Just Re-shop-le It!

     This week's blog is dedicated to my husband and his ingenuity when it comes to finding new ways to use old things. No, I'm not talking Antique-type old things, just re-purposing stuff that was originally intended to do something else.
     Like many a man out there, my hubby has a workshop where he keeps his tools, works on projects and goes to hide out from the kids.... I mean avoid the family... erm, uh, get some quiet time!
     UN-like many a man out there, my other half has built his work space out of entirely re-used and re-purposed materials. From the shelving to the work tables, everything in his workshop started it's life with some other intended use or function. Where some folks might buy shelving units, my partner has used milk crates. In lieu of fancy matching cabinets supporting his workbench, he used my childhood dresser for the support and plywood for the table top.
     Ok, so let's start with the space that he built his workshop in - The un-used half of our carport. Fully wide enough to house a car (duh), my mate has lined each side with a unique working area and shelving that fit his needs:

On the left is his wood working area, complete with extra long workbench (to accommodate most any length of board) and saw (which you can't see in this pic, but is sunken to allow the boards to glide smoothly across the blade). To the right is his electrical and soldering bench.

     Stepping into my consort's workshop is almost like walking into a Hidden Picture game - You just never know what you'll find, or what it'll be used for!

...................................................................................Begin pictorial tour...............................................................................

-- NOW --

     Here are some of those fatastically awesome kitty litter buckets I wrote about in an earlier article - clearly labeled as to what their new contents are:

 And milk crates galore!:

 This is plywood shelving that my helpmate originally built to be used at our Burning Man camp, which now keep projects and things-to-be-fixed in a - somewhat - orderly manner:

 And this little cabinet, which used to be a TV stand w/ wheels on the bottom, next to his dad's tool box:

 Lighting throughout his shop is provided by these string lights, which he made by somehow splicing the genes of light bulb fittings with a nondescript extension cord, giving birth to this brutish cousin of the Christmas Light...

(yes, they were another Burning Man creation -- see how well Playa-Tech works in the default world?)

Here's that childhood dresser I mentioned earlier. It's drawers are now filled to their brims with Sharpies, various tools, a car jack and car stands:

 A bookcase that came from who-knows-where and now bears the weight of technical-looking books and manuals and such:

 And, finally, my personal favorite -- The sliding doors from our kids' closet have now become a dual-purpose work table; my companion's electrical/soldering station, and a worktable for our son to use: 

(since I took this picture, my spouse added a tool box for our son to use. It belonged to my grandpa.)

     No, it doesn't match. It's not even particularly pretty or aesthetically pleasing. But it's functional, practical, utilitarian, and personally tailored to my monogamist's needs and liking. And the best part of all is that it hardly cost us anything!