Creating in the Closet

Workshop member Jim Martin checks in with a progress report on his S scale model railway. This time, he describes his new workshop, which hides from view when not in use...

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An overview of Jim's new workshop

 I spent some quality time recently organizing my new, compact workshop. It has been in use for several months on various small projects but it was hastily thrown together during the move into the house. The shelving and primary work surfaces along with pegboard and lighting went into place quite early, but tools and building supplies were not optimally located. So I gathered up all my tools from a variety of locations, spread them out on a table and started sorting.

A well-organized work space, with everything within
easy reach, can inspire great modelling!

In addition to the main work area, I am setting up a secondary work surface inside an old roll top desk. That’s where I will play with plastic models and other lighter projects from time to time to escape the model railroad regimen. I also maintain a travel tool kit for train shows, and another tool kit that I use for my conservator work at the local marine museum. I am well along to acquiring duplicate tools so I won’t have to scurry from tool box to tool box.

My chief complaint about the new house is that it’s too perfect. Every square inch of the basement is finished. There is no room to make a mess. There is no utility room as such for cleaning brushes, spaying paint and glue, etc. Thankfully the basement has large closets so I grabbed one for myself.

Just off my train library is a seven-foot long by four-foot deep closet with an eight-foot ceiling. The wire shelving was already in place, along with lighting and a handy electrical outlet. All I had to do was rearrange the shelving, hang a power bar on the wall and move my old filing cabinet and work desk into place. I then built a cork-topped work surface to the right for larger tools, and hung some pegboard.

A view to the left, through the doors:
Note the filing cabinet for reference material

A view to the right through the doors:
Larger tools have their own area on the bench

As you can see there is still lots of room on the shelves and on the pegboards for the additional stuff that I will inevitably accumulate. The pictures here show the shop as clean as it will ever be, but whatever mess I make I will be able to hide behind the bi-fold doors and no one will be the wiser.

(Well, we'll know it's there - because we've read the blog!)

Spray painting of models currently awaits the warmer outdoor weather, or the completion of a portable spray booth. When done I will be able to roll it from behind the layout and into the basement bathroom where it will vent out the window. More on that when I do it.

Until next time... happy modelling!

- Jim