University Workshops

[Richard Brekne]

I would echo Newtons size requirements here. We are building a new
Conservatory building here in the next few years and in it are plans for a
roughly 500 square foot building. We will not be doing any soundboard
replacements or any other rebuilding that gets that deep into the
construction. They would rather just buy something new. With some effective
form of climate control, good maintainance, and changing out worn parts as
you go you can keep a Petrof on a reasonable good usage cycle for many
years. Keep an instrument up and rolling for 25 years in a University
situation and you have met every cost effectiveness requirement anyone can
reasonably ask of you in that situation.

Still 500 sq ft is needed if you are to move an instrument in and work on
it, inventory adequate supplies and parts for 130 instruments, tools and
machines and leave enough room to walk around and keep things reasonably
picked up.  You also need room for a small office as increasingly
Universities want documenation of your work, and that means paperwork. And
you want room for reference materials and the like.

I have seen a few workshops set up to do complete builds / rebuilds from
finish work to as deep into the construction as you can go. I dont see how
one could possibly do all that effectively unless one has lots and lots of
space to work with. These places had 3 to 4 rooms each the size of Newtons
Double garage.

All that said, At present I am using about 200 sq feet right now. Not much,
but it allows crowded space for workbench desk, some machines, tools and
supplies. And its amazing what you can get done with such limited resources
when you have to. But it is limiting and there is ofte times not much room
to manuver in.   We have just 52 instruments at present.

Newton Hunt wrote:


--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway
mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no