# Project CozyWorkshop + sawmill visit



## Boz62 (25 Jun 2009)

Right, I'm nearly at 50 posts, and have had my first whinge about lack of photies . So I thought I'd better set up a photo hosting account and show progress on this Spring's task - Project CozyWorkshop.

Some background to start with. I live in a diddy 1960's bungalow, with a single garage and postage stamp lawns. When I moved in 22 years ago it had a lounge extension, which luckily also added a few feet to the garage . Sadly this also created a 20mm step in the middle of the concrete floor .

I originally setup the workshop for car maintanance and DIY. This explains the distinct engineering bias to the workbench. This was the outside wall side (click on the thumbnail for a larger image)




Some old french doors sealed off the garage end, with my old 1930's Myford ML2 lathe taking up the other wall adjacent to my lounge. 




Now I'm getting into woody stuff, I decided to extend and insulate the workshop part of the garage so I could work out there in the winter, keep the noise down for the neighbours and store more tools out there. I wanted to keep the car in the garage - I couldn't afford to insulate the whole garage, and I like the idea of always having a car sized empty space to work in - just back the car out and unfold the layout table. It also means a smaller volume to heat for everyday use . The old workbench was destroyed (sniff), after some tests with a temporary deadman. This was to work out how they work for my inevitable followup project. Rusty Dexion runners didn't help 

First task was to empty the workshop into the garage. Another advantage of usually keeping the car in the garage, emptying it to make space was very easy. Leaving _just_ enough space to lay down 2.4x1.2 sheets on battens for cutting up by circular saw.




I then had the remaining part of the original garage end wall to cope with. This was cut shorter, leaving a buttress of suitable size (as per building regs).




This is when I have to give thanks to Mike Garnham for all the wise words on insulation and condensation. I chose to use battens and 2" rockwool batts, with 11mm OSB lining. I decided to use a vapour block liner for this wall and the ceiling to save sealing the OSB sheets to each other. These are only screwed in place, so if I really need to get behind them I just unscrew - in theory. Battens were screwed to the reconstituted stone wall (_very_ hard stuff) with Spax RA anchors. These were a revelation, they made battening very very easy and accurate. The wall on the house side was left plain, to gain some heat leak 8). 


 

The flat roof is far too low but I'm stuck with it. Height is severely limited. So I decided to use only 6mm ply for the ceiling with 3" rockwool batts (with vent space above) friction fitted. I used a vapour block again. Due to the far from level roof joists, the 6mm ply was great for following the curves. It was a right b***** to get up there single handed. By the third sheet I had it sorted - but wish I'd known all that for the first sheet!


 

Once the new partition wall (2" battens, 11mm OSB each side and 2" rockwool again) was screwed in place, emulsion was splatted all over the place. Then the floor of MR T&G chipboard was laid. Half was on variable thickness battens, 5 - 18mm, to suit the far from level floor, rockwool in between, with grey 3mm closed cell concertina flooring foam on top. For the original garage part of the floor, which was much more level, I just used the 3mm foam. No vapour barrier - the foam is meant to do that, and the concrete was shown to be dry anyway (thanks again Mike!). In an ideal world I'd have used a leveler, and 2" or more battens, but ceiling height didn't allow it. The floor was finished with Leyland floor paint in "Frigate". Otherwise known as light grey. This seems so far to be adequate. Went on very easily, but the 7 days for it to fully harden was _very_ frustrating. Lights are 2 x 5' single tube HF fluorescents by Sylvania courtesy of Screwfix with daylight tubes. These are fitted out to the sides to light the work areas and keep ceiling height clear in the centre. They seem a bit cheap and flimsy, but have already happily taken a few bashes - inevitable with a low ceiling 




A simple but strong internal door was made, well insulated, draught exclusion fitted, solid bolts and hinges fitted. Up and over doors (on the garage end) are a little vulnerable so I've tried to make this wall secure to help me keep my tools. Then stuff was moved back in. I'm still at the "bung it in a crate" stage, hence the piles. Future jobs are some shelf units and cupboards. I'll be fitting french cleats along all the walls and making "modular" units so I can move then around to suit.

So, here it is as it is now, with the bandsaw, and the dust extraction propped against the window .




