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

LADDERS, PART 1...

I think I now own just about one of every ladder type made, so I thought I would say a few words about them.

This first picture shows 3 different step ladders and a telescopic type. The wooden 8’ ladder has been with me since the dawn of time. One of these days, I will probably replace it with a lighter fiberglass or aluminum version, but the height is good for many jobs around the Asylum. Shorter step ladders are very useful too. The three step unit (COSCO brand, ~$35) in the middle is super light (7 lbs) and solid as a rock with its extruded aluminum legs. It was perfect for doing all the finish work in the upstairs office. It also is the right height for reaching all the soffit cabinets around the shop where the clear tote bins reside.



I was a little skeptical when I bought the 12.5’ telescoping ladder ($120), but it has proved its worth. Sure there is some flex there, which is understandable considering all the slide joints, but this thing really performs well. The really great feature is that it collapses down to nearly nothing for hauling it in the trunk or just storing it away somewhere.



We’ve had this articulating 12’ ladder for quite some time. With its jointed design, it comes in handy for a number of odd jobs. It worked really well when I was installing eave troughs on the city house. The joints however, are susceptible to accumulation grit, which makes more difficult to use. A little oil in the right spots help.

LADDERS, PART 2...

Extension ladders are still king for reaching high spots. My 24’ unit has worked great fastened to the side of the scaffold and will soon become an integral part of the library ladder system. See Asylum Reply #720 for more info on the scaffold set up.



I saved the best for last. The 22’ Werner multi-ladder (MT-22) was my most recent purchase and I caught a $150 sale at Lowes about a year ago. I almost bought one back when the Asylum was being built, but back then, the Little Giant versions were about $400. I opted to buy the 24’ extension ladder instead, and truthfully, that was a better choice back then for the really high jobs and for attaching to the scaffold.

The drawback to this larger multi-ladder it that it really doesn’t work very well fully extended at 22’, or at least, it is rather awkward for me to handle by myself in this position. The problem is that it has to be configured to full length while lying on the ground. Then you need to try and muscle that thing up to the tree or wall you are trying to reach. It is just too long to get under the CG. It might work to “walk” it up the side of the building, but that isn’t always feasible.

But despite this drawback, in all other aspects, this ladder really shines. The joints work perfectly. The extension ladder legs slide nicely, click in positively, and are very sturdy. It works as slick as shown in the TV infomercials - very impressive. The flared legs offer a lot of stability. For medium reaches to trees, I use the ladder with one extension leg removed and it’s easy to lift the ladder into position. In other words, it tends to stand itself up straight when lifted for repositioning due to the heavy wide base section. The narrow upper end hugs the tree trunk nicely. And it collapses down pretty small for storage too.



For the typical homeowner, I could see the 17’ version working nicely too.

I have that 22' ladder and love it too

We used the Little Giants on jobsites. Really handy but I was glad I had apprentices to lug them from place to place lol.

Call me the Breeze said:

I have that 22' ladder and love it too

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tinbender 66 said:

We used the Little Giants on jobsites. Really handy but I was glad I had apprentices to lug them from place to place lol.

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It's a good ladder and I highly recommend it. I'm fresh out of apprentices though, so it gives me a workout

A FEW MORE THINGS BEFORE RIPPING A HOLE IN THE ASYLUM…

I plan to stay at the ASYLUM the entire time the building is opened up to build the front loft, and hopefully a week off from work will be enough. There were just a few more items to do before tearing a gaping hole in the front wall of the building.

The first was moving the HDTV antenna and it ended up down in front of the apartment temporarily. I honestly don’t know where I’m going to re-install this thing when I get the loft all buttoned up. I want easy access to it, but it needs to be as high as possible and I don’t want tree limbs falling on it. Maybe just outside of a clerestory window? Hopefully a solution will present itself along the way.



The new chain hoist was hung on the front trolley track and tried out. It should lift those 3/4” sheets of plywood safely and with ease.



I brought out my other tall ladder so the extension ladder can stay on the scaffold. I stocked up on food. I did a bunch of little things that I didn’t want to slow down to do during the job, like sharpened drill bits. Even more insulation was purchased, yet I likely will be making another trip before it’s all over.

