Mopar / Wood Shop Cave

[moparfreak]

Next step was to "plumb" in a 1-1/4" PVC fitting.

Fortunately when the saw is tipped back over into place, you can't see the amateur duct tape job. Risers made to provide enough clearance. I'll run the pipe out to the back and take a 90 degree up and join into the DC hood.

Next, with the saw in approximate position, is to start to build a dust hood around it. I wanted to find some sort of sheet material that was easy to work with, yet had some strength / rigidity also. I was looking at sheet metal / HVAC panning but that stuff gets dented / crinkles pretty easily. Also looked at Lexan, which is a bit pricey. I finally settled on using the plastic cover diffuser panels for commercial lighting systems. They are only $5-6 a piece, 2'x4' so large enough, 1/8" thick so some strength there, and very flexible. This allows me to get a nice sweeping curve on the back of the DC hood.

Still sort of in layout mode, but I fastened two of them to the wall to form the two sides of the hood, and meeting in the back of the saw.

Here's a view closer in on one side of the hood. Ultimately I'll use some L-bkts to fasten to the table, and caulk / tape seams between panels. The curve is determined by the sweep of the back of the saw so that I can still hit the miter and bevel angles w/o obstruction by the hood.

Then for the main actual dust collection through the hood, I've pulled some parts from the HVAC aisle, using a 6" boot connected to a register adapter. Once I actually have a working cyclone dust collector capable of pulling through such a large opening, I can mess around with blocking off some of the inlet to get best flow through it. The idea here is to pick up the fine airborne dust that kicks up around the saw that really gets in my lungs and eyes. I think this will do the job.

Next step is to fasten the boot to the wall, and start laying out the support tables to the RH and LH sides of the saw, along with the fences. Then once that's in place I can trim the hood panels to just the right position & shape. I don't think I want the hood coming all the way out to the fence, but maybe close behind it. The other tricky part is the fact that I want to fit my benchtop drill press on the RH side of the fence. So, a lot more to do....

 

[shortykorte]

Looking good. I would not have thought to seal up the bottom of saw. Also great idea on using the diffusers. Let's light in also.


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[moparfreak]

This past weekend was my birthday, and I was surprised by my SFIL, whom I am very close with and he's helped me with many projects over the years. I came home from work, and I found this underneath the Charger:





That's right, he bought me a QuickJack BL-5000SLX. It was something I was looking at for a long time, once I determined that even a MaxxJaxx wouldn't fit in the space I have, and it offered the best performance and accessibility for being able to do wheel work, body work, engine, transmission, exhaust, etc.

A while back I told him about it, it piqued his interest and he actually got one for himself, and was so impressed he went and got one for me too. Unbelievable, I am absolutely floored. This will make the tear-down & rebuild process on the Charger so much less frustrating, and also make work on my other cars much more convenient as well.

He got the 12V version for portability, and also bought a jump-pack to power it easily. Just connect the cables and go:



Then to top it off, he built the same carrier he made for himself, an aluminum dolly w/ wheels in center and casters on the end, from leftover diamondplate & aluminum angle, as a place to store the rails and a toolbox that fits the pump and misc pieces. Really slick.



Unreal.

 

[shortykorte]

First off, happy birthday. Second, awesome gift!

I like my maxjax but would be happy with a Quick Jack. The cart is also a great idea.


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[Knyte Tyne]

Very very Nice... That little storage trolley is brilliant... Just really completes the Setup hey?

Happy belated Birthday... I think I need to show the wife this... She always moans she never knows what to get me... Which is funny cos you know... even though I have plenty of them already I'd be happy with a another hammer...
I think I would be Ecstatic with a set of Jacks...
What a great Present... Many happy hours of improved Wrenching ahead

 

[moparfreak]

Work continues on the miter saw bench. It's growing....

Started building the LH and RH work support wings. This will bring the surface up flush with the saw table base, as well as provide a surface for the fences.

I'm going with T-tracks for the work support wings. This gives me some general all-purpose clamping methods, means to attach jigs easily, and also a way to get those fences perfectly dialed in with the imperfectly mounted miter saw fence. Having the minute adjustability I've found is always a good thing to get the last few tenths of a degree of alignment needed.

Here's the top, with grooves cut using my dado set on the TS.



Here it is with the LH side built and assembled into place.



Next, started on the RH side, which is a bit more involved since on that side I plan to have my benchtop DP. I have the floor-standing one also, but I like this one to be set up for WW tasks w/ a good table and eventually some dust collection as well.



