How comfortable is your 'shop' ?

[KCvale]

Living the dream.
I've only been able to sell 3 to 4 nice custom bikes a year. I could only dream of doing it for a living.
Very jealous.

I just finished my 4th full year building motorized bicycles full time for a living last month (November) and optimistic about 2014 as 2013 was really very good to me with ~30 builds many of which were high end Shifting builds plus quite a few 'other builder' repairs.

It's not easy to get started with no money or parts inventory but not impossible if you put all the profit back into the business and work your butt off.

But back to this 'shop comfort' topic I started back in early 2010...

I have managed to expand my indoor shop space over the years but even with the shop fire that almost put me out of business it has remained function wise pretty much the same, until now.

By current trends this looks to be a particularly cold winter even here in Phoenix, in fact I have my little heated fan under my desk on this morning, so sales will slow big time but that's OK because it gives us a chance to finally re-organize and improve the shop at the same time I am cleaning out my recently departed Pops house.

The biggest improvement will be replacing the 10 year old originally scrap plywood work bench (in the first topic post) with this solid wood dining room table.

There is a simple eloquence to having a huge thick wood work surface, you can drill holes in it, beat on it, and mount whatever the heck you want to it wherever you want like a vice or grinder by just drilling pilot holes and screwing in big lag bolts.

Though I have been pretty good at it I still need better parts organization which means lots more properly labeled shelves and drawers.

Improved tool management is on my list as well.

Keeping all the specialty tools organized is nothing, it's trying to quickly find the wrench or socket size I need.

There are always the standard tools on the bench or laying in a build area but I can't read what size it is at a glance, I have to put my glasses on and hold it to the light to read it!

I have a solution for that as well and it's mindlessly simple but I'll share that later if it works.

"Treasure the shop for it is there mans imagination is truly set free."
KC Vale

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

How comfortable is my shop? You do see the chaise lounge chair on the lawn in the upper left of the picture, so when I get tired working I can rest.

With my tripod strapped to the bottom of my handle bars while doing off road riding, I can get video and pictures.

If I can carry extra besides that, maybe a small list of tools to be doing repairs on site, that is my shop as well.

MT

 

[huffypower]

My work conditions are horrible. I work at a custom truck shop that is 11,000 sqft where we lift, lower trucks, deisel peformance, exhaust work and so on i am the bodyguy with a full bodyshop and a paintbooth where we use PPG waterborne paint. I have every tool i could need at my disposal which is nice. Downside is everyone comes in with there $70k tru,k and looks at my bike and asks what the **** is this. Lol

 

[crassius]

mine is a mess right now

got last customer bike out yesterday, and stuff is stacked & packed everywhere to be out of the way for my trip

just hoping that after 60 days in asia I'll have energy left to get all back in order when I reopen

 

[Theon]

I'm luck to live in a low crime area, and my 'shop' is currently my open carport.
I also have a 40ft shipping container to 'hide' stuff in, but there's not much room for customers projects at the moment.
But I do find it comfortable, and spend most of my home time out here, I'm a bit claustrophobic so appreciate the open air atmosphere.
A good set of shelves makes a huge difference.

 

[KCvale]

Tool Labeling and Segregating

I'm lucky to live in a low crime area, and my 'shop' is currently my open carport.
I also have a 40ft shipping container to 'hide' stuff in, but there's not much room for customers projects at the moment.

Nice.

Between all the new tools I had, all my recently departed pops tools, and my best friend/shop helpers tools, I suffer from TOO MANY tools.

I don't know about your eyes but mine just can't read tiny stamped in wrench and socket sizes especially when it's a pile of metric and standard together.

I finally got so sick of spending more time finding the tool than doing the job I need it for I started labeling everything as I used it and segregating my tools.

Other than the 13mm-1/2" that swings both ways, metric and standard have no place together in my shop.

This one little thing has made a dramatic positive change in productivity.

Not only do we not need to put glasses on to find a tool, if it's blue it's metric and we can read it 5' away.

Just a tip for those of you with eyes like mine ;-}

 

[CTripps]

Good idea, KC.. The 'wrenches' part of my toolbox isn't quite overflowing yet, so so far I can keep my metric and SAE wrenches in separate drawers. Except for the 10mm and 14mm's, which live in my tool pouch ready for when I go riding.

 

[Theon]

I must have about 6 sets of metric spanners,
1 for tool kit in wifes car,
1 for tool kit in my car,
1 for tool box in my car,
1 at the farm,
2 for tool box at home,
1 in shipping container,
I have to many tools too.
Don't have any trouble seeing, but sockets are the ones I have to double check the size of.
But a bit of different coloured enamel paint on the tools that you use often can help.
I find tape and grease/solvents/diesel especialy don't go well together.

 

[2door]

"Too many tools"
I never thought it possible but when my father-in-law passed away last October everything in his garage and work shops came to me. The problem? This apparent windfall simply duplicated everthing I already own. And I mean everything. I have nowhere to put the extras and as yet they still reside in the In-law's garage and shop.

