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

[Denwood]

Gregor, how important is it to have your eye on the viewfinder for these shots? I ask this because remote management of the camera is pretty straightforward these days. The pic below is from BBC's One World Series in Brazil. This rig allowed them to get a RED camera a few inches off water, but also stabilized with a 3 axis gimbal. The gimbal is a Ronin, and the Jib is our Cinevate Axis Jib, about $5K all in. The RED camera on there is about $50K This rig would keep the camera pointed and stabilized, and the jib would let you work from the truck bed with camera an inch from pavement if desired, but with the ability to go outboard as well. Send me a pm if you're interested in more info.

Random comment but your welds make my efforts look, well, like ****

Either way, I would have a great time working grip with you..loving your restless creative spirit.

 

[sakurama]

Yes, you can mount the camera remotely. The guys that were shooting the video were doing that but they had one guy on the camera and one guy controlling the Ronin 3-axis gimbal remotely so he was able to frame the shots. Still cameras lag behind video in the ability to remotely view the image. I have a CamRanger and it's neat for say shooting architecture or still life but it's worthless for 12 frames a second. I've mounted cameras remotely but you are either really wide to be sure you capture your shot or you're losing a lot of frames to things being out of the frame.

Not to say that I wouldn't consider it and work on coming up with a rig. I'm sure there's a way to do it and Dennis you and Cinevate have a lot of really cool tools that I'm sure could solve many of the problems. I've lost a lot to time on your site!

Gregor

 

[sakurama]

So the house. I have to admit that I've been disappointed with the choice of walnut in the kitchen and that has made it difficult to get excited about finishing the kitchen... so I haven't. Then word came that my entire family is coming to visit at the end of July and this was the motivation to finish the kitchen anyway. Just to finish it.

I had six of the drawer faces done and all that was needed to do was attach them and make the handles so that's where I started.

This is the same process as I had used with the upstairs closets so the system was in place but this time I was making them to the size of the actual drawers.

I made a template that was for a 3/8" hole that I used to attach the drawer faces through. The idea being the oversize holes allow for some adjustments.

I made another template to drill the holes for the pulls. You can see I made two holes. I screwed up and forgot to account for the hole being in the center... and I drilled a hole in the wrong place. I hate that. I'll be able to fill it and you won't really notice unless you look but I hate that.

I use the template to drill one side 56mm in and 56 down (symmetrical so it can be used on both sides) and then I screw in one side of the pull and double check the placement and drill the other side. All the pulls were within 1mm so that was nice.

I used the laser level to set the drawer height and then clamp it and then screw in the drawer face from the back through the oversize holes. When they were all installed the holes allowed very slight adjustments to get them to all align up. Then I would screw in a second set of screws not through the oversize holes but through the drawer front - this would lock the position in.

So despite all the mistakes the drawers pass the "three foot rule" and I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to use a drawer pull to open the drawer. My only worry now is the kids using them as a ladder. Yeah, didn't think of that because when I started this process they weren't climbing everything like monkeys. We'll see I suppose.

So now the goal is to try to finish the rest of drawer faces and the cabinet ends by the time the family comes to visit. I'd also like to finish the trim in the kitchen and empty the back room. Should be possible but a wedding and my upcoming Ducati project will rob a few weeks out of the time.

Gregor

 

[Denwood]

There's a lot to be said for simplicity and speed..so I completely get the platform concept for stills in terms of framing/management . That BBC rig was one of my favourite user submitted pics this year. My other favoutite was this 300ft cable cam shot over a waterfall in Borneo using fishing line, a Gopro and one of our $120 stabilizers. Go figure.

The drawer pulls, and the fact that you welded them up, are pretty special.

 

[Huxley]

I made this to reduce the slop in my trailer hitch cargo carrier. Using it with a few Simpson strong tie pieces as "shims" inside the receiver really made a big difference.

Asides...
In a past life, I had access to a water jet machine. If you look closely you can see the start / stop point of the cut on the left side of the 2nd pic. Not sure why I didn't bother to clean that up with a sander. Probably the same reason I didn't splurge for some stainless hardware. The MIG welder was setup pretty well so even I was able to make some OK beads.

Sorry for cluttering up your thread with iPhone pics.

