Looking for ideas for my "modeling room" suggestions/ideas/ and even pictures would be VERY helpful!

Man, that's a huge amount of space!

Two things are "absolute musts":

1. A spraybooth built to exhaust directly outside. This can be located anywhere, as long as it is ducted to the outside.
2. As many electrical outlets as  you can legally and safely have. Trust me—you may not think you need them now, but you will!

I'd add some windows to the outside if the outside walls are frame. Daylight is the best light of all. If the outside walls are masonry, and you are not familiar with masonry construction, you will need a competent mason.

Here are some pictures of my workbench, to give you some ideas. If I were doing it again, I'd make it wider.

Some good things to have in a modelers room:

1. Large working table top surface with drawers underneath to contain all the tools.

2. Small shelves on the wall in front of the working surface to stack paints.

3. A telescopic document holder to keep the instructions visible anytime without going over the working space.

4. A spray boot with fan to blow the fumes outside (bathroom fan is ok)

5. I like to have a corner with a white or light blue tarp to take good pictures.

6. Lights, lights and lights.  Keep every working area well lightened.

7.  Shelves to stack your models (some crazy modelers here possessed more than a hundred)

Never forget that you must be comfortable cause you're gonna spend hours building kits.  You definetly don't want to get a back pain.

This is not an official list but it's a start.  That working space will evolves with time anyway as you try different new modeling techniques or depending on the type of tools you will use.

Post some pics when you're done.

 

Thanks for the ideas so far! I spent some time in the room today just looking at it and thinking about what I would want and where it should be.

Thanks for the photo's Triarius and your right it is pretty big. But I have a feeling it's going to fill up fast!

Yann, that's a decent list to get started on, thanks.

I spoke with a neighbor about helping me build some workbenches...I would like two possibly in an L configuration with the benches being roughly 6'Lx3'W or deep and about 30 to 32" H. This would provide 2 working surfaces in theory. This should allow me to sit comfortably in my favorite chair and work.

Somewhere to airbrush, not just on the workbenches but a seperate workspace for this...

Cork and Pegboard is definitely going up on the walls in some areas.

For shelving I'm really considering just sticking with "Plano" 4 shelf units as they're plastic and I wont care if something should happen to spill on them.

I've got a list going right now, so far it's relatively small but sometimes it's hard for me to get what's in my head on paper where it's makes sense!

Thanks Again.

Looks like a nice space with lots of potential.  One thing to include is a space for a TVand /or radio.  I don't always watch the tube while working, but I like to be able to if the urge strikes me.

Personally, I'd be thinking about building a wall mounted spray booth over one of those windows into the garage.  I'd definitely want to put a filter on the exhaust fan to protect my cars from overspray, but as long as the door to the garage was open it should ventilate sufficiently.  That would probably be the simplest way to vent.

I'll second the Radio and/or TV. I have to have the TV on while I work, I don't watch it, but I have to have it on, its like some sort of company I guess? I get lonely

A cheap and good looking way to do your shelves is to visit Home Depot or Lowes and pick up some shelving brackets and rails. They are priced pretty fairly and you can add on later if you need to. I would suggest using wood for the shelves, at least the ones you are planning on putting your models on, I like a solid surface to sit mine on. Good luck and post some pics when you get it done!

Regarding the windows between the house and garage, my guess is that the garage is actually an addition to the original house.... my parents house was built 50 years ago with a carport, but in the 1970s the carport was replaced by garage.

We moved in the mid '80s, which brings me to what my dad did:  much of our first year in the house was spent remodeling, including the kitchen.  Four of the old kitchen cabinets (2 wall-mounts and 2 base units) were reinstalled in the garage and covered with an 8-foot section of melamine-covered molded profile kitchen countertop to create what, as a kid, I thought was the best workbench ever; space was left between the units for legs/storage below and a large pegboard above.  The cabinets were covered with a fairly thick coat of paint from the oops rack at the hardware store, and 20 years later, it's still in pretty good shape, so if you're going to remodel the kitchen give some thought to recycling those cabinets.

Most of the other "must-haves" have been covered.

The only other thing I can think of right now is to put a lap drawer in under your working surface.  I find it an indispensible feature of various desks I've worked at over the years, and am currently looking for an old desk to use as a modeling surface rather than the drawer-less table I had before I moved.

Hi there.

One thing you may consider, Home Depot, Lowes, or any large hardware store that cuts kitchen counter tops may have some countertops that where damaged or cut wrong.  We got our kitchen counter top that way.  It was cut wrong and the original customer didn't take it, so we picked it up cheap. 

Back when I was still in high school, Dad built me a work bench in my room.  He got a counter top 'second', and three bathroom cabinets with drawers.  Two of them were the end pieces and the third in the middle.  It worked great.

