Introducing myself; Shop Design

["John VanCamp" <jvcstnwrks@zzzzzzzzzzzzz>]

Hi Bill,  Welcome to the lists.   As to studio size, build as large as you
can.  My shop area is built like a clerestory pole barn  Main bay is 18ft x
24 ft with an 18 foot rafter height. Each side has a 10ft x 24 ft shed bay
with 12 foot clearence. One of the side bays has been half inclosed to form
a tool room, and I have concrete slab in the main bay, and the tool room
side bay.  the other side bay is a stone debris floor that keeps getting
higher as I sweep the slab area off in to it. I prefer standing all day on
the dust rather than concrete.

Reason for the slab in the main bay is that instead of an overhead bridge
crain or I-beam trolley, I came up with an airforce surplus gantry crain
that is on wheels.  Moves around rather well if a stone chip doesn't get
under a wheel, and the entire gantry can be turned 90 degrees so my trolley
can run right to left as well as front to back in relation to the shop
floor.  It is a four legged affair that I can back my F-450 flat bed under,
although

I don't often need to since another favorite tool is a 1966 model Alice-
Chambers forklift that does much of the lifting, moving and placing around
here.  I'm sure that whatever means you employ to handle the stone will be
right for you, as you are doing the research before the fact rather than
after.

The light question is another important consideration.  My shop is open on
the southwest exposure and part of the southeast exposure.  In a perfect
world, I would have turned the whole thing so that  the open wall would have
a more nothern exposure, but things were built rather quickly in a community
response to a devestating fire, and I was not about to look the gift horse
in the mouth.  Anyway,  I do not like direct sunlight on a piece while I am
carving.

Much of my work is architectural in nature, and direct light makes it
difficult to distinguish between a line, and a shadow.  My preference is
diffuse natural light, and when the late afternoon sun this time of year
starts flooding my work, I find myself doing all sorts of strange things to
block it out. However, I do like a little direct light when doing finish
work on a carving - especially while polishing- so often that last work is
done out in the yard.  I have a multitude of flood lights in the shop also,
but find that they cast a lot of shadow so if it were necessary for me to
work late, I think I would need to find a bettor sourse of artificial
lighting. ( Anyone have any experience with what I've heard called a
"lowbay" fixture??).

Sorry to be so long winded, and not realy saying much.  Best suggestion is
visit with other carvers ( there are many in your neck of the woods), see
how they have set up, and get a feel for what best suits your needs. I will
say that working on a 7 foot block of marble will require some good material
handling capability.

Good luck,
John VanCamp / JVC Stoneworks