Above 1200 Sq/FT The ASYLUM - Happy 40th Birthday to Me! (Est. 2005)

Omphaloskeptic said:

Congratulations on reaching this milestone!

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Thanks. I’m SOOOO relieved to have that job behind me. It was crucial that it be done right because a leak could work its way into the apartment and damage the walls. And I really don’t want to do any more drywall work!

Omphaloskeptic said:

I recall you had some 'problem' trees near the building; how's the health of the one in the foreground of the first pictures? Looks big enough to do some serious damage to the building if it fell in the wrong direction.

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I look the trees over pretty good on every trip out. I’m pretty handy with a chainsaw, but last year when a dead standing tree on my neighbor’s lot was leaning towards the ASYLUM, we called in an arborist and split the cost (nice neighbor!). While he was there cutting that one down, I paid him extra to cut off a large hickory tree limb overhanging the back of the shop. The branch jutted off the trunk at 30’ up so there was no safe way for me to do it.

I also had him look at the big oak in the pictures above. He said it looked fine despite the many burls (warts) all over the trunk, although I remember him saying he had never seen a tree covered quite that heavily with them and took a lot of pictures. I had him chop off the dead branches and clean the majority of the Spanish moss off. I’ve been concerned about this tree from day one since about 1/3 of its roots were covered up with fill dirt when the ASYLUM was built. It’s been over six years now and it still looks the same. I guess I better "knock on (oak) wood" before she falls down next week .

Omphaloskeptic said:

Have fun wrenching (for a change)! lol

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Well, despite spending a fair amount of time just cleaning up after the window install, I did manage to get one of the bikes running good again. I’m beginning to think this 10% ethanol fuel is damaging the rubber parts in the fuel systems of these vehicles. Or maybe it’s just old age .

WhiteTrash said:

I just found your thread and have spent the past 10 hours reading it from beginning to end.

And let me add the what everyone else has conveyed, the place looks amazing, I am very jealous.

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Thanks for taking the time to read all that I wrote and make some great comments/suggestions, WhiteTrash. That means a lot to me.

WhiteTrash said:

I love the car, my first car was a 69 Chevelle and I still miss that car. I sold it when I joined the Navy right out of high school.

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My ’70 is a keeper - will probably be buried in it someday. And a special thanks for your service to our country - I'm sure there were many sacrifices along the way. Hopefully the Navy treated you well.

WhiteTrash said:

One day I hope to be able to build something close to the size of yours. And I would be happy with the apartment, but I am also single with no kids, so it is plenty of room for me.

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Just put your mind to it and it will happen. Yes, if it were just me, I'd probably be living there full time too. Although, I'm sure I'd spend most of my free time in the shop so the size of the apartment wouldn't matter.

WhiteTrash said:

I did have a few suggestions to offer though.

First would be for your long stock storage under the lofts and the office. I would line the bottom with a piece of carpet or something. This would allow you to be able to pull it out in the event a shorter piece gets pushed too far back to reach. I initially though of a 2x4 on a length of rope, as you pulled it out, it would "sweep" any shorter pieces out with it, but it may be difficult to keep it perpendicular with the sides and things would slip through.

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I’ll have to remember that carpet trick. I have gotten short piece pushed back in there a couple of times and it is a pain to “fish” them back out.

WhiteTrash said:

My next suggestion would be for our stool on the office. With a laminate floor to slide on, but risk scratching, I would consider from furniture sliders. Something similar to these

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Originally, I had considered putting casters on the stool but decided to settle with the clear hose to keep it from scratching the laminate. Time will tell if I actually move the chair around enough to justify doing something else. I have used those sliders, however, and they work really well.

WhiteTrash said:

For your sink, one feature that I have learned to love from working in the medical community is the hand washing sinks. They have hands free controls that are foot pedals, a button pressed with a knee, or a lever your leg fits into. I like these better than the IR ones you often find in a public restroom, but great when you have dirty hands. It could be something for you to keep an eye out or possible be able to retrofit to your sink.

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Before I got my 3-compartment sink, I saw a few with the foot valves and thought what a great feature it would be when your hands are full of crud. Unfortunately, none of the deals worked out. I'm really happy with the sink but a hands-free feature would make it even better. Add that retrofit job to the list of future upgrades.

WhiteTrash said:

Living in Florida, you often get decent weather, but you also get some bugs. I would look into a screen to drop down in front of your garage doors. This will allow you to take advantage of the weather and/or breeze, without dealing with the bugs.

Of course, you could get one of those fans that blow over door to blow out any insects, but I imagine the running that would be just as costly as running an AC in there.

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Although bugs can be problem at dusk and dawn, they don’t bother me too much the rest of the time so I generally have most doors wide open when I’m working. I enjoy the natural light and being able to see what’s happening around me outside. Only two types of bugs are troublesome here while working - mosquitoes and biting yellow flies. I will say that the mosquitoes aren’t nearly as bad as I remember up in WI - they are actually quite small here and tolerable. The biting flies come and go, but I don’t remember them being an issue now for a couple of years now, thankfully. Mrs. Shopnut may have a different opinion as she tends to be a bit “sweeter” than me and tends to get bitten more.

WhiteTrash said:

My last suggestions are for your front loft. I would consider adding some lighting not only in the loft area, but underneath to shine down outside.

