My new workshop

[IanJ]

Hi all,

Never really introduced myself.......so here we go.

I worked for 20 years in electronics/software systems (oil & gas), everything from construction, testing, installation and thro' to hardware & software design.
However, 6 years ago I moved on to another company and gone completely is the electronics/software design side of things. For about 3 years I never really missed it, but when I started playing about with RC planes and designing a couple of pcb's it got me back into electronics again.......so much so I decided to convert my garden shed into a home workshop.
A couple years later and I have decided the workshop is too small.......so am currently building a new one.

Ian.

Here's the old workshop:-


And the status of the new workshop.....:-)

[ecowarrior]

Looks a bit chilly 

[sonicj]

whats up IanJ!

man, the internet is a small place. 
-sj

[tyblu]

I like the open look.

[Hypernova]

Wouldn't it get hot in the summer?

[IanJ]

whats up IanJ!

man, the internet is a small place. 
-sj

I'll get ma coat.



Ian.

[Sionyn]

dig those roses tins 

[zaoka]

Nice!

I always wanted to have windows in front of the bench because of the light, you can also have fresh air and get rid of soldering smoke fast and the main thing its helty for the eyes because you dont look close objects all the time

[IanJ]

Hi all,

My new workshop is taking shape.......it got erected yesterday, and today I gave it a coat of paint and did some of the electrics including installing a webcam. Still got loads to do though, currently deliberating of storage/shelving options.

Here's a screenshot thus far:



Ian.

[IanJ]

Getting there............

[IanJ]

My 1st wee project in the shop was carried out yesterday. I had imported a wee 110vac bench grinder (couldn't find anything similar in UK) and had bought a suitably rated step down transformer off Ebay.
On power up of the step down (no load) it tripped the MCB's in my shop. Wow!
Opening up the unit the wiring/soldering was absolute rubbish, almost as if a 5-year old had been let loose with a soldering  iron (no offense to EEV 5-year olds!), a couple of dead shorts on the power switch and the primary wiring to the transformer itself. Re-wired/repaired and it's good to go.

2nd project was late last night, my web/email server decided to let go so I hauled out the backup hardware but decided to upgrade Vista to Win7 whilst I was at it. Nice to have the workbenches to do this rather than the floor of my office in the house! Job done.

YouTube vid of ma workshop. Still more shelving to go up and more stuff to move in.

[youtube]V5XT6SRZMHM[/youtube]

[Alex]

good job Ian! How are you doing on insulation on the walls? How did you waterproof the roof?

I noticed you have a generous number of mini drawers. Are these to stock parts?

Do you guys stock large numbers of parts at home or leave that to your supplier and order what you need?

[cybergibbons]

Yeah, the insulation was one of my concerns. My old shed was uninsulated, and never mind how uncomfortable it was working in there, it ruined electronics in short order.

[IanJ]

Hi,

Roof is waterproof as the felt is bonded down, although it hasn't rained in nearly a week (unheard of for Scotland!!!)....so yet to see if there are any problems.

I didn't insulate the walls as I did with the last shed/workshop......I just plan on using low wattage shed/greenhouse heaters and keeping a constant temperature 24/7 (I don't care too much about the cost!). The last shed was really, really warm with the insulated walls even in the darkest winter and it was so air/watertight that condensation was a problem and the dreaded mould.......I just wanna try something different, but I'll possibly insulate the roof.........but I need a good day of driving rain to see if there are any problems before I do anything.

The mini-drawers are for stock parts, it's the way we held parts of all description at my old work, so I guess I'm just looking to re-create that. I hate raking through boxes of "misc" for that all important res/cap/IC. Over the years I've collected sooooo much stuff thats hidden away in boxes it's about time it was all centralized.

PS. The Sarel box on the wall houses the AC/DC adaptors for the ethernet hub, powerline adaptor, webcam etc. I 'hate' using up all my sockets on silly DC adaptors.

Ian.

[IanJ]

Update:

Have order Celotex TB4035 sheets for the roof. Expensive, but good thing is that they have an internal
vapour control layer, preventing thermal bridging.............so hopefully avoiding damp/condensation without having to get too complicated with the install.

Will put on the roof only for starters and see how the temperature of my shed is affected. Worst case scenario I'll have to do all the walls also......but I doubt it.

NB. The floor I'm not going to touch.

Ian.

[IanJ]

Hi all,

Insulation & damp-proofing.

Things I have learned about keeping a shed warm & relatively damp free. It's not a definitive list and not the optimum way to do things, but they seem to work for me and are easy to implement.

Yes, the workshop was a tad cold and I struggled to get the temperature up.......but after fitting the Kingspan/Celotex on the roof only and putting down another floor layer (wood) with a polythene membrane sandwiched between it's made a hell of a difference.