Got it situated, then epoxied in 4 bolts, and added more ribs / supports.





Now I've got the top for it, but it'll need a notch in the back to accommodate the DP column. I'm trying to decide if I should put a third T-track in the center. I think for balance & continuity with the other side I'll probably put it in.



This setup gives me yet another layer of drawers, 4 in all. Ultimately this will be a massive amount of organized space for small hand tools and supplies that I'm really looking forward to not rumaging through cabinets for anymore.

The DP also in this setup is resting quite high. For my 6'0" build, the miter saw is just right, but to comfortably operate the DP I'll build a small riser platform to stand on on the RH side. Yes, it'll be a bit strange and unconventional but to get this tool fitting in where I want it, well worth the trouble.

 

[moparfreak]

After a long family trip to SD, I'm finally back in the shop and chipping away at the miter saw bench again.

I notched the RH support wing top for the DP, added the T-tracks and secured it down, looks real good. Now I finally have my main worksurface nice, flat, level & done.


I'm really excited for when I can build the drawers for these, there is TONS of space for tools & supplies now.


Next up is working on the fences. I'm building the fences around the Kreg Precision Track. It's well reviewed, includes measurement and T-tracks for accessory mounting, as well as two different kinds of stops for repetitive cuts.


Good thing I read the instructions, as it has some specific parameters you need to hold for this to install & function properly. The fence can only be 2-1/4" tall which to me is shorter than I'd like but oh well, it'll still function just fine. here it is unboxed.


Next I ripped a few pieces of MDF and glued / screwed into an "L" profile. Even coming out at this stage, it was pretty darn rigid and actually spot on 90 degrees (imagine that...)


Even after this I wanted to add some triangular braces. Due to the fact that the Kreg Track extends down the back a bit, it's a shallow triangle, but I still wanted them nonetheless to increase rigidity.

Marked it up, used a bevel gauge to transfer to the table saw miter gauge, and was able to slice up 8 of these pretty quick (4 per fence).


Now they are glued up and ready for the next step.


This evening, hopefully get the Kreg tracks trimmed & installed, and and holes drilled in the fence base to get secured down to the workbench via the T-tracks.

 

[trialrun]

just spend my day at work reading through this (not mad about it), love all the ideas you incorporated into your shop!

 

[moparfreak]

just spend my day at work reading through this (not mad about it), love all the ideas you incorporated into your shop!

Glad to hear it. I have so many more ideas to implement, and finally having a large space to work within really makes it fun. The main thing I have to accept is that my progress can't be nearly as fast as I see on other garage builds, as I'm trying to mix these shop projects in with lots of other projects around the house, as well as raising kids / family stuff. A few hours a week is usually all I get, and believe it or not, weekends are usually worse than weekdays.

I'm real excited to get this miter station completed, as once I get all the storage for tools & wood finished up, it's really going to free up a lot of other messy areas I've had around the shop where stuff's been piling up. If that's all done by August I'll be thrilled!

 

[moparfreak]

Exciting....got the Kreg tracks installed on the fences, and the fences installed onto the tables, woohoo!



T-tracks are used to fasten the fences. Gives me adjustability that I won't regret, especially to handle minute shifts in position of the saw.





Used a combination square to set the fences and make sure they were parallel to the front:



Then did the same to set the saw itself:



Then check with the longest straight edge I can find. Nice....



Saw is bolted down now, and next step is to actually get those dust hood sides "curled" into place and trimmed and fastened accordingly, and continue building out the details of the dust hood itself.

 

[moparfreak]

Got a cool find the other day, my SFIL found on an auction site a military spec rivnut tool. Has all the mandrels and case and everything. He gave it to me cause he already has the exact same one. He got it for $12.





These go for about $150 - $200 on average. Couldn't believe it....

Was sitting at the workbench and thought the view of the charger was cool....





Going to work on the dust hood sides tonight.

 

[shortykorte]

I thought that was some 70's fur on the charger hood. lol.
Don't you just hate when life responsibilities get in the way of shop time? Miter station is looking great. Interesting incorporating the bench top DP.


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[moparfreak]

Yep, pretty much putting 10 lb of stuff into a 5 lb bag here. Certainly cramps a lot of stuff together in a tight space but lots of functionality too. I still need to build a riser step to stand on to use the benchtop DP cause that is even a bit too high for me....

here's the bench cleaned off, as I've started working on the sides of the hood.

