My Workroom |
|
Gallery Article by Benny Attar
on July 3 2003 |
|
|
Before
I married I made it clear to my wife to be that whatever would be, I would
always have a workroom, even if we were living in a tent (I also hinted that the alternative might be a mistress).
The ideal workroom would have running water and a minibar for the beer,
but I am content with this small room on the upper floor of the apartment, too
small for a bedroom but an ideal little den.
The first requirement was installation of an air-conditioner, essential
in our hot climate, more so since it is a rooftop apartment.
A small 1Kw wall-mounted unit does the job.
The workbench is self-made, 1200mm wide by 600mm deep by 750mm high, and
designed so all it's parts fit on one 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of 3/4 inch plywood
which I ordered from a DIY outlet, cut to order. Putting the table together was
like assembling a kit. There is
another homemade bench in the workroom, complete with drill stand and vise for
non-modeling work. There is a full
height cupboard on the side of the room which is not visible in the pictures.
Space is provided on the worktable for a mini-stereo - I like to listen to music
while I work.
Click on
images below to see larger images
|
|
Lighting
is very important. A flourescent
light is fixed under the shelf which illuminates the work area. An adjustable PL light is clamped to the bench to provide
directional lighting directly onto the workpiece. PL lights are superior to halogen or incandescent fixtures
because they dissipate less heat and this is important when the light is close
to your face.
Paints
are stored in a custom-made wooden set of drawers (just plywood, glue, nails and
paint - the drawer slides are plastic corner edging from a DIY place). Tools
are stored in a set of plastic drawers from the same DIY source, more frequently
used ones are in a plastic drawer organizer from the kitchen utensils department
in the supermarket. Paint is
stirred in disposable styrene cups using shishlik skewers.
Disposable styrene plates are a source of sheet for scratchbuilding
parts. Toothpicks are used to hold
small parts in foam plastic trays from frozen foods. Spice jars hold paint
thinners. The comfy chair is a birthday present from my ever-patient wife.
Not cheap but a comfortable environment is half the job.