_Next PageThe Basement Shop:
Exactly how it sounds. It's set up in the basement providing of course you use your basement for recreational use and not for storage. You'll need access to a sink, and at least one window. The basement should have a door to prevent pets and young kids from entering.
The Garage Shop:
Some people setup in a garage. This is good if you live in a warm climate. But if you get cold winters like I do, you may not want this choice. However, you'll get plenty of ventilation in there. Of course, you may also attract the annoying nosy neighbor. There's nothing worse then someone hanging over your shoulder, asking a bunch of dumb questions like: "so, your cutting glass huh?", "yep, sure am". Or "do you stain the glass yourself?" This can get pretty annoying for the glass worker, especially when they leave their noisy lawn mower running to 'chat' with you.
The other thing, of course, is having to walk through the rain and snow to get to an outside garage (non-attached).
The Barn Shop:
If you have a barn, having this kind of shop would be alot easier. Barns have alot of space in them. However, a sink would need to be installed. But look at all the room you'll have. Unless of course a tornado comes along and removes all of your glass. But then again, even if it was in the ground, the glass would probably be sucked out anyway.
Things to Consider:
The Room: You'll want a good sized space to be in. At first, you really won't need alot of space. For starters, you should have a small bench about 2' wide by 4' long. It can be store bought, whatever. You'll need space to store glass and supplies. Books can be stored elsewhere.
The Floor: The floor can be concrete, like mine. Yes, if you drop the glass it will break, but it would have broken on any other surface as well. You don't want carpet, unless it's really short, like commercial grade carpeting. Carpet can save your feet if you stand alot but it can also hold all the little shards of glass, dust, chemicals, flux, dirt, etc. I prefer a smooth surface. If you can afford it, rubber mats can be used where you stand. But be careful not to trip over them.
The Ventilation: Ventilation is very important because the flux can be hazardous to breath in. I have two windows in my shop. The first one has a screen in it, and it's for general ventilation. The other has a squirrel cage exhaust fan in it. When it's warmer out I'll open the other window for cross ventilation. Ventilation is necessary when soldering or working with chemicals.
The Fan: I have a 12" oscillating fan. You want the fan to blow across the work and your face. Basically you don't want to breathe in the fumes the flux gives off. The fan runs whenever you're soldering, or you get hot. You run the fan in conjunction with the exhaust fan. I also have a mini clip on fan for a cross breeze. You really don't want to have one of those huge standing fan in front of you mainly because you blow everything off the table.
The Sink: I have a wash basin type sink. You know, the type that goes next to a washing machine. It works pretty well for small projects that can fit in the sink. However, it's not good for large panels if you want to wash them off. A rubber mat on the bottom of the sink might protect your project if you accidentally drop it. A spray head attached to the sink is also very useful.
I've also seen panel washing sinks. Whether this was a private design or not I don't know. Basically it was a sink the size of a sheet of plywood. The sides were about 2-4" high, and the whole thing was covered in rubber. It's a pretty neat idea.
Though I've never done it, you could probably use a hose to wash off your larger projects. However, it's still inconvenient to lug out the panel, first to wash the flux and again for the patina.
Storage Space: As you first start out, you really won't need alot of space. But as you get more and more glass, you'll need to stick it somewhere. You'll also discover that glass storage is much harder at home than it is in a stained glass store. Why? This is why: when you first get the glass, it's usually square in all corners, and there are still flat sides. But as you work on projects, the original rectangle is now missing a corner, one side has a chunk taken out of it. And as you take more pieces of it, it becomes just an ugly circle. Glass like that is tricky to store. That's why you need a variety of ways to store glass. Sometimes if I really have to, I'll cut a side straight, so it doesn't rock. Other times I may be forced to cut the end off of a piece so it would fit into a container.
Here are the methods I use:
Cabinets: I have them built into my bench, over the oil tank, etc. The largest piece I can store in these is around 18" x 20". That's usually enough room to put in about 15-20 sheets of glass. When you store the glass in cabinets, make sure the there is no more than 6" of glass leaning onto each other. Why? When you go to shuffle through the glass, you'll need your other hand to hold the pile up (like thumbing through a book). If there was any more glass than that it would be too heavy to hold. If you choose to have the glass lean on the other wall of the cabinet, start with a 15" opening, and don't let it fill up more than half way.
