Quote:
Originally Posted by WinterPoet
Hiya! Our team is currently going through the paperwork and overall bureaucracy to (possibly) obtain a building to use as a workshop. In the past, we've had the good luck to have a member whose father worked on cars, and therefore had a giant workshop we could use. However, that member is now off at college, and for the first time in our team history, we are without a clear space to use.
So we're reaching out to see what other teams have done. Have any of you worked in someone's garage (which we're considering if we don't get the building cleared in time)? If so, how did you stay organized and turn it into a usable space?
Alternatively, once you got into a dedicated workshop, how did you decide what needed to be there? What tools/machinery were absolutely necessary and what just took space? Again, how did you organize and prioritize?
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Glad someone else from Columbia is posting on Chief now!
2815 (from 2009-2013) and 4901 (from 2014 on) have been operating out of more or less a one-car garage space at USC. It's very possible to make it work!
STEP 1: Realize you've already got a workspace ideal: 10'x10', otherwise known as a pit space. Lay tape out on the floor and see how much you can accomplish in there.
STEP 2: Figure out how you build your robots and prioritize what items (any items--tools, fasteners, materials) you need. If you aren't sure what's superfluous, you may want to read up on
5S practices. For me, a bare-minimum shop would have a drill press, chop saw with metal cutting blade, power drills, hand tools, files and deburring equipment, and a pop riveter and rivets. I've had great results in the past with similar equipment, and it's a nice foundation for growth as machining resources expand.
STEP 3:
These containers with black plastic shelving (which is almost perpetually in stock at Ollie's for cheap) are heavenly for small parts storage. Easy to transport, perfect size for many things we deal with in robots.
STEP 4: Aim for bare countertops at the end of each meeting, barring Very Good Reasons.
STEP 5: A good shopvac will save you a ton of time at cleanup.
STEP 6: Understand that even if they're taxidermied and can't run, storage space for keeping your old robots displayable is not a waste.
(Richland 2 certainly has a relationship with Columbia Mall, which has one whole anchor store empty... #squadgoals)