Flintlocks in Small Spaces

[ApprenticeBuilder]

Having limited space to work in poses certain problems in a productivity sense, I have designated my "room" to an 8'x16' area, less than 130 sq ft. I do this for economic reasons as it is easy to heat in the winter as well as cool in the summer.

In this room I am cramming as much of my time consuming projects as space will allow, building (precarves as well as from the blank), engraving, carving, and now am looking towards tuning/building locks.

The problems I have been dealing with has been cleaning up after each phase of a project as bench space has been at a premium, I only had one area that most of my hand work was done, building, cleaning up castings, engraving, carving etc.

This last winter I started revamping my space in the interest of productivity and creature comforts, I installed openable windows, propane heat, wired my shop and eliminated 4 drop cords, had a free standing bench built to fit my needs, and most recently this last 2 weeks have been spent building job specific benches for my engraving and the little 6" lathe I picked up.

Building the benches requires moving 80% of the shop and re-storing a certain amount of stuff, shelves needed built etc. and now things need put back into organized working order.

Hopefully by the time the snow flies this winter I will be able to actually concentrate on my projects instead of spending so much time shuffling things around, and stumbling over everything.

How are those of you with limited space managing, or is it only me with these types of delimas ?

Engraving Bench...
5 1/2' x 16"

Lathe Bench...
4'x2'

Awwww crud, this was sposed to go in the builders area.

 

[streetsniper]

Buddy, you haven't seen my work area. It's also a storage area and clutter is an understatement. Billy

 

[Vaino]

Are the heating and cooling cost's savings worth all the aggravation of a small work area? If this small an area is by choice then you'll have to weigh your options and either opt for more area or tolerate an inefficient setup. My work area accommodates all the jobs {gun building and others} that I do but isn't spacious by any means, but seeing I have claustrophobic tendencies, a small area would hamper my thinking and spending time in a cramped "shop" would be unpleasant instead of the best part of my day as in my larger "shop". This is in no way a criticism because I realize that a person has to do whatever he thinks best or whatever facility is available.....Fred

 

[paulvallandigham]

You might consider investing in one of those mobile tool chests so often see in auto repair garages, to carry most of your hand tools, so it can be wheeled from station to station as you work. That should save you space, and allow you to move the tools where you need them, without having to find space to put them when being used. These chests have lots of drawers, to hold lots of tools. Usually there are large cabinets down below that can be used to store hand held power tools. That is also a big space saver.

Just my $.02 after seeing your pictures.

I tend to agree with Fred's comment. I rest and think by refocusing my eyes on a distant object, while I try to figure out to deal with an unanticipated problem. One of my best friends has his reloading room set up with a huge window into the Den, where he can talk to his wife, while working, or watch the TV program she is watching. If he needs an extra " hand ", she is there to help, too. The heavy work shop is down in the basement, and his work area occupies a very large space. He has lit it up with florescent lights, and the walls are pained so that they are easier to clean of dust, and reflect the light throughout the room.

 

[J.D.]

Nice shop, I especially like the lathe. I have been looking for one like that for several months, but the one's I find all seem to be located too far away to pick 'em up...like half way across the country, and shipping would be a killer on something like that.

Good luck,
J.D.

 

[44-henry]

My home workshop is actually a bit smaller than yours at 8'x 15' and I have a lot of stuff fit inside it. I have two lathes in the space, one is a large 10" floor lathe and the other is a small Sherline that I can put on a shelf when I am done using it. I also have a Jet mill drill in this area. I think the part that has helped me the most is that I have two cabinet workbenches with heavy maple tops that provide lots of storage in drawers and cabinets underneath. The floor lathe also sits on a heavy duty cabinet stand with storage for collets, chucks, and additional tooling underneath, likewise for the milling machine. In addition to these tools I also have a 1" belt sander, a bench top drill press, and a floor model bandsaw worked into the mix.

Since my shop is in the basement and the room has exposed rafters I have made many nooks and crannies to store tools, stock blanks, and other things in between. I have also added shelves in various places to hold additional tooling and books. I recently bought an old four drawer office filing cabinet at a garage sale that I use to store extra tooling and it is also where I store my engraver's block, GRS power hone, and magna graver (I haven't done much with them for a long time). I also keep an eye out and have acquired a pretty good collection of organization boxes with all sorts of little plastic drawers which are great to store small tools and such and these sit on my bench tops.

All of my tools are functional they way they are placed, there isn't a whole lot of wiggle room, but I can cut a stock blank on the bandsaw and nothing is interfering with the operation of the lathe or the mill. I guess you could call the shop small, but I think it is adequate for my needs right now. Lately I have been working on finishing my dissertation and most of my time is spent in that area, but I do still get down to the shop a few hours a week and I generally spend my time organizing my tools and building new storage areas so that when I finally finish I can actually get back to building some guns again.

