Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT Tabula Rasa
- Thread starter 67CarGuy
- Start date
Workspaces between 705 and 1200 squarefeet.
This week's progress:
- Rough plumbing continues (I had no idea plumbers could take this long, but I probably should have guessed...)
- The trim carpenters have been hard at work and have nearly all of the windows trimmed out, except for the window aprons that are either missing a piece that should have been provided by the modular factory or not enough material was sent.
- Took a few hours over the weekend and primed a couple of doors - if we had wanted primed doors, they would have been MDF. We wanted solid wood doors, which meant they came unprimed. Why no-one could take them into the paint booth at the factory and prime them, I have no idea. Anyways, we're up to 6 doors now primed, with another 14 to go. At this rate we should be finished by Memorial Day...
Here's yours truly and some of the framing we did over the New Year's weekend, as I was coming down with the flu...
Not shown is the other 80 feet or so that we framed up, although thankfully none of these are load-bearing so we could be a little lenient with ourselves. Most are still 16" OC for simplicity's sake, though. Rough framing inspection is supposedly tomorrow...
Not shown is the other 80 feet or so that we framed up, although thankfully none of these are load-bearing so we could be a little lenient with ourselves. Most are still 16" OC for simplicity's sake, though. Rough framing inspection is supposedly tomorrow...
Much like @Norwell Equipped lamented in his post earlier today (have you seen his new space? It's a Rat Finked 1950s time capsule with some real hot wheels to drool over - go check it out!), this spring has been full of misery and heartache and rain, rain, rain, etc. etc. But, but!, there's been a light at the end of the tunnel that we've been striving towards for quite some time now. We finally got our certificate of occupancy in early May (only 1 month past the contract deadline with our GC!) and while we're still in the process of moving in, unpacking, painting the walls, etc., here's some more recent photos for you groovy garage-aholics.
[
Fiber cement shingles going on in early March... the strapping is part of the rainscreen design we chose for long-term durability. We also went with woven corners, which of course cost more but we really like the look. That's ol' eagle eye in the photo on the right, lining courses up just-so. A few days later and they were mostly finished:
One of the design issues that nobody caught until the inspector walked through was that the main breaker panel had ended up just below one of the bathrooms... for those of you not familiar with the interplay between plumbing and electrical, usually we try to keep the sparky stuff away from the wet stuff.
If this had been brought to our attention during the design phase, we could have easily moved the panel to almost any other place in the basement. Instead, we had to work with the electrician, plumber, and our GC to get the panel as close to the foundation wall as possible while still leaving room for the plumbing. The solution arrived at is...OK, but not what we had envisioned. It works though, and for now (read: the next several decades most likely) it's good enough to focus on bigger issues. Like...
Filling the garage with stuff! We spent some time in late March making some organizational improvements in the garage so folks could move around, find stuff, and also move more stuff in. There's even more stuff in there now, despite bringing a bunch down to the basement shop. Another helpful note to future shop builders: if you can keep the heavy stuff at grade level, do it! Going up or down stairs a bunch of times is great for your legs, but takes some of the fun out of moving.
More to come / catch up on, so stay tuned!
[Fiber cement shingles going on in early March... the strapping is part of the rainscreen design we chose for long-term durability. We also went with woven corners, which of course cost more but we really like the look. That's ol' eagle eye in the photo on the right, lining courses up just-so. A few days later and they were mostly finished:
One of the design issues that nobody caught until the inspector walked through was that the main breaker panel had ended up just below one of the bathrooms... for those of you not familiar with the interplay between plumbing and electrical, usually we try to keep the sparky stuff away from the wet stuff.
If this had been brought to our attention during the design phase, we could have easily moved the panel to almost any other place in the basement. Instead, we had to work with the electrician, plumber, and our GC to get the panel as close to the foundation wall as possible while still leaving room for the plumbing. The solution arrived at is...OK, but not what we had envisioned. It works though, and for now (read: the next several decades most likely) it's good enough to focus on bigger issues. Like...
Filling the garage with stuff! We spent some time in late March making some organizational improvements in the garage so folks could move around, find stuff, and also move more stuff in. There's even more stuff in there now, despite bringing a bunch down to the basement shop. Another helpful note to future shop builders: if you can keep the heavy stuff at grade level, do it! Going up or down stairs a bunch of times is great for your legs, but takes some of the fun out of moving.
