Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT Woody's Works Garage

[Denwood]

Last night's time allotment only allowed for minor progress. My compressors were in the garage, taking up floor space. Previously in this thread I discussed exporting them to the shed. I've located the reconfigured air outputs (one for dry air, the other for tool air) in the space covered by the openied man door and directed both outputs downwards so released air hoses don't cause any injuries when released. They were over my proposed workbench location previously so needed to be moved. The old location can be seen in the previous post, just under my electrical panel. Now they to the left of the panel and about 18" higher.

I need an air hose reel. Recommendations?

Old location:

New location, would be hidden by open man door:

 

[sublime68charger]

are the compressor still on the same Electric feed?

from up thread?

just wondering?

looks great

 

[Denwood]

Sub, like Drive, I've found your post feedback very motivating...thanks

I installed two new breakers in the panel for them and ran the circuits outside using 12-3 tech cable, wired in a shared neutral configuration. I did however switch the breakers around so they don't share the same phase on the panel. I also confirmed with an electrician here that I don't need a double pole breaker providing the two hot wires terminate in a separate box in the shed. A nice side benefit is the 10x12 fshed now has two 20amp plugs and lights now too Handy for the 110V electric start snow blower... Other than the need to have synthetic 5-30w in the compressor crank cases, (at -30C) they've been working great in the shed. Not sure which I like better...having the floor space or the quiet. Either way, I'd never have a compressor in the shop again.

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: thanks for the compliment, but i'm betting you would be doing most or all of this on your own because you are a very motivated person that likes improving your life daily.

i can't say i remember seeing a full on picture of your shed and i'm trying to picture what the compressors look like in it. did you or can you post more pictures of your compressors in their current space because from the close up picture it's hard to tell? i do like the idea of having them outside the shop especially in the winter months with the doors closed.

i may have mentioned i'm going to start an "ORGANIZING" thread and I've been taking a lot of pictures of the before. one reason is when we have a couple months of rain i usually just throw in my daily or weekly finds and shut the door on my shop and storage to keep the rain out. another reason is i need to sell some things. that said one of the charities we donate to was asking for some men's clothes and i needed to donate some i never wear and clean out my closet. i cleaned out the closet and a couple drawers and added a few coats and shoes which totaled up to 6 garbage bags full and i still have full drawers and a closet that is where i can find things in now. it's a start and some unfortunate souls might be smiling or at least a bit warmer today.

 

[Denwood]

Drive, smiles and warmth are a good thing Over the last few years I've really fallen in love with basic LEAN principles. Zero clutter, essentials only, and everything in its place. It's a constant chore, but in the end makes things simpler. I'll show some pics of the shed setup. It's nothing pretty, but it works. The shed itself is a recycled building, built of fir quite a few years ago. I cut it in sections with a skill saw, heaved it in 3 trailer loads from my brother-in-law's yard, and reassembled/reshingled in it's new home. I'm pretty sure I'll need another dedicated storage area for building materials.

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: if you have a space for one of these racks you can store several tons of wood, metal or whatever on them. i bought a ton of cedar from a cedar mill fresh off the saw and used mine to dry the wood so i can have a little nicer fence than the HD products offered.

these racks come in 8, 10, 12 foot and taller and I've seen 2, 3 and 4 foot wide versions that you can buy metal cage racks or use 2 bys.

sorry for the extra mess in the backyard, but that is also on this coming year's project list.

cheers

 

[Denwood]

Pallet racks..we have a bunch here at Cinevate for three levels of pallet storage in our loading bay We also have a Blue Giant stacker that comes in very handy with a man-lift accessory. In the warehouse renovation we installed large doors from the upper story into the loading bay...so we can lift pallets if required directly into the 2nd floor area. Super handy.

