Our Work Benches

Ted4321

I like the easel you have in your second pic. I need one of those. 

T e d 

Thanks, Ted!  I was thinking of buying one, when one day, I was driving around and saw that someone was throwing it out.  I stopped and asked the homeowner about it, and he said to take it.   Very handy for holding references while I work.

I've been meaning to rabbet out a groove towards the top and glue in a strip of cork, so I can pin things to it, but that's a "someday" project.

I'm sorry but if my work area was that clean I don't think I could get anything done. Also, my wife would have a heart attack and say "What did you do with my husband?"

Jim  

Stay Safe.

OK, how long will it stay cleaned up?

You can make a cool display hanging from the ceiling....saves some room. For instance, a Corsair chasing a zero, or a Spitfire chasing a BF109.

Here is my space.  It really needs to be organized, now that I’m looking at it instead of working in it.  I love building, not so much the rest, so I usually have way too many projects going at once.  

 I can't find my bench, seems my stash has out grown my room to build..... I am trying though.

    Also changing back to acrylics,..cause of toxicity, really excuses.. I'm lazy LOL.

Well, I have finally figure out how to put a photo on this site!!!!!!!

Ok, the photo is of my workbench It is very neat because at the time the photo was taken I was between builds. I was waiting to receive the Revell 1:72 pirate ship.

The Workbench is 2 feet by 4. I built it mostly out of left over wood from other projects. the  thing can be disasembled and folder away if need be since it does not have any nails.

I am not much of a campinter, but the table came up fairly decent, it won't win any awards, but it does the job.

Nice! So the Pirate ship is your build that you asked about in color sets?

If so, I'd go with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4irXQhgMqg

Here's the only image I can show you about what's on my work bench:

Custom made tool holder I made 20 years ago..

Man I must be doing something terribly wrong!  To say I am jealous is an understatement.  I'm stuck fighting for dining room table space.  Think I need to have a long talk with the wife.......

GMorrison

Nice! So the Pirate ship is your build that you asked about in color sets?

If so, I'd go with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4irXQhgMqg

 

 

When it is taking into consideration that the Revell pirate ship recomends over a dozen colors, painting it black would have been a solution, but, I realized I did not have sufficient black to cover the enire ship.

Thanks for the link.

I finallly cleaned up my bench, finishing one project and moving on (to the Roden B-307).

The bench top is made from two pieces of 1/2 x 24 x 48 particle board , trimmed to 18 inches deep and mounted in a sandwich with 1 x 2 framing to stiffen it.  It is mounted on two drawer cabinets from an office supply place.  These cabinets were a bit too low for me, so I made rectangles out of more 1 x 2s and mounted these rectangles to the cabinet, and then mounted the top to the rectangles.  I built a frame from more 1 x 2 and mounted a sheet of pegboard as a tool storage backpanel.  Those cabinets come with casters, so if I drop something, and it rolls under a cabinet, it is easy to roll the bench out to recover the item.

I cover the benchtop with a shelf liner (self stick, like Contact), which I can just rip off after a few builds and recover to get a fresh working surface.  As you can see, I have a lot of tools handy.  I have added pegboard wings on both sides, for paint and paint things, and masking tape.

The canvas on the front edge is a catchall, to catch parts and tools that fall. I have a coathanger extender that extends the canvas out over my lap, with the front edge covered by a piece of foam pipe insulator.  It works, but doesn't really extend far enough- I need to bend up a new one that extends another six or eight inches.

Here's mine, all stuck together from wood I found in the garbage. 

Hi James! One persons trash is anothers workbench.

Found this trashed kitchen cabinet laying by the side of the road. It's now my spraybooth.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/AVHaeLhGNy3pzsVW6

Jim  

Isn't there a saying about the more space you get, the more projects you will take on????

I think I posted the pic of my workbench somewhere else, anyway, here it is when the floor is dry.

scottrc

Isn't there a saying about the more space you get, the more projects you will take on????

I think I posted the pic of my workbench somewhere else, anyway, here it is when the floor is dry.

 

 

Nice ship model.  Yeah, the quote was from a guy who wrote a book, tongue in check, about laws bureaucrats follow.  I think his name was Parkinson, or something like that.  I think his version was that work always expands to employ all the available resources.

This isn't my workbench, but rather it is where I paint stuff.

It's the infamous open patio with the giant flying cockroaches!  I have painters working on my house, so a lot of things have been stored in the patio, making for tight quarters.  At least the roaches stayed home.  Actually, I hired a pest control company to treat the perimeter of the house since February of last year, and it has made a huge difference!