Boxes: I use milk crates. Chances are you probably have some, somewhere in your house. They stack and nest really well. And they're water and stab proof. I keep anything from 6"x8" to 12"x16" sheets of glass. Make sure that when you put the glass in, it's still light enough for you to pick up. Also, when you put the glass in, make sure the piece in the back is resting securely.
Here's a few points to remember:
The Lean Factor: I found you can lean the glass in the back no less then 2-3" at the base, and no more than 6-8". If the glass leans to much, it will waste space in the box. The glass may scratch more because of the sliding action. If the glass leans too little, you'll be able to fit more glass in but the glass could slam down on your fingers. I know this could happen because it happened to me more than once. I bump into the glass and the glass comes forward at blinding speed. My hand happens to be holding the box. By the time I can react, it bites me.
The Weight Factor: You'll want to be able to lift and move these things. I nest my boxes 3 high which means I need to remove the first 2 to get to the bottom one. It all depends on how strong you are and how much space you have to move around in. My back hates me. Some of my boxes are around 50-60 pounds a piece. When I have to move these, I have to pick it up lengthwise, and in a space of around 12" wide. That's like picking up a large baby by it's head and feet while standing at the foot of the crib. Very difficult. And if you don't consider the lean factor, you'll be moving it around with broken glass and dripping blood due to the glass flying forward.
The Height Factor: You'll have to be aware of how tall the glass is. Glass can't stick up over the edge of a box if another box is going on top of it, or it will break. You can have taller glass in the topmost box of a stack but make sure it doesn't stick up too high because the tall glass winds up leaning against the bench. If you forget that it's leaning there, and go ahead and move the box, the glass could break or scratch.
The Color and Type Factor: You really won't need to do this in the beginning unless your are a neatness nut. I've sorted all my glass by color, type and manufacturer where I could. For example, all of my larger iridescent glass is put in its own box. In fact, I have enough for a second box, so now it's sorted by size as well. I have a box of just clears, smooth textured etc., All of my art glass is in it's own section too. It's also sorted by size. If I had more Bullseye glass, for example, it would get it's own section as well.
The Size and Shape Factor: In another set of boxes, I have the glass-that-is-to-large-for-scrap-but-too-small-for-the-larger-boxes. It has stuff ranging from 2"x6" to 8"x8". Most of that glass I consider scrap anyway, mainly because it isn't square. The smaller square stuff goes in yet another box.
Scrap Glass: When I first started out, I used a cardboard box for my scrap glass. It worked for awhile; I didn't have much scrap. But the glass slices cardboard, plastic etc. For scrap glass you'll want a metal box, or a wooden box.
Plastic Boxes: These are sold by people like Rubbermaid and other random companies. Mine used to be about the size of a shoe box. Now they're about 3 times that size. I sort all of my scrap by color and by type. Some of the colors are mixed for space reasons. Colors like green, blue, and clear have their own box. The mixed boxes are yellow, red, and orange; black, white, and gray; brown and tan. I used to have all the scrap in one big box, but this was quite cumbersome. Whenever I needed glass, I would literally have to dig through the pile. This not only took a long time, but also scratched the glass.
All of my iridescent is separated from the normal colors, and is also separated by color. My art glass is also all sorted by color and size. The average size of scrap glass is never any larger then my hand.
Sorting all the scrap ahead of time saves time in the long run. If you need a piece of red you can go right to the red box instead of digging through a large pile which may not even have it. I wish I could sort all my larger glass this way, I just don't have the space right now.
Even Smaller Plastic Boxes: Special glass, like, for instance, art glass, Dichro, fusible glass, I put into plastic hardware drawers. I use it when I want to fuse something. This is also helpful for people who do mosaics.
I used to keep every little shard of glass when I first started. Pieces of glass that were about the size of a juicy fly. I throw it all out. However, if you plan to do mosaics in the future, even years down the line, hold onto your small scraps, if you have to space. But do yourself a favor and sort it by color. You could store it in Tupperware containers you bought at that garage sale you just went to. And in doing this you save the landfill from taking in this glass.
Currently the largest piece I'll throw out is usually no larger than a average sized Band-Aid.
Drawers: I used to keep glass in drawers. It was in my pre-giant tool collection days. It held the glass pretty well, but it scratched it up pretty badly. Stick with boxes.
