Goal #17: Finished My Workshop

Why?

I take immense gratification from making things. Taking an idea from my mind and creating it with my hands brings me a lot of joy. When we were searching for a house, my one stipulation was that it had an area for my workshop. The house we settled on fit the bill with a partially unfinished basement (plus, it was the only basement I could stand up in).

Let Me Give You A Tour

Workbenches

My father and I created these workbenches from 2×4’s and MDF.  The floor isn’t level and the walls aren’t square, which made building these difficult. The second level of the workbenches is 3 inches off the ground, good for cleaning underneath and in case of water in the basement.

Bike Stand

One of my goals is to learn to do all my bike maintenance. A bike stand is a necessity for for most cleaning and repair as it brings the bike to a workable height and allows spinning the gears to verify proper operation.

Video Background & Lighting

I projected, traced, and painted the below image to serve as a background for Lethal Engineering videos. I also installed fluorescent light fixtures to improve video quality. Despite having a degree in Electronics Engineering, I’d never wired up 120VAC before. I only shocked myself once!

Tools

I have almost all the tools I could want including drills, a table saw, drill press, miter saw, jig saw, circular saw, reciprocating saw (sawzall), metal chop saw, air compressor, nail guns, dremel tool, power sander, plus a myriad of hand tools. I also recently got a 3D printer and have been working on the Kylo Ren helmet pictured below.

Storage Racks / Tool Chests / Wood Racks

I’m committed to keeping my shop organized and functional. I added two wire racks to fill the dead space behind the water heater and furnace. Clear plastic bins fit on those racks perfectly and are great for storage of seldom used supplies. The wood racks were easy to install and keep all the lumber out of the way. The toolboxes house all the hand tools.

Get Building

I’m really pleased with how my workshop turned out. It’s the perfect size right now, assuming I don’t acquire any more tools. Now it’s time to make things! I’ve got a host of ideas that I hope to turn into videos in the next six months.