New workshop under way

[isc]

Fair enough John, yes it might be an ideaif you can put some flashing or cover of some sort, I suppose years ago lead would have been used, I' not a builder. Possibly the manufacturer of the iron has a profiled piece that will fit, you don't want water running down the inside of the wall, we'v got a plague of houses built over the last 10 to 20 years here in NZ that have suffered the problem, and they are costing millions for repare/ replacement, and lawyers. Don't let it get to you , you'll sort it. Now I'v got to get to work and fix the leak in my workshop. isc

[phil1001]

John,
The 'normal' minimum fall for a flat roof in the UK is 1" in 10ft so I doubt you will have too much bother with yours. I would agree with the comments about closing the eaves off though. If you cannot get some shaped filler, why not fix a wood strip round the edges to the edge of the sheets with an upstand eaves board to cover up the ridges. Seal with silicone behind the boards onto the sheets to make sure everything is waterproof though. The only trouble is you will have to paint the eaves boards if you dont use/ want to see tanaised timber all round the edge of the roof.

Phil.

[baggo]

Thanks for the suggestions. What I can do is put a length of PVC angle on the front edge of the roof sheets. I can fasten the angle to the top of the sheets with stainless screws and the side hanging down will stop any rain blowing in. I can seal it to the sheets to stop the rain blowing up the slope and running over the edge. It will match the cladding on the front and I won't have to paint it

John

[isc]

John, I was round at a mates place this afternoon, and noted that one of his sheds is of similar design to yours as far as the roof goes, I asked him if it ever had trouble with rain driving under the iron, and he said no, and the sheds been there 50yrs or so. I think it 's just me looking too closely at things. isc

[ace]

A thin strip/bead of sealant on the underside of the corrugated roof will stop any water running in as it will stop at the bead and drop off, bit like the underside of a window sill.

ace

[baggo]

I went ahead and fitted the plastic angle to the front edge of the roof. It only took 10 minutes and even if it's not necessary for the rain, it looks better I think ;D I might put some down the sides as well.



The inside is now completely lined with the Superfoil which was held in place temporarily with pins and Sellotape until the loft insulation is fitted over the top. I'm part way through fitting that which is a bit tedius as it all needs cutting to fit between the frame and then holding in place with string to stop it falling out again
The insulation is actually too thick (170mm) as it stands so I've split it in half and it fits nicely then.

[/img]

The 9mm plywood for the lining is coming on Monday along with the 22mm P5 grade chipboard flooring. I've decided that should be ok as it shouldn't get damp and it is moisture resistant anyway. To be on the safe side I'll paint the underside with PVA to really seal it. There is a grade called Protect which has both sides covered with resin bonded paper but it's quite a bit more expensive. Maybe worth it if you are thinking of laying it on top of concrete which may get damp. I'm bidding on a large piece of Altro flooring on Fleabay which will cover the whole floor and hopefully will cost much less than buying it normally. I think it's a grey blue colour but who cares!

The light fittings arrived and I've put one up temporarily whilst working in there at night. It's pretty bright with just the one so it should be brilliant with all 4! My tired old eyes need all the light they can get ;D

What I have done is replaced the ordinary chokes and starters with the electronic version. This gives flicker free operation even when very cold, instant start up, and longer tube life. I got the chokes off Fleabay again for £6 each which is about a 1/4 of what RS sell them for. Another advantage is that they work at high frequency rather than 50Hz so you don't get the stroboscopic effect that can happen with a normal fluorescent fitting. You can buy the electronic versions of the fittings but I found it much cheaper to convert the ordinary ones

[ace]

Looking great John.

Have you planned the lay-out for the inside yet. When I moved into mine that was the worse part, what to put where! and then the bench lay-out..............I still move stuff around in mine.

happy building.


ace

[baggo]

Hi Ace,

I sort of planned it right at the beginning but things have changed a bit since then. I'm going to have to fit a Boxford shaper in there now which wasn't planned originally ;D

The bench will definitely be all along the front wall under the big windows so I can make the most of natural light. I want to try and keep all the machines along the back wall and keep the middle of the floor clear. I intend to make at least one building stand on wheels suitable for 5" gauge stuff and want to be able to turn it around easily without having to dodge lathes etc. I think the far end will have to be shelves etc. for storage. The equipment for the lathes etc. can all go on the wall under the small windows behind the machines.

I'm sure though that no matter how much time I spend beforehand planning it, it won't be quite right in practice and I'll have to move something

One major job I've still got to do is make a new path from the house to the workshop door. At the moment I have to negotiate some steps to get there. I need to get rid of the steps so I can wheel locos on a transporter from the workshop to the drive at the front of the house and into the car.

