So, for those who didn't know, I did not have any workspace to work on my T-Trak-Z modules, as my workshop was never finished. I got 2 of my lasers installed, and my immediate workbench, but no place for all my small power tools like my mini table saw, belt sander, grinder, and drill press. Junk just piled up. I had a plan for the second workbench area, but needed help building it and nobody was ever available until now. So today my Son and I started on the new workbench with the first tier being devoted to a place for TTZ modules. That is at 36" height so I can sit in my chair and run trains and work on individual modules. The layout tier is 30" wide by 12' long by 13" high. The Power Tool tier is at 53" high, where I can stand to run my mini table saw, drill press, grinder, and belt sander, and is 30" wide by 4' long. Next to that is 8 feet of shelf space for paints and raw materials, and 13" above that will be 8 more feet of top shelf storage. This should solve my space constraints and I will finally be able to work on my modules again. What we have finished so far is we made six 30" x 4' tables, and framed up 4 of the tables, with work to progress tomorrow:
This time, something actually on my workbench, not "finished". After almost twenty years of procrastination, I'm finally going to make my little "show yard" look like concrete with embedded rails, instead of it continuing to look like Peco flex track on badly painted cork sheet. Currently in the process of cutting and shaping/fitting the top layer of styrene to hug the rails. Hope I'm successful with the "concrete" part.
I like it Kez! Embedded track has always been a favorite of mine. What paint are you gonna use to give the concrete finish?
Robert the fact that you got your son to work with you is fantastic! My boys always helped but as they got older they kinda lost interest. Hoping it swings back.
I don't even know who makes it! It came with a load of stuff I acquired when I bought Deb's small Willoughby layout. Just looks like paint to me!
I got up early to work on my workbench, and took a look outside to see the cold wet stuff had started up today: So we went into my warm natural gas heated garage and made a lot of progress on the new Workshop/ Layout Bench. We got all the benchwork assembled, sanded, and sealed with spar urethane. I placed all my TTZ modules on the layout tier, and some of my mini tools on the workshop tier. I also ordered under cabinet lighting for the layout. I spent over $200 for the lighting components, but am getting RGBCCT Dotless COB LED Strip Lights so I can change the color to anything I want. These light strips have the RGB LED's, but also cool white and warm white that allows you to control the color temperature from 2800K to 6500K, and are dimmable, all through Alexa as well as an app. I figure it's only as much cost as a decent Z Scale loco for decent layout lighting, so I might as well go top of the line.
The cool part is I can fit 4 more feet of modules on that shelf, so that's 12 feet by 30" of modules. all at eye level sitting down.
That workbench / tool storage / layout shelf is looking Good. You are going to love the adjustable lighting. I've had a similar setup on my work desk for a couple years now. Plus I made my own version of Adam Savages setup for when i needed more light from a different angle. . It makes a huge difference having that kind of adjustable lighting. It is/was one of the best tools I ever added to my work desk/bench.
Interesting video. I did not realize they had adjustable color temperature light panels like that. I have 2 gooseneck lamps on my first workbench, but one is warm white COB spotlight on a 24" 16mm metal gooseneck, and the other is a 405nm UV Cure spot on a 12" long 6mm gooseneck for UV curable glue. I am coming to the conclusion that because I spend so much time in the garage doing my modeling, that I really should update everything to the nicest tooling and lighting I can. All my life I have just "Made Due" with my available work area, but why not kick it up a notch and go for a purpose built work area?
Nice work! Do you have some kind of built-in arrangements for power for the tool tier? I can see the adjustable color temp being useful for imaging, but for working, I can't imagine the color temp being all that critical. The dimming and positioning is pretty slick, though.
Robert, I have not had time to reply to your email of a few weeks ago, busy as most of us are, but it is nice to see the work bench project getting you closer to doing what you are so good at. A modeler can't have too much work bench and storage area. I've got a project that has sat for 2 years now and need to get back to it, but until I get all my boxes and garage cleaned out, the layout sits on the shelf getting dusty.
This is actually a Z Bend Track end loop module. It's the first module I ever built, almost twenty years ago now. Appeared in progress (see picture below) and ran all weekend as part of the world record largest modular layout ever at the 2005 NTS in Cincinnati. Sorry, just a little humble brag. I've been wanting to do SOMETHING else with this small yard since forever, so finally getting around to it. I just hope it looks somewhat better than it did in its previous form when I'm 'done'.
I seen it there in 2005, boy that was a minute ago huh? It's good to hear you are finally going to continue work on it. More 2005 pics, here is the walkaround of Bryan's end module :
Wow, I'm impressed at your record keeping! It took me quite some time to find the picture I posted. I have a few others from that show, but not nearly as many as I wish I had!
I just looked, and I have almost 800 photos from that 3 day NTS show. It was the most Z Scale I have ever seen at any show, never to have been surpassed. Close was the 2008 Anaheim and 2011 Sacramento NTS shows, but 2005 was hands down the largest Z Scale showing I have ever seen.
It was one heck of an introduction to Z scale modeling, that's for sure, though I'll admit being a little disillusioned when I realized it wasn't ALWAYS like that.