Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT 1950s Craftsman Garage retro remodel

[emeraldcoupe]

wow, nice work! are you going to try and find some old craftsman tool boxes?

 

[Red Leader]

Alright! Did some work on the cabinets tonight! Not much, but got a good start on things for tomorrow if you-know-what doesn't happen!

Doubled up the single vertical stringers:

By daveamy at 2011-07-15

Worked on the front 'faceplate' just a little bit:

By daveamy at 2011-07-15

By daveamy at 2011-07-15

Got the wood routed for the trim for the vertical stringers. Here it is with a coat of boiled linseed oil on it:

By daveamy at 2011-07-15

By daveamy at 2011-07-15

This will be cut and installed tomorrow and then things will really start taking shape!

 

[Red Leader]

wow, nice work! are you going to try and find some old craftsman tool boxes?

emeraldcoupe,

I would LOVE to find some vintage Craftsman tool boxes.

I'd like to find one like this one:

 

[onewaydave]

This is a great build. I like your craftsmanship. But...

In other news, I discovered google sketchup. Wow, I'm hooked. It will be a fun toy to play around with once the baby comes and there is some down time here and there.

Are you on acid? Meth? down time and new babies do not belong in the same sentance.

Dave.

 

[mdbeck1]

This is a great build. I like your craftsmanship. But...



Are you on acid? Meth? down time and new babies do not belong in the same sentance.

Dave.

X2.

When my son was born there was almost NO time to work on the cars and in the garage. It seems that the only time I had in the garage was when something was broke and I HAD TO HAVE IT THE NEXT DAY (Like my DD). ...and then I was on the drive until midnight.

Seriously.... don't plan on any large projects for the next couple of years. You'll be very busy with the baby.

Remember when you get home that your wife has dealt with the baby all day. You will need to take over for a couple of hours JUST TO KEEP HER SANE. I would come home and take the baby and tell my wife to disappear for an hour. You should do the same. Your marriage will last longer.

 

[redlinetoys]

Huh?

I think Red Leader is just saying he will be in the house hanging out and contributing with family instead of toiling away in the garage.

And maybe his kicks will be a little time on the computer dreaming away occasionally on what he can work on in the shop when he does have time. Seems reasonable to me. And yes, I agree family has to come first and it is important to be "part of the equation" not just "present".

Back to his cool garage posts please?!?

PS: I built my own wooden cabinets without much thought and wish I had taken the time to do something more along the lines of what is being done here. Can't wait to see the results!

 

[mdbeck1]

....
Back to his cool garage posts please?!?

PS: I built my own wooden cabinets without much thought and wish I had taken the time to do something more along the lines of what is being done here. Can't wait to see the results!

The only thing I was trying to say was when babies come along there is very little free time. Anybody that thinks otherwise needs to reconsider.

Enough on that topic.
-----------------------------------------
I've got to agree that his garage has some really cool ideas in it and I'd like to see him complete it. I don't think it would work in my garage but it's cool.

...and yeah... I built some storage bins in my garage (wood racks) and I really wish I had went with some kind of nice steel racks. Of course that would take a lot more money than I had at the time.

...back to our regularly scheduled garage build. PLEASE!!!

 

[Red Leader]

This is a great build. I like your craftsmanship. But...



Are you on acid? Meth? down time and new babies do not belong in the same sentance.

Dave.

X2.

When my son was born there was almost NO time to work on the cars and in the garage. It seems that the only time I had in the garage was when something was broke and I HAD TO HAVE IT THE NEXT DAY (Like my DD). ...and then I was on the drive until midnight.

Seriously.... don't plan on any large projects for the next couple of years. You'll be very busy with the baby.

Remember when you get home that your wife has dealt with the baby all day. You will need to take over for a couple of hours JUST TO KEEP HER SANE. I would come home and take the baby and tell my wife to disappear for an hour. You should do the same. Your marriage will last longer.

Huh?

I think Red Leader is just saying he will be in the house hanging out and contributing with family instead of toiling away in the garage.

And maybe his kicks will be a little time on the computer dreaming away occasionally on what he can work on in the shop when he does have time. Seems reasonable to me. And yes, I agree family has to come first and it is important to be "part of the equation" not just "present".

