The Metalworking Shop Mod I

I’ve spent some time modifying the shop and adding to the storage as I have using the tools. It is starting to make a difference. I’ve got some modifications and ideas for workbenches that have proven to be convenient.

I've been busy, and made a few other modifications, so the pictures have been changed, along with some items....
This is an old Sears workbench. It had a 1 inch MDF top, three drawers down the side, and is made of relatively cheap steel. Still, it wasn’t used much until I decided to put the lathe on it.

That worked reasonably well, but I found that the storage space was not a bit organized. If I had spent all that money for lathe accessories (and I did, too!), then it was time to get them organized. I found that I wanted to have the cutting tools in one location, the measuring tools in quite another, and the lathe accessories in another. I’d also like to do a bit more about the lighting, which is good enough for overall (a shop light fixture overhead), but really lacks task lighting. I've added task lighting, which can be seen in the next picture.

I also need a big trashcan for swarf…..
I said on the metalworking list that I really liked the DeWalt lights that were used for their scroll saws.  I still do.  I found the opportunity to get two more,  and removed the magnetic light from the lathe.  In its place, I put the DeWalt lamp.  This is highly recommended as a modification.  When you get them at the local service center, they're inexpensive and in perfect condition.  The quick change tool post is on the lathe, but without a tool.
The first thing I did was to clean out the drawers, and put a piece of melamine in the top one. A bit of work with some scrap plywood and some dowels give me a good place to store the lathe accessories. The part in front is still a bit disorganized, it needs a few plastic bins for things. Each chuck has its own space, and the jaws and spare screws, as well as keys, are above. If I get more live or dead centers, I’ll put them in back. What’s in back are screw gauges and a few things specific to the lathe.

 
The unused post in the front is for the 80 tooth gear, and there’s a blank post in the back for the 20 tooth gear when it is removed. The chuck has its own pocket as well.  This isn't the current layout, quite, but the stuff in the lower right hand corner has changed.  I've got the tool holders for the lathe in there, as well as the lathe tools.  Bullet holders for reloaders (available at your local HF store make a dandy holder for lathe tools.  Try one and see....
At this point, I’ve taken the top and laid another 3/4 inch piece of melamine on top of it. Melamine is easy to clean, and moderately inexpensive in 4 by 8 foot sheets. I also decided that I wanted a backboard, so a little work with some 2 x 4 lumber to make some shims and a support for the backboard did just fine. The backboard itself is particle board, just the ordinary kind.

One thing I added was a pine strip along the front, it protects the melamine, and also is easier on the hands.

This is an earlier picture, but you can get the idea.
The workbench immediately to the right of the lathe is for the mill, and is a larger, home built bench. It has a top of 2 x 6 lumber and stands on 4 x 4 lumber. More about that in a bit. You can see the clamp set and the two sets of T-handle allen wrenches on the wall. They are mounted on a piece of wood to space them out from the back. Apparently, the Chinese who made this thought that I would mount them 90 degrees to the current position. I had other ideas.

The lamp hanging down is a Black & Decker snake lamp that is too weak to hold it’s head up, and spends most of its time hanging head down from a convenient rafter. It lights up the lathe and keeps the rodent population down.

I'm not sure where it's going to have a new home, but I suspect that it will have one.

 
I've added as many drawers as that stack will take, so the last round of organizing has added that third drawer.  Amazing what you cam make from particle board and some old wood, espceially when you run the old wood through a surface planer.

Closeups of the drawers come next.  These are on heavy duty slides, so no sense in not having some quality here.

I'll eventually put some drawer fronts on the drawer bottoms, so everything will look a bit nicer, but that's later.
  Here's the first drawer.  I added a few things to organize tools. The back part in red is a socket organizer, and the part to the left is melamine, drilled to organize the collets and mills. The wooden cage has the wrenches, the drill chuck, and whatever else will fit in the box. There’s a layer of non-skid honeycomb cushion in the two boxes. That cushions the tools and quiets the thing down. No clinking.

 
The next drawer down holds the parallel set, some drills, and lots of odd sockets and wrenches.  This seemed a good location for the miscellaneous ones, although this might get thinned out a bit depending on what gets done.
The third drawer holds the heavy stuff.  There's a set of 5C collets, a bench block, a sharpening jig, and the collet holding fixtures, as well as the milling fixtures.  Below the bench, and on the floor, is the floor mat that I got.  I intend to make my life easier by having some nice cushioning on my feet.
This is a shot of the main workbench with the mill. You can see the melamine top. It cleans nicely. The two drawers are at the left, and barely seen is a quiet shop-vac. The area to the left gets used for lathe tools, and the area to the right has mill stuff.

