What did you do "IN" your garage today?

[SRU1436]

It's slow going, but it's going:



I really need to buy a wire wheel for one of my bench grinders.

Once again, the portable vise pays off. That's a LOT of rust dust that isn't in the shop.

The rail is ready for paint:



While I was working on those, the light dimmed and turned red. Looking up



Yeah, that'll do it. Hoping that's just a plume from the big Hagen fire over by Tollgate and not something new and closer. INCIWEB shows nothing new, but it might not have made it up yet.

Meanwhile the "small" parts are getting the scrubbing bubbles in the electrolysis vat:



I love rust removal not requiring elbow grease.

Back to wire wheeling.

Beautiful Chas Parker, IMO the are the best looking vise.

 

[Beerhippie]

Beautiful Chas Parker, IMO the are the best looking vise.

Thanks! It was a labor of love.





And still a great user. Second most used vise in the shop.

 

[Motorman55]

Started laying out the left side wall's new workbench. Using some left over cuts of lumber and 3/4" plywood from previous projects, I set about trying a couple different heights and ended up with 39" to clear the '76 Sportster's handlebar mounts by approximately 1". (see pics)

I've nixed the full length 9' L X 24" D top and compromised instead using a 7' L x 22' D x 3/4" plywood top I had left over from a previous project. This will leave enough room on the right side near the office door to add a standard 2 or 3 stack 26" W tool box. I need more drawers for tools and accessories and I can't add any under the bench because of the Sportster, so a stack box it is.

The final bench will have 2x4 support legs on the corners, a removeable leg in the center plus an aluminum edge band all around. Also need to figure out what type of partition to block off the Sportster from dust, etc.

Back to work I go....

 

[bugnut]

not much shop time, took parts off the printer and assembled tested and they functioned. Started up more parts on the printer, walked out.

 

[M.Brane]

Started laying out the left side wall's new workbench. Using some left over cuts of lumber and 3/4" plywood from previous projects, I set about trying a couple different heights and ended up with 39" to clear the '76 Sportster's handlebar mounts by approximately 1". (see pics)

I've nixed the full length 9' L X 24" D top and compromised instead using a 7' L x 22' D x 3/4" plywood top I had left over from a previous project. This will leave enough room on the right side near the office door to add a standard 2 or 3 stack 26" W tool box. I need more drawers for tools and accessories and I can't add any under the bench because of the Sportster, so a stack box it is.

The final bench will have 2x4 support legs on the corners, a removeable leg in the center plus an aluminum edge band all around. Also need to figure out what type of partion to block off the Sportster from dust, etc.

Back to work I go....

When I lived in the rental house my neighbor's place had a tiny single garage (1925). He built benches with hinges on the wall, and legs so they could fold up flat against the walls.

 

[LeeG]

I love rust removal not requiring elbow grease.

I have a 4’ piece of 4” pvc capped at one end with a rubber cap on the other that I keep full of evaporust for long skinny things. I lower them in with a string. Works pretty well.

 

[Motorman55]

When I lived in the rental house my neighbor's place had a tiny single garage (1925). He built benches with hinges on the wall, and legs so they could fold up flat against the walls.

Yes, that is in my plans for the right side wall. Fold down work bench so I can push the MGB up against it during winter storage.

 

[zimman]

Getting near the end of the TKX install project. Finalized the hydraulic lines routing, finished up the wiring harness modifications, put all of the carpet back, installed the shifter and its boot.

What vehicle? I'm late to the party. Looks neat.
Zim

 

[Snip's]

This morning I did a 5K mile oil and filter change on my wife's 2017 Ford Explorer....
While I was under the vehicle I spiritsd Fluid Film all around the engine sub frame member... Saw very little rust....
Ordered 5 quarts of XT10QLVC Mercon Motorcraft transmission fluid for a 90K miles change with free Amazon overnight delivery...

​

 

[rd65]

Same Polaris Ranger as the other day, more it is running hot. Dash showed 221° a couple times. Started with blowing out the radiator fins. Lots of debris, no mud, just a lot of plant duff. We took it for a spin, would get up to 205°, then drop. He called it a win.

