Small workshop

[Mike G]

I've only just looked at this for the first time in weeks (sorry!!).

I don't want to be a wet blanket, but any decking above 300mm (a foot) high requires planning permission. Whether you go down that route is going to boil down to a judgement on your behalf as to whether or not any of your neighbours are likely to complain.

[MY63]

I've only just looked at this for the first time in weeks (sorry!!).

I don't want to be a wet blanket, but any decking above 300mm (a foot) high requires planning permission. Whether you go down that route is going to boil down to a judgement on your behalf as to whether or not any of your neighbours are likely to complain.

Thanks Mike I appreciate your input,
I have spoken to the local planning department who have told me that as with the workshop I am entitled to measure from the highest point. I had to use the 45 x 97 mm as joists as the 147 mm joists would not fit without digging down.
The back corner on the fence line is the highest point and the inner corner is one of the lowest points.

I would like to say thank you to yourself and everyone else here for the support throughout this project I can honestly say it would not have happened without it.

[MY63]

The great decking jigsaw begins
My son and I have cleaned the older deck (just over 1 year old) The edges have been trimmed back where the new joist has been added. I have spent the last couple of days moving boards around trying to find the best place for the joints.

2019-10-03_08-51-27 by my0771, on Flickr

I need to have joints along the length of the deck and am unsure of the expansion gap required the boards have a 5 mm gap between them any advice would be appreciated.

[Malc2098]

That'll be nice with some chairs, a table and some filled glasses to sit out with of an evening!

[MY63]

All was going well until I decided I wanted to use a mitre joint across the big joint.
I know everyone said not to do it and it is difficult I did try the overlapping joint but I did not like it.
I selected a start point and marked 45 degrees and an end point and marked 45 degrees there, then took a chalk line between the two points and struck a line which I then cut with the track saw.
For some reason I did not bother to check it was 45 degrees until after I had made the cut so it turns out it was 44 degrees not bad for guess work but no good to go around a 90 degree corner.
My solution was to take everything up re cut the mitres individually and lay each pair at the same time.
I wish I had done this from the start but there you go I have learnt something and and managed to keep my waste to a minimum.

2019-10-19_01-17-45 by my0771, on Flickr

2019-10-19_01-18-16 by my0771, on Flickr

I still have some issues with hands and now shoulder so I find it difficult to bear weight on my hands. When I was struggling to move my son suggested I needed a hover board. This started me thinking and I came up with this using Aldi's finest castors and some scraps of MDF donated by my neighbour. It is fantastic I can roll up and down the deck putting screws in or taking them out after making a mistake

2019-10-19_01-17-29 by my0771, on Flickr

I may well run the track saw up the sides of the cut as one or two do not line up as nicely as I would like but it is just a deck.

[Malc2098]

Unless you’re ocd, Michael, you won’t notice them with a glass in your hand!

Looking good.

[MY63]

Looking back over the last 14 months since I started building my workshop and the decking leading from the house to it.
I know I have said this before but I doubt it would have happened without the support of members of this forum not just technical but there has also been a lot of support that got me through a few wobbles.
When I started in October 2018 we had four rescue Spaniels who took great interest in my efforts.
Sadly we lost Keela at the end of 2018 and her brother Diesel a year later they came to us as ex working trials dogs via a spaniel rescue. They were six years old when they came to us and we had them for six and seven years respectively.

keela and diese 3 by my0771, on Flickr

keela and diese 2 by my0771, on Flickr

Keela on the left has the white nose, Diesel followed me everywhere even when it was cold and I was working outside he was never far away.
The reason for adding the raised flower bed was to give us a suitable place to put their ashes.

2019-11-10_05-52-48 by my0771, on Flickr

On a more positive note I have re discovered my mojo and have finally made some progress on the interior benches.

2019-12-23_09-53-35 by my0771, on Flickr

This is one of two frames to go along the rear wall and will be a marking and assembly area 2.3m by 800mm. They are mortise and tenon at the top with rails screwed in place at the bottom. There are more supports to add around the corners I will be fixing them to the walls for more strength. I am also considering a torsion style box on top of the frames to give extra support to the tops.

The woodworking bench is going to be a heavier construction with 100 mm sq posts 75 mm x 50mm rails there will be rails top and bottom. The top will be traditional M&T I am currently making a self centering mortising jig which I think will lead me to using loose tenons for the lower joints.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96iT4zuYBOc

I would love to say I am going to have everything finished by the end of the year

[9fingers]

....You don't need to state which year do you
interesting illusion makes it look like the front nearside leg is made from three sections lengthwise but magnifying the image shows it as one piece with knots.

Keep up the good work

Bob

[Malc2098]

Go for it, Michael. You're doing great. Happy New Year!

[TrimTheKing]

Well done mate, keep going at it and remember, I’ve been ‘finishing’ mine for 5 years...

[MY63]

Having filled the workshop with stuff that was in the way of Christmas well it was all of my tools and leather and suede and..... well you get the idea so this morning I emptied everything and started fitting the frames I had made an strengthening them.
Left side.

2019-12-28_06-21-00 by my0771, on Flickr

And a few hours later the right side followed I put some cross bracing across the corners and glued and screwed them in place. I am not sure if the height is correct it is wrist height, I think it is easier to go up than down should I need to.

2019-12-28_06-15-58 by my0771, on Flickr

It turned out that the temporary benches where I had piled all of my useful items on (ok junk) were also using the tops I wanted for the end benches. I wish I was more organised that would make things easier.

