Welcome to the Forums! Glad to have you with us.

Jim 

Stay Safe.

Welcome to the Forums!

I'm sorry not to have any solutions for you; I have to work at the dining room table. 

Im a modeler on the go. Im working mainly out of hotel rooms these days since IM a contractor. Ive reduced my build kit to the essentials, and I got one of these building sets for gundams on Amazon for a few bucks, and it has almost everything I need.  I added a few more things that over the years Ive found I need, but even when I worked at home, I had the end of the kitchen table with a cereal box taped to the tablecloth.  Its not used for dinner much, and its directly under my hanging light for perfect illumination.  I guess Ive got 11x14" space, and Ive worked with that for years.  Paints and other stuff is mainly stored in 3 tier rolling storage cabinets. There are several versions of of this little kit.  https://www.amazon.com/BXQINLENX-Professional-Modeler-Building-Repairing/dp/B01GHB745E/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?ie=UTF8&aaxitk=ENXL1Yz-qwewdKls2FF--Q&hsa_cr_id=8451739630401&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_1

Hi;

 What I did when I lived on my small houseboat was make a larger top for a T.V.table, This worked Well for quite a while.

I had the same issue found a small box room felt rather cramped... So now my family don't have a dining room... But I have a huge work space ;) 

Sing Jonathan David

Hello,

I am new to scale modeling and am using a second bedroom as my work space. It's recently become increasingly challenging as I find myself wanting more room. I have a desk with a small fume hood that vents to the outside. My walls are pretty much taken up with shelving. Does anyone have space saving tips on how to do more with less?

Thanks!

J 

Welcome to the forum!

To your specific issue, and working with limited space-I have a bench, and plenty of storage, but I also have a travel kit, to take on the road to shows, or meetups.  I have a large toolbox, about 12" deep by 12" wide by 28" long.  It has a nice lift-out storage tray, too  In it, I have packed those things that are immediately necessary to do basic assembly and painting:

• most of my jars and bottles of paints, along with thinners/solvents for them
• liquid and tube styrene glue
• CA glue
• 2-part epoxy glue
• 2-part epoxy putty
• Paint brushes
• Sculpting tools
• an LED desk lamp
• a cutting board
• a wet palette
• a ceramic palette
• files, hobby knives & razor saws
• pin vise and drill bits

With that kit, I can set up on a space of about 2 foot square and work.

So the tip there is to think about what you need to have immediately to hand, to do your work, and everything else can be stowed and retrieved as necessary.

I hope that helps, and I look forward to seeing your builds!

Best regards,

Brad

Thanks to you and everyone for the great feedback!

Jonathan

I have a 3 tray large fishing tackle box to keep my build tools in to take to work and club meetings.  Works out fine.  Combine that with a TV tray, setting the tool box on the floor, along with a cutting mat for the table, and should be good to go.

Welcome aboard.

goldhammer

I have a 3 tray large fishing tackle box to keep my build tools in to take to work and club meetings.  Works out fine.  Combine that with a TV tray, setting the tool box on the floor, along with a cutting mat for the table, and should be good to go. 

Thanks for the feedback!

I'm like The Baron. I have to work on the dining table in our small apartment — about 950 square feet (88 square metres). I spread out a drop cloth, lay a self-healing cutting mat on it, and get out my tools and supplies, kept in large plastic boxes on a nearby closet shelf, set up two battery powered desk lamps. Set up and take down requires only two or three minutes, once paint brushes are cleaned. I took this photo perhaps two months after starting to build models again; today I use two lamps and a much larger cutting mat.

I probably could use an airbrush in our kitchen, but it would be fairly expensive and not very convenient. Instead, I built a spray booth out of a large cardboard box, installed a light bulb for heat on cold days, and use rattle cans. Works well, so far, although I do envy the control that airbrushing would allow.

Bob

Another thought is a lap desk.  Cut a plywood piece about 2x3 ft,  put a slight dip in one long side to fit around stomach.

Can rest it on chair arms and have a nice size work area, and will store on edge in a closet.

While I have a nice work area, my primary hobby is not scale modeling.  I can't tie up my workbench constantly for models.  This leads me to sharing that space as general work area, and a mostly dedicated electonics work area at the one side, with my computer setup on the far side of the area.  I have a drawer I keep my air brush, sand paper, small files.  I have a 3 drawer organizer (that is almost a 12" cube but not exactly) that my Testor small glass model paints, brushes, model glue tubes and tube putty are largely stored in.  Then I have a cabinet above that is where I put my bottle model paints, and various other glues and things.  Overall I don't take alot of space up with my model specific stuff.  I have a fume extractor box and the duct that I only bring to the workbench when I am using the airbrush.  I don't have room to keep it on my bench all the time.  It doubles as a storage area for some parts I don't need at this time that are painted so they don't get scratched up.  A primary thing is just have out what I need, and try to keep it to one model in progress. I put all the supplies and tools back when I stop for the evening/day usually.

I went from a foldout dining table in a 26' trailer to a bedroom/mancave,so right now i have tons of room but little shelf space left.

Work in a smaller scale. I work in 1/87 & have lots of room. Big bench, but work in about 3"x6" of it. PaulE

Hi Minitanker!

 Oh, you are so rare! My build team for "H.O." and "N" at the Museum get so spread out the space alloted to me is non-existant. Now ,that said, I still can build pretty good in the same space this laptop takes up, and I do! 

                      MY

is still on the kitchen counter, right beside the sink for the last 34 years.

Hello and welcome to the forum.... 

I cannot complain at all as I must be the rare one to have most of the unfinished basement of my ranch home to use (around 1800 sq. ft.). My problem, after living here for 20 years is that I have grown into the space with models, diecast, drums with sound equipment, pool table, sleeper sofa, and the big screen TV. In the winter I store both my motorcycles in the heated basement too. 

As you can tell, I made my basement more of a "man's world". My wife has control of most the upstairs (except the garage).  

Recently I started finishing my basement so everything is kind of pushed to the middle. When done I hope to have a 14 x 15 build area, 12 x 12 paint area with exterior vent, as well as a 6 x 24 glass enclosed and lighted display area built into two wall. That will take a couple of years most likely.

Ben

I got one of these ikea kitchen trolley with the idea that i can wheel it out when needed. (it ended up staying in place oh well)

OctaneOrange

I got one of these ikea kitchen trolley with the idea that i can wheel it out when needed...

I have a similar idea, to use a piece of kitchen equipment as an adjunct to my bench-a sheet pan cart, like this one:

https://www.therestaurantstore.com/items/65495

I will cut shelves from 1/2" plywood, and then I can store my casting molds and most of my gray army on them, on a rack with a footprint about 2 1/2 feet square.

seastallion53

I went from a foldout dining table in a 26' trailer to a bedroom/mancave,so right now i have tons of room but little shelf space left.

 

Decades ago when I was a young 20 something newlywed our first residence was an old trailer. My build space was a TV tray and I displayed my models on what floor space I had in a spare bedroom.