Ogberi's Shop

Got some work done this evening. Cleaned up the shop a little, and while I had daylight, I cut some pieces for the workbench. Then it got dark, and I brought the saw in. And couldn't help it. I started assembling the bench.
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It's all 2x6 construction, plenty of screws, lots 'o glue. Heavy as hell to boot.
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Only the three rightmost planks are screwed down, the others aren't yet. I need longer pipe clamps to get the job done. There's also a sheet of 3/4" hardwood plywood going to get screwed down (from underneath) and glued to the planking. I have yet to get the 2x6's on the bottom to support the shelf, but those are going to be purchased tomorrow along with the plywood. With luck, I should have the lathe mounted this weekend and making chips next week!

I know some will scoff at the idea of a wooden workbench, but my shop is a semi trailer, with a wooden floor. The whole thing can twist slowly as it settles, and the bench is about as flat as I can make it. Besides, that bench weighs a whole lot now, and it'll just get heavier as I add more wood. I think it'll be acceptable for a SB9A lathe and a Taig lathe. :)

And yep, I know the corner of the rightmost board looks high. It isn't that far out of level. The board I used across the short end of the bench was split a little, and I put the split at the top, where it wouldn't cause an issue with glueing/screwing the leg on square.

You can also see the empty junction boxes for electric. I won't have any issues finding somewhere to plug something in.

Lastly, if you don't have a little cordless impact driver..... get one. My little Ryobi 18v impact did an incredible job sinking a whole ton of screws without any fuss or a single stripped screw head.
 
Well, I staggered out to my shop today. Not from over-indulgence in spiked eggnog, but because this dang upper respiratory infection is in my head now, and it made my right eardrum bust. My equilibrium is all messed up. I found surface rust on far too many things, so I think I'll move my shop into the garage. I have a 2 car garage, and now that I'm living here alone, there's no need to discuss, only to plan. Besides that, now I have no idea if the electrical work for my shop will ever get finished (her brother was doing the work, but it's been far too long since anything got done.)

So, I think over the next few weekends I'll get my garage sorted out, and begin planning to move my shop to there. The current shop I'll keep, but I'll strip out the electrical already run, and install it in the garage (lights, mostly). I'm no stranger to doing electrical work, and honestly, I have a few friends I can pay in beer that'll get the job done faster than my brother in law. I'm honestly tired of waiting on him to finish this work. The conduit has been in place for over a year, and my shop still runs off of a dang extension cord. :/

So, I have to make some big decisions now. Should I epoxy the floor, or leave it bare concrete? Later today I'll measure and make cutouts on grid paper so I can play with arranging and re-arranging my stuff to get the best fit in the garage. All my foundry gear will remain in the current shop, but I'm undecided if I want to move the woodworking equipment too. Wood shop stuff takes up only a decent amount of space, but wood takes up tons, and I've had a woodshop in the garage. Didn't like it, because of the dust. Swarf isn't any better, but at least it's easier to control. I have 6 4' florescent fixtures (T5 or T8, can't remember right now), and I plan to put them all on one switch. I also have emergency lighting to install.

There is one 240V drop in the garage on one wall, and in the future I intend to add a nice milling machine. I'm looking at those 3/4 sized Bport clones (The PM9x39 looks inviting), so it makes sense to put my machines along that wall. But I'll have to drop a few 120V quads myself to have power for everything else. I'm also thinking about either a wall-shaker AC unit, or one of those split Mitsubishi units.

Anyway, I got bunch to mull over. And a Horrible Freight 20% off coupon that I may use on an engine hoist to help move my machines. Plus some paper cutouts to make and arrange/rearrange repeatedly.

Merry Christmas all!
 
I am seriously pooped. Friday I braved the crowds at Horrible Fright, and bought a 2 ton engine hoist. $179 with the 25% off coupon. Wasn't what I wanted to spend my Xmas bonus on, but I found fresh pry marks on the door of my workshop. Between that, and the rust, something must be done. And since I can't "legally" wire up a 14.4kv, 10KVA distribution transformer as a "fence charger and anti-thief device", I have spent the day moving stuff. I got some help from a neighbour to move my workbench, and while I had hoped to at least get everything in the garage this weekend, that may not be a plausible scenario. I'll keep plugging away at it, though honestly it'd be much easier to give those thieving bastards a bit of buckshot acupuncture to remind them that 'If it don't belong to you, don't touch it without permission.' Not sure what part of that simple rule is unclear to some idjits...
 
Sorry to hear of your troubles.. but glad to see you're moving forward. Can't speak of doing floors, I've never done them with a coating. But any AC in the shop is helpful when the temps get high - even up here in New England!
 
I would go with the split unit on a/c. Its harder for a guy to go through a 2" hole than a 24"x30" hole.
As for the floor, leave it raw. Less work & money.
I have split my wood and metal machinery, and have never looked back. The only gripe is handtools, buy another set of sockets and screw drivers for the garage.
Get to feeling better, and Happy New Year!

