Above 1200 Sq/FT Restored 1930's Auto Shop

[Sweet Old Bill]

Thomas wrote: The Barn Bench is turning out rather swell, thank you. I am also looking forward to seeing it done and in use. It should happen soon I would hope.

I look forward to pictures of the bench in use. A nice set of pictures would be: the old welding table as it was barely emerging from the old shop; the refurbished welding table; the Barn Bench under construction; & then in use!

Thomas, thanks again for sharing. All of us here enjoy the family's journey with the property!

 

[charlief1]

One thng you might consider is a section with a metal top. Not very big but it can save you some problems if you need to put something on it than can dent it.

 

[BB767]

Starting to see light at the end of the Barn Bench tunnel...



Since THE bench is really TWO benches nested together these blocks were installed to help guide them into position and insure that when the two benches were snug to these blocks...



...the two benches would then be positioned correctly and this important inside corner would be square and tight.



Now that the cabinet construction is largely finished, starting from the left front of the long bench and moving across to the right, beginning with leg #1, front left corner...



... and moving to leg #3, front left of the drawer cabinet...



...to leg #5, front right of the drawer cabinet...



...#7 and #9, inside corner legs respectively...



...#10 "L" right front...



...#11 "L" right rear - plus all the other rear legs, you can see the importance in keeping everything organized. Different cuts plus grain orientation made that quite important. In fact the are only two legs in the rear that are the same, the other 11 are all unique. Such is the nature of "custom" cabinetry.



Where two inside stringer crossed each other, they were each 1/2 notched to provide clearance.



All those inside, outside stringers...



...provided with additional strength and rigidity...



...which I'm quite sure I've mentioned a time or two or three as to it's importance, at least to me.



And here's one of the reasons I wanted it strong and rigid. Solid maple butcher block, 3" (7.6 cm) thick, 34" (.86 m) deep and this one is 5 1/2' (1.6 m) long. Two people can handle it...



...but it is a handful.



Don't let your finger get under it when setting on the cabinet base!

More is on the way.

Thomas

 

[BigAl62]

Man, I go away for a few days and there are 2 more pages to read! Hey Tom, who "burned" the end of your butcher block top with a saw blade? Can't wait to see this bench completed. To quote Flounder from Animal House "Boy, is this great!"

 

[steves_001]

Hi Tom and Chris,

I've been lurking awhile watching this build (saw it in Car Craft). While I could gush on and on about how excellent everything is as others have, I'll keep it simple. Very Nice Work! I am truly impressed!

Keep it up, I sure enjoy the progress made on all the projects you have going...

 

[Jure]

sickkk!

 

[dipper]

Thomas, Your attention to detail on the Barn Bench Build is outstanding.
Great Job and keep up the good work!!

 

[markviii]

Hi Jure. You're the second to post from Croatia . I see you've caught the sickness, too. It's very contagious! Welcome to the Center of the Universe. You've encountered a very diverse and knowledgeable group of people. Welcome!

Chris

 

[oberst]

I finally figured out why this bench needs to be as robust as a battleship - it has to support you-know-what:

 

[BB767]

One thng you might consider is a section with a metal top. Not very big but it can save you some problems if you need to put something on it than can dent it.

charlief1 the plan is to provide for 1/8" tempered masonite "underlayment" on those areas that are likely to get a Muncie or other greasy, nasty items on it that I don't want to get up close and personal with my butcher block. When I was teaching that's what we used on our butcher block work benches out in the school shop. When they got badly chewed up they were easily replaced and the work bench top was still relatively untouched. In fact...

...you can see that's what I do now in the old shop with the stainless steel toped benches I made for out there. I don't want my nice stainless tops to get chewed up either. I let the masonite take the beating.

Thomas

 

[hobbitss]

I finally figured out why this bench needs to be as robust as a battleship - it has to support you-know-what:

 

[BB767]

Man, I go away for a few days and there are 2 more pages to read! Hey Tom, who "burned" the end of your butcher block top with a saw blade? Can't wait to see this bench completed. To quote Flounder from Animal House "Boy, is this great!"