Lastly, I spent a little time developing my exact plan of attack. Things on the TASK LIST are merely high level items and many of the lower level stuff were defined. Some thought was put into a temporary platform that will be built to work on the 14’ high ceiling and front façade (BTW, the scaffold will stay inside). As you can imagine, there were a few plans to help with material estimation and some sketches to figure out a few of the details in advance. The rest will be “design-on-the-fly”.



I’M READY AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CHALLENGE!

On the next trip out, there should be some major action (and fun)! I will be out of “radio contact” for quite some time, so don’t expect speedy answers to questions - sorry.

Have Fun being commited to the Asylum

I have had one of these as you call it articulating 12’ ladder for years it is steel and heavy But been a great thing to have would not give it up for nothing. I not getting the loft..will it be on the front up top ?

Call me the Breeze said:

Have Fun being commited to the Asylum

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Thanks - I'll try. Hopefully all the time in the Asylum doesn't get me an extended stay in the hospital I'm trying to keep safety a #1 priority!

Vernmotor said:

I have had one of these as you call it articulating 12’ ladder for years it is steel and heavy But been a great thing to have would not give it up for nothing. I not getting the loft..will it be on the front up top ?

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Our folding ladder is aluminum, but it is still fairly heavy. I remember there being a fiberglass version too and that one probably would be worth the extra money.

Concerning the front loft - Try to picture a flat ceiling finishing off the outside front roof overhang above the 2 large garage doors. The new loft floor and this ceiling will be one and the same. It will be accessible from inside by climbing up the library ladder. The green doors are 12' high so the loft floor will be around 15' or so, hence the chain hoist. I will not be able to stand in it since it will only be about 5' high inside at the peak.

I envision light weight things being stored up there, like seats and such during the Chevelle resto project. Really, it will be a place to hide the project clutter while parts are waiting to be restored or others that have been restored and just need to be out of harms way and protected.

I hope that helps out. With any luck, you should see it materialize in a couple weeks when I can start posting the pictures. Hopefully I won't be updating this build thread from a hospital bed

ok I think I get it ! Be careful

I WASN’T PLANNING ON AN UPDATE THIS SOON…

But I guess things don’t always go as expected. What happened below wasn’t even remotely in the plan

All the ducks were lined up in a row – raw materials on hand, week of vacation granted by employer with long Thanksgiving weekend as backup, weather looking perfect for the job, and most importantly, I was psyched for the challenge.

I hopped on the bike Friday after work with the last few supplies on board and headed to the Asylum. The ride was really nice due to the pleasant temperature and lack of traffic. I arrived and did all the normal things like unpack, turn on the water well pump and water heater, and called Mrs. Shopnut to tell her I arrived safely. She was planning a small guitar jam that evening in my absence, so I wished her a great time.

The immediate plan was to spend that evening reinforcing the headers above the roll-up doors for the extra load being placed on them. Removal of the siding above the doors was slated for the next day and would mark the point of no return. But first, I needed a bite to eat. No sense getting started on an empty stomach, right? After a few slices of pizza, I was ready to hit it hard. One more delay – a bird had found its way inside and even with all the doors open, could not manage to find its way out. The last thing I wanted was to be startled by bird in the rafters and lose my balance on the scaffold. So I finally corralled him and got him outside to safety. Poor guy was probably in there all week based on how weak he seemed.

Finally, I was ready to start! I told myself “let the games begin” and set my 8’ step ladder up next to the lumber storage loft and began selecting the 2x6’s I would need for that night’s activities. That’s when things went drastically wrong. I was standing on the 5th rung of the ladder getting lumber down. One board didn't want to slide out easily so I had to give it a harder tug. I probably overdid it, and it came flying out, throwing me off balance and causing me to fall back-first off the ladder to the concrete below. My cat-like reflexes (well, maybe not) nearly got me turned around so I was falling face first and could catch myself, but it wasn't enough. Somehow all my weight came down on my right heel. It was really kind of a freak thing because I wasn’t even high up. I do remember hitting the ground with kind of a stiff leg so I guess my foot absorbed all the impact instead of a bent knee.