 

[lonestarky]

Jeezus Gregor, those are absolutely beautiful when they're all done. But they are perfect for climbing. As a guy with two 3yr olds running around, the thought of adding an unintentional ladder to their arsenal makes the fight even less fair than it already is.

I would just hope they're stuff enough that they don't deflect.

 

[Huxley]

This is too funny. From that Ken-Lab Gyro link.....
"Throughout Ted and Teddy's lives, they associated with so many interesting and well known people. One favorite story is that of how every year, Ted would get together with two good friends and sail out to Block Island for a getaway. Those friends were L. Francis Herreshoff, son of Nathanael Herreshoff, both well known wooden boat designers, and the one and only Albert Einstein. They would stay up for days in drunken abandon discussing their ideas and problems with the projects they were working on at the time. Ted and L. Francis would take great delight in sailing around the island and then let Einstein attempt to sail the boat back to the mooring. He would always fail miserably and they found that incredibly amusing."

 

[YoungMedic]

Well despite your disappointment I think they came together nicely.

 

[sakurama]

Hi guys,

You might remember a while back I was preparing to lead some journalists on a motorcycle trip. Well, it has finally been published and it does a very nice job of capturing our week in eastern Oregon.

Check it out:

http://gearpatrol.com/2015/07/14/conquering-gravel-rocks-hardpack-downed-trees-knobby-wheels/

Gregor

 

[G20-Budo]

Very cool, thank you for sharing.

 

[UPRider]

Love the feel of the ride, it comes through perfectly! Thanks!

 

[YoungMedic]

I really enjoyed the video. It must be something to ride through all that terrain and take in all the air and the smells. Beautiful.

 

[RKA]

Very nice video! It captured the range of scenery and riding very well. I wish I was there!

Incidentally, about a month or two ago I had an opportunity to drive (sorry, only 4 wheels for me) through Bavaria, the Austrian, Swiss and Italian alps. I went in not knowing what to expect (and I'm glad for that) and left breathless. It's a biker's and driver's nirvana drawing endless enthusiasts from everywhere. If you every have the occasion to go, don't pass it up! My wife and I want to live there!

 

[Huxley]

I forgot to ask about this...

Is that an "extra" spindle in the upright portion of your mill? I have worked on many Bridgeports over the years (among other machines) and never seen that option.

 

[sakurama]

I forgot to ask about this...

Is that an "extra" spindle in the upright portion of your mill? I have worked on many Bridgeports over the years (among other machines) and never seen that option.

That is a Horizontal/Vertical Rockwell Mill. It has two motors with the horizontal having a gearbox and the vertical stepped belts. It's small, with limited table movements compared to a Bridgeport, but for a small workshop with a patient machinist it's pretty versatile. I would love to have a Bridgeport but for now this little mill (about 1500lbs compared to 2800 for a Bridgeport) does everything that's asked of it. My DRO has X Y and Z for the table so it's quite useful.

Very nice video! It captured the range of scenery and riding very well. I wish I was there!

Incidentally, about a month or two ago I had an opportunity to drive (sorry, only 4 wheels for me) through Bavaria, the Austrian, Swiss and Italian alps. I went in not knowing what to expect (and I'm glad for that) and left breathless. It's a biker's and driver's nirvana drawing endless enthusiasts from everywhere. If you every have the occasion to go, don't pass it up! My wife and I want to live there!

On my list for sure.

Gregor

 

[lilscorpion]

I forgot to ask about this...

I noticed that as well and am extremely envious. Quite possibly the best way to do accurate tubing notches in a repeatable fashion with complex fixtures (And a bunch of other really tricky machining operations that are difficult with just a vertical mill). A horizontal mill has been on my dream machine list for quite some time.

 

[frugalguido]

The ultimate horizontal/ vertical mill is a Deckel. Some models like this one, even have a quill on the horizontal. Think Festool quality. Here's a picture of one of mine;

 

[sakurama]

Damn, I'm envious. A Deckel is the ultimate mill. My friend Sean (Vertigo Cycles) has one he uses for tube mitering. Check out his jig:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vertigocycles/7974655821/

I'd like to do something similar one day. You know, after all the other projects are done...

Gregor

 

[lilscorpion]

Damn, I'm envious. A Deckel is the ultimate mill. My friend Sean (Vertigo Cycles) has one he uses for tube mitering. Check out his jig:



https://www.flickr.com/photos/vertigocycles/7974655821/



I'd like to do something similar one day. You know, after all the other projects are done...