I can't even think of getting rid of his stuff but I have no use or room for it. Bench grinders, welders, socket sets, SAE and metric. Sanders, drills, power saws, a wall full of screwdrivers, three roll-away tool boxes, full, etc, etc. I would consider making his garage and shops mine but the fact is my mother-in-law's place is forty miles from my house. Too far to commute whenever I want to work on something.

So many tools, so little space. Sad.

Tom

 

[Greg58]

Tom I kinda know how that is, I'm getting tired of moving something out of the shop so I can work on something else. I've been working on my 50 but I don't want to leave my 70 GMC outside, so ever time I work on it I have to move the car back up to the garage. The boat in the shop has to go.

 

[KCvale]

I think I have the overflow of tools handled, lots of the most used motorized bicycle tools labeled and the rest in boxes or drawers, what is chocking me is all the spare parts and 'shop stuff' like paint and grease that needs to be handy, and then all the leftover parts from my builds, especially JS builds, I mean how many boxes of brand new bike 1 piece cranks and crap stock spare plugs, not to mention all the puller tools, tensioners and back wheel rag joint sprocket assemblies does one shop Need?

Only enough to fill the shop I guess ;-}

 

[2door]

One of my issues is half or partially used spray paint cans. I hate to throw the stuff away; it's expensive. But really, do I need two cans of Dupli-Color Ford, Dark Blue Metallic? I sold the bike I painted that color and I don't plan to build another blue bike anytime soon. Heck, I have paint left over from every bike I've built and repainted. I have red, white and blue from the Easy Rider chopper. I have black from the another one, Beige and dark metallic brown from the Norton bike and cans and cans of various colors. A few with just a little used from them, a couple of full ones and several with half or less than half their contents used. They are taking over every square inch of workbench, shelf and cabinet space.

Maybe I should empty them all into one container, mix them up and build another bike and spray the concoction on it. Now that would be interesting and maybe free up some space.

Tom

 

[Theon]

Then there's left over car paint, House Paint, Tiles, Plumbing fittings,..., all thing's I never want to see again! All I can say is get a Shipping container, keep sfuffing it to the back.

 

[2door]

Then there's left over car paint, House Paint, Tiles, Plumbing fittings,..., all thing's I never want to see again! All I can say is get a Shipping container, keep sfuffing it to the back.

Only problem with your idea is that the "shipping container" would have to be consistent with the appearance of my house, as per our neighborhood covenants. Roof and siding would have to match my house. In my case, brick and shake shingle roof.
Might as well build a new garage. That's one of the problems living in a covenant controlled communuity.

Tom

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

I used this place for a while, but there is the expense to rent

http://americansteelstudios.com/

I also use front lawn of my apartment now and then, but there is the issue that was last mentioned. Front or Back Yard its a no no at times.

NIMBY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NIMBY NOT IN MY BACK YARD

A take off on that is in Oakland CA and has a business that's called NIMBY, but all that &%&* is allowed.

http://www.nimbyspace.org/

MT

PS funny my trying to have proper edicate but the system though the prefix was a code for a happy biker

 

[Ludwig II]

Slow, just one thing. Do you have a special place to rest your Cheap Sunglasses? I heard it on the X, getting low down in the street. You wouldn't have a Mexican Blackbird nesting there as well?

 

[Trey]

NIMBY- yes! Right idea, right place. I miss The O.

 

[mapbike]

My shop is getting better and better....... been working on building a new shop for 2 1/2 years now, all dried in now, still need all the trim work done around one door and on corners of building, also gonna build a porch across front that will be covered and will have steps and a ramp for rolling my bike up to store in shop and for getting other things in also, still lots of work to be done butit's coming along good now, still need to wire in electric and may plumb at least one water line into it for a hand wash sink or make up a water catch barrel and put some gutter on the 40ft long roof line on back side for a water supply for hand washing and whatever..., it's 1200 sqft total and 800 sqft of it is my work area with 400 sqft being divided off with inner wall for a storage room.

will need paint and will be installing a boxwood wood heater with the cook top for heat in winter and so I can put on a pot of beans or stew while I work on my junk if I want to, my wife says she thinks I'll just practically live out there when its done....LOL! she may be right to an extent!

just walked out and took a quick pic of the front side, excuse the junk around but I'm in the country and no one sees it but us....

Map

 

[Greg58]

M/B you'll never really get finished if you are like me, I built my shop in 1998 and I'm still working on it. I never did install the ceiling just left the open rafters, floored the center part of the attic and built wide steps so I could store large items if needed. I got 32 sheets of OSB the other week to do the ceiling so I got to get my son to help me, at my age I have to make the job easier so I have a harbour freight drywall lift I'm going to use on the OSB.

 

[2door]

Shan,
You have my envy. But, maybe it's a good thing I don't have any more space. I'd just fill it up with tools and toys and it would end up looking like my garage.
Nice 'man cave'. Congratulations.

Tom