Shop dilemma.

[rcmadness]

I went to college with Carey Dale, he and I almost went to jail together one night north of Ada Ok. I grew up running around Wildcat Jim, my dad had a field office across the road from the Samedan office. I will see if I can PM you my email address.

Ok everybody, Techonehundred and I have hooked up on PMs so we can get back to the shop. Now lets add a twist.

Tin Falcon, most of the dust you get in Ft Sill is straight out of the Lubbock area. There is nothing to stop it once it gets airborne until the wind quits or it hits the mountains.

Answer this question:
If I were building a new shop I would make sure it had ............?

 

[Stan]

To answer your last question, 'anything but sheet rock'.

OSB board (shiny side to the inside), plywood (even better). With either of these you have something to fasten to. You can put a screw anywhere to hang something and when the item bangs against the wall it doesn't make a hole. Sheetrock makes a very good finish for a bedroom but doesn't take kindly to big chunks of metal.

If you fasten OSB or plywood to the framing with screws, you can remove it easily if you change plans and reuse it. Make the inside one inch longer than 20' and then it is all 4' panels for all the walls without any cutting.

 

[Tin Falcon]

plenty of electric outlets and lighting. Also plenty of drawers in the work benches.
my dream shop would have a small paint booth.
Tin

 

[ksouers]

Answer this question:
If I were building a new shop I would make sure it had ............?

Ditto the lots of lights and outlets, put the outlets at workbench height. Also skipping the sheetrock. Plywood is much better, I have no use for OSB.

A couple coats of Kils instead of paint. It dries flat but the white makes the room brighter, and it resists mold, unlike paint.

As long as we're building the perfect shop, some air line around the perimeter of the shop with a couple handy hookups, copper or reinforced hose. A couple of the short coiled air hoses and some well placed connections are a lot better than 50 feet of tanglefoot air hose along the floor.

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Some great ideas here.
I hadn't thought about plywood...I would've used drywall.
And 'Kils'! excellent idea.

 

[cfellows]

Two more considerations...

Make a separate, sound insulated but well ventilated space for your air compressor.

Also, a separate, sound insulated space for a dust collector with vents to the outside.

Chuck

 

[rcmadness]

Ok you guys are doing great.
I am putting plugs 6" above the bench an 1 every 4'.
30"x20' bench.
2 plugs in the ceiling on a switch for 4 florescent shop lights.
Air line is a go. I already have it in the barn and all I have to is tap into the system. I have a hose reel.
I will have 10'x8' of shelving on one end. I am not much on drawers except those in my two chin high tool boxes.

As far as sheet rock that is what I am planing to use for the time being. I will take a look at the plywood and see what it adds to the cost. the only thing that scares me about not using something that you don't tap and bed is the fact it will leak dust. That is what I am trying to avoid. (I know it sounds stupid but if you have not dealt with the dust in West Texas you don't know what I am dealing with)
I had not thought of kills either but that is what I will use. I plan to spray it on with my airless sprayer.

My air compressor sets out in the open barn and should not be an issue with noise. The dust collector wont be an issue, i plan on this being a non wood working shop. I am allergic to saw dust. :>)


Keep the ideas coming.

 

[justlesh]

Use a vapor barier or house wrap on both inside and outside walls, tape seams, then use plywood. Put some outlets in the ceiling, I found them to be almost as necessary as outlets on the wall.
Les

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Outlets in the ceiling are a great idea.

And as much lighting as you can get.

 

[Troutsqueezer]

Sink. You need a sink man. You need a sink bad. Did I mention sink? How many things can you do with a sink? Wash your hands, wash your face, wash your parts (not those parts), cool down your parts (not those parts),wash brushes & filters, rinse de-greaser from parts, make a mess when you wash up without reprimand from SWMBO, cool yourself off when it's hot, I could go on....

 

[Stan]

Try electric outlets 18" above bench top, not 6". At 6", they disappear behind your tools, workpiece, toolbox or parts box.

