It is a small rectangular area adjacent to the main workshop and is the main metal working area.

It houses the grinders and polishing wheels, welder, soldering kits, metal cut of saw (adapted from an old drop saw), metal working vice and my lathe, which is a very much under used tool.

In the cupboard under the long bench I’ve installed and soundproofed my air compressor, which makes the noise of the compressor starting up whilst working in the shop bearable as I can still hear the radio. From there I can control the flow of air to both the workshop and the adjacent extendable air hose reel.

Along the back wall my collection of pipe clamps lives as well as various metal working and plumbing tools.

Here are some pics.

Next the finishing shed.

It has a through the wall connection to a mini cyclone and vacuum cleaner built in a soundproofed cupboard under the house for use with the power sanders and general cleaning as well as an compressed air outlet.

This photo shows the left hand side with the downdraft bench with sandpaper storage and belt sander and mini cyclone connection. On the down draft table is a repair job (daughter’s toaster oven) waiting on a part.

View of the end and right side showing disk sander, belt sander spindle sander.

Final photo shows the reverse with the morticer and the narrow passage created between the main shop and the machine area. On this wall I store my chisels, shaping tools and long handled screwdrivers.

Next installment will be the under the stairs area.

The back part, being the later addition, is long and rectangular and has stumps in the middle which I had to retain and reinforce. Hence I built a small bench coming out from the back wall to incorporate the stumps as a wall divider which naturally separated the back part into two parts. The left side is mainly a machining area and the other side a sanding area.

The machining area contains the jointer, scroll saw, band saw, SCMS, drill press and on the small dividing bench the thicknesser. It also houses my collection of hand held sanders as well as various hand tools, jigs and multistands.

To provide for jointing long pieces and cutting either long or wide pieces on the band saw I made little doors opening into the under house area. This has allowed the placement of these machines in this area without having to move them.

All permanent machines are connected to my DC system with the length and access controlled with inline blast gates. The SCMS also is connected to one of my mini cyclones (located behind the wall under the house) with an on/off switch on the wall near the machine. This connection can be attached easily to a longer hose for general cleanup vacuuming. It also has a compressed air outlet.

General view looking into the machining area

And from the other corner.

The wall backing onto the main workshop area, note the little door open for jointing longer pieces.

Close up of the band saw with the little doors open as well.

And a close up of the drill press. Underneath and near the drill press are the drill bit drawers. The drill press is operated with a homemade footswitch allowing both hands to be used and as it is too heavy to raise the table I have built in an small old hydraulic car jack to raised the table.

The next instalment will be the sanding area.

The ceiling is covered with Masonite and insulation is installed between the floor joists to reduce the noise.

Originally this room had three benches and these are still to be seen in the final layout.

When I first built it I still had 4 stumps in place which I later on removed and replaced with beams.

Most of the concrete floor is covered with a rubber/foam type interlocking rubber matting which makes it very comfortable to work on.

You will note that there are adequate power points and lighting from its own fusebox and in this part of the shop I have 3 compressed air outlets.

The average temperature in the workshop is usually a pleasant 20- 28 degrees during summer and during winter it drops down to about 14 degrees. (Sorry, but I have forgotten how to convert this to your system).

Photo above shows the view from the entry door across to the far corner and the next shows the reverse.

Similarly the next shows the view towards the entry to the other parts of the shop and the reverse.

Photo no 5 shows some of the overhead shelving and the final one shows part of the floor covering.