Finally, they are working on the shop

[electra225]

I would build a 2X4 frame under it. On the front edge, I'd put a power outlet so I didn't have to have so many wires on the bench. I could even connect the power strip to my isolation transformer/variac. I still don't have a plan to fight/eliminate clutter. Clutter tends to follow me around.

[19&41]

It follows me around too. Then after a bit it follows me out to the thrift store donation site.

[electra225]

My brother could organize a train wreck. I have no idea where he got that ability from. Dad was a slob when he worked. He left equipment where he quit using it. We had empty tool sheds because dad was too lazy to drive the equipment into them. I really try to be neat and organized, but fail miserably. My stepdad was my elmer and he was pretty messy as well. He never cleaned his shop or bench until he died. Then we hauled pickup loads of pure junk out of his shop. I've seem pictures of benches that were well laid-out, wires contained, equipment in effecient locations, and the bench clear enough they could actually work. I typically have to remove clutter from the last job(s) so I can work on the next one.

If we have any really good, or even marginally good, organizers among our numbers, I'd sure be interested in hearing how you do it. How do you contain the leads for test equipment? Mine are typically dangling everywhere, always in the way, always tangled so I can't use them. Worse yet, I sometimes mistake the leads and use the wrong one. I own six VTVM's and typically have most of them hot at the same time. One set on ohms, one set on AC, that kind of thing. What order to you set your test equipment on the shelf so you can effeciently use it? I like VTVM's in the middle, then go from there. Dangling/twisted/tangled test leads is my biggest problem, followed by poor housekeeping. And emptying the trash can. Mine is always full to overflowing, so the trash gets "temporarily" deposited on the floor.

[Firedome]

I like 3/4" plywood with one side finished (smooth) for a workbench top, 2x6 for perimeter framing under it and legs, 2x4
for bracing around the legs that can also hold a shelf. All thru bolted not lag screwed. Sturdy enough to pound on and attach a big heavy vise to, and can be taken apart for moving. Had it since our 1st house in 1974 and 5 houses since. After a bunch of years when too beat up it can be re-topped with glued and screwed smooth luan "underlayment". Will be 50 yrs old in a couple years and seen lots of projects!

My 8th grade shop teacher Mr. Dummler taught us to organize and clean while working, to this day I like a neat work field, clutter drives me crazy. My shop is immaculate and well organized, but my daughter-in-law is the best organizer I've ever seen... she could organize a landfill. Her mantra is storage of little-used stuff up high, in rafters or high shelves. My secret is overwhelming amounts of shelving, it takes little space against the wall and can hold vast amounts if deep enough - I like 16".

[electra225]

Thanks for your suggestions, Roger. I have never had a well-organized shop, but am really gonna try with this one. I have been looking for suggestions online and have come up with some ideas.

We were told today that the windows are ordered and should be here first of the week. They made the openings a standard size, 36" X 48" so they wouldn't have to special-order the windows. The frau has been in charge of window grids, those are her thing. Windows and doors are next, then stucco, then roughing in the electrical, then paint, then roof tiles. In the interim, the framer is to close in the gables and finish up a couple small things, then the stucco and roofing guys take over.

[electra225]

The electrician came out yesterday and "roughed in" the electrical wiring. No 220 yet, no lights upstairs, no TV or phone wiring. I reckon I'll have a corner bench, since the lighting is made for a corner bench. They have it set up basically like we discussed. Now they get to dig the ditch between the shop and the house, under the block fence and between the air conditioner and the fence. They are going to have to work really hard to get the project done by the end of January. Of course, in fairness, they did not specify WHICH January.......

[electra225]

We got the door and windows installed today. The next step is putting Tyvek on the outside, then stucco. Nobody knows when this will happen. Our project manager is in sick and is off work, so that isn't going to help progress any.