 

[kustomkb]

Plywood walls, or in my case (to save money) OSB, will come in real handy;

 

[bearcar1]

This suggestion is a bit out of the ordinary but given the severity of your dust situation, it might be a prudent idea to build a small 'foyer shack' as an entrance into the structure. By this I mean a small, perhaps 4' x 4' room with two doors, one leading into the entrance of the shop and one to the outside world and at 90* to one another if possible and on the alee side, facing away from the prevailing wind patterns. (think cafe or dinner entranceway) Such an entrance would act as a buffer zone when entering or leaving the structure. *Most* of the dust and dirt that would get blown in would be more or less confined to the foyer area rather than being allowed free access to the main shop area. Just an idea to toss around. Some other provision would have to be provided for to permit long pieces of materials to be brought in and out if they are to be used with any frequency.


BC1
Jim

 

[rcmadness]

Good Ideas by all!
The plywood is out, it would blow my budget. I did a price comparison and it would double the cost of sheet rock so unless I want to do without insulation I will have to use SR. (Good Idea though)

The "foyer Stack" is a good idea that I cannot use on this one. It would stick too far out in the barn and keep me from getting through with my tractor. I am considering a positive pressure system if the dust starts causing problems.

The 18" above the bench plugs makes since, that one is in. I will add an extra plug in the ceiling though just in case I use something over the table.

Sink maybe in, I have water handy, it may be a add on later on when my fun money recovers. I actually thought about a urinal too. It might have to be a Okie urinal for the time being. (funnel and rubber hose) :big:

Thanks for all the ideas, I will incorporate the ones I can.

 

[rcmadness]

Here is what I have so far. My son came in today to help and he did a bunch of it. The old man can't keep up like he used to.

None the less this is where we stopped today.

 

[Foozer]

I will add an extra plug in the ceiling though just in case I use something over the table.

Was the most useful item added to shop area. Extension cord hangs from ceiling over the work table center. Just low enough to reach, sure beats the heck out of the wall plugs that always seem to be "just" a foot farther away than the tools cord.

Robert

 

[rustranch]

Wow you've hit close to home here. Might not be the best prices in town but a lot more fun would be McCoy's or Builder and Homeowners Supply. Sadly Andy's Lumber is no longer open. Best hardware store in town would be WestLake Hardware. Any Saturday many of us gadget tinkers are wondering around this place with a glazed look on our face, looking for a special part, I've met more than one live steamer in there. What you haven't told everyone is the dirt that bowns around comes in different grit. There's the stuff that hits your skin during a "dust storm" and stings like everything. Maybe like a fire ant, naw just kidding on the fire ant comparison, that sting is like no other. Then there the fine stuff that locally is know as blow sand that comes in through the cracks around the windows and doors and coats everything. It has the consistancey of shifted flour or talcum powder. Hum Ok then Bakersfield must work of a major. Welcome to the foum and town.

 

[ksouers]

rc,
I'm familiar with the dust problem, I had a house in southern New Mexico for about 20 years. It would sneak in through cracks you didn't even know you had. One thing that helped, being out in the desert, using a swamp cooler for air conditioning in the summer. The wet side trapped a goodly portion of the dust and kept the house pressurized.

The only thing that fixed it permanently was moving back to Missouri :

 

[Stan]

The electric outlets that I use the most are in the front of the bench, just below the bench top. For portable tools, the cord is completely out of the way.

Good suggestion on using a swamp cooler. In SW Arizona I saw a big difference between a swamp cooler and a fancy heat pump. You might need a small dehumidifier but that also provides pure water if you have a need for it.

Some dust is inevitable so just do the best you can. On the inside of the framing 6 mil poly with the little boots around all the electric boxes and all the joints sealed is virtually 100% seal. House wrap (Tyvek) on the outside of the framing prevents dust from destroying the insulation.

 

[rcmadness]

Day two to the shop build went well. I did not take a picture due to simple tiredness. My son was called out to work and that left my wife and I to try to hang the sheet rock on the ceiling after working all day. That did not work so well, none the less we got a lot done yesterday. Will finish the ceiling this morning while it is cool.

To answer my own question: If I were building a shop what would I make sure was in it? A hole in the wall for the 6500 btu air conditioner!!!!!!!!! Its been hot the last two days.

I have tried the swamp cooler but decided to get straight AC. Heck it even has a remote.