It’s November, we’re going into the darkest months of the year and yet we’re still excited. And it’s not because Christmas is around the corner, no. It’s because we have opened up our workshop and what a transformation it has been!

When we sought to open up our own workshop with an in-house CNC router, we had to find the space to do so. Around these ‘ere parts, that’s not easy to find. We’re on the London/Hertfordshire border which actually turns out to be an ideal location if you can get your space.

On our search we came across this old barn near us, based in Elstree…

Was it rough around the edges? Most definitely, but it shows that you what you can do with a bit of polish and hard work. It’s a space we’ve transformed ourselves and we’re proud of that, if we may say so ourselves.

It now houses a dedicated CNC router with a bed size of 8 foot by 4 foot (1220x2440mm) which means we can cut a wide range of sheet material… but I’m not here to sell you the machine, I’m here to give you a look at the transformation of the workshop.

We needed to build a wall, the greatest wall (watch your back, Mr. Trump). It would however, be a crime to cover up those lovely solid wood beams, this building is rather old! We used chipboard as the material not just because it’s well priced but because we’re also a fan of it’s aesthetic. How could you not agree, that’s one sexy wall.

With Christmas approaching there’s one thing this workshop needs… a Christmas tree! Wait, no. Insulation, that’s the one. Here’s our resident handy(ish) man plugging away at that fibreglass. The workshop keeps us super toasty now!

We sealed off the CNC router machine, to contain noise and any potential dust. However, we still need to get material on and off the machine. To do so we made a large (more chipboard) sliding door to access the machine quickly. And boy, is it satisfying.

And finally here’s the most workshop again (you can never truly finish a workshop)…

Time to fill it with lots of material and get cutting!