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I took a few photos of the shop in my attempt to make my own version of the Skunk Works; a name made famous
years ago by Lockheed Martin. The Skunk Works was an official alias for Lockheed's advanced development programs. While
I am not located in Burbank, California where it was founded and I don't design cutting edge aircraft like the F117 and SR71,
it's my little piece of the planet to be alone and create.
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Above, is the overall view as you enter the shop. It's a whopping 11 X 18 and is plenty of space for
one person. Since I'm the only modeler in the family, that works fine. I found a nice piece of quality carpet and some
padding at a reasonable price and put it down, making for a very comfortable surface on which to stand. There's adequate
lighting and bench space at multiple levels. I do most of my assembly work at the tall bench with the green carpet covering.
The shop is also equipped with a slop sink that was already there when we bought the house. The faucet had become nearly impossible
to operate, so I replaced it. The job took 10 minutes. Finally, an EASY plumbing repair.
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The man that we bought the house from 10 years ago was a shop teacher. He built these two work benches.
I covered one with carpet and it makes a nice work surface, keeping scratches to a minimum. It's also a prefect height
at which to stand. A couple tools chests contain some of my tool collection which is fairly extensive. For a short time back
in the 80's, the big craftsman on the right held a full compliment of moedium to heavy tools. I was a field tech for a
Raymond lift truck dealer and that thing rode shotgun in the back of a 1 ton Chevy van for the duration of my employment; about 12
months.
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| A 6' and 5' workbench pefectly fill this space |
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This space has really become more of a staging/storage area for things so I have room on the "green
bench" where I do most of my work. Parts bins adorn the where I keep most of the parts and materials for building. All
of the space I have here has been optimized as best I can to accommodate a lot of stuff, so under-bench areas are not wasted,
as you can see.
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| The internet is an integral part of the shop. Perfect for ordering parts and research. |
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With a spare PC availlable for use from the ham radio station, I relegated it for service in the shop.
The aux. monitor has a much better display than the notebook PC's built-in screen. It's nice to have internet access
right in the shop to order parts and research stuff.
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| More storage on the north wall |
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I built a rack to store spare wire, cable and other things easily hung on a dowel rod. I think it cost
me $5 in wood. The tan cabinet holds all sorts of supplies including glues, cleaners, solvents, paints, wire ties and heat
shrink tubing. To its left are some more shelves I've had since I moved to Columbus in 1991. These are fairly sturdy an
I use them to keep the field box and tool box I use at the field out of the way during storage.
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| The drill press came with the house for a modest $100. It was well worth it. |
Well, that's the tour of the shop.
It's not super-fancy, but it's well laid out and comfortable to work in. I figure I can work on up to a 50cc, 80"
wingspan airplane in this shop with care. Thanks for stopping by. If you have any comments, please drop me a note on the contact page, or sign my guestbook on the home page if you're inclined.
Rick Tressler - Columbus, Ohio
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