 

[badmatt]

Did the curbs and wheeled out the first coat of rexthane.

 

[Beerhippie]

Project Hi-Lift is coming together.





I'll bake anything that fits in my little oven and let the Eastern Oregon sun do the curing on the handle and rail. The kit won't be here 'til Monday at the earliest, so no hurry.

 

[pima67]

Beerhippy: Still have mine for over 50 years

 

[Firebird1975]

I started to clean up an old Proto tool chest that has been in my basement for the last 10 years. I started by vacuuming it out and painting the inside storage areas and drawer bottoms with Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer, as the drawers were pretty crusty. I have rubbed down the exterior with WD-40 and 0000 steel wool in order to remove the hardened oily grime. I plan on brush painting the drawer insides with Rustoleum Oil based red, as it will be covered with cork liners. I plan on doing a few light coats of Boiled Linseed Oil on the exterior in order to preserve the patina. The box will be used in the garage so it will be getting beat up on a regular basis.

 

[crewchief888]

spent the afternoon "making some space" in the garage to move my work tools in.
as of today, im officially retired
spent most of the morning picking up most of my tools from work and getting them back home.
been with this company since march of '98 and my body is starting to "fail " me, it was time to walk away while im still able to walk.
i still have to return next week to sort through some more tools and figure out if i can sell off my boxes before trying to move them home ( i really dont have room for them in the garage.
40+ years of wrenching on const equipment, and ive accumulated MORE than a LOT of stuff.
they did get lunch brought in from a local BBQ place, and got a visit from a couple of upper managment from our division and a visit from the CEO of the company thanking me for my years of service

i started working in jan of'76 when i was still in high school, and havent been unemployed for more than 6 months in all those years

this was MUCH HARDER to do than i expected

 

[larry4406]

spent the afternoon "making some space" in the garage to move my work tools in.
as of today, im officially retired
spent most of the morning picking up most of my tools from work and getting them back home.
been with this company since march of '98 and my body is starting to "fail " me, it was time to walk away while im still able to walk.
i still have to return next week to sort through some more tools and figure out if i can sell off my boxes before trying to move them home ( i really dont have room for them in the garage.
40+ years of wrenching on const equipment, and ive accumulated MORE than a LOT of stuff.
they did get lunch brought in from a local BBQ place, and got a visit from a couple of upper managment from our division and a visit from the CEO of the company thanking me for my years of service

i started working in jan of'76 when i was still in high school, and havent been unemployed for more than 6 months in all those years

this was MUCH HARDER to do than i expected

Enjoy your retirement!

 

[crewchief888]

Enjoy your retirement!

it's gonna be rough for a while.
i think after i sell off nearly all my "working" tools i'll feel a little better

i just have to "be OK" with not having a job anymore.

i do have a "hobby" i'm a competitive shooter i have my guns and a small stockpile of ammo i just have to pick and choose when/where to shoot

 

[OccupantRJ]

spent the afternoon "making some space" in the garage to move my work tools in.
as of today, im officially retired
spent most of the morning picking up most of my tools from work and getting them back home.
been with this company since march of '98 and my body is starting to "fail " me, it was time to walk away while im still able to walk.
i still have to return next week to sort through some more tools and figure out if i can sell off my boxes before trying to move them home ( i really dont have room for them in the garage.
40+ years of wrenching on const equipment, and ive accumulated MORE than a LOT of stuff.
they did get lunch brought in from a local BBQ place, and got a visit from a couple of upper managment from our division and a visit from the CEO of the company thanking me for my years of service

i started working in jan of'76 when i was still in high school, and havent been unemployed for more than 6 months in all those years

this was MUCH HARDER to do than i expected

Congratulations on your retirement and transition to “every day is Saturday!” for the rest of your life.

 

[mbatarga]

The switch for the Kobalt workbench (Model #SHS3DWBB245 is the latest model number - not sure the power strip switch is the same though as the strip now has USB ports and mine does not) I posted about below came in today.

