In response to a few who have asked to see my new shop, I will post a couple pictures.

Here's the gallery wall. In the foreground is the lathe. At the back is the case disassembly area, my old 4 post Mayline from my Diamond Reo drafter days.

Here is the view counterclockwise from there. At the left is the shelving for projects-in-waiting. The desk is my main work area, but behind the viewpoint in this photo is another 3' x 6' table for spreading out more then one movement at a time. The Motor Wheel advertising clock is from my stint there. It has had 2 new movements and three new lighting elements, but it is all still 'original'.

I was going to post a picture of the cleaning station here, but the file won't open for some reason. I'll fix it and post later.

Meanwhile, here's a picture of the street clock. Same as Tom's new Howard Miller.

Beautiful shop Bruce.It looks better than my living room and a helluva lot cleaner too.Thanks for posting your pictures.Many pictures pass through these message boards but you very seldom see any shop layouts and you would have to believe that it would be just as important as any other facet of clock repair.Thanks again.
Respectfully,Bob Fullerton

Very nice Bruce!!!

Those slat walls are the greatest aren't they!

greg

Very well done Bruce! It would be a pleasure to work in that shop. The street clock looks great where you have it. I know you will enjoy it a much as I enjoy mine.

Great pictures.

My thanks to everyone who shared their compliments.

This is the dream of a lifetime of clock repair work. I've been at this part time for nearly 30 years now starting out in a 70 sq ft bedroom. Now it's grown to 240 sq ft.

I really enjoy meeting my customers and hearing their stories. The Urgos GF movement on the test stand in one of the photos comes from a Sligh that was bought from an inheritance in memory of her mother. Local jewelry shop cleaned it and it only ran 2 months. They took it back and declared it 'unfixable' without offering any options! So she called me and I found they had oiled all the wheels and the crutch and pendulum leader were bent so they rubbed on the end of the crutch slot. Stupid stuff for a 'professional' repair service. She's now a happy camper!

I do love the flexibility that the SlatWall gives. Used to use 1/4" pegboard and those metal slotted shelf stantions, but they left something to be desired when hanging heavy clocks! Still have to modify all the hooks. I am finding the 1" wire hooks to work best although they do push the top of the clock out a bit so you have to watch the fore-aft crutch adjustment close.

I had been looking for a street clock for some years and found old ones expensive and new ones (from Electric Time) not much cheaper. Wish it was a bit taller but for the money, it is just great!

I know these pictures can't tell the whole story so here's a 3D CAD layout I did before building. You can see the layout a bit better. Case disassembly and storage is to the left, Gallery Wall straight ahead, work desk and jeweler's bench/lathe in the middle, work table to the right (that's where the bushing machine will go when I get it), and the cleaning station in the LARGE closet (3'-6" x 9'-6").

Thanks again. Call me if you'd like to visit and are in my area sometime. 517-974-5563 M-F.

I think it would be interesting to see other repair shops. Post your pictures. I'll post mine after I clean it. I'm always busy so it's always messy but I'll clean it up and post some pictures.

I "borrow" space in Galen Gudenkauf's shop in Nogales. I have a 2nd home just this side of the Mexican border and I put in full-days at the watch shop when I'm down there. I have a nice bench, good light and my own basic tools. And.... I have access to more sophisticated tools and a great teacher!

Ok, here's my mess. I'll post more later.
Regards, Bob

WoW! Looks like I really started something.

This shop is devoted to clock repair only. I do almost any type of clock, but I have ended up specialized in 400 day and cuckoo clocks because the 'other' guys don't like to do them. I am also getting calls because the 'big chain' jewelry store is messing up. Said they couldn't fix an Urgos triple tube and all that was wrong was a bent crutch, leader and he OILED THE WHEELS! *****! (That's all for that rant)

I started into repair because my collection was costing way too much to keep going. Back before synthetic oils, you had to clean these things every 2 years. That meant 2 clocks in the shop at all times! I run these things 24/7/365. So I asked my clockman if I could watch what he did, read a couple books and never went back. Helps that I'm a mechanical engineer too.

Barbara - The Slatwall is perfect. Use the 1" hooks for most hanging clocks. 8" & 10" shelf brackets depending on the shelf clock depth. Works great!

Peter - Small spaces work well too. My first shop was 7 X 10 feet. Desk and jeweler's bench only. Some pegboard with shelf standards on it. Small but useful start. It doesm't have to cost a bunch or take up a lot of room. Your space looks perfect just as it is.

Jessica - I don't do this full time, yet. I have a few years to retirement and I am getting ready by building up the facility, equipment and the business contacts now. I work about 20 hours a week in the late Fall thru early Spring. Almost nothing in the Summer.

Robert - Your shop is not any messier than mine is - now. Keep in mind I took those pictures right after it was complete, before the next batch of work got started. Normally there would be 3-4 clocks all open at the same time in various stages of cleaning/repair.