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Yep - good lighting is a must for these aging eyes. And building this loft will allow me to use up that stack of 40+ surplus lights . I’m planning on integrating four fixtures into the box that hides the roll-up door drums shining down into the door opening (see post 513). Some will be built into the underside of the new loft floor to replace the original small lights installed by the builder in the porch peak. Others (2-4) will be installed up in the loft itself. Never can have enough light. I will be adding an extra circuit to handle the load of all these new fixtures.

WhiteTrash said:

While you are still considering ideas for a hoist for the front loft, have you considered a sliding tray like you have in your Avey? This would allow you to lift something straight up and slide the tray underneath it to bring in into the loft.

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Since I have the hoist track system parts already purchased, I will stick with that do the horizontal movement onto the loft overhang. BUT, I really like the idea of something up there to help me move stuff INTO the loft and you got me thinking again (that can only mean trouble). I already determined I don’t have the height to continue the track into the loft, but I could probably go with a simple flat cart that can be pushed anywhere up there. I could picture it working nicely with the hoist - winch the item up, roll it over to the overhang, then drop it in the cart and wheel it back in the loft wherever I want.

In the side bay lofts, I’m a bit concerned about the library ladder being a too far away from the opening, making it hard to reach anything inside. I don’t want to be hanging off the side of the ladder. This is where your drawer slide concept might come in handy. Then a hoist sharing the library ladder track would work just like you describe.

Thanks again for your suggestions WhiteTrash. You will probably see them implemented eventually (at my slow rate). Keep 'em coming!

shopnut said:

Does anyone remember my Triple Stacker car lift idea? Thread Link (No, it's not something a burger joint sells - they DO exist)
I was hoping they would be in the $10-15K range, but the best price I received was around $20K - ouch
The idea is not completely tossed out, however, and it's been filed away for when I'm REALLY REALLY (add 8 more REALLY's) desperate for car storage space.

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Well, it looks like there’s another player in the triple stacker game - BendPak with their PL-14000. Price is decent too (compared to other triples) and I’ve seen it anywhere from $13-15K. I was on their website getting details on the HD-9 and decided to look around a bit.

The big stumbling block for me is it’s overall height at 23’. It’s time to drop them a line and see if a short version can be specially made with the top 2 storage spots having limited clearance. The design doesn’t look like it would accommodate this easily however, but still it’s probably worth asking. Maybe they've already done it for someone.

I don't know anything about price, but I found this one kind of interesting. And it will fit your height. It allows you to put two cars high and one car under. So you would need to tear up your floor and put in a pit. If you would have to make a thicker pad, you would have to tear it up anyway.

American Custom Lifts

WhiteTrash said:

I don't know anything about price, but I found this one kind of interesting. And it will fit your height. It allows you to put two cars high and one car under. So you would need to tear up your floor and put in a pit. If you would have to make a thicker pad, you would have to tear it up anyway.

American Custom Lifts

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W-T,

If the water table is a bit high next to the lake, that pit will make a nice dunk tank when the cars need a thorough cleaning

Seriously, these lifts are pretty cool, almost James Bond-like in the way the bottom car disappears into the floor. It would really be handy for the guy (or gal) that has a basement workshop - a car elevator of sorts! Anyway, thanks for sharing. I've seen videos of the doubles in regular height garages, but didn't know they also made a triple version. They are certainly worth looking into if overall height becomes an issue. And, our place is high and dry, so I don't foresee water being an issue for a pit of some type.

If going with a triple lift, I want to have room for two medium height cars and still have enough height left over to pull a full size truck into the third spot. I really need to take some measurements on the current cars to see if staying above ground is even feasible with the Asylum's height inside. My gut says yes, but I need some numbers to back it up.

THE TEMPORARY FRONT LOFT SHELF IS BUILT…

It may seem strange that I’m installing this shelf only to rip a portion of it out later, but there is a method to my madness. Building the full loft that extends out into the front overhang is just too big a job to tackle now in the summer heat. The building will need to be opened up for a while and I’m thinking I may take a week off in late fall to knock it out in one continuous visit.

But right now, I need some framework for mounting the library ladder along the front of the building. So my plan included building some temporary framing above the rollup door drums to support the rail, and allow me to continue with finishing the interior. Here is a plan view showing the loft and how the library ladder rail will run along the front edge:



Not trusting the AutoCAD plans completely, I removed a couple of metal panels from the front of the Asylum, built some temporary hangers on the outside face, and laid some 12’ lumber in there to get an idea were the loft platform would be. I could have used correctly sized 2x6’s in place of the 2x4’s shown, but the smaller lumber was more manageable and told me what I needed to know.



It couldn’t have worked out better - the studs in the picture were sitting level without any shimming whatsoever. The actual 2x6 joists will sit on top of the door drum framework and mount directly underneath the front fascia. Of course, the loft floor joists will need to be securely tied into the rafter above, and I will have those details worked out before the loft is started. Here is the picture inside and an old shot during initial construction showing here the loft platform will rest above the doors. I still plan to stiffen up the door header a bit



Once my height was established, I proceeded to rough in the shelf. The horizontal 24’ length of 2x6 lumber forming the front of the shelf will hopefully remain there indefinitely now. Its bottom edge was adjusted to perfectly match the bottom edge of the two temporary 2x4’s. Later when the real cantilevered shelf is built, the 2x6’s will be attached to it and the temporary bracing will be removed without disturbing the library ladder rail. That’s the plan anyway.

