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Post by barten on May 16, 2015 7:33:40 GMT -5
So here is where my work space is as of this morning...I have been collecting furniture and displays for a while now (garbage picked, Craig's list "free" or garage sales.) The big display had two broken side mirrors in it that have to be replaced. And the carpet squares are from a Church I use to preach at. They replaced carpet....and I got the old ones. All the glass doors and shelves have to be washed and installed. And a balast has to be replaced in the one cabinet light. But it is all getting closer.    I hope to build a spray booth from of an old TV cabinet that can be closed up. (THey are on Craig's list forr free all the time I just have to wait for one that is close and is nice looking). They usually have extra storage around the edges and some drawers. We will see what I can find. GB bartn |
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Post by wardster on May 16, 2015 22:00:04 GMT -5
Awesomeness! I'm diggin' it!
Especially the whole "furniture that looks great, but cost mostly time and some patient hunting, rather than hard-earned cash" bit! I'd have to award extra points for creativity, along those lines. (Not that this is a contest, but ...)
I like the idea of re-purposing something pre-built, to make yourself the main part (structure) of a spray booth. I may not steal that idea, directly (depends what shows up, around town, I guess!?) but I may use it as food for thought, to see what else I can come up with, along those lines. It's not something I'd have thought of doing, I don't think ... so, again: kudos for Good Thinking, sport! (Now I'll be thinking ahead to some upgrades to the garage, for a spraying area. Hmmm...)
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Post by barten on May 17, 2015 7:44:52 GMT -5
Awesomeness! I'm diggin' it! Especially the whole "furniture that looks great, but cost mostly time and some patient hunting, rather than hard-earned cash" bit! I'd have to award extra points for creativity, along those lines. (Not that this is a contest, but ...) I like the idea of re-purposing something pre-built, to make yourself the main part (structure) of a spray booth. I may not steal that idea, directly (depends what shows up, around town, I guess!?) but I may use it as food for thought, to see what else I can come up with, along those lines. It's not something I'd have thought of doing, I don't think ... so, again: kudos for Good Thinking, sport! (Now I'll be thinking ahead to some upgrades to the garage, for a spraying area. Hmmm...) Thanks for your kind words, they encourage me in my madness, as I try to think "normal", when you need to save money there are things all around you to use and people just don't want anymore. And they are still good. So this is what I'm thinking. . . . Because we were all forced into digital tv, these things (pictured) NO ONE WANTS because they don't fit the flat screens of today. This was on Craig's list this morning. . . cool but too far away, over an hour one way. But you could enclose the "TV" area for your "Booth. Leave the doors out and have latches to attach a board that would extend the booth's depth. The lower shelves could be altered for the compressor or rattle cans. . . and the pull out tray above is the fan and filter. You spray. . . and it is all messed up with a ton of colors and then you just close the doors and you have a nicer piece of furniture. And when you open it it would be a cool contrast to the outside finish.... Attachment DeletedAttachment DeletedThanks again for looking. |
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Post by wardster on May 17, 2015 16:23:54 GMT -5
You actually had a different idea than I thought you did ... but that's okay. Gives me more options, later. (I was thinking you meant an open one, that you could add some boards to, to close up, yourself.)
Just throwing an idea out there, as food for (probably unrelated) thought, but a few years back a friend was about to toss out a really nice "old style TV cabinet" ... because the newer, wider, flatter screen she got for Christmas wasn't going to fit in there ... but I just eyeballed the TV and the old (but really nice) TV cabinet, and with her permission, I used a jigsaw to make two more-or-less "C-shaped" cuts (as clearance for the outer edges of a modern-style, flatter / wider TV screen) ... and with a bit of similar-colored wood stain on the cuts, it looks like the old cabinet was actually made for her TV.
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Post by barten on May 17, 2015 19:40:20 GMT -5
NICE Wardster! I like what you did for your friend. . . .. . Yea I'm not real handy with things other than plastic. ..so If I can find one already with finished doors. .. would be great!