 

[On Edge]

Looking really good. I really like your miter saw station that you have done. I need to build one as well. Keep posting the progress!

 

[MRKerr]

Really nice miter saw bench. Looks perfectly designed and executed.

 

[moparfreak]

Last night worked on getting the sides of the dust hood fastened to place, and define the arcs. It's a big saw, that goes 45 one way and 60 the other, and bevels both ways so it needed a pretty big sweep. But, that's what it is....

I used an offset shear tool that I had previously used quite successfully trimming vinyle siding down. This worked well. Because I selected those diffuser cover panels, and chose the one w/ crackly texture on the backside, it actually acts a bit brittle and sometimes cracks out, but after a bit with the shear I got the hang of getting reasonably clean cuts with it. Didn't even have to remove it from the wall, just trimmed in place, which made it much less clumsy process.

I just used strategically placed simple small cheap 90 degree framing brackets I found at the big box store. Super easy.

To take care of the small gaps I'll use the form-in-place "rope" type caulk to just seal those up and help control any bits of dust spray.

Next step is to figure out what I'm going to do for the topping piece. I think it needs to have a bit of strength, so I'm debating either a piece of 1/2" MDF or more likely I'll go with 1/4" tempered hardboard, as that is still pretty light.

Finally for a bit of decoration, I had ordered a cool Challenger print I had seen on Blipshift. Got a cheap-o frame and put it up. Never can have too much mopar swag.

 

[shortykorte]

What you need for decoration is a 64 Plymouth Valiant 4-Dr with a 170 CID push button auto. lol


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[sean Buick 76]

Some very cool cars, and nice organization ideas! I am sticking around to see this come together!

 

[moparfreak]

I found a perfect size piece of 1/4" MDF, so that'll be the top of my dust hood. Only problem is the front edge of the dust hoods buckle a bit, since it has to support the weight of the panel. Not too big a deal, I'll rip some upright supports to brace those front edges and that way the plastic material doesn't have to be the main supporting member.

Once I cut those uprights, I'll mark up and trim that panel to its weird amorphous shape and then I think I can call the dust hood sorta done. This is an interesting build that evolves as it goes, each step leads to the next design element. The next step is to figure out how I want all of the hoses & cords to pass through the hood.

 

[moparfreak]

Now this thing is really starting to look like a dust hood. Over the weekend, I built braces for the sides. No more sag!



Then I placed, marked & trimmed the top piece of 1/4" MDF to size, with all of it's strange amorphous shapes and notches and whatnot. The braces gave me at least a method to secure the top into place. After installed it still has the ability to rack, and so I'll be installing some pieces along the top in two places to secure it to the wall, to prevent racking.





Kiddies came out today to "help". Gave them some shop brushes and they went to town, this is why I have 4 or 5 of those brushes laying around. Love it when the kids come out and join me. They were very interested when I was cutting the top to size and shape. Yes that is my daughter wearing pjs and rainboots.



Next up is to get the hoses exiting the dust hood properly. I've got to get some fittings from the HVAC and plumbing department today, then I'll get back to it. Also now that the hood is taking shape I'm going to focus next on utilizing the space behind and to the sides of the saw. Half of the goal of this was also assorted wood / scraps organization so the vast majority of wall space right behind and above the saw is going to be wood storage meant to clear up floor clutter. More to come!

Happy 4th!

 

[moparfreak]

Alright, some more progress made over the holiday...

Got some more HVAC fittings, and I put a 6" extension and cut it through the top of the dust hood. Now the challenging part is figuring out how to convert these pipes from HVAC type fittings to 6" S&D which is ultimately what I plan to make the main DC runs out of. Everything is just a bit different in size that nothing really fits.







While I wait to figure out how to get all the right adapter pieces and whatnot, I'm proceeding to fill out the rest of the space. On the LH side, I've got some open space. I want to be able to have storage for wood scraps, but then an idea about using it also for my assorted drills / drivers pops up...let's see here....



I'm also mulling over an interesting approach for my smaller 12V drivers....



So, I start building a "cabinet" of sorts, using leftover MDF sheeting.



And then I decide to shift my thinking about the drivers, and have them store from the side, rather than from the front. This will open up more storage for wood as I originally intended. So, I built a 6" overhang on the left side.



Next step is to fill out that overhang area. Going to use PVC tubes, and also figure out a way to mount the chargers. Super exciting, since my drills / drivers haven't had a decent home for awhile and just sort of float around the shop everywhere. More to come.

 

[shortykorte]

Mount charges on left side under the overhang?

