Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Atelier 2.0 : new workshop on the French Riviera!

[Sham]

I've just finished installing lights!
Well, not exactly finished as I'll put some more above the woodworking area, but at least I can work comfortably at any time of the day or night in the workshop.

I installed 40W Led panels : 8 of them on the ceiling of the workshop (I had planned ahead for wire conduits), and 4 more above the workbench. Well, more like where the workbench will one day sit.

It took me quite some time to get there, as I have a severe case of OCD, and want everything aligned perfectly, including the wiring... But I got it done.
And, I'm really happy with the result!

 

[littlebean]

looks great (and i'm still jealous of the cars........)

 

[gearhead1960]

Fabulous job to abate your OCD and everyone else's on GJ

 

[111R]

Great job on your shop thus far plus a nice collection of vintage Volkswagens. As for OCD, I don't see this as a problem! Keep up the good work.

 

[ZRX61]

Are the end walls sealed so that rain can't get between your structure & the neighbors?

 

[Sham]

I don't know if it makes sense to reply over a year later - sorry @ZRX61 , I missed your post.

No, the end walls are not sealed, and rain can (and does) fall between the structures, but a concrete gutter was installed at the bottom to safely drive the water away in front of the building. Worked great so far.

I'll come back soon with more updates, finaly the workbench is taking shape...

 

[Sham]

So, the last thing I needed for this workshop to be fully functional, was a proper, sturdy workbench. So after some designing in Sketchup, it was time to startup the MIG...

I decided to weld the structure in place, as the floor is not perfectly level. I used a laser level to ensure the top was level.

A couple coats of antirust paint, and I could fit on a counter top...

I had planned the workbench to be the same height as my tool chest, so I could put a piece of countertop on it and have an L-shaped workbench :

I even had some leftover countertop, which I put on sawhorses, providing additional temporary flat surface when needed (here featuring my son's 1/3 scale VW thing) :

There, finally! Now I can get some actual work done on my projects!
More details of the workbench build here : https://shamwerks.com/Workshop-DIY-Workbench-2.0

 

[littlebean]

that looks brilliant, especially matching the height

 

[Sham]

Couple of updates to my workshop...

I needed my hardware sorted (that sounded dirty ), so I designed a trolley to fit in my organizer, making it the same height as my workbench (more details on my blog here : https://shamwerks.com/hardware-trolley):






I added another rolling tool chest next to the first one, which was already packed with tools :


I scored a 1956 drill press for 100€ which replaces my flimsy Chinese one. 86kg on the scale!



I made progress on my milling machine, getting it back in working order, and converting it to CNC (more details here if you're curious : https://shamwerks.com/milling-machine-cnc-conversion):

And finally, as my former offices were getting closed down, I managed to get my hands on a piece of decoration that will live on my wall (I couldn't help but adding some LEDs strips behind it) :




There!
I'm happy with not only a pretty cool garage, but also a nice man cave to have a cold one with friends in winter!

 

[gahrajmahal]

Sham, I missed this thread when you originally posted but enjoyed reading it now. A Karmann Ghia was my high school car and I have many happy memories driving it. We would pack into it with our hockey equipment or later after adding a trailer hitch towing a small motorcycle trailer made from a VW H-Beam with the spindles welded straight. I could tow four dirt bikes with that setup. It had a big bore set of pistons and a header for power adding. Also during this time I purchased a 1960 Bug with fabric sunroof. It was an ex-race car and had a black iron roll cage. It was Baja Bug style with the front and back cut off. Also a very fun ride.

As a grown up I have been blessed to travel to your area at least three times always enjoying it greatly. I love what you have done with your shop and have bookmarked your underground thread to read later.

All the best, Gahrajmahal

 

[littlebean]

just read a load of your articles on your blog - really good!

 

[Sham]

Sham, I missed this thread when you originally posted but enjoyed reading it now. A Karmann Ghia was my high school car and I have many happy memories driving it. We would pack into it with our hockey equipment or later after adding a trailer hitch towing a small motorcycle trailer made from a VW H-Beam with the spindles welded straight. I could tow four dirt bikes with that setup. It had a big bore set of pistons and a header for power adding. Also during this time I purchased a 1960 Bug with fabric sunroof. It was an ex-race car and had a black iron roll cage. It was Baja Bug style with the front and back cut off. Also a very fun ride.

As a grown up I have been blessed to travel to your area at least three times always enjoying it greatly. I love what you have done with your shop and have bookmarked your underground thread to read later.

All the best, Gahrajmahal

Wow, you're an aircooled guy through and through!
I wish I had that fabric sunroof on my car, black paint under the Riviera sun makes it pretty warm in summer!

just read a load of your articles on your blog - really good!

Thank you @littlebean , glad you liked it!