Above 1200 Sq/FT Thielbilly’s Shop Reno and Home Projects

[a_thiel24]

JJC, thank you and thanks for following my journey between threads.

bugnut, thank you! Can'y wait to have a shop helper.

JB, I definitely have been getting less sleep but it hasn't been to bad. At least not enough to complain about. Though, today is my first day back at work, so we'll see how it goes for a while.

Bears Fan, thank you! I can't wait to get him out there helping!

PhantomEB, no hammer yet but I will definitely be looking for one now! Funny, as a child who had a hammer, everything seemed to look like a nail

 

[jbmatth]

PhantomEB, no hammer yet but I will definitely be looking for one now! Funny, as a child who had a hammer, everything seemed to look like a nail

Just be careful, the paint on vehicles looks really cool when hit with a hammer, and windows, who knew they were made of so many little pieces?

I'm ashamed of many things in my past, doing that to a Thunderbird is up there on the list though.

JB

 

[a_thiel24]

JB, "so many little pieces"

 

[a_thiel24]

Hey everyone, if you've got a few spare minutes, please check out this thread I started. I really need some feedback. Thanks.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8573811#post8573811

 

[a_thiel24]

Well I just got back to work this week. I did tinker around just a little bit while home on paternity leave.

Kept up with mowing.



I had an older pull behind spray that I got when my dad moved. I had never seen it run but decided I wanted it ready should I need it. I scrapped all the paint loose from the frame and repainted it. I put some new tubing and added brass ball valves so I can use the boom or wand independently. Also replaced the broken pressure gauge. And rewired the whole thing including adding a plug on a toggle switch to run it from the mower.

Before.


Loose paint removed.



And all finished.



I hung up a bunch of license plates that were from my wife’s grandpa and some of my own.





I cleaned out the 2-car attached garage so I could store my lawn implements. Was running out of floor space in the shop as I bought the seeder/aerator and the roller so far this year.





Being a big Jeff Gordon fan, when this pedal car popped up for sale, I had to get it for the little guy.



And most recently, I got some new tools/batteries. I have had some tools from Ryobi for a little while now. I really didn’t want to commit to another battery platform, so I was using an adapter I got from eBay to make them work with my Milwaukee batteries.



I had a fan, hot glue gun, router, and sander. All of them performed really well but the mating connection on the battery adapter kind of sucked. Home Depot currently has their Ryobi days with some deep discounts. I picked up a set of 2 batteries and a charger for $99 and then you get to choose from a list of free tools. In this case, I chose a caulk gun. I **** at caulking, so I figured why not. So now I have my small Ryobi collection started. They claim to have the biggest 18v line of tools on the market. I know they are more homeowner grade, but I love what I have so far. I think I want to get the backpack sprayer and cordless nailers. So much cheaper than Milwaukee, especially for tools I won’t be using on a daily or weekly basis.

 

[Bigbandguy]

I remember your first thread when you started your basement shop. I thought at the time that there might be hope after all if young people like you were taking up fixing things and learning about matters mechanical. Thanks for confirming my early impression and keep up the good work.

 

[xtremek]

Just got caught up on this. Congrats on the house, wedding, shop, and most of all, your son.

 

[a_thiel24]

Bigbandguy, thank you for the compliment. That really does mean a lot to me because I don't consider myself the typical millennial.

xtremek, glad you found my new thread and thank you on the congratulations. It has been a wild ride to get this far, especially the last year.

 

[a_thiel24]

Wow, where has the time gone. Sorry for the lack of posts. With the new child, I obviously don’t have as much free time as I used to. I’ve been slowly plugging away at some things but nothing major to update.

We are currently looking for some land in our area hopefully with a woods big enough to hunt. We would like to build a house and a shop in about 3-5 years.

Since, my last update, I bought a toolbox for my son to use in the future. My wife’s grandparent’s farm was sold, and I bought this at the auction.



I made a set of picture frames with some inlays. I used a mortiser to make a ¾” by ¾” inlay to fit a standard pen blank. Nothing too hard.









Labor Day weekend, I made the choice to put my childhood dog to rest. He was 16.5 years old and lived a great life. He was there for all the biggest moments of my life and he will be missed. I took the prior day off work to spend with him. We visited a few friends, went for a walk in the woods, and ate a great last meal. RIP Obi.



And on a lighter note, we went for a combine ride with my best friend. That’s my brother in the grain cart.

 

[jollygreengiant]

Good to see an update Alex! I like that your getting your son some shop accessories for when he gets bigger.

Very sorry to hear about your dog.

 

[xtremek]

That last post was profound, seriously. So much to say, but words aren't adequate.

 

[jbmatth]

Sorry to hear about the pup, it is never an easy time. Glad to see you are keeping busy.

