GLIDEANGLE 1 #1 February 6, 2009 I am a rigger-in-training (aka: baby rigger). It appears that many riggers in the USA work out of their homes. I am curious about how these home-based riggers have arranged their rigging workspace. Please share both text and photos of how you have arranged your rigging area at home. Specific questions (please don't limit your answers to these): --Where do you find room to pack ram-air canopies on the floor? --If you pack rounds... how do you address the 40 ft table requiremenet (if in USA). --Do you have a frame for hanging ram-air canopies by the tail for inspection? Details? --How have you arranged your sewing area? --Do you work in your garage? If so, how do you keep the rigs clean? --Where/how do you store supplies (thread, fabric, line, etc)? --Do you have special lighting in your work area? --If you do not live alone, do you have friction with your significant other over the use of space for rigging? If so, what is the solution you have worked out? Thanks!!!The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
linestretch 0 #2 February 6, 2009 I pack in the living room....plenty big enough. I don't pack rounds (the table is only a requirement for a certificated loft....I'm prett sure anyway), I have a line strung up across my living room (wall to wall) to hang canopies and do it every time, sewing supplies in a box...next to the sewing maching that's in the corner, no special lighting, and I live w/ my son so he doesn't have a say about the space or riggin in front of the tube! works awesome for me.my pics & stuff! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrigger1 2 #3 February 6, 2009 Quote I don't pack rounds (the table is only a requirement for a certificated loft....I'm prett sure anyway), It still is required if packing rounds. See below: § 65.127 Facilities and equipment. top No certificated parachute rigger may exercise the privileges of his certificate unless he has at least the following facilities and equipment available to him: (a) A smooth top table at least three feet wide by 40 feet long. (b) Suitable housing that is adequately heated, lighted, and ventilated for drying and airing parachutes. (c) Enough packing tools and other equipment to pack and maintain the types of parachutes that he services. (d) Adequate housing facilities to perform his duties and to protect his tools and equipment. [Doc. No. 1179, 27 FR 7973, Aug. 10, 1962, as amended by Amdt. 65–27, 47 FR 13316, Mar. 29, 1982] Cheers, MELSkyworks Parachute Service, LLC www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 36 #4 February 6, 2009 MEL, I thought you were a letter of the law guy. It doesn't say anything about only needing the table if you pack rounds. Its says you must have to have the table no matter what privilege you excercise. It also says it has to be 'available'. Doesn't say you have to own it or use it. I knew one rigger who, I wouldn't let pack my handkerchief, who claimed that his role of plastic counted. And this was in 1982 when you really were doing rounds. Idiot. Me, I've got one available in the hanger at the old DZ if I wanted to use it. But I also have a rack of 8' banquet tables that work just fine. And 30" rounds up to 3 feet. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 36 #5 February 6, 2009 I've rigged in my one bedroom apartment, my 1000 sq. ft. ranch house and in my 2000' square foot ranch house. Quote Specific questions (please don't limit your answers to these): --Where do you find room to pack ram-air canopies on the floor? You don't need a lot of room. You can inspect a ram air one cell at a time when flaked out on it's side. You don't need much room to pack one now using pro packing. It can be packed in 4 feet by 25' or so. Through doorways or down a hall for the rig can work. Not ideal but can work. Quote --If you pack rounds... how do you address the 40 ft table requiremenet (if in USA). In looking for my first house and in looking for my second house last year a 40' basement or other room was a requirement. My first house, a 1000 sq. ft. ranch had a 42' basement which was finished when I bought it. In looking for our new house with my wife of 3 years she was very understanding of my need. She's a jumper and knew what she was getting into. The 40' eliminate a lot of houses we looked at. I was ready to put a french double door or pocket door in the wall of one house to get the 40'. Every realtor in town knew the crazy couple that needed 40' to pack parachutes. We ended up with a 2000' ranch (4000' counting the basement) 70' long. The finished basement has a clear run of over 55' down a 4' wide (wider than normal hall. Almost 40' without the hall. As to the table I have 5 eight foot plastic banquet tables (about $80 each at Sams Club) and one 6' heavier table. I store them on edge on a moving dolly that I haded pipe flanges and pipe uprights to. Takes up about 24" by 8' when stored and is on wheels. While these aren't 3' wide they are wide enough. (see above post for by 'available' 3' table. I pack a lot of pilot rigs so I use the tables a lot. I pack a couple of rigs that are acutally need about 43 feet. I wore out one set of inexpensive fiberboard top banquet tables. Quote --Do you have a frame for hanging ram-air canopies by the tail for inspection? Details? I aquired a C track with sliding hangers for an industrial shower curtain. This is very low profile. I hang small plastic spring clamps from the sliding hangers. The whole thing hangs from my suspended ceiling. Doesn't have to be full canopy width if you don't have room. Examine on cell at a time and slide it over like a shower curtain. But I went for 20 plus years without one. Quote --How have you arranged your sewing area? I had 4 sewing machines essentially arranged in a circle at my hold house. Still setting up the new house and have more than four now. For years I used an extra strong portable home machine setting on one of my packing tables. I made an extra big flat table for it to fit in out of 2x4, plywood and laminate. The home machine would slide into a cutout for a 'table' size work area. As a baby rigger you can get buy with a home machine for awhile or one commercial machine like a 20U. These are normally on a 24x48 table. Can even sit in a living room. Quote --Do you work in your garage? If so, how do you keep the rigs clean? Nope, never seen one clean enough. My one at my new house was but isn't anymore. Quote --Where/how do you store supplies (thread, fabric, line, etc)? Plastic, card board boxes, file cabinent, plastic 'ammo' boxes. Now I put up a whole line of wall cabinets in my new utility room. You realy don't need to have all that much around. Quote --Do you have special lighting in your work area? When I remodeled the basement of my old house I put 5, 4'x 4 tube fluorescent lights in the ceiling down the length of my table. I had them on 2 circuits so I didn't have to blind myself all the time. I REALLY miss these in my new house and even though my basement area has 8 ceiling lights it's not enough. The best thing about my old house was the light and the worst thing about my new house is the light. I've put up several clamp on shop work lights to help out for now. GET MORE LIGHT. I never knew how much I used it until I didn't have it. I don't like the halogen work lights but you can get them pretty cheap with a stand at the places light Harbor Freight. Quote --If you do not live alone, do you have friction with your significant other over the use of space for rigging? If so, what is the solution you have worked out? I used to share my house with a cat. She never messed with any parachute for years but I kept them in bags anyway. One day she decided to snoop in one and got the S hook on her collar caught. I owed the owner a new pilot chute and a patch. After that I got 18 gallon storage totes and large plastic garbage cans to keep gear in. My wife knew that the basement in the old house was rigging (and another hobby I can't mention outside of SC). The new house I'm relegated to the utility room and setting up my tables when needed. Still more than enough room. I have to keep my 2 girls under 3 away anyway. I've always kept my tools in a briefcase type tool case. Things that don't fit like weights kept separtely. I now use a hospital type food table that goes up and down to hold my tool case and a crate added to the bottom for weights and other stuff. You really only need a tool box and 24x48 for a sewing machine. Maybe another file box for supplies. It is valuable to be able to leave things set in the middle of the job but it's not necessary. Other things; I put a hook in the ceiling joist over the basement stairs to be able to hang round canopies. Will probably do the same at the new house. A small pulley and some line gave me a place to hang them up to air, dry and shake out. One 'commercial' portable sewing machine is the Sail Rite. Search here or Google. But I used (and wore out using e thread) two necchis and a viking home machine over the years. The Viking still makes toggles (6 layers of webbing) better than my commercial machine. For drop off and pick up for people during the day or when I'm away I use a keypad opener for the garage. This has worked well for years so I don't have to always be there when long term customers drop off or pick up. For new customers I want to talk to them face to face. Another consideration is manuals and references. I probably have 3 file drawers worth of stuff (actually more like 3 file CABINETS but you won't collect stuff that fast.) While most of the manuals are available electonically it's easier to have a paper copy to refer to. So a four drawer file with manuals and supplies can be a good choice. I've also used one of the plastic rolling drawer units from places like Target for spare parts and supplies. Hopefully things will be a little neater when I get completely unpacked in the new house. I did a presentation a few years back at PIA on being a Part Time rigger. It's on the computer at home. But other things. Legal.. Can you legally have a 'business' in your home. For the most part this isn't much of a worry from a municiple enforcement angle. But, in my city you need a home occupation permit. You can't have customers come to the house, you can't have machines or equipment not normally in a home, you can't have any outdoor signs, no more than 25% of, hmm, one floor I think, can be used for the