How is your "workbench" setup?

Mine is in my basement-- which is all pretty much mine :) I have a new office down here which is real nice this time of year when it is HOT outside-- and it also contains the woodstove for the winter ;)

My workbench is a kit I built from Lowes and it is awesome! Peg board, plenty of shelves, and a stereo for music :) The wife started modeling last year so I have to share now LOL

Thanks Ray!

To answer your question-I used very smelly paints/thinners and unwittingly got my wife pregnant!

Well, you did ask..............

Oh, and the trip of a lifetime to Kenya last year just might have swayed it!!

Later,

Darren.

Awesome setup, Darren!! Your wife is definitely a keeper. :-) How did you get her to suggest that again?

Ray

RE: Tango 1:
Everyone should really check out Darren's setup; it has working space, natural light, spread out shelves, everything:
http://rongeorge.com/modules/Gallery/workshops
Thanks for sharing your pictures!
Gerald

Hi All.

Just to let you know that I got my camera working and I've posted pics on Ron's gallery. Hope you like 'em!

Later,

Darren.

I'm fortunate to have a basement area:


I have my models, toys, and TV all in a corner!

Check out RonUSMC's gallery of workspaces, a web site he evidently maintains for our use, where you can add your own:
The topic is here: http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4108
You can add your workspace here: http://rongeorge.com/modules/Gallery/workshops

Happy Fourth!
Gerald

I used to have the spare "box" bedroom as my hobby room with one bench and a few shelves. It was prettey good, but it soon got filled with all the things us kitbashers must have. When my wife told me we had a baby on the way last winter, she asked me how I felt about giving up my hobby room. Of course I did'nt want to-but we needed the extra space. So I had to go back to the dining room table. Or so I thought..........

In the new year, my wife Shelley came up with the following idea. Why not build a workshop in the back garden? At first I thought she was kidding,then I realized she was serious! We are lucky enough to have a large garden and Shelley said it would be great not to worry about paint fumes and compressor noise any more. I would still have a hobby room and we would have an extra room in the house. So I bought a workshop, built it, put the electrics in and insulated the walls. All this work was done with the help of friends on weekends and when the workshop was built I gave it a lick of paint inside and put a carpet on the floor.

I now have a 10'x 16' workshop with enough space for 3 workbenches,a wall of display shelves, a tall bookcase, a tv,music unit , a coffee table and 2 very comfy chairs!!! Am I happy with it? You bet!!
A few of my model buddies thought it would never happen-and when it was all finished their reaction made me realise how very lucky I am.

The only thing my wife asked me to do was not to keep a kettle or a mini fridge in there-in case she never sees me again!!
On a serious note, this was an expensive project to undertake-but well worth it. I have my own little place in the world where I can truly get away from it all and work on more than one kit at a time. Aaahhhhhhhh.....Paradise!

When I get my camera working, I'll post some pics on RonUSMC's gallery if anyone is interested.

Cheers,

Darren.

HEY,
Dont feel bad anybody. I have one of those rollable tool boxes. I still have a few shoeboxes and rubbermaid containers. Before that i had a fishing box. Great workbenches huh?

Randy

Thought I'd kick this thread back to the top. With some of the creative ideas listed here, I'm sure some of our newest members might also have some input.

Mine is in the room I use as an office and studio. Rubbermaid or some company makes these great plastic rollaround cabinets with nice drawers that I keep my tools and paints in. The work surface is a table I built with casters so I can move it around as well. Everything else has compartments, i.e. each working project is in a rubbermaid tub or drawer. I am building a rack for my paints that will be moved to the side of the roll around cabinet where they'll be displayed and easily accessed. My airbrush station has an exhaust fan and is near my drawing board. The piece goes on a lazy susan on a stand at about chest level where I can rotate it and it is at a comfortable height that works well.

I have in the past built "craft centers" or small offices in pantry cabinets, bedroom closets etc. that would work well for hobby applications. Check out some of the wood working mags or books for ideas. This allows you to "close up " the whole thing and keep it hidden when not working.

Mike

Started out on the floor in front of the TV. Graduated from the floor to the Kitchen table. Moved from that house to a house with my own shop. Moved again and had another shop in the basement. The one in the basement gets chilly in the winter so I made a portable work bench. Can be put on any table, (usually Kitchen). If I had to move I can just pick up the whole bench (lays flat).

