Laptops have made a powerful impact on our society. It seems like you can’t go anywhere nowadays without seeing someone on one. Unfortunately, there are several ergonomic features which are compromised for the sake of continence and portability. Screen size, keyboard spacing, and posture all play a huge role in the ergonomic factor and should be taken into consideration when using your laptop. It could mean the difference between working efficiently and experiencing many muscle and joint problems.

Laptops were designed for portability. However, most people tend to use them the same way they would use a desktop computer (which can be bad). Most laptops promote poor ergonomics so it is your job to take the necessary steps to change that. Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can go about doing this.

Common Ergonomic Problems

Here are some of the more common issues when it comes to your ergonomically incorrect laptop set-up:

• Keyboard Spacing- Since laptops are designed to be compact, the keys are usually very crammed together. This can lead to hand cramps and other long term injures if you are not using proper form when typing.
• Monitor Size- Laptop screens are also generally much smaller than the monitors on a desktop computer. This causes eye strain and can even cause neck problems if you are constantly being forced to lean your head in.
• Monitor Placement- On a laptop, the monitor will always be in the same location relative to your keyboard. While your options with monitor placement are limited, there are still some things you can do to ensure that it is placed in the most effective place possible when you are working.
• Small Pointers- One area which causes the most stress on a laptop is the small pointers. These pointers are integrated into the laptop in the form of a touch pad or a small red dot. If you are using your device for an extended period of time, these pointers can cause a lot of unneeded physical stress on your hands and wrists.

Tips and Techniques

First and foremost, keep your wrists in a natural position while you are typing. Don’t angle them upwards or downwards. Ever you understand anything about the ergonomics for a desktop computer, you know that it encourage a downward arc when typing. This isn’t the same case when you are working on a laptop. Also, make sure that you rotate your screen so that you minimize the bending of your neck.

We already briefly spoke about this: you are seriously limited in your ability to adjust your monitor. Just do your best to ensure that it is in an ideal location in relation to your head. Finally, tuck your chin when working instead of bending your neck. This prevents stiffness and soreness in your neck.

Other Solutions: Docking Stations and Separate Accessories

When worse comes to worst and you don’t want to go to a back pain specialist, you can always use a laptop docking station. These devices allow you to plug your laptop up to a regular monitor which already has a separate mouse and keyboard. Basically, it is almost identical to having all of your work on a desktop computer. If that doesn’t work, then the next best thing you can do is purchase a separate keyboard and mouse for your laptop. This is an excellent ergonomic option if you are on a budget. Plus, it allows you to take more control over you laptop thus, reducing physical tension and stress.

Conclusion

We live in an era where laptops are becoming a part of everyday life. It is important that you don’t fall behind. Learn the proper ergonomics when it comes to laptops to ensure that you aren’t hurting yourself while working. If you follow the guidelines presented in this article, you should have no trouble doing this on your own.

About the Author

Melissa Cameron is a freelance writer who lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Dave and 2 kids. She  discovered the Internet back in 2003 and loves to research a wide variety of topics. She is currently helping a Sacramento back pain treatment patient develop an ergonomic work space with the assistance of a CA Chiropractor, which has led to a series of articles on back pain and the importance of utilizing an ergonomic workstation.

Signs of a Good Year

Home Improvement projects often show up high on homeowner’s list of New Year’s resolutions.  But without proper planning it’s easy to spend too much or hire a disreputable contractor.  Then the home improvement project that should bring you joy turns into a home improvement nightmare.

Here’s a list of five New Year’s resolutions that will help bring you peace and joy in the New Year:

1. I will do my research online weather I am hiring a home improvement contractor or doing it myself.

2. I will not pick the first home improvement contractor that shows up in a Google search or has the best looking website.

3. I will ask for and check at least three references.

4. I will check with the local contractor’s board or licensing agency to see if there are any complaints against the home improvement contractor AND see how it was resolved.

