I'm currently building a shop to be outfitted with a CNC router.
The design of my shop will include a flat, heated shop floor.
I'm always looking for ideas, layouts, thought processes that provide for a clean, productive and flexable work flow.
In my past life, I was a supervisor for busy shop that built all sorts of strange, awkward and quite large steel structures for subsea cable work. Often, our worked blocked the ability of other businesses to operate. Frequently, we denied ourselves access to tools, doors and whatnot with the structures we built. "Work Flow" became my number one priority.
Recently, I visited a new shop in my area that builds sheds exclusively. Immediately, I was struck by the fact the entry to the structure was blocked by a shed under construction. I could not live with that condition for very long. I suggested components called 'Air Bearings" would allow the shed to be relocated easily and asked if they have considered such a tool for moving sheds at a whim? I might have well been talking to deer.
I estimated the weight of the sheds and calculated the requirements and determined my idea was well founded.
Later, I had 'apostrophe'!
Why not build or mount my all shop equipment, benches and material pallets on 'air bearings?'
With all the discussion about vacuum for holding parts for CNC.....the reverse is also true! A unit of plywood could be moved with a finger with little more than a shopvac.
Workbenches could be relocated for that one-off job commanding just a little more space. Expensive and heavy tooling prone to breakage when moved, require a connection to an air line and moved at ones pleasure.
The best part is....a cnc router is the perfect tool for creating such tooling.
Not only air bearings but....vacuum lifts.
Anybody doing this now?
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I wish I would have put in floor heating when I built my shop. I have a friend who heats is whole shop with a hot water heater and a circulater pump. Nice even heat. Good luck with your build.