More to come / catch up on, so stay tuned!
Last edited:
Norwell Equipped
Well-known member
Holy Moly!!!!!!!!!!!
What a Great BUILD!!!
(and thanks my man!)
What a Great BUILD!!!
(and thanks my man!)
And now a little time travel back to early May....
At some point during the move from Point B to Point C, my rolling toolbox tower suffered a semi-catastrophic caster failure and required surgery. I suspect it was the movers trying to get a fixed caster to swivel, and instead the sheet metal & screw decided to part ways, but nonetheless, tools were needed to fix the toolbox.
Of course, as many of you might guess, doing this in a, *ahem*, responsible manner involves emptying all of the drawers:
Thankfully(?) this operation occurred before I had reconstituted the full toolbox stack, so I was able to do the dissection and diagnostic work solo. I say thankfully because it meant doing this at my own pace, rather than having someone (anyone!) wondering what was taking so long, or why I didn't do something a different way, etc.
What I eventually determined was that the proper repair meant removing the bottom drawer so that I could get a wrench or socket down on a bolt or nut. Alas, alack, I could not remove the bottom drawer, despite watching multiple U-tube videos on just such a problem, covering several generations of red rolling toolboxes previously sold at Sears. I was able to cobble something together, and now that I've got all of my tools available I can give it a proper job, but this was not that day. Alas, alack indeed.
Keen-eyed readers may note that it is already the middle of June, and wonder if I have since solved this caster crisis. The answer, dear reader, is no. More details and photos to come... soon(ish).
At some point during the move from Point B to Point C, my rolling toolbox tower suffered a semi-catastrophic caster failure and required surgery. I suspect it was the movers trying to get a fixed caster to swivel, and instead the sheet metal & screw decided to part ways, but nonetheless, tools were needed to fix the toolbox.
Of course, as many of you might guess, doing this in a, *ahem*, responsible manner involves emptying all of the drawers:
Thankfully(?) this operation occurred before I had reconstituted the full toolbox stack, so I was able to do the dissection and diagnostic work solo. I say thankfully because it meant doing this at my own pace, rather than having someone (anyone!) wondering what was taking so long, or why I didn't do something a different way, etc.
What I eventually determined was that the proper repair meant removing the bottom drawer so that I could get a wrench or socket down on a bolt or nut. Alas, alack, I could not remove the bottom drawer, despite watching multiple U-tube videos on just such a problem, covering several generations of red rolling toolboxes previously sold at Sears. I was able to cobble something together, and now that I've got all of my tools available I can give it a proper job, but this was not that day. Alas, alack indeed.
Keen-eyed readers may note that it is already the middle of June, and wonder if I have since solved this caster crisis. The answer, dear reader, is no. More details and photos to come... soon(ish).
Still haven't solved the caster crisis. In fact, I'm up to crises now!
We had really been hoping to be moved in by my birthday, but we missed it by that much, as Maxwell used to say. And on my birthday, I had been hoping to assemble the engine lift I bought second-hand a year or two earlier. Well, much like move-in day, sadly assembly day did not coincide with my birthday. So when the opportunity presented itself (aka, nobody was around for a few days and I could putter at will), I assembled!
I discovered that A) this is the kind of project where having some helping hands comes in...handy, and B) it appears that I'm missing 2 of the casters that should have come with it. And of course, the 3-1/2" casters that Harbor Freight carries are not the same as the ones that should be installed on the outriggers of their own engine lift. So I made it this far before calling it quits:
The hydraulic ram is sitting in its box, waiting to be installed, and I've got the HF parts department telephone # lined up for a moment when I can call them and find out what my options are. The outrigger holes for the casters are threaded, so I'd rather not just chuck any old caster in there if I can help it. At least it doesn't tip over at the moment, and because I can fold it up it doesn't take up a bunch of garage space.
I know I still owe some more general garage/shop photos to the adoring crowds, but you'll have to wait just a moment or two...
We had really been hoping to be moved in by my birthday, but we missed it by that much, as Maxwell used to say. And on my birthday, I had been hoping to assemble the engine lift I bought second-hand a year or two earlier. Well, much like move-in day, sadly assembly day did not coincide with my birthday. So when the opportunity presented itself (aka, nobody was around for a few days and I could putter at will), I assembled!
