Home workshop plans

[Charles Morgan]

My garage has been full of junk from moving and all the car stuff I have (the Fiat 127 came with a Volvo estate load of parts, seats and panels) but with the planned restoration of the 250CE W114 from my neighbour I'm having a clear out and want to put some form of workspace in.

Said neighbour who is a retired mechanic who ran his own body shop has very kindly offered me his compressor (a serious bit of kit) and his sandblasting kit. I have a vice, and a mobile tool cabinet, but what stuff and storage do members think I should put in? Lifts are completely out because the rafters are so low.

Photos of home workshops actively encouraged. I have a short window to do this as it has to be put in place before the car arrives as the access to the workshop space is through the car space.

 

[moonloops]

#1 A swear box and a first aid kit.

 

[Charles Morgan]

I have lots of original Mercedes first aid kits ( I like keeping the really valuable bits of a car).

Swear boxes entirely unnecessary. I am trappist like in my resilience to f***ing things up.

 

[nb_racing]

Minimum for a restoration:
Sturdy steel work bench.
Bench grinder and wire wheel. (bolted down)
Pillar drill. (bolted down)
Wash tank.
Press. (Bolted down)
Hot air gun.
Blow torch
Mini Oxy-acetelyne(sp)

Storage:
Bolt together shelving units are plenty.

 

[Giantvanman]

Heavy duty racking/shelving and perhaps these 10 x Large 75 Litre Plastic Storage Boxes, Ex Hire Crates - Strong & Heavy Duty | eBay which are also stackable…….can vouch for the quality/sturdiness of the boxes; I bought from this seller and they will supply to order.

 

[daveenty]

Loads of power sockets and lighting. However many sockets you put in there will never be enough.

Is the compressor single phase? If so, will it run alright on a standard 13 amp socket? The reason I ask is that I had to put a 16 amp one on mine as it was tripping nearly everytime it started up, which is a lot when shot blasting.

Also a bench grinder is a handy piece of kit. I have a grinding wheel on one side of mine and various polishing mops for the other, which come in handy for those little bits of trim which get scratched.

Garage build thread HERE, apologies in advance for the pop-ups, it's just a cheap (free actually) website.

My compressor lives under the bench in the back room, which has now been modified slightly, in that the first few feet of bench have been lowered to accommodate a blasting cabinet, though apart from that it's pretty much the same. There are now four strip lights in the garage itself, though this still doesn't seem enough.

 

[nick mercedes]

Garage Gallery - The Garage Journal Board

 

[Druk]

Ditto the bench grinder, however two are better. One purely for grinding and one with a wire wheel on one spindle and mop on the other. You will use them both.

Old filing cabinets are better storage than shelving for the many small items.

 

[Dave Barlow]

Loads of power sockets and lighting. However many sockets you put in there will never be enough.

Is the compressor single phase? If so, will it run alright on a standard 13 amp socket? The reason I ask is that I had to put a 16 amp one on mine as it was tripping nearly everytime it started up, which is a lot when shot blasting.

Also a bench grinder is a handy piece of kit. I have a grinding wheel on one side of mine and various polishing mops for the other, which come in handy for those little bits of trim which get scratched.

Garage build thread HERE, apologies in advance for the pop-ups, it's just a cheap (free actually) website.

My compressor lives under the bench in the back room, which has now been modified slightly, in that the first few feet of bench have been lowered to accommodate a blasting cabinet, though apart from that it's pretty much the same. There are now four strip lights in the garage itself, though this still doesn't seem enough.

The compressor may spike above 13amps on start up. An isolating transformer should fix this.

 

[John Jones Jr]

Lifts are completely out because the rafters are so low.

Make life a little bit easier for yourself.

