel-like tool (long flexible shaft), a collection of miniature pliers, a vise for clamping the keel once the false keel is assembled to the bulkheads, and a device for aligning the bulkheads. I was going to build an elaborate work station upstairs in my house, but after viewing some of the work stations on the MSW site I realized that the loft in my furniture shop will be ideal--so when I return from Seattle I will get the Phantom out of its box and start building. Sometimes we just have to wait until all the fact gel in our minds before proceeding, eh?
 
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