I discovered that A) this is the kind of project where having some helping hands comes in...handy, and B) it appears that I'm missing 2 of the casters that should have come with it. And of course, the 3-1/2" casters that Harbor Freight carries are not the same as the ones that should be installed on the outriggers of their own engine lift. So I made it this far before calling it quits:
The hydraulic ram is sitting in its box, waiting to be installed, and I've got the HF parts department telephone # lined up for a moment when I can call them and find out what my options are. The outrigger holes for the casters are threaded, so I'd rather not just chuck any old caster in there if I can help it. At least it doesn't tip over at the moment, and because I can fold it up it doesn't take up a bunch of garage space.
I know I still owe some more general garage/shop photos to the adoring crowds, but you'll have to wait just a moment or two...
Shortly after assembling the engine crane, I finally managed to get all nearly all of the cardboard moving boxes out of the garage, so we can finally park a car in there. My wife noted this is the first time in 20+ years that she's been able to park our car in our own garage - all of the other places we've lived have either had no garage, too small of a garage to fit (see the cold dark cave in my sig), or were shared with neighbors.
And in tool news, I was able to get my tablesaw out of long-term storage at my folks's place and bring it down to its new home. Now to assemble it and start making sawdust again! (It's the orange and black pile off to the right rear.)
As you can see, there's still plenty to unbox, sort through, organize, assemble, and put away here... but it's slowly getting there. I rarely have time during the week to focus on this right now, so it gets little spits and spurts of attention here and there. All of that lumber on the sawhorses on the left will need to move out of there - some is destined to become workbenches, some will likely become kindling, and others will just go in long-term lumber storage. Which I need to build and install. Does anybody know a good cloning service?
And in tool news, I was able to get my tablesaw out of long-term storage at my folks's place and bring it down to its new home. Now to assemble it and start making sawdust again! (It's the orange and black pile off to the right rear.)
As you can see, there's still plenty to unbox, sort through, organize, assemble, and put away here... but it's slowly getting there. I rarely have time during the week to focus on this right now, so it gets little spits and spurts of attention here and there. All of that lumber on the sawhorses on the left will need to move out of there - some is destined to become workbenches, some will likely become kindling, and others will just go in long-term lumber storage. Which I need to build and install. Does anybody know a good cloning service?
Rainy Day Women Nos. 12 & 35 - Robert Zimmerman
In my travels this week, I stumbled across some pieces of the Earth just laying about:
Being the scrounger / collector / thrifty Yankee that I am, I knew the larger ones were too big for me and the trusty loaner minivan to take home, but that cute little number in the foreground was calling my name. So after a brief chat with one of the site supervisors, one phone call to his boss, and a 30 minute wait for some extra muscle to arrive...
It found its way home! Thank goodness for ramps and levers, and a wife who's quite possibly stronger than I am.
With some cursing, some straining, and lots of physics, we managed to get this chunk o' stone placed in its next destination - the back door of the garage!
Then it was time for some Ibuprofen and a good night's sleep... Hopefully we'll be able to make some additional progress in the garage and/or the shop this weekend, while we're hiding from the heat.
In my travels this week, I stumbled across some pieces of the Earth just laying about:
Being the scrounger / collector / thrifty Yankee that I am, I knew the larger ones were too big for me and the trusty loaner minivan to take home, but that cute little number in the foreground was calling my name. So after a brief chat with one of the site supervisors, one phone call to his boss, and a 30 minute wait for some extra muscle to arrive...It found its way home! Thank goodness for ramps and levers, and a wife who's quite possibly stronger than I am.
With some cursing, some straining, and lots of physics, we managed to get this chunk o' stone placed in its next destination - the back door of the garage!
Then it was time for some Ibuprofen and a good night's sleep... Hopefully we'll be able to make some additional progress in the garage and/or the shop this weekend, while we're hiding from the heat.
You know how when you're in the middle of 3 projects, and you spot that part or tool that you're going to need for project #4, so you grab it and set it aside so you'll have it when you get to project #4? And then a few days later when you finally shift your priorities enough to get to project #4 and you can't find that Very Special and Important (tm) part or tool? Yeah, that's been the last few weeks... most recently it was the staple gun. I couldn't find my trusty T25 for the life of me, so I grabbed what I thought would be sufficient: my red Swingline stapler.