Mic

I'm lucky enough to have a basement with a dedicated work area in it. I have an old cafeteria-style table with my homemade spray booth attached to the back and vented out of a window. I have a couple of shelving units that have my unbuilt kits and hobby supplies. My airbrush compressor is under the table, and my Dremel tool is on one side. Not a bad setup. I started out with two cardboard boxes and a card table. - Ed :)

I have a small area that I have built in my basement that is to be my modelbuilding room and gun room. My wife is ready to get my gun safe moved out of our bedroom. She finds it very nice that I do not have all of my modeling equipment setting around on the kitchen table. Although, when we have company over she shuts the door to our computer room and the basement...she thinks it looks like we had the new "MOAB" bomb dropped in those rooms, I was thinking more along the line of a grenade!

Jerry

I haven't gotten around to setting up a work area. I have a plastic tool box for my tools, a tray for paints and supplies, a flexi-shaft Dremel, a Badger compressor, and a small wooden box with my airbrushes. I just bring out the container that has the item I need and work on the dinning room table. I have a basement and several more unused bedrooms, not to mention an addition on the back of the house that used to be a baseball card shop! I don't have any excuse for not setting up a hobby area, but for lack of time. I do have drawings for my dream work bench and a complete woodshop(another of my time consuming hobbies), so maybe in a few months I will have a hobby area.

Go to www. naplak.com/modeling. Click on the site that allows you to take a look at some of the modelers work bench (including mine). You will see everything from the top to the bottom of work areas.

I have a three bedroom house. One spare bedroom, master play room and the third I converted into a model room. In it I have my gun safe, stereo set up, TV and three book shelves with all my reference books. I got an old metal desk from AF salvage that I use for building. In the corner is my paint booth vented to the outside plus an exhaust fan mounted into the wall to provide more air flow to the outside. On the door is a sign that says "Restricted area". No one enters the room, without the risk of suffering the scorn of an old man.

Hmmm - I think, in Eastern Europe (where I live) we are mostly in use to live in flats, not houses - so it mean's that if you are a "normal family" member, you don't have a special place to situate your "workbench". As about my experience - I have a flat wooden box about 100/40/10 cm with opening "flap" over it - when I start my job, I place it on two chairs and open the flap - the stand for an airbrush is screwed to the left side of it, and I have my instruments in fisherman box just under the chair. I'm glad because I don't have to go to the kitchen (it's very small) or even to the bathroom, and I can watch TV during my job. Nevertheless, I don't feel comfortable, and for the close (I hope) future I plan to make my "worbench" in the cupboard - after opening doors you will have a bench with light, ventilation and the whole stuff in the reach of your hand ! I'm looking forward to this day ! Happy modeling ! Aleksander

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jim Barton With two people living in a one-bedroom apartment plus every other horizontal surface in the house full of old glass telephone pole insulators, I simply throw a soil-amendment advertising poster face down on my "coffee table" (a piece of plywood sitting on upside-down large flower pots) and call it my "workbench." The tools are kept in a nice tackle box that simply sits on one end of the plywood when I'm not using it (it's handy but the cat can't get at the tools) but to get to the end table drawer where the paint is, I have to stumble around the stereo while trying not to step on any records (yes, I still play vinyl LP's) I might have waiting to be put on the turntable, then pull out the box of paint (trying not to spill them all over the floor), stumble back and place the paint box on the workbench, and by then, the cat takes over my chair, so I have to move her out of the way. It certainly adds to the fun of modeling! Jim

Jim...watching this production must be worth the price of admission alone!

I can relate to that when I was still living at home, however, it was a 80 lb Irish Setter that managed to make a shambles of everything.

Now I'm quite fortunate...one of our four bedrooms is my model / guitar / junk / storage rooms. I have an old computer desk with an upper and lower cabinet for storage, a top shelf for completed smaller models (an Ottawa Police Service '96 Crown Vic, a '65 Corvette, an F-86 Sabre, a McDonnell-Douglas Banshee and a couple of dinky toys), a middle shelf for "stuff" the main work area that has a 12" high slot below the upper storage cabinet where I keep paints, brushes, files, yada, yada, yada...On the left of this desk I have a small round table that I place the model box and contents on while working. I must say the missus has certainly allowed me alot of latitude with this area. Boy, am I lucky.

