Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Mid-Century Moto Mecca Makeover

[slik560]

Thanks for the drywall patch tip and the back-of-the-garage-door storage idea. What are those racks for? [sorry for not paying attention] I have a low garage ceiling and a light bulb went on when I saw that idea. THANKS.

PS: GREAT timing on the pancake-flip shot. What a great family.

 

[GGB]

I'll bet those pancakes were the best your family has or ever will taste! Congratulations!

GGB

P.S. I'll have a Macallan 12 year old tonight to celebrate with you tonight.......Great scotch!

 

[sakurama]

Congrats Gregor, moving from project to home is a significant step. But we will of course continue to expect constant updates as you continue the details.

When it is really DONE done we may need a support group for those going through update withdrawls.

Well, if my motorcycles are any indication you'll never need to start the support group.

Thanks for the drywall patch tip and the back-of-the-garage-door storage idea. What are those racks for? [sorry for not paying attention] I have a low garage ceiling and a light bulb went on when I saw that idea. THANKS.

Those are the rails for my track saw. They're long and delicate (relatively speaking) and a pain to store - until now. The garage door has worked out well as they stay put and are still accessible when the door is up.

I'm working today (real job) but we moved more over the weekend. I can't tell you how much I hate moving. I could but I know no one who likes it so there's no point belaboring the point. Despite that I managed to get a bit more of the garage cleaned and space made to rip panels. Hopefully cabinet work will continue tomorrow.

Gregor

 

[Vertigo Cycles]

Hi group, my name is Sean and it's been three days since I've read an update. I've been trying to stay away but every time I sit down at the computer I click my GJ bookmark to get a hit of that sweet, sweet progress in Gregor's home/shop. The only reason I'm not completely broke is because I don't have the space to store Festool anything in my 200sq/ft shop that already has more than five tons of cast iron filling it up.

Thanks for the support.

 

[MN4x4]

Hadn't seen this thread before but found it mentioned over on the FOG. I am going to steal your idea of mounting rails on the garage door. Awesome!

Please keep posting as I am living vicariously through you!

 

[OJ Bartley]

Gregor, I'm about a week late, but congratulations. It was great to check back in on the thread and see you and the family are now home. I hope you all enjoy it.

 

[sakurama]

Sean, you're funny. I wish I could fabricate half as well as you but at some point down the road, when I've recovered financially from this (let the healing begin!) I intend to spend the time to make a bike together and refine my chops. Maybe after that we work on that exhaust for your 990 and then build some truly attractive and smart panniers for the beast as well.

While I've done a lot there's much left to do. See exhibit A above. If it wasn't stuck to the side of my house I'd think it laughable. Well, it isn't anymore thank god. I hadn't put much effort into this light outside since it never worked. We've tried everything and there was no juice to it. Well, the other day I was tasked with putting in a bar for coats in a closet off the rumpus room (just like that word - seems like it should be in a rap song; "I like big rumpuses and I can not lie..." ) and in this closet were three light switches but only one worked. Anyway, later that night I saw a light on in the garage and went to shut it off but realized it was a light over the fuse box I thought didn't work... Hmm.

Sure enough those two switches in the back of the closet controlled a light in the garage and the front door light. It may seem ridiculous but actually that closet was an entrance 50 years ago when the garage was just a carport.

This light is an original light. Again, I'm not really trying to create a perfect restoration but this is also a very simple and tasteful light. It's a win on two fronts. Three if you consider that I now know what to look for on ebay.

So after an afternoon under a coat of stripper, a wire brush and the bead blasting cabinet I stripped it back (discovering the original color was black) and repainted a satin black. Not sure if I'll use it in the entrance way but I will continue to investigate and trace power and collect some more of these for lights around the house.

Lastly, I'm trying like heck to work on cabinets in my spare time. What slowed me up was deciding that we wanted the walnut to be a darker shade. I bought a bunch of stains and coated scraps of walnut and then took them around the kitchen at various times of day in various places.

Given these samples it might come as a surprise that I chose the one on the lower right (same as the middle middle which has a coat of poly) given that it might seem the least deep or warm. The reason is that this was the most neutral of the stains. I have so much warm wood already that I didn't want another warm yellow or red tone. The point of the darker cabinets was to create a striking counterpoint to the white counters and the light floor. That particular stain balances very well with the floor by virtue of the lack of warmth. Do I think it's the most rich or pretty? No. But I'm going for "bigger picture" here.

