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Workshop layout??

WildThing

Well Known Member
Hi boys-n-girls,

I'm going "Full Monty" and converting the living and dining room of my 3rd floor condo into my RV-8A workshop. The neighbors are onboard, I've got the logistics of "extraction" worked out, and I just arrived back from Van's (~7418 miles round trip) with my wing and fuselage kits (went to Moriarty, NM to crew in the National Club Class Soaring contest 1st :))

So... I've got 14'x21' to play with and am looking for ideas on size and placement of workbenches, etc. I currently have a bench grinder, belt/disk sander, small table saw and a bench top drill press all on their own stands that I was using on my 14'x8' patio for the empennage. I'm pretty sure the grinder(s) will stay outside due to dust generation. Probably the saw too. The drill press only makes "chips", so clean up isn't too big a deal to have it inside.

I built an old school -8A fuselage 15yrs ago - the one that required a precision 15' long building table/jig. Since the current -8A doesn't need it, what are you's using for your fuselage "table"?

As always - THANKS!
 
Have you made sure you can get the finished units out of the third floor???

Wings build on vertical racks as I recall---not tables.
 
Space

I'm a fan of two EAA benches. They can be arranged as needed. 2x10, 4x5, "L" shape, etc. I even used them as saw horses to place the canoe on top. Storage underneath.
They say the prepunched wings can be assembled on a bench but I used a jig.
Best of luck
 
Yeah Mike, using a bit of creativity (out the 4' wide patio door and over the railing) and then in a sling with a cherry picker into my truck ;)) IMG_8370.jpg
 
How about this..... don't put your bench grinder on the bench.
Use a stand. The mess sweeps up far easier than all over the bench.
And you can use the wheel from many more angles.
stand.JPG stand2.JPG
I used the wider one and mounted the grinder on one end, and the belt sander so the belt ran vertical.
I removed the disc and lower belt guard to allow material to pass under the belt. Moved the support arm 1/3rd up the belt.
To get the clearance I wanted at the bottom of the belt, I made a simple mount that tilted the entire sander fwd 45*.
belt.JPG
 
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Thanks Gasman, those stands are exactly what I've got now. What I'm looking for ideas on is a layout/floor plan for the 14'x21' shop footprint. The power tools are somewhat ancillary to my "construction" workbenches and their placement.

A basic layout would be a pair of 2'x6' EAA benches along a long wall with the fuselage/table in the center - maybe with tool cabinets underneath. I'm just picking the collective mind(s) here to see if there were any "I wish I'd have done my shop differently" ideas to be had.
 
Construction spaces.......

I'm going "Full Monty" and converting the living and dining room of my 3rd floor condo into my RV-8A workshop.

And I brag about starting my RV-4 in a very narrow 1946 one car garage!:p

The neighbors are onboard......
You might want to demonstrate what the sound of driving rivets is.....my across-the-street neighbors would come out to see what all the racket was.....:p Then you can show them the fine art of bucking rivets..!;)

I've got the logistics of "extraction" worked out.....

WOW..... We want progress pictures....!:)
 
Put any workbenches on wheels so you can reconfigure the shop as needed. A stand is an excellent way to work on the wings, with the wings vertical. You can work on both sides as needed. If you have room for two wings you can mirror the operation and work a bit faster.

Dave
 
Thanks, Dave. I haven't perused the WINGS section of the plans yet, but will be on the look-out for ideas for a vertical wing jig thingy (techno-speak) for sure!
 
I have a big garage, but the portion I work out of is smaller than what you have. I'll agree with everyone on the EAA benches (make sure you build in an overhang - extremely useful for clamping). I didn't follow the EAA measurements, but made two 3'x4' benches and one 2'x4' with the leftover wood. The large ones are heavy with a sacrificial top and each have hinged wheels to drop on one end for reconfiguration. My layout in the shop has changed a few times depending on what I'm working on, so having the benches relatively mobile has been nice.

My space is essentially one garage stall. I have a ton of other tools crammed in the space (table saw being the biggest real estate suck - I cover it and use it for flat storage). It's set up like a galley. One short wall has built in cabinets and bench where I keep most of my tools, and bins for rivets and hardware. Some tools are in drawers, but I have a french cleat system on the wall for nearly all of my commonly used hand tools. On one long side of the space (up against a wall) I have the smaller EAA bench where my C-frame sits and all of my clamps are stored, then a place on the wall for hanging my plans, shelving for storage, and finally my air compressor. On the other long side,]I have my two large EAA benches where I do 90% of my work (currently slid together for an 8' long table), then I have a long 2x8 butcher block bench with a vice, belt sander and bench grinder. On the other short end by the garage door I have a drill press and band saw (both floor units).