Back to his cool garage posts please?!?

PS: I built my own wooden cabinets without much thought and wish I had taken the time to do something more along the lines of what is being done here. Can't wait to see the results!

Haha. My wife got a good kick out of that

I think I get it, I know that I won't have the kind of thing where I can spend a 'whole day' out there anymore, or at least for a few years. But! I was hanging with my sister and her husband a few weeks after they had their first and, while it all took a lot of their time, they were able to chill and watch tv and just relax here and there, so I'm hoping to at least put that kind of time into something productive, without having to go out to the garage and spend time away from the family.

On to the garage - trim goes up today!

 

[TONE]

We have to kids. My son just turned 3 and our daughter is 7 months old. Trust me and what others have said. Your life with free time is over. Forget about it, consider it a distant memory.

But, theres no greater feeling than being a good parent. Give them all your time. Every spare second. It's worth its weight in gold!

Congrats on the upcoming addition!

 

[Red Leader]

Alright...quick update


Got the faceplate board profiled, sanded, and painted (1st coat):

By daveamy at 2011-07-16

By daveamy at 2011-07-16

By daveamy at 2011-07-16

I only finished this now since I needed to get the height measurements from it in place up to the first shelf to cut the trim pieces. Those are next!

 

[Wingnut65]

Red Leader, All I can say is Wow! And, Congrats on the forthcoming family expansion...

I have been hitting this build off and on since you started, but just spent my week on the beach with my family going back to Post #1 and read everything again. When I couldn't see a photo on my blackberry, I came back to the room to see on the laptop. Wow! Love the vintage tools and the deco style you have created. You are a true craftsman that can see a vision and figure out how to get it done within the tools you have.

I sure wish you had started this before I started working on my shop. I now have to see how I can fit some of these ideas in to mine. Now I have to go back and paint my garage door tracks. And' I didn't realize how awful my vice and grinder looked until I saw yours. Rustoleum Verde Green. Gotta get it!

And, if it weren't for this post, I wouldn't know we had so many twin parents and upcoming parents on GJ. You all will survive...

Congrats on your growing family. Like the others have said, take care of family first and life will flow smoothly. You definitely have a keeper!

 

[emeraldcoupe]

emeraldcoupe,

I would LOVE to find some vintage Craftsman tool boxes.

I'd like to find one like this one:

a guy at the machine shop i use has a set of those that he is still using.

 

[Red Leader]

Alright!!!!!!!! Progress progress progress!!!

Here is what the shelves are looking like. FINALLY they are taking shape and somewhat resembling the original vision I had in my mind:

By daveamy at 2011-07-16

By daveamy at 2011-07-16

Here are the rest of the trim pieces (side trim) drying from a coating of BLO:

By daveamy at 2011-07-16

The little cracks/crevices between the black face plate and the shelf face and top will either get bondo or caulk then additional paint. Also, things are looking a little 'dull', simply because the trim pieces are being hand finished with boiled linseed oil, which has more of a flat, non sheen finish compared to the poly/urethane. Also, the face plate has flat black on it, which will eventually get a poly spray coat once I get decals on.

Ideally, I wanted to put 3 decals on the faceplate. 1) a large 'Craftsman' logo in the center, 2) an Old Woodworking Machines logo on one side, and 3) a 'Garage Journal' logo on the other

Does anyone know who I might ask to use the 'Garage Journal' logo? I'd love to put it on the shelves as some credit to this forum and everyone on it. After all, without it I would not have had the inspiration to start this project nor the motivation and encouragement to continue it.

 

[Red Leader]

Did some gluing of the trim tonight, but...it's going MUCH slower because I only have one set of clamps that actually fit around the work piece.

Here is where its at now:

By daveamy at 2011-07-16

By daveamy at 2011-07-16

By daveamy at 2011-07-16

By daveamy at 2011-07-16

I'll be working on it again tomorrow and hopefully get it all done!

 

[onewaydave]

I'll be working on it again tomorrow and hopefully get it all done!

Impossible, they are never done.

