Setting Up a Workshop to Work with Metal

by Bruce Bushnell Owner

If you want to work with metal, either in a professional capacity or as a hobby, you need to make sure you set up a good workshop. This article covers some of the points you should bear in mind in this situation, so you have everything you need.

Some hobbies need more than just a little space to work with. Metalworking is one of these hobbies. It doesn’t matter whether you are making metal jewellery, garden sculptures or something much larger – what matters is your ability to have the right amount of space to work in safely.

The same goes for running a business in this capacity. Either way, if you decide to set up a proper workshop so you can easily and safely work with metal, it makes sense to do it properly from the very start.

The best place to begin is by considering the type of metalwork you will do. This will help you determine how much space you need. For instance, people making individual items of jewellery will need far less space than those who want to make metal garden furniture. It’s not just the size of the finished article that matters; it is the size of the equipment you need to use and the size of the original pieces of metal you will cut down and shape to create the finished article. There is nothing worse (or arguably more dangerous) than trying to squeeze into a small space that is woefully inadequate for your needs.

You also need to make sure you have the right equipment. If you are making jewellery you are likely to need drill bits, hand snips, perhaps a jeweller’s saw and so on. However if you need to work with larger pieces of metal you need to start looking at larger pieces of metalworking equipment such as press brakes and so on.

The main task here is to try and refrain from looking for a cheaper option unless it makes sense to do so. For instance if you know you will need press brakes there is really no need to look at anything else that could do the job more cheaply. Using the wrong equipment in the wrong situation can be dangerous and could lead to an accident. At the very least you will get frustrated that things aren’t working out as well as they should.

Of course some items are essential no matter what size operation you end up with. This is why it makes sense to consider all the options so you can get a list of all the equipment you need. If you haven’t yet figured out where your workshop should be, this information will help you here as well.

As you can see this does give you a lot to think about. However it is best not to rush this stage of the process because you could end up regretting it. There is nothing worse than cramming too much into a small room, or renting a large space and finding you only need barely half of it to get by. Whatever you decide to do you can be sure of getting the best results with just a little forward planning. If you stick to this rule you won’t go far wrong.

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