Excited about my "NEW" Shop Building

Well, after my career misfortunes of last year I had to shelve my grandiose plans for building a BIG, NEW shop building. Instead I started converting my hay barn into a shop. I originally used the building for hay storage. Now that hay is rolled and easily kept outdoors it is no longer needed for that purpose, so I decided to make the most of it.

It is only 38 x 30, and not perfectly arranged, but I decided to make the most of it. It is a wood pole building with corrugated metal walls. Terrible to look at, but it should keep the rain and wind off of myself and my equipment.

I now have a concrete floor and almost have all my wiring done, with 110 outlets everywhere, 220V Metal Halide lights in the main area and 220 outlets for my table saw and wheel balancer. I have just a little more work yet to do to have power for my compressor and welder. Then in another couple of weeks I will have to run 220 to my new TWO POST LIFT! Boy am I excited about that? I turn 55 next month and I've been squeezing myself under cars on a creeper and trying to twist around to find the socket or bolt I dropped for all these years. It's now time I get to retire my creeper.

My creeper is a wood model that I bought when I got out of the army in 1971. I have recovered the head rest twice and it looks like it is army surplus from World War II. I plan on giving it its due memorial service.

On one end of the building is a low roof section that is 10 X 30. This will serve as my woodshop with the table saw arranged such that workpieces can extend into the car shop when necessary. That leaves a 28 X 30 section for two large car bays and a 30 feet long work area for benches, welding, metal cutoff saw and to stash such equipment as my a/c recovery machines.

I had to rebuild one of the doors which is about 8 feet wide and 13 feet tall. It is ready to go up and then I will then be able to start moving in my woodshop equipment. Hopefully I will have that done before my lift gets here. With the woodshop together I will be able to start building my benches and shelves for the car side.

I will be excitedly posting progress as I go.

Sorry for the personal post, but I just can't contain my excitement.

Have a great day,

[Mike Murrell]

I envy you Larry. The size you mentioned is nearly double that of what I work with.

Enjoy and don't forget to "change it hot; change it often".

Yes, what I work in is only 20 X 40, but it is so crammed I can't move. I try to use it for car work, wood shop and also have two cars that I try to keep parked in there at all times, at all cost.

I will not rely on the new space for parking, it will be all work space only.

Have a great day,

[joetam]

Larry,

Good for you and too bad I am in Hong Kong and not able to visit your great shop but I am sure we will always get your great input in the coming years. Good luck to your business.....joetam

[csnow]

Good for you.

Gives me 'lift envy'.

[md21722]

Sounds great Larry.

[G-Benz]

Show us some progress pics when you can!

It's certainly more room than I get as far as "shop" space!

Good idea. I just took a few pics with my camera phone, but I will not be able to email them to myself until I go to town since my phone does not have service at home. Once I email them to myself, I will post them here.

The camera phone pictures aren't very sharp, but they are small memory wise, so can be posted.

The building is in an "under construction state," but you can see my lights, my service panel and get a little bit of a feel about the open space befor the lift, benches, shelves and equipment go in. The building itself is a really ragged tin building. I closed off an open end with used sheet metal that I had on hand.

This building was damaged by a small tornado about three years ago, but I have managed to get it standing strong structurally again. I still have some holes to patch and such.

I'm just trying to "poor boy" something together and make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

Have a great day,

[Glen]

Sounds like a great workshop, Larry. Here in San Diego, that much space is unheard of. Congratulations!

[deanyel]

I've seen this before - first you move the hay out, seems innocent enough, then when you run out of room there, you move the kids out of their rooms, to live amongst the hay bales, rationalizing that hay bales are now more weatherproof than they used to be, so you can fill up their rooms with spare parts and tools - it's a vicious downward spiral.

[delsman]

That seems rather drastic, I would think there would be some livestock to move out, or a shiftless brother-in-law to put out before the kids, but you have time yet. It will keep them motivated.

Sounds like a shop worthy of you. It is good to have a picture of where you gain your wisdom. Enjoy.

[Ali Al-Chalabi]

Sounds great Larry, you deserve it. Some time in my future life, I hope to have a garage with a lift of my own.

Can't wait to see the pics.

[william rogers]

Larry, what type wood working do you do?

William Rogers.........

William,

I like to build about any kind of cabinetry or furniture that doesn't involve wood turning. I've built Chests of Drawers, Hutches, Gun Cabinets, China Cabinets, Book Cases and in most recent years I've built a number of fancy Cedar Chests that are solid aromatic Cedar. Aromatic Cedar, Oak and Hickory are native woods in this part of the country.

I started the Cedar Chest kick when my Mom wanted me to reproduce a really fancy Lane Cedar Chest that a friend of hers was given as a child in 1934. It has curly legs and simple but elegant carving on the front. I reproduced it as accurately as possible and now all of my Mom's 11 sisters want one.

I also really like doing fancy trim carpentry, making my own moulding using various methods.

Just like messing with cars, I've been working wood off and on since I was a teenager.

I will give progress pictures of my woodshop as it comes together along with the car shop equipment. Most of my woodworking equipment is old, but some is high quality, like my 60's era Powermatic Cabinet saw that came out of a high school woodworking shop. Weighs a ton and probably has enough power to make railroad ties.

After I knock off tonight, I hope to finish wiring the woodshop area overhead lighting and then getting that wire along with the balancer and table saw 220 wire over the door and hooked to the circuit breaker panel.

Have a great day,

[126nut]

Congratulations on the shop Larry!!