My bigger little new shop

[preeb]

Took me a few years to figure out that an 80 sq-ft shack, as nice and warm as it has been, is not going to cut it for me any longer.
Don't get me wrong here... I loved that old shack dearly and it was my little quiet corner to disconnect from the real world and dive into what I love to do most, build guitars while listening to music but I couldn't even hold a bass vertically on the working bench (-;
I figured that a new shop design could easily be over kill if I don't sit down with a paper and pencil and think it over and over again making sure it's done exactly as it needs to be without making it too big, too expensive, over equipped...etc... so I started by putting a list of my real problems divided into 4 sub groups:

1) Health issues
2) Safety issues
3) Comfort
4) Storage

Health issues
* Dust collection
* Spray room ventilation
* Easy cleaning

Safety issues
* Tooling stations layout
* Space around each station
* Easy access for periodical maintenance

Comfort
* Size
* Lighting
* Adding stations

Storage
* Climate control
* Easy access and view

When I had it all planned I asked my constructor to start working.
First thing was moving (or rather pushing...) the old shack to a free area to allow me to continue working.



It barely survived the 20 meters trap... but it went OK



This is where it used to stand and this is where the new shop will be built. Same exact location (-;



Some are happy some are not...



IMG_1300.jpg

Will continue soon... got to go..

[ponce]

I like your mid-eastern weather, in this part of the mediterranean its not as warm at the moment. I want to have an own space like that too one day, I keep imagening it these days constantly.

[crazydave911]

Interesting, I had heard solar panels had become a common resource in Israel. Are those for electricity or water, and are they for your dwelling? Just curious , will be good for you getting new digs

Shalom

[jpbturbo]

Wonderful.
We are getting kicked out of our place in May.
I'm sure I'll miss my 12x24 space but it is nice to be reminded that a small space can suffice.

[sfcmark]

Yay! It's Preeb's workshop build thread!

Originally Posted by preeb

Took me a few years to figure out that an 80 sq-ft shack, as nice and warm as it has been, is not going to cut it for me any longer...



...

You mean to tell us all your incredible work has come out of an 8X10 plastic utility shed?

[pmjennin]

This will be as interesting as any of your guitar build threads, I'm sure.

Thanks for posting it, Gil!

[neighbour]

Originally Posted by crazydave911

Interesting, I had heard solar panels had become a common resource in Israel. Are those for electricity or water, and are they for your dwelling? Just curious , will be good for you getting new digs

Shalom

these solar panels are for water heating - its common in Israel in the last 50 years i guess.
the big ones which produce electricit are rather new but you still don;t see them in small numbers on private roofs - only large quantities usually in farms etc'

[preeb]

Some photos from the construction. Total size of the new shop is is 270 sq-ft plus a 30 sq-ft separate spray room.


The constructor on right. A super nice and reliable guy named Reuven and Dandan his helper. This took place back in July 2011.



Concrete base





Walls and ceiling are designed specifically to insulate against temperature changes and noise.
5" foam sandwiched in metal sheets + 5" cement board on the outside + dry wall on the inside. 2 large windows, one for the bench and the other for the routing and sanding area. when all is shut you can hardly hear a 3 HP router screaming in there.








Here you can see the thick inner insulation




Dry wall on the inside




and cement boards on the outside about 1" further out of the inner wall. The total thickness is very thick but it's required to get the job done. The two big boxes are the AC system




The staircase connecting to the living level floor will run through here. It should be wide enough to get new machines and lumber in and the guitars out (-;




Anti slip Granite Porcelain floor is done and some paint, windows...etc...




Water hose is a must in case of fire (g_d forbid)




The AC is a strong 3.5 hp that will keep the inner climate under control year round. The AC compressor unit is mounted outside and the fan and intake are installed almost at ceiling level




Spray room area on right and metal shelving system. The shelves are capable to hold up to 100Kg (220 lbs) each which is more than sufficient for the piles of lumber






The back of the shop in this shot. There will be an outer storage shack in that space for fresh lumber that needs to move a lot for the first year or two. It will be hot in the summer and cold in winter... exactly what I want for stabilizing my lumber naturally.