Halfway through stapling up some bug screen to keep the birds out of the garage rafter bays, I dropped my stapler from the top of the ladder, down onto the concrete floor. It's now gone to the great stapler retirement home in the sky...
Red stapler broken, I managed to secure the rest of the screen in an OK manner, but knew that I had to get back out there and finish the job. But what had been project #1 quickly got moved down the list to project #87,402 once I could keep the birds out. Until a week or two later when I saw that some of the staples had gone AWOL. It's important to note here that Swingline staplers of nearly any color don't seem to want to drive staples into 1/2" plywood.
And then I found my Arrow (or maybe it's a Stanley - if I could find it again I'd know) staple gun! So I cleverly set it aside, waiting for the moment when I could get the ladder out and re-staple some screening. That was a few weeks ago now. Can't find the thing to save my life right now. Ugh.
Halfway through stapling up some bug screen to keep the birds out of the garage rafter bays, I dropped my stapler from the top of the ladder, down onto the concrete floor. It's now gone to the great stapler retirement home in the sky...
Red stapler broken, I managed to secure the rest of the screen in an OK manner, but knew that I had to get back out there and finish the job. But what had been project #1 quickly got moved down the list to project #87,402 once I could keep the birds out. Until a week or two later when I saw that some of the staples had gone AWOL. It's important to note here that Swingline staplers of nearly any color don't seem to want to drive staples into 1/2" plywood.
And then I found my Arrow (or maybe it's a Stanley - if I could find it again I'd know) staple gun! So I cleverly set it aside, waiting for the moment when I could get the ladder out and re-staple some screening. That was a few weeks ago now. Can't find the thing to save my life right now. Ugh.
When last we left our fearless hero, I was lamenting the loss of my stapler. I've since found my "light-duty" Arrow stapler, but still haven't rediscovered my heavy duty stapler. It's around here somewhere, I'm sure of it. In other news...
Two new (to me) mowers have been acquired!
The DR came with the finish deck as well as the brush deck, has a slow leak in one tire, and needs some new belts. The missing front casters / bogey wheels have since been found, saving me a few pennies..
The Toro is a nice change from my previous Ryobi electric mower that has decided it's going to shut off every ~30 seconds or so, if it runs at all. I'm all for efficient electric mowers, but if they're not going to work, I'll stick with gas, thankyouverymuch.
Both mowers were a welcome gift from my uncle who hasn't used them in years because he's got a lawn service now. Funnily enough, the DR was shipped new to California about 20 years ago, then shipped back to the East coast a few years back when he moved. Now he's getting ready to move to God's waiting room, so now they're being put to use at Tabula Rasa. It's been a little over a month since they were delivered and the Toro's already been used at least 3x. Probably time to start up the DR just to keep things moving while I wait for the front caster wheels and figure out what I'm doing about the slow leak in the rear tire...
More details to come, but it's late enough for me, so... that's all for now, folks!
Two new (to me) mowers have been acquired!
The DR came with the finish deck as well as the brush deck, has a slow leak in one tire, and needs some new belts. The missing front casters / bogey wheels have since been found, saving me a few pennies..
The Toro is a nice change from my previous Ryobi electric mower that has decided it's going to shut off every ~30 seconds or so, if it runs at all. I'm all for efficient electric mowers, but if they're not going to work, I'll stick with gas, thankyouverymuch.
Both mowers were a welcome gift from my uncle who hasn't used them in years because he's got a lawn service now. Funnily enough, the DR was shipped new to California about 20 years ago, then shipped back to the East coast a few years back when he moved. Now he's getting ready to move to God's waiting room, so now they're being put to use at Tabula Rasa. It's been a little over a month since they were delivered and the Toro's already been used at least 3x. Probably time to start up the DR just to keep things moving while I wait for the front caster wheels and figure out what I'm doing about the slow leak in the rear tire...
More details to come, but it's late enough for me, so... that's all for now, folks!
Slow progress, but progress nonetheless: a few sheets of plywood up so I can push things back against the wall (to make space for more tools, etc.), some wiring roughed in (very rough!), and a few more thoughts about how to arrange benches, tools, etc. Still haven't figured out the best orientation & location of my main workbench vs my table saw.