You know I'm just razzing you because I so jealous of your talent and creativity. I'm anxious to see tye finished shelves.

Dave.

 

[Red Leader]

Red Leader, All I can say is Wow! And, Congrats on the forthcoming family expansion...

I have been hitting this build off and on since you started, but just spent my week on the beach with my family going back to Post #1 and read everything again. When I couldn't see a photo on my blackberry, I came back to the room to see on the laptop. Wow! Love the vintage tools and the deco style you have created. You are a true craftsman that can see a vision and figure out how to get it done within the tools you have.

I sure wish you had started this before I started working on my shop. I now have to see how I can fit some of these ideas in to mine. Now I have to go back and paint my garage door tracks. And' I didn't realize how awful my vice and grinder looked until I saw yours. Rustoleum Verde Green. Gotta get it!

And, if it weren't for this post, I wouldn't know we had so many twin parents and upcoming parents on GJ. You all will survive...

Congrats on your growing family. Like the others have said, take care of family first and life will flow smoothly. You definitely have a keeper!

Wingnut,

Thanks for your flattering and perhaps undeserved comments!

I can tell you for sure that it did not start this way. It originally started with me just wanting more electrical in the garage to power up the wood tools. Then I saw there was no insulation...then I saw there was no lighting.

I'm not sure where the vintage 'theme' came from exactly. I think it was a combo of seeing places like Jack's garage (mucho credit!!) and just from hangin around the old woodworking tool forum and being surrounded with vintage stuff. And even then, the ideas came small. More times than not, halfway through a project, I'd tell myself "Hey, I can actually do a little more on this!" and each project kind of went off the deep end haha. It definitely did not start out like that.

Now, the next thing is the work bench. I was going to do just a simple type design, but Jack had to go and ruin it for me by showing me fabulous pictures of vintage Alemite cabinets

For me, the process of the vision and created are the funnest aspects to the project. I think it just somehow keeps my brain entertained

 

[re1]

Very nice !!

 

[smacdiesel]

I'm loving this thread! You are very creative and diligent indeed!!!

Do yourself a favor though, get rid of the radial arm saw. As a cabinet maker, I can't over emphasize how dangerous that tool is, it CAN kill you. I got rid of mine a few years ago because it just isn't needed anymore with the advent of the sliding chop saw. I put it out front with a for sale sign and my next door neighbor bought it, in retrospect I should have thrown it in the trash. You guessed it, he sawed his arm off! They put it back on but he hasn't been the same since. I feel somewhat responsible knowing what an evil device that thing can become being used carelessly.

Just be careful with that thing, I hate those radial arm saws.

 

[Red Leader]

I'm loving this thread! You are very creative and diligent indeed!!!

Do yourself a favor though, get rid of the radial arm saw. As a cabinet maker, I can't over emphasize how dangerous that tool is, it CAN kill you. I got rid of mine a few years ago because it just isn't needed anymore with the advent of the sliding chop saw. I put it out front with a for sale sign and my next door neighbor bought it, in retrospect I should have thrown it in the trash. You guessed it, he sawed his arm off! They put it back on but he hasn't been the same since. I feel somewhat responsible knowing what an evil device that thing can become being used carelessly.

Just be careful with that thing, I hate those radial arm saws.

Smacdiesel,

I do appreciate your concern. If it is any consolation, I don't use it much, due to the rough cut it produces with the blade it has on there now, and I don't feel like having to order a custom 10" blade with a 1" arbor. Not to mention it is super, duper loud! I've been doing most of my cross cuts on the table saw, where I have a little more control.

I know of the dangers of a radial saw. I used to work in a stair building factory and we'd use either a 12" or 14" radial saw (I think it was a DeWalt, but I cannot recall exactly). I had many, many instances of the blade climbing through the wood and lurching toward me. Its a real wake up call. So I know not to stand in front of it and also to feel the saw pull through the wood.