I knew the instant it happened that my week-long plans were foiled. I remember shouting “NO, NO” as I laid there rubbing my foot, not because of the pain, but because of the missed opportunity of building the loft. I hadn't even cut a single board before the project was put on hold. You always hear about people seeing their whole life flash before their eyes in life threatening situations. Although this wasn’t by any means life threatening, I did picture the entire project flash before my eyes and that seemed really strange. I guess this has been on my mind for too long now.

I called Mrs. Shopnut a few minutes after it happened to put her on red alert (and mainly stop her from drinking any more beer with her guitar buddies because she was to be my personal ambulance driver). She told me to put some ice on it and call her back in 10-20 minutes while she said goodbye to her visitors. She drove out to the rescue, helped me close up the place (as I hopped around on one foot), and we were off to the hospital. So if people ask someday what I was doing at 11:11 (pm) on the 11th day of the 11th month of 2011, I can now tell them “sitting in an emergency room”. Wonderful!

In retrospect, I guess it would have been even worse timing had this happened right in the middle of the project with an exterior wall opened up and the building unsecure. At least we were able to just lock the place up and head to the ER.

Here’s a shot of the foot with the temporary cast from the ER. I will find out tomorrow with the first to visit the orthopedic doctor what the next step will be and how long progress on the Asylum will be put on hold. I’m guessing 2 months But maybe I needed a break from the Asylum through the holidays anyway (no pun intended ).

Dang gone man I was thinking last night .I hope he ok and don't fall or anything ! Bummer..well your taking it easy not whether you want to or not now !

Shopnut, so sorry to read about your accident....I hope that it is a quick "heal" for you. What a dissappointment...I am glad you were not more seriously hurt...at least you can still type. Speedy recovery friend....

Shaun

Dang shopnut, that *****. Coulda been worse I guess. Especially being there by yourself. Here's to a speedy recovery. I'll bet you can think of all sorts of wicked cool gizmos while you "heel".

tinbender I must say that was the WORST pun I've heard in a long time.

Best of luck on your speedy recovery Shopnut.

give it a day or two, you will be out their knocking wood. get well sooner...

nkachur said:

tinbender I must say that was the WORST pun I've heard in a long time..

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Yea that was Bad !!! But I did smile

Shopnut, you are one lucky guy! That fall could have been a lot worse, you could have fallen on the bike and damaged it! Seriously, you are lucky you didn't land on your head; concrete repair is expensive! OK, OK, I'll stop with the bad jokes. Just be glad Mrs. Shopnut didn't tell you to take two aspirin and call her in the morning. Hopefully, you will recover quickly and completely. It has got to be annoying spending precious vacation time being laid up. Well, if nothing else, this incident will allow you to catch up on all your GJ reading.

Dang man, that *****! I hope you recover quickly and completely!

Shopnut,
Seems these things happen when we're doing the mundane tasks, not when we're working with the chainsaw. Speedy recovery!

Shopnut

Glad to hear that it wasn't any worse. This will just give you extra time to plan every move in advance. Sit back and get ready for the holidays and give it h3ll next year.

Cheers

Don

Hey buddy,

I'm sorry to hear about the ER visit. I am glad it was only that, and not your head that hit the concrete!

Take a break - it is well deserved. We will all be here when you are ready to give it a go again, salivating of course

Please get lots of rest and feel better. If it helps, I'm not getting much work done either

Think of this as the pause that refreshes and recharges you for the next part of the plan. Glad you were not more seriously hurt you will back lending your creative talents to your amazing shop in no time.

vernmotor - Taking it easy? Not yet anyways. I've had a whirlwind tour of doctors' offices lately. I've never filled out so many medical forms in my life . But something tells me I'll be laying around in the near future more than I have in my entire life! My mom already warned me about laying off of the beer while I’m laid up – unless I want a nice big pot belly . It’s probably great advice since I won’t be burning the calories I normally do for a while.

flybefree - Thanks FBF. I fear the recovery is going to take longer than expected, though. I kinda wish this all would have happened on the tail end of the project when I probably would have needed a long break. Too bad you don’t get to choose.

tinbender66 - Yes, it could have been a lot worse and I’m just thankful it wasn’t a drop from 15’ or so. At least I was able to make it to the phone. I caught heck for it, but I hopped around on one foot for about an hour or so before Mrs. S showed up, trying to prep the place for departure. She didn't think that was very smart.

