How does your workspace look?

[gkatz]

Hi all

I recently built a tto2b on my wooden floor and it wasn't a good experience.

Can you guys share photos of your work environment or state things that you believe are a must when building RC cars and should be in a hand reach? 

I am talking even on small boxes to keep the kit parts organized... Any tips are valid

[bavee]

Here you go:

Your RC build space - General discussions - Tamiyaclub.com

[Nikko85]

I work on the kitchen table and take it off by the morning. I could probably get a dedicated desk in the spare room, but a) it's mainly my wife's office and b) I would leave it as a mess.

[alvinlwh]

.

[Mad Ax]

The linked thread should have plenty of advice and ideas.  Not sure I ever posted on that - so that's another thing on my todo list 

My quick advice - little pots are very useful for emptying screw bags into.  Ikea sell some nice tubs with rubber bases so they don't slide around, nicely weighted too so they don't get knocked over easily.  If I'm building in a "big space" and I don't have to clear away soon, then I'll empty each screw bag into its own tub, and put the bag header in the tub so I know what bag it came from.  I have another tub for "current step" parts - I like to get all the parts for a step ready first so I can hit it all and not have to stop to fish out screws or trim plastic parts.

If I'm building on the sofa (which tends to be more common for kit builds as my workbench is for custom projects) then I'll use empty butter tubs or similar.  I generally use 3 tubs.  I'll empty the "current" screw bag into one tub, when I'm finished with that bag / steps then I'll pour any leftovers into a second tub (sometimes Tamiya has you go back to a prior bag when you thought you were done with it), then empty the next screw bag into the first tub.  Then I'll have a 3rd tub for "current step" parts.  This way, if I have to pack away quickly, I can just throw the lids on the tubs and put them back in the kit box.

To be honest, there's no real substitute for having a nice, big build table with a nice clean pit mat to build on, but realistically, we don't all live in mansions or have access to big workshops.

[Willy iine]

@gkatz  I use a small 52" work desk and a 5 tier drawer.   Please check out instagram for video and posts as a lot of them include my work space.  👍

 

#pretend_RC_shop 

Once my younger kid leaves for college, I am taking over his current bedroom and making it into a dedicated RC workshop + my work (money making gig) desk.   Pull that 52" desk out of my pretend_RC_shop and use that space for additional display area.   

 

Here's Willy's work bench.   

[ADRay1000]

I sit at the kitchen table with a self healing craft mat. I use a couple of flat bottomed bowls to hold tools / oil bottles / tape and pour screw bags into. I work in order and don’t open bags or cut parts off trees until the instructions dictate. when I’m done for the day, I pack it all back in the box. 

[BuggyDad]

6 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

I generally use 3 tubs.  I'll empty the "current" screw bag into one tub, when I'm finished with that bag / steps then I'll pour any leftovers into a second tub (sometimes Tamiya has you go back to a prior bag when you thought you were done with it), then empty the next screw bag into the first tub.  Then I'll have a 3rd tub for "current step" parts.

In my head, this is exactly what I do. 

In reality, everything out of opened bags is in one tub, except a few screws, which in theory are "current step" but in fact are a bit more (and possibly less) besides, which are precariously balanced on the edge of the desk about to fall onto the floor. 

I also have a magnetic parts tray, which is probably in the shed with some unidentified bike parts in it, next to the isopropyl alcohol and Stanley knife that I also need for the current step. 

Sorry 🤣

[JimBear]

On 12/8/2023 at 5:36 PM, ADRay1000 said:

I work in order and don’t open bags or cut parts off trees until the instructions dictate. when I’m done for the day, I pack it all back in the box. 

That's definitely not how the boy (8 years) does it - he took everything out and emptied it on the carpet, started somewhere with something that looked interesting. And Dad still haven't figured which one is the right screw for the servo, several weeks later ...

Me, I tend towards orderliness and I am looking forward to the day when I am able to build a Kyosho Legendary kit (Bag A done completely, then bag B, etc). I work on the kitchen table for the time being. with a selfhealing mat underneath. First step onwards is a toolbox of some sort.

[markbt73]

Heh - that photo in the old thread is at least two iterations of workbench ago... Here's how mine looks as of this morning:

Still organizing; I had to pull everything out of this room a couple months ago because the floor flooded and we had to tear out all the carpet and replace it with click-lock flooring. It's cluttered, but despite what my wife seems to think, there is a place for everything. Those clear plastic tubs are great for organizing: the one on the workbench has hand tools in it, and the three on the shelves are divided into paint, tape/adhesives, and shock oil/lubricants. That keeps the sticky stuff and the slippery stuff well away from each other. The two toolboxes under the shelf hold less-commonly-used tools. The plastic bins and drawers underneath hold decals, parts, scraps of scratch-building materials, body shells, unfinished projects, etc.

Shelves similar to this line all four walls of the room, in various places. Early on, I bought two sets of wall-mounted shelves, one from Ikea and one from Home Depot, but everything since then has been built of reclaimed plywood from packing crates I scavenged from work. It looks a little haphazard right now, mainly because it's all unpainted. Once I finalize the design, I'll paint everything, and then it won't look quite so random.

 

[GoFast80]

On 12/8/2023 at 11:36 AM, ADRay1000 said:

I sit at the kitchen table with a self healing craft mat. I use a couple of flat bottomed bowls to hold tools / oil bottles / tape and pour screw bags into. I work in order and don’t open bags or cut parts off trees until the instructions dictate. when I’m done for the day, I pack it all back in the box. 

This.  I've lived in a condo for the past three tree years now,  since we relocated south,  and I find the hardest part of starting a project is the actual un- packing of all the tools and media needed..

[ADRay1000]

On 12/8/2023 at 11:36 AM, ADRay1000 said:

I sit at the kitchen table with a self healing craft mat. I use a couple of flat bottomed bowls to hold tools / oil bottles / tape and pour screw bags into. I work in order and don’t open bags or cut parts off trees until the instructions dictate. when I’m done for the day, I pack it all back in the box. 

One fine detail that I forgot to mention is that I have a garage where I do the spray painting, and where my r/cs live after they become runners. 

[Carmine A]

For nearly 10 years, I've been forced to build on a recliner in the living room, or on our bed.... neither spot could be used long-term. That forced me to have to put everything away, daily. That of course caused losing bits, having things in multiple places... just a nightmare! 

But as of today, we're in our new, larger Apartment... and I have my OWN man cave/hobby room. I can now work more securely and much better organized!

Pictures soon....