5. I won’t make a decision until I have attended my local home and garden show and met the home improvement contractor I am going to hire. Here is a list of the best home and garden shows in North America: http://www.hgsei.com/

I’ve always thought we were well prepared for emergencies at home. I spend a lot of time finding the best ways to survive everything from scraped knees to natural disasters. Imagine my surprise when I found that I wasn’t quite as prepared as I thought I was when there was a massive city-wide power outage due to major storms in the area recently.

Got Gas?

That’s the question I was asking anyone I could when the power went out recently. Oh, we have a generator that will run all the necessary appliances when the power goes out. I was satisfied that my freezer wouldn’t melt, and we could at least have a few lights in the dark—until I realized I forgot one important element—gasoline.

It’s hard to run a generator without fuel. So, there we were in the dark, and I could feel the eyes on me and for that little bit, I was grateful I couldn’t see them. Thankfully my family doesn’t hold a grudge, and I reminded them that it could be a lot worse.

We had plenty of food and water, and we were in Texas, not Minnesota or Wyoming where even an early winter power outage could mean sub-freezing temperatures.

Reviewing My Preparedness Lists

Once the power was restored, and all was right in our little family again, I became even more determined to make sure my emergency preparedness lists were complete.

Of course the first list I went over was the natural disaster list, and quickly added stocked fuel can to it. Always make sure any gas cans are kept in a building outside of your home, a detached garage, or shed will do. It shouldn’t be in direct sunlight, but it can emit fumes that are dangerous so you don’t want it in a garage attached to your home. It can also explode, so put it in an unattached building as far from your home (and neighbor’s homes of course) as possible.

We would have lost a lot more food from our freezers if Dave hadn’t taken upon himself to break out the barbecue and grill up a lot of steaks and hamburgers to feed us and many of the neighbors including my parents who live next door. Thankfully that man is never without propane and grill equipment. That’s one thing I don’t have to put on my list, but a good thing for anyone else to add to theirs.

Automobile Emergencies

The next thing I did is review my automobile emergency list. I did a quick recheck for motor vehicle insurance online. I do that regularly when my current policy is ready to expire anyway to make sure it is the best price, but now I am adding making sure the cheapest policy also has roadside assistance and towing on it. Whether the emergency is an accident, or simply mechanical failure, I know that we won’t be left on the side of the road helpless.

I also reviewed my car emergency kit items. Sometimes I forget to go through the actual items to make sure they are fresh and in good condition. I have the following items in my everyday auto emergency kit:

• Flashlight
• Batteries
• Blankets
• Pillows
• Freeze dried foods
• Bottled water
• Screwdrivers, a wrench, duct tape and 2 quarts of oil

Some of the items in that list can go bad over time, and need to be checked regularly so you are prepared. My list for longer road trips is larger, but I never leave home without the above in my trunk.

Plan Ahead

I keep an exit plan for every room in the house and review it with the kids regularly. I want to make sure they also know how to handle themselves in a fire, staying low to the floor, checking doors for heat before opening them, and getting to the nearest exit. I make sure they know that an exit does not have to be a door. They can get out of the house from the windows in their rooms since we live in a ranch house with no upper levels.

You can never be too prepared, and the one time you forget something simple, and a disaster strikes, you’ll wish you had spent more time reviewing your lists and getting ready. Take my word for it; you can feel the eyes on you in the dark. It is much better to be ready than sorry afterwards.

Bio:

Melissa Cameron is a freelance writer who lives in Austin, Texas. She writes about parenting, lifestyles, local history and being prepared for disasters by writing about things like finding the best cheap car insurance quote online. She shares her home with her husband and two children, and her parents live right next door so she’s always busy, and now, always prepared.

And that’s a good thing. I never knew much about central vacuum systems until I got my Beam 101 lesson from Stuart Krawll of Beam of St. Louis. The company has been in business for 28 years, and it’s one of the exhibitors at the St. Louis Builders Home and Garden Show.