BigAl62 that picture was the top in the "raw" state. There's a reason it's called "hard maple"! It's all cleaned up and looking great now, just needs finish applied.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Hi Tom and Chris,

I've been lurking awhile watching this build (saw it in Car Craft). While I could gush on and on about how excellent everything is as others have, I'll keep it simple. Very Nice Work! I am truly impressed!

Keep it up, I sure enjoy the progress made on all the projects you have going...

steves_001, it's been said that confession is good for the soul so it's good to get that lurking bussiness off your chest isn't it and come right out with it?

I shall keep this simple as well, thank you for reading the thread, checking in with us and welcome.

With all the encouragement I do plan on "keep on keeping on". As has been mentioned before but worth repeating, please be patient from time to time so don't give up on me if there's a momentary lapse here and there.

BTW - Pink Floyd, "Momentary Lapse Of Reason" Great LP, under appreciated IMHO! (but I digress...again )

Thomas

 

[BB767]

sickkk!

But in a good way....right???

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Thomas, Your attention to detail on the Barn Bench Build is outstanding.
Great Job and keep up the good work!!

Dipper, your little garage project is terrific. Nice job I must say. You need that roof pitch to shed snow as well as provide additional storage?

Thanks BTW for the nice thought. I do appreciate it from others who do such good work also.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

I finally figured out why this bench needs to be as robust as a battleship - it has to support you-know-what:

You found me out but, shuuuuush, don't tell Rick, OK. It'll be our little secret, 'cause you know how touchy he is about that anvil thing, right? So mum's the word.

Loved the graphic though oberst , just loved it. Thank you so very much.

soft spoken Thomas

 

[kbuhagiar]

BTW - Pink Floyd, "Momentary Lapse Of Reason" Great LP, under appreciated IMHO! Thomas

Agreed - I think it stacks up very well against the older classics (Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, etc), but may aficionados insist that it was a "sell-out", done only for the money, merely because it does not include Roger Waters in the lineup.

 

[RivennHewn]

Hope nobody from L & I sees the pict of you in that hole.
That's about a $10K fine in my area.

 

[BB767]

Agreed - I think it stacks up very well against the older classics (Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, etc), but may aficionados insist that it was a "sell-out", done only for the money, merely because it does not include Roger Waters in the lineup.

I've heard that said about the album also. Everyone's a critic I guess.

The track "On The Turning Away" from that LP is absolutely phenomenal, with or without Roger Waters.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Hope nobody from L & I sees the pict of you in that hole.
That's about a $10K fine in my area.

Hi there RivennHewn. I guess the "government" just knows best and they're out to protect us from ourselves it seems. By and large this thread has dodged political commentary and that's probably best I think, 'cause you get me started on that and you guys will never see the Walker or Barn Bench completed!

Thanks for stopping by. I've vowed to stay out of deep holes, or at least not post any pictures of me in them without proper bracing.

Thomas

 

[johno]

I've heard that said about the album also. Everyone's a critic I guess.

The track "On The Turning Away" from that LP is absolutely phenomenal, with or without Roger Waters.

Thomas

Yep.

 

[oberst]

I also like the song "One Slip".

("Lapse" was not up to Pink Floyd standards, but it's not my opinion that they phoned it in. "The Division Bell", however . . . )

 

[BB767]

Coming down the Barn Bench home stretch.

The drawer slides have been taped over while the finish sanding took place to keep saw dust out of the ball bearings. Here's the long bench top in place, 9 1/2' long (2.9 m)...

... of pure, hard maple bliss. To move this top takes 4 guys. I'm not sure how heavy this top alone is, but a few hundred pounds.

Here's the end cleaned up that had saw burn marks on it. Since I wanted to lighten up the bench while transporting it, the drawers and doors have been removed here. I didn't get any pictures with the top in place and all completed. You'll get to see those once it's in the barn, stained and finished I figured.