Mobile Car Lifts

 

[flying haggis]

if you intend to use an electric welder which i suspect you will you are apparently supposed to get permission fron your electricity supplier (not neccasarily the company you pay the bill to)

http://www.enwl.co.uk/docs/default-...nce-for-interference-with-supply.pdf?sfvrsn=5

Quote:
INTERFERENCE WITH SUPPLY TO OTHER CUSTOMERS
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this Electrolink is to give general guidance to customers concerning possible interference with the supply to other customers. ​

Experience has shown that certain electrical equipment may give rise to voltage disturbances that affect the supply to premises of other customers and cause conditions that interfere with the proper use of the electricity supply.
The rights of customers are protected by Regulations and provide in extreme cases for the disconnection of a customer,whose use of electrical equipment or of the electricity network connection causes
interference with the supply to other customers. Fortunately, such action is rarely taken but it may become necessary to require the modification or disconnection of the equipment giving rise to interference. ​

TYPE OF INTERFERENCE
1. Voltage Fluctuations ​

Sudden voltage changes (due, for example, to the starting of electric motors or the control of heating loads by burst-firing of thyristors) may cause lighting systems to “flicker” in an annoying manner. The degree of annoyance depends on the magnitude of the voltage change and the frequency of occurrence.
Voltage depressions of less than 0.5% may cause complaints if the repetition rate is about 10 times per second. However, where the cause of the voltage depressions is infrequent (ie occurs at intervals of more than 2 hours) then depressions of up to 3% in voltage may be acceptable. ​

2. Harmonics ​

Non-linear loads (eg thyristor controls involving “chopping” of the 50Hz waveform by variation of the firing angle) can produce significant harmonics of the fundamental waveform. These may interfere with communication circuits, sensitive electronic equipment and may cause damage to power factor correction capacitors. Sub-harmonic frequencies can sometimes be generated and these may cause particular difficulty. ​

3. Voltage Unbalance ​

Single-phase and other unbalanced loads may cause the three-phase electricity distribution network to become unbalanced. Unbalance in excess of 2% may cause overheating of electric motors. Normallyunbalance of the supplyat 33kV and 132kV is restricted to less than 1.0% and at lower voltages to less than 1.3%. ​

4. Voltage Transients ​

Switching, especially of inductive loads, can generate voltage transients (“spikes”) with magnitudes of several hundred volts and durations of fractions of a microsecond. These can disrupt the operation of computers and other digital equipment. Reference should be made to the Electrolink No7 “Computers and Mains Electricity Supply”. ​

5. Communications Signals ​

A number of devices are now available which use the custom
er’s internal wiring as a communication path. These are
not approved for communication between premises by means of
Electricity North West’s elec
tricity distribution network
and the customer should ensure that the signals fr
om such devices are confined to his installation. ​

ADVICE CONCERNING SOME TYPES OF EQUIPMENT ​

1. Electric Welders ​

An application for connection for welding purposes should state clearly the type, rating and supply voltage of the welding equipment before any arrangement is made for its installation. The connection of welding equipment is subject to the following factors that will be taken into account on receipt of an Application form. ​

(a) Welders for connection between phase and neutral lines (
nominally 230V) can be accepted for ratings only of
5kVA and below. ​

(b) Welders above 5kVA rating where the connection to the customer is not at high voltage should be connected between phases of the three-phase supply (nominally 400V). ​

(c) Provision should be made for the correction of the power fact or of the installation, which, because of the
connection of welding equipment, may be unduly low. ​

The foregoing factors are applicable to most parts of Electricity North West’s electricity distribution network but there may be special cases where even these factors will be subject to modification.
(d) Welders, such as resistance types, having high ratings may require a supply delivered to the premises at high voltage and are the subject of special negotiations with Electricity North West for each individual case ​

And before there are any comments about adherence to Regulations, if it was your lights flickering I'm sure that you would want something done about it.​

​

 

[DSM10000]

As per a number of posts, very good lighting, runs of sockets on as many walls as possible to save trailing cables and extension leads, I have seen sockets suspended from a roof area in a workshop ,they pull down and then retract, no idea how much they cost but a very useful feature.