Hope I'm right.

Gregor

 

[GRS DESIGN]

Gregor as I was scrolling down and looking at your samples I picked the one on the lower right as you did I think that is a great choice....Glenn

 

[Vertigo Cycles]

Sean, you're funny. I wish I could fabricate half as well as you but at some point down the road, when I've recovered financially from this (let the healing begin!) I intend to spend the time to make a bike together and refine my chops. Maybe after that we work on that exhaust for your 990 and then build some truly attractive and smart panniers for the beast as well.
Gregor

puh-lease. I'm afraid of building a frame with you because the "student" is already more capable than the "master."

Thanks for the thread update. I'm feeling a lot less twitchy now.

In all seriousness, it is a very inspiring build and I'm very interested to see your shop come together. You have a lot of well thought out ideas that I'm definitely going to steal when I have the opportunity to start over with a bigger space.

 

[TimRaleigh]

While I've done a lot there's much left to do. See exhibit A above.

Gregor
Great photo's.
I have looked at this photo a number of times, and I like this shot and the patina on this lamp. Ya, I know it's a stupid lamp on your house but the patina reminds me of the moss that grows on old houses in the south.
The photo is really good, the lamp on your house obviously not.
Tim

 

[sakurama]

Now that we're living in the house I find smaller slices of time that I can make use of to keep projects moving forward which is really helpful. Someday I'll be able to use that time towards working on a bike but bike or house I'm enjoying the building process.

While we have a functional kitchen we're very short on storage without any drawers so I built the upper cabinets so we'd have storage for dishes, free up space in the pantry for food and be able to get the hood for the stove in.

Since I now have experience with multiple methods of joinery I knew that I wanted these cabinets to be glued and dominoed together. I decided to "pre-finish" the walnut ends since the rest was going to be prefinished.

This little silicon brush/spatula has been very helpful to be able to get a thin coating of glue on parts which keeps squeeze out to the minimum.

The router table, domino and the LR32 jig combine to make quick work of a complicated end panel.

The lack of screws means I have to use clamps but it's a fair trade off to keep the panels clean.

These are very big cabinets - about 38" wide - and that's one of the great benefits of building over buying as they're made exactly for the space, are extra deep to hold Judiaann's larger plates and still super strong. Let's see Ikea try to pull off a 38" upper cabinet!

I didn't have time to finish the enclosure for the stove hood but I did have time to screw it up about four times. I was feeling so comfortable I measured once - the classic mistake - on my only full width section of ply. I then proceeded to cut many times to try to fix the fact that I cut the front panel 38mm too short. In the end I pieced together scraps along veneer joins so the pattern stayed the same and the hood cabinet looked "of a piece" and I saved the hood.

I'm also getting familiar with picking the best solution for holding things. I was feeling like it was time to try a mitre joint on the hood to mimic the slope of the back of the peninsula. I managed to get my angles all correct and used a 23ga pinner to hold the boards in position while I used the ratcheting tie downs to put a bit more pressure on the glue joint.

I didn't get time to finish it but I'll hold off on finish until I do the cabinet doors which will have to wait until I find a source for the 2-3mm thick edge banding I want to use for the rest of the kitchen.

Gregor

 

[E12-535iTurbo]

What method did you use to mount those kitchen cabinets?

As for your garage cabinets I thought I saw that you used a board with an edge bolted to the wall to mount them. These then fit in the rear uprights of the cabinets. And can not be seen from the front as they are located behind the backboard of the cabinets. Do you have more pictures of those?

I'm learning a great deal from your posts/project for which I really want to thank you! Your work is inspiring! I'm currently looking at a Festool vacuum since a clean work place is a first step to clean results. Since you're using one, are you satisfied with it? Any recommendations?

Best Regards,
Jan

Ps. Excuse my English as it's not my native language it's sometimes hard to find the approriate technical terms.

 

[Evan K.]

The board on the wall you a referring to is called a "French cleat". You can google images of it. They are simple to use.