I'm trying to be aware of the possibility of kickback from the TS, and would rather it send chunks of wood away from the door and windows. So that eliminates one direction the saw can face. I'm toying with the idea of turning the saw perpendicular to the long axis of my shop, which would allow longer pieces for cross-cutting, but it limits my ripping length. The thought occurs to me that I could put the TS on the bias, as it were... hmm, this might be worth exploring.
Yes, yes, I too suffer from Flat Surface Disease!
I'm trying to be aware of the possibility of kickback from the TS, and would rather it send chunks of wood away from the door and windows. So that eliminates one direction the saw can face. I'm toying with the idea of turning the saw perpendicular to the long axis of my shop, which would allow longer pieces for cross-cutting, but it limits my ripping length. The thought occurs to me that I could put the TS on the bias, as it were... hmm, this might be worth exploring.
Yes, yes, I too suffer from Flat Surface Disease!
Despite appearances to the contrary, we have not stopped doing shop / garage-related things! Since August, we've found carpenter ants, busted their union like we were Pinkerton, had porches and decks framed out, hung plywood in the shop, painted said plywood, run wires for more outlets, installed solar, and all manner of other things that might explain my absence. Oh, and working, there's always the working!
Then there was the screen door debacle (which, if you missed it, you can read about here) which is nearly complete, and then
arrived and brought some new shiny (ok, some of them are matte, too) things! A 3D printer and a multi-material miter saw - printer is up and running but looking for a home (which won't be in the shop, too dusty) while the miter saw is still in it's box, waiting for assembly. Maybe this weekend...
Happy New Year to all!
Then there was the screen door debacle (which, if you missed it, you can read about here) which is nearly complete, and then
arrived and brought some new shiny (ok, some of them are matte, too) things! A 3D printer and a multi-material miter saw - printer is up and running but looking for a home (which won't be in the shop, too dusty) while the miter saw is still in it's box, waiting for assembly. Maybe this weekend...Happy New Year to all!
Well it's been a minute or two, so here's the latest from the shop:
Right now I'm getting ready for the big storm we're supposed to get Sunday/Monday (anywhere from 8-20+ inches, depending on which forecast you believe). Snowblower's gassed up. Might see about moving the van into the garage tomorrow so I don't have to clean it off on Monday.
Photos to come.... soonish
- The new miter saw got assembled a few weeks back, and is temporarily living where the bench DP will live.
- Ran some more wire and installed a few breakers, so I've got more than 1 outlet to work with now. Still need to run one more wire from outlet 4 to outlet 6, then I can reinstall insulation, hang some plywood, and roll some paint on.
- Cut a scrap PT 2x4 to fit in the cutout in the slab where the sump basin will/might go, if we ever install a sump. Still need a few more pieces of PT to finish the frame that will sit in the cutout and hold a piece of plywood that will be level with the floor. Might as well use the space while I figure out if a sump is actually needed.
Right now I'm getting ready for the big storm we're supposed to get Sunday/Monday (anywhere from 8-20+ inches, depending on which forecast you believe). Snowblower's gassed up. Might see about moving the van into the garage tomorrow so I don't have to clean it off on Monday.
Photos to come.... soonish
And now some photos to give your mind's eye a break!
First we have the completed (for now) electrical, just waiting for the budget to recover so I can buy some more plywood to put up on the walls...
Add one miter saw, still waiting for its permanent home.
Looking a little to the left of the above photo...
And here one can see the small lathe my uncle gifted me during the same visit I got the welder. It's a Craftsman 109, nothing that will set off fireworks but a good place for me to start. Pay no attention to the cardboard massing, enlightenment will come at a later time...
My understanding from reading about this lathe is that it was meant to be a hobbyist's lathe, nothing more. I've never worked with one before, so it'll be a good way to start - hopefully I can't get myself into too much of a mess with it!
And just look at that engine-turned cover! If I knew how to swoon I'd give it a serious thought...
First we have the completed (for now) electrical, just waiting for the budget to recover so I can buy some more plywood to put up on the walls...
Add one miter saw, still waiting for its permanent home.
Looking a little to the left of the above photo...
And here one can see the small lathe my uncle gifted me during the same visit I got the welder. It's a Craftsman 109, nothing that will set off fireworks but a good place for me to start. Pay no attention to the cardboard massing, enlightenment will come at a later time...