That my friend is a nice pile of cedar

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: thanks for the kudos, but my wife would rather see a fence built and last summer i was too busy to build one. sooner rather than later for the Happy wife, happy life motto we all should live by.

i found a Jet lift like yours a few months ago when a client bought a fork lift and didn't want to have it in his small machine shop. i use the Jet at my little shop and i also have 2 of these hand crank lifts for home and my storage units. they work pretty well. i'd really like a huge shop with a fork lift so patiently waiting for that day to come.

of course you had to add that yellow cage which would be perfect for holding scraps. i'll keep my eyes open for a used one and who knows maybe i'll have one before too long.

do you have room for a rack at home or do you need other options???

cheers

 

[Denwood]

Drive, the racks aren't an option at home, however I've seen some creative shed ideas on the GJ. I'll likely build one that's color matched, low profile and designed to blend into our lot. We're only 60x120, but well wooded. I like trees

Deal of the day as I mentioned I was looking for a retractable hose reel:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-50-ft-pvc-hose-and-reel-0588395p.html

These are $100 off right now, reduced from $149 to $49. Decent build, 3yr warranty, auto/spring retractable, and has feed rollers. I'm not in love with the PVC hose, but it seems pretty pliable at -10C. I'm going to take the feed bits apart and do a stealth install. If you're in Canada and looking for a hose reel...

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: just $100 off on a $150 price. not much of a discount. are you living the good life or what?

I'm waiting for a 1950's or earlier cast iron one, but i also need a bigger compressor which might be in my near future.

i'll keep my eyes open for a good shed design and let me (us) know the size of the one you need. i have a nice Rubbermaid one that is 7 x 7 and it's maybe 5 years old now and never has leaked.

i do like wood ones better so it's replacement is on the schedule after the fence is built.

have a great weekend

 

[bj383ss]

Denwood,

Been following your thread from the beginning. Love how it turned out. Your air compressor setup is awe inspiring. I plan to do something very similar with mine. Your ceiling looks awesome the way you did it. Look forward to your next update.

 

[Denwood]

Bret, that C10 is a sweet ride Thanks for following along. I am of the firm opinion now that the GJ has seriously elevated build levels for forum members as the information collective flourishes. One of my favorite reads is "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance". The satisfaction in doing something with care and consideration is something I'm rediscovering as I move forward in life. I know you get this as I checked out your build thread and saw some pretty amazing wooden toys you had built for your kids. My daughter and I spent an afternoon building larger scale doll furniture...and 4 yrs later they still sit in her room..at 11

 

[Denwood]

Today's update..slight mods and hiding the hose reel. I removed the roller guide from the reel, cut off its mount flange with a zip wheel, and secured to the plywood (after the hole saw treatment). Works awesome. Should have sourced a reel a long time ago. With this setup, zero floor space is used, something that has become increasingly important as I realize the joy of space

The compressors new home hiding out in the back of our storage shed.

My favorite way to bolt bits to plywood...

Bolted down.

From underneath. Dry air and regulator on the right, tool air and regulator to the reel on the left.

With the sliding door closed, the reel is high and dry

 

[bj383ss]

Bret, that C10 is a sweet ride Thanks for following along. I am of the firm opinion now that the GJ has seriously elevated build levels for forum members as the information collective flourishes. One of my favorite reads is "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance". The satisfaction in doing something with care and consideration is something I'm rediscovering as I move forward in life. I know you get this as I checked out your build thread and saw some pretty amazing wooden toys you had built for your kids. My daughter and I spent an afternoon building larger scale doll furniture...and 4 yrs later they still sit in her room..at 11

I have to agree with everything you just said. I hope to have created some memories for my boys with the toys I made them and maybe someday they will look back on it. Your comment on taking the time to do things right is spot on. Hence the reason my 64' is blown apart. At first I was going to just get it running and inspected but the more I dug the more I found everything was either unsafe or rusted out.

I may have missed it but how did you run the air lines from the compressors to the shop. Did you use pipe? At some point down the road I am going to build a large lean to behind my garage to store wood, and car parts and I could also put my air compressor in there and just run a pipe through the wall.

Bret

 

[Denwood]

Bret, to bring in air from the two compressors I visited "Truck and Diesel Hydraulics" locally. They fixed me up with 1/2 inch high pressure hose and Parker fittings at both ends. The fittings are typical 1/2" NPT threads on one end but push on/clamp barbs on the other. This way I could minimize hole size drilled in the garage/shed and pass the hose through before affixing the Parker fittings. Custom hose lets me minimize length, in this case about 15 feet. I don't use an inline oiler on the system so black pipe was out due to the rust issues I observed when disassembling/moving the system from the shop to the shed.

