Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT The 12-Gauge Garage

[Jack Olsen]

Agreed. But with an eighth of an acre, and Los Angeles real estate prices, I'm probably stuck in my 20x22 box for a while.

Not only that, moving all this stuff would be a huge pain in the neck.

I put the car back in there, now. My next project will be getting the old girl ready for a mid-January track day.

And since this has bumped to another page, and since I've got too many pictures on my hard drive -- and because my garage is now, in one sense, finished* -- here's another one:

I've got to admit, I sort of like the different depths and sizes of cabinets when you look at this wall. I don't want to say there's an architectural quality to what I've come up with so accidentally -- but the new part makes it look, well, kind of cool.

*Ha! I know. It's never finished. Not ever.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Rule No. 1 - The Garage is NEVER Finished.
Rule No. 2 - When in Doubt, Refer to Rule No. 1

Since there's ALWAYS something to be done, how about some trick Olsen-esque way of organizing those big C clamps under the middle bench? A furniture quality refinish of that center column?

P.S. It really DOES look great. There's something about the quality of light more than the quantity of it....I think. Maybe its the upwards pointing of it?

 

[fringeofinsanity]

There's something about the quality of light more than the quantity of it....I think. Maybe its the upwards pointing of it?

I was thinking the same thing earlier and each time I see his garage. It's something I have been contemplating as lately I feel like I can't see a dang thing (Gotta be the bad lighting, not my aging eyesight!)

I have a couple clip lights and may test out the upward lighting to see if it improves, if so I may steal Jack's idea and then put something permanent in. But First I gotta get these cabinets hung that I bought to keep up with Jack. lol

 

[344chief]

Agreed. But with an eighth of an acre, and Los Angeles real estate prices, I'm probably stuck in my 20x22 box for a while.

Not only that, moving all this stuff would be a huge pain in the neck.

I put the car back in there, now. My next project will be getting the old girl ready for a mid-January track day.

Do you know if there are any trackday activity in the start of February..?
I'm going to Orlando (work) in the start of February, and then on holiday in California from Feb 8th through 16th driving from San Diego to San Francisco.

 

[smschriefer]

So I've read and re-read this thread and your old thread so many times I know your garage inside and out. I thought I could walk around your garage with my eyes closed and find everything and never bump into a thing. I was wrong. I thought the sink was in the back left corner of the garage and not the front right. I believe my view of the world just shifted. Of course it doesn't diminish your garage one bit, just my perception of reality.

 

[Red05GT]

344Chief go to motorsportreg.com to look for available track days while you're here.
Currently showing track days through April. Sebring would be a good bet while in Florida.

 

[bchee]

Looks like the phone was replaced.

I thought the 911 was a daily driver?

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks again, guys.

Do you know if there are any trackday activity in the start of February..? I'm going to Orlando (work) in the start of February, and then on holiday in California from Feb 8th through 16th driving from San Diego to San Francisco.

I'm out at Willow Springs in a couple of weeks, and then again in March. Here are some events I found in February, although I won't be at them.

Feb. 5 - Sat. - Willow Springs (big track) - Extreme Speed Track Events
Feb. 6 - Sun. - Laguna Seca (Mazda Raceway) - Northern California Racing Club
Feb. 12 - Sat. - Streets of Willow Springs - Speed Ventures
Feb. 12 & 13 - Sat. & Sun. - Sears Point (Infineon) - NASA NorCal

Looks like the phone was replaced.

I thought the 911 was a daily driver?

I put the old one back (it's a replica) until I get a new handset.

The 911 is a driver, but not daily at all during this past month. We got about 10" of rain in December.

 

[PCO6]

... The 911 is a driver, but not daily at all during this past month. We got about 10" of rain in December.

Around here at this time of year that's called a "car wash".

 

[344chief]

Thanks again, guys.



I'm out at Willow Springs in a couple of weeks, and then again in March. Here are some events I found in February, although I won't be at them.

Feb. 5 - Sat. - Willow Springs (big track) - Extreme Speed Track Events
Feb. 6 - Sun. - Laguna Seca (Mazda Raceway) - Northern California Racing Club
Feb. 12 - Sat. - Streets of Willow Springs - Speed Ventures
Feb. 12 & 13 - Sat. & Sun. - Sears Point (Infineon) - NASA NorCal

I put the old one back (it's a replica) until I get a new handset.

The 911 is a driver, but not daily at all during this past month. We got about 10" of rain in December.

Thanks for the info!
While I don't plan to take the rental car onto the track, it would be cool to see some exotic cars on the track.
Anyway, I just plan to visit some Indian parts dealers, museums etc.. and slowly move along the coast up to Norcal . Every now and then, I miss living in California.

