workspace design help

[darklord]

with another baby coming along i have to give up the spare room so my workspace is moving into a cupboard, so i have to try and design it for maximum efficiency so i wondered if anyone had any handy design ideas they have maybe used themselves in there own workspace.
this on will be about 5 foot deep, 6 foot high and about 3 foot wide, and i have to fit the computer in there too!!
one of my main things is lighting, i was thinking of a low voltage linked system but not sure on the availability of daylight bulbs for these

 

[Dragonsreach]

First thing that\'s coming to my mind is a Drop down/Sliding worksurface with a \"C\" shaped inset so you can maximise painting area.
A Perspex screen to protect the PC Monitor. (B&Q do 4x2 sheets of clear Perspex)
Paints stored on the door closest to your Primary Hand.
And think about attaching your Light or Lamp to the other door. (Portable Daylight Lamps £35 at Hobbycraft.)

Mickc22 showed how he\'d arranged his paints in cut sections of Piping in a previous thread on workspaces.

 

[darklord]

yeah one of the main things i want is organised paints, at the moment they are in a toolbox so i have to lift half out to find the one i want!! i do have a good anglepoise that you screw to a surface but its still 2 ft high when folded up

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by darklord
this on will be about 5 foot deep, 6 foot high and about 3 foot wide, and i have to fit the computer in there too!!

Best of luck mate!

Einion

 

[airhead]

Look for something you can fold up and secure. As you little one becomes mobile, nothing is sacred. Brushes will be ruined paints and minis will go missing (or worse be spread across something that you didn\'t want painted - like the carpet. Worst would be for the toddler to find an x-acto blade.

A secretary from Ikea is the cheapest/best looking cabinet I could find. It gives me the option of shutting up all the little pointy/lead bits away from small fingers. (in a year, you\'ll need this.)

Hit some antique stores nearby, old secretaries can still be found, some built into a chest of drawers.

Another option would be one of those large computer cabinets with the pull our or fold out table:

or this:

 

[Sukigod]

I think Airheads got the right direction for ya. Similar to what I use...

Closed

Open

I\'ve got daylight bulbs in two gooseneck style clamp-on lamps. I use the keyboard tray as my cutting/filing/sanding surface and roll it back to keep the dust from the painting surface above.

I built shallow shelves with wire rails to keep the paints in the doors.

 

[darklord]

cheers guys, yours seems spot on sukigod, think i will mount the monitor above as its tft and wireless keyboard mouse so they can just pop away. any ideas on material for the work surface? i have a laminate at the moment with newspaper over but thought maybe metal top, and i think someone suggested once glass board for cutting and stuff

 

[airhead]

Get a sink cutout for your favorite home contractor. (That is the part of the counter top that they cut out for the sink to go in. Kitchen cutouts tend to be somewhat rectangular.) Once there is enough paint on them, throw them away and get another. A cabinet shop should sell them for a buck or two.


As to cutting, I like the self healing cutting mats from the craft stores.

They come in various sizes ( and prices).

 

[Sukigod]

I\'ve got one of those green, self healing cutting mats on the keyboard tray (for cutting, of course) and I found a roll of very thin cork with an adhesive back that I put down on the main surface. Softens the blow should I drop a metal piece while painting. It also keeps things from sliding around.

 

[PegaZus]

You might consider getting a wireless keyboard as well. One less cord to worry about. Get some zip ties and a peg board to organize the computer components.

When it comes up later to replace the computer, go for one of those super small cases. In all likelihood, you\'ll not need the extra bays after the kids start rolling in.

If you get the little hutch thing, maybe pop over to the local home improvement store and buy a pre-made set of cabinets that go over refrigerators and mount it on top. Or does England even have those? Anyway, the should fit well, and that\'s a place to keep boxes (clear and/or labeled of course) tucked away.

Might even buy some shelves and mount them around the inside. More place to store things. Corner shelves might be just the thing, too.

If you\'ve got an LCD monitor, I\'d mount it on the back of the cabinet. More desk space.

That\'s all I can think of at the moment.

 

[darklord]

thanks for all the ideas guys, will pop up a pic when its all done

 

[cerebro1974]

this and more

Shopping the other day I found some neat items, not built for mini\'s, but fly-tying, lots of goodies that can be used for the craft though, this thread made me remember a desk the store had, small, handy and not too shabby on pricing!

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20431-cat20534&id=0011296316301a&navCount=1&podId=0011296&parentId=cat20534&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IJ&rid=