Beam makes more central vacs than anyone else in the world! Here’s why they outsell everyone else in the world:

• It seems that everyone in St. Louis suffers from some kind of allergy. The University of California did a medical study on the effects of central vacuum systems on allergy and asthma sufferers. Allergy symptoms improved up to 52%!!! Oh, to be able to breathe freely through the night…
• Have you heard of Green Building standards??? There is a point system, which is very good for builders, homeowners and manufacturers. If you add a central vac system to an existing home or build a new home with a central vac sytem, you can earn 5 Green Home points. Additional points can be gained by using used dry wall, used wood, etc.
• But of course the most important reason to have a Beam System is to improve indoor air quality. (I need to ask Stuart if it can also help your plants grow healthier!)
• One of the most surprising things I learned from Stuart of Beam was that a central vac system is plenty affordable. To install a system in a moderately sized house would run under $1,700. And we were talking about a good vacuum. I think I have spent over that through the years just on regular vacuums.
• Beam has national award winning installers who have installed more central vacs than anyone else. And would you believe, they are installed in less than a day? Beam’s specialty is in installing within existing homes.

Evidently all Beam vacuums are basically the same. The differences lie within the canisters: different features, different hoses and attachments. You know how when you vacuum, you see dust particles flying everywhere if you catch them in the sunlight? Beam central vacs have a sealed system and the canister is either in the garage or the basement, so every tiny speck of dust gets sucked into the vac hose, which sends it to the canister. And that canister can easily be emptied without sending the dust back into your house.

So Ah-CHOO no more. You can have a healthy home. I wonder if they make a vacuum strong enough to suck up my six kitty cats so I can breathe freely again?! Oh well, I will just do my sneezing and sniffling…until I have a Beam of St. Louis Central Vac installed in MY house!!!

Bring all your questions to the Beam of St. Louis exhibitor booth at the Home and Garden Show. These folks know their stuff!

Originally posted 2009-03-02 10:18:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Are you stuck in an organizational rut? Do you feel that your house is organized but you have no idea where to start? A very common mistake most individuals make is trying to organize the whole house at once. This will not work unless you have an organizing army there to help you. When you are organizing with items bought from a store and organizing by yourself, you should take it one room at a time. If you feel that you need help, another option would be going the route of getting custom storage built. Or you could do a combination of the two. Whichever direction you choose, you will want to follow a few simple guidelines to get the most work accomplished and become the most organized.

Closet Organizing System from the Closet Factory

If you are choosing to organize with the help of items bought from a store, you should start in the messiest and most unorganized room. You will want to have three laundry baskets or plastic tubs. One will be a “keep” basket, one will be a “trash” basket, and the last will be a “donate basket.” As you are going through the room, you should distribute the items into one of these three baskets. Once you have all of the items distributed, you need to bag up the items from the “donate” and “trash” bins and take them to your local donation center and/or trash receptacles. As for the “keep” bin, you need to start going back through all of these items. You may even find that you are actually ready to part with some of the items you put in the “keep” bin. Your next step should be grouping together like items. Then, with your organization aids bought from the store, you should start to find appropriate places in the room for all of the items you are keeping.

Your next option would be purchasing custom storage to help you with your organization needs. Closet Factory will send a designer to your home for a complimentary design consultation. During this appointment the designer will look at your inventory and discuss your needs and wants for the space(s). Based off of that information, the designer can design the most functional unit for your needs. So why get custom storage? I could give you a list of the reasons why I think it is beneficial and necessary, but it might be a little biased. Instead I will tell you this, custom storage units will add an element to your home that not everyone has. It will not only make your home stand out, but it will also help make your day-to-day life a little easier. You will no longer be wondering where your necklace from your children is, instead you will know that it is in your custom velvet lined jewelry drawer. You can get a simple, straight-forward system put into your home, or you can really dig in and get every last detail ironed out, all the way down to shelf and drawer dividers. You have so many options with custom organization, and you would have a designer there to help you make decisions along the way.

