Jons workshop (pictures...!)

[aitchem]

Nice shop,

Mine will also have a similar floor arrangement.
Has anyone tried to use the void below a raised floor for shavings extraction.?
My thoughts were to have a slotdown one side of the shop, when clearing up, I would turn on the extractor and brush the shavings over to the slot.
No dustpan necessary, or, is that just being lazy.?

Howard

 

[Escudo]

Well done John, excellent.

I am going to give some further thought to something very similar to yours.

I would also be very interested to know how much the building/works cost? Sorry to be rude and ask but it would certainly provide a guide and budget.

Did you make a floor plan for machines, benches etc before determining the size of the workshop?

Cheers, Tony

 

[opener]

Nice shop,

Mine will also have a similar floor arrangement.
Has anyone tried to use the void below a raised floor for shavings extraction.?
My thoughts were to have a slotdown one side of the shop, when clearing up, I would turn on the extractor and brush the shavings over to the slot.
No dustpan necessary, or, is that just being lazy.?

Howard

Hi Howard
It's a good idea. When my joinery workshop was being built some years ago it was suggested to me by a friend just in time that I could have all the trunking set in the floor rather than hanging from the ceiling and getting in the way, and it's been a great success. It includes a box I can sweep chips into, clears the floor in seconds.
Malcolm

 

[Wood Monkey]

Thanks for all the replies. Sorry for it sounding like a gloat, it wasn’t intentional – honest. To answer a few of the questions.

I haven’t kept a running total of costs, but I know it’s within the budget I set myself. We moved house in 2005 and a budget for a workshop was factored in. The building cost a shade over £3K and this included the upgrades to doors, roof and windows, plus the internal cladding and insulation. The base was about £600 and all the work was done by me and a few friends/family after I had a quote for £5K…! The electrics was next to nothing as all the expensive stuff came FOC, but circa £150 was spent on cable, fixing, consumer unit and 16amp sockets/plugs. There was also a little extra cost for a few drinks for the guys who sourced the kit and helped with the part P compliance. Most of the material used for internal fit out was scrap or stuff that was scrounged, including a nice shelving system (not shown in the pictures) that was second hand for £20 and is now a timber rack. Finally, the recent flooring upgrade cost £210 all in.

The steel conduit is all bonded to earth via termination tabs on the brass end bushes and these in-turn are connected to the earth connection points on the back of the steel socket boxes.

The dolls house does indeed belong to my daughter and was supposed to be complete for Christmas. Unfortunately, my day job got in the way it wasn’t complete, so it was back in the workshop for some post Christmas fettling.

The workshop build became a bit of an obsession and now it’s nearing completion I seem to be getting over it. But, I’m showing early symptoms of a hand tool obsession which I think I contracted from this forum.. :?

 

[Wood Monkey]

Did you make a floor plan for machines, benches etc before determining the size of the workshop?

Cheers, Tony

Hi Tony – I didn’t have a floor plan before I built the workshop, but I did know roughly what I eventually wanted to put in the workshop. Once the plot was clear and it became apparent that I had a good deal more space than I first thought, I increased the size of the workshop which meant I could accommodate my planned kit and a bit more. In fact when I upgraded my table saw I bought it with a 1.4m sliding table, but when it turned up it was the 2m model so the extra space came in handy. If I was advising someone I’d say go for the biggest you can afford/fit in/get away with. You’ll adapt to the space available and, if your anything like me, you’ll soon fill it up if you have any spare.

You're probably right about using 300mm centres for the floor; 400mm would've been fine. What did you use to fix the timber bearers to the concrete? I seem to make a mess when I come to fix anything to some kind of conrete or masonery, so I'd appreciate any advice you have - especially if it saves me having to plug the hole first.

Hi Olly – I used screws and raw plugs. I used the heavy duty plugs (grey ones) and no8 screws that were 60mm long (I think). I found the best method was to position the batten, stand on it to hold it down and then drill through the batten and into the concrete with a small diameter bit and then re-drill the concrete with the correct bit for the size of the plugs (6mm) I put about 200 screws in and only one hole refused to drill and I think this was because I hit the steel reinforcing. I knackered 5 drill bits in the process and I noticed that the first 15-20 holes after putting a new bit in drilled much easier and cleaner.

 

[lucky9cat]

Great job Jon and thanks for writing it up. What a difference the white paint makes. I'm working in a double garage but left the brickwork, err, brickwork coloured. Really gonna have to do something about it this Summer.

Cheers, Ted

 

[Escudo]

Thanks Jon for that further info.

I have just spent an hour or so surfing the net to find costs / options for sheds / workshops and I think you have done really well.

It is good to save money on the building (without making compromises) as this leaves more for tools and machines.

