Lap-pad sculpting station.

Been a hack sculptor for a long time, and then decided that before my eyes give out totally, I'm going to get back into it! As I enjoy sculpting as much as I like watching TV - I realized that a workstation lap-pad was what I needed.



I had picked up some woodworking skills through the years, and went down to my shop and built this bad-boy. Now my wood is Mahogany but you can use anything you got lying around.

As you can see there are lots of bits that make this station just fantastic for someone like me who also needs to store this somewhere. I decided that the entire unit needed to be able to store on its side between the couch and the wall - this makes my wife happy and 'happy wife - happy life'!



The key to this was proper locks on the lid and drawer, and then the secret sauce - magnets! I have several lining the box and this holds my wire bending and cutting tools perfectly! Then I inserted four magnets to the tabletop and by boring similar magnets into my cork bases - they stick to the board when I tip it on its side and don't fall off! Lastly I have a strip magnet that catches all my loose wires and bits (nice place to put razor blades) and works in the same manner.



I cut a power cord hole in the table so I didn't have to worry about this slipping around while I sculpted.

The interior of my box holds all the major tools and locks securely. I think that if you were not a woodworker, you could attach a plastic tool box with screws through the bottom and have this done easily and light-weight. I lined it all with felt so if I store minis in there they have some protection - and it looked good too.



Lastly I put a bar across the bottom to keep the various tools I use from not sliding into my lap and a flat black cutting/sculpting surface - as my wood is shiny and the light makes it impossible to see. Also very good to have a black background to really make the mini clear to see, and I made sure to use screws so I can replace it as it wears out.



The pad was a sacrificed pillow stuffing and then some fabric all stapled.

So if you like the overall design - I think you could just go buy a lap-pad and attach a plastic toolbox - then stick those magnets and get going!

The lamp is C-clamped as I need to move it around, and it can also be part of the tipping on its side when I am done for the day.



There it is, I really love it and just wanted to share to keep sparking new ideas and concepts!



-Sandy