If you want to do a combination of the two, there are a couple suggestions that I have for you. You are already taking your organization further by combining both options, so why not go yet another step further down your organizational path? Color coding is highly recommended, especially in a closet. So when you want that red shirt with the ruffles around the collar, all you will have to do is go to the red shirt section and there it is. In other rooms, alphabetizing is a great tool to use. Office files should be categorized and alphabetized for easy finding. Even small steps can get you on the path to becoming more organized. Just remember to take your time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your home won’t be completely organized in a day either. Stay focused, and know that there are numerous resources out there to help you.

Author:

 This article was Written by Cassie Alsbach, Closet Factory. For more information on Closet Factory in St. Louis, MO, call 314-961-4300 or visit www.closetfactory.com/stlouis. You can also see them in Booth 100 at the Builders Home & Remodeling Show, October 14-16 at the St. Charles Convention Center.

Has it ever happened to you? When you really can’t find any walking space in your garage or in what used to be a guest room and is now a storage room? Let’s face it people, as human beings we like to stick to material things, we like keeping stuff, no matter its significance, they could have a great monetary or sentimental value, but we want that stuff in our lives for as long as we can keep it! Unfortunately, they take up space, and as time goes by, our stuff tends to accumulate and reduce our living space. What is the solution? We know that going through all the stuff to see what we want to keep and throw out is useless because it takes to much of our time, we never get through half of our stuff, and eventually we never throw anything away! Fortunately today, we have self storage facilities near home where we can put our excess stuff for the time we want in a safe place at a reasonable price.

These companies are usually within miles of distance from home and offer a great variety of services for different reasons. People usually store from cars to boats, or they just have them to put furniture and other belongings until their home remodeling projects are done, or until they finish moving in. However, if you just want to keep your beloved “stuff” for a little while then these storage units do the work for you. Most have mistakenly thought that these services are way expensive, but you could have a very decently sized unit for around $10. The best part is, you keep control of all your stuff by having access to it 24/7. Additionally, serious companies will give you storage units moisture free and within reasonable temperatures, so your belongings will not be ruined.

So there you go, for us who like to cling to our beautiful “stuff” around our homes, we always have an alternative to garage sales: self storage units. Say goodbye to letting go, and keep your belongings until your last grandson reaches college so you can start giving them away!

Home staging professionals across the world will agree that many of the things that we miss upon staging a home are simple oversights. In order to address many of these, we must first focus on three separate categories of neglect, and further break those down into separate do’s and don’ts. The first would be appearance. 

Appearance of the Home

One of the most accommodating things any seller can do is make more room. The more rubbish you have lying around, the less chance you have of selling in a short period of time. In fact, the overall look of both the inside and outside of your home is priority #1. 

What some stagers have deemed as “counter intelligence,” simply translates to keep your countertops clear. A home always looks dirtier when countertops, or floors for that matter, are covered in unsightly clutter.

Another notable word of advice is to play it safe. Refrain from hanging provocative decor (i.e. – deer head). Meanwhile, be sure to check your house for other distasteful furnishings. Dust, cobwebs or trash are three other examples of DO NOT DISPLAY.

Damages are serious no-no’s; Replace deteriorating wallpaper and cover scratches or holes in the wall and floor. 

Amongst these cleaning oversights are closets. It’s recommended to reduce your closet to 50% of what was in there before. 

Making your home eye-catching isn’t all about removal or repair however; there are many pieces of décor that you can add. The most common additives are flowers, especially if you already know what the buyer is or may be interested in. Flowers can give a home a much softer feel. 

Smell of the Home

Open your damn windows. No buyer wants to see 80,000 BTU air conditioners, or that god-awful smell leftover from last night’s salmon steaks. One of the least alluring things about a home is its smell. Buyers will be immediately turned off by foul odors. Make sure to rid your home of anything ghastly, and clean the areas of the house that are rancid. For houses that aren’t slabs, keep your basement smelling wonderful, and feeling cool. Invest in a dehumidifier, even if you’re about to sell. Basements are the least attractive portions of our homes, and usually require the most attention, aside from the bathroom and kitchen. 

