I have built about a dozen boards since 2012.
After a hiatus, I am back with 3 more in mind and foam to make one or two more.
I have never had a shaping bay per se, only various areas in the house (when weather is cold, here that is like 8 months out of the year) or in the garage (when it is warm enough to cure epoxy without heaters).
Often I had the house to myself for stretches and could take more artistic license. Now I have family in-residence and am wondering the best way to proceed. There is still some space in the house but it’s limited. The living room is the best option inside. Garage is usually full and still too cold 2/3’rds of the year.
To Bay or not to Bay…
I have seen the portable 100$US greenhouse solutions debuted here and recounted on YouTube. There is a series of YouTube videos where O’Lou is using a modern 210$US version of a 12x8x7’H greenhouse with a self-supporting frame, folds out by itself instead of using hoops, very manageable by one person. This could have me up and running indoors in a week, and be a comfortable size up to 9’6" boards (I am planning a log soon) without much work…Downside is a living room full of greenhouse and tool noise and minor tracking of dust while I work in the house.
I have a big yard. I have an abandoned deck area 8x12’ (2.4 x 3.6m) that used to enclose a hot tub that could be repurposed as a floor for a shaping bay / shed. Power for tools can be had nearby and having an outbuilding would provide an air gap for dust and noise. A purpose-driven space might help with my moderate to severe case of organizational dysfunction and the elbow room would be great compared to my previous indoor solutions, which always had the bay area narrower than 8 feet… The space would need to be heated at times which I could do as needed. I also have a hobby of SUP and 14’ sailboats, which makes me think that maybe I should make the shed 16’ (for just a few dollars more ?!?) which would allow me to work off-season on those projects as well.
The town bylaws allow 10x20 feet without a permit. It would be great to have even more space…but I think the bigger the building project, the less likely I will decide to commit and execute (if that makes any sense…) and too big might make it susceptible to accumulating non-shaping items.
To Bay or not to Bay…let me know what you think. All thoughts welcome, just play nice with one other.
Def in favor of building in back, would never recommend doing any of this in a house. I have a 9 x 13 shed in back, I can build a board in there when its not overcrowded like it is now. Now I do most of my work in the yard, I can even glass with epoxy resin on a sunny day.
9 x 13 cuz 120 sq. ft interior is all my city will allow without a permit. I would say build it as big as you can, as tall as you can, maybe make it open on one or two ends if you want to be building boats in there too. Or big doors each end.
Mine is insulated walls and ceiling, I can warm it up in there if I need to. I built it before I knew it would be used for surfboards.
If you want to make more than one board here and there, you need a board building room with good light and good ventilation. Insulate it to keep it cool and quiet. For size take the biggest project and add at least 2 feet all around to work easily+ a bit more somewhere for tools and resin prep.
Mine is 2.80x3.80m inside, i store in boards for repair, eps bloc, biggest project: sup 290x76m, i was cramped.
I have a lighting solution since board #3, LED strip lights on moveable stands.
One set is maybe 6+ feet (2m) the other set is 13+ feet (4m). I have a dust collection system (cyclone and shop vac) that can be used on a planer or router.
I have thought about a delivery truck, a 7’ x 14’ enclosed trailer, a homemade shed, a shed kit, and a shed where they build it off-site and drop it off in the yard completed (each level of completion adds costs). A 8x20’ shipping container checks the boxes for space vs cost in that it does not cost much more than a pre-built 8x12 shed. Bendheim Boards on YouTube has a nice series on a container conversion. He also used a greenhouse bay for a time. All of options listed above would need insulation and interior walls, the container would need framing besides.
IMO working (glassing) temperature is as big an issue for you as space is.
I live substantially south of you. And outside temps only allow glassing 5 mos/year (“maybe” 6 mos/year?).
As a result, I really can’t afford to shape until it will be warm enough to glass when I finish shaping. Otherwise the shaped blank is likely to get dinged up when I move it around/store it while waiting for glassing weather.
i have a small portable ac that also dehumifys and it does a great job in a 4 mts x 3 mts room ( its a bit noisy when working)
lately i changed strategy (note: i shape for myself or for friends)
i shape an average of 5-7 boards a year.
my issue with lamination temps its the oposite from you.
its too hot in summer and just right in winter.
so what i am actually doing is that i shape a few boards in the hot part of the year, then i bubble wrap them very well and store them properly untill winter/fall. ( its 2 months waiting).
now in winter time i laminate them, turned out to be a good idea, because when i start laminating i can do like three bottoms of 3 boards one day, then next day do the decks.
i am a litlle bit pressured in time from family and work, so this change allowed me to spend less time in the shaping bay but produce more, because if i take a day to shape then i work two blanks, and when the temps are right i also do more work cause i am only laminating.