Cheers, Tony.

 

[woodbloke]

jyates wrote:

But, I’m showing early symptoms of a hand tool obsession which I think I contracted from this forum..

welcome to the club...and the 'Slope', once on, never off - Rob

 

[HowardM]

That's a nice Shed,

I have an idea for such a raised floor, while designing my shed.
I was thinking of using a hole in the floor to brush waste shavings in, if it was sealed well a connection into the extraction system would have it away.
Or am I just being lazy.?

HowardM

 

[chicken_house_man]

I think you'll find that when you sweep the dust into the hole it will just block up. I had a extractor set up under the bench and it was forever blocking up. I figure you need an excess of air to keep things flowing.

 

[arch]

Jon,

Really nice workshop, what was the name of the company that you got the workshop building from ??

You can add me to the envious list aswell!!

Arch

 

[AndyBoyd]

Someone who like me paints the walls white and insulates the floor

Well done Jon =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> looks super

 

[andycorleone]

after I had a quote for £5K…! :?

This quote is for the only concrete floor or for the whole workshop, BTW beutifull and tidy workshop

 

[beech1948]

Hi,
Like Rich I was curious about the eventual costs of the wooden workshop. And as I live not too far from Woking who were the company who supplied it please. I have to add a wooden extension to my workshop so they may come in handy.

regards

Alan

 

[Adam]

That's a nice Shed,

I have an idea for such a raised floor, while designing my shed.
I was thinking of using a hole in the floor to brush waste shavings in, if it was sealed well a connection into the extraction system would have it away.
Or am I just being lazy.?

HowardM

Just imagine.....

Couple of nails brushed in, hit the fan on the way through the extractor, small spark which sits in a bed of sawdust for a few hours, gently smoulding.....

 

[DaveL]

That's a nice Shed,

I have an idea for such a raised floor, while designing my shed.
I was thinking of using a hole in the floor to brush waste shavings in, if it was sealed well a connection into the extraction system would have it away.
Or am I just being lazy.?

HowardM

Just imagine.....

Couple of nails brushed in, hit the fan on the way through the extractor, small spark which sits in a bed of sawdust for a few hours, gently smoulding.....

Sounds like another good reason for using a cyclone to drop the dust (and nails) in the bin before the fan. 8)

 

[woodray]

Great workshop Jon, can I ask you what problems you had with building regs and Part P as I am in the process of wiring my workshop up again due to more machinery going in.
I plan to bury 10mm SWA 600mm deep and install a new 8way cosumer unit with a ring containing 6 double 13amp and 3 16amp power sockets and 3 double batten light fittings.

I will get a sparkie to connect up both ends and check out my work and sign off. It would be helpful if you could let us know of any pitfalls you experianced.
P.S If there are any sparkies in the Nottingham area interested in the final work I would be interested to talk to them.
Ray

 

[Wood Monkey]

Hi Ray

My problems were twofold.

1. I couldn't find an electrician locally who would install what I wanted. Basically they did not want to work with the steel conduit. I offered to do all the steel work but still no takers.

2. My local building control office couldn't have been more unhelpful. I understood, from them, that I could put in lots of the electrical stuff i.e. the conduit, mounting all the fittings and running the SWA so long as I paid my building control fee and notified them up front. They would then arrange for this part to be inspected and then I could get the final commissioning done by a local sparks and he could sign off. I followed their advice, but then couldn't get them to cooperate. A comment from the BCO summed it up perfectly "If we came out to inspect every Tom, Dick or Harry who wants to put a light in his shed we'll never get any real work done.".

In the end I got the work certified by a sparks I met playing in a golf competition.

I did mine some time ago and I believe Part P has settled down since then. My understanding is that you'll have no issue if you get the whole job done by an electrician as he'll simple sign off his own work.

Jon

 

[onlinename]

Hi John, I want to install a floor that's basically the same as yours. My workshop is tiny, i'd say 4.5m x 2m or so with a concrete floor. Unfortunately because I am renting it from a landlord who doesn't know the history of the shed, I do not know what goes on under the surface of mine. It gets really cold in there and the floor is freezing..

How is this floorboard dealing with the cold so far? Any mould or dampness?

Do you think there is need for under insulation? I found the same board at Wickes: T & G Chipboard Flooring 18x600x2400mm

Did you use 18mm?

Many thanks,
Charles

 

[Wood Monkey]

Hi Charles

I think the underfloor insulation is really worthwhile. If you didn't want to batten the floor first you could actually lay the insulation and then the T&G boards floating on top - glued together obviously.

My floor is not showing any signs of damp. In fact I haven't had damp or condensation issues at all.

The boards are 18mm.

Jon