Assume Buyer Laziness 

To the amazement of most people, there are a large number of sellers that don’t keep their homes up-to-date, because they figure “well hey; I’m just going to sell anyway.” Other reasons could be foreclosure, or the simple fact that the seller is cheap. But this is a TERRIBLE idea; buyers are instinctive upon buying homes that require fewer repairs, unless they are first time homebuyers, or like a good challenge. Similar to car buyers, people don’t like to buy something they don’t feel safe in. Nor do they wish to fix it up themselves. 

Here are a few examples of less expensive changes: 

• Remove old wallpapers
• Change, or have the carpets cleaned.
• Paint, or repaint the walls.

Here are a few expensive repairs:

• New roof
• New Windows
• New Floors
• New bath

Stage your Home Virtually 

Lastly, make sure to appoint a professional to stage your quarters virtually. The buyer doesn’t want to imagine what a home would look like with furniture in it; they want to actually see a fully furnished apartment or home. On the other hand, a non-vacant property can easily be tapered down to nothing if that’s how a buyer wishes to see it.

There are many advantages to staging a home virtually through an expert, but the most important one remains the fact that the photographs can be viewed online, or turned into brochures/packets/cards. This is definitely a one-up for sellers and buyers, and a modern day practice for any agency or seller. 

So remember, keep your home looking good, smelling good, and up-to-date, both inside and out. Following these few simple pieces of advice will turn any old home into something ravishing.

Delivered by Elliman Realtors, New York City Apartments.

The Builders Home & Remodeling Show Returns to the St. Charles Convention Center – with FREE Admission and FREE Parking

The 31st Annual Builders Home & Remodeling Show, produced by the Home Builders Association, runs October 14-16 at the St. Charles Convention Center. Attendees can visit 200 companies in more than 300 booths on two levels. The show saves you time and money and is the place to find information, products and services for your home, all under one roof.

When summer comes to an end, it’s time to start thinking about those fall and winter home projects. The Home & Remodeling Show is a great place to plan, prepare and get started! Save time by visiting multiple manufacturers in one day. Save money by taking advantage of show specials and learning about the latest energy-efficient products and technologies.

Improve your home, inside and out, with help from national and local celebrity experts. Attend a variety of seminars at the Home Idea Stage. Jeff Holper, The Mole Hunter will help you rid your yard of moles and other pesky creatures. Scott Mosby, KMOX Home Answer Man will share information that will help you make your next home project a success. Thompson Price, of Thompson Price Kitchens, Baths, Home outlines options for your kitchen remodel with his seminar “Good Better & Best – How Different They Can Be.” And Dan Hechler of Hechler’s Hearth & Home will help you make your fireplace more efficient.

Do you have a piece of art or an antique that you have always wondered what it’s worth? Bring it to the show for a free appraisal by Dr. Lori, certified art and antiques appraiser, art historian and museum curator. As she evaluates objects, Dr. Lori shares secrets that antique and art dealers just don’t want you to know. You’ll have fun even if your treasure is trash!

Unlike most art and antique appraisers, Dr. Lori has a Ph.D. in art history and does not have an interest in buying people’s objects, thus ensuring an honest, ethical, and accurate appraisal. With more than 100 events and in-home appraisals, Dr. Lori reviews approximately 20,000 items a year. Appraisals take place as part of Dr. Lori’s presentations – one appraisal per person on a first-come, first-served basis. Dr. Lori can appraise from a photograph.

Attend floral design seminars full of fun, innovative ideas presented by Walter Knoll Florist’s world-class design team at the Walter Knoll Holiday Floral Stage. Learn how to create fantastic floral decorations for the fall and winter holidays that will impress your guests and make your home festive and attractive. You could even be chosen to have a hands-on floral experience!