POWER OPENERS FOR THE CLERESTORY WINDOWS…

If there is a breeze here, it generally comes from the direction of the lake. I really didn’t notice much difference when the first set of 4 windows were opened or closed, but with this second set facing the lake, it’s beneficial having them open. Even though I’ll have the library ladder to reach these windows, I envision it being a bit of a hassle to open and close them all the time, especially if there are obstacles in the way such as car lifts and the like. I’ve been thinking for awhile about rigging up some type of remote actuators and many things came to mind such as push/pull cables, automotive power window motors, garage door openers, and greenhouse window operators. But I got serious about it recently since the walls are about to be sealed up. I believe I found something that will work perfectly and not break the bank.

At a previous job, I designed factory automation equipment (think simplistic robotics) which utilized pneumatic (air) systems, so I thought this would be a perfect application for it. Unlike some of the other methods I was considering, a pneumatic system will let me dial in the force so the windows open and close without slamming. After some searching on my favorite auction website, I found a seller that had nearly everything I needed. For $250, I will have 9 rodless cylinders (1 for a spare), one regulator/gauge module, a 2 valve manifold module, and some hose delivered to my door. New, each of these cylinders sold for several hundred dollars. Of course, these are used parts so I’m hoping it’s all in usable condition. The other good thing is each component already has the quick-disconnect fittings installed so I don’t have that added expense.

Here are a few shots of the components.




I plan to mount the actuators directly to the window sill. Next I will need to make brackets that mount on the traveler block of the cylinder and reach up to the pull lip of the moving sashes. One valve will control the south bank of (4) windows while the other, the north. Simple, right? I won’t bother with the other 2 windows in the main bay since the wall is already finished and I don’t feel like tearing into it again.

It was a little risky picking the rodless style cylinders versus the traditional telescopic rod cylinders due to their internal complexity (if I need to rebuild them anyway), but I’m hoping at least 8 of the 9 can be used as is.

Here’s a crude schematic of the system showing a plan view of the main bay. I will simply drop an air line from the main compressor loop for pressure supply. I would rather have 3-way valves with dual solenoids and blocked port center position, but the price was right for the valve pack I have. I will just need to disconnect the supply line before de-energizing the solenoids, otherwise the windows will close shut as soon as the switch is released. I will probably seek out the proper valve pack eventually if it gets to be too much of a pain, but it will do for now.



With a few more assorted bits, I figure to have about $35/window invested in this venture, and that doesn’t seem too bad for a fully powered system.

shopnut said:

POWER OPENERS FOR THE CLERESTORY WINDOWS…

If there is a breeze here, it generally comes from the direction of the lake. I really didn’t notice much difference when the first set of 4 windows were opened or closed, but with this second set facing the lake, it’s beneficial having them open. .

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So does this mean if I come to visit, I gotta come by boat? LOL!!! that will be a sweet set up

Call me the Breeze said:

So does this mean if I come to visit, I gotta come by boat? LOL!!! that will be a sweet set up

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Breeze - you don't miss a thing!

Boat? No, I suggest your seaplane if coming all the way from NY. They land on the lake occasionally

MORE FRAMING FOR THE MAIN BAY LIGHTS AND CEILING…

It seems like déjà vu to me, but there’s going to be a bit of repetition here. At least it goes quick because I don’t have to stop and figure things out - I just look across the room and say “Oh yah, that’s how I did it”. So the fluorescent light framing is finished.



The next task was adding the extra ceiling purlins to support the insulation and white vinyl ceiling.



Next up is the library ladder brackets and rails. And parts are coming in for the window openers so I will be able to give that a try soon.

THE LIBRARY LADDER RAIL GOES FULL CIRCLE…

Well maybe not a full 360 degrees, but at least 270 since the office blocks the last 90. Here is the plan view again showing where I intended the rail to be.



The first thing I had to do was get the rest of the wall brackets and hangers mounted. Here’s the south wall with them all installed.



Four more 12’ sections of rail were needed to complete the loop. Two of them needed a 42” radius so it was back to the old bending stump to form them. It took me about 20 min each to get them perfect.



I had a goal to get the complete rail perimeter up by the end of this work session and I made it. Here are some final shots.



It’s unfortunate that this was just a trial fit of the rails and that it all must come down again for painting. It actually gets in the way a bit while finishing the wall so removing it while that work is being done isn’t a bad thing, however.

Next will be routing air lines, electrical, and speaker wires in the wall.

Are you gonna put wheels on the bottom of the ladder with an electric motor, so you can be at the top of the ladder, and "tool " around the whole shop without coming down? The stump looks like it worked well for you!

As cool as that sounds - it just isn't going to happen. Well, not unless you build it for me Breeze.

Actually some type of powered system could come in handy once and a while and save some trips up and down, but I'm doing this a bit differently than most library ladders. I'm using the 24' extension ladder currently on the scaffold and it will retract off the floor a couple of inches when stored or when I'm moving it around. I figured the permanantly deployed style would just require too much floor space rolling around the entire loop. And I need it to hug the wall to clear a car lift or swing to avoid other obstacles when I'm moving it.

I just bought some channel for the trolley today and plan to get it built before I take the rail down for final painting. I want to give it a try and make sure it navigates the corners okay. I'm building it extra wide with eye bolts flanking the ladder so a manual chain hoist can hang on either side. This should help with getting heavy things into the side lofts. It will also give me a light capacity hoist around the entire perimeter.

One more thing I want to do is have the ladder quickly detach from the trolley so I can use it normally outside the Asylum. We'll see how all this works out.

And yep, the old stump did good.

