Supporting > My Workshop
Muddy Rutter's (Nick's) Workshop
Muddy Rutter:
I have enjoyed looking at other members' workshops and have plucked up courage to share some pictures of mine.
Workshop Exterior
The workshop is 14 x 8 feet and was bought on-line from a company in Malvern, Shropshire. It came in kit form and was assembled on-site by two guys in less than half a day. I bought it for a silly (low) price and the company has ceased trading, which is not surprising considering how competitive their prices were. The roof ridge is slightly off centre which means that about 1/3rd of the roof is visible from the front and 2/3rds from the back. UK building regulations are quite tight and it had to be below 2.5 metres in height. Fortunately we already had a concrete base which saved a lot of grunt and cash.
I lagged the inside with 2 inch high density foil backed foam insulation, which was then covered with half inch foil backed plaster board and plastered. This finish might sound a bit over the top but I knew that we would be selling the house at some stage and we can advertise it as a garden studio / office.
Workshop Interior
The inside of the workshop is certainly cosy and the main kit is a mill; lathe; drill and band saw along with all the other paraphernalia. The front faces West and in the Summer it is flooded with light in the afternoon but can get rather hot - especially last Summer (2018) when we had a very long run of exceptionally hot days here in the UK. I installed a dedicated 16 amp mains power supply (sub-main) that is independent of the power circuits in the house.
Tom Senior Mill
The mill is a Tom Senior Vertical Light and it was originally covered in a grey hammered enamel finish (Hammerite). The dealer I bought it from insisted that it was the original finish, but I have never seen a grey Tom Senior VL! I completely stripped and rebuilt the mill and I was pleased to find that it was in very good condition for its age (1970's).
I rubbed the old enamel back hard but kept the filler in place. I then brushed the smaller parts with machine enamel and rollered the major sections with a tiny sponge roller which worked very well. The first picture is when it had just been rebuilt and the second is when it was complete and with a DRO.
Boxford Lathe
The lathe is a three phase ex-school Boxford CUD and came from a dealer in Sussex. It was sold for a fair price and as I knew nothing about lathes at the time I had some come back with a trade purchase. The same dealer is currently selling a similar Boxford CUD for double the price paid for mine four years ago, which is scary. I converted it for single phase supply with a VFD which works really well.
I didn't strip it right down as the main bearings were well greased and it ran relatively quietly. I painted some parts such as the drip tray which was in a bad way but preferred to keep it as original as possible.
This photo was taken when I had just finished rebuilding it after painting.
Elliott Drill
The drill (see main picture) is an Elliott Progress which has rubber drive belts rather than a geared head. This was an absolute bargain and I bought it from the same dealer, sold as seen, for £100 ($130). It had an electrical fault that tripped the main supply and it took me five minutes to work out that someone had mistakenly connected a green wire inside the motor to earth. It was in a fairly sad looking state when I bought it but the table was blemish free. It got the same treatment as the mill, i.e. rubbed down and repainted with machine enamel. It is a lovely piece of kit and is a joy to use.
b.lindsey:
I am not seeing the pictures. Is it me or is anyone else not seeing them?
Bill
Jasonb:
Just a no entry sign for me.
b.lindsey:
Yeah, that's what I saw too Jason. Thought it might just be me.
Bill
Muddy Rutter:
Sorry all.
I did test the pictures earlier and they were working.
I have asked Bill to delete the thread.
Regards,
Nick
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