Talking of weather.. my poor 964 is sitting outside in the snow now.. just with a cover. And I'm also out in the snow trying to build a garage for it. I will treat the car better when I get the garage done

 

[Jack Olsen]

Well, the weather is nice here. I went out and took a few more pictures today. Here's the new batch, before the place gets all dirty again.

 

[e-tek]

I asked earlier where you source those HD cabinets from. I've been looking for years and haven't seen one yet (used). I'm guessing there are more of everything in a bigger center.

 

[sarel.wagner]

Super nice Jack!

Next project for ya, safety obsessed on your side of the pond, belt gaurd for the saw

Rgrds

 

[Jononon]

Did you know you're famous?

 

[Armour]

Very nice Jack

 

[chromeyellow]

Hey Jack, you made Jalopnik:


http://jalopnik.com/5724583/obligatory-engine-bay-pose-gallery//gallery/1

 

[Nighttrain]

Real nice work Jack. How about a neat old metal trash can painted green to replace that plastic one?

You must be excited to be at this step of your garage to now get back to working on the car. Congrats.

 

[JMURiz]

Wow, and for all these years I thought this was the Jack-pose
There's a whole thread of us Porsche guys trying our best to imitate:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/237982-ultimate-jack-olsen-self-portrait-thread.html

FYI I plan on doing the engine bay pose when I take the 4 out of my 914

PS: Jack if you want to kill me for posting that link let me know and I can take it down, haha.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I asked earlier where you source those HD cabinets from. I've been looking for years and haven't seen one yet (used). I'm guessing there are more of everything in a bigger center.

Reliable Tools is an outfit in Southern California that buys stock from defunct aerospace, automotive and other companies with machine shops and re-sells them on ebay. They generally get prices that are much too high for me, but I'm patient and occasionally one slips through the cracks. I have less than $1000 invested in my cabinets so far.

But I agree, if you're not in a place where companies are getting rid of this stuff, it's going to be hard to find.

Super nice Jack! Next project for ya, safety obsessed on your side of the pond, belt gaurd for the saw

I agree. Right now, it's just the motor sitting next to the saw on the table. It's not hooked up to actually run, yet. When I put it all together, I'll build a base and also a guard for that belt. I've got a two-year-old, after all.

Did you know you're famous?

Hey Jack, you made Jalopnik:
http://jalopnik.com/5724583/obligatory-engine-bay-pose-gallery//gallery/1

That's a total rite of passage for 911 owners. It's actually pretty surprising when you learn how easy it is to drop the engine out.

Real nice work Jack. How about a neat old metal trash can painted green to replace that plastic one?

That's a good idea -- although steel would be heavy.

Wow, and for all these years I thought this was the Jack-pose
There's a whole thread of us Porsche guys trying our best to imitate:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/237982-ultimate-jack-olsen-self-portrait-thread.html

FYI I plan on doing the engine bay pose when I take the 4 out of my 914

PS: Jack if you want to kill me for posting that link let me know and I can take it down, haha.

Ha! Who is that youngster?

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Jack,
Is your bandsaw metal cutting or only wood? If metal cutting, what size blade does it use and what brand is it? I'm shopping for a restorable one, but the only ones I find are for wood only or are big bucks. I never saw a post about yours...is there one?

 

[Jack Olsen]

No post about it, Dan. It's one of those 'when I get around to it' projects. I got a motor, and the shoes look okay, but I'll have to put together a base piece and also a guard. It's wood-only, a 1951 Craftsman.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Ok, thanks.

Took your advice and checked out the Reliable Tools eBay site. Lots of enticing stuff: files, welding clamps, multi-drawer storage cabinets.

Are their "heavy duty" storage cabinets 12 guage, or must they list the mfg for it to be one? Some on their eBay site list mfg names, some not.

 

[Jack Olsen]

The ones where they don't mention a manufacturer are generally much thinner. In fact, the only manufacturer I know of that uses 12 gauge steel is Strong Hold. A Lyon cabinet is great, but it's made of slightly-less-thick 14 gauge steel. The one to the right of my steel-topped bench is a Lyon. (Everything else in my garage is Strong Hold.)

You've got to be careful and patient with Reliable Tools' listings. A lot of time, you'll see used stuff sell there for more than it would cost new. Too many rich idiots in California.

But they get a huge volume of material, and occasionally you can get a great deal.

When they bought up the stock from a large Toyota plant, it was the last batch of the Strong Holds they expected to see for a while. They sold a few hundred from (presumably) that one plant.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Well, the weather is nice here. I went out and took a few more pictures today. Here's the new batch, before the place gets all dirty again.

