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What can I do inside?
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=28641		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Ian Cunningham [ Mon Aug 16, 2010 7:44 pm ]
Post subject:  What can I do inside?
I'm in Florida, and where I'm at it's almost always way too hot or way too cold (10's-30's in winter, 80's-100's in summer) and I'm trying to move most of my work indoors. The space I'm working in is my bedroom, so anything that produces lots of dust is out of the question. I tried sanding braces once and it was unbearable. I'd rather not get a vacuum system in here because it will take up more space than I'd like, and it would be a bit loud for everyone else in the house. Sanding doesn't take a lot of headwork anyway. So I'm just asking what all I can do in this space, or what I CAN'T do in this space.

Things I wouldn't want to do:

Bending sides (blowtorches aren't good things to have indoors)
Thicknessing anything, from tops to necks. I use a handplane almost every time and lots of sandpaper after to level it out.
Sanding anything
Scraping anything
Drilling (my press is outside duh )
Milling

Things I think I can probably do inside:
Gluing stuff together. Probably a good idea anyway since glue likes to be as comfy as the user. I also plan on getting a hide glue setup going in here.
Binding channels and rosettes (my methods are quieter than routers and dremels)
Joinery, like dovetails and necks. Measuring is a nightmare in weather so planning and cutting joints inside is a better bet I think. Truing can be done outside. Simple procedure, just keep at it till it's right, but doing math and marking isn't a good idea unless one can use their head effectively.
Fretwork, other than hammering the lil buggers in, that's the easy and loudish part.
Carving stuff like necks and braces. Every instance will involve an individual decision as far as not making too much of a mess and all but it can be done I think.
Finishing inside is preferable anyway right? Either an oil finish, French Polishing, or water based finish is all I hope to use.

If you guys can think of any other ideas lemme know

Ian
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Mon Aug 16, 2010 7:53 pm ]
Post subject:  What can I do inside?
Well you described my weather exactly. I live in North Alabma. I guess you live in the panhandle or just below Georgia. I assume by outside u mean your garage. The obvious answer for the garage is a heat pump... Something I am seriously considering now. But here are things I do now when I know I will be using the garage when it is hot. Don't let anybody open the doors. Don't let anybody park a hot car in the garage. Keep a fan going 24/7. It makes it more bearable. Good luck!
Author:  John A [ Mon Aug 16, 2010 8:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What can I do inside?
I do my planing inside - I avoid the sandpaper by making sure my plane is super sharp. It still creates a little bit of dust - but not bad - right now I am carving braces inside and I have my go-bar deck inside - here is a picture of my work space -
all 64" x 24" of it.

I do use the band saw, routers, bending on electric heat pipe, and table saw outside, and any final sanding that needs to be done.
Author:  DennisK [ Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What can I do inside?
Similar setup for me too, and I haven't had any real trouble yet. 5 pack rats in a small house means space is extremely limited, so I have about an 8x10 foot corner of the living room to myself, part of which is a closet that I store materials in. My bed is essentially a scrap of foam rubber on the floor with some blankets and pillows, and workbench is a 2x4 foot tabletop thingie that sits on the floor to the side of the bed. It's about 6.5" high, just enough to make for comfy sawing over the edge. I just shove wood chips off the side into a pile, and take them out to the compost heap when it overflows.

Most of the time I'm perched right on the bench surface. It's super handy when you can use your feet as clamps and extra hands :D I have a vise attached at one corner, and clamp things around the edges with cam clamps too.

Sanding is definitely kept to a minimum, but scraping isn't so bad. Shallow routing for inlays is no problem either, with a dremel on low speed so it's pretty quiet. I did the truss rod slot indoors too, but I had to make sure everyone else was ready for the noise :) Mess wasn't too bad. No wood chips in the bed at least.

The only things I do outside are side bending (exhaust pipe and electric charcoal starter) and cutting shell. That's probably not necessary though, as I keep it wet to prevent dust anyway. And as it is I can't really do it at all in the winter, with the water and cold on the fingers. Fortunately, side bending provides some warmth, and in the summer I can do it at the crack of dawn to avoid heat stroke.

I'll be doing french polishing in here too, but I'll probably take that outside for the alcohol-heavy parts, so as not to torment the sober alcoholics in the house :lol:

So, it's kind of cramped, but I've got things pretty well worked out now that I don't know if I'd change to a more conventional workbench even if I had more space.
Author:  npalen [ Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What can I do inside?
I'm beginning to think that a true test of lutherie skills is to build an instrument complete in one's bedroom.
Seriously, I admire you guys that can make due with such small spaces.
My shop is about 14x52 (with central heat and air) and I feel cramped. Must be spoiled?
Nelson

Actually, building a "bedroom instrument" would probably be more of a marital skills test.
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