What did you do "IN" your garage today?

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. And an access panel in the floor is better than dropping a grand with a shop to drop the tank and replace. I'll have to make it look nice once I'm back in the shop, for now back to catching fish.

www.garagejournal.com

Rust from some water damage caused one of the metal contacts in the original on/off switch to fracture making it non-functional.
I found a "direct" replacement on Amazon after a few failed search attempts. This switch snaps into place through the molded plastic power strip cover and even fits in the cosmetic recess on the outside. I pasted the name/description from Amazon as well as the physical dimensions for future reference if anyone is trying to locate a replacement.

 

[rharman]

spent the afternoon "making some space" in the garage to move my work tools in.
as of today, im officially retired
spent most of the morning picking up most of my tools from work and getting them back home.
been with this company since march of '98 and my body is starting to "fail " me, it was time to walk away while im still able to walk.
i still have to return next week to sort through some more tools and figure out if i can sell off my boxes before trying to move them home ( i really dont have room for them in the garage.
40+ years of wrenching on const equipment, and ive accumulated MORE than a LOT of stuff.
they did get lunch brought in from a local BBQ place, and got a visit from a couple of upper managment from our division and a visit from the CEO of the company thanking me for my years of service

i started working in jan of'76 when i was still in high school, and havent been unemployed for more than 6 months in all those years

this was MUCH HARDER to do than i expected

Congratulations on the retirement. I hope you can get past the sadness and look to, and enjoy, the future. Retirement is awesome.

When I retired at the end of 2021, we were still work-from-home so no retirement party for me. We had been WFH since March 2020 so I hadn't seen any coworkers for a LONG time. Would have been nice to say goodbye in person but... Oh well.

I enjoyed my job and really enjoyed the comradery. But.... I haven't looked back for an instant. After working a bit over 50 years, I've earned this. And, so have you!

 

[Murby]

spent the afternoon "making some space" in the garage to move my work tools in.
as of today, im officially retired
spent most of the morning picking up most of my tools from work and getting them back home.
been with this company since march of '98 and my body is starting to "fail " me, it was time to walk away while im still able to walk.
i still have to return next week to sort through some more tools and figure out if i can sell off my boxes before trying to move them home ( i really dont have room for them in the garage.
40+ years of wrenching on const equipment, and ive accumulated MORE than a LOT of stuff.
they did get lunch brought in from a local BBQ place, and got a visit from a couple of upper managment from our division and a visit from the CEO of the company thanking me for my years of service

i started working in jan of'76 when i was still in high school, and havent been unemployed for more than 6 months in all those years

this was MUCH HARDER to do than i expected

You paid your dues, you worked hard all that time.

Tell everyone to kick rocks and you do what makes you happy. Sadness? You should be thrilled that you can now spend your days doing whatever it is that brings you joy.. and moreover, you can take your sweet a$$ time doing it because you're no longer on a clock.

Change is always uncomfortable unless it's accompanied by more money than you could ever possibly spend.. For the rest of us, it's all a matter of perspective. You're free now.. enjoy yourself.

Congrats to you.

 

[2001ZR2]

.
Reinstalled this cabinet door after my son had a seizure. Drug resistant epilepsy is a ***** especially around the full moon.

Got a fresh bottle wood glue and to use those Vessel full screw drivers from HJE.

 

[KwikFab]

Picked up more steel to fulfill orders tomorrow.



Even swapped my consumables so I can start early.



Just the tip

 

[Beerhippie]

Beerhippy: Still have mine for over 50 years

Nice! I left my last one behind in my '48 Willys PU that I made the mistake of driving from Portland, OR to Big Bend NP, TX. 2,300 miles at 45 with sloppy Armstrong steering and stand on 'em brakes was enough for one lifetime. Traded it for a Yamaha 550 Vision and had a LOT more fun on the way home--'though that was a fairly terrifying bike in it's own right.