Rolling Cabinets: I don't have enough space for these. Basically, it's a box with wheels on the bottom. It's meant for glass in the 2' range. It's very convenient to roll around to your bench, or just out enough to pull the glass out. Build the box strongly, and make sure to reinforce it; you wouldn't want all your glass slamming into the floor because the box fell apart. Buy quality wheels. Wheels that swivel, that have bearings. Don't use bed casters, or TV cart casters. They won't hold up to the 100-200 pounds of glass that may be going into it. Remember once the box is filled, you don't want to have to remove everything because a wheel broke. And don't forget to attach a handle onto your box, so you're not grabbing where the glass may be. Also you may want to consider laying a piece of carpet in the bottom to protect the glass.
Unlike the cabinet, you could make this 15" to 20" wide. Just be sure to have the glass lean more.
Benches:
There are so many ways someone could set up a bench. When setting up a bench, try to make all the space as usable as possible. If you're like me, and your pack rat, you'll need lots, and lots of space. Here are the types of benches that you could put together:
The Kitchen Cabinet Bench: This is the type that I have. I bought the cabinets at IKEA. I was able to have space in it, under it and behind it. And if I had overhead cabinets, I could get space there as well. But the working height is not terribly high. Mine were about 36" high. So it should be at least that high. Consider the toe kick area (the spot where your feet goes when your standing right in front of the cabinet). A common kitchen cabinet may only have a 4" toe kick area. This is good for a kitchen, but if you want to be able to store boxes and such under it, you'll want something higher. Mine is about 6" high. However more toe kick space means less cabinet space inside. So it's a toss up.
Knobs: Think about knobs when you're at the store. Cute little knobs may be cute to look at but as I found out on my bench, they're not at all comfortable to lean on. Get the type of drawer face and cabinet face with a flush handle.
Hinges: Also consider what types of hinges you want to get. I have flush-mount invisible 130 degree hinges. They swing open wide, and are strong. However these are hard to adjust. And if you store glass inside, the hinge tends to get in the way, when sliding out the glass and closing the door.
The Kitchen Cabinet Bench 2: It's like the one above, only you get old cabinets from a friend who's remodeling. It's a first come first serve system and you really can't be picky. You also need to be able to fit it in the space you have. But if your good with tools, or know someone who is, this is a really cheap alternative.
The Ugly But It Works Bench: This is the 2x4 bench (it sort of looks like two sawhorses and a slab). It sets up quickly, but it has limited space. Generally there's alot of room in the middle, and some underneath it. You can abuse this bench more. You can smack nails in the legs, and hang stuff from it. This is a pretty good bench for people who like function, but couldn't care less about looks.
The "It looks alot nicer then the bench above, but I'll need Norm Abrahms to build it for me" Bench:
If you're good with tools, and good with wood, and have time on your hands to kill, you can build your own bench. It's really the best way to go. You could fit it into the space you have and embed things like sinks, and maybe even ventilation shafts that sucks out fumes at counter level. A built-in light box could be put in as well. Some day, when I have the space, I'll build myself one.
The top has to be considered as well. What it's made out of is important. These are listed in no particular order.
Common Plywood: At the very minimum, it should be interior quality. Exterior low grade has voids and holes in it. It also may be warped. Plywood is really good for people who work with lead. You could easily nail the horse shoe nails into it, and if it gets too perforated, you could flip it over or get a new one.
Flake and Strand Board: Avoid these at all costs. They're good for the outside of your house, but not for a bench top. Especially one that's for stained glass. This stuff isn't particularly smooth. Besides the splinter factor, the tiny strand bumps may cause your glass to stray.
Particle Board: You can use this under laminate. In fact you should; that's what it's designed for. Particle board absorbs moisture like a sponge. That means, every drop of water, flux, glass cleaner, etc., will soak in. Where ever it soaks in, it swells up, like one of those flat sponges that inflate when water hits them. And you don't want the bench warped in anyway. If the bench is warped, you'll soon be warped trying to cut glass on it.
Carpeted Top: This could be commercial grade carpet or the green carpet you find in pool areas. Some people like having it there. It cushions the glass when scoring and prevents the glass from moving. It also lessens the blow when the glass cutter runs off the end of the glass. However, the same reason for not having carpet on the floor applies here, only more so. If glass embeds itself in the fibers, your glass will always scratch when it's on it. Plus, when you go to brush the glass off, some of it will kick back up at you.
