Welding and shed(s) epiphany

[mrsbruce]

When I built my woman cave, I solved the ‘welding in a teeny tiny shed’ problem by building a little porch onto it. When I took over the hubby’s shed, I turned his shed into the ‘messy work’ shed (sandblasting cabinet, grinder, powder coating cabinet, etc).

This morning I had an epiphany (don’t worry, I cleaned the mess up myself), and realised that when I get my bench top milling machine, I don’t want it in the messy hut. Knowing about a 1/3rd of the stuff (cheap workbenches, 500 spanners, Allen keys, and general ‘stuff’j still in there are not needed by me, I have decided it is time to remove them all. A proper cull.

I plan to cover the walls in a corner with metal hut sheeting, and move my mig and tig welders and plasma cutter into the big hut, along with my folding welding table. Once all the paraphernalia is moved out of the wee hut, I’ll have plenty of room for the milling machine, and the 2 x mini lathes.

My plan is to use a large welding blanket like a shower curtain, around where I shall weld, but not sure about the floor. I wondered whether a sheet of osb covered with flame retardant paint might be enough, or should I go for a metal sheet. I’ve googled for ideas, but alway prefer hearing from folk that know what they are talking about.

 

[gaz1]

is it a concrete base mrsbruce?

 

[mrsbruce]

Sadly, no. It is lots of plywood precariously balance on random piles of brick.

 

[gaz1]

sadly its a no as hot works can burn through heat proof paint and burn into the wood

theres 3 alternatives though

either concrete a base or put steel plate on top the third is lay down 3x2 flags but there heavy

for cheapness easier to lay a concrete floor down if you mix with a wheel barrow and a builders hoe

steel plate id expect 2mm 8x4 sheet or bigger if you can handle it into the shed as one piece

 

[Lazurus]

How about an old fire blanket tacked to the floor - as long as it doesnt cause a trip hazzard. Maybe carpet glue it to the ply floor.

 

[Yamhon]

In my own research FR paint seems to be an expensive option also.

 

[slimjim]

Just use that concrete sheeting that’s for showers hardy board is it?

It’s definitely fireproof, I use a square when I solder pipes

 

[slimjim]

You could use hardie tile backer board, like this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hardie-B...676202?hash=item41ff371cea:g:1mYAAOSwK~dbAAAS


I use an offcut when I solder pipes.

 

[mrsbruce]

How about an old fire blanket tacked to the floor - as long as it doesnt cause a trip hazzard. Maybe carpet glue it to the ply floor.

I could use this as an ‘underlay’ so that it comes up the walls about a foot, then metal walls, and I think i have some thin flat metal (old metal hut doors) I could lay on top of the fire blanket on the floor. That way, there are no crannies for hot metal to fall into.

It is going to be a small section, so having a raised metal edge around the welding area (imagine shower tray) won’t be a tripping hazard. Fire blanket ‘shower curtain’ would sit inside this edge. Final touch, fitted fan to outside wall to deal with fumes.

I genuinely don’t feel safe about part of the floor being concreted or slabbed. In an ideal world, I would empty the hut, remove the roof and floor, then add a proper concrete floor, and a new roof. Unfortunately, both these projects are just too big for me to take on at the moment, either physically, or financially. I think I need to spend some time playing with my toys, rather than constantly shoring the homestead up.

 

[gaz1]

id just go down the metal sheet on top of the wood reference mrsbruce its handerling the 8x4 metal sheet into place that will be fun

but also the quickest

 

[MCKDAVID]

only issue I have with a sheet steel floor is if you have any moisture (due to condensation or whatever) or oils that end up on it, you will end up wth a skating rink... not a drama just something to keep in mind.

 

[mrsbruce]

In my own research FR paint seems to be an expensive option also.

I had thought that might be the case.

Just use that concrete sheeting that’s for showers hardy board is it?

It’s definitely fireproof, I use a square when I solder pipes

How tough/soft is that board. Would that only do for walls.

 

[slimjim]

I had thought that might be the case.





How tough/soft is that board. Would that only do for walls.

It’s quite tough, it’s used under tiled floors, but I guess it needs supported underneath on tile adhesive.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

It’s quite tough, it’s used under tiled floors, but I guess it needs supported underneath on tile adhesive.

Glue and screw to osb?

 

[Muppet]

Hardy backer board comes in weird sizes , 600x800 and 900x1200
6 mm 9mm ,
Put a thin bed of flex floor tile adhesive down on the wood first to take any unevenness out or use a polyurethane
It can be a sod to fix, you might have to pre drill ,
It will soak up a brew if you spill it , a cheap patio sealer over it would work , water based not solvent ,

 

[Yamhon]

Could you use metal mesh flooring; not sure what it is called, that'll keep your feet off the wooden deck and then in fill with sand which I'd hope would protect the wood.

 

[Climber]

Could you use metal mesh flooring; not sure what it is called, that'll keep your feet off the wooden deck and then in fill with sand which I'd hope would protect the wood.

Be uncomfortable if you had to kneel on it.

 

[slimjim]

Glue and screw to osb?

Probably work.

 

[Pete.]

I would say that you DO want a milling machine in the messy shed. Milling machines make a lot of mess themselves, spraying little chips of swarf all over.

 

[mrsbruce]

I would say that you DO want a milling machine in the messy shed. Milling machines make a lot of mess themselves, spraying little chips of swarf all over.

True, and having been told about the mess, I had originally planned to put it in the bigger messy hut. I think my epiphany has had more to do with realising that the way I have the sheds set up just doesn’t feel entirely the right way to do it.

If I use the big shed (9x13 feet, if I remember), for everything messy, including welding, the wee hut (5 x 7ish) for the lathe etc (more stable floor, cosy, its own hoover), and the ‘welding’ porch to safely store closed plastic boxes filled with any tools I haven’t got rid of yet, or might use once a year. That would then let me move onto cleaning out yet another little hut stuffed to the gunnels with even more ‘stuff’.

Thing is, worse case scenario (apart from the hut burning down) is that it doesn’t work, and I move everything back. Even then, I’ll have got more tools sorted and out the door. Best case scenario, is I love it, and get more tools sorted and out the door.