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Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT The Mary Kay Garage

Workspaces sized between 265 and 485 squarefeet.
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pickles

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Jan 31, 2010
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790
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Chicago
When you get the last display case finished, can you post a family photo of each one? I’m trying to get some ideas together for some of my tools.

Thanks in Advance.
Would be happy to. However you should be aware that with my repeated tendency to get projects 98% done then stop, finished could be years from now.
 
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pickles

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I’m going to call this done. Well, errr, 97% done. I still have not made a holder for my dovetail saw but I also want to get a tenon saw too and store that i that same area if I can. I’ll wait until I have both saws before making mounts for them. I did finish the top chisel rack and finish all of the parts that I had not previously finished (both adjustable shelves and both chisel racks). On to other stuff. IMG_1331.jpeg
 
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pickles

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790
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Chicago
The last thing I need right now is a new project. Also I’m really not someone that needs to get a free anything from anyone. Any of you who has read even a part of this thread knows that I’m pretty good a using my own money to make significant often frivolous purchases of tools, cars, boats and many other garage related items. But here we are.

A little back story. Earlier this summer I was at Starbucks early on a weekend morning with couple of other middle aged and up men that are usually the only ones wanting coffee on a Saturday at 5:30 am. I was talking to one of the regulars and a third guy (I don’t even know his name) and we got on the topic of vintage motorcycles. I guess the names less guy has a couple of them. As we are talking another guy (I told you there are lots of guys that early at Starbucks) who was sitting quietly a couple tables away joins in on he conversation because he has a dozen or so vintage motorcycles. I’m enjoying the conversation but not adding much as I’ve never owned a motorcycle, vintage or otherwise.

I do however say that maybe I might want to get a Vespa someday. Maybe convert it to electric power as I’ve seen kits on YouTube. I live in a city and sometimes it would be handy to have such a thing for a quick trip to get groceries, or perhaps even to get to the men’s group that occurres at Starbucks. The guy that just joins the conversation looks over at me and says that he has one. And he’ll give it to me. It’s perfect he says. While it runs the motor is bad and somebody laid it down at some point but I can have it.

I gave him my phone number but didn’t expect him to actually call. And he didn’t. That was a couple of months ago but I ran into him again this week and he asked again if I wanted it. So I came over to his house today and now I own a free Vespa. IMG_1358.jpeg

Like I said. Just what I need.

I’m not really sure what I m going to do with it. The conversion kits I’ve seen are all for older models of Vespa. I have no idea if anybody makes anyth8ng for something this new. Maybe I should try to just get a replacement motor? Either way I’d like to get it running. The body is a little beat up but I’d be happy to ride it as is if I can get it running. How hard could this be?
 
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draco_1967

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Joined
Jan 3, 2021
Messages
209
Location
Utah
There's a good e-Vespa build on ADV-rider forums. It was an older Vespa, but wasn't a plug-n-play kit. I think you would lose much of the handy storage space going electric, which would make it a little less useful as a grocery-getter.
 

PugetDude

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Mar 13, 2013
Messages
22,459
Location
Superstition Mountains, AZ
The last thing I need right now is a new project. Also I’m really not someone that needs to get a free anything from anyone. Any of you who has read even a part of this thread knows that I’m pretty good a using my own money to make significant often frivolous purchases of tools, cars, boats and many other garage related items. But here we are.

A little back story. Earlier this summer I was at Starbucks early on a weekend morning with couple of other middle aged and up men that are usually the only ones wanting coffee on a Saturday at 5:30 am. I was talking to one of the regulars and a third guy (I don’t even know his name) and we got on the topic of vintage motorcycles. I guess the names less guy has a couple of them. As we are talking another guy (I told you there are lots of guys that early at Starbucks) who was sitting quietly a couple tables away joins in on he conversation because he has a dozen or so vintage motorcycles. I’m enjoying the conversation but not adding much as I’ve never owned a motorcycle, vintage or otherwise.