Jack,

Looks great, as usual.

I'm sure you've probably mentioned this somewhere before, but rather than look over hundreds of posts, could you please remind me - what are the dimensions of your garage?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Printer Mike]

Hey Jack, maybe you posted about it and I missed... How did you seal the gap between your steel sink counter top and the aluminum trim? Epoxy? I know you tried epoxy first, then rivited the trim on.

BTW, I am in the process of a major home/workshop downsizing. Your posts on your creative space saving projects give me hope...

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks.

I'm sure you've probably mentioned this somewhere before, but rather than look over hundreds of posts, could you please remind me - what are the dimensions of your garage?

The garage is 20'6" deep and 19' wide, with a little 3'x6' alcove where that sink is. I used to say I had 440 square feet, but in fact it's... 407.5.

That's not even very big for a suburban two-car. But it now has eight work surfaces in it. Four are wood (one plywood, one a solid-core door, one Birch butcher block and one Maple butcher block). Four are steel (two are 1/8" steel, one is 3/16" steel, and one is 1" steel). There's also a 1/8" thick steel table suspended from the ceiling which can be lowered down for a ninth work surface that's 36"x72".

So if there were any kind of 'index of performance' award for the most work surface in the smallest garage, I might have a shot at it.

Hey Jack, maybe you posted about it and I missed... How did you seal the gap between your steel sink counter top and the aluminum trim? Epoxy? I know you tried epoxy first, then rivited the trim on.

BTW, I am in the process of a major home/workshop downsizing. Your posts on your creative space saving projects give me hope...

I think you can do a lot in a small shop if you take the time to work out how you're going to use it.

On the bench, there's still the epoxy in there, but rivets were added so I wouldn't worry about it popping back again. I used a quick smear of Bondo where any gap existed -- although there was only a sliver of space in a couple places. There's a slight lip formed by the upper edge of the aluminum being higher than the work surface -- to keep water from spilling over. I wasn't thrilled with how consistent I ended up keeping the height of that little lip, but I don't anticipate any big problems.

I also did a quick and dirty job on the paint line between the semigloss black for the counter/bench top and the tan steel backsplash -- I did it by hand and it's not very clean. You know how it gets when both sides are wet and you're too impatient to wait for one to dry so they'll stop bleeding into each other? That was me.

But as I remind myself in those moments, it's a garage, not a kitchen.

Here are a few more pictures.

 

[odie]

Great Garage, I'm definitely jealous. Quick question, I must have missed it earlier, but where are you hiding your air compressor?

 

[Red05GT]

Awesome job Jack! What about a piece of steel to cover the T-111 over the air hose
reel and then painted to match the other steel cabinets. Wish I could get my shop
that organized.

 

[Oggy]

Great Garage, I just spent a week going through and reading this thread. Excellent use of space. I originally found this site while looking for ways to organize my toolbox, ended up looking at your thread because of the name, So glad I did, gave me plenty of ideas for when I have a garage of my own (currently military, I get out in Sept. YAY). Keep up the good work, I hate to see the thread come up to date, now I have to try to find another thread worth spending a week reading. (Time constraints, I'm not a slow reader lol)

 

[Jack Olsen]

Great Garage, I'm definitely jealous. Quick question, I must have missed it earlier, but where are you hiding your air compressor?

Thanks. The compressor is in the crawlspace under the house. A line runs around to the garage and there's an outlet reel under the back bench.

It's in an insulated box with air circulation fans to keep it cool.

Awesome job Jack! What about a piece of steel to cover the T-111 over the air hose reel and then painted to match the other steel cabinets. Wish I could get my shop that organized.

Thanks. That wood around the reel is the last visible bunch of the used lumber I bought for the original version of that bench. I guess I've left it there for sentimental reasons (or laziness) -- it might not match the look of the rest of the garage at all anymore.

Great Garage, I just spent a week going through and reading this thread. Excellent use of space. I originally found this site while looking for ways to organize my toolbox, ended up looking at your thread because of the name, So glad I did, gave me plenty of ideas for when I have a garage of my own (currently military, I get out in Sept. YAY). Keep up the good work, I hate to see the thread come up to date, now I have to try to find another thread worth spending a week reading. (Time constraints, I'm not a slow reader lol)

Thank you for the time spent on the thread. And thanks for your service.

 

[JMURiz]

Thanks.

The garage is 20'6" deep and 19' wide, with a little 3'x6' alcove where that sink is. I used to say I had 440 square feet, but in fact it's... 407.5.

