Dec 8 Dan Zen Expo Exhibit
Workshop
Dedicated to Mr. Ross who made the shelves
Once every couple years Dan Zen must clean the workshop. Projects are created and nests of scraps start to appear. Eventually the workshop is overrun and then it stays like that for a year or so. Let's find out if it is possible to make it tidy again.
Workshop Door ▲ Some left over signs when Dan Zen moved in. He adjusted the admittance sign. Top left is the Princess Mononoke mask he made with daughter, Madeline who also wrote a nice vision statement. Zen's Engineering Degree hangs upside down at the bottom as does a poster for the Mad Science Maker Fair. Love beads at left and love ties at right.
The Door Opens! ▲ A light show and the silk screen frame for Opartica at left as we slide back the knife that installed by Zen to prevent the kids from getting in. Sixteen years that knife has slid on three screws and not once has it faltered. It just slips behind the frame and holds the door when closed.
The Workshop! ▲ Here it is - quite messy with piles on the tables and floor. It is time for a cleaning - at first glance, it just does not seem possible. A few years back, the garage was cleaned so the Zen family could introduce a table tennis table. It did mean that some extra raw materials were moved into the workshop and it has been holding at saturation ever since. Perhaps even supersaturation.
The Main Table ▲ This table fills up quickly with scraps and tools. Every once in a while, Dan Zen clears a semicircle by pushing with his arms. This is about two months after RoseAnne, Zen's wife gave up and tidied the workshop. It did not last long. So... the easiest way to start is to put away tools which all have their place.
Tools Away ▲ The tools are all in their tray at top right or around the sides in their places. Now we start adding things to trays, boxes and baskets.
Scrap Pile ▲ Almost there! This is a fairly small leftovers pile as far as leftovers go. The average is twice this size.
Main Table Cleaned! ▲ That is the main table mostly cleaned. It will provide a space for other boxes as the rest of the room is tackled.
Ropes, Strings, Hoses and Wires ▲ These had gotten out of hand and are half way through sorting in the picture above. Wires, not shown are in another container. There are also collections of larger hoses and tubes outside the workshop in boxes, trunks, corners and outside at the side of the house. Zen works often with these raw materials.
Computer Parts ▲ Here we have mother boards in the wooden box, and various cards and parts in the other box and bin. These will stack. Smaller computer parts are in trays. Keyboards are at the end of the bench with the towers. Buttons and corks are under the wooden box. This is the last "messy" picture as we move to a "cleaned" workshop next.
Clean Workshop! ▲ There we go - everything in its place and what do you know, there is a bit of counter space and more floor space. Amazing. Let's take a look at some specifics.
Main Table Clean ▲ Here is a look back at the main table. There is a rough side at left with a vice just out of the picture. This is where cutting and filing happens and it is used for storage as will be seen later. The far side is smooth and used for most projects. It has a nice adjustable overhead light and a magnifying light. The tools are all at hand's reach as is a plug in front and the garbage on the hook. There is a scrap box underneath the main area as well as rags and gloves.
Presentation Shelves ▲ The back wall has presentation shelves for finished projects. Zen cut them so he could present taller projects like the money making machine, harp, and basket of various costume accessories.
Medallions ▲ Some of Zen's medallions - although the majority are hanging on the center post just to the left of the picture.
Space ▲ various space items are collected on the top right shelf. The shelf is a bit unorganized as pieces have been taken out a few times in the last year for presentation at the Half Century Celebration and the Mad Science Maker Fair.
Space 2 ▲ Another look at the space shelf with the mind meld mask at right included and a full view of Thee Gnostics Headwear.
Second Shelf ▲ A couple more money making machines, and various gadgets. The paintings you see here are by RoseAnne.
Bottom Shelf ▲ Dioramas, necklaces, not my ball prototype, light show prototypes, etc.
Presentation Shelves ▲ A full view of the shelves - note the chains and medallions on the center post. This gives Zen a good number to choose from when going out for a night out in Hamilton.
Trays ▲ At left is a tray of smaller computer parts, etc. There is also a lego tray where Zen is working on various fasteners like string, wire, suction cup, rings, computer parts, etc. And a dish Zen found painted of him in China.
Computer Parts ▲ Another tray of computer parts.
Metal ▲ Dan Zen has a number of scrap bins - this one of smaller metal parts.
Buttons and Beads ▲ Dishes of buttons and beads and lenses and washers, oh my. These are positioned right at the main table as they are often pillaged for projects!
Materials ▲ Here is the other side which is used to store raw materials like paper at left - there is a deceptive amount of paper, card, bubble wrap, wallpaper, felt, scrolls, etc. in that pile with custom shelf. Bags of craft material is at left and various paint, oils, wire, string, etc. line the shelves.
Wire ▲ Scrap wire hangs and is very convenient - easy to put away and easy to get.
Foam ▲ Bags of foam and some tubes thrown in for good measure. Not shown in any of these pictures is the large bucket of tubes, rods, dowels, etc. Just opposite this.
Electronics ▲ Old electronics are stacked here as are boxes of mirror and glass and bins of wind up devices, etc.
Stuff ▲ There are two large bins of stuff - from child hood - things like view masters, plastic containers under the material shelf. Fabric has been moved to under a table in the main garage.
String ▲ A view of the string, rope, tubes and wires put away.
Storage Units ▲ Zen has a few small cabinets of things like locks, handles, fasteners, scrap screws and nails, etc. This is one of these cabinets.
Screwdrivers ▲ A new set of screwdrivers for which Zen has made a holder.
Drill Bits ▲ Magnetic holder for stray drill bits. Zen has a half dozen different sets of drill bits including nice big metal bits. Not show is the wall next to the door just above this with all sorts of drill extensions for cutting holes, grinding, etc. as well as tools for electronics. Various Dremel cases, socket sets, X-Acto knife sets, etc. are down below.
Main Side ▲ Back around to the main side, some hangings by the door.
Nick Knack Shelves ▲ To the right of the main table are some shelves that hold collectibles like Poppin-Hoppy, Silly Putty, Fridge Magnets, Hand Computers, etc.
Tape ▲ Zen loves tape! He has started using tape as an art medium. With creatures extending from utilitarian taping jobs for instance, on the bottom of the Moog.
Fasteners ▲ Small collections of clips, grommets, rings, bells, springs, etc.
Hardware ▲ The nuts, bolts, screws and nails...
Power Tools ▲ On a nice ledge under the main table with cords held in by a snake made from wooden scrap.
Wood Cuts ▲ Scrap wood including offcuts in bins at the back and planks in a sliding tray. Big wood is in the main garage in a bin at the back.
Saws ▲ Zen inherited this nice way of keeping saws.
Files ▲ Zen inherited this excellent file drawer with files! Score!
Work Bucket ▲ One of Zen's work buckets for sawing, drilling, etc. An amazingly convenient way to work in tight quarters. Zen has made hundreds of projects on this bucket. The scraps fall inside and eventually are cleared. Easy to drill and cut - try it!
Conclusion ▲ This concludes the picture tour of the Dan Zen workshop. Zen has filmed the making of many of his projects for the last ten or twenty years. One day, these will find their way to the world - it will be quite the project. About twenty years ago, Zen provided a simple Workshop feature on Dan Zen. Not much has changed - a little less stuff back then but same happenings! Zen also made an imaginary tour through the workshop with the Kirputnik Cam. And here is a Zen Mix of a tour of the workshop from the Inventor Blog (requires Flash). Hope you enjoyed the Workshop Exhibit. Of course many of the things in the workshop are discussed in the exhibits found in the Archive of the Dan Zen Expo as well as the tours of the Museum. We hope you have time to explore!