I do however say that maybe I might want to get a Vespa someday. Maybe convert it to electric power as I’ve seen kits on YouTube. I live in a city and sometimes it would be handy to have such a thing for a quick trip to get groceries, or perhaps even to get to the men’s group that occurres at Starbucks. The guy that just joins the conversation looks over at me and says that he has one. And he’ll give it to me. It’s perfect he says. While it runs the motor is bad and somebody laid it down at some point but I can have it.

I gave him my phone number but didn’t expect him to actually call. And he didn’t. That was a couple of months ago but I ran into him again this week and he asked again if I wanted it. So I came over to his house today and now I own a free Vespa. IMG_1358.jpeg

Like I said. Just what I need.

I’m not really sure what I m going to do with it. The conversion kits I’ve seen are all for older models of Vespa. I have no idea if anybody makes anyth8ng for something this new. Maybe I should try to just get a replacement motor? Either way I’d like to get it running. The body is a little beat up but I’d be happy to ride it as is if I can get it running. How hard could this be?
HF Predator engine... Or one of the Kohlers on the deals thread...
 
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pickles

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So I can strIke another thing off of the long list of things I’d like to get done. Specifically I mean painting the ceiling of the garage. I’ve wanted to paint the ceiling of the garage black for awhile now. It only made sense to do that after I had gotten the ceiling spray foam insulated. Finally got around to it this weekend

I hate painting and I had never painted with a sprayer before but it made sense to try that here. I tried to be as careful and patient as I could doing the prep. I usually rush with the prep. I think it turned out ok.IMG_1394.jpeg
IMG_1391.jpeg

IMG_1395.jpeg
I still hate painting.

The garage is a bit darker with the black ceiling so I’m planning on upgrading the lights in the garage. It’s something that I had intended to do anyway but now it’s something I need to address soon. I’m also hoping to put in a DIY mini split before it gets to cold outside.

FYI. Here is the current list. IMG_1396.jpeg
 
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pickles

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Jan 31, 2010
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790
Location
Chicago
Since I’ve built it my garage has needed better lighting. That’s even more the case since I painted the ceiling black. I needed more lighting. I know they are every YouTube detailers cliche but I nonetheless decided to try LED hex lights in the garage.

I bought a cheap kit off Amazon on last week and also some suspended ceiling hangers to attach them to my ceiling. I got as far as putting up the outside rectangle of lights last weekend. I still have to put up the hexes in the center. I should be able to do that this weekend. IMG_1412.jpegIMG_1409.jpeg
I still will need to do some final adjustments when the rest of the kit is installed. Even with only half of the lights installed it does throw off a tremendous amount of light even if it is a little bit harsh. I’m not sure if this is going to be my forever lighting solution but for now it will make it a lot easier to work in the garage.
 
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pickles

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Chicago
For Mary Kay, are you going with Classic Autosounds, Custom Sounds, or RetroSounds? Old looking radios with new features like Bluetooth.
Xtremek, Sorry, I just realized that I had not responded to your post. Yes, I’m going to go with that type of system. I want something that looks original nd that I can get Spotify or a podcast from. I’m not looking for any big subs or lots of speakers of anything like that. Just something boring
 
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pickles

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Chicago
Lighting update. I wasn’t able to get as much time in the garage this weekend as I would have liked. I had some yard work to do and also a black tie charity event for Ronald McDonalds Children’s Charities to go to last night. But I did get the rest of my hex lights up. IMG_1449.jpegIMG_1445.jpeg
I do still have some work to do. I want to move the center section of hexes forward so that they are centered in the outer rectangle. After that I will do som3 final adjustments to make all the lights level. Right now the lights are just plugged into an outlet. At some point I’ll want to get an electrician to come in to put them on a new switch.
 
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pickles

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Y'all have done a hell of a job pulling it all together too.

I'm not sure how old you are, but thank you for keeping Mary K pretty original.
I'm 54 right now - so just a little bit younger than Mary Kay herself. I might have considered some changes for drivability, reliability or safety reasons but otherwise yeah I agree original is the way to go. Mary Kay was pretty great as she came from the factory and even back then had disc brakes, seat belts and air conditioning. While the AC doesn't work now I do like the disk brakes and seat belts - I probably would have modified her if they were not there originally.