[electra225]

I sure hope this doesn't jinx the project. Seems like every time I post about progress, we have a two or three-week "stay" until we get the next spurt of activity. We couldn't have chosen a worse time to get construction done in this Valley. Material shortages, labor shortages and over-booked contractors are part of the reason behind the delay. We signed the contract for this project on March 9 of 2021. It may well take a year, OR MORE (!) to get a 400 square foot workshop built, to HOA and county codes.

Today, we have had TWO crews working on the shop project. The roofers came out and put the black tar paper on the roof. Next step there is to "load" the concrete roof tiles on the roof in piles so the inspector will see the building won't collapse under the weight of the roofing tiles. The trusses are 2X6 to hold the weight. The framing crew is finishing up the gables and installing the floor in the upstairs storage area. They used OSB, which will be okay, but I'll have to watch out for splinters. They are prepping the area for the ladder to the upstairs, one of those foldable types that disappears into the ceiling. There will be 160 square feet of storage upstairs in the rafters. They will insulate under the roof so it won't be 300 degrees upstairs in the summer time. Spray-in insulation upstairs, R-54, with batt insulation in the walls, R-31. Those values are code. The plans call for single electrical outlets in the shop, an oversight on my part. So I'm going to take Bentley to his favorite place this afternoon, the Home Depot, to get some double boxes. I'll install them and nobody will be any the wiser. I want to move an electrical box up to clear the cabinets, so I'll do that as well.

[William]

Congrats, Greg, on progress being made. I hope it continues.

Bill

[electra225]

Thanks, Bill. Fingers are crossed, rest assured.

I have made an executive decision. I will retain the single outlet boxes already in place. HD has those nice, metal six outlet strips four feet long. I can put a switch in those and actually make those work better. The bench I want has a power strip and the ubiquitous USB port already. Single outlets and power strips will eliminate power cord mess. The test lead mess is another matter, not yet satisfactorily figured out. How do I keep test leads from getting all tangled together?

[19&41]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/352288546516?h ... SwvZpc3bhL

https://smile.amazon.com/Velleman-TLMH- ... C54&sr=8-1

[electra225]

This is a link to the bench I believe I'll use. I can place it against a wall, or roll it out on the floor if I need to.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Duramax-Bui ... /304937170

Excellent options, Rex. Thank you!

[19&41]

That bench looks mighty nice, but consider that it will be difficult to sit close to the bench top without being able to get your knees under there. For full time standing, it shouldn't matter.

[electra225]

I tried it out at the Home Depot. They had one of those adjustable shop stools, like you get to work on cars, there. You could put your knees under the drawers and that seemed to work okay for me. The part I like is that the bench is on wheels, so I could move it out to the middle of the floor if I needed/wanted to. I won't have room for a stationary bench and a portable table I can use in the middle of the floor occasionally. Though not perfect for the reasons you cited, it seems like a good compromise. I'd put lauan on the bottom rack so I could place test equipment there. I could put my battery eliminator down there permanently. Plus, I won't have to build anything.

[William]

Rex, I have the same sort of thing hanging on the wall behind me as I stand at my bench. I hang all my jumper cables on it. It works great for that. All the colors are separate and easy to grab.

Greg, I like your new bench. It looks like a heavy duty one.

Bill

[electra225]

Do you think that bench is heavy duty enough to hold up the Stereo Theater?

[William]

Hard to tell without actually seeing it., but it looks like it should. Does it have a weight rating? Next time I'm in Ludington I will go to HD and see if they have one.

Bill

[electra225]

The drawers are rated for 100 pounds, the wire shelf 200 pounds. No weight rating for the entire thing.

[19&41]

That unit looks tough enough to go the distance.

[William]

I took a second look this morning and actually read some of the reviews provided by HD. I only read 3 pages of reviews, and there were only 2 complaints. Both stating poor quality. Everyone else loved it. But, the funny thing, most are using it for any thing and everything but a work bench. TV stand, bar, entry table, kitchen center island, etc.

Bill