 

[Allan Gray]

My shop is 8'x12'. Within I have a 30"x 7' work bench, a 36" lathe, grinder bench, 12" drill press on a stand and a 42" "Knack" box, along with a mechanics tool chest.
I insulated it heavily so it's easy to keep warm in the Winter and it stays cool in the Summer. I installed speakers in the ceiling for my CD player and have an extra large trash can for the empty beer bottles that I'm left with after the discovery of a horrible mistake I've just made during a build. :shocked2: I also keep a box of tissues handy for the tears and a well stocked first aid kit and industrial size fire extinguisher.

I believe that if I had more space I'd only accumilate more manure that I don't need.
I make a habit of cleaning and re-organizing before I leave, every time I'm in there...this really helps keep it under control.
I'm a big fan of the small shop.

 

[freeonthree]

I see one thing missing the coffee maker.
looks good.
It's a lot cleaner than my shop.

Tom

 

[JCBush]

ApprenticeBuilder,
Your setup looks pretty well thought out to me...I really like the engraving bench.

My shop is in a 10' X 17' room off of our finished basement. If that sounds large, consider that it is also shared space with the furnace & AC unit (heating & cooling problem solved), several storage shelf units filled with the lovely Mrs's keepsakes, numerous paint cans, miscellaneous assorted household junk and 2 kitty boxes...

I have found that I can get by pretty well with my 'custom built' 4X8 workbench. It has plenty of room for me to work on long rifles or fowlers, yet will handle the drill press and bench grinder at one end comfortably. It also has scads of storage space underneath. I have a small separate table for the bandsaw, an old cabinet unit from a Dr's office with a laminate countertop, (usually loaded with gun cleaning and finishing stuff)and I occasionally pilfer additional needed space from my loading bench at the end of the room. Is it cramped, you betcha, but it's in a semi- organized state of confusion and I can usually find what I'm looking for!
Lighting is provided by a small basement window as well as 4-4' fluorescent shop fixtures.

Yes, the clutter is inevitable, especially when an inspiration hits me, however I am getting better about keeping things reasonably clean on the bench top and putting tools put away when not in use.

As I travel quite a bit for my job in the sales field, my shop time is often inconsistent and the victim of extended periods of inactivity. When I return home however, many times I'll end up working at odd hours of the night when I can't get an idea I've thought of on the road out of my head. It's the best stress relief I know of...
I've found that since I've passed 50, I don't sleep much anyhow, so I might as well be productive...

I've often thought a huge shop with loads of storage and a dedicated bench for each gunsmithing task in a detached 'studio type' outbuilding would be great, but under my present circumstances, I can't justify the hassle and expense.

Maybe after I retire and start building full-time?
PA Rifleman 53

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

In this picture the lathe bench would be on the right side and the engraving bench on the left, just out of sight. The floor modle bandsaw has been moved to an unheated area as I need that space for drawfiling, and the new windows are in the left of this picture, will add more tonight.

 

[Doc Arroyo]

How are those of you with limited space managing, or is it only me with these types of delimas ?

I had a 10'-16' "garage" at my last house. It caused me to be a bit creative with storage and such. I not only build guns and knives. I do custom cabinets and furniture, a bit of blacksmithing and acrylic and airbrush painting. My rendezvous and camping gear was also in the same space. A roll-around workbench had chopsaw, scroll saw and such stored on a shelf. The tablesaw and the drillpress were mounted on rolling carriages. Two workbenches had masonite sacrificial tops, and were mostly used for woodworking. Third workbench had an aluminum top, and was for metal work. Things rolled in and out of the shop as needed.

I moved and the new place has a 2 1/2 car garage and built-in cabinets. Guess what? My old benches are nearly in the same relationship with each other. A small shop in a big garage. I used it so long with the locations of everything that I just reinstalled it into the bigger space. The rolling "reloading" bench is now on the other side of the garage, but the rest is pretty much the same. Very convenient.

 

[JCBush]

ApprenticeBuilder,

Sorry I can't reciprocate with pics of my shop as my digital camera is on the fritz.

However, judging from your pic, I'd say we are about even with usable operating space...Compact, but efficient.

I don't see it as an impediment, just an occasional challenge!

Keep on making sawdust and metal filings,it's good therapy for the soul...

PA Rifleman 53

 

[fitter]

How much room does your key board take?
18"x 6"?

 

[paulvallandigham]

My computer sits in a room with three large windows, where I can look out and relax my eyes by looking into the distance.( infinity focus) I do this often, as its an old habit learned when Tracking( reading foot impressions, and " sign "). :hmm:

Thanks for asking. :hatsoff:

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

Yup,
Today I was at the fair and will be again tomorrow working on a cap rifle for demonstration purposes with others arranged on tables in various stages of completion for drawing them in to look at the pretty things.
Once this obligation is finished I am back at cleaning and organizing and I'll post some more pics.