Some hanging bars will need to be attached to the ceiling so the threaded steel rods are installed at this stage




Time to bring in some lumber and test the shelving. My little one wanted to help by bringing the blanks one at a time (-;

[neighbour]

Great start of an amazing topic - all i can say is i spent some time in the old shack and also in the new work place - at least in the new one i can stand up right (i'm 1.97m' tall)
:-))
it came up amazing!!

[telemcCaster]

I love this!

[preeb]

I will not torture you with the construction any more... a short fast forward and it's time to discuss the dust collection system.

There are a few types of wood particle contaminations.
1) Chips
2) dust
3) micro dust

Depending on the machining job any or few of the above may want to get in the air and into my poor lungs. I really need to fight this back the best way I can because it's a big health issue and a well known silent killer.

My system will need a few pre designed properties to take care of all 3 types.
The parameters are:
1) Air suction volume capability
2) Air suction speed at each machine end collector
3) Mesh size of the filters

The volume determines how much air will be sucked for a given time (cubic feet per minute) and is important if I need to collect a lot of material or run a few stations concurrently.

The air speed at the collector determines how big the collection area will be in front of the collector. This can be controlled by the collector opening diameter

The mesh size of the filter will determine the minimal size of the particles that are allowed to get back in the air. When filtering wood micro dust I want it to be 1 micron. This will result with a fresh mountain air quality in the shop (-;

After a small research and some goggling I had the thing designed and made sure the system is at least 50% stronger than the minimum requirements. I could have had it done by a professional company but I decided to save the big $$$ involved and do it myself. It turned out to be a good decision.

I started by placing the filtering collector and the machinery at the designated locations in the shop. Starting with the 3 HP turbine



4" PVC hoses installed high up going from station to station



Next stage was running the flexible 4" hoses from the PVC intake to the stations






Including the bench area (for sanding dust).
I also included openings for future possible machinery and plugged them well for now.




Some stations don't come with a dust collection outlets so I had to build them




Now here comes the tricky part...
Since I don't use more than 1 or 2 stations simultaneously it would be a waste of suction power to keep all the collector stations open. The solution would be air gates at each end point. When a station is not in use its gate is shut allowing more suction power at the opened gates. Simple, right?
Here's how I did that:

A dual female adapter is cut in the center




like this




4" circles are cut out of rectangular MDF boards




The hose adapter halves are epoxied into the MDF




Like that




and flush sanded




like that




I now make the gates and spacers. The spacers are cut a little wider than the gate because when the gate is closed the suction will pull it shut strongly so the fit should be loose enough to allow free movement and maintenance.




Everything is glued together




and I make sure that the gate is completely sealed when shut




and that the gate is moved easily but not too loosely




Each collector gets its gate




A smaller intake (1 1/2") at the router table to get more coverage area






and more luck than brains with the saw.... allowing the engine cooling to function when the gate is open... LOL




Again... more luck than brains hanging the hose over the bench when not in use through the gate hole when it's closed (-;






and it starts to look like a.... spaceship?






Everything is sealed well with heavy wrapping nylon which is a great sealer and very easy to replace in the future if any leaks occur














Now I turn on the system with all the gates shut. I make sure the vacuum bag is not getting filled with air, meaning that the system is totally sealed with no leaks.
All is done (-;

[CptRyg]

That shop is quite an upgrade. Can't wait to see what you can do with the improvement!

[dazzypig]

[telemcCaster]

Do you miss the dust filling your nasopharynx and alveoli?

[preeb]

Some other stations don't need an external dust collection since they are equipped with one internally. For example, the big open end 18" - 36" drum sander has a collection unit built in with its own bag. I just replaced the bag to a 1 micron mesh bag.
Right next to it I place my spindle sanding station that will share the collector with the drum sander.