But this is where everything gets airbrushed.  Spray painting happens out in the yard.  Yep, it's all there; a scrap plywood board dating from my childhood, an equally old block of wood and bent coat hanger repurposed as an airbrush stand, a broken easel stolen from my sister, a table salvaged from a company move, and finally my trusty air compressor.

I finally got around to finishing the hutch back to my bench:

That gives me some convenient storage within reach.  The next phase is organizing that storage, and cleaning up the stuff on the bench.  Some of those toy soldiers have been there since I moved into this house 18 years ago.

Some really nice work areas, gentlemen.

Baron, the hutch is a great idea! I like it.

Here is my area for now:

But, this is the best spot:

Why? Because my 14 yo son came downstairs and pulled out his M1 model and wanted to start on it! So, I dug out this table so we could work together. Best day ever!

Oooooooooooooo! The bench, table and the rest of the room are soooooooooooo clean. Send us a pic in about oh.............2 or 3 days. Ok, I'll give it 2 weeks.

Jim  

Stay Safe.

This is what I use for an airbrush stand.  It was made back in 1980 or so when me and a friend chipped in to buy the $42 Badger 200 airbrush you see here.

I was thinking last night it might be time to get a proper one.  The stand, not the weatherbeaten airbrush.  I still like using it.  But maybe it's also time to start using the clean and shiny, double action, gravity feed Iwata I have in the tool box.

hogfanfs

...But, this is the best spot:

Why? Because my 14 yo son came downstairs and pulled out his M1 model and wanted to start on it! So, I dug out this table so we could work together. Best day ever! 

As that commercial says-"Priceless!"  I hope he'll be interested with sharing his build with the group here.

Thanks for the compliment on the hutch, too!

I can't figure out how to post a photo but here is a link to the arm on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07KPY6ZC3/ref=sspa_mw_detail_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1

clamp
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=XCL2-SET&ref=is_s 

the Baron

I finally got around to finishing the hutch back to my bench:

That gives me some convenient storage within reach.  The next phase is organizing that storage, and cleaning up the stuff on the bench.  Some of those toy soldiers have been there since I moved into this house 18 years ago.

 

Well, it looks that you have run into the same problem I have run into: not sufficient lighting. Right now I have 3 lights and I finding that 3 lights are not sufficient because I always run into areas were more lights are needed.

I have yet to find an affordable lighting system that would do the job. Any one there have suggestions on a light system for the workbench? Maybe we should make a contest to see who comes up with the best affordable light system for building models.

The winner will get a very big "Atta boy" from all of us! LOL

Did I mentioned that my workbench is located in the warehouse we call a “garage”? It is dark and gloomy.

Having-fun

Any one there have suggestions on a light system for the workbench? Maybe we should make a contest to see who comes up with the best affordable light system for building models.

The winner will get a very big "Atta boy" from all of us! LOL

 

Did I mentioned that my workbench is located in the warehouse we call a “garage”? It is dark and gloomy.

This is what I'm using for area lighting.  Goes into a standard light fixture.  Being a CFL, it stays cool, and lasts a really long time.  Just takes a few minutes of warm-up time to reach all 7000 lumens of brightness.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005AWKYBI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For spot lighting, this is the best, most-affordable solution I've found.  This new version is 12000 lumens.  I have a few of the older model, which is "only" 5000 lumens (which is more than enough), and has "only" 3 LEDs.  They have all lasted through 3 years of heavy use (I have the other two at work).  The ones I have at work keep things brightly lit for me on a single charge, even if I have to spend a whole day working inside a dark aircraft fuselage, in a dimly lit hangar.

https://www.amazon.com/Headlamp-Rechargeable-Flashlight-Waterproof-Lamps%EF%BC%8CBest/dp/B07QSTFN7T/ref=sr_1_22_sspa?crid=3QVFLP1100GCS&dchild=1&keywords=headlamp+5000+lumens&qid=1589386233&sprefix=headlamp+500%2Ctools%2C179&sr=8-22-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFQSUtTS0dHWElHTTgmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1NTUxMDMyVE5RVUtHOFQwMlhFJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAwMjMxMjUxQ1I3Vzc5MllZUkxIJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfbXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

That head lamp looks cool, I am seriously considering buying one, Do you know how much it weights?

Thanks

PD  I just went and ordered the lamp from Amazon, thanks for the link.

Not sure how much the headlamp weighs, but I can say that its comfortable.