John

[ace]

Steady on mate leave some time for some modelling. ;D

[Shawki Shlemon]

John it looks great , all the best in your endeavor and hope all your equipment will fit to your liking . Mike my workshop faces our kitchen window , if I need tea , I wait until my wife looks out the window and I make a tea sign and the tea comes soon after that . ;D

[baggo]

Tea making facilities are first priority. I drink gallons of it ;D

John

[isc]

When mum lived with me I installed an intercombetween the house and the workshop, apart from getting called whena meal was ready, it meant that she had the security that I could be contacted quickly. Tel and others from that country will know Dick Smith electronic kits, that was one of them,'fraid the kits are no more here in NZ any way.isc

[baggo]

Quite a bit of progress over the last week. The chipboard flooring is down and I've nearly finished the plywood lining. I've been insulating the roof as I go along, otherwise the bl**dy loft insulation falls out as soon as your back is turned. I've put string across to hold it in place but it's still got a mind of it's own. If I hadn't been given a load of it, I would have used something else. It's ok for laying down flat in a loft but a pain in the bottom if you're using it to line walls or a ceiling

I won the piece of Altro on Fleabay for a fraction of the proper cost so that will be going on the floor when it arrives. A coat of paint and we're nearly there

Over the last couple of days a local wasp has taken great interest in trying to make a nest in the exposed insulation. It keeps coming back even though I keep chasing it out the door with a cloth

Some pics tomorrow when I've finished the lining.

John

[isc]

The way I treat wasps was told to me by a bee keeper friend. There is an insecticide powder called Carberil?spelling, put a little of this either in a plastic bag or a small jar. The thing is to get the Wasp into the container and covered with the poison, next you let it go, it flies off to its nest, and poisons the nest, do as many as you can get. isc

[baggo]

I've been an organic devotee for many years now and so I don't use any insecticides or pesticides in the garden at all. I'm also a strong believer in live and let live, hence why I just keep shooing the wasp away rather than kill it. Just part of my philosophy on life I suppose

Wasps are very misunderstood creatures and are actually very good predators of garden pests such as caterpillars etc. They just have the unfortunate habit of wanting to build nests in places that don't suit us! I often get bees nests in the garden and just leave them alone to go about their business.

John

[isc]

The idea of poisoning them this way is because the wasps compete with the bees, but if the poison is spread around the bees pick it up too. I understand your philosophy. isc

[Blue Peter]

Hi there
Years ago we had ants in the wall of our house, could't get rid of them, ant powder would't touch them. Then we had a wasp nest in an air brick that led under the floorboards. At that time my children were small and my wife was a childminder so the wasps had to go. On the advice of a gardener friend, one squirt of ant powder in the evening and we never saw another wasp! (I think the ants are still there.) In our present house last year we had a wasp nest under the floorboards, entrance through an airbrick as before. There is an air vent in the floorboards which was directly over the nest which we were able to watch grow to quite a size throughout the year, fascinating. We kept the vent covered to keep the wasps out the house.
Regards
Peter

[baggo]

Next project is to finally build the wildlife pond in the garden. I've got the liner ready to go!

Forgot to take some workshop pics today but the lining is all done bar a bit of sanding and gap filling. I fitted all the sockets today as well.

The Altro flooring arrived today and is a bit more blue than I expected Still, at £43 for 14sq. meters I've not going to worry too much. I'm sure I'll get used to it

John

[bobpendleton]

Jan 29, 2011 20:38:30 GMT John Baguley said:

After dreaming of a proper workshop for the last few years, I've finally got around to planning it and making a start./quote]

Thanks for the link, John. Can't think how I missed it. Must be my regrettable habit of just skimming the last 30 posts!

My first shed was just 7'0" by 7'0" but I extended the roof by a couple of feet to make a sort of open porch. Like you, I put the floor on a grid of blocks - saved a lot of levelling and got everything off the ground.

The one under construction now is 12'0" x 8'0" which seems (won't last!) huge and is also 'off the ground'. I've added a second skin to the standard floor, similar to interlocking loft flooring, so much easier to sweep clean.

By the way, wife always knows when I've been in Shed 1. She says I smell musty from all those old magazines and things. Between you and me, I think my collection of EMs is responsible. When I can get back in there I'll see what I've got on that 1000.

Bob

[isc]

Use Borax for the ants, can't remember you may mix it with sugar. isc