I'm also going to install a 3" backsplash to keep items from rolling off the back and falling into never-never land...

...never to be seen again.

It's all loaded up in my trailer. Lots of furniture blankets were used to wrap the tops and keep everything from getting denting up en route. Now it's off to the barn...

...so stay tuned.

Thomas

 

[creativedust]

Coming down the Barn Bench home stretch.

The drawer slides have been taped over while the finish sanding took place to keep saw dust out of the ball bearings. Here's the long bench top in place, 9 1/2' long (2.9 m)...

... of pure, hard maple bliss. To move this top takes 4 guys. I'm not sure how heavy this top alone is, but a few hundred pounds.

Here's the end cleaned up that had saw burn marks on it. Since I wanted to lighten up the bench while transporting it, the drawers and doors have been removed here. I didn't get any pictures with the top in place and all completed. You'll get to see those once it's in the barn, stained and finished I figured.

I'm also going to install a 3" backsplash to keep items from rolling off the back and falling into never-never land...

...never to be seen again.

It's all loaded up in my trailer. Lots of furniture blankets were used to wrap the tops and keep everything from getting denting up en route. Now it's off to the barn...

...so stay tuned.

Thomas

That last picture looks like you spent so much time working on the bench chris made you sleep on a board next to the BBB LOL

 

[ZRX61]

You found me out but, shuuuuush, don't tell Rick, OK. It'll be our little secret, 'cause you know how touchy he is about that anvil thing, right? So mum's the word.

*cough*

 

[MisteR Tee]

Been admiring your work from afar (well, the UK) & your latest project has reminded me of when I was a lot younger (maybe early 20s, now in my 60s), I made a work bench in evening classes. My wife & I attended these so we could accomplish most of our DIY projects ourselves. She made a coffee table, which we still have(!) & I made the bench, which we also still have! At the time, the bench seemed huge & the class instructor (& most of the other attendees) thought it was a tad big in construction. However, it pales into insignificance compared to your "industrial strength" one!! Way to go!!

Interesting to note your use of those "European" door hinges, which are indeed universal here. In fact I just had some alcove units built & my carpenter used some which enable you to remove the doors by just flicking a small catch at the back of the hinge. This means you don't have to unscrew them & the adjustment stays set.

I just wish I had a fraction of the space you have at your disposal, so that I could organise my garage space to the same degree you have been able to. Most UK garages are minimal compared to the average US one, although mine would be considered large as it is 25' long, & 12' tall but only 8' wide.

Keep the updates coming, I too, want to see the Walker "ressurection"!!

 

[BB767]

That last picture looks like you spent so much time working on the bench chris made you sleep on a board next to the BBB LOL

Now that you mention it...

...it might look like that. Really the drawers and doors were each wrapped with blankets also. Getting it into the barn without damage was a concern, especially since it was still raw wood.

Thomas

 

[3bay]

What color are you going to powder coat that work bench?

 

[Nuts]

What color are you going to powder coat that work bench?

Nuts

 

[BB767]

Been admiring your work from afar (well, the UK) & your latest project has reminded me of when I was a lot younger (maybe early 20s, now in my 60s), I made a work bench in evening classes. My wife & I attended these so we could accomplish most of our DIY projects ourselves. She made a coffee table, which we still have(!) & I made the bench, which we also still have! At the time, the bench seemed huge & the class instructor (& most of the other attendees) thought it was a tad big in construction. However, it pales into insignificance compared to your "industrial strength" one!! Way to go!!

Interesting to note your use of those "European" door hinges, which are indeed universal here. In fact I just had some alcove units built & my carpenter used some which enable you to remove the doors by just flicking a small catch at the back of the hinge. This means you don't have to unscrew them & the adjustment stays set.

I just wish I had a fraction of the space you have at your disposal, so that I could organise my garage space to the same degree you have been able to. Most UK garages are minimal compared to the average US one, although mine would be considered large as it is 25' long, & 12' tall but only 8' wide.