The radial saw is not the only saw I would consider dangerous. Actually, most wood-working tools can be extremely dangerous. However, I would say that the radial saw, along with the table saw, are some of the most unforgiving. Or maybe I could say they are the least tolerant of ignorance and poor safety practices. If you slip when using a jigsaw, you may swear and have to go wrap your thumb in gauze. If you slip on a radial saw or a table saw, you're headed to the emergency room, no question. Accidentally stick your hand in a planer, same thing.

I do like using the radial saw, but I also have a keen awareness of its destructive power, and I have a respect for the tool.

If it helps, I recently turned down a vintage Craftsman 'swing saw'. Apparently from what I've heard, you don't know anything about dangerous until you've gotten in front of a swing saw...and a saw that can put the radial to shame.

 

[omr]

when i was 15 i worked in construction and i often ran the radial arm saw , looking back i cant believe the let a 15 year old any where near that thing ..lol , still got all my fingers though ..

 

[Red Leader]

when i was 15 i worked in construction and i often ran the radial arm saw , looking back i cant believe the let a 15 year old any where near that thing ..lol , still got all my fingers though ..

Me too. Maybe we're the lucky ones?

 

[smacdiesel]

Me too. Maybe we're the lucky ones?

I'm glad you already know the dangers, I agree the table saw can be very dangerous. Thanks for the reply, your project has inspired me, I love the shelves and color scheme. Keep posting the updates, you have a very interested audience!

 

[Red Leader]

MAJOR MAJOR UPDATE!!!!

(no, we don't have a baby born yet )

But! I've been working out there all freakin' day, in what will probably be the last 'all day' work day that garage will see for a long time! I feel like I got a lot done! Most of the trim, including some stuff that was on the backburner, finally got wrapped up.

I did do some electrical (for the lights in the shelves), but got stopped short since I ran out of wire nuts:

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

However, I was pretty successful on other fronts!

Four words sum it up pretty well...


Art...

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

Deco...

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

Is...

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

BACK!!!

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

Then my wife came out and said it looked good, soooooo....

I, not being one to just disregard what the wife says, listed to what she said and went to town.

I FINALLY finished the panel trim. This is what I had been wanted to do for a LONG time, but just didn't get around to it. DONE!

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

I also did the trim around the front door area. Again, wanted to do it for a long time, just got busy with other stuff:

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

DONE!

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

I also got the shelf endcap door installed. It needs a little more paint inside (and some flashing to cover up the inside kerfing) but so far so good!

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

And now, for the grand finale, here is what the cabinets are looking like this minute!

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

I'm really happy with it. Next steps will be the decals for the faceplate, then some poly spray to go over than to seal the decals and to give it a gloss finish. Even though I do like the colors that the boiled linseed oil bring out, I also really like the gloss finish, so I think I'll spray all the trim on the pillars as well. I ran out of wood glue so that is why the top trim pieces are still not attached, but I learned a good trick - I just tightly wrapped them up in tape while gluing and that got around the C-clamp fitting issue. I still have a few more bigger pieces to attach, but its getting there!

Next steps are electrical wiring, lighting, touch up paint, finish poly spray, then finally a polished aluminum flashing strip around the lower lip of the bottom and middle shelves. I've been tossing around some ideas for some chrome-ish trim at the ends of the cabinets (think 1950's car trim) but that will be at the very end.

I probably won't get another work day like this for a while so I'm just basking in it

 

[Red Leader]

By the way, this front door looks awful:

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

What should I do with it? Paint it to match the wall scheme? All black? All white? All teal? Its this weird fiberboard panel, so I don't think finishing it would look good.

Wood paneling on it would look kinda neat, but that would be pretty time consuming and would use wood I don't have.

Any thoughts?

 

[Wingnut65]

Did some gluing of the trim tonight, but...it's going MUCH slower because I only have one set of clamps that actually fit around the work piece.

Since the trim is not structural, an easy clamp to use would be a piece of rope tied around each vertical. Either one at the top, one at the bottom, or, wrap it all the way down. It would give just enough pressure to get a good glue joint. And, the price is right (if you have some rope already, that is.)

I'm not sure where the vintage 'theme' came from exactly. I think it was a combo of seeing places like Jack's garage (mucho credit!!) and just from hangin around the old woodworking tool forum and being surrounded with vintage stuff. And even then, the ideas came small. More times than not, halfway through a project, I'd tell myself "Hey, I can actually do a little more on this!" and each project kind of went off the deep end haha. It definitely did not start out like that.

