Floor Plan and Wood/Paint Shop

     My detached garage is where I will be building my RV-8.  This is the floor plan; although not indicated on this drawing, the right side is actually the south side; the top faces east, etc.

     This is my wood shop, pictured below. I originally set it up for production of my MAN-Purse (see Clownbreath Industries in my bio page on Google +).  During the RV-8 build I'll be using it as a fabrication and painting area for small parts.  It was mostly intact when I moved in, but I did a lot of improvements to the room.
    Facing north:                                              Facing south:


     The main improvements were finishing the ceiling, adding decent fluorescent lighting, and adding a ventilation fan in the south wall, which is covered with a plywood piece in the photo.  The between-stud cabinets along the east wall are a nice touch that was built-in by the previous owner, but they needed a lot of work to actually become usable.  I had to shave most of the doors, add knobs, and install shelves inside the spaces.  I used an attic ventilation fan because it would fit between the studs, and built a large screened exhaust box on the exterior wall. The inlet is filtered to catch wood and paint particles.  I also installed a door on the south entrance, and left the north entrance open to hopefully create a venturi effect.  It's not the best system, I must admit... the fan inlet is small, and it doesn't move air as effectively as I had hoped.  I usually use one of the box fans in the north entrance to help the process, and I will say the air filter catches a LOT of wood dust, so it must help.  The workbenches on either end were built from EAA plans; I built them in my California shop, and brought them with me back to Michigan.  They do fit nicely into the end spaces, and they are freestanding, so I can move them around, or even into the main shop if needed.
     As a curious side note, visible in the north side photo along the west wall are some shelves I put up to facilitate MAN-Purse production... and there are four unfinished units on the bottom shelf.  My initial production run was small, and sales were smaller... so I never got around to finishing them.  They've been sitting on that shelf for almost two years, and I wince when I see them.  They serve as ominous reminders that I can get lazy about projects, and really make me think about whether I'm ready to take on a project as massive as building an RV-8.  The spirit is willing, though... and in the absense of initial funding, I've tried to convert motivation into action by keeping the prep work going and expanding my research regarding metal aircraft construction and the experience of other builders.  That prep work MUST include finishing those four remaining MAN-Purses, as well as some other small woodworking projects slated for production before starting work on my RV-8.
(UPDATE: The remaining MAN-Purses were completed on May 31, 2013!  Yay!)