a personal problem

Youve surely heard that you do best with the right tool for the job. It goes without saying that that extends to your pwork environment as well. The right space for both YOU and your tools can only help your efforts.

Somewhere there is surely a space you can carve out to call your own. I'd suggest you do what it takes to create one.

Hope this dose'nt come across as grand standing. I built a shop a few years back and talk about speading your wings. There is nothing like haveing room for 3 or 4 builds going on at one time. I dont know if my modeling has improved but I like not have to put up something just so I can start to work on somthing else.

Thad

Well, having a larger workspace probably won't improve your skill, but it'll definitely help alleviate the feeling of dread.  Buying a Ferrari doesn't make you a better driver, right?  But it can be a bit annoying to know that if you start working that things are going to be cramped and then you have to clean up and put everything away.

But I took a spare bedroom and turned it into somplace I can work.  The room is only 10x8, not the largest room by any means.  But I was able to get a big table in there, where I could work, put my paints and tools and even my phototent.  Then I have my spray booth against the window so I can paint.  I have an ikea detolf display cabinet to display my finished builds and a metal shelf system to keep my kits and materials.  It's a little cramped in there, but I don't have to put everything away when I'm done.  If I feel like stopping work, I can just put my tools down and leave.

I'm not telling you all this to brag or make you feel worse, I'm just saying that maybe something even as simple as a larger table would help alleviate the feeling of dread you get.

Have you considered one of those cheap folding card tables (the one's that fit 4 people for playing cards)?  Itll fold up and fit in a closet when not in use, but give you plenty of room to spread out when working.

6' fiberglass folding table

Spray booth

Ikea shelf

-Fred

I used to have a work bench.  But now I have two kids and I do my work on the kitchen table.  I feel my work has gotten better over the years and it has nothing to do with where I work.  My suggestions for "work bench challenged" people is this:

• Have a good way to store your tools and get to them easily.  I've been using a tackle box for about 4 years.  I modified it by cutting out some of the dividers so I can put larger tools in the box.
• Have a good portable light source.  I use Tamiya's Workstation which gives adequate light for me.
• Don't let you work area get cluttered.  This will make things more challenging in a small space.  Get out enough tools to accomplish one step.  When you're done with that step, but the tools away.
• Organize, organize, organize.
• Get a board to do your work on.  I had used a 12" by 18" by 3/8" board.  When I was done working, I put my model on a shelf, put my tools in my tool box, and stacked my light, tool box, and model box on the board.
• You'll probably work slower by not have a work bench. But, hey, it's about the finished model right?

Hope this helps,

Jesse

Read my tagline under my signature...it says it all. Any hinderence is all in your mind. I know a great modeler who works from a table no larger than a TV tray and does all of his building there working mostly on his lap while he watches TV.

Some of my best work came when my bench was a coverted wooden tool cabinet that we used for mobility deployments. When we upgraded to Stanley Vidmar boxes I rescued it before it went into the dumpster.  I converted it into a self contained securable workstation since I had little boys in the house.

Granted my workshops have evolved in space and scope from this box to shops up to 350 sqft down to my current setup of about 230 sqft but like I said my best work was in that cozy little chest. As long as you have an organized and accessble way to store your tools and supplies, the size and scope of a workshop is not important in relationship to the work you produce.

Having the 'man space' is nice, but it doesn't truly impact the quality of your work. Some of the worlds greatest inventions, art master pieces and medical miracles were made in places with dirt floors. It is all in your mindset. 

Having enough workspace to store and use your tools is te best. With limited space there are some thing you can do to be more efficient with the space you have. Most tips have been given (organise, keep a clean desk etc)

One option I have not read is building smaller models. Smaller models need les space to work on and to store. A 1/72 tank or 1/144 aicraft needs very little space and is stored easily in a closet when not modeling. The results can stil be very good, just look at some of the builds by Wingnut.