How to create a workshop

[EDesbiens]

I'm almost done cleaning and making space for it... I'll show you guys a picture soon to give you an idea

[EDesbiens]

Here it is Still need to move the pinball machine to a corner or something and to bring a few things to other rooms

[GeeTwo]

It's too late to edit the original post, so I've quoted it, then unquoted it, and will add more stuff in oh, green. I'll also correct vice to vise, though having a bit of vice around the workshop is sure to keep things interesting, if neither G nor P*. I have not addressed electricity, climate control, stock, supplies, storage, or practice space, all of which are important. Stock and Supplies could be it's own list - everything from metal bar to fasteners to connectors to wire to zip ties to tape to wood, noodles, sailcloth, and staples - yes, it would be its own list; perhaps for another thread next week.

OBTW, nice build space. It looks about as large as our new space (20' x 30'), with a more regular floor, and a bit of useful furniture already in place. (We kept two teacher's desks and one rickety table for programming, and threw out way more than we kept). Here's our progress through 11 or 12 hours of work in our new space:

• Day 1: start of day
• Day 1: end of day (6 hours) - we'd cleared out most of the junk, and moved our stuff in willy-nilly
• Work Day 3: near end of day (11 hours total) - beginning of organization. Shannon is brazing a "pipe rack" for long stock to fit in the patch of bare floor in the right-side corner, and I'm leaning on the nearly-complete workbench #1 of 5 (3 sizes, this is the largest). The only visible pieces missing from the workbench are 4x4" skids along the short sides, and some pegboard inside those end legs.

Absolutely essential tools:

• Hacksaw, blades
• Hand drill, bits
• files (metal)
• wrench set (SAE and metric unless you never, ever, buy one or the other)
• adjustable wrench
• screwdriver set (both regular and jeweler's)
• allen wrench set (both SAE and metric again)
• pliers - needle nose & slip joint
• cutting and crimping pliers
• L-square
• tape measure
• gloves (e.g. leather)
• safety glasses
• table/bench
• clamps/vises
  
• Battery chargers (both robot and tool batteries)
• Stapler (for bumper construction)
• level
• Computer (to program robot, and look up parts, and more)
• Wire brush
• Broom, dustpan, wastebasket
• Utility knife
• Vise Grips, several sizes
• Hammer and/or mallet
  
• Miter box (maybe can be skipped if you do a chop or table saw)
• Wood-cutting saw
• Basic tap and die kit
  

Second-level tools:

• ratchet sets, 1/4" , 3/8", 1/2" (sockets through at least 1/4" through 1") - both SAE and metric, as above
• drill press
• soldering station (regulated iron, solder, sponge, "sucker", small helping hands, desolder braid)
• chop (or alternately table) saw
• band saw and/or "portaband" saw
• grinder (bench and/or hand-held)
• blind rivet gun
• More pliers - tongue and groove, more sizes/shapes, pipe wrench
• chain breaker/setter
  
• gloves (nitrile, or latex if no one is allergic)
• speed square, t-square
• Dremel tool kit
• Center punch (preferably spring-loaded type)
• Bolt cutters
• Ratchet screwdriver
• T-handle tools (screwdriver, allen, nut driver)
• Reciprocating Saw
• More clamps, vices, and vice grips (can never have too many)
• hammer drill
• Helping hands/magnifying glasses/lights
• Outdoor lights for late construction jobs in January and February
• Shop Vacuum
• Calipers
• More tape measures (again, difficult to get too many)
• Portable radios, if you are working in two or more spaces that aren't really close to each other.
• electric jig saw
• Much larger tap and die kit
• Real crimp tools, for automotive, Anderson Power Poles, Molex, Dupont (0.1" pitch headers), Anderson battery connectors
• Hole and thread gauges (can be bought or built)
• More drill bits. Yet more drill bits. Even more drill bits. Roboteers eat almost as many drill bits as pizzas.
  

Third-level tools (beyond my fifth-year team, but on our short list for expansion):

• Lathe
• 3-D printer
• Mini-Mill
• Water-cutter

* - For rookies reading this, GP is "Gracious Professionalism". If you don't already know this term, seek it out!

[asid61]

Very nice! It might get a bit cramped, but if you only have a few people it looks great. The chance to organize from the beginning is valuable. Make sure to take full advantage of the freedom and organize!
As far as taps and dies go, a basic set should give you what you need; we never use anything over 1/4", and if we do it's from a COTS part and we can order the tap at the same time anyway.
Are you going to be working with metric or imperial mainly? We use 8-32, 10-32, and 1/4"-20 screws almost exclusively (excepting some electrical stuff), so close metric sizes would be M4, M5, and M6 screws. If it's easy to source locally, go metric. The single thread pitches will make things easy to organize. On the other hand, some electrical components use imperial screws, but sometimes those are small and/or replaceable with metric.
I didn't see it mentioned and forgot to mention it, but combination squares are very handy. I use them whenever I have to cut stock.

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by asid61

Very nice! It might get a bit cramped, but if you only have a few people it looks great. The chance to organize from the beginning is valuable. Make sure to take full advantage of the freedom and organize!
As far as taps and dies go, a basic set should give you what you need; we never use anything over 1/4", and if we do it's from a COTS part and we can order the tap at the same time anyway.
Are you going to be working with metric or imperial mainly? We use 8-32, 10-32, and 1/4"-20 screws almost exclusively (excepting some electrical stuff), so close metric sizes would be M4, M5, and M6 screws. If it's easy to source locally, go metric. The single thread pitches will make things easy to organize. On the other hand, some electrical components use imperial screws, but sometimes those are small and/or replaceable with metric.
I didn't see it mentioned and forgot to mention it, but combination squares are very handy. I use them whenever I have to cut stock.

Thank you I'm pretty happy with the result (after spending around 10 hours on it ... It's a small space for a normal team but, like you mention, we are not a lot We also have a space of around 10' x 10' that I need to clean too to practice driving on...

I don't know what we will be using. Probably both metric and imperial hahaha (We'll use what we have!)...

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by EDesbiens

I don't know what we will be using. Probably both metric and imperial hahaha (We'll use what we have!)...

Honestly, if you can make the break towards pure metric (or perhaps metric + 10-32 and 5/32 allen cap screws and 5/16 nuts) right now, I suggest you take it. It may cost a few more dollars in the short run, but in the long run the time savings from not having to spend dozens of hours distinguishing among nearly-equivalent bolts (and throwing away stripped nuts and bolts damaged by high school students who don't pay close enough attention) will pay off. Here in the mesolithic USA, we're pretty much stuck between the SAE rock and the metric hard place, and can't quite commit one way or the other.