I tried just using 3/8" air hose but the drop in air flow was noticeable. Everything in the dual compressor system is now 1/2" right to the regulators..then down to 3/8".

 

[Denwood]

In between air reel installation yesterday my 6yr old and I collaborated on a cat scratch post. Unfortunately Kitty Purry has been wreaking havoc on one of our favorite chairs. The good news is that she likes the post

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: i'm not sure whether it's your personality, your perfectionism or your cool videos that drew me to your thread, but i do like all of the above. that new video looks like it was a great time and in real time how long did it take to build. also how hard are those videos to edit and make like that or is there a setting for fast action on your camera?

nice work on your new hose holder and sorry if it sounded like i wasn't happy for you finding a deal. I've got the flu the past few days that my sick daughter finally gave me after 3 weeks of her being sick around the house. great addition and nice set up again to have full use and not have it in plain view.

i do have a couple questions and sorry if they sound less than intelligent. one is does the main hose for your compressor go out the back of your shed and hang in the air before it gets inside your shop?

also I've only really used a small pancake compressor for my small nailers and don't have a clue how to set up a big compressor like you have with all those filters. care to share or is there a YouTube video showing how and why. also what's the reason for dry and not dry air hoses?

thanks again and here's a good picture of my cat and a FREE cat tree one of my clients gave me when they moved. it finally went to my son's for his bedroom and his 2 cats are ecstatic because too big for our house. your new tree looks great. we have those small cardboard boxes that we put a little cat nip in that keeps ours from attacking our furniture or my gym equipment. sadly our little kitty has given us 6 good years and not doing so well currently. hard things about pets and probably why we don't have another dog after our mutt golden passed in 2008.

 

[Denwood]

Drive, I remain surprised to this day how devastated I was at 22, after the loss of my little cat buddy Jones. Thanks for the tips on scratch strategy

The video was done using a Gopro camera that was set to take a picture every 5 seconds. These time lapse sequences are then edited on the computer, (in this case using Adobe Premiere), sound is added, and then the project exported as a video file, finally uploaded to YouTube. Once you've done it a few times, it's pretty straightforward.

The air hose and Tec cable exit the shop about 7" up the wall and enter the shed about the same height. The distance between is about 28", and covered by the eaves..so basically the Tec provides support for the air hose. This space adjoins a fence so is protected..otherwise I would have buried the lines.

The air setup is pretty straightforward. Tool air just goes through one simple filter/separator which captures water/larger debris and allows you to drain. The Devilbiss stuff (black components) form the dry/clean air path with two auto-draining filters, and a final desiccant tank which dries the air quite well. The dessicant is replaced periodically when the sight glass on the canister turns blue. Water,oil or dirt are major problems if you're doing automotive paint as they end up contaminating the paint surface. I use the dry air outlet only when painting. Hope that all makes sense

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: here's the scratch pad of cardboard my cat came with when we adopted her and this might be her 10th one in the 5 or so years we've had her. she's used it from day one almost daily and my wife just sprinkles a bit of cat nip in it maybe every month or so because it doesn't need much. before she got sick last summer she would spend most days outside and would scratch almost all my 4 x 4 old fence posts. by the way she bites and clips her own nails. sorry to hear about your first or best cat loss, but sounds like you have another keeper controlling your life. mine is making a comeback so maybe she'll be around a bit longer.

your description was great about the two types of air and i always wondered why some guys had so many filters hanging on the wall next to their huge compressors. before joining GJ i'd probably just buy a compressor make a couple rubber foot style pads for the base and plug it in and start using any air tools i owned or bought for it. i'm still learning because some day i'd like to not depend on a rattle can to change colors or repair a bad paint job.

did you happen to see the Green Bay/ Seattle football game yesterday? I actually don't care as much about football as much as in the past, but hard to not like our team that seems to pull out these miracle wins. i actually felt sorry for Green Bay and especially a player or two that made a miscue at the wrong time.

what's next on your list or maybe you already said and i forgot??

