I didn't choose the new path I am headed down but some things are falling into place really well. I am now faced with a difficult task... deciding what the new boat shop will look like. The space is about 12x40 with a fairly low roof. The floor is concrete slab. It looks like I need to strip the material from one wall. There are the remains of a water supply pipe and drain near the outside wall. Don't know where they go but may allow a small sink. There is natural gas in the house and only about 10 feet between the house and the garage/shop building. Oh, yeah, this means that at some time in the future I can have a heated shop where I can do fiberglass work during the winter! I'm thinking about splitting the space so I have a primary 20x12 workshop and a unheated 20x12 storage area. The garage is more like 16x40 and I may do something similar with it. You can see a split in the slab where the original 24 foot slab was extended. I may replace that wall so I end up with a 16x16 shop space separate from the garage. Again, with a gas fireplace ($40 off craigs list...) I can heat some of this space during the winter. What should I be thinking about in designing this space?
I'd think VERY carefully before using a gas heater anywhere near a fibreglass manufacturing area. The chance of explosion, even though remote, is quite real.
Heat the place up. Turn off the gas. Spend 30 minutes preping everything then start the work. The fireplace will have dropped below critical temp and the space will still be warm enough to make curing easy. Even if there is a problem, I lose the garage / shop and not the house
Given the small amounts of resin we typically use at a time the risk of suffication from the heater is probably much higher than the risk of explosion/fire from the resin. Hmm, lots of options with such spaces. No matter what you are going to have much more room than you did before to work on boats. Maybe a Yamato is in the works to replace your tired out Mitsu?
Maybe I need to turn the space into a workshop before I can even think about ships... How critical do you think a sink is in the workshop? (anyone have a spare laying around?)
A sink is very nice for cleaning brushes off, washing hands before you go inside/touch something that is supposed to remain clean. I wouldn't run water out to a shop just for a sink but if you already have water then by all means I would add a sink.
Now I know why the French smell, yes you need a sink in the shop. The $50 laundry sink at Home Depot and a Goose neck faucet would make a shop complete. Besides washing dirty body parts they are great for testing pumps.
I have started on one of the new shop. The wall is insulated, the wire and light switch box is in. Half of the 1/2" OSB paneling is up. I have a picture, but it is not clear to me how to post it. It looks like I can insert a link to an image that is already on the list. I can do this or someone could tell me how to post pictures.... Looking forward to having the ships on shelves so I can get to the boxes below...
A major milestone was reached today. The chimney for the wood stove was installed and the stove lit for the first time! There is now heat in the shop! I am currently using tired pallets. They tend to be dry, fairly light wood so it burns quickly and pretty cheap if you are willing to look. It is really nice to be sitting on the stool with the ship in front on you on the table and a nice warmth radiating onto your back! The shop is almost done. The door was replaced with a used metal clad find. I need to fix the trim on the top - Anyone have about a 18" piece of T-111? I still need to insulate the wall between the shop and the garage. It has 3/4 fir boards covered with 1/2 OSB. I have the insulation to finish it. I need to insulate the roof. I haven't purchased this or the light paneling I'd like to cover the ceiling with. The end result is a 10 x 20 foot heated space dedicated to building and mainting ships. It is not attached to the house so I can use obnoxious smelling stuff even during the winter. I'll try again to post some pictures.
A 10 x 20 foot space dedicated to the fleet: Lots of storage, small wood stove for heat. The space is not connected to the house so I can do fiberglass or paint in the winter. More shelves once I get the ceiling insulated and covered.
