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,

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,

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

Good for you.

Gives me 'lift envy'.

Sounds great Larry. :)

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,

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

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.

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.

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.

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,

Congratulations on the shop Larry!!

Congratulations from here, also!
 

I always hoped that when I retired (only 13 months away! -- if you think creepers cause pains in the mid-50s, you ought to try it in the 60s), I'd be able to move back to my father's shop on the farm in Minnesota, with a 24 X 40 heated workshop and a large machine shed attached to store projects, since it's too small for modern farm machines, but the beloved has decided she must stay in a warmer climate (even though she's the one who obviously shares a lot of genetic heritage with that Olsson girl [Ann-Margaret Olsson]), and since she's 5 years younger and women tend to live 5 years longer, I don't want her stuck someplace she doesn't want to be for 10 years after I've left this world.

These are lousy, camera phone pictures but they were quick and easy. As you will see the building is just a ratty old tin hay barn, but it is coming together with concrete floor, adequate wiring and will take shape with benches, shelves and a two post lift as time moves along. My lift should be here in a week or two.

The first picture is looking from the woodshop (low roof side) toward the car shop side. There is still lots of construction mess.

You should be able to see in this picture that there's lots of light. The fixtures aren't perfect for the application, but they were filthy cheap. They are high bay, metal halide hanging about 13 feet from the floor.

This one is from the car shop area looking over into the low roof wood shop area. You should see the suspended lumber rack. It is full of really nice aromatic cedar ready to be turned into cedar chests.

Since I took this picture I've finished adding the light fixtures in the wood shop area. It is not as well lit as the car shop section, but not bad and can be turned on and off individually by fixture and then all of them turned off at the door.

This is from the outside looking in as the sun is going down. It should give you an idea how much light I have.

The concrete pad in the left foreground is for my tire machine.

Larry,

Looks great! You'll have more than enough room to work on your cars.

What are you going to do to heat the space during the winter and cool it in the summer? Or are you just going to "rough it"?:cool:

Larry,

You give me inspiration to work hard to be able to afford to build one myself one day.

Since I still have a good number of years in school left, I will look at your pictures and dream....

Great Job.

Sincerely,

Mike McKinney

For cooling there are the double doors on the back and the ports on the side. The back is toward the South and the side is on the West. We have a prevailing southwest wind here, so I will get a little breeze plus the use of a heavy squirrel cage fan that I can aim where I am working.

Heating is almost impossible. My existing shop is also a non insulated metal building and whatever heat you pour in just goes right through the metal. I have a few radiant heaters that I aim where I am working. I also have a Dearborn. I plan on building a wood stove before next Winter since I have an unlimited supply of firewood that only costs the fuel for the chainsaw.

So, mostly I will be roughing it. In the past my work gets limited to what MUST be done during July, August and January,February.

Have a great day,

Congratulations Larry! ! !

That is awesome :cool: :cool: :cool:

Here's the latest equipment put in the shop. My 300E.

I hope to post pictures of the lift in place in a few weeks.

Have a great day,

Looks great Larry - where will your bed be located?

I recommend the 3-blade metal industrial fans to move the air. It will help create a breese in the summer and circulate the heat in the winter. I installed one in my garage after putting in a natural gas heater. Before the fan the heat would go to the ceiling and never heat up the garage. After the fan the garage would heat up fast and evenly.

The bed is in the corner beyond the left front of the car. That bed, however, is for the dog, mine is in the house.:D

I got the rail up for the other front door last night. If I can get someone to help now, I'll stand up the door and then I'll be ready start moving in equipment. The lift is due to be shipped this week, maybe even today.

Have a great day,

Dang Larry. Looks like I'll hafta start hunting a transfer back home to the Great State, if only just to have some access to one heck of a car/wood shop. I'll even bring my lathe and get you started on some furniture projects that involve turning (the wood lathe is the one machine that truely scares me...but I have one anyways. You've seen the pictures of the rocking chair I built.) I am turning green with envy.