Don't worry your English is just fine

 

[amt]

Fantastic job! Looks so nice.

My OCD wants to stain the 5mm shelf pin holes dark....

 

[sakurama]

What method did you use to mount those kitchen cabinets? I'm currently looking at a Festool vacuum since a clean work place is a first step to clean results. Since you're using one, are you satisfied with it? Any recommendations?

The board on the wall you a referring to is called a "French cleat". You can google images of it. They are simple to use.

Don't worry your English is just fine

Yeah, your english is fine.

As Evan mentions it's a French Cleat. While I'd known about it this thread by LilScorpion opened my eyes to the myriad uses of the french cleat. At some point I'm going to start on the small projects in the shop that will allow me to do some of the cool things that he did like drill holders and such. Here's a link to get you started: http://www.familyhandyman.com/garage/storage/customizable-garage-storage/view-all

As for the cabinets I use a full length cleat on the cabinet box and then cut the one that mounts on the wall a little shorter so I have room to slide the cabinet into position. I don't bother to screw it to the wall as the weight makes sure it never moves.

Fantastic job! Looks so nice.

My OCD wants to stain the 5mm shelf pin holes dark....

Try thinking of them as "matching" the maple interior - see if that helps.



Gregor

 

[drmarkr]

Best.GJ.Thread.Ever......

You need to get a PO Box set up so we can send you a house....err, home-warming gift. I mean, seriously, we all feel like we've been through it every step of the way!!

Just do it!

MR

 

[sakurama]

Ha! Thanks.

Save it for your plane ticket to the garage warming party!

About the vacuum - sorry forgot to reply to that. I have a pair of the smaller, older CT22's. One I bought new ten years ago and the other I found used last year for the renovation. They work great - really amazing actually and the durability is great hence why I was happy to buy a used one. A friend tells me all the new ones are the same power but have different sized bags. If you're buying new they always give a deal on tool/vacuum combos. I like my size one as Systainers fit on top neatly which can be nice and I don't have to change bags very often.

As a side tip, if you neatly undo the seam of the vacuum bags you can dump them out, reseal with duct tape and reuse them. They can be reused a surprising number of times which certainly saves some money.

Gregor

 

[bad daddy]

What kind of Espresso Machine are you putting in?

I have been following along since the beginning, and like so many have said before, Great Work!
Envious of your skills and patience.

Pat

 

[TimRaleigh]

The router table, domino and the LR32 jig combine to make quick work of a complicated end panel.

The finish on the end panel looks great!
What did you use? Is it stained as well?
Tim

 

[sakurama]

What kind of Espresso Machine are you putting in?

I have been following along since the beginning, and like so many have said before, Great Work!
Envious of your skills and patience.

Pat

I have a La Spaziale Vivaldi II which is like a low end commercial/high end consumer machine I found on CL for $700 and stripped and rebuilt to new spec. I would like to get a La Marzocco GS/3 but a certain friend is working to convince me that we should build our own machines from scratch. He's very convincing too (see the fact that I'm building my own cabinets as an example or that we now shoot the same Pardini pistol) so that is very likely going to be what happens. Prepare for another build thread!

The finish on the end panel looks great!
What did you use? Is it stained as well?
Tim

Yeah, we stained it to get a deeper, darker walnut so I think it ended up being a single coat of General Finishes "Spiced Walnut" on top of the walnut with satin poly on that. Next change is going to be doing the final poly coat with a wipe-on poly.

Gregor

 

[Modern Jess]

I would like to get a La Marzocco GS/3 but a certain friend is working to convince me that we should build our own machines from scratch. He's very convincing too

Funny, I have a friend like that, too. He's very good at getting *other* people (namely me) to try out his crazy ideas for him.

I'm slowly learning to recognize when I'm being played, though.

 

[GRS DESIGN]

Hey Gregor...saw the Rickman in the background of one of your recent pics have you got any better pics of it?.....everything looks like it is going well on this home project..

 

[bad daddy]

Something along these lines would look good...