My understanding from reading about this lathe is that it was meant to be a hobbyist's lathe, nothing more. I've never worked with one before, so it'll be a good way to start - hopefully I can't get myself into too much of a mess with it!
And just look at that engine-turned cover! If I knew how to swoon I'd give it a serious thought...
What's this, a second post in one day? I better learn to pace myself, I'll start running out of content
My lovely bride suggested to me that with our impending bomb cyclone (8-24" inches of the cold wet white stuff over the next ~36 hours, allegedly), maybe we move some things around in the garage so we can fit our second car in - this should make it easier to clear the driveway, and save some time by not needing to clear snow off of the car. In order to get the car in, we: moved lumber, plywood, ladders, wheelbarrows, fiber cement shingles, left-behind screws/bolts/etc. from a previous GC, trashed various **** that had been piling up for several months, swept up all manner of sawdust, concrete dust, insect eggs, etc., etc., and generally got the place looking a bit better.
And, for the first time in the history of the world, we parked two vehicles in the garage! Will wonders never cease...
My lovely bride suggested to me that with our impending bomb cyclone (8-24" inches of the cold wet white stuff over the next ~36 hours, allegedly), maybe we move some things around in the garage so we can fit our second car in - this should make it easier to clear the driveway, and save some time by not needing to clear snow off of the car. In order to get the car in, we: moved lumber, plywood, ladders, wheelbarrows, fiber cement shingles, left-behind screws/bolts/etc. from a previous GC, trashed various **** that had been piling up for several months, swept up all manner of sawdust, concrete dust, insect eggs, etc., etc., and generally got the place looking a bit better.
And, for the first time in the history of the world, we parked two vehicles in the garage! Will wonders never cease...
Well it's been a quiet eventful week few months in Lake Woebegon... I won't bore you with all the details. Suffice it to say not nearly enough time has been spent in the garage or the shop, due to having to deal with all of the projects that exist outside of those two habitats.
One of those projects, however, brings me here! We've got a shed. It currently houses the snowblower, the lawnmower (Toro), the bigger lawnmower (DR All Terrain), the bigger wheelbarrow, and a few other odds and ends. Before the snow flies, it needs to house my wife's Beetle. That means building a ramp, or at least a jump, to bridge the perilous ~5 inch change in elevation between said shed and the driveway.
Above right you can see the ramp I made for oil changes 2 vehicles ago, which isn't much wider than a tire and would need some modifications to work. It's only screws, so not a big deal, but still, not quite ready for primetime. On the left, an abandoned PT 2x10 (maybe 2x12?) I collected from the dumpster of a construction site a few years back, for just such a purpose. I think I've got the other portion of it, too, and both could be easily cut to the same length.
Anyone have any ideas on how best to proceed? The ramp is not meant to live on the gravel full-time, as it will take up parts of the driveway that are otherwise used for parking and turning around, etc. So it should be either light enough that one person can move it / set it up / take it down, or it should disassemble into manageable parts. It needs to be strong enough to support a VW Beetle, so roughly 1900 lbs with driver and fuel. Ideally it's made of wood, as I have plenty of scraps laying around (well, stacked nearby, but tomato / tomato). There's also the possibility that in the not-too-distant future, the shed will be levitated slightly higher, to allow more water to drain under and around it (in the spring and in heavy rains there's insufficient drainage on at least two sides of the structure).
So there's the design brief, complete with some limitations. Before I start banging pieces of wood together, what else should I be aware of / consider? It's only a ramp, I'd rather not waste a month to analysis paralysis...
One of those projects, however, brings me here! We've got a shed. It currently houses the snowblower, the lawnmower (Toro), the bigger lawnmower (DR All Terrain), the bigger wheelbarrow, and a few other odds and ends. Before the snow flies, it needs to house my wife's Beetle. That means building a ramp, or at least a jump, to bridge the perilous ~5 inch change in elevation between said shed and the driveway.
Above right you can see the ramp I made for oil changes 2 vehicles ago, which isn't much wider than a tire and would need some modifications to work. It's only screws, so not a big deal, but still, not quite ready for primetime. On the left, an abandoned PT 2x10 (maybe 2x12?) I collected from the dumpster of a construction site a few years back, for just such a purpose. I think I've got the other portion of it, too, and both could be easily cut to the same length.