JB

 

[a_thiel24]

jollygreengiant, he will be set up pretty decent when the time comes. I can't wait to get him more involved.

xtremek, well it has been a very profound year

jbmatth, thank you for the condolences. I'm trying to do as much as I can. With the weather starting to break, I'm hoping to get some more things completed as my current list is growing faster than I am completing projects.

 

[a_thiel24]

I started back up on the kitchen island project. Face frame completed. Little slot is for cutting board storage. I have done some more since then and will have to get some updated pics.



Bought some used kitchen cabinets and a few solid core doors to redo my auto shop work bench. It turned out fantastic.



Even had a few left over to hang in the wood shop.



I actually got all the cabinets for $100 off of marketplace. Just happened to catch them at the right time. It feels nice to have things stored and organized. And I have a nice, solid bench to boot.

 

[xtremek]

Nice score on the cabinets

 

[a_thiel24]

xtremek, thanks! They are working out wonderfully.

Then winter set it. I got my first ever deer thanks to a wonderful hunt with my best friend. 150 yards. She didn’t stand a chance against the Henry 45/70.

I Finally mounted the snow blade to my great grandpa’s tractor. I have had it for 3 years sitting in the corner waiting for a snow big enough to use it. Well, we got one this year!

 

[xtremek]

Nice looking old tractor. It's fun to put them to work.

 

[jbmatth]

Congrats on the first deer, were you going moose hunting with the 45-70 and just happen upon the deer, ouch! Tractors sure make lite work out of big jobs.

JB

 

[a_thiel24]

xtremek, thanks! IT doesn't get used as much as I like but I do enjoy just driving it around the country block every now and then.

JB, I got the gun in 2017, a few years after the straight wall craze in Ohio. So long before the new 350 legend that everyone is getting. This was my graduation/wedding/Christmas present for myself.

Man, I have gotten behind again.

This spring I completed a lawn striper to add to my mower. Made it completely with some throw away parts and pieces from work. Initial tests showed that it does a decent enough job for proof of concept.







I’m trying hard to get some more shop time and get some projects completed. I need to do a better job of taking pictures and keeping you guys all updated. Thanks for following along!

 

[xtremek]

Why are you putting stripes on your lawn?

 

[a_thiel24]

xtremek, stripes make the yard look really good. And it might take some attention away from the housewrap on the shop lol.

The kitchen island is now finished and in the house.






Doesn’t exactly blend well with the other wood tones, but we plan to take it with us when we move in the future. I also helped my best friend build a wood mount for his latest and coolest deer. He is doing some kind of mosaic around the feed/post area.

 

[Jayman17]

That island looks great, the top is very nice looking. Great job!

Jay

 

[jbmatth]

Good looking woodwork, you have the knack for it for sure. Also that is a very nice looking deer, I'd have mounted it as well but doubt I'd be able to keep it inside the house.

JB

 

[a_thiel24]

Jayman,17, thanks for the compliments and for following along!

JB, I'm not always the most patient person but woodworking makes me extremely patient. It's like my zen. As for the deer, his wife was less than thrilled about it coming into the house. I think he has 5-6 regular mounts already. He seems to get a bruiser every year.

Just a photo dump to get caught up.

Built a swing set.


Picked up a load of walnut and white oak from an auction for a steal!


Upgraded my DeWalt 735 planer to a helical head and had some help.



Picked up these electric Razor scooters. Both needed batteries. Been working on the big one for a little bit now for myself to ride. My son won’t be able to ride for a few years.


Almost completely caught up.

 

[loganb]

Thanks for stopping by my thread earlier! Read thru yours over lunch and love what you've done! Reminds me very much of my first house only you've gotten at lot more interior stuff done then I did...love it! As I'm sure life has been busy for you with a little one(I get it, got 2 myself) but would love to see what's been happening!

 

[a_thiel24]

Haha. I wish I had time to do a proper update.

But I guess the biggest things are that kid number 2 was added to the fold in August. My oldest is really into riding the Razor dirt bike with me and that's a hobby I have really enjoyed over the last year. Up to 3 Razor dirt bikes, a razor dirt quad, and 2 power wheels. All have been bought stupid cheap or even rescued from the curb. He loves spending time in the shop with me which has been fantastic. Picked up a larger Grizzly jointer and a scroll saw. Added a TV to the shop (gotta play that Disney +). Shot my first buck. Couple woodworking projects for the shop and the house. No promises, but I will try to get some pics up over the long weekend.

 

[xtremek]

Sounds like you've been having fun living the good life.

 

[jbmatth]

Great to hear from you again, congrats on the new additions, enjoy it and please do share some photos if you have a minute.
JB