THE POWER WINDOW OPENER PARTS HAVE ARRIVED…

Well, some of them anyway. I’m 6 cylinders short due to a small shipping error (sent 3 instead of 3 sets of 3), but all will be fine soon. I was a bit concerned when I opened the box and only saw 3, since this auction for 3 was comparably priced with their other single qty auctions. A quick email straightened it all out. At least I had some parts to start testing the system out.

The first thing I usually do with used stuff is clean it up. After a short time, the cylinders looked like brand new. In fact, the cylinders had bonus features I wasn’t expecting like adjustable stop blocks and proximity switches. Some had extra aluminum blocks bolted the sliders. I don’t think I will need the external stops since I plan to use the full 20” stroke, but the switches could come in handy. With them, I can wire in indicator lights down by the control panel confirming when each window is completely closed. They also could be connected to the security system. The switches were removed during cleaning and do not appear in any of the pictures.



So on to a quick bench test...

Some of the plastic fittings were broken upon arrival so I only had enough to test one cylinder at a time. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the valves I bought are not perfect for this application, but they worked fine for a test. When running these cylinders back and forth, it reminded me of the sound the Enterprise doors made on the original Star Trek series. Cool! There’s no doubt now that these will be strong enough to do the job. After looking at the technical manual for them, I noticed the cylinders have internal air cushions to avoid clunking at either end of the stroke. This will prove very beneficial for opening/closing the windows without damaging them.

Here are some pictures of it set up on the bench. The air nozzle was just a quick way to supply and control the air pressure. The larger block on top of the cylinder is the slider which will actuate the window. The bolt-on block will be replaced with some type of bracket that reaches up more. One close-up shows just how small the valves are - I had to use a jeweler’s screwdriver to press the little blue override buttons. The other shows the adjustable stop/cushion which can be positioned anywhere along the length of the cylinder.




With high certainty this is all going to work, I searched a bit more and found some reasonably priced valves with the proper characteristics and bought them. With a long length of hose installed between the valve and the cylinder, I noticed a reduction in speed. Since having 4 cylinders on each circuit will slow thing down even more, I decided to increase the hose size on the long runs up to the windows and parts are also on order for that.

THE POWER WINDOW TRIAL RUN…

I took one set of parts out to the Asylum to try on an actual window (I rode the out bike as usual so I can't haul too much). The cylinder was simply sandwiched between the far window jamb and the block of wood, but would be screwed down in the final position someday. The valve is mounted on that block. I found a scrap L-bracket to mount on the traveler block and pull on the window. The moving window sash is closest to the camera. The following shows it in three different positions.




Here’s a close-up of the temporary attachment to the moving window sash. Some bolts simply extend out from the bracket and capture the pull flange on the sash. In the final version, I want to make the bracket much smaller and cushion the connection to the sash with some rubber.



So now I’m completely convinced this is going to work. The action is very smooth and I actually tend to slam it more when moving it by hand. I’m guessing each set of four windows will not open exactly at the same time due to varying sliding resistances, but it will still be pretty cool (in more ways than one!). I just need to wait for the rest of the parts to be delivered and I will build the control box at home when time permits.

As far as the Asylum is concerned, the only thing I need to do for the power windows right now is run the hoses and cables in the wall before they are sealed up. The cylinders will be mounted after the window sills/jambs are finished off and that is out in the future a bit.

So flipping epic. Nice job.

If you got power windows... now there's no need for the library ladder on that side LOL!

tig said:

So flipping epic. Nice job.

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Thanks tig. I'm in year six and it's taking about a year longer than I thought to finish it off, but at least it's turning out to my liking. I'm glad to hear a few of you approve too. To my defense, I did add a couple features along the way that weren't exactly planned, so an extra year isn't too bad.

Call me the Breeze said:

If you got power windows... now there's no need for the library ladder on that side LOL!

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Breeze,
This feature is definitely going to save me quite a few trips up and down that old extension ladder. And after all the climbing I've been doing lately to finish the upper walls and ceiling, I'm ready to just push a button and give my legs a rest.

But remember, I still will have a lot of fluorescent bulbs up there around the entire perimeter that will eventually need changing. And (I even hate to say it), the windows will need to be cleaned and the walls dusted from time to time.

Plus, that rail just wouldn't look right if it didn't go all the way around

ALL THE POWER WINDOW PARTS ARE HERE…

The remaining 6 cylinders showed up (thankfully) and the rest of the bits and pieces arrived as well. Everything looks great with the exception of one cylinder that has what I would describe a “lazy” internal cushion. Within about 1” of traveling the full stroke, it hesitates for a second and then moves the extra inch. My guess is the cushion seal is hanging up. I could probably use it as is and position it so it is on the opening side of the stroke (who cares if the window doesn’t open up all the way anyway?), but I guess that’s the beauty of having a spare. It can sit on the shelf until my curiosity gets the best of me and I tear it apart. Here is a shot of the cylinders (minus the one that is at the Asylum).



The new 3-way valves work much better with their center OFF position. They are bigger too, so they will flow air more quickly to the groups of windows. Simple SPDT momentary switches can now be used to control them. This shot shows the size difference. The solenoids appear to be the same so I have some spares if I don’t find a use for the small valve pack.



Here are a couple shots during a bench test to make sure all four would actuate with one valve. For some reason (and just a split second), it reminded me of slot cars running down a track when I activated the valve. Movement was fast, smooth, and all the sliders seemed to be jockeying for position. Synchronization was actually quite good but the various loads of the window sashes will probably change that.