 

[Denwood]

Drive, next steps.
1. North side cabinets (to match south side)
2. Over bench lighting and added bench receptacles
3. Shop audio (in progress)
4. Lower wall treatment (maybe slatwall)
5. Floor tile.
6. Folding/rolling bench build.

I also have some portable tool dollies coming in to put the drill press and radial arm saw on wheels that disengage (like the table saw) for a stable working base.

 

[Denwood]

Btw, I did watch the tail end of the Seattle game ( the good part!). Hard to believe, but a great few minutes of football

Here's a much more thorough tour of my other build, Cinevate's "net zero" building project. It shows our upstairs, studio and assembly area rather nicely It's my first time shooting 4K (although uploaded at 1080p) footage on the new GoPro HERO4. I'm thinking this cam will be a very nice garage/project camera as it'll take a few hits, and is very easy to do time lapses with.

Our assembly area has workstations we built ourselves, all on wheels..so very much a template for my home shop/prototype area.

First floor before:

2nd floor before pic:

Yesterday (video)

 

[Denwood]

Tonight's update..garage audio. I had a 5.1 amp/receiver and speakers in storage so the garage was the recipient. I really had a challenge in terms of where to install the sub and amp where they would be completely out of the way, taking up zero wall or floor space. I settled on something a bit unconventional. The amp is mounted vertically in the rear storage, and the sub is tucked into the corner of the upper storage as well. It's a super clean install, sounds great...and the sub really pumps in the corner. I was concerned the sub would rattle the storage sliders etc. but no such issues I'm generally listening to FM or streaming Spotify via my iPhone so this setup is perfect running audio into the amp via a 1/8" stereo (headphone jack) to RCA input on the amp.

Rear speakers:

Front speakers:

 

[Vieux]

The original location of the amplifier and speakers, I liked it!

 

[Denwood]

Thanks Vieux. I spent about a week musing over the amp/sub placement. Sometimes it's good to let ideas stew for awhile..in this case it worked out very well. My kids will sure enjoy their new "dance hall"

 

[Modern Jess]

Dennis - Loving the progress. You've turned a dark, crowded garage into a bright workspace. Well done!

 

[Denwood]

Thanks Jess It's still got a long way to go. This pic has me thinking of doing all exposed walls in slat wall (clear coated) and doing grey porcelain (dark grey grout) as a tough work floor. The slat wall I've used so far is paint grade MDF..and I have to admit I'm really liking how well it works to organize tools. The slat wall area behind the Reznor heater is now fully populated with tools that are too big to fit in the boxes.

 

[JoniH]

Nice pictures and a very nice transformation with the garage! Thanks for the Ikea tip, and the cabinets, i'll have to try that.. Just earlier today i was thinking that i need a sub in my garage, glad to see i'm not alone on that issue.

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: your thread is moving along so trying to catch up and this cold/flu i have isn't helping. I'm feeling a bit better today so hoping to get in my garage a start the "organizing" and setting up of mine to turn it from a gym then storage to now a workshop.

nice "to do" list and i probably used up full size spiral notebooks every month before computers with to do's, contacts and appointments. it was and still is hard for me to not use one instead of a cell phone or computer that has a program for them.

i really like how your compressor hose comes out of the ceiling and has the rollers on the ceiling and not on the reel so it doesn't hang up. can you show us a picture of how you mounted your amp inside your shelf since i'm guessing it's standing on it's head so to speak?

nice filming and video of your work and i really like how all your employees seem to be happy to be working there. you must be a great guy to work for.

did i hear you are thinking of doing something to your garage floor? since it's a fairly thin old cement floor would adding tile be an option? of course hardwood for the dancing might be nicer, but a bit harder to keep clean and nice.

cheers

PS our town is still buzzing after that football game. if you didn't hear that last touchdown caused a small earthquake and registered on the seismic sensors.

 

[Denwood]

Drive, it was a pretty amazing game..just hope the SB is as good

We're a pretty happy bunch here..small company, great customers and a bit of passion thrown in for good measure. Our upper floor has a table tennis and air hockey area which gets used from time to time for work celebrations when we reach key goals etc.