Here's the collector's hose is attached to the drum sander




and can be easily removed




and connected to the spindle sander




A whole different approach was needed to be taken with the spray room air filtering system. I only spray nitrocellulose based materials and we all know how seriously dangerous and hazardous that material is. The over spray particles are poison when breathed, the material at its liquid form shouldn't get in touch with the skin, aniline dyes are even worse and should never be handled without gloves of breathed in, the nitro thinner is also poison and very flammable!
So... a few things need to be taken care of:

1) Proper filtering of the intake to prevent particles coming into the clean room
2) Super strong turbine ventilation (fire safe) to evacuate the fumes and over spray out of the room
3) Proper filtering to remove the dust and fumes on the way out to save the planet (-;
4) separating the compressor from the room itself

The intake is a rectangular channel in the wall connecting the main shop with the spray room. This is the intake from the spray room side




and on the shop side. Theres a thick foam filter that allows clean air to get in. It's also very easy to clean.




The turbine is installed outside and connected with a hose to the wall (the 6" round hole on the upper wall). Note the round hanging bar which I use to hang the guitars while spraying.




The compressor is also outside the spray room and its hose is running through the wall into the room. The compressor can be turned on/off from the room itself.
On the back wall theres a lazy Susan attachment on a swinging arm (old TV hanger (-;)
and the room is used for storage of the buffing equipment when not in use.




The turbine is always on even when the spray room is not in use. This way the entire shop's air volume is replaced every 5 minutes or so which is an extra air cleaning stage that will capture any remaining particles that escaped the dust collecting system (There's always some...).

In the shop, right outside the spray room theres a long hanging bar that is used to hang the guitars for drying after they get sprayed.

[preeb]

There's nothing special with the shop itself but I made it very easy to use with lots of shelves and tooling storage that are right at the bench area






Proper window locations to have natural light where needed




Everything is on wheels because I sometimes need to move things a little and it also makes it super easy to clean the floor at the end of the working day. I use every available space under the stations for storage as well.




PU and setup area with all the little parts




Guitars waiting their turn on a stand in the setup area




The amazing Kreg router table system... large and super easy to use.




My favorite big router by Ryobi. I have a few of those and I use them also for smaller hand held routings when needed.




Resowed figured Maple blanks are stored under the table too (-;




Large belt sander with a swinging arm attachment




Spraying equipment storage by the spray room






"Ready to use" wood storage on deep shelves






I built those little dollys to move the parts between station to station.




Optional tools are stored by the relevant stations for quick access




My little faithful 100 year old barometer (-;
If it points to the left there's no nitro spraying today...




All in all a great comfy shop, not too big not too small and it's just right for my little one man operation. The work is still done the same way naturally, but in a much much more comfortable, healthy and safe environment.

On the to do list I still have
1) pin router station
2) wood storage shack outside the back of the shop
3) another routing table with a different set up
4) new fret slotting machine station with the option to cut different scales

I'll post those when they happen of course.


I still miss my old shack every once in a while but time has the cure for everything (-;

Shabat Shalom guys!

[nblades]

I've been wondering when the New Shop Build Thread was going to come up! Too Cool! Excellent work with the gates on the vac-system!

[jpbturbo]

Wonderful shop!
Thanks for sharing your thought process on the design and layout.

-Josh

[preeb]

Originally Posted by ponce

I like your mid-eastern weather, in this part of the mediterranean its not as warm at the moment. I want to have an own space like that too one day, I keep imagening it these days constantly.

Hmm... this photo is from last July.. it was still summer here.
Today is stormy. Big time. Snowing in Jerusalem.

[preeb]

Originally Posted by crazydave911

Interesting, I had heard solar panels had become a common resource in Israel. Are those for electricity or water, and are they for your dwelling? Just curious , will be good for you getting new digs

Shalom

The solar panels are for hot water.