And here's the view from the outside "back" door. With ML2 lathe, crummy Wickes pillar drill, and the folding wooden layout table pressed into temporary use as a bench of sorts. The green sucker bottom left is latest new toy - a Camvac 286 to go with my new Trend Airace (gloat over). This project really highlighted my need to control dust. I got quite ill at one point from a day of cutting up OSB with my circular saw. After that the Trend was bought and removed that issue. And I've now broken the old Electrolux that had done dust extraction duty (badly) for the last few years, which was a good excuse to get the Camvac to get hand tool and bandsaw extraction with decent filtering and a bit more reliability. 




I now have a space 2.4m wide and 2.8m long and 2.0m high, which isn't much compared to some of your workshops, but it feels like luxury to me . And I can always lay stuff out in the garage end if it isn't too cold. Thanks to all those who I've learnt from on here before I decided to tackle this - I was a lurker here long before I joined 

Boz

[Edited to correct sheet size]
[Edited to embed thumbnails and link to a different route to the photo to get around Fotopic probs]


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## Chems (25 Jun 2009)

What a transformation! I really like the floor paint!


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## Fergus (25 Jun 2009)

God job-looks a nice little area


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## MikeG. (25 Jun 2009)

Looking good Boz! Do yourself a favour and get rid of the lathe........think of the space you'll gain!

The floor paint makes such a difference.......and is my biggest regret!

Mike


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## richburrow (25 Jun 2009)

What a change, as I scrolled down I didnot expect such progress. It looks really good in there, hours of enjoyment to be had.
I regret not spending more time and money on the floor of my shed, your floor looks great!!


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## Richard Findley (25 Jun 2009)

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> 

Well done Boz. That is a real transformation!!! You make the most of it now won't you - lots more pictures of your compeleted jobs!!!

Richard


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## Boz62 (26 Jun 2009)

Thanks for all the positive comments. It is a much nicer place to spend time now. Just need to get on with the workbench - that table, and the Workmate alternative, are far too low and my back is suffering as a result :shock:. 



Mike Garnham":3isc5fd7 said:


> The floor paint makes such a difference.......and is my biggest regret!


Yes, very much a mixed blessing. It looks nice, helps with the light, and is easy to sweep clean. However it _is_ like a skating rink once covered in sawdust :shock:. I'm trying to be positive and regard this as an incentive to try and keep tidier as I'm working, hence the broom easily to hand 8).

Boz


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## woodbloke (26 Jun 2009)

Hi Boz - nice 'shop...plenty of room for a p/t >>>>hat, coat, already running :lol: - Rob


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## Boz62 (26 Jun 2009)

woodbloke":32ki4x8i said:


> Hi Boz - nice 'shop...plenty of room for a p/t >>>>hat, coat, already running :lol: - Rob


:shock:  
But that wouldn't leave any room for a milling machine [dream on] 

Boz


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## mpooley (26 Jun 2009)

Very nice boz  

I agree about the floor paint - I have painted mine a nice red and its amazing how well its stood up to the constant knocking about it gets

wheres that workbench you are making :roll: 

Mike


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## Boz62 (26 Jun 2009)

At the moment Mike, the new work bench is a lot of ideas from a large folder of PDF's of other people's workbenches . I do have some leftover MR chipboard from the flooring for the bottom shelf. I have a vice, dogs and Wonderdog. I have lots of ideas, some (like the deadman and dog operation) were tested on the old bench before it was demolished. And I've come to a full stop while I get the last of the boring round tuit jobs finished on this workshop. Once those are sorted I get to treat myself and spend £££'s on timber for the workbench :shock: 

Eventually...

Boz


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## Benchwayze (12 Jul 2009)

Top Job Boz. The floor looks great, but I don't like floor-paint generally. I put down some of those perforated-rubber doormats. 

I have to pick them up now and again, and sweep out, but they aren't slippery underfoot. If you're clumsy like me, that's a bonus! 

When I've got the energy, I can insulate my garage! Then SWIMBO will want it as another room I suppose.

:lol: 

John


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## Mailman14 (12 Jul 2009)

:?: Is it just me, or have the pics disappeared?