I am seriously considering getting another project car in the next year or two. Likely something I would take down to bare metal and do a full ground up restoration on. It’s kind of a bucket list item for me. The 69 Roadrunner I posted about awhile ago is still available and might still be something I do. If I a project like that I probably would consider some upgrades. Things like AC and disc brakes, maybe even upgrading the engine, but I would definitely want to keep the original appearance both inside and out - or at most the modifications that a Roadrunner would have had back in the time (headers and 15 inch Torq Thrust wheels perhaps).
 
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pickles

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So I’m hoping to mine the collective wisdom of this forum to mistake proof my plan to add heat and air conditioning to my garage. It gets cold in Chicago in winter of course and now that ive had the ceiling of my garage insulated I’m in a position to do something about it. The ceiling has three inches of spray foam and the garage door is insulated. The walls are not. They are concrete block inside a single layer of brick. The goal is largely to just heat the garage up to 50 or 60 degrees in the summer on a cold winter day. I don’t feel the need to heat it to 70 degrees. Air conditioning for the summer is a plus too but that isn’t the main goal.

My plan is to install a Mr Cool DIY mini split. I’m planning on a 18,000 BTU unit which they say is more than big enough for my approx 22 by 22 foot garage.

I plan to mount the air handler on the wall here. basically just behind the wheels on the bikes.IMG_1476.jpeg

The condenser will go here. Mounted on the stem wall.. IMG_1478.jpeg

I plan to build some sort of vented cabinet around it eventually. I’ll incorporate some outdoor storage and maybe a grill as part of the cabinet.

im planning on running the refrigerant lines thru my brick wall, along the space between mt garage abd the one next door and then back thru the stem wall to connect to the condenser. This means it will be above the air handler. I know that’s not typical but I don’t see a reason why that would be a problem. There is a small amount of space between the two garages. It’s not a lot but i can get in there especially if it’s just to run a refrigerant line. See below IMG_1480.jpeg

Some of my questions if anybody wants to opine. Is this the right size unit, If I go down to 12,000 BTU it’s a 110 unit so install would be easier I suspect. Should I consider running the refrigerant line thru the roof instead of poking to holes in my brick wall. What’s the best way to drill a hole thru the brick walls assum8mg I go that route. And finally just a general question to ask if Im generally doing anything wrong with my plans. Thanks.
 

Uofime

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Jan 11, 2021
Messages
174
Location
Charleston SC
The compressor being above should be fine, but check the manual for the model you choose to see if there are any special requirements. I don’t think you’ll regret getting the larger unit.
You need an SDS / plus/ max roto hammer with a coring bit for the masonry.
Check your install info for min line set length.
 

Zippercat

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Jul 13, 2013
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828
Location
TN
Uofime has the holes covered. Rent the drill at Home Depot or Lowe’s. You’ll have to drill from inside and the outside brick may not core clean, leaving a bit bigger hole than you want. Easy to patch and in a location that won’t show.
 

WheelsNT

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May 8, 2008
Messages
77
Put the condenser on the outside of the stem wall that faces the alley, hung above the garage door. They make brackets to hang A/C units off a wall, especially small ones like 1-1/2 ton. That way it won’t be so loud when you’re on the deck, and you won’t have to put anything around it. Putting it in a cabinet will reduce the air flow, even if there’s vents, and will reduce the efficiency quite a bit, so you’d rather avoid that in any case.
 
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pickles

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Put the condenser on the outside of the stem wall that faces the alley, hung above the garage door. They make brackets to hang A/C units off a wall, especially small ones like 1-1/2 ton. That way it won’t be so loud when you’re on the deck, and you won’t have to put anything around it. Putting it in a cabinet will reduce the air flow, even if there’s vents, and will reduce the efficiency quite a bit, so you’d rather avoid that in any case.
WheelsNT, I've thought about that but I was afraid that it likely would eventually get stolen. City Living and all. I assume there is a market for these things.
 
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pickles

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790
Location
Chicago
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

As we do pretty much every day the wife and I went for a walk this morning. Because it’s Thanksgiving and because we are going to a friends house for dinner, and thus don’t need to cook, we had some extra time. I suggested we walk by the block where we saw Mary Kay’s green sedan friend a few weeks ago. I wanted to see if it was still there.