GB
barten
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Post by wardster on May 17, 2015 23:02:10 GMT -5
NICE Wardster! I like what you did for your friend. . . .. . Yea I'm not real handy with things other than plastic. ..so If I can find one already with finished doors. .. would be great! GB barten You'd probably be surprised how easy it is to do mods like that, to the kind of stuff you're already collecting, anyway. A simple ($30 or $40, brand new) electric jig saw goes a LONG way towards making it easy to do stuff like that. That, an electric drill, some bits, stuff like screwdrivers and a hammer and a yardstick, and most of the tool-related expenses for this kind of thing are covered. And of course there's always hand-me-down tools, or garage sales, and such. (As long as the tools work, why not?!) I'll see if I can't dig up some pics of that TV cabinet "conversion". Might inspire some folks to make (as you'd suggested) spray booths out of other people's throw-away cabinets, or whatever. Thanks for getting our creative juices flowing, with this thread of yours!  EDIT: Adding some pics, so it's more clear what I'm talking about. Here's a two-TV's-at-once comparison pic, showing the old way things were (back in Dec 2009), before any mods were made to the nice, old cabinet. The new TV is just sitting on top of the old cabinet's top, to get an idea of how wide it is, as compared to the cabinet, etc.  And here (below) is a close-up shot, showing how I went about making the modifications, once I'd figured out how much I'd be removing. Once I had everything laid out, using blue painter's tape -- (which doubled here as a protective surface, so the saw's flat bottom plate wouldn't make the nice wood "dirty" as it moved over it, while cutting) -- I drilled four large holes, in the new corners, using an electric drill and a "hole saw" attachment / bit. Easier and a bit neater, to make "round'er" holes that way, than trying to do it with the saw ... although if you don't have that stuff, the saw can go around corners, too. Two horizontal cuts, per side; and one vertical cut, per side ... and the excess material was removed. A bit of sanding; some stain applied to the cut areas ...  ... and here it is, years later. Other than needing to dust it, it almost looks like the factory designed it this way, right?   And because the width of the new TV screen is a close match for the cabinet's outer width, if you're not paying close attention, you barely notice the changes. It's probably more easily noticed that I removed the glass doors (for no big reason other than just because I felt like it) than noticing the two C-shaped cuts.  My point in posting this is to say that, yeah, I can definitely see how it would be a great idea to want to seek out nice, older furniture, to re-purpose it! |
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Post by itsonlyakit on May 18, 2015 2:51:18 GMT -5
Noticed in your fotos that the ceiling is not finished yet, so as a suggestion, create some overhead storage. Sliding panels to expose shelving between floor joists................!!
Cheers Eh!
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Post by bubbajoe on May 18, 2015 9:57:49 GMT -5
i would kill to have that much work area....looking very spiffy
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Post by brizio on May 18, 2015 12:11:07 GMT -5
Your work space is coming out great!
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Post by barten on May 19, 2015 8:35:25 GMT -5
Wardster. . .looking great! And looks simple enough to do. Thanks for the photos and the how to do it. I think there is some great furniture being dumped that can be repurposed to make our "Build Areas" look great and functional. NEVER enough storage for parts, RIGHT? I was looking for a Library's old wooden card catalog drawers for small parts. . . but they were selling them and it was too much for my budget. Still looking for any other small drawer wooden cabinet with LOTS AND LOTS of little drawers. I got my mirror replacements for the broken display panels from a garage sale and off of graig's list yesterday (total $10). The Glass and mirror place wanted $80 for the two pieces. Then a friend cut them to size and they fit perfect. I have to glue them in and put in a security system and I can start loading everything in. itsonlyakit - I do have an open look but there is some storage above. I will have to stand on the desk to get at it. It is open around the edges (downtown Chicago Loft feel) with two lights above to light the storage area . It is hard to tell from these shots. But there is a "U" shaped platform area around the access opening. We will see if that is enough space.   Bubbajoe - thanks.. . it has been five years in the making and collecting pieces. (Well, and working with the wife for the best place for me to build - out of the way) - now I just have to live long enough to build all the kits I have. Brizio - thanks I'm more creative in a creative space.. . and I got to design this one myself. . . it is an artist thing. But thank you for your words of encouragement. |
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Post by modelcarfan on May 19, 2015 10:33:41 GMT -5
Very nice setting.. and I am sure once you make it all the way you want. It will be most cozy man cave you ever have I am working on making a cabinet for work station and its been sitting on one spot unfinished for a while.... need to get back to it and get it done. |
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Post by barten on May 19, 2015 16:49:49 GMT -5
Very nice setting.. and I am sure once you make it all the way you want. It will be most cozy man cave you ever have I am working on making a cabinet for work station and its been sitting on one spot unfinished for a while.... need to get back to it and get it done. MCF. . . .yea this was a five year project. I totally understand. I can't wait. . . but I have to be patient. But it is so close. Maybe we will both finish our projects at the same time. GB barten |
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Post by wardster on May 22, 2015 9:06:06 GMT -5
Noticed in your fotos that the ceiling is not finished yet, so as a suggestion, create some overhead storage. Sliding panels to expose shelving between floor joists................!! Cheers Eh! On that subject (of "sliding panels") ... One thing I saw someone that else had done, which took me a while to figure out, was they used long skinny strips of linoleum to make something "glide" better. (In this case, it was an old style house window, that used to go up-and-down. Someone gave the window (with it's wooden framing intact) away to this person, and that person and a friend had re-purposed it. They made it slide sideways, instead; in another house entirely: giving themselves a variable amount of incoming air.) This was actually something that wasn't working, when I saw it / was renovating that area of a friend's house. I didn't understand what was going on, at first. Frankly, it seemed like a stupid idea, or a random and odd and completely "no purpose" kind of thing, when I first saw it -- (mainly because the person who had done it was no longer around to explain what they'd done, or why they'd done it ... but mostly because various people after that person's passing had painted it over with so many thick layers of paint that it no longer moved, at all) -- but once I'd scraped off enough paint to unstick the moving parts, and to see what was going on, it slid like it was on roller bearings or something. Definitely something to consider, if you want to make something slide, but don't want to spend big bucks doing it. |
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Post by Starryeyes on May 24, 2015 18:47:27 GMT -5
Comments welcome... Ever since this thread started I've been taking a long hand look at MY modeling area.. I've always been one of those guys with a high anxiety level so patience is slim and none... Thus my work area reflects exactly that... A room full of mismatched "stuff" that I've made work resulting in an unorganized conundrum .. The old bathroom storage cabinet is 30" wide and DOES house some of my paints , all my air brushes , and compressor..,but as a result of its 30" width I ended up placing a 36" wide paint booth on top .. I've started going through some of my used supplies and older paint and "things" to start clearing clutter.. I have made some progress but still lots more to do as time permits... I have a nice drafting table off the kitchen area upstairs so I still have a place to build while weeding through stuff downstairs... The best anology I can convince myself of is that I didn't collect all this stuff overnight therefor it's not going to disappear overnight !! Enough rambling ....