I have a La Spaziale Vivaldi II which is like a low end commercial/high end consumer machine I found on CL for $700 and stripped and rebuilt to new spec. I would like to get a La Marzocco GS/3 but a certain friend is working to convince me that we should build our own machines from scratch. He's very convincing too (see the fact that I'm building my own cabinets as an example or that we now shoot the same Pardini pistol) so that is very likely going to be what happens. Prepare for another


Yeah, we stained it to get a deeper, darker walnut so I think it ended up being a single coat of General Finishes "Spiced Walnut" on top of the walnut with satin poly on that. Next change is going to be doing the final poly coat with a wipe-on poly.

Gregor

 

[slik560]

Be careful about an open invite to any garage-warming. You might be surprised how many of this crowd might show up!!

Slight hijack: as a budding motorsports photographer, are there any web sites or blogs that you frequent as a pro shooter? You probably don't have the time. Like your site a lot.

 

[sakurama]

Hey Gregor...saw the Rickman in the background of one of your recent pics have you got any better pics of it?

Oddly I really don't. I have a lot of photos from when my buddy bought it but since he did so many documenting photos I never did.

That's what it looked like when I bought it. Never wanted an english bike but this one was just beautiful and I thought it might teach me some things and give me an excuse to own a bunch of english wrenches.

So over the 6-8 or so years I've owned it I've had the engine rebuilt by Hugh of 6th Street Specials, the wheels rebuilt by Woody's Wheel Works and the forks upgraded to modern Showa CBR cartridge internals by Cosentino Engineering. About all that's left is to make motor mounts for it and then put it together so maybe another 5 or 6 years?

Honestly it's one of the projects that I always intended to finish when I had a garage. A bike I could work on a little at a time as I had the time and money and hopefully that time is coming soon. Maybe this summer I'll get it running.

Be careful about an open invite to any garage-warming. You might be surprised how many of this crowd might show up!!

Slight hijack: as a budding motorsports photographer, are there any web sites or blogs that you frequent as a pro shooter? You probably don't have the time. Like your site a lot.

Oh, I ain't a scared. A big party would be epic fun and well deserved.

It may seem strange since I'm a photographer but I look at no photo boards, forums or even photo magazines. If I'm looking for inspiration I look to classic paintings (the Met is amazing) and european fashion magazines. Motorsports photography is about timing, luck and access - not in that order. And glass - you gotta have some big *** glass. 400 f/2.8 or 600 f/4 minimum. That and one of the newer cameras with the mega fast motors will go a very long way. If you're serious rent a big lens and go to a track day. But be warned that the difference between a consumer lens and a 400/2.8 is night and day and you may end up selling a kidney to get one.

Gregor

 

[Brian R]

And glass - you gotta have some big *** glass. 400 f/2.8 or 600 f/4 minimum. That and one of the newer cameras with the mega fast motors will go a very long way. If you're serious rent a big lens and go to a track day. But be warned that the difference between a consumer lens and a 400/2.8 is night and day and you may end up selling a kidney to get one.

Many moons ago I went to the Nikon School for a day of seminars and tips from professional photographers that use Nikon products. Someone asked about his favorite lens and I don't remember what exact lens it was but someone pointed out that you could buy a car for the same price. His answer was, "and your point is?"

 

[slik560]

Got the glass part covered, as well as the speed. Nikon D7100 is doing the job for now. Thanks for the advice, though. Much appreciated.

 

[JasonJ]

It may seem strange since I'm a photographer but I look at no photo boards, forums or even photo magazines. If I'm looking for inspiration I look to classic paintings (the Met is amazing) and european fashion magazines. Motorsports photography is about timing, luck and access - not in that order. And glass - you gotta have some big *** glass. 400 f/2.8 or 600 f/4 minimum. That and one of the newer cameras with the mega fast motors will go a very long way. If you're serious rent a big lens and go to a track day. But be warned that the difference between a consumer lens and a 400/2.8 is night and day and you may end up selling a kidney to get one.

Gregor

Slinging around an 600mm or a 400mm all day is a b|tch unless you are working an assigned spot that you will be at all day. I found a 300mm with a teleconverter was a lot more manageable.

To the guy that brought up the question... If you are just starting out, go to the local speedway and shoot whatever is on then track. Just because NASCAR isn't there that weekend doesn't mean that something isn't going on. Usually the tracks driving school is going on or some kind of track day event. Shoot those cars and sell pictures.