That's one thing with all the creative inspiration I find here on GJ - 12-Gauge, Asylum, 1950s Crafstman... - when I have something in mind to build, before I can go buy the wood and build it, the idea has evolved into something even better. I think its called 'the evolution of an idea'.

We just got home from the beach and I had to get a can of black and hit the horizontal bracing on my garage door. It looks great and now I have to put the door metal, door tracks and the door opener bracing all on the list to get a coat of black paint. Thanks, Red, it will look great when its done.

So what's the family news? Are you sure she's not having a girl since he/she is running late already?

EDIT: We were posting at the same time. Tape works too instead of rope. And those deco trim details look amazing. A gloss coat would knock it out of the park. For the door, at least give it a coat of the upper wall color. Live with it and see if you like it or if it should be green. I'd say light. And, thanks for the baby update!

 

[98TJ]

By the way, this front door looks awful:

By daveamy at 2011-07-17

What should I do with it? Paint it to match the wall scheme? All black? All white? All teal? Its this weird fiberboard panel, so I don't think finishing it would look good.

Wood paneling on it would look kinda neat, but that would be pretty time consuming and would use wood I don't have.

Any thoughts?

Fix the leak and get a new (metal) door

 

[mdbeck1]

...
I FINALLY finished the panel trim. This is what I had been wanted to do for a LONG time, but just didn't get around to it. DONE!

Now you have no excuses...

You have your own ROUND TUIT.

 

[Grandad]

Four words sum it up pretty well...
Art...

Deco...

Is...

BACK!!!

By literal definition, "Art Deco" means the use of art to decorate.
By accepted usage, that "Art" took the form of common, everyday items that most accepted as a utilitarian necessity in a home.
Common things like light switches, windows and doors became a canvas for the creative craftsman to express something more than mere function.

The craftsman era in your country, took that art form to a height not seen before or since.

I realise the "Craftsman" theme in your shop is to do with a brand name there, but I find myself thinking of its original meaning when looking at your work.
You seem very young, just starting a family, and appear to be at the start of your learning curve in working in timber.
But if this work, detailed here, is anything to go on, I see great things in your future.

Art Deco, has never really died. Even today, a common item like a light switch is designed to be visually pleasing.
And so long as people like you are around, it has a definite future.
Keep uppermost in your thoughts, the "Look" you can see in your minds eye.
The nuts and bolts of HOW to do it, will come to you in due course.
The techniques, are a common enough skill that can be learned, the IDEA however, is unique to you.
That's what makes it special.
Well done!

 

[Red Leader]

Okay guys,

I'm thinking about decals now, as I'm almost at that stage.

Here are the vintage Craftsman decals - tell me which one you like...

1.

2.

3.

 

[Red Leader]

Now you have no excuses...

You have your own ROUND TUIT.

Haha that's a good one!

 

[Red Leader]

By literal definition, "Art Deco" means the use of art to decorate.
By accepted usage, that "Art" took the form of common, everyday items that most accepted as a utilitarian necessity in a home.
Common things like light switches, windows and doors became a canvas for the creative craftsman to express something more than mere function.

The craftsman era in your country, took that art form to a height not seen before or since.

I realise the "Craftsman" theme in your shop is to do with a brand name there, but I find myself thinking of its original meaning when looking at your work.
You seem very young, just starting a family, and appear to be at the start of your learning curve in working in timber.
But if this work, detailed here, is anything to go on, I see great things in your future.

Art Deco, has never really died. Even today, a common item like a light switch is designed to be visually pleasing.
And so long as people like you are around, it has a definite future.
Keep uppermost in your thoughts, the "Look" you can see in your minds eye.
The nuts and bolts of HOW to do it, will come to you in due course.
The techniques, are a common enough skill that can be learned, the IDEA however, is unique to you.
That's what makes it special.
Well done!

Thanks for your thoughts! I didn't really think about 'art deco' from that perspective, but it totally makes sense. You make some really great and fascinating points.