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Post by wardster on May 24, 2015 19:30:16 GMT -5
Comments welcome... Ever since this thread started I've been taking a long hand look at MY modeling area.. I've always been one of those guys with a high anxiety level so patience is slim and none... Thus my work area reflects exactly that... A room full of mismatched "stuff" that I've made work resulting in an unorganized conundrum .. The old bathroom storage cabinet is 30" wide and DOES house some of my paints , all my air brushes , and compressor..,but as a result of its 30" width I ended up placing a 36" wide paint booth on top .. I've started going through some of my used supplies and older paint and "things" to start clearing clutter.. I have made some progress but still lots more to do as time permits... I have a nice drafting table off the kitchen area upstairs so I still have a place to build while weeding through stuff downstairs... The best analogy I can convince myself of is that I didn't collect all this stuff overnight therefor it's not going to disappear overnight !! Enough rambling .... Besides the info here in this thread (and in the other work-space-related thread, on these forums) I have been reading as many old articles as I could, related to other people's work areas. Not just car modelers, or figure modelers -- but anyone building and/or painting stuff. If I could lay my hands on it, I wanted to read all about it. And what I'm learning is that virtually NO one has EXACTLY the situation they want. The ones (the very, very few!) who do have that, almost always went through MANY changes, upgrades, and just plain "trying stuff" before they got things to where they felt it was really efficient / pleasing / "just right". So my point is: don't feel badly, bud! You are right there in the big middle of the same demographic, along with the rest of us! :-) As for me: late last year, I got one "work area" basically straightened out. (And I posted pics of that, in the other workspace-related thread.) It's not perfect, in terms of de-cluttering -- never 100% finished that chore, from before -- but months later, it's enough to see the floor; and still get stuff done. (In other words, I didn't have to throw everything out. I just had to come up with better ways to sort / store / organize ... and when that didn't work, to also prioritize!) That level of "much better than it was before" success probably pushed me, emotionally, to keep going in other areas. Having seen it work, once, now I'm working on a secondary, indoor hobby area. (Upgrading my new-to-me workbench, in part of a bedroom. Pics of that, posted in that other thread.) That's going well, but is only maybe half done-ish, as far as the big stuff goes. (The shelves themselves, etc.) With the little / decorative stuff for "later". (Settling into the "new home".) But I can see the light at the end of that particular tunnel, too -- (And yay! It's not an oncoming train!) -- which has begun to drive some de-cluttering efforts in the garage. To look at it, the garage is still in "totally hopeless mode" at the moment ... BUT now that I made progress with first one area, some months ago, and then began making some pleasing progress in another area of the house ... yeah, the garage will also get dealt with, too. My confidence levels are increasing. To others, right now, I'm sure the garage looks hopeless. Now, to me, though -- because of the other successes -- I can see it being done, before summer ends. In other words: pick one battle at a time. Let yourself celebrate that battle, when it's won. The feeling that results may help you to go fight your next battle. Slight "subject bounce": You mentioned a drafting table. Got any pics you can post? (If not here, then in the other workspace thread?) I ask because I'm considering doing one, likely from scratch (by which I mean: instead of buying one, I'd make one with whatever I have laying around and/or can obtain locally, very cheaply) ... and seeing a set-up that other people use, and like, will give me ideas for making something that I'll like. Next "subject bounce": Whilst looking around in the garage, earlier today (to go find some plywood I could re-use), I came across a project that I'd forgotten about. Basically, short story is that I wanted a light table of some sort; if at all possible. Or, if not a table, per se, then something akin to one of those wall-hanging devices doctors use when they read X-rays. And I was planning on building it, all from scratch ... because I couldn't see lucking out enough to find the raw parts I'd need, to do something like that. And one day, lo and behold, I drove right by the raw materials. And asked the owners. Who let me have them, for free. Long story short: a local business had some metal-framed solar panels that got badly cracked, when big hail (or something) busted the operating mechanisms. I'd have to take that busted stuff out of there, to get "just the frame" ... but it looks like normal glass could be cut to fit into the existing slots ... and if so, lighting it from behind would complete it. |
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