My boar hog now wears lipstick:



Just waiting for the rebuild kit to finish it. I need to replace one more bolt/pin, but didn't have the right one in my spares. I'll buy one tomorrow. I need to find the hook thing for the top end of the jack just in case I need to repair fence sometime.

I dipped the distal end of the handle in Plasti Dip. Tip: If you're dipping a piece of pipe, plug the end first. Half the can ended up inside the pipe.

While painting the blue parts, a gust of wind blew the paint back into my face. The next time I used the bathroom, I noticed that I'm now a real geriatric: I have blue mustachios and beard!

Heard thunder just now and rolled the vehicle windows up--with a minute to spare. I usually wait 'til after the downpour to do so.

Gotta come in tomorrow to clear a clogged drain. I have a sump pump keeping it under control for tonight.

 

[Murby]

Picked up more steel to fulfill orders tomorrow.



Even swapped my consumables so I can start early.



Just the tip

Oh my.. I like that. Did you make that machine or buy it?

 

[ssjones]

Temps finally dipped into low 90's in Southern Louisiana. Wife's truck needed a wax (every three months down here). So, wash and waxed it this evening. I've tried several ceramic polishes in the past but all were too hard to remove and smeary on black. This Mothers product had good reviews. I apply via machine and remove by hand, it went on and came off nice and didn't leave white on my black plastic trim.

 

[bmwrd0]

Well, I at least got to open the McMaster order

Woodruff cutter and pin spanner. Hopefully I get to play with them tomorrow, 'cause today was spend driving a total of 5 hours there and back to get patio furniture. At least I got to hit some estate sales...

 

[DGersic]

What vehicle? I'm late to the party. Looks neat.
Zim

‘37 Chevy street rod. 350 SBC, now with a Tremec TKX five speed behind it.

 

[kaymccampbell]

spent the afternoon "making some space" in the garage to move my work tools in.
as of today, im officially retired
spent most of the morning picking up most of my tools from work and getting them back home.
been with this company since march of '98 and my body is starting to "fail " me, it was time to walk away while im still able to walk.
i still have to return next week to sort through some more tools and figure out if i can sell off my boxes before trying to move them home ( i really dont have room for them in the garage.
40+ years of wrenching on const equipment, and ive accumulated MORE than a LOT of stuff.
they did get lunch brought in from a local BBQ place, and got a visit from a couple of upper managment from our division and a visit from the CEO of the company thanking me for my years of service

i started working in jan of'76 when i was still in high school, and havent been unemployed for more than 6 months in all those years

this was MUCH HARDER to do than i expected

Welcome to the land of endless Saturdays. I hope you have a 5 year plan to keep you off the streets at night.

 

[KwikFab]

Oh my.. I like that. Did you make that machine or buy it?

The CNC table?

It's an STV CNC Sparx with all the options (gear reduction, Optimum controller, proxy sensors, etc).

I used to make small, vague posts here until the crew convinced me to make a thread for sharing my shenanigans

 

[kaymccampbell]

Loaded the dumbwaiter. Rode the chair.

 

[DGersic]

Installed new spark plugs. Had to order two from NAPA, they only had six in stock. Computer showed seven, but it turned out to be six and one empty box that someone put back on the shelf.

Intended to reinstall the starter, but it doesn’t fit. After a couple of trips to the local starter shop, it looks like I need a gear reduction starter with no nose cone. Seems weird that a brand new bellhousing isn’t made to fit a standard starter, but whatever. I’ll pick one up,from them tomorrow.

Cleaning up, putting tools and things away, getting rid of the trash and packing materials.

 

[Motorman55]

Things changing everyday....I've nixed the idea of adding a new 3-pc combo tool box. I'll save the money for something else.

Today I took apart the new work bench and trimmed off a couple inches from its 7' length then reassembled it. Using my leftover wood, I then added a 12" drop down platform to the right end of the bench. I'm going to use my current 3-Drawer Mid-Box and the 7-Drawer Top Box. Not as many drawers as a bottom cabinet but I'll make it work. Also removed the red Craftsman supply cabinet off the wall.