[MY63]

After my success with the other benches I decided to crack on with the woodworking bench. Although I had already cut the tenons for the top rails I decided to remake them using floating tenons.

2019-12-31_07-42-10 by my0771, on Flickr

I have glued the long sides but ran out of daylight before I could finish the short sides. I did try the top to see what it will look like when it is finished.

2019-12-31_08-01-48 by my0771, on Flickr

Seems quite high. I will wait and see when it is all glued up.

[MY63]

This is the final bench I need to make for this workshop it is just over 2 m long the frame (like a ladder style) is 95 mm x 45 mm pressure treated that I have been using as a temporary bench from very early in the build.
All it needed was some legs.

2020-01-12_12-51-35 by my0771, on Flickr

I am simply going to notch the top of each leg to allow it to sit inside the frame I am a little unsure of the fixing I would like to use bolts. Ideally I want this to be freestanding like all of the other benches so I can pull them out for cleaning.

[MY63]

I think the end is in sight I have attached the legs to the upper frame I need some bracing top and bottom.
I have used left over floor pieces which I saved for this purpose.
The bench along the back wall is about 75 mm lower but that will be fixed when I make the support box for the tops.

2020-01-13_09-06-18 by my0771, on Flickr

I have lots of sorting and tidying up to do.

2019-12-31_08-01-48 by my0771, on Flickr

I am thinking I may need some sort of vice to go with this MFT top workbench if anyone could help me to choose one I would appreciate it.

[Malc2098]

looking good.

[Andyp]

if you do not want to go down the coneventional woodowrking vice and if you want real flixibility you could consider one of these.
You would have to add an extra rail for the vice to clamp to.

[MattS]

Depends what you want to clamp but there are lots of clamping options which use dog holes. Ones which apply pressure downwards onto bench or laterally against dogs


A standard wood vice may need some extra structure underneath to fit too.

[MY63]

Thanks I was just thinking about a standard woodworking vice fitted to the side of the bench like this

https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-t ... e-ax968364

I am starting to transfer a lot of tools and junk from the house to the workshop at some point I have to move my leather and suede. I was surprised to find there is quite a lot of stock to move over and as it is quite expensive I don't want to risk it getting damaged.
I was thinking of investing in a small 500w oil filled radiator to keep the cold out I know we have not had any really cold weather as yet but I am sure it is on its way.

[9fingers]

Thanks I was just thinking about a standard woodworking vice fitted to the side of the bench like this

https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-t ... e-ax968364

I am starting to transfer a lot of tools and junk from the house to the workshop at some point I have to move my leather and suede. I was surprised to find there is quite a lot of stock to move over and as it is quite expensive I don't want to risk it getting damaged.
I was thinking of investing in a small 500w oil filled radiator to keep the cold out I know we have not had any really cold weather as yet but I am sure it is on its way.

I would guess that it might be humidity that would give problems with leather and similar stock? if that is the case maybe a dehumidifier might be needed too. These produce a little heat too as well as a source of water for the steam iron but can shut down at near zero temperatures - check the operating temp range. So you might need a little heater too with a thermostat set to keep the dehumidifier running happily.

Bob

[Malc2098]

My 'shop has been at 4C each morning this week.

I have a 750w oil filled radiator and with me working and machine heat, it goes upon to about 10 -11C fairly quickly, (and a really thick and lines cardigan)!

I had my suede stored inside a paper bag in a cold loft for years before I built the 'shop and I don't think it's deteriorated any. I would think that damp would be the problem.

[MY63]

Thanks Bob and Malcolm I am not too worried about the suede but veg tanned leather is extremely sensitive to moisture mould grows incredibly easily.
I saw an oil filled radiator in screwfix this morning for under £20. As there is so much insulation in the workshop it is never actually cold out there.
My hot air gun stopped working again this afternoon so I will be back there tomorrow I might pick one up.

[9fingers]

A popular misconception is that insulation keeps a building warm.

Left to its own devices the inside of a building will become exactly the same temperature as the outside (no sun and still air)

Insulation reductes the rate of heat conduction through the structure. Sun through the window will warm it up and stay warmer for a while once the sun has gone in and any heating will be more effective requiring less power for a given air temperature inside.
I see your proposed heater has a thermostat so the insulation can potentially save running costs.

Bob

[MY63]

Thanks Bob the window faces west and is quite small but the doors face south so it gets nice and warm during the day.
Believe it or not leather still darkens in sunlight and that is why there is only one window

[MY63]

I have not updated this workshop thread for a while progress has been slow.
The work benches are finished with shelves where required.
This bench has caused me some issues there is a joint because I am using leftover floor panels, Getting a joint I was happy with was not to easy.

2020-01-13_09-06-18 by my0771, on Flickr

This is the solution I have come up with.

2020-03-28_09-40-08 by my0771, on Flickr

When I shape and dye leather it is wet and I am always short of drying space so I have come up with this.
I should point out I only need 4 but for some reason I made 5 there you go.

2020-03-28_05-10-45 by my0771, on Flickr

They are not going to live in the woodworking area I just hung them there as I made them.
I need to make some sort of trolley on wheels for my bandsaw and another for my large bench sander or maybe one that holds both. If anyone has any advice or tips I would appreciate it.

[Malc2098]

Looking really good, Michael. Ask yourself, a couple of years ago would you have thought you'd been able to make all this? Good job!