Gregor

That's cool. Really missing the fabrication days of the past. That used to be my jam.

 

[scootermcrad]

I haven't come back to look at this thread in awhile. STRAIGHT UP DIY ****!!! Man... Just blown away!

 

[fergus]

Gregor,

Could you direct me to your Monsterized Ducati? Can't seem to find it in your thread.
(That thing is SICK)

Tim

 

[Cseger1]

Was this shot in the Valley of Fire outside Las Vegas? My wife bribed me into going on a Vegas trip with a rented Goldwing last winter. I spent the day bombing around on those roads. Empty, 70 degrees, perfect.

My Hawk GT might have been a better ride but any bike on those roads is a great time.

 

[sakurama]

Yes, exactly. It was beautiful and a very popular place to shoot car commercials. Once you've been to a place like that you start to reconize it all over the place.

Gregor

 

[congo]

Hey Gregor,

Was that your work in Victory's electric bike announcement? The video they released looks like it was a lot of fun.

BTW, love this thread. I've been following it since your first post and really enjoy your attention to every little detail.

 

[nhowkins]

Gregor,

Awesome work so far!! I'm currently renting a house and have a small 2 car garage so I'm only working on furniture and mobile tool work stations.

I've motored through this thread in one day and have about 8 million more project ideas.

Anyways, I like how you draw your projects by hand so I'm going to start doing that. It should help everything turn out more precise. Also, your advice about wood working requiring the same precision as metal machining is invaluable. Definitely not going to forget that one.

Anyways, thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge along with fixes for mistakes.

Regards,

Noah


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sakurama]

Hey Gregor,

Was that your work in Victory's electric bike announcement? The video they released looks like it was a lot of fun.

BTW, love this thread. I've been following it since your first post and really enjoy your attention to every little detail.

Yes, actually. This is one of the rare cases where I wasn't able to do my own retouching - the agency did it themselves. Here's a couple they retouched:

And here's some of my "test" images that I gave them:

I wanted the shots to be a bit more gritty because we were shooting an electric bike and so I wanted to imbue them with the "gravitas" of a gas motorcycle. Part of that is using a lot of blue which is a "cold" color and not a "friendly" color so the bike seems more aggressive. I also like keeping my neutrals neutral and not letting them go warm. Of course it might be me who's out of touch with current retouching trends...

Anyway, I'm now working on retouching the Ducati project I shot a week ago and these images will be pretty... unexpected to say the least. Once they're out I can share them.

Gregor,
Awesome work so far!!

Anyways, thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge along with fixes for mistakes.

Thanks Noah!

I didn't make the goals I set for myself for when my family came but I did make progress so I'll take that. It was my family so I'm okay with them seeing the house unfinished.

Gregor

 

[G20-Budo]

Freaking WOW Gregor!! Great pics!

 

[Speedbeaver]

Great pics Gregor!

I remember seeing them here: http://rideapart.com/articles/victory-goes-electric-2016-victory-empulse-tt

 

[Nuclear Redneck]

2 Days to read the entire thread. Many thanks for your thorough documentation. I've learned quite a bit and will doubtless learn more when I go back and reread.

 

[wu6fiend]

I found this site by accident, and have thoroughly enjoyed reading your thread over the last couple of nights. I grew up in a MCM house, and recognize many of the design elements of your home. My father had some architectural training, and designed the house himself. It still stands today, although it is almost unrecognizable after many, many patchwork renovations over the years.

Anyway, I admire your many skills as a woodworker, welder, and overall craftsman.

(You also inspired me to order the stud finder mentioned during the thread!)

 

[capww8]

Gregor,

I need to thank you (and maybe curse you) for your contribution to my remodeling process and tool selection.

I've been trolling this page for ~ 2 years, and in that time I have increased the effectiveness and finish level of my work exponentially, and much of that is due to your thread.

Every time I've needed to pick up a new or replacement tool, I don't even bother to do any research any more... need to new Router, "what did Gregor buy"... need a new stud finder, "what did Gregor buy"... what's that tool Gregor's using? Gotta buy it.

You are single handedly responsible for my conversion to Festool and Stabila, and my work has gotten much faster (and cleaner) as a result.

Anyway, thank you, and it's been said before, but Festool should really be paying you a commission...

