Post by rockjam on Mar 30, 2010 19:37:16 GMT -5
I just wondered if anyone has any general ideas about how they would create their lapidary workspace from scratch if they had it to do all over again?
I've got about a 24 foot stretch along the back of my garage that is pretty much a blank slate to work with.
And I've managed to collect a decent amount of equipment:
- Hi-Tech 6" flat lap
- a couple of tile trim saws
- *an old Lortone 7" trim saw
- Lortone double barrel tumbler
- *A HUGE (approx 5' wide), and ancient Highland Park cab grinder
- *A small Beacon Star cab grinder
- A medium size drill press and old bead mill
- Glastar glass grinder (which can be used for cab preforms too)
* the Lortone saw and cab grinders require belt-driven motor to be mounted.
What's really pushing me over the edge, and off the card tables, are the new (to me) cab grinders I got over the winter.
I'm planning to run water from my nearby laundry room and have a common collection point for all (or at least several) of the machines.
I'm inclined to make one very large work surface, and then try to mount the Lortone saw and cab machines on their own pieces of plywood, for some level of mobility, so I can clear up a large work surface for non-lapidary projects (like stained glass).
The biggest thing giving me doubts is the large Highland Park machine. I'm wondering if I should build stand just for it, to incorporate into the larger workspace. If I went this route, I'd probably try to make the whole workspace a little more modular.
Another key aspect of the workspace I haven't quite decided on is the work surface:
I could go with one large 20' kitchen counter-top. A large clean workspace sounds very attractive, but one of the cons is that it would only be about 24" deep. It's also not as replaceable as a whole, if I decide to make any major changes in how the some of the equipment is mounted.
I definitely plan to use homosote for some of the working surface, even if it's just a couple of loose 2'x4' sheets sliding around on the counter-top. This is a fibrous dry-wall type material that is great for stained glass because it is absorbent, fireproof, water tolerant, and replaceable.
I'm thinking this would also be a good surface for lapidary work, on top of a plywood-topped workbench. If I went with plywood/homosote, then it's all pretty replaceable, and I could go as deep as I want (probably 30" or 36").
I suppose I have too much rock-hounding and equipment-hounding experience, but not enough lapidary or carpentry experience to know how I want to configure my workspace.
If anybody can share their experiences of what's worked well for them (and possibly pictures too), I'd greatly appreciate it.
I've got about a 24 foot stretch along the back of my garage that is pretty much a blank slate to work with.
And I've managed to collect a decent amount of equipment:
- Hi-Tech 6" flat lap
- a couple of tile trim saws
- *an old Lortone 7" trim saw
- Lortone double barrel tumbler
- *A HUGE (approx 5' wide), and ancient Highland Park cab grinder
- *A small Beacon Star cab grinder
- A medium size drill press and old bead mill
- Glastar glass grinder (which can be used for cab preforms too)
* the Lortone saw and cab grinders require belt-driven motor to be mounted.
What's really pushing me over the edge, and off the card tables, are the new (to me) cab grinders I got over the winter.
I'm planning to run water from my nearby laundry room and have a common collection point for all (or at least several) of the machines.
I'm inclined to make one very large work surface, and then try to mount the Lortone saw and cab machines on their own pieces of plywood, for some level of mobility, so I can clear up a large work surface for non-lapidary projects (like stained glass).
The biggest thing giving me doubts is the large Highland Park machine. I'm wondering if I should build stand just for it, to incorporate into the larger workspace. If I went this route, I'd probably try to make the whole workspace a little more modular.
Another key aspect of the workspace I haven't quite decided on is the work surface:
I could go with one large 20' kitchen counter-top. A large clean workspace sounds very attractive, but one of the cons is that it would only be about 24" deep. It's also not as replaceable as a whole, if I decide to make any major changes in how the some of the equipment is mounted.
I definitely plan to use homosote for some of the working surface, even if it's just a couple of loose 2'x4' sheets sliding around on the counter-top. This is a fibrous dry-wall type material that is great for stained glass because it is absorbent, fireproof, water tolerant, and replaceable.
I'm thinking this would also be a good surface for lapidary work, on top of a plywood-topped workbench. If I went with plywood/homosote, then it's all pretty replaceable, and I could go as deep as I want (probably 30" or 36").
I suppose I have too much rock-hounding and equipment-hounding experience, but not enough lapidary or carpentry experience to know how I want to configure my workspace.
If anybody can share their experiences of what's worked well for them (and possibly pictures too), I'd greatly appreciate it.