The Home & Remodeling Show is always a fun destination for the whole family. Don’t miss the
3rd Annual Mills Apple Festival, presented by Mills Apple Farm for fun fall festivities. Enjoy FREE samples of apples, apple pie and cider. Purchase “made from scratch” apple pies, turnovers, cookies and other delicious treats – plus a variety of apples fresh from the orchards in Marine, IL. There will be FREE pumpkins and pumpkin painting for kids 12 and under while supplies last – as well as games and temporary tattoos!

Shop for great bargains at the Building Products Warehouse Sale. Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County, a local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, has a retail store in St. Peters. The Habitat for Humanity ReStore sells new and used home improvement merchandise to the public at deeply discounted prices. They are bringing a mini Habitat ReStore to the Show, so visitors can shop for great deals on home improvement merchandise. Items may include doors, cabinetry, appliances, sinks, and smaller items like nails, screws, tile and light fixtures. The merchandise is great for the average home owner, rental property owners and contractors of all levels. All proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County.

Do you have questions about your project or your home in general? The Home & Remodeling Show has the experts who can help. Visit the Mosby Solution Center, an area of the show where some of St. Louis’s top companies come together under the umbrella of Scott Mosby. Get answers to those nagging questions from a variety of home experts all in one place. And visit the Home Advice Stage, where guest speakers will present useful information to help homeowners maintain, improve, and live safely in their homes.

The Home & Remodeling Show is your chance to see more than 300 booths featuring the latest products and services for your home all under one roof! More than 200 companies can help you find what you need to get those home projects done.

Show hours are 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15 and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 16. Admission and parking are FREE. For more information, visit http://visit www.STLHomeShow.com.

The largest sustainable lifestyle event in the Pacific Northwest returns for its fifth year to the Portland Expo Center.  Find earth friendly products for you, your Northwest home & garden and your budget. From cutting edge solar technologies and eco-chic fashion to better energy efficiency for you home and sustainable outdoor living, if it’s green – it’s here at the Portland home and gaden show for green people. And best yet, admission is free.

Crowds at the Better Living Show in Portland, Oregon

Get introduced to businesses and groups in the region that will help you make choices you feel good about. It is all presented in an entertaining way like you’ve never seen before – music, movies, kid’s activities, fashions shows, cooking demonstrations and more. If you are looking for green products, this festival is simply too good to miss. Held March 23 – 25, 2012, it is perfectly scheduled at the beginning of the home improvement season. Click on features and presentations to see all the fun things in store for Portland’s Better Living Home and Garden Show. for more information go to: www.betterlivingshow.org

You may have retired and want to take up some craft or hobby, or you might have quit your job to work at home. You may be thinking of setting up a workshop to make a few bucks using skills you’ve acquired over the years.

Setting up a workshop requires deliberate planning and organizing to ensure it can deliver what you want. Planning and organizing a new workshop can be a big task, even for someone who has done it before. So here are a few quick tips to help you out when starting your workshop:

Tip 1: Workshop Size and Space

Size will be determined by the purpose you have in mind for your shop. So the first thing you need to do is decide what kind of work you intend to do. Whether your shop will be for welding, automotive work, racing, manufacturing, inventing, or whatever else, be sure to budget yourself accordingly in the planning stage to make sure you stay within workable limits.

You may want additional ceiling height for welding or automotive work. The extra headroom will come in handy when using your engine hoist. Ventilation is also enhanced in the case of welding or any other work where toxic fumes are generated.

The workshop needs to be as comfortable and convenient as possible, for efficiency’s sake if nothing else. In addition to comfort and convenience, the workshop must also be a safe place to work in. If you are designing a car repair workshop, you’ll need at least 4 feet of space around the car to allow you sufficient room to move.

Tip 2: The Workbench

Apart from the overall layout, you also need a quality workbench, the heart of your shop where much of your work will take place. If you are working on metal, use steel tubing to build your workbench with a minimum ¼” steel plate on top for welding. If you are working on wood, ¾” plywood makes a good top, as will standard 2 x 10 lumber, and 4 x 4 for the legs. The bench should be around 4 feet long and 2 feet deep and approximately 34” high. If you foresee taking on larger projects, it is advisable that you extend the length to 8 feet if space allows.