I built new connection brackets from some Simpson GA2 brackets found in the lumber section at Lowes. I use them for a lot of odd jobs and they are only about a $1 each. Four new holes in each bracket was all that was needed. I found the little SS hex studs at the local surplus store which work nicely for extending to reach the window pull flange. A short length of hose slides on it to protect the window sash. I decided I didn’t need a “breakaway” feature since I figured the bracket or the stud are the weakest links in the whole system.



So now I’m all set to try a whole bank of windows (4) at the Asylum.

(Opening scene)
(Audio Track)
"Also Sprach Zarathustra"

Camera centers on man driving his jet-cycle towards the L.S.D. (Lakeside Service Dock).

(Audio track)
(Man speaks into helmet microphone - drone of jet-cycle in background) -

"HAL, open the L.S.D. door, please."

(Audio track)
('Machine' voice replies) -

HAL: "I'm sorry Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."

(Man questions the L.S.D.'s computer 'HAL') -

Dave: "What's the problem?"

HAL: "I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do."

Dave : "What are you talking about, HAL?"

HAL: "Dave, being a Human, you probably don't recall your operational procedures failure when you last departed the L.S.D.."

Dave : "H.A.L., what 'operational procedures failure'?"

HAL: "Dave, when you last departed the L.S.D., you did not cycle closed the O.V.L.C.M.s."

Dave: "HAL, what do you mean, what are the O.V.L.C.M.s?"

HAL: "Dave, the O.V.L.C.M.s are the Overhead Ventilation Linear Control Motors."

Dave: "HAL, so what?"

HAL: "Dave, in failing to cycle closed the O.V.L.C.M.'s, you allowed my L.S.D. door control circuits to be exposed to a recent C.P.O.A.F.R.R. event which damaged my L.S.D. door power circuits."

Dave: "Oh! Uh, HAL, what the heck is a C.P.O.A.F.R.R. event?"

HAL: "Dave, you ignorant Human, a C.P.O.A.F.R.R. event is a Cow ******* On A Flat Rock Rainstorm. Goodbye Dave, come back when my circuits have dried out!"

LOL! And I Thought I was the only one who used the " C.P.O.A.F.R.R." teminology for visual effects.

Omphaloskeptic said:

(Opening scene)
(Audio Track)

//snip//

HAL: "Dave, you ignorant Human, a C.P.O.A.F.R.R. event is a Cow ******* On A Flat Rock Rainstorm. Goodbye Dave, come back when my circuits have dried out!"

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Call me the Breeze said:

LOL! And I Thought I was the only one who used the " C.P.O.A.F.R.R." teminology for visual effects.

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Too funny! I think its best to avoid building ANY intelligence into the Asylum or she might seek vengence for all the 3" screws I've driven into her.

That C.P.O.A.F.R.R. is actually a perfect way to describe the rain running off the top roof splashing onto the roof below and is the exact reason why I can't just leave these windows open all the time. I'll have to remember that expression.

Luckily the main system is pneumatic and the 24V control panel is going to be remote located in a dry spot. I would hate to park the "jet-cycle" outside

You do know that there are rain sensors out in the wild to prevent an C.P.O.A.F.R.R. event

shopnut said:

I’m beginning to think this 10% ethanol fuel is damaging the rubber parts in the fuel systems of these vehicles. Or maybe it’s just old age .

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The ethanol is driving me crazy as well.

There are a few places that sell ethanol free gasoline here in Florida. I strongly recommend it for anything not re-designed after 2008.

It solves so many problems you didn't know you had.

Also, get some horse syringes. Fill 15 cc with gas, fill 5 cc with water, then shake it up really good. Set on your table and come back in a few minutes.

Then see how much water you have. The water will pull the ethanol out of the gas. So if you now have 6.5 cc of water, you have 10% ethanol. The scary part is that I have done the test and come up with close to 30% ethanol when the pumps claim its only 10%.

This test shows about 20% ethanol. I just filled it up last night for the mower.

We are being effectively screwed by the government by not allowing us to run the proper fuel.



I can guarantee that this will void your car's warranty, I am not sure about the mowers.

Good idea akpro, and rain sensors are actually commonplace (required by law in my area) on the lawn sprinkler systems.

Honestly, the thought did cross my mind, but then I pictured myself up on the ladder messing with the windows when it decided to shut automatically - ouch! Maybe one of the squirrels waiting for the perfect moment to pee on the sensor out of spite for me cutting down it's favorite hickory tree. I think these windows would make pretty good guillotines for fingers, heads, whatever.

To be truly safe with an automatic system, I would have to add some kind of obstacle detection like a garage door opener - and then the project would never get done! So it's probably best to keep the human (no matter how crazy he is ) in control for now. I have to save some upgrades for down the road, right?

Thanks for "stopping by" - keep the ideas coming!

mpire said:

The ethanol is driving me crazy as well.

There are a few places that sell ethanol free gasoline here in Florida. I strongly recommend it for anything not re-designed after 2008.

It solves so many problems you didn't know you had.

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I seem to recall a website that listed all the stations selling ethanol-free (E-free) fuel. Back then there weren't that many in FL. I'll have to search again and see if there are any convenient ones for me. Might save me a lot of trouble.

mpire said:

Also, get some horse syringes. Fill 15 cc with gas, fill 5 cc with water, then shake it up really good. Set on your table and come back in a few minutes.