This is a great topic. I invite all to post their shop photos from large to small, permanent to temporary, hobby, part-time or full time business. We can all learn something from each other. Isn't that what makes this forum so exciting?

If you have been following the "just for fun - clocks on cotton" discussion, I have my clock print curtains up and hope to get pix posted by the end of the week. Keep watching.

Robert, if that's a mess, I'm never showing anyone my desk.

Ever.

Bruce, I'm curious about the slatwall. Just what is it? I have a studio (art studio) and am trying to figure out if I should put up some wall on the wall, for hanging stuff to look at--while working--and also for some mirrors, to improve the light.

How do slat walls work? what type of surface do they give?

Really love hearing about how people's work evolves and would love to hear about others.

jessica

Bruce, Your shop is great!!! You should be very proud of it, Great job. Did you build the building too? I really like the cleaning room closed up so you don't have to breathe the fumes from the cleaning solution. I have my cleaning and buffing equipment set up in my garage which is quite a walk from my shop. I'm always afraid of loosing a part on the way there or back. I live in the country and my shop is a separate building from my house/garage.

Bob

Great shop pictures folks. I'm with Jessica on this one. If those are messy, then you are never going to see mine!

Jessica - Slatwall has "T" shaped slots every 3" into which "S" shaped hooks go, slatwall offers extreme flexibility in locating hanging stuff. A lot of retailers use it. I know here in Lansing that Penny's has it all over the store, including the mobile display racks, in a light maple finish. It comes in a variety of finishes (colors, woodgrain, etc.), but most available at home improvement stores like Lowe's and Menard's is the white melamine surface or bare paintable. The slots are bare fibreboard (same stuff they use under Formica kitchen countertops) so there are slot backers available in a variety of colors, chrome, brass, etc. I used matching white. It is also 80# for a 4' X 8' sheet (Oh my achin' back!).

Robert - I am fortunate enough that this is located in my walkout basement. I had to finish it completely (studding, wiring, insulation, drywall, etc.) but the space was there. Since it has an egress window, it could be a bedroom for someone someday too. The cleaning station could easily be the closet for that future bedroom. It is in a 3'-6" X 9'-6" bumpout of the foundation. I keep the fumes down with an exhaust fan made out of an old oil furnace burner. I just removed the oil pump, nozzle and ignitor and ducted it outside through a dryer siding vent. I'll really try to get that photo posted by week's end.

Thanks to everyone for the compliments. I'm really proud of this one and appreciate your support.

Well, I finally got a "round tuit" on that cleaning station picture. Here it is. The cabinets were unfinished Menard's oak and I bought a Sage Green Coral countertop so the soup stains won't show so much. THe closet doors keep most of the stink in while the revamped furnace oil burner fan takes most of it out. The drying oven is also ducted out so stays pretty stink free. Unfortunately there is no water source in the cleaning station, I have to walk across to behind the woodshop where there is a laundry sink. At least it's on the same floor!

If I can borrow the digital camera from work this weekend, I'll finally get those pictures posted next week of the clock fabric curtains my M-I-L made for me.

The workshop clock printed fabric curtains are up and I finally get a 'round tuit' to post the pictures. Also see 'Just for fun - clocks on cotton' for the same fabric in my 'clock themed' bath.

...thought I'd add a pic of my new shop complete w/shop cat 'Grub'...

Nice shop Jim!

...thanks Kevin, Tom...sure is good to be at the bench after a 3 month lay-off...

Great layout Jim,

Is that a micro wave, TV, refridge I see in the corner??? It's bad enough when we getted involved in clock and watch matters for hours....your truly set up for the long haul with that stuff.

Jim,

Very nice! Thanks for your post. I like to see how others have organized themselves. Gives me more ideas.

Bruce

Hi All,
I know this is an old forum,but with a little nudge from a fellow 185er,I thought what the heck.
So some of my shop.
Shawn

Picture 2

#3

#5 Storage

And finally the cleaning room

...great set-up Shawn!!!...particularly like the 'Maple Leafs' clock... ...Jim

Shawn, Very nice shop. I am cureous, What are those various length wood (?) handled things that seem to be stuck in a block? Files? Pivot locators? or? They seem to have writing on the handles... Maybe something we all need for easier repair? Thanks, Art

Hi Art,
The wooden handles are houseing cutting&smoothing broaches.I used to keep them in thered plastic container that they came in.I decided one day to make handles for them & this was the result.
Shawn

On the floors, my lower level is simple concrete floor. I painted it with Rustoleum basement floor epoxy paint. It comes in grey or the tan I used. Comes with black, white and brown paint chips to sprinkle on. Many people think I put in terazzo floors! Costs about $40/gallon at Home Depot/Manards/Lowe's and covers about 250 sq ft. Don't put too many paint chips down or your parts will be just as hard to find!