So far the limited space has worked just fine, aside from the conundrum of where to store finished parts. The space in the middle of everything was wide and long enough for me to put the wing stands and build the wings one at a time. I'll be starting the fuselage in a few weeks, so I'm sure I'll reconfigure things a little bit again.
 
Don't get too far down the rabbit hole with layout. It'll likely change a little bit when working on the different sections. Obviously the power tools will be around the edge of the room so that the power cords aren't a tripping hazard.

I moved my EAA benches around depending on the task at hand, and i either just dragged them around or had somebody help me move them. I'm not a big fan of casters, as they can be kinda wobbly at times. But that's just my personal preference. Some people absolutely wouldn't do without them.

With that said, I did make up some "landing gear" for a buddy's EAA tables. The tables sat firmly on the wooden legs when it was on the floor, but we made a hinged 2x4 with casters on it that you could flip down by picking up one end of the bench at a time and kicking the "gear" down with your foot. With the casters down (but not locked), one person could easily roll it around after that. When the table was where you wanted it, you picked up one end and kicked the 2x4 back into the retracted position where the wheels were up and the table legs were back on the floor. Not sure if that makes sense or not. It may have been a $50 solution to $2 problems, but my buddy said it worked well.
 
With that said, I did make up some "landing gear" for a buddy's EAA tables. The tables sat firmly on the wooden legs when it was on the floor, but we made a hinged 2x4 with casters on it that you could flip down by picking up one end of the bench at a time and kicking the "gear" down with your foot. With the casters down (but not locked), one person could easily roll it around after that. When the table was where you wanted it, you picked up one end and kicked the 2x4 back into the retracted position where the wheels were up and the table legs were back on the floor. Not sure if that makes sense or not. It may have been a $50 solution to $2 problems, but my buddy said it worked well.

That's what I did. Cheap and effective. Super solid when the wheels are up, but easy to move around.
 

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I'll agree with everyone on the EAA benches (make sure you build in an overhang - extremely useful for clamping). I didn't follow the EAA measurements, but made two 3'x4' benches and one 2'x4' with the leftover wood. The large ones are heavy with a sacrificial top and each have hinged wheels to drop on one end for reconfiguration. My layout in the shop has changed a few times depending on what I'm working on, so having the benches relatively mobile has been nice.

My space is essentially one garage stall. I have a ton of other tools crammed in the space (table saw being the biggest real estate suck - I cover it and use it for flat storage). It's set up like a galley. One short wall has built in cabinets and bench where I keep most of my tools, and bins for rivets and hardware. Some tools are in drawers, but I have a french cleat system on the wall for nearly all of my commonly used hand tools. On one long side of the space (up against a wall) I have the smaller EAA bench where my C-frame sits and all of my clamps are stored, then a place on the wall for hanging my plans, shelving for storage, and finally my air compressor. On the other long side,]I have my two large EAA benches where I do 90% of my work (currently slid together for an 8' long table), then I have a long 2x8 butcher block bench with a vice, belt sander and bench grinder. On the other short end by the garage door I have a drill press and band saw (both floor units).

Thanks Skelrad! That's sounds pretty much like what I've envisioned so far. Just trying to not reinvent the wheel ;)
 
With that said, I did make up some "landing gear" for a buddy's EAA tables. The tables sat firmly on the wooden legs when it was on the floor, but we made a hinged 2x4 with casters on it that you could flip down by picking up one end of the bench at a time and kicking the "gear" down with your foot. With the casters down (but not locked), one person could easily roll it around after that. When the table was where you wanted it, you picked up one end and kicked the 2x4 back into the retracted position where the wheels were up and the table legs were back on the floor. Not sure if that makes sense or not. It may have been a $50 solution to $2 problems, but my buddy said it worked well.

Timing is everything - I just came across a YouTube video on "mobilizing" an EAA workbench. Looks like a good way to have a very sturdy and "fixed" workbench - with mobility when desired.
 
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