Mike,

The odd thing about a wood lathe is that the first serious woodworking project that I ever undertook was a floor lamp that consisted of a bunch of curvy turnings. It was ninth grade woodshop and I won a ribbon with it. My Mom still has it in the attic I think. (Doesn't fit her decor, at least that's her story.)

For some reason I have just never gotten back into wood turning. If I could get a really nice, heavy wood lathe for reasonable money, I might do it. I was spoiled by that big, heavy, expensive lathe we had in the junior high wood shop.

A heavy lathe with variable speed doesn't really scare me. A 3/4" shaper with big cutters is what scares me. I have developed good safety habits on everything else so I'm not intimidated, just respectful. Hope I don't ever lose any limbs on any of this stuff.

Have a great day,

My fear feeds my respect, or is it vice versa? I acquired the fear of the machine in junior high, 8th grade shop, where I watched more than a few classmates get the chisels yanked from their hands and launched into the ceiling. Something about those images has haunted me ever since, which probably drives me to use a gentle touch and a very firm grip. The launch episodes most came, IIRC, on inital gouges when the chisel is catching the sharp corners. Knocking those corners off on the table saw is feasable on large turnings, but not for the lomg, thin seatback spindles.

That's a great story Larry, one I will follow with great interest, I take my hat off to you. I know what you mean about the creeper, I turned 50 last year and I think my days of crawling under cars is coming to an end. A car on axle stands is about as far as I really want to go, especially in the summers here. All the very best of luck and again, well done !

Nice big shop! hope you fill it with fine tools fine wood work and fine cars.

Here's a tool scare story for you and Mike.Back in the sixties till mid seventies I was half owner of a machine shop. We had a contract to sharpen cutting tools for the Goodyear conveyer Belt plant in Marysville Ohio.The plant manager told my partener (he had worked there at one time) that the contract for the wooden spools that all their belts were shipped on was up for bid. We bid and got the contract which was a big contract.

We took in a third person built a pole building on his small farm and started buying industrial wood working equiptment.One tool we bought at auction was a very old five station sticker with a cabnet full of moulding cutters. As it was so old that it was flat belt driven we converted it to seperate 3 phase ele. motors for the three stations we needed and the power feed.

The spools were built from yellow pine 2x8's radiused at one edge each with a tounge and gruve so when four were air nailed together the spool had rounded coners and a square hole in the center for the belt winder shaft to fit into.

We machined cutters out of high speed steel and went into production (We bought Southern Yellow pine by the train car load).Yellow pine which the contract called for is hell on tools and we found that buy speeding up the cutters we got a better cut and they stayed sharp longer. The problem was that this old stricker was not made for the rough use we were giving it and would throw cutters! a pound of sharp tool steel coming off at high RPM's is no joke they went through the metal siding of the building like it was paper and we would find them a hundred yards out in the field.At the time being young we paid it little mind as it was a very strong money maker and we stayed out of the path of the flying tools which pretty much went in one direction...........

William Rogers.......

William,

Great story. I was afraid that it was leading to a tragic ending. A large high speed shaper is an intimidating machine. I have an ancient, cast iron, 1/2" shaper. You can't get too many cutters for it any more, except if they have small enough outside diameter, you can use a bushing.

I got all the 1/2" cutter shapes I could find before they completely give up on making them. Between it and a router I make do.

I got the framework of a heavy workbench finished and in place last night. I have some old pallet planks that are five quarter Oak and in pretty decent shape. I started resawing to 1" last night. Once they are all resawn, I will then run the clean edge through the surface planer and then groove the edges for a spline. I expect this to make a really sturdy bench top. I expect it will look pretty nice too.

Have a great day,

VOILA!!!!!!!!! I have an OPERATIONAL TWO POST LIFT!!!!!!!