Anyone have any ideas on how best to proceed? The ramp is not meant to live on the gravel full-time, as it will take up parts of the driveway that are otherwise used for parking and turning around, etc. So it should be either light enough that one person can move it / set it up / take it down, or it should disassemble into manageable parts. It needs to be strong enough to support a VW Beetle, so roughly 1900 lbs with driver and fuel. Ideally it's made of wood, as I have plenty of scraps laying around (well, stacked nearby, but tomato / tomato). There's also the possibility that in the not-too-distant future, the shed will be levitated slightly higher, to allow more water to drain under and around it (in the spring and in heavy rains there's insufficient drainage on at least two sides of the structure).
So there's the design brief, complete with some limitations. Before I start banging pieces of wood together, what else should I be aware of / consider? It's only a ramp, I'd rather not waste a month to analysis paralysis...
Upon further examination, my shed's Snake Canyon jump is about 8 inches tall, so the 4 inch ramps I found at Tractor Supply won't cut it. I did find some aluminum ramps that will fit the design brief, but at $300 I'm hoping I can build something for less... Time will tell. Still open to suggestions.
In other news, mowed the clover after work to keep the grass at bay (he said hopefully), said hi to the rabbits (they're all named Peter, I'm pretty sure), and pondered things. No photos - you can imagine mowing the lawn and talking to rabbits.
In other news, mowed the clover after work to keep the grass at bay (he said hopefully), said hi to the rabbits (they're all named Peter, I'm pretty sure), and pondered things. No photos - you can imagine mowing the lawn and talking to rabbits.
Cris B
Well-known member
Make some triangles out of 2x4s with an internal brace, double up so each wheel is supported by two triangles. Get a sheet of 8x4 marine ply and cut to required size and screw to the triangles to form a singular ramp surface. Alternatively steel loading ramps from Amazon…
larry4406
Well-known member
Nice homestead project!
Let’s see the ‘67 barracuda in your avatar!
Let’s see the ‘67 barracuda in your avatar!
Thanks! Still a work in progress (both the homestead and the Mopar!) but we're getting there.
As for more photos, that'll take some time as it's about 4.5 hours away at my folks' place (hard to pass up free heated storage). Plan is to bring it to the new garage within the year, either on a trailer or driving. I'd prefer driving, of course, but it needs some TLC before it's road-worthy again. Needs new tires, as the current ones are about 25 years old. Last thing I need is to have one go on me while cruising at 70+ MPH...
I can at least give you a full size version of the avatar pic, though:
On the ramp project, I found some old steel ramps that I'd purchased many moons ago (roughly when I got the Barracuda above). They'd been put up over the garage when we moved and I'd completely forgotten about them! Another chore today brought me up there, and the idea occurred (to my thoughtful and intelligent wife ) to give them a try. They look to be about 1 inch too tall, which should be easy enough to address with some focused shoveling.
I would have tried to get the Beetle into the shed with said ramps, but I'd forgotten to put the trickle charger on the battery, so I only got about 3 to 5 revolutions of the starter before the battery said "Enough! I quit!" So I pushed the Beetle back into the garage and proceeded to set up the charger. I'll have another go tomorrow, weather permitting.
) to give them a try. They look to be about 1 inch too tall, which should be easy enough to address with some focused shoveling.I would have tried to get the Beetle into the shed with said ramps, but I'd forgotten to put the trickle charger on the battery, so I only got about 3 to 5 revolutions of the starter before the battery said "Enough! I quit!" So I pushed the Beetle back into the garage and proceeded to set up the charger. I'll have another go tomorrow, weather permitting.
Cris B
Well-known member
‘Cuda looks good
Small progress is still progress, right? Made a little sanding belt holder - scrap of plywood, a 1" dia. dowel cut into ~12 inch lengths, a drill with a spade bit, some wood glue, and about 24 hrs later we've got ourselves a thing to hang on the wall and put some sanding belts on so they're no longer clogging up the bench.
No photos, use your imagination.
No photos, use your imagination.
The newest arrival in the shop is a Rockwell jointer, picked up locally for a great price. The infeed and outfeed tables need some cleaning with some steel wool and possibly a little wax, but otherwise she runs like a champ. Not shown is the fence, which was removed during transport and will get similarly cleaned up.