Follow your local SCCA club and take pictures at their events. This will help your technique, get you some practice and eventually start building your book.

As Gregor mentioned, you will find that a high drive motor will come in handy but invest in your glass. The lens makes the image... The camera just stores it. Cheap glass equals cheap images. A good first lens would be a 70-200mm 2.8f, I always have that lens on a body.

SportsShooter.com just isn't Motorsports photographers but it's where a lot of pros hang out.

Otherwise just do a google search on Motorsports photographer and see what grabs your fancy.

Sorry for the derailment.

 

[JasonJ]

and one more little word of advice for slik560.

When you are shooting your very first NHRA event, you may hear things from the other photogs and your boss along the lines of:

"Kevin, we want you to shoot the start of the Top Fuel cars."
"Hey Kevin, get a close up of the Top Fuel car when the tree goes green."
"Kevin, You know what would be a good shot? If you got a close up of the Top Fuel Crew Chief as the car launches."
"Kevin, have you ever seen the rear tire of a Top Fuel car when it launches, it's pretty cool!"
"Hey Kevin, I'll give you $1 if you stand next to the Top Fuel car when it launches."

see a theme? ... DONT DO IT!

Yea, you will see other photographers doing it and its safe (realatively speaking) to do so but believe me, they just want a good laugh.

Let me share my very first picture of a NHRA Top Fuel car launching off the line. I slapped a wide angle lens on the camera, stood right up against the wall not 6-feet from the headers and I watched the tree as they pre-staged and staged, finger hooving over the shutter button... the tree goes green and the cars take off and I managed this sweet picture....

(This is not my actual picture but mine looks remarkably identical)

OK - sorry again.. back to stain and joints. Gregory, great job on the house! This has been one of my favorite threads on the board.

 

[nguyenctx]

Since reading your thread, it's inspired me to start my own cabinet project. I'm new to the router daddo world, so here is my "dumb" question. I bought a Freud 3/4" plywood daddo router bit from HD, but it seemed that the bit is a little bit more than 3/4" as I can't get a tight fit with 3/4" plywood. Is this the norm? Many thanks in advance. Please excuse my English.

 

[bdking]

I would like to get a La Marzocco GS/3 but a certain friend is working to convince me that we should build our own machines from scratch. He's very convincing too (see the fact that I'm building my own cabinets as an example or that we now shoot the same Pardini pistol) so that is very likely going to be what happens. Prepare for another build thread!

To be fair, its just the grinder that we both need to invent from first principles. I'm happy with my current espresso machine.

 

[Modern Jess]

Since reading your thread, it's inspired me to start my own cabinet project. I'm new to the router daddo world, so here is my "dumb" question. I bought a Freud 3/4" plywood daddo router bit from HD, but it seemed that the bit is a little bit more than 3/4" as I can't get a tight fit with 3/4" plywood. Is this the norm? Many thanks in advance. Please excuse my English.

My experience has been that most "3/4" plywood is actually a bit less than 3/4.

 

[Vertigo Cycles]

Gregor, have you seen the newish Slayer single group?

It's supposed to be a stellar machine, and just a bit more compact than a GS3. IMO, it looks fantastic too.

 

[housefitter]

My experience has been that most "3/4" plywood is actually a bit less than 3/4.

Nominal 3/4" plywood is actually 23/32" and in my experience if you mic it, it will be a scosche less than that even.
Also... I was dismayed to pay 10.56 each plus tax for a 10' stick of 3-1/4" doug fir flooring to patch a register hole in my current 1908 project. And found when inserting the first piece that it was all of 3-1/16th" wide... barely. So much for beautifully lacing it in... hmm wonder if a nice area rug would look funny by the wall in the middle of the room? Another difficulty was presented with the original flooring being milled at 7/8" (no subfloor), and having been sanded down to a variable 3/4"-13/16th"... The new material is a solid 3/4".
I love old houses... I love old houses... I love old houses...
Several Mfgrs make an actual plywood bit that will rout 23/32"

 

[sakurama]

Since reading your thread, it's inspired me to start my own cabinet project. I'm new to the router daddo world, so here is my "dumb" question. I bought a Freud 3/4" plywood daddo router bit from HD, but it seemed that the bit is a little bit more than 3/4" as I can't get a tight fit with 3/4" plywood. Is this the norm? Many thanks in advance. Please excuse my English.