Storage, wall mounted and cupboards / cabinets, sturdy and deep benches as required.

A couple of things that are often overlooked: Wall mounted dispensers for paper rolls, useful for putting down on benches before placing dirty items, wiping things etc and a disposable glove dispenser as well as a bin for litter / waste and a fire extinquisher.

I have also plumed in an old sink (found in a skip!) with hot and cold water, much nicer to be able to clean your hands thoroughly before going indoors and also helps in maintaining domestic harmony

It ma also be wise to let your home insurance company know of any changes to ensure you are still properly covered.

 

[nb_racing]

Wall mounted dispensers for paper rolls, a disposable glove dispenser as well as a bin for litter / waste and a fire extinquisher.

Thats a bit racy! I like that..

I've kept my old kitchen sink and electric shower from my house renovation to build myslef a hot wash tank. :bannana:

I've got the old bath tub too. That might end up with an engine on the back and some wheels...

 

[DSM10000]

Thats a bit racy! I like that..

I've kept my old kitchen sink and electric shower from my house renovation to build myslef a hot wash tank. :bannana:

I've got the old bath tub too. That might end up with an engine on the back and some wheels...

Having stripped down and re-built a 1964 LR that had spent the last 9 years on a farm the value of disposable gloves readily to hand (no pun!) and paper towels etc to wipe of excess grease, mud and "farm yard dirt" from various components quickly proved worthwhile.

It also helps clean your hands much more quickly and helps save your skin as I tend to react to engine oils , grease etc

The extinquisher was only required once, I was burning out the old rubber bushes from the leaf springs and the oil on the springs caught alight . It was quite a cold day so the heat was, initially, quite welcome

Plastic , transparent sealable bags and a marker pen to keep small items together and record where they came from can also be handy

 

[Charles Morgan]

Well, a most productive morning. Found all my travel adaptors (to be added to all the ones I have bought to replace them), my needlepoint wools and kit, more padlocks than I ever realised possible and my belt sander. OK, on reflection, keeping my self tapping woodscrews in a carrier bag might be considered a touch foolish, but most are now in a box.

The back of the Volvo is now full for a tip run and my stationery drawer is now full of all the pens and pencils half-inched from client meetings and Ikea over the years!

Much helpful advice here, thank you.

 

[smurgewurfler]

Some sort of hoist always proves useful as you will, like all of us, have back trouble.
If a lift is no good, can you go the other way with perhaps a maintenance pit?
And whoever said about lots of light was spot on - can't have too much of it especially if you are going to maintain the bodywork in there.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Digging a pit is not a goer either, the garage is old and sits on relatively feeble foundations, plus I've only got a little toe to pay for all this rather than an arm and a leg, alas.

I do however have a nice little garage 200 yards up the road who have four large ramps, so at least the car doesn't need to be taken a long distance for that sort of work.

Welding also - if Tony who sold the car to me is right all the structural work has been done on the underside (he's a retired mechanic and body shop owner) so if I do encounter things needing welding above solution also applies.

It's not perfect but then, neither am I!

 

[Jeff666]

Small fridge for "consumables" and/or coffee machine.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Good idea. It would make an excellent worktop.

Currently no fridge needed though!

 

[DSM10000]

It is often surprising how little one needs to spend to improve an area like this with a little time and ingenuity.

Offcuts of MDF and other timber from merchants can provide worktops, shelving, tool wall mounts etc and buying 10 double gang sockets and cable from electrical wholesalers can be very good value, even B&Q offer trade packs of electrical items.

Retired neighbours often have discount cards for these outlets.

Friends or neighbours refitting kitchens can be a ready supply of cupboards and worktops that may prove serviceable and I have know an advert placed in a local parish magazine yield lots of useful items free of charge for projects that would otherwise be thrown away.

Generally, as you have found with your neighbour, people are decent, kind and, given the opportunity, willing to help