With two people living in a one-bedroom apartment plus every other horizontal surface in the house full of old glass telephone pole insulators, I simply throw a soil-amendment advertising poster face down on my "coffee table" (a piece of plywood sitting on upside-down large flower pots) and call it my "workbench." The tools are kept in a nice tackle box that simply sits on one end of the plywood when I'm not using it (it's handy but the cat can't get at the tools) but to get to the end table drawer where the paint is, I have to stumble around the stereo while trying not to step on any records (yes, I still play vinyl LP's) I might have waiting to be put on the turntable, then pull out the box of paint (trying not to spill them all over the floor), stumble back and place the paint box on the workbench, and by then, the cat takes over my chair, so I have to move her out of the way. It certainly adds to the fun of modeling! Jim

Man I wish I had a work space like some of those pictures posted. Maybe some day. I have a fishing tackel box full of my stuff. When i model I try to find an open, well lit, well ventelated spot in my house. I live with the other 4 people in my family so that makes it hard. It seems that the best place for me to build is in our dining room. It is the most "fancy" room in the house, so I gota be carefull what I do in there. When I spray, I run on the porch, spray, and get back in in a hurry. I hand paint everything that isnt huge.

Ahhhhhh, the single life! There is a very nice room in my house which is totally devoted modeling, in most houses it is called the dining room; but if I ate in there, what would I do in the living room, aside from watch t.v. I have run Sch 40 PVC into the house from my air compressor in the garage, with a pressure regulator and water seperator coming out of the wall at the back of the bench. Tract lighting above the bench which I can reach and re-aim at whatever I model I am working on. Then all of my tools and paints on the table top, most within arms reach. My bench is 8' x 3'.

I just have a corner in my small apartment. I bought a table at IKEA that has two drop-leafs on it that I can put down when not in use. I also have a storage unit that holds plastic drawers that I keep all my paints and supplies in. If you are really looking for unique and sensible ways to have a workbench and storage in a small area look into IKEA, (if you have one around) they are the best. Got hooked on them I was stationed in Germany. If you are really crammed for space and need a small work area that is easy to put away, try a wood tray table. I saw one at Wal-mart. It's not big,so only for working on smaller items.

Hope someone can use my suggestions.
Regards,
Mark

Im with Bayonet Recon on this one. Ive just got back into modelling after a break and have resurrected all my bits and pieces.I have a small pine drawer set with paints knives etc in. I used a space under the stairs but kept banging my head when I stood up!
So Ive bought a simple bench which is going up in the bedroom today! My partner doesnt mind as it will keep our twins away from prying eyes and fingers! Airbrushing will bein the garage though!

Thanks everyone for your replies. This is some good stuff. Good inspiration or at least something to aspire to . In fact, I've decided that I'm going to "attempt" to reclaim part of the basement for modeling. Wish me luck!!

Right now this is the only photo I have. I will post another
when I get a better camera. - I love my room, it's my own little
world of peace & quiet where I can sit back & relax and concentrate only on my models........WHAT A GREAT HOBBY !
http://groups.msn.com/armorama/insidetheeaglesnest.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=2519- ralph

I have a page on my web site of some people's work areas...

Check these out at http://www.naplak.com/modeling/Modelers/workspaces.htm

And my space it here... http://www.naplak.com/modeling/Modelers/neil's_page.htm

So there is a wide variety...

Send my photos of your workspace... contact me here e-mail naplak Modeling or thru my site...naplak.com/modeling

Like holdfast, i'm lucky. The dinning room is all mine. I have my desk that i build on with drill, spray gun and all other essetials at hand. I have one cupboard with my troops and accesories in. Shelves for the un-uilt kits, and a bookshelve for my reference books and videos. Also have my own T.V, video, DVD and sterio.

Like paackerson i'm in the army so its had to set up anything permanent. For spraying, i turn on a fan, open the window and put on a mask. Once done, i just leave the room for a while till it clears. Everyone stays out when he compressors running.

I am a young modeler, so I don't really have a 'workbench' setup. We recently bought a new dishwasher, so i took the box from that. I took of one of the sides off the box, and used that to build my models on. The rest of it is folded into an L shape, and leant against a wall, with the flaps folded up to protect the floor from overspray.

This is handy, because the cardboard is thick, and soaks up all the paint spills i usually make and can be folded away and put under my bed. Everything is stored in either little boxes or on a wheeled 4 shelf little trolly thing-a-ma-bob.

Its nothing too flash, but it gets the job done

Hey!!! Check out my work bench set-up I think youll find pretty cool, its on my homepage: http://wings92.tripod.com
You might enjoy seeing what I have there. Past it on too.

Patrick