As was mentioned 3/4 plywood is less than 3/4" but it varies. What I've done for dados is actually put a set of calipers to the plywood I have and then take that measurement to the store and look for an undersize bit that matches the measurement. Most places sell "undersized" plywood dado bits (often in sets) but even they aren't guaranteed to fit. This has gotten me 1/2" bits that are 11.9, 12.3, 12.5 and 12.7mm. I have found the 12.3 to be the best fit for the ply that I have. Digital calipers are a great thing to have.

To be fair, its just the grinder that we both need to invent from first principles. I'm happy with my current espresso machine.

Okay, but to be fair, you have a Speedster - there's really no upgrade available for you. I have a fair way to go before that happens.

Gregor, have you seen the newish Slayer single group?
It's supposed to be a stellar machine, and just a bit more compact than a GS3. IMO, it looks fantastic too.

I've not but I'm interested in it. As much as a person who's completely broke can be interested in an expensive espresso machine. Which is a lot funnily enough.

Once the house calms down and I can recover financially I hope to be able to get back to enjoying things like that but I'm not suffering with my machine right now, or my bikes. My hobbies are just on hold for a while.

Slight hijack: as a budding motorsports photographer, are there any web sites or blogs that you frequent as a pro shooter? You probably don't have the time. Like your site a lot.

Here's the best piece of advice I can give about pursuing a career like that and the advice I give whenever I do speaking engagements or talks to younger photographers. Have a plan and don't have a backup plan.

If you're a career changer it's harder because you're already doing your backup plan and that's why most people can't make the jump. Security is hard to give up. When I was an assistant, training to be a photographer, I had no other plan other than to become a photographer. Zero. It meant that, in one way or another I was going to do it because I gave myself no other options. All the other assistants who had a "B" plan ended up going that way. Those of us who didn't became photographers. We then became successful because we were never satisfied with any success.

In a sense becoming successful is about being too stupid to listen to good advice. And persistence. Because it's not just clients that will shoot you down but also teachers and family and friends who think you should do something "safe". Generally those people have fallen back on "safe" careers after giving up on a dream.

That right there is worth what you paid!

Gregor

 

[Modern Jess]

In a sense becoming successful is about being too stupid to listen to good advice.

This is sig-line worthy.

 

[Bjm364]

Gregor, have you ever heard from your helper since he was deported or whatever? I would bet he would be just as impressed with your almost finished product as the rest of us.

 

[GRS DESIGN]

Hey Gregor thanks for the Rickman pics those frames were beautifully made with the nickel plating and are very rare nowdays I have only ever seen a few Rickman Kawasaki' here in Australia.....now you have a Moto Guzzi as well don't you ...any shots of that? The house/garage is looking great..Glenn

 

[sakurama]

Hey Gregor thanks for the Rickman pics...now you have a Moto Guzzi as well don't you ...any shots of that?

Hi Glenn,

You mean the Worlds Ugliest Guzzi? I have photos but I will warn you now you may want to look away. It's painful to see. Perhaps worse than the house was originally. I must have a problem - what is it called? Savior Behavior? I do like a diamond in the rough.

Ben and I joked that it would be fun to actually make it worse! Extend the headlight out another couple of feet and do it with twisted wrought iron. Extend the massive tail another couple of feet and perhaps add a huge fin?

Much like the house this is a bike with fantastic bones, well maybe just a good heart. It has a fully built RaceCo Engine and that dented tank can be save - that's truly all I wanted. I've been waiting for a Guzzi forever and this was a deal (go figure) so this is perhaps my favorite bike surprisingly. I want to make this into the most impressive Guzzi Cafe/Fighter bike ever which is a tall order since there are a lot of nice ones but I have very big plans for this bike.

The summer will see a very minor fix up just to get it on the road. Next winter will be it's time to shine.

Gregor

 

[coma13]

I want to make this into the most impressive Guzzi Cafe/Fighter bike ever which is a tall order since there are a lot of nice ones but I have very big plans for this bike.

Have you seen the one Jeff Wright is building?

http://cocguzzi.blogspot.com/?m=1