Jump to content

Let’s hear your super tips for a great workstation!

Tudor

By Tudor
in Tools & Equipment

 Share

Recommended Posts

Tudor Distinguished Member

Tudor

Posted
Posted (edited)

I think lots of people will benefit from this thread, but I have been banished to the basement with my collection of tools and junk.

so, I have a blank slate. The chance to do it right. I have some ideas of my own but I’m keen to hear what works well for you and why. 

Let’s get this rolling!

Edited by Tudor
Tmuir Distinguished Member

Tmuir

Posted
Posted

Get yourself a good quality variable brightness LED workbench lamp.

Having a good and bright white light makes such a difference for me.

  • Like 2
Tudor Distinguished Member

Tudor

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Well, lighting is top of my wish list. I will Be under a large (for a basement) window, and I am considering angled mirror(s) to reflect light from the high window down onto my work surface. 

In addition, I am hoping for three four-foot LED shop lights- one over head and on on the left and right, long ways, to flood the Work area from three directions. Plus I have my IKEA halogen desk lamp. 

The bench was going to be an older IKEA desk I have in pieces, but the height doesn’t adjust as I thought it did, and I can’t find the hardware to build it again. So that top is going to go on top of some 2x6 lumber (flat) which is on top of an unused dining room table in the basement. So I’ll be about three inches higher than a normal table. I may make a riser out of 2x4’s on edge to give 4-1/4” over table height. I have to see what works. I’m 6-2” so it may go up even higher...

Tmuir Distinguished Member

Tmuir

Posted
Posted

Yes I'm still struggling on a desk that is too low, I have a good stool that goes lower than normal which helps, but a higher desk would be much easier.

If you in a basement how is the ventilation and humidity control?

Ventilation as I am thinking about your cleaning fluids and humidity control so you don't have to worry about rust.

Very few houses in Australia have basements, so its not really an issue I have had to deal with but I have friends in the UK that needed to install dehumidifiers to make his basement suitable as a workshop.

Tudor Distinguished Member

Tudor

Posted
  • Author
Posted

We are fortunate in that we have central air for the house, which dehumidifies the entire house. But, it does not cover the basement... Therefore, I have a dehumidifier running 24-7 down there, as I have my drums in a small room (the "Drumgeon") down there too.

It is always cool, so the dew point is generally not an issue even though relative humidity is a bit higher than I'd like. I also have a pile of exotic wood from my guitar making days that also prefers is moderate and fortunately no issues with growing stuff on any of that.

And I've been sniffing solvents my entire life (model building when younger, industrial work for 30 years and auto repair and restoration in between) so that doesn't bother me. I do have a serious exhaust fan set up in the Drumgeon as it gets quite warm in there, which would pull out any heavy build-up of smells.

measuretwice WRT Addict

measuretwice

Posted
Posted (edited)

as beginner, losing/dropping parts is all too frequent and a royal PITA.  A floor that's easy to spot stuff on, a  bench with groove along the front and pull out cloth tray all help.  My bench also has a glass cover, basically like a large upside down three sided fish tank with the front open.  It minimizes dust settling and has stopped a few parts that go zinging out of a too-firm tweezer grip

Edited by measuretwice
Tudor Distinguished Member

Tudor

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I was actually thinking a frame on the outer edges that could support and old sheet or plastic would be a good idea to keep dust off all surfaces when I'm not working, not just the critical parts in boxes or under covers.

But if I'm working on something "new" to me, I will sometimes use a piece of plastic wrap to control flying parts. When I know something may fly, I try to stick some rodico on it, so the mass is greater and it can fly as far. (if at all).

Some great food for thought! Lets keep the ideas flowing!

TimFitz WRT Addict

TimFitz

Posted
Posted

I always where an old hardware store Apron I have a grommet at each bottom corner , and two hooks under my bench . When I sit down to work , I hook them up  & there is a nice sling to catch things.

Just don't forget to unhook yourself when you get up to go pee.  :)

 

20180813_153946_resized.jpg

20180813_154052_resized.jpg

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • watchweasol
      Help with Hermle ships clock

      By watchweasol · Posted

      Hi Mike I did a ships clock a long while ago, not a Hermle though and without getting the beast in my hands to refresh my memory I can’t recall the timing.  This doesn’t help I know but will start the grey matter turning.
    • Mark
      Ad Free WRT

      By Mark · Posted

      Of course it will continue Richard.
    • Rixy
      Help with Hermle ships clock

      By Rixy · Posted

      I have stripped and cleaned a Hermle ships clock. It was just oily, no major faults, and I reassembled it, following my photos in reverse order. The time train is fine but the strike train will not play the ships bell strike for half-past. Ships bells play a four hour sequence for the 'watches' and play double 'ding' for the hour and the double dings plus one for the half past (eg half past the second hour is 'ding-ding' 'ding-ding' 'ding'). Sounds complicated but it isn't really. The strike wheel consists of pairs of bumps (for the ding-ding) and no single bumps. There must me some mechanism on the half-past that lifts the strike lever over one of the bumps so only one ding is played. When I get to a half past, it still plays double ding. I have a feeling it is to do with the lever in front of the rack (there is a sprung attachment  on it) and the position of the wheel (to the right) with the two pins that lets that lever fall, but no matter where I place that wheel I cannot get a single ding at half past! Please can someone help with advice on positioning so I can fix this? BTW Happy Easter 🐣 
    • mbwatch
      Who's doing what in the world of watches today.

      By mbwatch · Posted

      No it's not 52. I had looked at the Pocket Watch lift angles thread, which lists Elgin 6s as something really high like 62° but visually that is not at all what this watch is doing. I think 42° is more correct and that's where my machine is setup. The watch has a million problems but I have made solid progress. Impulse jewel replaced. Hairspring didn't match the balance (which also doesn't match the serial) but I got it down into range this weekend with 8 or 10 huge timing washers. Replaced the mainspring, balance and train are nice and free. At this point it is running consistently and in beat at about 160°, the third wheel has a bend that sends the timegrapher on a little roller coaster every 8 minutes or so. Remaining amplitude problems may be down to the escapement. The banking pins were way out and it didn't run at all before I started. It has one of the old brass escape wheels rather than steel, and I assume the faces its teeth are probably worn or scored in a way I can't yet fix (or see without a microscope). I know this watch is not going to run above 250° but I am going to keep trying to get above 200. But the best part about this watch? Some unscrupulous person stamped "21 JEWELS" on the train bridge sometime in the past, right on top of the Damascening. It's a 15 jewel movement.
    • tomh207
      Smiths rim wind and set

      By tomh207 · Posted

      I think it would rather be the blast of high current drain that would do the damage. But if used occasionally to maybe fix a mainspring or do dial feet it might be worth trying especially if the mainspring or a replacement couldn’t be found.    Tom
×
×
  • Create New...