Series editors' preface - Wood Tools

Solvent storage Solvents should be stored in
fire-proof stores in limited quantities. Corrosive
and flammable materials should be stored separately,
preferably in different rooms and certainly
not in the same cupboard. Bench storage
of solvent should not exceed about 250 ml of
each of the four most commonly used solvents.
Reserves of up to 50 l may be kept in the
studio in lockable fire-resistant steel cabinets.
Bulk storage of flammable solvents should be
in a separate building away from the main site
provided with adequate ventilation and decanting
facilities. Solvent storage is usefully developed
as a system that includes fully labelled
bottles and dispensers containing small quantities
of the solvents most commonly used
together with those required for the job kept
together in a tray. During the working day the
tray can be accommodated on a suitable trolley
and at night can be put away into a suitable
solvent cabinet. The components of this
system are shown in Figure 9.5. Flammable
solvents must be kept away from sources of
ignition. Swabs and solvent impregnated waste
should be stored in metal safety bins and emptied
regularly at the end of each working day.
Tool storage Tool storage needs to keep tools
in good condition, close at hand, safely stored,
easily accessed and easily put away. Tool storage
needs to be flexible to adapt to different
patterns of usage and to accommodate new
tools as they are acquired and to be a good
advertisement to any one who comes into the
workshop. A range of tool cabinets based on
removable trays, developed after long experience,
is illustrated and described by Frid
(1980). An excellent range of under-bench tool
storage options is available from the German
bench-maker Ulmia.
Wet areas
Wet areas may be required in the main workshop,
the finishing shop and the recreational
area. Consideration of the processes that will
be carried out in each area will enable the right
type and size of sink, taps and adjacent working
and storage spaces to be achieved. It may
be necessary to have fume extraction in some
wet areas and in particular to have one wet
work area with fume hood where potentially
hazardous wet chemical preparations (e.g.
diluting commercial strength ammonium
Conservation preliminaries 415
hydroxide solutions) can be completed safely.
It is very helpful if risk assessments on the
processes that will be performed in the workshop
can be carried out before finalizing these
arrangements. Purified water from a distillation
apparatus, deionizer or reverse osmosis device
can be provided on demand but may require a
storage vessel if large quantities are likely to be
required at short notice.
Electrical power supply
Consideration should be given, with a qualified
electrician, to the types of loads and usage patterns
that will be sustained to determine the
number of phases of the supply and the
cabling requirements. Before installing sockets,
thought should be given to how the supply
will be used to avoid leads trailing over work.
In the UK, regulations for site work require a
110 volt supply to be used. If the possibility of
much off-site work is envisaged it may be
worth setting up a 110 volt supply in the studio
that can be used with the same portable
equipment that will be used off site. There are
also regulations on the protection of power
supplies where solvents are in use and only
spark-proof equipment should be used when
working with solvents. This includes extraction
equipment and refrigeration plant. For safety
reasons, power supplies should be protected
by earth leakage circuit breakers.
Lighting and heating
It should be possible to achieve the right quality
and quantity of light when and where it is
wanted. UV radiation is not normally wanted
and should be eliminated. In studios where
daylight makes an important contribution to
the overall lighting, there should be UV retarding
film on the windows. Both quartz halogen
and fluorescent lamps should also be fitted
with UV filters. While a good overall light level
is desirable it is usually necessary to supplement
this locally by task lighting. This will
require different apparatus for different tasks
and careful consideration should be given to
the number and type of different light sources
that will be used. For good colour rendering
the available light sources include daylight,
tungsten (including quartz halogen) and some
fluorescent lamps specifically prepared to have
good colour rendering. Some colours which
match under one light source will not match