I'm really leaning towards porcelain tile for the floor. We did epoxy on our main floor at Cinevate and it's held up well, expect in really high wear areas. We likely should have added a urethane topcoat. Despite how thin the shop floor is in places, it is well reinforced and well supported so after years of freeze/thaw etc. there is only one crack in it. I'd be pretty confident with tiling it. The 14" slab I poured for the lift btw has zero cracks..and that's with many freeze/thaw cycles I do have enough used Maple floor (we did our entire house with it) to do the garage, but it would never hold up to salt/slush from vehicles parked inside. That said, the maple floor (it's about 70 yrs old!) in our kitchen has held up perfectly. Hmm. So far, the hours spent seem a lot more worthwhile as things come together and I actually get to reap the rewards of working in a well organized space.

My $50 heavy tool dollies showed up today, so after the rug rats are sleeping, we'll install a few on the drill press and radial arm saw. I'll post some pics of course

 

[Denwood]

Nice pictures and a very nice transformation with the garage! Thanks for the Ikea tip, and the cabinets, i'll have to try that.. Just earlier today i was thinking that i need a sub in my garage, glad to see i'm not alone on that issue.

Joni, I've never had decent sound in a shop, despite always having at least the radio on while working. The speakers won't win any awards, and let's face it, it's hardly a concert hall, but a sub with small satellites is pretty much a must in my book. Then again, my Westfalia camper van has a 1000 watt system with a 12" sub firing out the rear closet...ha.

For sure in the summer, I'll need to be carefull not to alienate any of my great neighbors. I wish I could say I've never been visited by the police on a noise complaint, but late night shop sessions in the summer are in issue for a guy who regularly loses track of time. I will say two (very friendly) police officers walking into your shop at 12 midnight though an open door is an interesting experience...nearly dropped a valve. My bad though as it was late, and I had my van locked at 2000 rpm as I serviced the AC system..

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: at least i'll have the 3rd Super Bowl since i was a teenager that i care who wins the game and not just watch for the amazing commercials. Brady looked pretty darn good in his game so we'll have to wait and see.

if you did a wood floor in your garage that might be amazing. i bet you could put on enough sealer to keep a lot of the salt, dirt and chemicals off it and at worse case you could tile over it in 10 years or buy 3/4 inch rubber mats like i have in my garage that were made for horse stalls.

i saw Joni's introduction thread and when he started a build thread saw he had some upper cabinet issues and gave him a link to your thread. he's building a nice detached garage in Finland and here is his thread so you can see the quality he is doing which is also amazing by the way.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=277752

good luck with the projects tonight and gotta run do a few of mine now

 

[Denwood]

Drive, I've looked at the rubber stall mat options. What are your thoughts on using them so far? Just curious how many you're using and where in your shop. I figure someone needs to do a stall mat with an interlocking pattern..haven't seen that yet.

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: i put down 4 x 6 foot 3/4 inch thick rubber mats in both of my single car garages that are next to each other because i had a gym in my garage. on one side i had gym equipment and the other side was open when my wife's car was gone.

I haven't seen the one side in a few months now since I've been using it for storage. i moved my cardio and a few weights into my old office for my gym and getting ready to use my side of the garage as a shop. my single garage is only 9 x 15 and her side is a bit longer, but i have a workbench and full size garage fridge in the back of hers.

these mats i have are about $40 each at the local feed and seed type farm stores and you can get some that don't quite match at the edges and are maybe a 1/16th off. i had a carpet over them so that wasn't an issue. they rarely moved much in my gym, but i put some down in my shop and even at about 80 pounds each if you don't have them up against walls they will move when lifts, carts or a car moves on and off them. the puzzle mats are usually a lot thinner but i found some that were an inch that i use in some parts of my shop. they usually are quite a bit more expensive for the puzzle design. of course you might be able to find an adhesive to keep them from moving if you used the straight edge ones. i'll get you a few pictures of mine soon as i find my floor again. here's a little area of the floor that i had in a garage door picture.

Since they do make the interlocking rubber mats with the puzzle pattern if you happen to find a gym closing that has them those are how i found mine otherwise pretty spendy.