Cool gizmos? – building stuff always seemed to take any from the available “design’’ time. Now, that’s all I will be able to do – and I can still point, click, and buy those parts for the next gizmo. Mrs. Shopnut better close my fee-bay account if she knows what good for us!

nkachur - Thanks nkachur. Keep at it hard on your place – I’ll be watching. But be safe – things slow way down with broken bones!

I void warranties - Hopefully it will just seem like a day or two. In real life, however, I fear it will be much longer. Thanks for the kind wishes.

Ompha - HaHaHa. You know, there has been many times when I looked straight down at my Tiger from the scaffold thinking it would really **** falling on it - maybe even worse than the floor. I even took a picture a while back but can’t seem to find it now – it was a pretty cool perspective.

I immediately thought the same thing about the wasted vacation, but my boss is being cool about it and letting me carry-over this year’s vacation into next year. The time I’m off now for this injury will be counted as sick days .

The other good thing is that I’m being temporarily located in a first floor office close to the exit which actually is nicer than my second floor office. My boss told me to not get too used to it though.

wolflrv - Thanks wolflrv. It does bite, but luckily I have some nice folks taking care of me. Now I just need to do what they tell me to do!

Bob Heine - Yeah, I think I was so concerned about the all the other work at 15’ high that I didn’t even think twice about the simple little task of getting lumber down from the loft as something that could harm me – boy was I wrong. Never let your guard down guys - things can (and will) happen in a split second!

dsquire - Thanks Don. I guess I should be glad for all that WAS accomplished this year. I probably need a good break. And planning is half the fun anyway.

Seeing your low post count and relatively recent join date, allow me to personally welcome you to Garage Journal. I’m sure you will enjoy it here. Most of us don’t go around hurting ourselves.

Red Leader - Thank R-L. I was starting to feel bad about getting too far out ahead with the garage progress, so I decided to give you all a chance to catch up Just kidding of course, but I did feel I was on a roll this past year and finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's too bad that light turned out to be a freight train headed in the opposite direction

What the heck, I didn’t want to finish this place in 2011 anyway.

gbcamp72 - Welcome to the Asylum, gbcamp72. I’m hoping something good comes from all this - maybe a newfound fear of heights???

I’m already planning my next steps, once back up on my feet. Undoubtedly, they will be minor tasks to start out with, but anything will be considered progress.

Thanks for stopping by.

Good to hear from you..was starting to worry it might be worst than thought at first..sounds like it is all under control anyhow... maybe we should send you stuff to make our fuse box stickers..don't want you to be sitting around with nothing to do LOL

I DON’T LIKE DOING THINGS HALFWAY…

So why should breaking my foot be any different? I really did a number on my heel. The first orthopedic doctor said (and I quote) “If you were a horse, we would have to shoot you”. Funny doctor, eh? He sent me to get CT scans of my right foot and referred me to a specialist. Surgery to repair the heel bone (calcaneus) was recommended, so that is tentatively set to be performed in a couple of days. He said regardless of surgery or not, recovery time will be a minimum of 12 weeks keeping weight off of it. So I guess my break from the Asylum will be even longer than expected .

Here are a couple of shots with the ER cast removed. Swelling has subsided quite a bit, but the doctor wants it reduced more before surgery so I’m on a strict ice-down schedule.



I found these CT scans really interesting. Yes, this is my foot and not some ancient skeleton dug up recently I’m guessing these images can really help the doctor “see” inside there and figure out their plan of attack.



These are zoomed in a bit and I’ve added some labels. I’m no doctor and just guessing at the things that looked abnormal.