Laminated Top: I have this, but I used plywood for the substrate. Plywood, I found out, absorbs the contact cement, so it takes twice as much to make the laminate stick. Particle board is meant for this, but particle board is more expensive, really heavy, and you can easily damage the corners. But still, you should go with the particle board. Laminate has the advantage of being smooth. This allows all the chips of glass to be swept or vacuumed. You can get it wet without a problem. However, it can stain, and if you scrub it too hard, it will dull down in that section. It should stain less if you get a shiny laminate, but if it's too shiny, the edges of the glass may dig in. Also laminate can chip and burn, and it won't be at all easy to fix this.
Melamine Top: Don't bother even considering this as a choice. Melamine is the same stuff simulated wood shelves are made from. It isn't very durable. If it gets scratched, it swells in that area where water hits it. I just thought I mentioned it if you ran into it at the store.
Homosote: Homosote is a newspaper based material. Used alone, it would be quite floppy. But used with plywood or the like and you have a pretty good surface. It's forgiving, to the glass cutter, yet smooth enough to sweep off crumbs. It's not very expensive either. You can shove push pins directly into it. But try not to get it wet; it could swell.
Corian Top: Corian is used in kitchens, and is very expensive. However, it's very strong. You can sand out a burn, scrub a stain, whatever. If you're rich, or really want to be fancy, you could use this.
Don't use tile as a top. It's too lumpy, brittle and hard. It might make a good spot to do hot glass in though.
Lighting: Lighting in a shop is very important; it let's you see. Here are the different kinds of lighting available and there pros and cons.
Fluorescent Lighting: This is what I use. The bulbs are cheap and easy to find. They last a long time, cost little to run, and cover a large area. However the light can be harsh, and it's not good when you want to see the "true" color of the glass. I use a super white daylight tubes. I don't know if it's their name, but there the brightest ones I could find. These bulbs come in other colors, like cool, blue, red, etc. I don't like them. There is, however, a daylight color bulb. It's supposed to be like sunlight. And is supposed to give you a more exact color when choosing glass. Fluorescent lighting also doesn't get very warm. But if the ballast (the black box inside that makes it light up), has a meltdown, it will get kind of smoky. This rarely happens unless maybe lighting hits your house or there is a really large spike in the lines or if it's a cheap ballast.
My shop has 6 sets of shop lights which is pretty good although I still get annoying shadows here and there.
Over my grinder area I have an extendible fluorescent light. I use this to see better over the grinder and the band saw.
Incandescent Lighting: This type of bulb is the most common in home use. In case you're not up with the terminology, this is the little light bulb that pops up over your head when you get a good idea. I use this in parts of my shop. The small size of the bulb makes it ideal for cabinets. You can get a truer color from them or at least a better idea of how the glass will look through a bulb like that. Incandescent lighting burns hot, mainly to the touch. If it is in a small area, make sure it's off most of the time. This also means that your shop can really heat up; good for the winter, bad for the summer.
There are many shapes for this kind of lamp. If you don't want to set fire to your house, choose a smaller lamp for the inside of a cabinet. You could use the type of lamp meant for lighting up over museum paintings.
Halogen Lighting: This type of light give a very hot spot, both to touch and light. It's good if you want to showcase something but bad if you want to light a room with it. They're expensive and blinding. They make good flashlights though. It might, however, make a pretty good over head lamp when working with your band saw or grinder.
Natural Sunlight: If you're lucky enough to have a shop with large windows, then this is a nice feature. Sunlight is warm, and of course natural. It makes glass choosing easier. And best of all, it's free. But unless you live on the top of the world and get months of sunlight, you'll need a backup plan. It's going to be night at one point or another, and you really can't work by candle light. So you'll need something to light up the shop.
Overall, choose what you can afford. Choose something that you will like, or just looks best. But most importantly, make sure it lights the space you're working in. Try to eliminate the shadows; it's where the bad luck comes from. But mainly shadows are distracting and can change the color "look" of your glass.
Tool Storage: You've got to put your tools somewhere. At the very least, put them in a tool box. Use a metal tool box in case you put away a hot iron. In my shop, I put all the stained glass related tools in the main bench in the drawers. I have some hanging on my pegboard. Just hang them where ever you can. It's a little harder for me because of all the other tools that I have.