 

I’ve got to make this picture larger than the others, because it shows the shop in it’s normal, clean state. Of course it is this clean. All the time. Even when I’m working on a project. Always. Please don’t look on the bench to the right. (out of photo)

I should mention that I've now cleaned up that bench, and it deserves a look.

 
The second bench is now cleaned up, and is still in a bit of flux.  Right now the grinders and such are on the right hand side of the bench, the drill press and vise are on the left.
The drill press is one of the inexpensive varieties, and I had originally bought it for use in grinding tools.  I think I may still keep it there, although time will tell how much it gets used.  It is a bit underpowered, but what should I expect when it's an on sale item?  Found a use for the magnetic base lamp, because that drill press badly needs a task light.
I've got the grinders on the right side, kinda far away from everything.  I've got a low speed tool grinder, a drill doctor, and a and a small cutoff saw.  I'm not sure how good that cutoff saw is really going to be.  It seems to be woefully underpowered.
The idea of a melamine top is quite nice. So far, it is hard, relatively durable, moderately inexpensive, and easy to clean. A further advantage is that small dark parts are very easy to find on all that clean surface. It won’t be damaged by water or oil. There’s enough space on either side of the mill to be able to lay out stuff, tools, and even… plans. I think some more task lighting would be nice, though. Not shown are an arbor press, a power hacksaw, and a drill sharpener.

 

Another addition is a radial drill press.  Now I can get to the middle of the things I couldn't drill with the mill, or the other drill press (I have one in the wood shop).  I'm happy enough to leave the one in the wood shop in that shop, it simplifies life.  The lamp was not part of the original equipment, but was an add-on.  It provides some very nice task lighting  for drilling, although I will say that the mill is a lot more sturdy than the drill press.

 
I was looking at the local HF store a bit today, trying to find a shear and metal bending tool. I didn’t find much that I wanted, but I did see a small magnetic light. I decided to take a chance on it, and brought it home. It looks nice on the lathe.

The small hammer has a copper head for banging on delicates….

I don't like this light too much, the switch is cheap and breaks easily.  That's what I had before on the lathe.  It's the last surviving one.  I have a switch to replace.

 
I decided to get a nice shop clock. Now this is in the basement, and I can’t see out. Now I could poke a spare TV camera out a window, and that’s not a bad idea. But it’s nice and cool in the basement, about 71 degrees. The wireless monitor shows the outside is a balmy 86 degrees. This is an atomic clock (big applause), and is much less expensive than any other that I’ve been able to find that has such large digits. I don’t have to worry about anything but batteries, either. It even shows me the day of the week in case I misplace a day or two….

 
I’ve never changed the lighting in the basement, and I’ve always needed a way to light the way into the shop, which is in a far back corner. I found some rope lights, which I added a switched outlet to run. The switch is by the door, so I just turn them on and wend my way back to the workbench, where I can turn on the lights. The rope lights were surprisingly inexpensive at one of the local stores, far less than what the big name megalumber stores would charge. Kinda neat, I think.

I've also wired in the shop lights to the same switch panel, so I can turn on and off the shop lights from the door.  Not too bad, although the rope lights are still useful.

I also have the shop equipment and the lighting on separate breakers, although that's never been a problem, but it has been quite convenient when wiring up the system.

 
I’ve got room in here to make a few more comments. Setting up the shop has not been inexpensive, you can add up the stuff yourself. However, I’ve been lucky enough to get sales on the four major pieces of equipment. I didn’t have to make the workbenches, although I ended up modifying the existing designs by a bit. I do really recommend the melamine tops, and the added front board makes the workbench look a bit more elegant. Of course, it’s the same old thing underneath all this. I think I’ll add a bit of wood finishing to the front, and that should help protect the wood from grease.

General comments: Good wiring is a must, the machines take a bit of power. Good lighting is also of paramount importance. Shop lights are inexpensive, and you can get task lighting for the machines without much difficulty. If you get a shop vacuum, get the most quiet one you can. Get a good chair so you can sit and think about things, when needed. A small DVM is also a good idea, they’re cheap.