Electricity
The following is intended for guidance only. Any electrical work must be carried out by a qualified electrcian.
The workshop, toolstore, and all passages and stairs must have adequate lighting. External lighting is very useful for van loading and unloading during the winter months. Fluorescent tubes are recommended for internal lighting as they have a longer life, give more than twice as much light as tungsten bulbs of the same wattage, and are cheaper to run. ‘Daylight’ tubes give the best light for workshops. In choosing the number and length of fluorescent tubes for a room, you should allow 10 watts/m2 of floor area to be lit. Spotlighting for workbenches may also be useful. This can be provided by an Anglepoise type lamp either attached to the wall or to a moveable bracket, and run off the power circuit. Grinders, drill stands and other fixed power equipment should each have their own spotlight. The invisible flickering of fluorescent light is dangerous with very fast rotating machinery, as it has a ‘freezing’ effect.
Don’t skimp on lighting in the toolstore, as people are much more likely to put tools away neatly if they can see what they’re doing. Make sure any recesses or odd corners are well lit, as these are especially useful for tool storage.
You will need sufficient power points in the workshop for the power tools you intend to use, plus a few extra for additional lighting, heat and so on. It is better to have too many, than to risk the dangers of adaptors and trailing extension leads. Power to a central bench should be supplied by cabling brought under the floor and through the underside of the bench, and not by dangling overhead cabling. On solid floors, cabling should be brought through a plastic conduit laid into a channel in the floor. If this is not practical, fix a stout wooden pillar from the bench top to the ceiling and bring the cabling overhead and then down, clipped to the pillar. Put pads of cork or similar material at the base and top of the pillar to reduce sound transmission from bench to ceiling.
The electrical system for the building should be fitted with mini circuit breakers and individual power tools protected by a residual current device (RCD), operating at 30mA in 0.4 seconds, which will instantly cut off the supply in the event of an earth fault.
Heating
The workshop may need some form of heating to make it comfortable for use during the winter months. Heating is not essential in the toolstore, but where available, a low degree of heat can be useful in promoting a dry atmosphere to combat rusting of tools, and prevent dampness and mould in tents, hessian sacks, ropes and so on. However, an excessively dry atmosphere will cause tool handles to shrink and warp.
Electricity is the safest form of heating for a workshop, as there are no naked flames. It is also a dry heat, which is kindest to tools. However, it is likely to be the most expensive, and is not very efficient for rapid heating of a large area. As it uses a large amount of power, it may cause overloading when electric power equipment is also being used. Gas and solid fuel both cause condensation on cold surfaces, which can cause rusting of metal tools. Ensure adequate ventilation to counteract this. Store chemicals, petrol and gas well away from any source of heating.
Calor gas heaters, give very rapid heat and can heat a surprisingly large area. However they do cause considerable condensation so good ventilation is required. They also give off carbon monoxide, and attention must be paid to their maintenance. Choose the size appropriate for the area you need to heat.
The only electrical heater likely to be of use in a workshop is a large fan heater, which can be directed towards the work area when conditions become too cold.
Wood burning stoves heat up quicker than might be expected, and most conservation groups will have no trouble supplying their own fuel. A safe storage area for fuel will be required. never be tempted to burn offcuts of creosoted or CCA (copper chrome arsenate) treated timber, as the former burns very fiercely, and both give off noxious fumes. Stoves are very expensive to buy new, but should be available second-hand at a more reason- able price. You may find by asking around that someone has one not currently in use that they will loan you. The workshop will need to have an existing chimney, and you will need a section or two of flue, available from stove suppliers, which can be fitted into a fire-screen. The screen can be easily made out of a piece of metal sheeting, and fixed in position with fire cement. An airer or rack placed above, though not directly over, a stove is a useful place for drying wet clothing and equipment. Note that any stove used in a smoke-controlled zone must be of a type approved for that use. Check with supplier.
Water
The workshop should have a water supply and sink for washing hands. An outside tap over a drain is very useful for washing tools and equipment. An alternative is simply to fit a water butt with a tap to a downpipe from the roof. This should be adequately replenished during times when tools are at their muddiest.
Emergency information
Any toolstore or workshop should have a First Aid kit, separate from those used for projects, which is never removed. The location of this must be displayed. Other information which should be displayed includes the location of the nearest phone, the locations of the stop taps for water and gas, and the electricity cut off switch. All emergency exits must be signed and the fire extinguishers clearly marked.