Tomorrow I'll remove the gray metal shelf and the stuff on top it. Once that's done I can do some hole patching and painting of the wall and trim as well the bench/drop down tops.

YES, the whole garage is torn apart with stuff everywhere...LOTS to do...

 

[Murby]

STV CNC Sparx

Wow.. base price of $7300.. Nice machine, but at that price it's not tenable unless I try to go into business with it. I have a Hypertherm PowerMax 1000 I use almost daily.. but it could do so much more hooked up to a CNC.. Once the property is done, I might just build my own table.
What I really wanted was a 4x8 laser system because the laser can hold better tolerances, but they're crazy expensive. I was building electrically locking vehicle mounted gun holsters by hand.. Cutting 11ga and 14ga plate to +/- 1mm.. Way to slow to be profitable..

What kind of work do you do with it?

 

[Old Man Roger]

I hope you have a 5 year plan to keep you off the streets at night.

Being in the streets at night is the goal for some.lol

 

[KwikFab]

Wow.. base price of $7300.. Nice machine, but at that price it's not tenable unless I try to go into business with it. I have a Hypertherm PowerMax 1000 I use almost daily.. but it could do so much more hooked up to a CNC.. Once the property is done, I might just build my own table.
What I really wanted was a 4x8 laser system because the laser can hold better tolerances, but they're crazy expensive. I was building electrically locking vehicle mounted gun holsters by hand.. Cutting 11ga and 14ga plate to +/- 1mm.. Way to slow to be profitable..

What kind of work do you do with it?

Yep, add the options and shipping and you're just under $10k for the table itself lol

Hypertherm's are absolutely great plasma cutters and even though I've got the small one (45XP), it's commonly referred to the best of the bunch out of the XP series cause it's so underrated. Same could be said for that 1000 before the XP series came out!

Having several years of experience with CNC plasma (self-taught), I would strongly advise that you seek a turn-key setup. Building one doesn't really save you much if at all compared to many tables out there with the only real benefit being that you're drawing out the cost over a longer period of time versus paying all up front for one.

But, I'd even argue that building your own can go against you in a few ways -

1. Time spent building, troubleshooting, researching, that could all be spent on actually using the table and getting things dialed in. Just because you've built one (or bought one) doesn't mean it's going to print you money right off the bat. There's still plenty to do and learn after you start cutting.

2. Controller software limitations - while a few companies use outdated software like Mach 3, others have fully designed their own controller software with CAM that rivals that of other companies. This by itself can be worth checking out one company over another.

I too have looked at and wanted laser, but I have a small "shop" that's really just a 2-car garage not to mention I'm on a fixed income so it's out of my price range. Just the proper compressor to run fiber laser can set you back over $3-4k, and we haven't even touched on power requirements.

As great as laser is, since it truly is better than CNC plasma in every way in terms of cut quality, I've been very successful with any and all the things I've ever made at home on my table.

This is my 3rd table as I had owned 2 others before this when I first started out - it was just for fun when I first got into welding and once I started doing work for pay, I made it a point to invest money made back into the shop to purchase better quality tooling. My whole niche is offering affordable services to 'everybody else' and I do more than just cut parts out, I've put together and designed a lot of stuff for people only to bring it to fruition.

 

[Beerhippie]

until the crew convinced me to make a thread for sharing my shenanigans

And just where is said thread? Maybe put it in your sig line?

 

[Old Man Roger]

And just where is said thread? Maybe put it in your sig line?

Click on the word “sometimes” in his sig

 

[KwikFab]

And just where is said thread? Maybe put it in your sig line?

If you're awake and trying to make yourself go to sleep at any point, feel free to use this link

Kwik Fab's Small Shop

Another member suggested I make a thread as I'm often posting projects every other day in the Garage thread so here it is! I'm a small shop based out of my own house, and I just started this adventure shortly after we bought it (some 3 years ago). I'll add just a few projects I've handled just...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Beerhippie]

Click on the word “sometimes” in his sig

Ah! I tried the "Where". Didn't work. Too clever for me.