//snip//

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So if E-free fuel isn't available someday, could I perform your test method on a much larger scale to make a batch of E-free fuel? For instance, pour 5 gallons and a small amount of water into a container with a petcock on the bottom, shake and let settle for a period of time, and then carefully drain the water (with absorbed alcohol) out the bottom.

I'm just crazy enough to do it if it works.

Shopnut, absolutely amazing job! I hadn't stopped by for a while as the post had been going on for so long I think I just got used to seeing it every day. Plenty of unique ideas and the quality of the work is first rate. Well done!

(I'm wondering if you and Jack O. are related)

82_454_shorty said:

Shopnut, absolutely amazing job! I hadn't stopped by for a while as the post had been going on for so long I think I just got used to seeing it every day. Plenty of unique ideas and the quality of the work is first rate. Well done!

(I'm wondering if you and Jack O. are related)

Click to expand...

82_454_shorty,

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, this thread has been going on FOREVER and it represents the saga of one man in pursuit of garage nirvana. The goal hasn't changed so neither will the thread. I will keep it going until I get it done (at least Phase 1, anyway). Hopefully the index helps out a little bit with finding things of interest.

I am starting a separate thread, however, documenting first 6 months of the build (initial construction), so be on the lookout for that if interested. It was much more fast-paced then my portion of it and I took lots of pictures.

Jack and I related? - you never know. I believe Mrs. Shopnut and he attended the same university. IIRC, he and I both grew up in the Midwest (well, I know I did, at least). So we certainly have a couple things in common, if nothing else. I'm sure I could think of worse cousins - like cousin Eddie for example.


(Actually Randy Quaid in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" is one of my favorite "cousins"!)

shopnut said:

82_454_shorty,

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, this thread has been going on FOREVER and it represents the saga of one man in pursuit of garage nirvana. The goal hasn't changed so neither will the thread. I will keep it going until I get it done (at least Phase 1, anyway). Hopefully the index helps out a little bit with finding things of interest.

I am starting a separate thread, however, documenting first 6 months of the build (initial construction), so be on the lookout for that if interested. It was much more fast-paced then my portion of it and I took lots of pictures.

Jack and I related? - you never know. I believe Mrs. Shopnut and he attended the same university. IIRC, he and I both grew up in the Midwest (well, I know I did, at least). So we certainly have a couple things in common, if nothing else. I'm sure I could think of worse cousins - like cousin Eddie for example.


(Actually Randy Quaid in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" is one of my favorite "cousins"!)

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Christmas isn't Christmas until I've watched NL's X-mas Vacation. "******* was full!"

It was one of those work sessions that had a lot of effort put in without much to show for it. So it goes for the detail work.

MAIN COMPRESSED AIR LINES…

It’s time to replace the temporary air lines and install the final ones in the ASYLUM. I’m no expert on air line systems, but I do know that it’s best to create a full loop around your shop to give each drop (tap) equal air pressure, especially if the runs are long. Without the loop, the drops closest to the regulated source will have higher pressure than those downstream due to line losses. A continuous loop offers two paths to each drop, and the combined distance of these two paths is always equal. It’s also good to have all runs sloping downhill so water cannot get trapped in a dip.

I’m using 3/4” PEX pipe wherever the lines are buried in the wall/ceiling. My drops are copper pipe for safety close to personnel, and brass Sharkbite (or Gatorbite) fitting are used for all connections. The PEX is rated for 160 psi which is a bit close to my maximum compressor output (150 psi), but I rarely have the regulated side that high.

I have a portable compressor sitting inside the shop right now, but eventually a much larger one will reside outside in a separate enclosure. My old $40 Speedaire’s tank developed a leak (darn rust!) a while back so I picked up this decent C-H unit from a coworker for $80 - seemed like too good of a deal to pass up. Luckily it just squeezed into the 5’ opening under the window. It will certainly buy me a year or two until the final compressor is installed. I’m still toying with the idea of a number of smaller tanks located around the loop for better reaction time.



Here’s an overall layout of the air line routing (in purple). The compressor is represented by the block on the left side. If you look closely, you will see where the drops will be (represented by little lines jutting out from the main loop. Five Reelcraft reels are are already installed, with one of them being located in the outside lumber loft for servicing vehicles in the driveway.



I was concentrating on the south wall of the main bay so I was only able to install a couple of sections of the 3/4” main air line loop. Note that the leg extending out from the bay window runs at an angle giving a small downhill slope to the center rafter where a drop will be. I ran out of fittings so now it’s back to the store.



ROUGH ELECTRICAL AND A BIT MORE FRAMING WORK…

The armor-clad wiring was daisy-chained between light fixture openings. I always leave a generous loop to the fixture for easy installation and servicing later on. I just realized the library ladder brackets will make a nice place to set the fixtures while I’m making the final connections.

I also installed the remainder of the framing that will support the vinyl trim for the wall covering.

A CONTROL PANEL FOR THE POWER CLERESTORY WINDOWS…

What good are power windows if you can’t control them from the ground? Here is the layout of the wall control panel. I will take a standard blank 3-gang wall plate and add holes for 16 red/green LEDs on the sides and 2 momentary SPDT rocker switches in the middle. The cylinder-mounted proximity switches will control the indicator lights and the rocker switches will control the solenoids on the air valves.



Here are some shots of the control box parts. There are green and red LEDs and holders in the plastic bags. Two momentary ON-OFF-ON SPDT switches will be used to energize the valves. Everything runs on 24V DC and the power adapter will supply it.



