JohnU
Member
2020 was a challenging year for me. My first full year of being retired gave me little free time. It has been great spending every day with my youngest son during his remote learning time at home but there was very little time pour resin or pen making. It also reminded me of how much I forgot since my days in school. The start of the project began with building a game room for my son so he could connect with his friends on his game system, in a place where I didn't have to hear it. The only problem, that part of the basement was my shop. The first two pictures are the beginning and (3 months later) end of that part of the basement.
Then came the new pen and resin shop. Eventually I will finish the big shop for larger projects and storage in my 30'x60' building down back but that's a later project. Here's a before and some after picts. I wanted to close off a shop area to keep the other part of the basement clean. Dividing the area made it challenging to fit all of my junk and still have room to work. The plus side, I was able to create that separate casting room I needed to keep my resin free from unwanted sawdust and debris and have a venting window above my table. Doing it all myself used up most of my spring, summer and fall. My basement is pretty rough and the walls have foundation support beams so framing was a challenge. To hide them, without giving up usable space, I decided to make "in wall" book cases. I'm still fine tuning and trying to fit things in the smaller area but it is much easier to contain and clean the mess. I wanted a simple nature / cabin look to it so I bought inexpensive plywood with lots of knots and ripped all of the grooves to simulate boards for the walls and cabinet doors. The trim was all made from shaved down 2x4's. I learned that I do not like sanding, staining, and clear coating walls, and a painted floor shows all of the messes! I still have a couple cabinets to make for showcasing some work and organization to do in the bookcases and casting room shelves but it's nice to find things without digging through boxes on the floor, and it's nice to be able to see with new LED lights. All of my blanks and pen parts are now organized and labeled in small totes, and my table saw doubles as a work table when not in use. I also tried to keep everything that makes a mess in the same area. An air filtration for the ceiling may come next.
The casting room is small but holds everything in an arms reach and helps contain the odors from the rest of the house and shop. I have shelves along the back to hold my casting goods, resin and mold storage under the table and a curtain behind the door for spray painting tubes.
Even though it's not completely finished, I think 2021 will be more enjoyable in the pen and resin shop. I hope the new year is treating you all well!
Then came the new pen and resin shop. Eventually I will finish the big shop for larger projects and storage in my 30'x60' building down back but that's a later project. Here's a before and some after picts. I wanted to close off a shop area to keep the other part of the basement clean. Dividing the area made it challenging to fit all of my junk and still have room to work. The plus side, I was able to create that separate casting room I needed to keep my resin free from unwanted sawdust and debris and have a venting window above my table. Doing it all myself used up most of my spring, summer and fall. My basement is pretty rough and the walls have foundation support beams so framing was a challenge. To hide them, without giving up usable space, I decided to make "in wall" book cases. I'm still fine tuning and trying to fit things in the smaller area but it is much easier to contain and clean the mess. I wanted a simple nature / cabin look to it so I bought inexpensive plywood with lots of knots and ripped all of the grooves to simulate boards for the walls and cabinet doors. The trim was all made from shaved down 2x4's. I learned that I do not like sanding, staining, and clear coating walls, and a painted floor shows all of the messes! I still have a couple cabinets to make for showcasing some work and organization to do in the bookcases and casting room shelves but it's nice to find things without digging through boxes on the floor, and it's nice to be able to see with new LED lights. All of my blanks and pen parts are now organized and labeled in small totes, and my table saw doubles as a work table when not in use. I also tried to keep everything that makes a mess in the same area. An air filtration for the ceiling may come next.
The casting room is small but holds everything in an arms reach and helps contain the odors from the rest of the house and shop. I have shelves along the back to hold my casting goods, resin and mold storage under the table and a curtain behind the door for spray painting tubes.
Even though it's not completely finished, I think 2021 will be more enjoyable in the pen and resin shop. I hope the new year is treating you all well!
