new shop

JTknives

JTknives

Joined
Jun 11, 2006
Messages
8,651
i live in an apartment and realy need a shop now that im a full time maker :D. i called lots of storage units and none would let me work in the unit. i then called one that i could do anything i wanted to as long as i dont damage anything. its 10'x10' with heat and AC for $61. the unit is axcesed through a inside hallway. its gated with guards and each unit has a keypad to unlock. and there is power in the hall i can use. sounds go, its even close to my house. what you think
 
It will be better than freezing your but off in the parking lot in the winter. It will be nice to be able to quit carrying all that heavy equipment up and down the stairs. The only down side is you will have to actually go there to do the work. But the up side is you can clear all that work stuff out of your apartment. I have been working in the garage, which means moving the wife's car out side, and setting up a small table in the garage to work.
 
now just to get the wife on board. which i dont think will take to much work as all the tools will be out of the house :).
 
I was wondering about that... how does one go about acquiring workspace in a metropolitan area?
 
Keep in mind air quality if you are going to be grinding. What kind of power do they have in it? sounds like only 110. something to think about when you hook up that 5hp motor. Take a look at it it sounds better than nothing at all. You could set up with smaller tools at first then upgrade if you can find a bigger place. You may want to look at a disc for grinding. I used a 1/2 hp 110v that I wired to reverse for years. It is not as good as variable speed but it did work and I use the snot out of it.
 
my nwgs 2x72 belt grinder has a 115v 1.5 hp baldor on it with step pullys. it works great and is very powerfull. but i just could not pass up 5hp. i will save the motor for when i get a real shop. im thinking a recirulating filtering fan for air qualty. and electric oven with quench plates so no smoke or CO. now that i have a ton of A2 i need an oven. any ideas on air filtering?
 
Not to sound pesimistic, but I think when the owner sees you running extension cords all over the hallway to power a grinder, filter system, heat treating oven, lights, drill press, etc. etc, along with heat and a/c he is going to put the kibosh on your 61.00 shop in a hurry.
 
Teknition said:
Not to sound pesimistic, but I think when the owner sees you running extension cords all over the hallway to power a grinder, filter system, heat treating oven, lights, drill press, etc. etc, along with heat and a/c he is going to put the kibosh on your 61.00 shop in a hurry.
Click to expand...

i have to agree. its a storage facility. Did you run it by them that would would be using their space as a workshop?
 
yep i told them exzactley what i was going to be doing. thay even offered a moving van for free so i can move my shop down. i asked about power and thay told me that i could just use extenson cords from the hall and if i use a ton of power thay would charge 10 bucks extra. i told them i grind into a bucket of water to catch most of the sparks. and that i will be putting up benches for my power tools. thay said thay dont care, i just cant mount anything to the walls,roof or floor. im looking at it tomarow
 
now i need to think about layout. its 10'x10' so i was thinking one wall be stand up an 8 foot long bench and the 2 other walls be sit down benches. do you think 2 foot wide benches is big enought. any ideas from people that have shops. thanks
 
Jarod,
I know you are excited, but stop and think this out. You are going to be a full time maker. That is a business. Do it as a business. Think like a businessman.
Get a license.
Get a business location that is legal.
Have enough space to work.
Work a regular schedule, free from weather and other restrictions.
Keep records, pay taxes.
Understand that being a full time maker is hard. It requires not just making and selling a few knifes, but hundreds of knives a year. Year in - year out.

A 10X10 is fine for a home shop with an "L" bench setup, but would be insufficient and unsafe for a regular work schedule.. Extension cords work when you are on the patio or balcony on the weekend, but aren't proper for a full time set up.

The power from a hallway socket in a storage unit would be 15 amp, most likely. You couldn't run much equipment on that without popping breakers regularly. The dust, noise, smell, and inconvenience of a knifemaker working at a storage unit would quickly get you a cancellation of you rental contract. The fire marshal would have them cited and closed up in a moment.

You need to rent some space in a place that is made for working - and legal. Here are some ideas:
An industrial shop unit ( often used as car repair shops), sort of like a workshop version of a storage unit. They are usually from 20X20 and up,have proper power, and are approved for business.
Rent a garage.
Rent space in an existing shop. A corner in a place that has way too much room.
Rent some rooftop space ( with full disclosure of its use) and build a storage shed for the equipment.Use roll out mounting tables for the big tools.
Move to the country.It is much cheaper than the city, has lots of space. you can run all the equipment you want.
Stacy
 
i have to agree with stacy. 10x10 is about as big as a prison cell. look into the shops in an industrial area. cant help but think all of the safety codes that would be broken in a storage unit that size along with the working conditions...
 
Even with a recirculating fan, I would be concerned about air quality. Get the best fan/filter you can buy and a maybe a dust collector. 10X10 is small, and I wouldn't use it for anything more than a small intermediate shop until you find what you really need. Still, it may be better than toting your equipment down every time you work, but the thought of extension cords in a building with people potentially tripping over then and running dollies over them makes me nervous.

My fiance's God father owns some big units north of town here in Lubbock. They are 20X40 with 15 foot ceilings and wired with both 220 and 110 set up with a coded gate and cameras. He's got a wood working shop in his, and I'm gonna score one for a do-all/knife shop. Can't wait!!!

--nathan
 
J, I know they said you could make knives in there but... once you start making all that dust and noise they'll probably change their mind. Down here you can rent some shop space for like $100-200 a month depending on your needs, I'll bet if you checked around the machine shops or other places they may be able to help you. Check with the chamber of commerce, they would also know of some facilities for a small start up manufacturer.
 
Several years ago there was an article in Knives Illustrated, a maker built his shop in a slide in camper on his pickup. Sometimes you pickup one of these cheap..

uhaul1.jpg4f51776d-5066-4094-b358-95f334ab2e4eLarge.jpg
 
You might be able to rent a small house for $100-200 more than your appartment. Then you'd have a garage, or even perhaps a large shed, to work in.
 
I'd recommend renting a house. No hassles and more space. :thumbup:

Or hell just buy one! Mortgages are still fairly low and there are a whole bunch of foreclosures this year.
 
ya im getting set up for taxes right now. i dont know how long i will be full time as im still out of a job and doing this to pay the bills. home prices are very exspensive here. we pay 600 for a small apt. thanks for all the truthfull comments. i think for now im going to keep working out of my apt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top