Mobile shop?

[Westex93]

OK, just thinking out loud, here...

Can you think of any reason not to set up a shop housed completely in a pull behind trailer?

I'm thinking this for a few reasons:
1) I'm currently working in my attached garage. Dust and fumes are becoming a problem. I do have a dust collector that I haven't piped yet, because there is a strong possiblity of moving in the near future.

2) I'm not yet ready to build a dedicated shop due to this possibility of moving.

3) I already have a 16' trailer that can be modified.

4) I'm thinking with a subpanel, RV type hookup and VERY well secured equipment and cabinets, the whole shop could actually be carried on the road (craft shows, etc). I'm mainly into building guitars and figure it would be cool to have a trailer with me to take to bluegrass shows, etc, to build and do setup work on the road.

5) Carrying along with the "we might move" thing, we are leaning toward buying a piece of undeveloped property, selling our house and buying a travel trailer to live in while we build. All I would need are hookups to pull my house and shop right on the land, already having all I need to start building!

Any thoughts, opinions, suggestions?

[LarryG]

quote:Originally posted by Westex93

Can you think of any reason not to set up a shop housed completely in a pull behind trailer?

The first, and most obvious, limitation is space. If you can fit all your tools within the floor area of the trailer, with adequate working room at each machine, the fact the shop is on wheels is basically immaterial.

Still related to space but not quite as obvious is that you'll almost certainly have less headroom than the typical permanent shop. Don't toss this one off too lightly ... my shop's headroom is barely six feet in most places, and there are times when it's a genuine PITA, a lot more of a problem than the limitations imposed by the 10 x 19 floor area.

You'll have to watch the weight. Tools, wood, and all the paraphernalia needed in a well-found shop adds up to a lot of pounds.

If you can get your hands on a copy of "The Workshop Book" by Scott Landis, it contains a chapter on an enterprising fellow who has a VERY complete shop installed in an old delivery van. Some good food for thought for you there.

[Westex93]

Thanks for the book recommendation, Larry. I'll check that one out.

As long as I'm building, I figured I could make the dimensions what I wanted, within DOT limitations. With this, I would go at least 8' headroom and as wide as code would allow. As the current axles are narrow and will be widened anyway, I can go ahead and maximize this.

True, space will still be tight as I do have quite a bit of tools. And, realistically, I would still build a dedicated shop in the future as soon as possible. Meaning, of course, when the house is finished. Then the bulk of my tools would be moved to the shop and I would still use the trailer with limited tools for travel/craft/guitar show work.

Of course, I could stick to my original plan, which was to build a shop and live in it while I built the house. LOML might handle that for awhile, but I imagine her patience will run pretty thin pretty quick.

[LCHIEN]

Well, one of the characteristics of small shops is the ability to move tools to make the infeed and outfeed space work as well as simply putting them out the the way when not in use. Certainly I see this in conflict with your having to secure the equipment so it won't fall over on the first corner taken.

I guess my first thought was bolting them to the floor, but securing them could also mean having them strapped to the wall while on mobile bases.

Certainly the next limitation was noted by Larry, you'll have a hard time working with long pieces of lumber when you can't swap ends of an 8' board either by turning around or end over end. If you're only building craft items and all your raqw material is already cut to manageable size, then it won't be a problem.

Other problems and options:
hard to keep tool tables level.
maybe have some of the lighter items set up so that they can be set up on the ground behind the trailer.

just my 2 cents.

[maxparot]

If you look at a modern moving truck you will see tie rails all around the box. These rails are used with a clip in heavy duty ratchet strap. You'll also see these in use with gas bottle deliver trucks. If the walls of your trailer are made strong enough to hold your tools during transport the rail and strap system can hold them to the walls. I've seen mobile shops done in box trucks and on trailers for race cars so it can be done.

[Westex93]

Here's a shot that makes it seem somewhat doable as far as space is concerned. I can picture a BT, band saw, router table, drill press, etc in there. Of course, I don't plan on storing ladders and sawhorses in mine...

http://www.hancock.k12.mi.us/high/ar...y/trailer.html

Granted, this is hardly an ideal setup, but I've seen smaller!

'Course, as long as we're dreamin' here...

http://www.miterclamp.com/Inventor.htm

[JR]

IIRC This Old House has a trailer about the size of the one you're talking about. I forget when they rolled it out for the first time - Billerica, maybe after that?

When they used it the first time they seemed to plan that it would serve as both transport and shop usage. My vague memory tells me the idea was that stationary tools would stay in the trailer, and mobile stuff would come out and live in a tent set up at the rear of the trailer. I guess it's sort of like Pappy's shop, with a tent over the outside part.

JR

[Pappy]

How'd I get mixed up in this? You saying my shop is small?

When I first got my BT, all I had in front of the shop was a 6x8 treated deck. Just enough room to set the saw up and work across the front. The same could be done with a drop down rear ramp on a trailer. I have a short 'saw horse' that my ramp will sit on and is relatively level. Used to back the drag bike on to it at the house for tune up and maintenance.

[LinuxRandal]

What would happen in my neighborhood!


Someone would come and drive off with it, boy would the insurance company have fun with that one! (Yea, sure you had all that in that little trailer, what do you think you are, a contractor?)