Tip 3: Welding and Cutting

Next, you will need to consider the choices in welding equipment. If versatility is what you are looking for, then you’ll never go wrong with an AC/DC combination Miller welder with MIG, TIG, and Stick capabilities. If you want a simple welder for most basic projects, use a 110 volt MIG machine.

For cutting, an Oxy-Fuel torch is sufficient for many workshop tasks. However if you have some extra bucks, get a plasma torch that guarantees cleaner cuts with minimum dross.

Tip 4: Choosing the Right Hand Tools

When starting a workshop, some may be tempted to purchase lower priced tools in order to cut costs. Don’t do it. They may break early on, and end up costing you more than you would have spent on quality tools in the first place. Your local hardware store should carry plenty of high quality tools that often come with a lifetime guarantee. Any difference in initial cost will be well worth it in the long run.

The specialty tools you’ll need will depend upon the type of shop you have, but the following represent a good basic tool supply to begin with: C-clamps, vise-grips, pliers, a quality wrench set, quality screw drivers, a hammer, a pipe wrench, a hand grinder, a wire brush, a tape measure, a framing square, a level, drill bits, a scratch awl, Allen-wrenches, and paint markers. Include small power tools in your arsenal, such as a cordless drill, a hand grinder, a powered screw driver, a chop saw, and a skill saw.

Tip 5: Workshop Power Needs

Once you decide how much power you will require, you need to set up your main power supply. For a basic workshop, install a standard power supply of 110 volts. If you intend to do some welding or run any equipment requiring 220 volts, install a double breaker which will double the voltage at the power source.

In addition to the main power source, make sure that you have an alternative source of power in case of a power blackout. You can do this by installing emergency backup power generators which will supplement the main power source.

When installing the power outlets, pay attention to your layout to ensure they are placed effectively in the workshop. Two or more outlets above the workbenches are advisable.

Tip 6: Lighting the Workshop

Lighting your workshop is one of the most important things if you are to work in a comfortable and safe environment. Without proper lighting, your eyes may be injured by doing small or intricate work repetitively, not to mention the risk of accidents that may arise. Efficiency is also compromised.

The best lighting source is the sun; maximizing sunlight with windows or skylights will brighten any shop. Another effective method is to paint the walls white. You’ll need a minimum of 50 ft candles of electric lighting, and 100 ft candles or more for specialty work such as painting or any intricate, detailed work.

Tip 7: Safety

Safety should probably be tip number one; it can never be overemphasized. Probably the best way to insure a safe shop is to keep your shop clean and organized on a day-to-day basis. You’d be surprised how much difference this can make. Clean floors and bench tops, tools in their places and cabinets closed and tidy will allow you to find things quickly, remain sure footed when moving around, and get things accomplished efficiently.

Next, be sure to have the basics on hand. Mount a 5-pound A-B-C fire extinguisher in an accessible location, perhaps adjacent to an entrance door, and keep it in good working order.

When welding or cutting, always wear appropriate Nomex or cotton clothing, face shield, and leather gloves to protect your hands. On the other hand, if operating a lathe or other rotating machine tools such as a mill or drill press, never wear gloves while the machine is in operation.

Wear a face shield and safety glasses or goggles when grinding. And lastly, protect your feet with a pair of leather work-boots with steel toes.

Conclusion

As you strive to create your workshop, you’ll shape it in accordance with the specific needs of your trade. Whatever direction you take, use these suggestions as guidelines to get you going. They are not exhaustive, but they can be instrumental in creating a comfortable and safe workshop that will serve you nicely for years to come.

About the Author

With years of hands-on experience on the construction industry and online as a freelance editor, Michael Firstman offers advice on setting up a new workshop. His website, www.welders360.com, is a great place to search for welding related products, including reviews of Miller, Lincoln and Hobart welders, and more.