Moving into a new house after I retired gave me a chance to set up my model shop with some planning rather than wherever I could fit. As a result, I staked out a corner of the basement and was able to set up some storage shelves for books and reference material and mounted my model display cases. What I did not have, however, was an acceptable workbench - my old bench was built in plus it was difficult to keep clean. After checking out what was available, I decided to make my own workbench. I started with two four-drawer kitchen cabinets from Home Depot and then added an eight-foot section of Formica counter top. A quick coat of paint and stain and I was in business. Photo 1 shows an overview of the workshop area including the workbench, the reference shelves, the model display cases and my paint booth (see article below). Photo 2 shows the workbench by itself.
A small drawer was added to the center for tools of immediate use and the eight cabinet drawers were used for storage of materials etc. Note my paint storage drawer - Photo 3. Like brands of paint are stored in plastic baskets for easy access. I enter my paints into an Access database so I can print out a list to help me choose the proper paint for the project.
Also shown in Photo 3 is my airbrush set-up. I have a small compressor located away from the workbench with the output flowing into an old compressed CO2 bottle. My regulator is attached to that. Any pulsing from the compressor is absorbed by the tank, which also separates out any moisture or dust that may get into the system. |
