Handyman Guide > The Workshop

Light, warmth, and dryness are requirements of the amateur's workshop. Warmth, it should be remembered, does not necessarily ensure dryness, and if the workshop is too warm it will will probably become damp. The best way to secure dryness is by providing for ample ventilation under the floor boards if it is a wooden building, or by opening the top window in other cases. With regard to light, if there is a window along one side of the workshop, the long side of the work bench should go against that wall. If there are any electric outlets, rig a long, heavy, insulated cord to a bracket over the bench and suspend lamp from that. Keep the light well up, where it will be out of the way when handling long pieces of timber on the bench. If you plan a rather elaborate shop, complete with power saws, have an electrician wire the workshop for this additional load. The circuit should be sufficient to carry any electrical power equipment as well as the required lighting and outlets for soldering irons and small electric devices.

Warming the Shop. This is not merely a question of warming the workman but also of providing the warm atmosphere that will be needed if woodwork joints are to be of the together. Glue chills quickly and no satisfactory joint can be made on a cold day, unless the timber is warm to the touch before applying the glue. An oil or electric heater do quite well for a small workshop, and it should stand on a sheet of iron.

Fire Precautions. Keep paints, cleaning fluids, and other inflammable liquids outside the shop. Oily rags should not be left about, and a good fire precaution is to keep the floor of the shop free of sawdust, wood shavings, and other inflammable matter.

The Workbench. A strong kitchen the table can be used for light work, but it is not always firm enough for planing and other woodworking operations. This is because the legs are open and not connected near the bottom with braces. If you can obtain a strong table with square legs, connect the legs with four sections of a 1 x 4 inch board, screwed in about three inches from the base of each leg. A flooring of tongued and grooved boards can be nailed to the top edges of the bracing sections, strengthening the entire structure and furnishing a useful shelf for large tools and other equipment. Another way to strengthen the table is to nail two widths of 1 x 6 inch board from end to end, so that they span the widths of the short ends of the. table, midway between the top of the table and the floor, and form a brace.



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Tools and Materials
Hammers - Handsaws - Screwdrivers - Chisels - Brace and Bit - Hand Drill - Brad Awl - Planes - Files - Measuring Tools - Rules - Squares - Marking Gauge - Levels - Pincers - Nail Set - Drawknife - Cabinet Scraper - Small Tool Kit - Putty Knife - Pliers - Wrenches - Paint Scraper - Sharpening Tools - Nails - Wood Screws - Corrugated Fasteners - Mending Plates - Bolts - Abrasives - Woodworking Glue - Splices and Joints.

The Workshop
Equipping the Workshop - Heating - Fire Precautions - The Workbench - Saw Bucks - Tool Rack.

Home Construction
Elements of the House - Building Materials - Lumber - Molding - Kinds of Wood and their Characteristics - Plywood Wallboard - Roofing Materials - Concrete - Mixing Concrete - Cement Mortar - Concrete Forms - Concrete Blocks - Cinder Blocks - Bricklaying - Fieldstone - Anchoring in Masonry - Soldering.

Furniture
Upholstered Furniture - Furniture Upkeep - Removing Stains - Removing Dents - Leather Upholstery - Cane Seats - Furniture Repairs - How to Repair Breaks - Levelling furniture - Remodeling Furniture - Polishes and Polishing - French Polishing - Painting Furniture - Sticking Drawers - Metal Furniture.

Painting
Paint Brushes - Storing Brushes - Varnish - Water Paint and Plastic Paint - Types of Paint - Paint Thinners - Mixing Paints - Preparing the Surface - Painting Flaws - Removing Paint - Exterior Painting - Painting New Wood - Repainting - Metal - Interior Painting - Calcimine - Painting Woodwork - Old Wood Trim - Staining - Fillers - Varnishing - Bleaching - Enameling - Painting Radiators - Painting Concrete - Shingles - Stoves and Stove Pipes - Whitewash.

Heating
Home Heating Systems - Chimneys - Coal Furnaces - Fuels - Burning Wood - Furnace Dampers - Starting a Coal Fire - Removal of Ashes - Coal Stokers - Oil Burners - Kerosene Heaters - Thermostats - Boiler Dampers - Fuel Economy - Warm Air System - Steam System - Vacuum System - Hot Water System - Radiators - Boilers - Maintaining the System - Insulating the System - Home Insulation - Storm Windows - Weather Stripping - Insulating Your Home - Blanket and Rigid Insulation - Unfinished Attic and Exterior Walls - Winterizing a Cabin - Preparing the foundation - Winterproofing a Cottage - Fireplaces - Reducing Condensation - Humidity.

Plumbing
The Plumbing System - Fresh water supply - Low Water Pressure - Hot Water System - Hot Water Heaters - Hot Water Tanks - Dirty Hot Water - The Sewage System - Sewage Disposal - Cesspools - Septic Tanks - Clearing Sewer Pipes - Clearing Drains - Plumbing Traps - Toilet Traps - Noisy Plumbing - Leaks in Water Tanks - Frozen Pipes - Clogged Water Pipes - Hard Water - Faucets - Shower Mixing Valves - Leaky Flush Tanks - Flush Valves - Removing Toilet Bowl - Leaky Pipes - Draining the Plumbing - Sealing Traps - Draining the Heating System - Types of Pipe - Insulating Pipes - Water Corrosion - Cleaning Fixtures.

Electricity
Definition of Terms - Ohm's Law - Alternating and Direct Current - Sources of Electrical Power - The Electrical System - Overloading the Circuit - Rewiring - Reading a Meter - Precautions - Fuses - Types of Cord - Splicing Wires - Replacing Plugs and Switches - Home Lighting - Electric Motors - Signaling System - Transformers - Burglar Alarms - Repairing the System - How to Install a Bell System.

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