I got a brand new Hitachi/Clark Foam planer for Christmas. I’m stepping up from surfboard repair to surfboard building. I’m looking for key words that might be helpful when searching the Archives for shop set-up. I plan on doing a vacum attachment ,better lighting ,ect. Last night I printed plans for thickness calipers from The book “Surf board design and construction 1977”. I found that link in the archives…
Hi there again Stingray,
I’m in the process of doing somthing similar myself, stepping up from repairs to building, and rebuilding/fitting-out a summer house to use as my workshop, luckerly it’s quite a large long room, about 20x8x7 ft, but it’s going to take alot of work to make it perfect.
I’m not sure on your situation, if your renting or live at home have you checked with the people you share with, nabours ect.
I’ve had several dif workshops over the years, when planning a work shop space think about what’s involved in the the work you’ll be doing and try to plan you ideal working environment, that allows freedom of movement and has everything you need in easy reach, a good work shop is always well organised and clean, Think effiecent and safe. If you haven’t been in a workshop enviranment before try to remember what they were like at school and what was good and bad about their lay out.
Work with the space you have and be a little ingenius. If its going to be in your garage, is it going to be used of the sole purpose of making boards or are there other users and uses, how will they affect the lay out? the last thing you want is some one knocking a board off your shapping stand!
Tips: paint the walls a dark colour (like blue) and have a seperate florecent light as the level of your shapping rack this helps make the blank stand out aganst the back ground and helps shapping. For glassing put card, lino or plastic on the floor to catch resin and have a bucket of sand to cover spills with.
Additionaly I would also add a clock, a thermomitor, a mirror, a first aid kit, a fire extingwisher, blue towl, some music and a couple of botles of beer. (for after you’ve finished cleening up) I definatley would not recommend operating any power tools under the influence!!!
There are lots of pictures that have been taken of boards on shaping racks, have a look at the back ground of these photos for a ppep hole view of some shaping rooms, Chips “show us your rack” trend was quite good for this.
At the end of the day if does’nt matter to much I’ve read that some guys have made boards in their kitchens, living rooms even on a balcony in a block of flats, but the better the work shop the less chance you have of things going wrong.
I’ve got too try to find the time to re concrete the floor at the week end if I can get my mates to lend a hand, my work shop is more like a building site at the mo, any ways good luck let me know how it goes and post some picks.
Quote:
I got a brand new Hitachi/Clark Foam planer for Christmas. I’m stepping up from surfboard repair to surfboard building. I’m looking for key words that might be helpful when searching the Archives for shop set-up. I plan on doing a vacum attachment ,better lighting ,ect. Last night I printed plans for thickness calipers from The book “Surf board design and construction 1977”. I found that link in the archives…
Alright ! You’re up and running , Stinger !
…SURE beats shaping on a balcony in a block of flats [epoxy would have helped prevent the neighbours reporting me…no power tools possibly also may have been a bit more considerate ].
Oh well, ‘Hicksy’ to the rescue !
…what more can I say except " thanks, Grant ! " And, now I have a fellow creator to run amuck with ideas and stuff with…all thanks to swaylocks!
ben
p.s. - maybe a ‘show us your shaping bay’ thread is needed next ?? …whaddya reckon , people ?
Hey there Chips,
I remembered reading about that and really cracking up - for some reason I had images loads of resin going over the side on to folks walking under your balcony. Only you could get away with something like that, maybe we could start a “strangest place I’ve ever grinded (shaped or glassed)” trend too.
I would be very interested in a “show us your shaping bay/glassing room” tend. But you gotta start it though coz I’d feel like I was steeling ya thunder and robbing you blind, and also if no one post I can deny everything (apart from this post) Damn and I would have gotten a way with it too if it hadn’t have been for you damn kids.
Woody
My workspace for building cabinets as well as boards is a 20’ x 24’ two car garage…
Half of the space is a dedicated permenant work table…5’ x 9’…Invaluable for so many things that tend to sprawl…
I have a couple of 3’ x 7’ carpeted rolling tables with two large shelves under each, that primaily serve as tool / supply storage…They reside most of the time out of the way against the wall…
The remaining floor area is open…
I have for my shaping stand, a fold up banquet table, with wheels epoxied into the legs…On the surface of the table are the carpet covered board cradle / stands…They are hinged to lay flat when the table is all folded flat and stored…When opened up and in use they work great, even for my 10’ plus wood boards…To keep the table from rolling around when working, I put four “soup cans” on the floor, and put the rolling wheels in the cans…It works for me…At times its nice to be able to roll the board around…
My lighting is all overhead flourescent…Not what you need to do foam, but, then again, I’m not doing that…
A good stereo is vital…As well as a VCR / TV combo, endlessly playing “MOE”…
Search on the words: garage, dust, & lighting. I suggest doing these as individual searches; one term per search.
Set aside a few weeks to take it all in. Have fun.
Quote:
My workspace for building cabinets as well as boards is a 20’ x 24’ two car garage…
Half of the space is a dedicated permenant work table…5’ x 9’…Invaluable for so many things that tend to sprawl…
I have a couple of 3’ x 7’ carpeted rolling tables with two large shelves under each, that primaily serve as tool / supply storage…They reside most of the time out of the way against the wall…
The remaining floor area is open…
I have for my shaping stand, a fold up banquet table, with wheels epoxied into the legs…On the surface of the table are the carpet covered board cradle / stands…They are hinged to lay flat when the table is all folded flat and stored…When opened up and in use they work great, even for my 10’ plus wood boards…To keep the table from rolling around when working, I put four “soup cans” on the floor, and put the rolling wheels in the cans…It works for me…At times its nice to be able to roll the board around…
My lighting is all overhead flourescent…Not what you need to do foam, but, then again, I’m not doing that…
A good stereo is vital…As well as a VCR / TV combo, endlessly playing “MOE”…
…worthy of a photo or two, and putting on the ‘show …shaping bay’ thread, please , Mr. Jensen, sir ?
I’m a home owner with a two car garage. I’m going to make some tempary walls with plastic to keep the dust down. I have home made shaping racks made from saw horses. Paul Jensen has an interesting table idea. I will be doing some archive searching this weekend. Looks like a Show me your shaping bay thread has been started. I still have to learn how to post photos ,more reading…
Thanks for the input every one!
check the articles in the resources section, there are tips on shaping bay size, lighting, paint, vacuum setups…
Hey Ya Stingray…how’s it going? I met you at that secret surf spot in Carlsbad. ;+) good to see you here how’s the shaping going?
Hi stingray i just built a new shaping room a little larger then my last and the larger size makes it great for longboards its 8’ wide and 16’ long with the light set up a little higher then my waist and the light is so much better then the last room i will measure it this weekend and post the measurements since i built the room to the same specs as the local surfboard factory i know its about as good as you can get.
-cain
Hey there Wardo, sounds worthy of a photo or two on chip’s “show me your shaping bay trend”.
Like many things in life, shaping and glassing are open to different interpritations on the same theme,so I like to see others take on things.
It’s all about perception.