Moving to the Desert SW

[Aven]

Life has thrown us a curve ball.  We are moving to NM here shortly.  I will be setting up a new shop, but I was wondering if there is anything in particular that I need to keep in mind when I go to build it.  How should I transport the sewing machines? 

Thanks in advance.

[Spyros]

Workshop tips?

1 Leather dust from sanding sucks.  IF you're using a big sander build a small enclosure attached to the shop from the outside, put a 2HP or bigger dust extractor in there, and place the sander close to it (inside the shop) so it's a short distance for the 5" (or ideally 6") hose.  Don't buy the enclosure, build it, so you can make it with thick walls for sound insulation.

If you're not using a big sander see point 9 below for ventilation.

2 Make a big table that is all cutting surface.  Make the top removable with countersunk screws so you can replace it.

3 Partition your space, just make a simple wall running halfway across.  More wall space means more space to hang things.  Drawers is where tools and materials go to die.

4 White painted thick MDF lining on the wall instead of plasterboard works great.  You just screw things anywhere, and if you regret it unscrew, white gap filler, light sand, done.  20 seconds and the hole was never there.

5 If you built it from scratch, when the electrician is finished and before lining the walls, take a photo of every wall so you can remember where the cables are.  Screwing things on live cables can be an unpleasant experience LOL.   You can find the cables later with a tool but it's much easier if you just know where they are.

6. Get a nice window that is not facing west, you don't want direct light in your face.

7. Powerpoints!  you can't have too many powerpoints, 2 every 4 feet of wall is a good rule of thumb.  Computers, chargers, cameras, tools, desktop lights, you'll be surprised how quickly you run out of powerpoints, and last thing you need in your way is cables and powerboards.  Place your powerpoints about a foot over your work surface.

8.  White floor so you can find that god damn rivet that what you dropped LOL.  White also diffuses and multiplies the light nicely.

9. Ventilation.  Cheap fan from greenhouse supplies mounted high on the wall directly opposite a window that you can crack open.  Rule of thumb for the fan CFM rating is that you want to replace all the air in your shop every 1 minute.  So the fan CFM must be equal or higher to the total volume of air your shop.  Get a fan with a speed dial and a long cable with a switch.  Don't get a fan with a slim profile no matter what they claim, the fans that move air efficiently are deep and look a bit like turbines.

10.  Ceiling lights: again you cant have too much light, and better to have more than you need with a dimmer or individual switches for each light.  Important: get white lights with a kelvin rating on the high side so you can see the actual colours of what you're making, typical household lights are too warm and affect the appearance of colours.

11.  Castors.  Small square racks that you can take along work great.  Tool rack, dye rack, offcut rack etc.

Edited June 14, 2020 by Spyros

[Aven]

Thanks Spyros for taking the time to write that all out.  I will definitely keep your suggestions in mind when we get around to building the shop.  I think I will end up using shipping containers, well that's the plan at the moment.  Not sure if it will be two side by side or two spaced apart with a space built in the middle. 

For those who work in the desert, do I need to be concerned about relative humidity?  I'm moving from the Pacific North Wet to high desert where RH can get down into the single digits.  I plan on insulating it of course.  No one likes working in an oven.  One of the reasons I'm going with a conex is it should be totally rodent proof.