When my wife and I start building our house, I will have my own model room.  One thing that will be in it is a free standing work table to do the big projects.  It's going to be the height of a kitchen bar, so I can either stand or sit at it.  It's going to have cabinets and an over hang so I can sit close to my work.  Given the amount od space that you have, that might be something you can add.

Henry

 

Everybody is offering up great ideas! I can't add much to the list, but it looks as if you and your wife will have to share this space. You'll want to "capture" as much territory as you can now, and get it marked somehow (Les Nessman tape?), or you'll end up having your area slowly encroached upon. Think of yourself as an endangered species, and get the "modeling park" protected by law!

Bgrigg wrote:

Everybody is offering up great ideas! I can't add much to the list, but it looks as if you and your wife will have to share this space. You'll want to "capture" as much territory as you can now, and get it marked somehow (Les Nessman tape?), or you'll end up having your area slowly encroached upon. Think of yourself as an endangered species, and get the "modeling park" protected by law!

WKRP in Cincinnati loved that show The helo turkey drop is classic!

When I build my workshop, I want to have a computer nearby. I use the Internet a lot for reference, and it would be easier to just see things on-screen, rather than printing them out.

I think I'd like one of the drying booths I've read described here, also.

Bgrigg wrote:

Everybody is offering up great ideas! I can't add much to the list, but it looks as if you and your wife will have to share this space. You'll want to "capture" as much territory as you can now, and get it marked somehow (Les Nessman tape?), or you'll end up having your area slowly encroached upon. Think of yourself as an endangered species, and get the "modeling park" protected by law!

ROFL! That's funny but true!

Thanks for the ideas everyone! Some great stuff in here and I've got a plan of attack formulating in my head. I know that it's going to take some time to get everything just how I want it along with a couple of $$, but in the end I think it will be worth it!

I'm going to be checking around town this upcoming week for some things and hopefully get this thing started!

I've gone around looking for  houses being renovated or even torn down just to see what they have that I can use I've done this a few times & have found alot of cabinets, shelving,etc this way for free.

Bgrigg wrote:

but it looks as if you and your wife will have to share this space. You'll want to "capture" as much territory as you can now, and get it marked somehow

Just pee in every corners

Well due to some unexpected surprises from our AC unit which is almost a necessity in Florida, this project's pretty much on hold. Though I did find some benches I want and plan on ordering 3 of these when things settle back down. They have all sorts of "add on's" and start at about $150 which isn't too bad.

I don't think I need to worry about peeing in all the corners, as my dog has already beat me to it and claimed it as "his" territory.

so where would a guy find one of these on the internet? I would like to check that out a little more Just don't tell the little lady that I am looking at it

eizzle wrote:

so where would a guy find one of these on the internet? I would like to check that out a little more Just don't tell the little lady that I am looking at it

Google "industrial workbenches" and go nuts. This is not for the budget sensitive! Here's a quick sampler:

http://catalog.cisco-eagle.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CEI&Category_Code=SHOP

http://www.bottltd.co.uk/industrial-workstations.htm

http://www.lkgoodwin.com/cgi-bin/quikstore.cgi?category=Workbenches

http://www.tennsco.com/workbenches.htm

http://www.materialflow.com/Workbenches.htm#2001-379

http://www.listaintl.com/files/indbench.htm

http://www.benchdepot.com/index.php?id=premium

Enjoy!

edit Check out this guy, he builds "model airplanes"

http://www.listaintl.com/perspace/pslndgrf.htm

Thanks for the links Bill Man, what size would ya say that plane on the near bench is? See the wingspan on that thing!?!

If you'd really like to get one of those go with Bench Depot, I know they have great customer service ( including after the sale and warranty ) as I've had to deal with them in the past at a shop I worked at. That's where I was going to order mine, but I found the exact same thing locally and it's even a little cheaper with all the stuff I want to add on.

I also am a scrap metal recycler  on a part time basis & I go into the industrial parks once in awhile to check their dumpsters (I'm a bonafide Dumpster Diver) and have found office chairs, desks & shelving that was tossed out. The only thing wrong witht his chair I'm on now is the plastic guard was cracked. paint chipped /scratched on the desks. Same with the file cabinets.
 Ya just need to know where to look for good deals

Bgrigg

Google "industrial workbenches" and go nuts. This is not for the budget sensitive! Here's a quick sampler:

http://catalog.cisco-eagle.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CEI&Category_Code=SHOP

http://www.bottltd.co.uk/industrial-workstations.htm

http://www.lkgoodwin.com/cgi-bin/quikstore.cgi?category=Workbenches

http://www.tennsco.com/workbenches.htm

http://www.materialflow.com/Workbenches.htm#2001-379

http://www.listaintl.com/files/indbench.htm

http://www.benchdepot.com/index.php?id=premium

Enjoy!

edit Check out this guy, he builds "model airplanes"

http://www.listaintl.com/perspace/pslndgrf.htm

 

 

Everybody was giving good ideas and links that were shared by @Bgrigg are very useful.

 

Thank you.