Workshop Redo

I decided that it was finally time to redo the workshop in the basement.  We had just finished getting hardwood floors and to prepare for that, we had to empty every bit of furniture so it could be moved.  This meant clearing out books, record albums and finding a temporary storage place for furniture, rugs and all the other things that we were keeping but had to be put out of the way.

The furniture in my workshop  (see pictures on the left and right) was made up of street finds, boards, old furniture taken apart and repurposed and yard sale acquisitions. I dismantled most of it and had it carted away. I also got rid of 120 books and replaced hundreds of magazines I like with digital editions.  I will never again  subscribe to a bead or jewelry magazine that isn’t digital. I plan to get rid of the remainder of the magazines when their respective publishers see fit to have a sale on back digital editions.

This is how things look now.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         The behemoth behind the work table is part of an entertainment unit that Ikea sold  back in the 1990s.  It was so hard to put together and so cheap, that they only sold it for one year.  I dismantled the middle unit and the two six foot bookcases, dragged them from the living room to the basement (by now cleared) and reassembled them.  I mean, I put the bookcases back together.  I needed help for the middle section in the form of a husband who kept grousing that we would never be able to put it back together.  Boy was he surprised when suddenly, there it was standing in front of us completely reassembled!

I took two Limmon tabletops from Ikea and put them onto four cabinets.  I got the idea from the Ikea Hackers blog.   It worked out so well that I added four more Helmer cabinets.   I bought a computer monitor stand with a slide out shelf for $3.99 at a thrift shop and attached it to the underside of the table for a handy drawer.

I have been switching doors around as I find that certain items are better stored in other cabinets.

 

I learned how to use a hammer drill so I could relocate the pegboards and shelving on the masonry walls

Lampworking station is closed until I can open the windows and get the fans going.  The kilns and oak watchmaking bench have been relocated to the wall to the right of th lampworking station.

Now I have enough room to sew and I can invite  friends over to work.  It’s easy to walk around the table  which now has eight Helmer cabinets stowed beneath as well as three plastic carts.  I’m going to have the electric service upgraded and make some other changes, but I think I’ve found the layout that works and a place for everything!

Press here for a wonderful site that links to 44 different artists work spaces. Maybe one will inspire you!