What are your thoughts on the small 12v drivers?


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[moparfreak]

Shorty Korte,

Yep, planning on putting the 18V drivers right under the overhang, and then also mount a power strip and the two battery chargers underneath them.

As far as the 12V guns, I want those mounted lower, and I'm hoping to repurpose some engine parts from work. I hope to be able to show that as it unfolds over the next few days. Those 12V guns are the ones I use the most cause they are smallest, lightest and basically as capable as the 18V.

Yesterday I added some cleats and shelves for bins that I plan to use for small bits of offcut that I like save. These have been sitting on the floor for months so it feels good to have a place for them. Just need to nibble a bit of material away from the back of one of the shelves to allow for access to the outlet that's on the wall there.

 

[moparfreak]

A lot of great progress the past few days over the weekend. Really focusing on getting the drill area completed, so here goes...

Setting up to make the PVC tubes w/ notches, first cut them to size, using the new Kreg tracks, love it...


Then used the bandsaw to start the slot for the drill handle. During this my bandsaw switch fritzed out and I could only shut it down by pulling the plug. add it to the list...


Use the tablesaw to complete the slot cutout, finish it off with a handsaw in the corners.


Use the standing DP to put holes into it, used a HF V-block I had laying around.


Four of them nicely fastened to the overhang, looks pretty good I think. Works well.

 

[moparfreak]

Found some more time in the shop, and added a power strip and the Ryobi 18V and Milwaukee dual 12V / 18V charger to the wall.



Next, starting up on the 12V drivers that I have. A while ago, when one of my engine projects at work was wrapping up, we had some leftover parts getting thrown out, one of them an intake elbow that I thought might work well for holding drills. It has a large hose barb on it for connecting the air cleaner to the intake system, which is sized just about right for those smaller drivers.

So, I grabbed a few and they sat on a shelf for awhile.



2 of the drills fit perfect, but the Milwaukee 12V impact driver was a touch too big, so one of my guys at work turned up a quick adapter piece to make the drill fit properly.



Installed them to the side of the workbench and now very handy.

 

[moparfreak]

Finally, I wanted to add a spot for my Milwaukee 90 degree impact driver, a very handy tool I find myself using quite a bit on the autos more than in WW.

At first I thought I could just use some hooks I had laying around, but it was a weird shape on both ends, so I just grabbed some scrap pine and sketched out some "hooks". Seems to work well.






The final product, I think I can close this one out. Lots of utility and storage in an area that otherwise wouldn't be very useful. 8 drills + chargers, clears up a good bit of workbench surface.


FInally after all of this, did a quick cleanup of the shop, to get it ready for the next project. Going to start on the RH side of the dust hood next.

 

[larry4406]

Very nice shop and journey towards organization!

Need to trim your windows and doors before you get too carried away.

Love them mopars as well.

 

[moparfreak]

Very nice shop and journey towards organization!

Need to trim your windows and doors before you get too carried away.

Love them mopars as well.

lol, I'm more than carried away, since the shop was built in '14 I've been running with it ever since on the shop setup projects, never even stopped to trim out those window and doors. I still have a few areas inside the house that need baseboard trim (just finished the living room window casement this weekend). I think based on principles my wife wouldn't be cool w/ me working on shop trim if inside the house isn't quite done yet....

I even ran that overhang right up to the wall against the window. I realized after it was on, that once casement trim was installed it would interfere. So, I made sure the drill holsters were shifted over far enough that I could notch it for the trim. Dufus moment....

 

[moparfreak]

Last night a buddy came over, he had found in his uncle's basement a vintage old Briggs & Stratton dealership clock piece, that still looked and worked as new! He brought it over and I installed it on the header beam overhead of the Charger bay and it adds a lot of vintage character. Really cool find.

Kinda poor lighting unfortunately...

 

[shortykorte]

Nice drill/driver solution. Cool clock too.


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[188slo50]

Post some picks of the max jack on that fancy cart when you can.

 

[moparfreak]

Wow, it has been some time since I've posted. But, not for lack of effort...been working on the house, did a 4 month front facade reno project and it looks 100X better now...

Took this:


Did the roof, added 6' covered porch, two new cables, new front windows, front door, trim, decking, stamped walkway, paint, light fixtures, soffit, fascia and re-graded, turned it into this:




But with that, I've been pecking away at stuff in the shop still. I've continued working on getting all the wood sraps that were littering the walkways and worksurfaces into a permanent storage area, and completing the miter saw station / work storage station that I had been working on.

