Saturday Tweets: Caturday!

How to Organize a Small Workshop

I’ve got a lot of home repair projects in my immediate future and I’ve noticed, from experience, that when my workshop is usable and organized those projects tend to go a lot more smoothly. In the past few months I’ve decided to focus on making my tiny workshop both useful and pleasant. The challenge has been that our 1920s garage is tiny–sized for two Model-Ts–and must also accommodate our Honda Fit. At the risk of seeming like I’ve come down from the mountaintop with stone tablets, permit me to share a few things I’ve learned about tiny workshop design:

  • Put everything on wheels. Get some locking wheels at the hardware store and the workshop will be infinitely re-configurable. You can even roll everything outside when needed to work on large pieces or to deal with dust issues.
  • Use Sketchup to figure out the best configuration. Most tools, cars and cabinets have been modeled for you by the Sketchup community. All you have to do is make a quick sketch of your work space and download the components.
  • Make all tools and workbenches the same height. When you do this every surface is a potential out-feed table for a table saw, miter saw etc.
  • Use chalkboard paint to label cabinets and drawers.
  • Clean as you work. I don’t always live up to this principle in the workshop or in the kitchen, but when you don’t have a lot of room you’ve got to put stuff back and get rid of scraps otherwise things get ugly and dangerous.
  • Thou shalt not store crap in thy workshop. A clean and organized workshop is inspiring. Banish the crap and you’ll make space for creativity. I even hosted a cocktail party in the workshop on Halloween.

And to the dolt who recently suggested closing libraries, let me note that the inspiration for the layout of my workshop came from a book I stumbled on while browsing the stacks of the library, Great Workshops From Fine Woodworking. When it comes to home repair and woodworking information I seek out Taunton Press books when at the library.

Chris Burden’s Small Skyscraper

When it comes to code bending home repairs, I like to remember to the late artist Chris Burden’s mega-shed project, “Small Skyscraper.” Burden discovered an odd loophole in the City of Los Angeles’ building code which allowed anyone to build a shed no more than 400 square feet but, oddly, 35 feet tall. So, back in 2003, Burden built a 35 foot tall shed/skyscraper. Embarrassed city officials soon closed the loophole.

Burden was probably best known for having himself shot and crucified in the name of performance art, but I remember him for making it impossible to build the backyard tower I’ve always wanted.

Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint II

One of the more successful projects around the Root Simple compound was making our own chalkboard paint and using it to label all of the cabinets in our garage workshop. In the past month, inspired by a visit from über-maker Federico Tobon, I’ve taken up the task of pimping out the workshop with a proper workbench and table saw. I’ll blog about Workshop 2.0 when I’m finished with the renovation, but the chalkboard paint hack is worth a repeat mention.

Thanks to the chalkboard paint, when I want to find a tool I can just glance up at the cabinets and know immediately where it is. The recipe I used is:

1 cup latex paint
1 tablespoon cool water
2 tablespoons unsanded grout

Making your own chalkboard paint is a lot cheaper than buying the pre-made stuff. Plus you can use any color of latex paint. The paint has stood up to repeated erasing and re-chalking.

Eric of Garden Fork just did a video where he made a chalkboard/pallet wood frame. In the video he uses an adhesive chalkboard film.

Our workshop/garage is right on the sidewalk and on Halloween it doubles as a candy and (for the adults) cocktail dispensing venue. Should you find yourself in #HaFoSaFo, drop on by. Rumor has it that the adults will be served a Penicilina “enhanced” with MDF dust.

Saturday Tweets: Halloween Edition