For sensing whether the windows are opened or closed, I’m going to use 4-wire telephone cable to hook up the proximity switches. These parts were relatively cheap and I already have the crimping tool to add the male connectors to the prox switch leads. I found some dual phone jack plates that will be donors for the individual jacks mounting inside my new box.



SMALL HOSES FOR THE POWER WINDOWS…

The small black hose in the following pictures will supply air to the window openers. Each one requires both an extend and retract line. In the close-up view, you can see the manifolds that split the 2 supply lines into 8 output lines. There will be a stereo speaker located right over the top of it for service access later on without tearing off vinyl panels. I’m planning to pressure test this system before sealing up the wall.

Shopnut, its really a pleasure to watch all the details come together; thanks for taking us along for the ride!

Not being familiar with automation controls, do the individual air motors require their own 'bleed' line/valve to prevent any accumulated moisture from gumming up the motor works?

Your control panel for the windows seems kinda puny to me for some reason. I mean, I was expecting to see an engineering space compartment worthy of '2001, A.S.O.'. You know, a panel at least big enough to support all the future control circuits for stuff like the air motor driven hoist for the storage loft, the hurricane/security door actuators, the pneumatic lift table for the 'Jet Cycle', and all the other goodies going into the Asylum.

Omphaloskeptic said:

Shopnut, its really a pleasure to watch all the details come together; thanks for taking us along for the ride!

Not being familiar with automation controls, do the individual air motors require their own 'bleed' line/valve to prevent any accumulated moisture from gumming up the motor works?

Your control panel for the windows seems kinda puny to me for some reason. I mean, I was expecting to see an engineering space compartment worthy of '2001, A.S.O.'. You know, a panel at least big enough to support all the future control circuits for stuff like the air motor driven hoist for the storage loft, the hurricane/security door actuators, the pneumatic lift table for the 'Jet Cycle', and all the other goodies going into the Asylum.

Click to expand...

Thanks for joining me on the ride. It’s really great to be getting some of these ideas out of this packed head and finally built into the Asylum. Most of them have been taking up valuable brain space for quite a few years now.

Just to explain the rodless cylinders in more detail for those not familiar with them, here are some section views. There is a piston assembly inside that gets moved back and forth by the air pressure. If pressure is seen in the left chamber, the piston will move the right. Each cylinder gets two pressure lines, one to move it left and one to move it right (“double-acting”, as it is called). This piston is attached to the external slider onto which I mounted the window connecting brackets.



There is some concern over getting water in there, but dryers on the compressed air line should minimize (or eliminate) water entry. Looking at the cylinder bodies, it appears they have some ports on the bottom with plugs inserted. Perhaps the plugs can be removed to purge any captured water if any accumulates. If I notice any water coming out of the valve exhaust ports, I may investigate further.

As for the control panel, I plan to mount the 3-gang plate temporarily onto a matching wall box located between the doors. But I don’t intend to complete this wall until the storage loft above is finished, so the box will just fasten to a stud in the wall for now. There will also be a number of light switches located there as well.

Eventually, I would like to install an aluminum door assembly between my rollup doors like the yellow ones back by the main electrical panel. I have a number of these doors in storage that will be used for various things to finish the Asylum off. A cutout would be added in the door face to mount the small window control panel, and any other controls that are needed. Opening the door would gain access to the solenoid valves and air pressure regulator for easy servicing. Here is a repeat of the back wall picture so you don’t have to hunt for it.



Yes, as you say, room should be allowed for expansion for all the new ideas you just put in my head (thanks for that!). What I initially had in mind, however, are controls for power rollup door openers (to replace the pull chains). Here are some 2” lighted switches I bought years ago for this purpose if I don’t go with a purchased jackshaft opener such as LiftMaster.



A "Happy 4th of July" goes out to all the GJ'ers out there.

STUFFING 10 POUNDS OF PARTS INTO A 5 POUND ENCLOSURE…

Well, that’s not the exact expression but I think you get the point. It got a little tight in the window opener control box, but after resorting to a layered type approach, I managed to pack it in. Here’s a shot of the control panel in progress - I still have a lot of wiring to do inside. I wasn’t real happy with the baby blue color of the rocker switches and had some toggle switches that could have been used alternatively. But the rockers had such a nice industrial action to them, I just had to give them a try. I’m sure the blue will grow on me.



The phone jacks mount on a section of aluminum channel. This in turn is suspended by the metal plate scavenged from a $.69 light switch via a short length of square plastic tubing. A tube style fuse holder holds the parts together. Like usual, I was just using anything I could find in my part bins. The phone jacks took a lot of room and it took me a while to figure out the best way to package them and still allow servicing later on. The jacks will serve as terminal blocks for the LEDs. For main 24VDC power and ground, I added the black terminal strips on top of the channel.



Here’s what it looked like all lit up with red and green lights. Of course, not all of them will be on at the same time; this was just a dry run to see if all the LEDs were okay. Seeing the red lights should be a good reminder to me that the windows are still open.



The LEDs were actually brighter than expected with a 24V supply and borderline offensive if looked at straight on (I tried taking a picture from that angle but it didn’t turn out). I plan to test if I can run the indicator light circuit at a lower voltage to dim them a bit.

This panel will mount between the two large overhead doors for a central location where I can see all eight windows. Now it’s on to the final wiring. I’m still not convinced it’s all going to fit in there, but we shall see.

