Workshop in an RV

Has anyone ever customized an RV so they can have a mobile workshop?
Class A or C vehicle. I’d love to hear what you did and how it
worked out.

Happy 4th of July,
Kelley Dragon

Hi All,

Somebody on this list talked about portable work benches. Can
somebody forward me the info on one that is priced complete or the
plans to build one?

Teaching students on low tables is ergonomically hard for five days.
Seems it would be good to have something that could come together
quickly, be able to ship ground at a reasonable price and store
compactly when not using.

Sooo, any designers out there in Orchid land?

k

Has anyone ever customized an RV so they can have a mobile
workshop? Class A or C vehicle. I'd love to hear what you did and
how it 

I attended a festival once where a glass bead maker had the back of
her RV the “garage” area turned into a glass studio (lampworking),
but the class was actually outdoors. I think maybe she could work in
there, but for a class, just pulled everything out.

Elaine
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com

Kelley,

I can’t wait to hear what others may have done to build a rolling
studio. I have thought of doing this for years, but what keeps me
from actually spending the money to outfit the van is…where to park
it! I’m always looking at those brown UPS trucks with the skylights
built into the roof, thinking that would be ideal for my rolling
shop. I’d repaint the shop-truck first thing. I’m visualizing my own
version of a “hot rod”. Maybe a metallic orange with flames coming
out of the back end?

Jay Whaley

Teaching students on low tables is ergonomically hard for five
days. 

A common solution for felt makers and quilters cutting fabric is to
add PVC pipe extenders to regular folding tables. I recently did
this, we added 10 inch PVC pipe legs to tables and it worked very
well. That might do in a pinch.

Elaine
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com

Has anyone ever customized an RV so they can have a mobile
workshop? Class A or C vehicle. I'd love to hear what you did and
how it worked out. 

I knew a lapidary who had a shop inside his RV. He used to be at
Quartzsite much of the time, and was also associated with the
Spectrum sunstone mine. He also had to contend with being in a
wheelchair. I can almost remember his name…

I think Chris Rose would have contact

highdesertgemsandminerals.com
(775) 772-7724
or his associate Jessica Schenk
(775) 830-5797

Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ

Has anyone ever customized an RV so they can have a mobile
workshop? 

I had a 5th wheel I used as a getaway place for the last 10 years,
but I could not bring myself to try to work in there. In fine
weather, I used a torch just outside it, and I did some
titanium-anodizing at the kitchen table, but the inside walls were
literally made of paper, far too flammable. The idea of a UPS-type
truck with skylights might work, especially if you didn’t have to be
able to live in it as well.

Noel

Hi Kelley,

I didn’t actually customize a van, rather customized a bench that
fitted in the van. I used that bench for many years all over South
Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Check out

http://hansmeevis.blogspot.com/2010/01/mobile-jewellery-bench.html

Cheers, Hans

go to a pow wow and you will see motorhome and busses and anything on
wheel converted for every task you can think of. i know several
silversmith who live in thier motor home and work from them as well.
one just pass away I do not know if his life timepartner is continue
on or doing somthing else. love some of the setups saw one on a boat
that was somthing i wish i had taken photos of. sets up for sunset
fest in key west

jen

Elaine:

A common solution for felt makers and quilters cutting fabric is
to add PVC pipe extenders to regular folding tables 

Yes! I did the same thing to accomodate my wife who is not able to
bend over low tables. I cut four pieces of PVC pipe that would slide
on the table legs and put PVC caps on one end of each. They raise
the table about a foot in our case and makes working at the table
very much easier. And they are easy to remove when finished.

John
Indiana

Has anyone ever customized an RV so they can have a mobile
workshop?

There was a recent posting on… Apartment Therapy, perhaps, of a
studio in a shipping container, in a moderate climate. Not easily
mobile.

Elaine
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com/

Jay, your idea sounds Hot! I hope you post the photos when you get
your rig. I’m glad you understood what I meant.

I can see I used a misleading word in my question. Rather than
"workshop" I should have said “workspace” or “studio”.

So, has anyone modified an RV (Class A or C, not a trailer) so their
jewelry workspace goes on the road with them? I want to pursue
jewelry-making when I’m not out rockhounding.

best regards,
Kelley

I keep waiting for Hans Meevis to chime in on this… Hans?? Didn’t
you have a rolling studio in South Africa at one point? Or am I
remembering wrong? I seem to be remembering pics at some point…

Beth Wicker

You can buy adjustable tables from Sam’s Club or similar stores…
mine are lightweight plastic, and adjust to child height, regular
table height, and counter height. Love 'em! Cheap too…

Beth Wicker

Jay and others- Not so much a “portable class” setup- but a great
travelling story is Hans’ VWbus trek with his porta-bench he
designed… truly a good story, great pics and awesome
engineering… Perchance he could be convinced to re-play those
memories again (if you are reading Hans…)

Kelley,

It seems to me that one of the Class C motorhomes called “Toy
Haulers” might be appropriate for setting up a mobile studio. These
are usually empty in the rear section, intended to carry motorcycles
or ATV’s, but the front is a typical RV living area. I haven’t
actually paid attention to the wall material in the back, but I would
hope they are more durable than the interior walls in the living
section. One model that’s available is actually built on a class 8
truck chassis, so I think it would carry anything you could cram into
it. I believe I’ve also seen a Class A RV done in the same “Toy
Hauler” configuration.

One drawback might be that the entire rear wall is usually a
drop-down ramp.

I’ve been drooling over motorhomes for years; all this talk about a
mobile studio is going to start the slobbering again.

David Stitt

Hans, that looks awesome. Thanks for the “tour”. It’s amazing what
you can fit into a small space if you try.

PS- the grey desk in the back, I have the same one. Bought it off
the street for $20- It says property of JPL on the back. I love it.