I've put together a do's & don'ts of what I found:-

1. DON'T, just throw polystyrene sheets between the wall uprights (and roof) and simply plasterboard over them. Whilst it will be cosy to begin with, dampness and condensation will be a problem. Also, whilst plasterboard is easy to cut and put up, it'll just soak up moisture and buckle/rot over time.

2. DON'T, throw your shed base down, even if it's on slabs, without first putting down a vapour barrier (polythene sheeting) over the whole area. The wooden floor of your base will soak up moisture from the ground especially if there is not a good air gap (flow) between the base and the ground. It's not so much that it can rot the wood over time but more the fact it will just make for a cold floor that never seems to be absolutely bone dry. If you miss out on this step (like me) then lay polythene down over the shed floor (inside) and lay down another floor (tiling, wood or anything) over the top. This will stop moisture getting all the way into your shed and will make the floor stronger also.

3. DO, fit Celotex type insulation between the roof and wall battons. Kingspan/Celotex has a built in vapour barrier by way of a foil film on both sides and is extremely efficient as an insulator. You can then clad directly over the Kingspan/Celotex.

4. DON'T, simply put household loft insulation between the roof and wall battons and clad over it. The insulation will just draw in moisture and before you know it you'll have a damp problem.

5. DO, try to fit secondary glazing even if it is just a perspex sheet on the inside side of the windows. Leave at least a 10mm gap and seal it best you can all the way round. This will help prevent condensation and also keep the shed that little bit warmer.

6. DON'T, buy a metal shed to use as a workshop. You'll have the mother of all condensation problems especially if you are heating the shed.

7. DO, run two heaters if it's a permanent workspace to be used all year round. Use one heater that'll tickover all the time day or night just to keep the frost/damp out, and another one to blast the shed up to temperature before you go out there. It's a wooden shed, so be careful with the type of heaters you choose.

Some update photos:-

[david77]

Good job Ian.

That shed looks quite cosy inside

A man needs a shed, doesn't he?

[FreeThinker]

I'm in the market for a new shed (real soon hopefully) so could you answer a couple of questions?
1) What size is it? (Looks about 8'x6' to me)
2)Where did you buy it?
3)What is the quality like? (Old shed collapsed in the snow...only 20yrs old sic!)
4)How easy was it to erect? One, Two more people?
Thanks in advance
ps Nice Job

[IanJ]

I'm in the market for a new shed (real soon hopefully) so could you answer a couple of questions?
1) What size is it? (Looks about 8'x6' to me)

My original shed (see page 1 of this thread) was 10'x8'.......the new one is 16'x9'.

2)Where did you buy it?

Local Quality Shed Builder here in NE Scotland (Tip: avoid Homebase/B&Q stuff like the plague).

3)What is the quality like? (Old shed collapsed in the snow...only 20yrs old sic!)

You can pay 5k for a shed (built like a house!), but this one was sub 2k, so it's pretty fair quality. The sides are 16mm compared to Homebase's 6mm.

4)How easy was it to erect? One, Two more people?

Cost of shed included getting it erected (2 guys). I just stood by and watched.

[FreeThinker]

Wow!16x9 , Doesn't look that big from the outside but looked enormous on the inside that's why I asked, thought it might be Tardis like Lol. No room for any thing that large on my merge estate 8'x6' max.Like the door window arrangement leaves plenty of running bench space and wall hanging.Agree about B&Q expensive rubbish.Local shed maker is just expensive, looking for something reasonable but not too expensive (credit crunch after all). Can't decide if I want a door in the gable end or on the side to maximise use but in the end price will be the deciding factor .

[Alex]

I like the little vacuum cleaner on the wall. As if that will ever be used...

Excellent work Ian.

A man always needs a shed david77. Especially one with a lock.

[david77]

@FreeThinker:
A TARDIS like shed would be great, wouldn't it? Infinite storage space, space for a couple of workshops...  and only the footprint of a old police call box

[george graves]

What did you build the wire spool holders?  What type of rod? And what were the brackets that were on the wall from?

[IanJ]

What did you build the wire spool holders?  What type of rod? And what were the brackets that were on the wall from?

Cheap wooden curtain pole c/w brackets. Just throw away the rings and the decorative ball ends.....

Ian.

[IanJ]

Update:-

Just finished extending the workshop by 8ft.
Now the pedestal drill and grinder etc are in a different area from the soldering iron........so now at last I'm not forever trying to keep the workshop dust & debri free.
Plenty more room for storage also.

I was also getting tired of moving the dev latop in & out of the house all the time (don't want to leave it in the workshop overnight) so came up with the idea of using a KVM and now have a dev PC in the server cupboard in the house and three cat6 cables out to the workshop to give me 1440x900, keyb/mouse, sound & additional USB (for Arduino etc).



Ian.