That sounds like a good system @arlosilva.
I have never had more than one board going at a time, although the last 4 were bigger boards ( 1 glider and 3 SUP’s) so a fair amount to glass each time.
I feel like I spend part of the time trying to remember what I am forgetting between boards…
Mr. heater makes a great small heater. Has two elements and a low and high setting . Propane. I have one that I still use occasionally. I have a large Mr.Heater that heats my whole 1400 sq. ft. Shop. It is on a thermostat . The smaller heater is totally safe if you take certain precautions. Best thing to do is run it for awhile, get the space warmed up. Set everything thing up. Cloth pulled and layed out. Rice paper laminates set aside ready to go. Fin patches etc. Then turn the heater off and start laminating. No open flame, nice and warm. I shaped and glassed for a few years in a backyard 10x12’ shed that I had a carpenter friend of mine build in Oceano,Ca. Back in the 90’s. Sheet rocked walls and open truss ceiling. I could store blanks up above. If you can get your hands on a 20’ container or a U-Haul type aluminum truck body IMHO that’s the best solution. Insulate and sheet rock. Run power via Romex and conduit from somewhere nearby. I ran mine underground from my deck to an electrical box just inside the door. If you frame something up from scratch; recycled wooden garage doors work good. Every garage door company usually has a pile of them out back of their shop. I don’t know how many bays I’ve set up over the years. Suffice to say; Plenty brah!!
Thanks for the tips @OSS1
I did heat the same way when I did polyester resin, turning it off for the actual lamination. Then I would wait for a while past the resin gelling, then air out the room.
After contemplating my ability to built and fit out a space outdoors in the cold and snow, working mostly by myself…I decided to explore the greenhouse option to allow some indoor progress shaping this winter.
I found a good deal on an ‘Outsunny’ brand 7x7x15 foot long (2.14 x 2.14 x 4.57m) (which is really 6.2 x 6.3 x 14.something feet) model that I did not have to wait an extra week to ship. Today was installation day. It took me 2 hours to assemble the frame, an hour to talk guitars with a buddy, and another hour to tighten bolts and situate and place the cover and start to load the ‘bay’.
My ad hoc spaces have always been open to the rest of the hosting room or garage, it will be interesting to be working in a tunnel arrangement. As this sits, I have about 26" (63cm) from board to sidelights. Smaller than recommended previously; but again, bigger than what I have had before.
The two best tools for the build were a microphone boom stand that I could use to hold the ridgepole level while I assembled the frame ( I did not have a second person available today as reccommended and the frame is squirrely until the first two hoops are built) and a 4" (100mm) by 5/8" (14mm) dowel drilled to accept the handle end of the small Allen key provided. I also used a standard ratcheting 10mm box wrench instead of the short stamped open end one that came with the kit. The pictures were clear on the instructions , the tubes were well labelled, and they included one extra of each type of hardware, and the cover fits reasonably well.
The size does fill the room, with a walkway to access the door of the bay and another to get to the couch and piano. It will be a nice size for a long board or for one of the small boats if taken outside.
Next steps are to neaten up the wiring for the lights and think about dust collection and ventilation.
@OSS1 I hope so.
Dust collection will be my existing setup with a Slinky hose to the planer, Dust Deputy cyclone and 5 gallon (20 liter) bucket in front of a small Shop Vac. Still working on a ‘well ventilated room’ setup as being discussed here: Epoxy Fume Management but won’t need to solve that until glassing.
Previously, the covers were just a 4" (100mm) piece of 1/8" (3.2mm) hardboard, the same as used for board templates. Those were nailed to the wood holding the LED light strips with 18 gauge brad nails. Brad nails are not the best joinery for this, especially in a soft material in a cantilevered position. Many of the pieces needed screws over time and cupped a bit.
These mark two version features thin plywood, 3" (75mm) wide with a 7/8" ( 22mm) return/fascia piece, glued and pin nailed. Those were fastened to the lights with #8 wood screws and finishing washers. I got to use wood from the take-me rack at the maker space and did the cutting and assembly work in their warm shop on nice equipment. The new covers are taking care of the glare nicely, better than previous.
Haha yeah Muso is short for musician, I didn’t realise maybe it’s a southern hemisphere thing? It’s looking like a really good space, I’m very envious!