I appreciate your feedback!

 

[tinbender 66]

Hey Red Leader, every time I catch up on this thread I do so shaking my head with a big smile on my face. I don't know what you do for a living but you've got a gold mine in your head! Btw, I like the decal in the middle.

 

[Red Leader]

Since the trim is not structural, an easy clamp to use would be a piece of rope tied around each vertical. Either one at the top, one at the bottom, or, wrap it all the way down. It would give just enough pressure to get a good glue joint. And, the price is right (if you have some rope already, that is.)




That's one thing with all the creative inspiration I find here on GJ - 12-Gauge, Asylum, 1950s Crafstman... - when I have something in mind to build, before I can go buy the wood and build it, the idea has evolved into something even better. I think its called 'the evolution of an idea'.

We just got home from the beach and I had to get a can of black and hit the horizontal bracing on my garage door. It looks great and now I have to put the door metal, door tracks and the door opener bracing all on the list to get a coat of black paint. Thanks, Red, it will look great when its done.

So what's the family news? Are you sure she's not having a girl since he/she is running late already?

EDIT: We were posting at the same time. Tape works too instead of rope. And those deco trim details look amazing. A gloss coat would knock it out of the park. For the door, at least give it a coat of the upper wall color. Live with it and see if you like it or if it should be green. I'd say light. And, thanks for the baby update!

Hey man, thanks for the compliments! Feel free to throw up some pics of your newly painted hardware - would love to see it!

I also like your idea of starting with white paint on the door and seeing how things look from there.

 

[Red Leader]

Hey Red Leader, every time I catch up on this thread I do so shaking my head with a big smile on my face. I don't know what you do for a living but you've got a gold mine in your head! Btw, I like the decal in the middle.

Actually, I work for a local non-profit that helps at-risk youth. A far cry from what I know a lot of guys on here do (engineer, construction, etc), but I do love what I do and the garage time gets my 'working with my hands' fix for me

By the way, how is your garage coming? Any new updates with the paint or cabinets?

Oh, and thanks for your vote!

 

[LeonardY]

MAJOR MAJOR UPDATE!!!!
I ran out of wood glue so that is why the top trim pieces are still not attached, but I learned a good trick - I just tightly wrapped them up in tape while gluing and that got around the C-clamp fitting issue. I still have a few more bigger pieces to attach, but its getting there!

Red Leader,

It's looking really good.

Here's another tip on gluing. It's known as rub joint. For larger joints you need to coat both surfaces with glue then rub the two surfaces together. For your small trim you only need to coat the back of your trim and press and rub it to it's position. If done correctly you can hold it in place for a few minutes and it won't move. But a small amount of tape will help.

Hope your wife is doing well.

 

[kngkong]

Nice work as usual RL, love following along.
Excellent job bringing your ideas to reality.

Best wishes on the birth.
Cheers

 

[Red Leader]

Red Leader,

It's looking really good.

Here's another tip on gluing. It's known as rub joint. For larger joints you need to coat both surfaces with glue then rub the two surfaces together. For your small trim you only need to coat the back of your trim and press and rub it to it's position. If done correctly you can hold it in place for a few minutes and it won't move. But a small amount of tape will help.

Hope your wife is doing well.

Leonard,

YES! That is what I did on a few pieces that I just thought would stay in place. There were a few 'challenging' pieces that had a slight curvature to them that wouldn't stay in place by a press fit, and even doubtful with just tape. Fortunately they came out good and now just just a few pieces left. I ran out of glue

 

[Red Leader]

Nice work as usual RL, love following along.
Excellent job bringing your ideas to reality.

Best wishes on the birth.
Cheers

kngkong,

Thanks a bunch! Btw, what year is your Bonnie? Or Tiger?

 

[JNGTexas]

I really love the trademarks! I had never seen the top one before. I really think you should go with the middle one since so many of your tools have it. I would love a large 3-D version to hang in my garage!

With your skills you could totally make that happen!

 

[smacdiesel]

I like the red craftsman logo, it will really pop out the most of the three in my opinion. What are you going to store on those art deco looking shelves?