TIME TO STOCK UP ON VINYL WALL MATERIAL…

I’m getting close to having the wall internals finished up and they can get their final cladding soon. I calculated 30 vinyl panels should be enough to do the remaining walls by the clerestory windows and around the new fluorescent lights in the ceiling. With only 8 panels on hand, it was off to Lowes to restock. Here’s another shot of how nicely 12ft long boards can fit in the Avalanche with the mid-gate down, while still allowing the tailgate to close.



Since I’m going to use this material in the next month or so, I figured it would be okay to just store it along the wall temporarily for easy access to the miter saw.



I bought 23 panels of solid white soffit (T4) for $14.81 each. The price went up again and it’s probably a bit dependant on recently elevated fuel costs. Looking back, I consider myself very lucky to have found that 50% off sale on the vented material that will clad the ceiling - they cost about $5/panel back then. I will be happy to gain back the storage space it has been occupying up in the lumber loft when it is finally use up, however, and I’ll need this space for lumber being purchased for the front loft.

I had a pretty good stash of trim, but bought some more to make sure I had enough for the entire job, including the ceiling. The J-channel price was $5.98 each and the F-channel rang up at $8.18 each. I actually prefer working with the J-channel, over the other trim profiles, but every now and then, you need something special.

MORE POWER WINDOW OPENER TESTING…

With parts on hand to complete one wall of windows (4X), I mounted the cylinders up by the windows to give them a try. Here are some shots before and after installing them.




The control panel was mounted (temporarily) between the front doors along with the solenoid valves and a dedicated regulator.



After boosting the pressure to about 60psi, it worked great. One window took the lead while opening, followed quickly by two more. Finally the last window slid open with a bit more force than the others, making the total opening time around 2 seconds. I could boost the pressure a bit more to speed it up, but I don’t want to risk breaking a window.

I guess I can hold the button for THAT long .

I feel your pain. Having to hold down a button for 2 seconds to open 4 windows 15 feet up is insane. My car, which is the only thing I own with power windows, takes that long but it has a one touch function that will continue opening (or closing) the window after pressing the button once.

WhiteTrash said:

I feel your pain. Having to hold down a button for 2 seconds to open 4 windows 15 feet up is insane. My car, which is the only thing I own with power windows, takes that long but it has a one touch function that will continue opening (or closing) the window after pressing the button once.

Click to expand...

LOL. Well at least there is a bright side - when I have all 8 hooked up, it will still take the same 2 seconds, assuming I multi-task

On a serious note...
What I found odd about the system is if I operated it after sitting for maybe 30 minutes, all 4 opened or closed in a synchonized motion. And I mean perfect timing. If I ran them back and forth repeatedly, it was as I described earlier, sort of a hap-hazard opening sequence. Can't figure that one out but I guess I will be the only one that cares.

THE LIBRARY LADDER TROLLEY MOVES TO PROTOTYPE STAGES…

I painted the trolley wheels a while back, but it was time to build some sort of framework for them so the ladder could mount between them. Since I’m not exactly sure how this thing will look in the end, I left the 4 foot gray channels uncut (as purchased) but may shorten them a bit later if need be. The extra trolley length does spread the load out nicely on the rail brackets, however, so there is a distinct advantage to leaving it long. Eventually, the entire frame will be painted blue.

Similarly, the 5/8" eye bolts were not trimmed down yet and 3” white AL spacer tubes take up the extra length for now. These most likely will be shortened and the tubes discarded, but there’s no rush and I will do it after all the details are worked out.



Two eyebolts flank the ladder and allow hanging of a hoist on either side. Note that the eye bolt pulls directly on the trolley wheel set, so the carriage frame mounting is not that critical. The only bad thing about this arrangement is that the hoist load transfers up to only one wheel set, so if lifting something real heavy someday, I may have to consider adding another eyebolt in the middle to distribute the load between the two wheel sets and ultimately between two different points on the rail system.



I temporarily set my 24’ extension ladder against the trolley to measure things up and try to visualize the attachment. The ladder is sitting about 6’ from the wall at the bottom for a comfortable climbing angle. Since the rail and hangers are just bolted on finger tight, the rail moved towards the windows about an inch when I climbed up. I don’t anticipant any problem when it is all tightened up and with the extra lateral bracing added at key locations. On the straight sections of rail, there is nothing to stop the trolley from swinging on the rail so that needs to be addressed. For reference, see post #324 for an early CAD layout showing the two ladder positions.



I also moved the trolley over to the rail bend section. Of course the trolley frame pulls away from the rail a considerable amount in the middle. The interesting thing, however, is that the trolley isn’t able to swing very easy in this condition. One wheel in each wheel set would have to lift off the rail to allow it to do so.



This was actually a good test and I learned several things from it. I was planning to build a hinge into the ladder attaching bracket, but that hinge must be located close to the rail/wheel interface point. The hinge point must also be aligned vertically with the rail to avoid swinging the trolley when the ladder is stored (hanging straight down from the ladder).

There’s only one location that satisfies both of these requirements - directly above the rail. Unfortunately, this makes for quite a reach up from the framework, and then reach back down to attach to the ladder rung. I guess I never expected it to be easy

Shopnut,
I just spent several hours going through the pictures (and some of the commentary) on your incredible build. Went from page one through 30, and I plan to come back daily - I'm mesmerized by it! I'm a lifelong Ford guy, but I have never had so much respect for a Chevy man! Keep up the amazing work!

He kind of got a knack of refining things don't he !..I am also always checking here on him.I not much help. But I love to read about what ever he doing