I hope to get a picture tonight before going to the dinner tomorrow night.

Now I have to get all my tools and equipment out there. That is a large job since I have no help.

My tool box goes first, then my workbench cabinet, then the wheel balancer, tire machine and recovery machines. The air compressor is there and wired.

I hope I don't pee in my pants I'm so excited.

Have a great day,

:D I was going to say, "where's the pics??!!":D

First let me say that I've always respected your 'down to earth' replies and comments since I've belonged to this great forum...thanks. I also turned 55 this year and I can fully empathize with your "creeper mentality". I have pretty much relegated most repairs to others, but if I had a shop like yours I would get back into the DIY for sure!! I just wish I had that much room to garage all three of my Benz's at once (alas, one of them is rotated outside on a schedule. I'm not sure where you are in Texas, but in neighboring New Mexico I know how important it is to keeps these cars out of the sun....I'm jealeous. And a lift too...damn!!

I'm in far NorthEast Texas, but it's still hot enough to be murder on a car that is left outside.

Have a great day,

Was just talking to a fellow that restores MG's about 2 and 4 post home shop lifts . He said was wise to do some research and to stay away from the real cheapies.

Had a friend in FL that had the old gas station type lift in his shop he also had a big lathe a bridgeport ,plasma cutter you name he had it.I went to his shop one day and he was spraying two part auto paint without a reperator or any protective clothing so I doubt he is still on the planet.......

William Rogers.........

He is probably not on the planet in one way or another. I've known a few auto painters over the years that went nuts from the fumes. Sort of a drug addict, or glue sniffer. They definitely end up in outer space.

Yes, there are some lifts out there to stay away from. There are several that are really cheaply made overseas and they imply they are USA made. This has driven down the prices for all of them. Mine was sold by AmericasPrideOnline, but is made by Gemini in Fort Worth, Texas. I've been by their plant.

It is their low end model, but plenty strong and good enough for my purposes. It is rated at 9,000 pounds and I expect the heaviest thing I will ever put on it will my 4WD Ford pickup that weighs about 5,000.

The support and people behind the unit are really great too. I don't recommend companies or products unless I really believe in them and they treat me right. These people AND their products really earned my recommendation.

Have a great day,

These pictures are from my camera phone so the quality isn't very good, and please excuse the "construction clutter."

Have a great day,

It's now time to start moving my tools and other equipment. I have to go out of town this week, so I hope I can at least get my tool chest moved over next weekend.

Heres's a shot with the car all the way up. I wish it had about 2 more inches of lift. If I were about 5' 10" I would not have to stoop. There are places underneath right now where I have to stoop.

I got a tall fuel drain and a transmission jack on Friday while on the way to the Dinner.

Have a great day,

Very cool Larry. I knew I should have taken the time to swing up to the house for a visit today. When I passed through Sulpher Springs I almost called the house to get directions. I spent the morning with Greg and Randy out at Greg's place in Elgin where Greg and I watched Randy work on his parts car ;). Maybe my next trip to the Great State will afford me enough time to get out to your place.

I'm bumping this thread because someone wanted pictures of my lift. I tried posting them, but the system refused, saying that they were already posted in this thread.

Since I'm here, I guess an update on the shop some five years later would be appropriate.

It is now pretty stuffed. I've built lots of shelves, piped air drops with black pipe, added a sixty gallon compressor to my old 30 gallon compressor with both feeding the air plumbing system. This gives me adequate volume for painting.

I've added another work bench. I've added a MIG welder and built a large cart for it and my stick welder. I've also added a bead blasting box and built a welding table.

The woodworking tools are pretty much in place, but I have a 78 Ford, Short Bed 4X4 truck apart for restoration. My wife and I bought it new and she wants it done. This is taking up the wood shop for parts storage, so I hope I can get this project done and get the whole shop back in usable condition again.

I try to keep the lift accessible so that it is always ready for maintenance and emergency repairs.