I'm always interested in seeing people's workshops. You get a good idea of the kind of work they do, how they work, and what kind of organization or workflow facilitates that work. It's also a good source for ideas. My workshop has a long way to go, but it's off to what I feel is a very good start, so I thought I'd share.
In search of a good place to work
The first prop replicating I did was in a tiny one-room studio apartment I shared with my girlfriend (who is now my wife). We had a small breakfast table that also served as my office desk. And, as I said before, prop workshop. I really can't overstate how tiny this apartment was. When we folded down the Murphy bed at night, there was very little room left to move around in. That we lived there for a year and a half without driving each other crazy was a testament to the strength of our relationship. I'm saying my prop making endeavors had humble beginnings, is all.
Soon after, we moved to a larger apartment with a nice enclosed porch. I built a workbench about 2' deep by 7' wide with cabinets underneath. It was a big step up for working in, but given a little more room to breathe, I seemed to want yet more, as my mess tended to engulf the rest of the porch, as well. I was able to add my invaluable drill press and lathe to my arsenal, so that was good.
Our next move was into a house that had a dedicated storage shed that I was to use as my first proper workshop! Hooray! Sadly, we had to move before I could set it up due to mold causing some health issues.
Which brings us to my current situation: We were able to find an awesome apartment in my favorite neighborhood. ...But with absolutely nowhere to put my tools and materials, let alone work on them. So I had to search out a place to work.
I was able to find a small, garage-sized artist's studio a short drive from my apartment for an affordable $130 a month. It was a bit of a dump, but it was mine, it was secure, and I have 24 hour access.
Making a space into a work space
As you can see above, it's not much to look at. At least, it wasn't then. Since I moved in, I've bought/built a few workbenches, added some pegboard and other organization and generally spruced it up. It was a trickle of activity that didn't get a big boost until a recent visit to a professional prop shop. It was huge--bigger than I can expect to have any time soon--but incredibly tidy. Everything had a place and work areas contained nothing more than was absolutely necessary.
Up to this point, I had barely utilized my pegboard, each of my workbenches were covered in so much junk that putting down a tool meant an extra 20 minutes spent on my project just trying to find it again, and I had boxes and bins full of all manner of stuff with no rhyme or reason. I just had crap crammed in places. After seeing a real shop, I was inspired and emptied all my boxes to sort and organize everything. I also finally got around to giving the ol' place a nice whitewash so it felt a little nicer to be in...
Pictures
After a couple weeks of work, this is what I ended up with:
It's been a couple weeks since I got everything tidy and I've been keeping it that way. Everything gets put back into its designated home as soon as I have finished with it, allowing me to instantly grab whatever it is I need right away without even thinking about it. I can not emphasize enough how much of a time saver this is. And the white walls + cleanliness make it a much more pleasant place to be! Where I have, on occasion, gone an entire month without setting foot in the workshop, now I am there at least for a little while almost every day. It's made me more productive and eager to work!
Workshop Tour
This is my primary workbench. It has a 24" x 36" cutting mat, plus a smaller 12"x12" mat. This offers me a smooth, even surface to work on with angles and measurements available right on the workspace. On the right is a Silhouette paper cutting machine. I used it on my most recent project and I have a feeling it may come in quite handy in the future. I also have a wall-mounted arm for my iPad, which I use for reference while I'm working, or sometimes just some music/TV/NPR if I don't need reference at the moment. |
My Harbor Freight work bench is a lovely little work area, which I use for more rugged work. If there's banging, burning, most clamping, or anything I'd rather not have marring my awesome cutting mat, I do it here. The drawers house all my important small parts like drill and lathe bits, as well as paper stuff and a backup work apron, for when mine gets too messed up. |
This is my "in progress" shelf. I wanted a place to store current projects without leaving them out on the workspaces, but also without putting them completely away. This is a great way to keep projects handy while maintaining a tidy workshop. I also got a roll of magnetic dry-erase stuff that I've for making changeable labels. The tripod is for filming build videos. |
I have three of these old safe deposit boxes under my main work area. They're all organized (and currently have the magnetic dry-erase labels, which were added after this photo was taken). I added some SHIELD decals to these just for fun. These are a great way to organize and keep oft-used stuff handy. I picked them up at an architectural salvage store at 3 for $10. I have three smaller ones under the lathe. |
Lastly, there's my signage. Clients and customers don't come to my shop. I have no sign outside the workshop. This is neither to seem professional to others or to advertise or build brand awareness. This is for me. It helps what I'm doing there feel real. It helps me to seem professional to myself. It sounds cheesy, but it helps me, in some way. I like it. |
So that's the workshop. It's constantly evolving and there are a LOT of items on my to-buy list for the shop. If you have any questions, suggestions, etc., let me know in the comments!