Shop Colors: Although colors are a selective thing. I like white, or something in the white family. White will reflect most of the light back at you. You could paint highlights around the shop for decoration but when it comes time to paint the floor, ceiling, inside of cabinets, etc., choose white or a bright color. Colors in the pastel family should work pretty well also. I would leave the floor a dark color. It doesn't need to reflect light. And if it does, it may be distracting while you work.
Entertainment: By entertainment, I don't mean watching a dancing frog or watching your dog sing, although that could be interesting. It gets kind of lonely in the shop. Most of the time you're there alone. To help pass the time, I have a radio and TV to keep me company. I'm able to play CD's and tapes with my radio. I personally can't stand what's on the radio. I like things I can sing along with. All of my music has a good beat to it. It helps me get into a rhythm. Others like, bleah, classical music. Choose what you like.
I keep the TV on when foiling and cutting. Even though the TV is in another room and I can't see it, I can still hear it. It's when I solder that I really use the radio. I never leave that spot, so that's the best place to listen to it.
The Foiling Area: Even in the beginning, you'll need a place to foil (providing you do foil work). If you can, choose an area with a comfortable seat and a TV near by. It'll keep your mind from buzzing from the quietness. Another place is near a sink, so all you have to do is wash the pieces, dry and foil standing all in the same place. In my shop, I have to wash the pieces and walk across to the next room to dry and foil. It's inefficient to do it this way, and I could be more productive if I had a different way but because of my layout, it's the only thing I can do.
I used to foil near the sink, standing. Someone introduced me to the idea of foiling in front of the TV. Now I sit back and foil. The only drawback is the foil ends that are everywhere when your finished.
Be Adaptive: If you go out to garage sales like I do, you'll know the amount of furniture and stuff you can get from them. As you buy file cabinets and drawers, you may have to remodel your area. But this is always a good thing. This is how your workshop can grow. Just recently I got a few large file cabinets and I was able to grow out a little more. Each year my shop looks different from the next because of this.
Chairs: When doing stained glass, you really don't need a chair. A chair can be used when soldering small things. If you solder a large panel for instance, your arms can drape over the panel. This can be bad. Your arms will be covered in flux, and ultimately your grating your arms over the solder lines. My arms were very swollen for a few days. I found simply laying a towel (an old towel) on the surface will cushion your arms and prevent any flux mess.
I don't recommend using a chair when cutting. You need leverage and a steady position when you cut glass. A chair (especially a swivel chair), is very bad for that. When you push, you're using your upper rear shoulder when you're sitting. Plus, if you try sitting when trying to cut a curve, your body will move and your arm will stay still. You can sit while foiling and designing. I will allow you too.
Provide Enough Space For Larger Projects: As you advance in your glass working skills, you may want to make a larger panel. When I first started out, I had a very small space available. I used to get sheets of wood and make a panel holder out it. Basically, just lie the glass on the board to make a longer table out of it. The largest panel I was able to make at the time was 18"x24". This was large, but this was the limit. Then someone asked if I could build a door for them. I had no intention of making a door. However, then I thought, "you know something, I don't have the space for larger projects". So I built the current bench, (about when I was a senior in high school). It's 3' wide by 8' long. If I had to I could build something as big as a door, or at least door sized sections.
Kitchen Remodeling Scenario: This is something to keep in mind to be resourceful. As mentioned earlier, you can use kitchen cabinets for your shop cabinets. If you're remodeling your kitchen, save the old cabinets and use them in your shop. Be sure to tell the carpenters not to damage them upon removal. Maybe for an extra fee they can install it for you. Using this method is good because:
Where not to have a shop:
Never set up a shop in a kitchen, living room, bedroom, dining room, or any other room where food exists. Flux has a tendency to be poisonous, plus in a vaporized state, it sticks to everything. If you don't believe me, try soldering something and see how much of it sticks to your goggles, skin, etc.
There's also the glass factor. Whenever you break or groze glass, little chips fall on to the floor. Believe me, it's not any fun removing glass splinters; no matter what color the glass is. In really small pieces, it always looks clear.
Plus if you own a pet or a baby, that just spells disaster. Not only will they get hurt, they may also break all your glass.
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Started on 9-22-98