Interestingly the machine doesn't have an On/Off switch (you can see the blank plate covering the hole), so I may modify that in the future. Right now just plug it in to start making sawdust!
Interestingly the machine doesn't have an On/Off switch (you can see the blank plate covering the hole), so I may modify that in the future. Right now just plug it in to start making sawdust!
Yesterday's shop success was brought to you by "I'm going to need one of those someday, so I should buy it today." In this case, the tool was a tap and die set. Nothing fancy, just a Harbor Fright special. The project: Re-assemble the patio furniture we claimed from a house my family was selling. Four chairs and one glider, all solid wood, under cover (screened porch) their entire lives. In order to fit them into the car to bring them home, we took the backs off of the chairs - easy enough, just need a hex wrench (use the 4mm, not the 5/32 otherwise you'll round things over!).
Everything was going great until chair number 2, when one of the machine screws got slightly catty-wampus and tried to cut new threads in the threaded insert that holds Back A to Side B. And then it was pointed out to me that the back was on backwards, so it would have to come off anyway. And it was at that moment, ladies and gentlemen, that the Case of the Cross-threaded Machine Screw came to my attention. Because I hadn't tightened it down all the way just yet, I probably saved myself hours of heartache and woe. The other hand-tightened screws came out easy as you please, but that catty-wampus one... well, let's just say that's when I figured out that they were metric, not imperial.
So, with the correct hex wrench, I began the Great Untightening. Which was going Great (as its name would suggest) until I realized that the threaded insert was being unthreaded from the chair back, which was not part of the original plan. And yet, I persisted. I managed to get the chair back divorced from the threaded insert, so now I only had a screw/insert to deal with. And to show that I am flexible, adaptable even, I said to myself, "Self, you need more tools!" Thus to the shop I went, to get not one but two different types of Vise-Grips. With said marvel of mechanical design in hand, I was able to force the screw to unthread itself from the insert, which brings us back to the first paragraph of this story.
Back in the dim dark recesses of history, say 2015 or so, I purchased that tap and die set. Wasn't quite sure when I would need it, or even IF, but I also knew that when I did, I would want it right then, and not have to tell my dearly beloved, "Dearly beloved, I need to make a trip to the hardware store for another tool!" So it's traveled with us from house to rental to house, across state lines, never complaining, only gathering dust. Patiently waiting for its moment. And finally - finally! - here was its time to shine. And shine it did. The insert was re-tapped, the screw threads where run through the die, and friends, I'm happy to say that today the two are back together again like they didn't miss a beat. Thus closes the Case of the Cross-Threaded Machine Screw.
Everything was going great until chair number 2, when one of the machine screws got slightly catty-wampus and tried to cut new threads in the threaded insert that holds Back A to Side B. And then it was pointed out to me that the back was on backwards, so it would have to come off anyway. And it was at that moment, ladies and gentlemen, that the Case of the Cross-threaded Machine Screw came to my attention. Because I hadn't tightened it down all the way just yet, I probably saved myself hours of heartache and woe. The other hand-tightened screws came out easy as you please, but that catty-wampus one... well, let's just say that's when I figured out that they were metric, not imperial.
So, with the correct hex wrench, I began the Great Untightening. Which was going Great (as its name would suggest) until I realized that the threaded insert was being unthreaded from the chair back, which was not part of the original plan. And yet, I persisted. I managed to get the chair back divorced from the threaded insert, so now I only had a screw/insert to deal with. And to show that I am flexible, adaptable even, I said to myself, "Self, you need more tools!" Thus to the shop I went, to get not one but two different types of Vise-Grips. With said marvel of mechanical design in hand, I was able to force the screw to unthread itself from the insert, which brings us back to the first paragraph of this story.
Back in the dim dark recesses of history, say 2015 or so, I purchased that tap and die set. Wasn't quite sure when I would need it, or even IF, but I also knew that when I did, I would want it right then, and not have to tell my dearly beloved, "Dearly beloved, I need to make a trip to the hardware store for another tool!" So it's traveled with us from house to rental to house, across state lines, never complaining, only gathering dust. Patiently waiting for its moment. And finally - finally! - here was its time to shine. And shine it did. The insert was re-tapped, the screw threads where run through the die, and friends, I'm happy to say that today the two are back together again like they didn't miss a beat. Thus closes the Case of the Cross-Threaded Machine Screw.