New Work Space!

[pushboater]

Well, I moved to Missouri almost two years ago and I'm still not any closer to getting my shop built. I finally came to the realization that if I'm ever going to finish my Swivel Breech project I'm going to have to get back to my roots and go back to working on my kitchen table. Surprisingly, my better half hasn't complained too much, seeing as I clean my mess up after each session! Thanks Honey! I'm actually starting to see a little progress again. Hopefully I'll start back posting a few pics occasionally.  Here's the first one. My new work space!



Capt. David

[EC121]

I did the same thing on my first build.  We lived in an apartment, and all I had was a small table by the front door.   I had to run the sweeper every night after working on the rifle.

[Long Ears]

I could just imagine what my wife would say if I set up on her $5000.00 dining room table! That would never work for me no matter how big the broom was. Ouch! LOL. Bob

[FALout]

I've always have had a basement work space.  You do what you gotta do.  You have a patient wife.

[oldtravler61]

Like my basement. Total solitude. Priceless. Five grand for table. Could make a really decent shop for that kinda money. But as they say happy wife, happy life well for ten minutes anyway!!!!

[rich pierce]

I built my first four rifles that way. It works!

[pushboater]

I built my first three rifles on the kitchen table, but haven't had to do it in 35 years! It'll take a little getting use to again, but hey, at least I'm seeing progress. It'll probably take me twice as long but I'll just have to do what it takes to, "Get er Done!"   it's actually having the positive effect of slowing me down so I have more time to sort things out. I'm using Dave Waters book as a general road map, but I'm basically building the lock using my own design and using Dave's design for the Swivel Lock Up Mechanism. It's really been a fun and challenging project that still has a long way to go before I start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

[David Rase]

The flowers are a nice touch.  When I moved to Washington I was in the middle a build.  I brought it along with a chest full of tools and commenced to finish the rifle on our kitchen table in our one bedroom basement apartment.  Good times. 
David

[Bob Roller]

My first work space was a back porch we enclosed for that purpose.That was in 1958.
It's now our laundry room. I had a 1943 model Atlas 12x36 lathe and some hand tools
and a good bench.I still have both.I built 6 or 7 rifles there,one was a remake for E.M.Farris
on a rifle he sent to Canada and it was broken thru the grip in shipping.It doesn't take a ton of tools
to make a rifle or pistol but a solid bench or other support and a good vise are mandatory.
  In a earlier post I mentioned finding a bundle of steel that came from Bill Large's shop about 50 years ago
and after cleaning it I am thinking about making some double set triggers from it if there is any interest.
These will be simple two lever triggers about 6 inches x 3/8",bench crafted,no castings or piano wire and case hardened. Drill rod pins and close tolerances. I think $60 each which includes postage USPS no UPS or FedEx.
If there is any interest in these triggers I will make some and then post availability.I still have some few locks to make and will drop those out of the line ASAP.

Bob Roller

[gunmaker]

60 dollars ?, count me in ......Tom

[bob in the woods]

I built my 1st guitar on our kitchen table , 41 years ago.  My first "shop" was a spare bedroom.  I had to plug the gap under the door to keep the dust from the rest of the place .  Do what ya gotta do !

[Mark Elliott]

When I lived by myself in an apartment,  I used the dinning area for a shop.  I bolted a store bought bench to the wall and I put a little bandsaw on the balcony.   My brother now has both the bench and the saw in his shop.   I made new benches and bought a larger bandsaw for my purpose built shop.   I would love to have my shop in the house, but insurance prevents that as long as I am making money from my gun building.   

Just a warning for everyone out there using your house for commercial purposes; that invalidates your homeowners insurance.   The exception is some office type work.    If I loose my shop to anything related to my commercial work, that loss is on me.   You don't want that to be true for your house.   

[bob in the woods]

When I was doing my work in the kitchen and then in a bedroom "shop" , we were in rented apartments .  I had to wait until the folks above, below, and beside us went to work before I fired up the machines 
That only lasted for a year or so, until we bought a place.  Mark makes a good point about insurance. My shop is a separate building , and insurance was one of the reasons for that [ along with the noise and dust ]

[Joe S.]

yup,building my rifle on the kitchen table.When the weather lets me I go out on the deck.Pretty spartan,portable vise,basic hand tools,drill gun.It has its challenges but my girls not one of them and she will even clean up with the shop vac afterwards.My clean and here's are to different things but she still helps me out and likes what I'm doing.I used to do all my wood working,what ever projects down In my father's workshop and he has everything you could need.I moved about an hour and half away so its abit of a haul togo down there to  build when free time presents itself.I should make some time to take it down there to do a little work on it,good excuse to tip a couple beers and catch up on things,have not seen my folks since Christmas. Anyway building on the kitchen table can be done,some challenges and a understanding woman is a big plus.