Sent from somewhere in East Texas Jake Parker
 
Over the last two weekends, I haven't had to be at work, so I've gotten a fair amount accomplished in moving my shop.

I got the Atlas horizontal mill, the SB9A lathe, the lathe bench, and most of my accessories moved to the garage. I've already put most of the accessories up on the pegboard, wired the lathe back up (it works, but I need a new motor-jackshaft belt), and started re-organizing my tools. Still have a bit of a ways to go, but I should be able to make chips this week, and that makes me happy.

Two car garage, I'm leaving enough space for the motorcycle. The truck does just fine outside.
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Also, I have pinup art to go on the walls in the man cave. :) Just need to get some frames for them. I do believe I'm going to move the heavy duty Edsal metal shelving out of the semi trailer and into the shop, on the right hand side, because it'll hold a lot more weight than the 'shelves' there already, allowing me to get more stuff off the floor, plus it's been cut down from 4x8 shelves to 2x8 shelves. Those hefty black totes with yellow lids from Home Depot fit it perfectly. It'll also make a nice place to store my metal stock, scrap metal bins, and junk boxes. There's also a drill press to be moved into the garage as well. Nice floor standing model.

Though, the more I think about it, the more I think that adding a shelf to the bottom of the lathe/mill workbench is a good idea. Some 2x4's across the front and back, two lengths of 2x4 per side to support the shelf, and some 3/4" plywood. It'd be a handy place to store the really heavy, rarely used stuff.

As a side note, I have some space between the far end of the lathe bench and the door. I am considering using a couple of black iron pipe flanges (you know what I mean, the ~4" diameter, 4 bolt holes & center hole) screwed to the side of the bench and ~3" of 1/2" black pipe screwed into those to hold my 3 & 4 jaw chucks. They'd be out of the way, but still easily accessible. I'll grab them this week, get it all done and post a pic.

So far, I'm thoroughly enjoying the process. Yeah, the physical labor part of it sucks, as does gathering up all my tools and moving them, but it's a dang good feeling to set up shop. I'm enjoying myself, and looking forward to dirtying up the floor with chips. Although, I do need to staple some heavy-duty plastic sheeting to the pegboard to cover up the gap between the workbench and the bottom of the pegboard. I'd rather not fling cutting oil off the chuck onto the painted wall. That won't clean of easily, and paint won't stick to it. (don't ask how I know that) I also need to get more light in there. Maybe one 4' T5 fixture per payday, wired in to the existing single fixture. I still intend to hang my emergency lights, as well. I may separate the garage lighting onto it's own circuit, but that would require a separate switch. Need to crawl into the attic and see.

At any rate, I'm enjoying myself and keeping busy.
 
Looks like a washer and dryer in the back. They double as a parts washer?;) Nice shop!

Bruce
 
It is looking nice, I would go with led lights, Yea more expensive and take you longer to get them, But better light, I put mine up and do not regret it.
the nice thing is that you are having fun.
 
Parts washer.... heh :) I would, but I have to wash my work clothes (business clothes) in there, and I'd rather not have to replace my button-downs because a couple-pound chunk of metal shredded them. Rags I can use, confetti I cannot....

On the LED lights, you reminded me that I have 5 nice LED light bars on-hand. I need to whip up a 40VDC supply for them, but I have all the necessary parts on-hand for that. Definitely on my to-do list now.

Gator, that's a dyna super wide glide. :) Good eye. It was my dad's. A few years back, I got a call from him. He told me, 'I almost dropped the Harley in the driveway (again). I think it's time I considered a trike. So, take your pick. Do you want the Harley, or the Goldwing?'

One of the hardest choices I've ever had to make. :) Free Harley, or free Goldwing....

But, as you can see, it's inoperable at the moment. It lunched the cam bearing (single cam EVO engines are notorious for that), and it's been a case of time or money, but never both at once. Then, last August, my dad died. It's not that I lost interest in the motorcycle, it's just that it's really hard emotionally to work on it, because that's one of the last things I was able to do with my dad while he could still do such things.

So, my brother (even though he's a complete jerk) and I decided that the most fitting thing we could do was pull the jugs and heads, and use them as a pair of urns to keep his ashes in. One for me, one for my brother. Seeing that it was one of Dad's most cherished possessions, it just feels right to do that. True, it means that I'll have to purchase a whole new top-end, (and still have to replace the cam), but now there's no reason not to spring for a big bore kit.

And, it'll be a damn valid reason as to why I have a dirty, road-grimey Harley jug & head on the fireplace mantle. Whomever comes along into my life next will just have to deal with it, and learn that it is *NOT* to be scrubbed clean. Dad always felt that a bit of road grime on a good looking bike showed that it was happy, the same way a hobby machinist with oily hands and some gunk under his nails is happy. Getting the urns done is the first project I have on my slate after my shop is in a workable state in it's new home.
 
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