First, took an idea I had seen online about using sonnet tubes for concrete form, and hang them up on the ceiling and store long skinny things:

Used the TS to cut the concrete forms evenly:



Then found the ceiling joists and stuck them up there. I originally planned for two sets but might keep it to one for now. I think I might also end up putting the two tubes closer together so it can store shorter pieces. But, so far so good, got some long stuff off the ground:


Next onto the miter saw station...Spent a while futzing around with plumbing fittings and adapters and getting the HVAC fitting to mate w/ Sch40 PVC to mate w/ S&D PVC, to mate w/ the tool sized stuff, it's a bastardized frankenstein for sure, but it works for me.

One main trunk to evacuate the hook, then two that split off one going to the saw behind the blade and one to the underside of the saw table.

 

[moparfreak]

Once I got the plumbing sorted out, started working on the wood storage racks I had planned. I used this guy's basic concept and idea:

Here's my take on it, reused scrap wood from old cabinet doors I had pulled out of the kitchen during the remodel a few yrs ago.


Batched up the cutting, it was a lot of shelves:


Used a slightly modified taper jig to make the angle cuts smooth, consistent & easy:




Then put them together assembly line style:


Then they all go up:


Then cut shelves out of 3/4" scrap ply pieces, with lots of notching w/ the jig saw:


Ran out of scrap plywood but 2/3 are up and I've already started filling them up I'll bring pics of that in soon as well:


Also hooked up a nice Rockler flex hose to the miter saw, still need to do the one to the bottom of the table, but needed a bit more 1-1/4" PVC for that one:

 

[sublime68charger]

Looking good I really like the drill holders!

 

[DieselNut88]

Really nice set up. I wish I had that much room in my basement wood shop. I definitely need to start organizing it like you. Great job. If you are looking to upgrade your miter saw. Look at a Bosch 12" glider. I love mine and it take up no room behind it. You can push it tight to a wall.

 

[moparfreak]

I looked at the Bosch Glide and it's pretty sweet, but just couldn't justify spending $550 - $650 on a new 12" slider when the Kobalt, aside from being rather large footprint, did a nice job otherwise for only $299 paid a few years ago. My jointer is all messed up and needs replacing, and I'd also really like to get a large industrial cyclone DC so I have no shortage of tool purchases to save for. Hoping to get some more shop progress made over the thanksgiving weekend.

 

[shortykorte]

Great remodel. You have been busy.


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[moparfreak]

I'll admit, I've used the TG long weekend so far for mostly chilling and family time, but did get the miter saw station pretty much cleaned up and "done" except of course the drawers which is a larger undertaking I'll start in a week or two.

First connected the last DC pipe, the under-table connection:


Then took some plywood scraps and cans I had been saving up and made a little writing utensil caddy, that I'm really happy with:




Also got some clear bins from HF for sorting small scraps into:


Then got ALL the wood that was laying around the shop on the floor, in the walkway, on the benches, against the wall, all into this unit, and it's nice to see it finally basically complete:




So, what's left for this to be truly complete is to put one last long shelf at the very top, but I need more ply and I'm waiting for another project to need to go to the store to save on the hassle. I also plan to build a small platform to go in front of the DP, as it will give better leverage on it, and also plan to build a nice WW table for the drill press as well, but those are what I consider "nice to have", and overall I'm really happy w/ how this turned out. Especially compared to what it was, lol

 

[bepjrfan]

Nice work! I've been contemplating building a miter station, have the bosch gravity rise mobile stand at the moment. May just have to do this when my house projects are done! How do you like the T track as far as adjustability goes? I see some people are moving to that for woodworking assembly tables, just not sure how easy it'd be to use from an adjustability standpoint, seems like it could bind up if not perfect.

 

[moparfreak]

VERY glad I went with the T-tracks. As I've had to take the miter saw in and out to make adjustments on things, it's a no-pain process to set it back down, put a long straight-edge across the SCMS fence and the LH / RH wing fences, and get it all in alignment, then lock those fences down w/ knobs. Very easy to keep aligned and then re-align when necessary. So far I haven't used the T-tracks for clamping but I'm sure I will in the future especially when needing to hold a short piece and would rather not put my hand right up near that big blade, in case the piece shifts and it grabs.

I do have future plans for assembly table improvements, and one component of it will surely be T-tracks. Check this monster assembly table for a tutorial. It's a huge table and very costly with the amount of hardware embedded into it, but you get the idea.