Keep the updates coming, I too, want to see the Walker "ressurection"!!

MisteR Tee greetings to you from afar also, (well, maybe semi-far ). Thank you for your interest in my various projects and for your note. I like your label of industrial strength to describe the Barn Bench; that it is! I hadn't done a proper cabinet wood working project in some time, what with the shop and property resurrection, racing, car shows, seeing to Chris's happiness and all. It felt good to exercise those mental muscles again. Because of the space it was going to be used in, I needed to "scale it up" to fit in properly and, well, one thing lead to another and pretty soon I had this vast maple, timber bench. In retrospect I would have done it all over the same way. It will do what it was designed and constructed for plus *bonus* I find it quite pleasing to the eye, which has always been important to me. The pleasant visual aspect is like a gift that keeps on giving.

Whenever we have our friends from the UK over for a visit they also comment, somewhat wishfully, about the large spaces we tend to occupy here in the States. I realize of course, that in my case, I am truly living a dream.

Now that the bench is safely home, I want to turn back to the Walker jack shortly and finish that project. I do my best to stay on task and not bounce from project to project. In this case a window of opportunity opened with the bench and I chose to take advantage of it. You should soon see the conclusion of that, the Walker and Joe, I haven't forgotten about the material in the lean-to and tool shed either! Promise.

Dream Living Thomas

 

[BB767]

What color are you going to powder coat that work bench?

Nuts

...and so it begins...........

Thomas

 

[creativedust]

...and so it begins...........

Thomas

You better take that to Charleston that wont fit my oven

 

[hobbitss]

...and so it begins...........

Thomas

Gotta do different colors to match the garage and major tools...
ie: Lift and Walker Jacks...

While the bench is at the powder coater's you can get to work on the Runway/Test track...

 

[Motown 454]

They look great Thomas. Nice work.

 

[dcm5652]

I think that anyone that takes his Anvil for a nightly walk shouldn't have any trouble handling that bench-top. Great work the bench is more of a piece of furniture and the quality of workmanship is unsurpassed.

 

[markviii]

creativedust - Is there such thing as clear powder coating or even the ability to powder coat stained wood? If not, he'll never consider it. Afterall, the grain of the wood is part of the beauty and character of the bench.

hobbitss - there you go again, encouraging him (giving him false hope)! If he could convince Johnny to sell the south 40, we wouldn't have to worry about the over-spray from the field work; but, no, the whole thing is not such a good idea. We wouldn't be able to do enough noise abatement to satisfy the neighbors (or me).

Chris

 

[hobbitss]

hobbitss - there you go again, encouraging him (giving him false hope)! If he could convince Johnny to sell the south 40, we wouldn't have to worry about the over-spray from the field work; but, no, the whole thing is not such a good idea. We wouldn't be able to do enough noise abatement to satisfy the neighbors (or me).

Chris

What noise abatement problem??? The cars are street stock and are properly muffled, No Problem..

The runway need only be large enough to handle something flying down from the Oshkosh air show... They don't see much of anything bigger than say a B-17 or maybe a B-29 do they???

The center of the known universe needs a good runway...

 

[D.J.]

Nice to see you have the noodle pool toys to install on the cables that hold the ramp door to help eliminate a possible tripping hazard or the clothsline effect.

 

[MisteR Tee]

Hey Thomas, you've been trumped!!!!

 

[markviii]

MisteR Tee - that "garage" was on GJ some time ago - never saw the video, though. Great idea with the front porch/garage door! But, I'd get tired moving the chairs on and off the porch every time we wanted to use a car (I'd probably attach them permanently to the concrete to avoid that. It's a bit disorganized, don't you think? Also, lacking a lift, driveway and landscaping. A bit uninviting for my taste. I assumed that the upper level was actually living space, but it appears that it's open on the inside. Lots of great potential!

Chris