Or is it "So I thought I'd better set up a photo hosting account " a temporary thing?

SOUNDS interesting, would love to see the pics. Have floor paint for garage, but it's covered in ....stuff.... :roll:


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## Boz62 (13 Jul 2009)

The piccies are hosted on Fotopic, and are certainly still there. Unfortunately the embedded versions seem to be still unavailable this morning :evil:. I've checked the account and there are no warnings in the logs, so I hope it's just a temporary problem. In the past I've had no problems with Fotopic so a little worried about his :shock: 

[Edit]
Right, I've rehashed the original post and embedded Thumbnails, which seem to always work, and then linked these to the 800x600 versions, via a different non-embeddable URL. Hopefully, one way or another you'll be able to see the images now  Thanks for the comments.

Boz


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## Mailman14 (13 Jul 2009)

Cheers Boz! Can see the pics, and can I say, it looks very professional in there! Better than where I work, and that's an inspection area... :shock: 

All I gotta do now is....move stuff out, and paint a square foot, wait a week, cover that, paint a square foot, cover that - you get the picture - at a week a time (to harden) it'll take me 3 years and 46 weeks... :shock: 

Must get my lean to sorted!


Can I ask (sorry) - what are French Cleats? and a "temporary deadman"?


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## OPJ (13 Jul 2009)

Great stuff, Box! You'll certainly come to appreciate all this hard-work in six-months time once the winter really starts to bite! :wink:

Have you given any thoughts to timber merchants yet? If you're anywhere near Besselsleigh, I can recommend Deep in Wood from personal experience. They stock a good range of British timbers which, apparently, aren't easy to find in the Oxford area.


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## Boz62 (13 Jul 2009)

Mailman14":wo2qhqvo said:


> All I gotta do now is....move stuff out, and paint a square foot, wait a week, cover that, paint a square foot, cover that - you get the picture - at a week a time (to harden) it'll take me 3 years and 46 weeks... :shock:


 I took the alternative route and had a major clear out. Of course the "I haven't touched that for 20 years, might as well throw it" stuff was needed within a week :evil:



Mailman14":wo2qhqvo said:


> Can I ask (sorry) - what are French Cleats? and a "temporary deadman"?



No probs. "French cleats" are a strip of wood with a 45 degree bevel on top. Screwed to the wall they provide a hook on which a similar, upside down, length of wood on the back of a cupboard or whatever can be hung. In my case I've just put long lengths along the top of all the walls so I can hang units wherever I want and move them to suit. When I make them that is...

A deadman, or more correctly a "Sliding Deadman" is a vertical board with dog holes in it that slides (left to right) under the front edge of a bench. So a long board can be clamped in a vice at one end of the workbench and the back end can be supported by putting a dog in a suitable hole in the deadman. I bodged a temporary one onto my old bench just to see how well it worked and see what might be needed on Workbench V4.0 .



OPJ":wo2qhqvo said:


> Have you given any thoughts to timber merchants yet? If you're anywhere near Besselsleigh, I can recommend Deep in Wood from personal experience. They stock a good range of British timbers which, apparently, aren't easy to find in the Oxford area.



Thanks for that Olly. Yes, we are a bit limited. I'm a few miles north of Oxford and it's even more of a desert round here . I need to get on the phone. I do find timber yards a daunting place to deal with .

Boz


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## sometimewoodworker (13 Jul 2009)

Mailman14":2qi0nec9 said:


> Can I ask (sorry) - what are French Cleats? and a "temporary deadman"?


DAGS on "French Cleats" and here you go 
http://www.newwoodworker.com/frenchcleat.html

This is the shop that has inspired me

http://benchmark.20m.com/workshop/ShopT ... rrent.html


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## OPJ (13 Jul 2009)

Boz, that's one of the main reasons why James (Binning) started Deep in Wood in the first place; he couldn't find the native hardwoods he was looking for anywhere locally (when I met him, he didn't sound like a fan of Timbmet, either... :shock. I found him really good to deal with and happy to show off their setup (there was still a lot of work-in-progress, just so you know! ). He's also slightly younger than me, I think (I'm 24) so, there's less of a reason to feel intimidated!


