[Milsurplus] workshop

[Ray Fantini]

Some of us who have been doing this for a while get to seeing strange sites! Have friends that locate everything in the basement. That always sounds good being those who have basements have large open spaces that are not otherwise used but the issue in my mind is that whatever goes down will someday have to come back up. Taking things down stairs is easy when you're young. But selling, moving, deciding that something has to go or death is inviable and that turns gravity from a friend to an enemy.
Have to say that I am envious of all the lucky few who have houses with the garage and basement at grade or into the side of a hill so they don't have this issue. Building the workshop up in the attic is somehow worse. I have been lucky in the last two houses we have owned we had them built and was able to do things like have a dedicate workshop. In the last house had a workshop built directly over the two car garage. What seemed like a good idea at the time soon became a problem. Everything had to be brought thru the house, up the stairs and into the workshop. Once again if you're dealing with small stuff it's not a problem but as I mentioned before the older I get the larger the projects get. Ended up subdividing the garage and moving the shop down there but somehow lost use of the garage for things like cars and it was not a recipe that provided domestic bliss.
The current house has a subdivided two car garage that has a signal bay for the wife's car and the other half walled off and used as a workshop.  It's all at grade with concrete floors that don't care about loading. Big advantage in backing the truck into the garage, unloading and rolling into the shop without having to deal with any steps. Also had a two car detached garage built for cars and electronics storage but that brings up the next problem. The older you get somehow it happens the more resources you have and the more junk you collect. And if you have the space there can be no end to it. It starts out simple enough with the idea of maybe I would like to have a set of spares for that radio, or a second radio will appear and you think that maybe I can keep that for spare parts if needed, or there is always some radio or test equipment or whatever that you wanted and the opportunity presents itself and before you know it you have junk everywhere.
If there is any advice that I can give in this rant it is that's its important to get out of the shop or shack and visit others who are doing the same thing as you are. That way you will see others that are worse off then you, they have more stuff then you do. But if you cannot find anyone who has a collection larger than yours you may be in trouble. Fortunately I can think of three people I know who have more than me so don't have to worry too much yet.


RAY F/KA3EKH


From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bruce Gentry
Sent: Friday, December 01, 2017 2:24 PM
To: Milsurplus <Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] workshop

There is another material handling consideration. Many of us on this forum are reaching ages where lifting an R-390 or Racal RA17 into the upper spaces of a rack is difficult or even dangerous, and getting someone to help is increasingly difficult. There are portable lifts used by appliance delivery people to put air conditioners into high windows or over doors, or used in offices to lift supplies and archived document boxes onto high shelves.  I think a platform size of about 20 inches square and a capacity of 200-250 pounds would fit most of our needs. Many of these fold into a space comparable to a tall step ladder. I have been searching for one that is reasonably affordable and sturdy enough.

     Bruce Gentry, KA2IVY
On 12/1/17 1:15 PM, Ray Fantini wrote:
Organization and good work practices are key. But I don't know about everyone else but my issue is and has always been space, no matter how big you build the shop it fills up. Any external storage space also. The last several years have been using equipment racks and the like but they still fill. Only thing I can recommend is using carts for working on things, maybe some of you people are content to work on small radios like ARC-5 receivers and the like but I have noticed that in the last couple years have been migrating towards entire systems or big large heavy stuff and the cart is ideal for rolling things from storage to the workshop or around the shop to different locations or just out of the way for a while. Harbor Freight has metal work carts but I have been lucky finding old AV carts that were built back in the day before plastic AV carts that are common today.
Another note, it's a good idea to have storage and work spaces at grade level. Dragging equipment up and down steps can be a real drag.

Ray F/KA3EKH



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