 

[Denwood]

One of the challenges with a multipurpose small shop is keeping the larger tools out of the way. My Rigid table saw has an excellent wheel system that extends/retracts with a single pedal. Doing some research I found several companies selling universal mobile tool bases that allow you to wheel tools around but drop them onto adjustable pads when working with the tool. I found these King bases locally (G.P. McEachern's Tool House ) for a whopping $49. ( http://www.kingcanada.com/Products.htm?CD=528&ID=21336 ) The base pictured below is on my drill press. The very heavy Dewalt radial arm saw was a local find for $100, but the wheels the PO affixed don't lock and make the saw dangerous to use. I use it often with a dado blade. The King base will adjust to fit that saw as well. The MaxJax hoist came in handy

The holes on the drill press match the holes on the wheel kit exactly. I need to pick up some 3" bolts tomorrow to secure the wheel base to the press.

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: i forgot to mention that a lot of my friends and clients that bought the rubber mats for their gyms just bought colored duct tape for the seams and didn't have any issues with them moving or tripping on them.

i have one of those little dollies on my planer and it works great if you have a fairly level surface and no bumps or cracks to roll over. i'm curious to see how you get that radial saw on one of those dollies.

have a great day.

 

[bj383ss]

My dad has some similar dollies on all of his woodworking machines. He has to move everything against the wall so my mom can park in the garage. And I agree with you I love the mobile base on my Ridgid TS as well. It works like a charm.

 

[JoniH]

Are you going to do resprays on cars in your garage, or something smaller, more work included stuff? I've done a couple of resprays myself, just wondering how your going to keep the paint mist (?) getting all over the garage. Plastic on the walls, or if the weather allows it, painting outside?

I'm trying to figure out some kind of removable tarp wall that is hanging from the ceiling, so i can wash my car/paint/sand something inside without making a mess in the whole garage. Maybe some kind of railing screwed to the ceiling ( hey, that rhymes..) and a cabinet between the lift doors where you can pull it in and store it when not in use.

 

[Denwood]

Joni, yes I do paint in the shop. The nice thing about restructuring my ceiling is that it makes it much easier to hang poly sheet for a temp paint environment. I previously had an exhaust fan in my hangar door which needs to be relocated. If I do end up tilng the floor, I'll need to lay down Tyvek or similar. Right now I just wet the floor. I've avoided automotive painting in the winter as the furnace would be an explosion and or CO hazard depending on positive or negative air pressure in the shop.

Painting outside would be a challenge indeed due to dust/bugs etc.

The MaxJax lift was chosen partly because the columns can be quickly moved aside for painting. The shop walls on either side of the lift columns are left bare as that's where the columns will be stored when painting

B, the rigid TS wheels are about perfect. The King wheels at $50 are not as good, but they'll work. Drive, the 4x4s on the radial arm saw legs will be removed, and the King kit will fit right in there. I'm also going to add a shelf between the saw legs for yet again more off-floor storage.

 

[No heros]

Just stopping in to say this is a very inspiring thread. Coming from a lighting background (architectural and landscape accent lighting specifically)... this shop is a big win in a lot of ways. Keep the good work, I'm excited to see how it progresses.

 

[Denwood]

Just stopping in to say this is a very inspiring thread. Coming from a lighting background (architectural and landscape accent lighting specifically)... this shop is a big win in a lot of ways. Keep the good work, I'm excited to see how it progresses.

Wow, thanks. I wish I could say it was all by design, but strangely it was not. The roof was re-structured just to make room for the hoist. The beams looked interesting though. The roll up door addition really was about cleaning up the hoist area so in summer I could work with the doors open. Facing a back lane with great neighbors (metal worker and fireman/carpenter) I also find myself visiting with more distant neighbors as they walk their dogs etc. Once I spray-foamed, I really felt 5/8" drywall as a fire barrier made some sense. Once that was up and painted, I figured well, this looks kind of cool, better make sure the lighting is aligned and centered. The soffit shelving tilting forward into the space made sense to maximize internal room in the storage...and jeeps, that looks cool too. One really hidden "feature" is the 5.1 channel audio. Having a decent sound system in the shop is maybe the best tweak yet, and it was not high on my list to start with.

So from a basic roof restructure now I'm thinking long and hard about every "improvement" as I work down to the floor. Basically I don't want to mess it up. Ha.