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## StarGazer (14 Jul 2009)

Boz,

Coincidently I have also almost finished the conversion/insulation of a single garage to a warm lined workshop, will post details when I have finished.

Also interested in any good wood yards NW of Oxford, I have used Powells in E. Oxford but seem expensive. Someone recently also posted a link to a place south of Didcot.

StarGazer


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## Boz62 (14 Jul 2009)

StarGazer":1lk9imm1 said:


> Also interested in any good wood yards NW of Oxford, I have used Powells in E. Oxford but seem expensive. Someone recently also posted a link to a place south of Didcot.
> StarGazer


I got the constructional timber for the workshop from Clarkes in Witney. Not cheapest, but free delivery. The timber was just about OK. They are scary for hardwood :shock:. I've been recommended Timms in Brize Norton, they had large stocks last time I was there many years ago for diy stuff, must try them again for proper wood.

Two old sawmills which I need to investigate are Eynsham Park and Barlows, quite close to me. Both make fencing and other landscapey stuff but may supply oak and softwood? I've not found anything in a Chippy/Banbury direction however . 

Looking forward to seeing your photies .

Boz


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## Boz62 (20 Jul 2009)

This is a follow-up to my last post, for those in Oxfordshire. From a hardwood newbie's point of view :shock:

I've just visited Eynsham Park Sawmill, between Witney and Bladon, and came away with a short plank of Beech for making vice jaws .

In amongst their gate/shed making and green oak stocks, they have a largish shed of kiln dried hardwood. Go to the office first and they'll direct you / get someone to unlock it. Another customer while I was there was already happily rooting around . They seem to stock in 8ft and 12ft lengths with the odd shorter length, and a range of thicknesses and widths. I think they prefer to sell it as it comes. I paid £30/cft for a 6"x1.5"x4' plank of Beech that a helpful assistant found for me. I forgot to check other prices . In the office they list oak, 1/4 sawn oak, burr oak, brown oak, ash, beech, spalted beech, cherry, sweet chestnut, holly, sycamore, yew, and walnut. I'll certainly try them again if I progress further into hardwood stuff. 

Hope this is of use to locals if they haven't found them before. Oh yes, take your wellies :shock:.

Boz


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## Mailman14 (20 Jul 2009)

I feel a bit rude folks, and I do apologise most sincerely.

THANKYOU for the French cleat / dags link - went and investigated them, most useful, if a little unhelpful where I've got pre-fab concrete sections in my garage - I've taken photo's of it / wood in the gardenm which I'll post a new thread about. I've also put up a 'pin-board' without the pins... :shock:


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## Night Train (20 Jul 2009)

OT for Mailman14

I use French Cleats a lot.

A few years ago I had a client who's elderly dog had started to pee in one of the rooms in the house. The pee was running across the floor and affecting a floor standing book case. the floor was sealed tiles so the pee didn't affect that.

She couldn't stop the dog peeing there and besides the dog didn't have long anyway but she wanted a quick solution that would save the book case without changing the layout of the room.

I solution was to make the book case plinth removeable on sliding dovetails so that it could be slid out from under the book case for mopping. I then hung the whole book case fron the wall on a pair of French Cleats, top and bottom, so that when assembled the plinth was 3mm off the floor.

It meant that the book case still looked floor standing but the plinth could be slid out for mopping the floor with the book case apparently suspended in the air still full of books.


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## Mailman14 (20 Jul 2009)

Night Train, 8) 

Might need to do that in the kids rooms soon - not for the pee problem - just running out of floorspace :shock:


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## StarGazer (22 Jul 2009)

Boz,

Thanks for the pointers to Eynsham Park, I think I have been getting cconfused with Blenheim Park sawmill which is much more orientated towards fencing timber. Definitely looks worth a visit, went right past it in the bus yesterday as the driver got a bit lost between Hanborough and Charlbury (rail replacement due to the Cotswold line being closed for the summer).

cheers

StarGazer


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## big soft moose (22 Jul 2009)

for those on the cotswold side of oxford i'd definyely recomend vasterns in wooton bassett (near swindon) - its only about 30 minuites down the A420 ( i should know as i work in oxford and make that drive both ways nearly everyday)


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