That's not even very big for a suburban two-car. But it now has eight work surfaces in it. Four are wood (one plywood, one a solid-core door, one Birch butcher block and one Maple butcher block). Four are steel (two are 1/8" steel, one is 3/16" steel, and one is 1" steel). There's also a 1/8" thick steel table suspended from the ceiling which can be lowered down for a ninth work surface that's 36"x72".

See that's the ticket, only have one car to work on. I'm trying to downsize, even though I got a lift so I can fit 3-cars in my 2-car.
My wife agrees, sell the Mercedes ('74 280C) and stay with just the two Porsches (914 & 356)...I've already sold one motorcycle and am trying to sell the other one.

I made the mistake of filling the space (as much as I love all the vehicles) and only after the fact I'm trying to de-clutter to make the space enjoyable to work it.

PS: I thought you'd enjoy that old picture, I remember when it was first making the rounds on the birdboard

 

[Jack Olsen]

My mantra is to keep it simple. One wife. One car.

Keep 'em both forever.

Here's today's very minor change. I painted the white air conditioner that sits under my back workbench. It was white before. (Now it matches the car, I guess.)

 

[Topcat]

MAGIC MATE, Well said

"My mantra is to keep it simple. One wife. One car."

You've done a top job Jack

 

[NASTYZEN]

Mr Olsen!We are not worthy!
Your use of recycling,Space and attention to detail is humbling to most.Thank you for not only posting but verbalizing about your garage.It is a wonderful transformation that you have accomplished.
Your Porsche is cool but your jeep is awesome.

 

[MN4x4]

Jack:

You mentioned that the green paint that you used is just latex house paint. Is it pretty durable on your metal surfaces?

I'd be worried about it coming off if I even looked at it, but perhaps I've just been intimidated by the paint salespeople I have talked to? It sure seems to work for you!

 

[Sick Puppy]

what is this recent thread? i was trained in firewatch training if one extinguisher wont put it out to run away and call the fire dept. it would seem to me 5 extinguishers worth of fire is a hell of a lot of fire! btw... i work in ship repair on navy ships, fire is a big deal on board ship.

The recent thread was the 1930's garage (I think) as there was a bit of discussion about the use of fire extinguishers.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, guys.

Mr Olsen!We are not worthy! Your use of recycling,Space and attention to detail is humbling to most.Thank you for not only posting but verbalizing about your garage.It is a wonderful transformation that you have accomplished. Your Porsche is cool but your jeep is awesome.

Thanks. But your shop is what I'd have if someone handed me a winning lottery ticket.

You mentioned that the green paint that you used is just latex house paint. Is it pretty durable on your metal surfaces?

I'd be worried about it coming off if I even looked at it, but perhaps I've just been intimidated by the paint salespeople I have talked to? It sure seems to work for you!

I use it for non-contact surfaces -- it's on the cabinets, but not on top of benches. The tool box and the area around the new sink are Rustoleum enamel. But for the steel and wood cabinets, the house paint has worked fine.

The recent thread was the 1930's garage (I think) as there was a bit of discussion about the use of fire extinguishers.

Actually, I was thinking of this thread. The idea is that it's important to have them by the exits, so you can establish a path out before you try getting heroic with the fire.

I do have one in the back of the shop. But I've got two by the man door and two on the other side of the roll-up door. The reason for a pair is simply in case one of them is clogged or non-functioning.

 

[Sick Puppy]

Actually, I was thinking of this thread. The idea is that it's important to have them by the exits, so you can establish a path out before you try getting heroic with the fire.

I do have one in the back of the shop. But I've got two by the man door and two on the other side of the roll-up door. The reason for a pair is simply in case one of them is clogged or non-functioning.

Ah, cheers for that - I suggested the 1930's one as there was some debate and information there about extinguisher placement, but that thread will also be useful to me (when I finally get a work shop haha!)

 

[Jack Olsen]

The 1930s Garage is one of my favorites -- but nowadays it's become a big book without an index or table of contents.

There was also a recent thread by E-Tek about the paper wheel cover in his shop catching fire while he was welding that makes me wish there were a simple system we could put together that would act like a sprinkler system (with foam, water, whatever) that would work automatically. Our shops seem especially vulnerable to fire, but the building code (in the U.S.A., at least) is much better for commercial buildings than residential ones. I wish that the economy of mass production made it possible to install some kind of automatic system that's reliable and affordable. But I don't think one exists.

 

[nw2571]

]I wish that the economy of mass production made it possible to install some kind of automatic system that's reliable and affordable. But I don't think one exists.

Not sure how reliable, but seems affordable... if they work ok.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product...=basic&keyword=fire&sortby=newArrivals&page=1

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product...=basic&keyword=fire&sortby=newArrivals&page=1