 

[sakurama]

Thanks guys. It really means a lot that you actually get something out of the thread since it was started mostly as a way to motivate my progress but also to share what I've learned along the way.

I have to share a story from this week:

I was taking the kids for a ride on their bikes to the local park and on the way back I met a guy who recognized me as "that guy with all the bikes in his garage" and we started talking. Super nice guy and while I've been in the neighborhood for two years I've only met a handful of the neighbors. Anyway he told me about a guy who used to live a block away who also used to have a bunch of motorcycles and tear up and down the tiny roads in the back of our little area. He used to build his own gas tanks and then he mentioned the the name: Evan Wilcox.

I encourage you to click the link but to also just search out his work. I've known him for maybe 15 years and he's fixed some of the tanks on my race bikes and he's built tanks for a few friends.

To me he's been a hero ever since I've known him and several times when I've become frustrated with my career I've harbored a dream of throwing in the towel and going to live near him and working as an apprentice and making tanks for a living. I still do.

When I contacted him about the coincidence he told me he knew the people who lived in our house - they were a really nice couple from NY (what are the chances?) and they had a Mercededs 190SL which one day rolled out of their driveway and into the ravine across the street. I don't know why but that story sort of warms my heart. Great car, human mistake.

Evan lives in California now but said he'd stop by when he comes back to visit family. He teaches a weekend metal class which I can promise you I'll be taking this fall when it's offered. I still harbor that dream and if I get the courage up I may just try to make it real. As you get older you take less chances, I don't ride nearly as fast as I used to, but I know that it's still important to take them in order for life to stay interesting. It has me thinking...

Gregor

 

[slammedkustom]

it really is a small world! pretty amazing coincidence!

just wanted to let you know how much ive enjoyed reading this thread. I started last week from page one and just got up to date.
I love the mid century style of your house and amazed at the length you have gone to with it. even when the thread has gone off on a tangent about watches, pencils or such ive still really enjoyed reading about it.

i even picked up a couple of ideas, today I was putting in some eye hole screws and remembered the hammock you hang.... made the job a lot quicker and easier!

anyway, keep up the good work and I look forward to your updates

chris

 

[dchasins]

I would say that the agency missed the boat on the retouching of your shots...to me, your submission has so much more drama and focus on the bikes. Theirs has too much bright, primary color, distracting from the machines. That's just me, but I spent many years working with agencies and creative resources. So, I blame the client, who has to exercise oversight with a good understanding what's intended, or at least possible. On the other hand, maybe they wanted a more Disney feel... As a Nikon and Photoshop hack, I can only offer accolades for the brilliant work you do in your professional capacity! Thanks for sharing on so many subjects.

 

[coma13]

Gregor, is that class you speak of in the PDX area?

Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

 

[rpsurfr]

I ve know Evan a long time- about ten years ago he did a alum tank, and tail section for my BSA Rocket 3 - very nice stuff. Nice to see a photo of him.

 

[sakurama]

Gregor, is that class you speak of in the PDX area?

Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

No, it's in Oakland, CA but I will make the trip. If the weather was holding I'd even consider riding down to make an adventure out of it. I've never ridden a bike to Alice's or the Rock Store, both seminal motorcycle meeting places, and so that experience is on my bucket list along with Mikes Sky Ranch.

In fact this year I turn 50 which is a shock to me as I still feel like I'm in my early 30's so the disconnect is shocking. For my birthday i'm trying to get a group of friends to ride bikes down into Baja for a week - another thing on the bucket list that I'd like to check off. I'm also trying to kick my fitness back to my 30's as well so I'm riding a lot more mountain bike right now. And walking the dog longer. And eating less. The slower metabolism caught me in the mid 40's... I'm sure that's never happened to any of you though.

Evan is a cool guy and I'm looking forward to meeting him.

Gregor

 

[michel]

Cool video about Mr Wilcox

 

[Denwood]

The slow shutter combined with image blur on the bridge metal road surface (keeping parallel road detail but blurring perpendicular) is a really cool effect Gregor. The parallax effect you achieved on the road surface this way adds so much "motion" to the stills. Props on your composition brain. Stunning shots

...

And here's some of my "test" images that I gave them:

Gregor

 

[sakurama]

Cool video about Mr Wilcox

Thanks, I hadn't seen that.

Gregor