Sadly it’s not. I can only assume it’s in the process of being recycled into soup cans right now. A shame.

I was very surprised however that as we walked on its was not more than two blocks later that we saw this beauty. IMG_1493.jpegIMG_1494.jpeg
Order is restored in the universe.
 

HogDude

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Joined
Dec 25, 2020
Messages
229
Location
Nebraska
So I can strIke another thing off of the long list of things I’d like to get done. Specifically I mean painting the ceiling of the garage. I’ve wanted to paint the ceiling of the garage black for awhile now. It only made sense to do that after I had gotten the ceiling spray foam insulated. Finally got around to it this weekend

I hate painting and I had never painted with a sprayer before but it made sense to try that here. I tried to be as careful and patient as I could doing the prep. I usually rush with the prep. I think it turned out ok.IMG_1394.jpeg
IMG_1391.jpeg

IMG_1395.jpeg
I still hate painting.

The garage is a bit darker with the black ceiling so I’m planning on upgrading the lights in the garage. It’s something that I had intended to do anyway but now it’s something I need to address soon. I’m also hoping to put in a DIY mini split before it gets to cold outside.

FYI. Here is the current list. IMG_1396.jpeg
Dude, that is a seriously well managed space. I like the way you roll.
 
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pickles

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Jan 31, 2010
Messages
790
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Chicago
It feels like awhile since I updated this thread so what the hell, let’s do an update. Be forewarned: nothing here is actually garage related. Last update on the garage indicated that I had the ceiling spray foam insulated, had painted it black and had ordered a DIY mini split. The hope was to have heat in the garage this winter so I could take on some Mary Kay related projects in comfort in the garage. Well, the minisplit is here, and still sitting in boxes in the garage. Cold came early I I just don’t want to work out the without heat, even if what I’d be doing is installing a heater.

So I’ve pivoted back to working on the basement mostly focusing on the theater. Like with a lot of home theater projects I got to the point where I could watch a movie and then I stopped working on it. So far I’ve worked on finishing up my bookcase just outside the theater which also has a rack holding all my home theater electronics. I’ve installed drawers and also trimmed out the wood surrounding The rack itself. Still have some adjustments but it’s mostly done. IMG_1578.jpeg
Three of the drawers have all the CDs I used to buy in the 90s and the 00s. IMG_1590.jpeg
Two more drawers have photos.IMG_1591.jpeg

The other drawers have some DVD, some video games stuff and even some old laser disks.

My son also helped me organize the rack itself. I bought a couple of power conditioners, a rack mounted fan and a second subwoofer amplifier. IMG_1579.jpeg
The previous amp has 800 watts per channel powering two 18 inch subwoofers. That was already way too much for my pretty small room. The second amplifier will power a second pair of 18 inch subs that. Have yet to build. This system should easily go to eleven. Maybe twelve.

in the theater itself I’ve started working on some acoustical treatments. I’ve built and mounted a diffuser on the back wall.IMG_1584.jpeg

This thing was a pain to build. Each of those little squares is a piece of two by two that needed to be cut to 1, 2 ,3 or 4 inches in length then sanded and mounted,in a specific pattern on a piece of plywood. The shape and size match the windows on the other two sides of the back wall. IMG_1586.jpeg

The side walls will also be treated, mostly with absorption panels. I’ve ordered two two by four foot panels with scatter plates the will be mounted on the left hand wall of the theater. The opposing wall will not get these because that section of the wall is open to the hall. My plans is to also build four additional absorption panels (without scatter plates). Two will be mounted on the front part of each sidewall at the first reflection points of the sound waves from the front three speakers. I hope to see what the room sounds like with this fairly basic set of sound treatments and if needed go from there.

My son and I have also taken up building legos again. In addition to the ones in the bookcase we built these three Christmas presents over the last two weeks
IMG_1587.jpeg

While most of the basement work will focus on the theater I have a desire to do a few other things in the basement including some reorganization on my basement wood shop. I figure that I’ll be working on the basement until I can get a warm weekend where I can install the mini split in the garage without freezing my *** off.

Cheers as always.
 
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