business. The commercial sewing machines I'd have for my own use and the 'customers' are all my friends. Packing a few rigs nobody would know or care. But I'm on the City Council so I need to go by the book. BUT, if you house burns down because your commercial sewing machine used in your business had a short is your insurance going to pay off? If your house burns down with 5, $4000 rigs in your basement that aren't yours is your insurance going to pay for them? That's enough for now. Have fun.I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GLIDEANGLE 1 #6 February 6, 2009 What a fabulous answer!!! Thank you!The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kingbunky 3 #7 February 6, 2009 ***PLEASE NOTE*** men are not allowed to use the word 'fabulous', unless in reference to the muff brothers. who are, of course, fabulous. "Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart." MB4252 TDS699 killing threads since 2001 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrigger1 2 #8 February 6, 2009 Terry, You got me good there! I just never met anyone that did not have a table and didn't pack rounds so I am a little out of my element....give me a break! BS, MEL Skyworks Parachute Service, LLC www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
linestretch 0 #9 February 6, 2009 QuoteQuote I don't pack rounds (the table is only a requirement for a certificated loft....I'm prett sure anyway), It still is required if packing rounds. See below: § 65.127 Facilities and equipment. top No certificated parachute rigger may exercise the privileges of his certificate unless he has at least the following facilities and equipment available to him: (a) A smooth top table at least three feet wide by 40 feet long. (b) Suitable housing that is adequately heated, lighted, and ventilated for drying and airing parachutes. (c) Enough packing tools and other equipment to pack and maintain the types of parachutes that he services. (d) Adequate housing facilities to perform his duties and to protect his tools and equipment. [Doc. No. 1179, 27 FR 7973, Aug. 10, 1962, as amended by Amdt. 65–27, 47 FR 13316, Mar. 29, 1982] Cheers, MEL Thanx for the clarification. Then I can say that my floor which is wider than 3' and longer than 40' will do....right?my pics & stuff! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peregrinerose 0 #10 February 6, 2009 First, I don't do a lot of rigging, as living in DeWolf country, you can't spit without hitting a rigger and I don't like stepping on other peoples' toes, so don't even advertise that I do rigging work. I do mine, my husband's, and a few friends'. My new house, however, has the ideal rigging situation. I live in an 1890 bank barn that was renovated into a home 30 years ago. The top floor is a loft... so my rigger's loft is up there. It's a fairly long room, never measured it, but never had a problem laying out rigs to pack. All my tools and manuals are up there, plus my 2 sewing machines. To inspect, because the loft is over a living room with vaulted ceiling, I made my own canopy hangar. It's made of 2 painting poles hooked together with some pvc and duct tape, and clamps on it. I have a pulley system set up on one of the barn beams in front of the loft, so I can hang and inspect rigs in the living room, then take them up to the loft for packing. The loft is well-lit, no one goes up there but me (my husband is only allowed up there for occasional conjugal visits ), it's my man-cave. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 36 #11 February 6, 2009 By the way, there are no 'cerified lofts' anymore. They did away with parachute lofts 15 or 20 years ago.I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrigger1 2 #12 February 6, 2009 Quote Then I can say that my floor which is wider than 3' and longer than 40' will do....right? Sure, just go underneath the house and screw in 4 legs to it...and bingo ..there you are! MELSkyworks Parachute Service, LLC www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,075 #13 February 7, 2009 Hi Mark, Quote Sure, just go underneath the house and screw in 4 legs to it...and bingo ..there you are! Actually, wasn't it Mark Baur that used the floor as his packing table? And the FAA agreed that it had 'real short' legs. JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mark 105 #14 February 7, 2009 Quote Hi Mark, Quote Sure, just go underneath the house and screw in 4 legs to it...and bingo ..there you are! Actually, wasn't it Mark Baur that used the floor as his packing table? And the FAA agreed that it had 'real short' legs. JerryBaumchen Wasn't me, was the guy I got my seat rating from. Mark Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrigger1 2 #15 February 7, 2009 Quote Actually, wasn't it Mark Baur that used the floor as his packing table? And the FAA agreed that it had 'real short' legs. I also never said how long the legs had to be.MELSkyworks Parachute Service, LLC www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 561 #16 February 15, 2009 While it might be possible to pack round canopies on the floor ... I am far too old and far too grumpy to spend that many hours on my knees. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