And here is my good buddy Pekoe (a Chow/Lab mix) spending some quality time with me. He’s still trying to figure all this out, especially the crutch thing. He quickly pulls his tail in when he’s lying on the floor and sees me wobbling towards him.

Dang! That looks nasty and painful! It looks like it could use some Evaporust
too.

Your pal looks like he's doing a good job. Dogs have special healing powers.

Take care and you'll be back at it in no time. Maybe you could design my electro/mechanical/pneumatic storage elevator access thingy. J/K.

Seeing your low post count and relatively recent join date, allow me to personally welcome you to Garage Journal. I’m sure you will enjoy it here. Most of us don’t go around hurting ourselves.

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Shopnut

Thanks for the welcome. I may be new but I have lurked for quite a while and read a lot of the different threads. There is a lot of good information out there if we take the time to look for it. I hope your operation and the healing process goes well. Don't rush the healing process. A few weeks now might seem like a lot but it is better than years of pain later in life because you didn't let it heal properly. All the best.

Cheers

Don

Sorry to hear about the injury. Hope all goes well.

OK Shopnut, just in case you're bored by now, may I suggest your convalescence period is an excellent opportunity to take up the guitar. You have a plethora of instruments to choose from; that is, if Mrs. Shopnut allows you to touch her toys. lol I think she might even be willing to give you a lesson or two on the basics if you ask her real nice! Who knows, by the time you are fully healed and ready for a bike trip in the spring, you both may be buying custom Martins when you visit the factory in Nazareth, Pa..

Now, about the Asylum, we here at GJ don't want to see you anywhere near a ladder shocking for many months even though we love seeing your well-documented results. HOWEVER, we would certainly welcome the chance to view all of your project ideas as your fertile mind churns them out on graph paper (old school!) and any CAD output you come up with. Consider this time of healing as a chance to do some 'hanger flying' with your buds at GJ!

P.S. - Listen to your mother about the beer drinking, just remember, she didn't mention wine or hard liquor!

Get well soon, Shopnut. This is my first post on GJ, but I feel like I almost know ya after reading through this great thread of yours. Great design and execution all the way around, including the shop itself, thread, index, etc., etc.

Are you still considering what to use as covering over the trusses? Seems they would look so much better with some contrast against the white vinyl ceiling. They are too nice a detail to try to "hide" with white vinyl siding. Then they'd just nearly disappear, except the "bump-outs" would stick out like a cast on a broken heel. (Sorry, couldn't resist a stab at humor)

I believe one of your "theme" colors is called for to tie in "the look". Come to think of it, solid smooth yellow slabs of veneer would give the trusses a very dramatic, industrial flourish and break up the huge expanse of plain white on the rest of the ceiling, w/o clashing with the modern, clean, finished look in the rest of the shop.

Just my thought. Worth what ya paid for it.

Great first post Mell.. welcome to GJ

Heal that heel, Shopnut. Sorry to hear about the fall. Hope it's back to 100% soon.

Dang shopnut I dont know how I missed this . Sorry to hear about the foot hope it heals up quick . I tell my kids all the time no diving while out in the shop I guess I need to extend that to you now as well .


Rick

rickairmedic said:

I tell my kids all the time no diving while out in the shop I guess I need to extend that to you now as well .

Rick

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Rick,
Not sure if my son is unique but any warning I gave him resulted in a test. "Don't put those up your nose" meant forceps and a lot of snot were in my future.

Good luck with the recovery !! I recently had a minor foot injury - from falling off a dirtbike - and it was about three weeks of no weight bearing, not your 12 weeks of recovery. This period of not walking except with a walker was really miserable.

Hope that you do not get too stir-crazy !

Dave

Aw man that *****!!
To bad you can't weld that up.........
Time to sort out those nuts n bolts and all those other sit down jobs you never get a chance to get too.
Get well soon.

okay let the scooter wars begin. GJ scooter wars the best rig for shopnut to blast around the ASYLUM as his heel heals.

Surgery went well and the doctor is expecting a full recovery on the heel bone. Good news for sure. More to come on that subject in a bit.

vernmotor – I guess everything is more or less under control at this point and it’s time to begin the healing process.

tinbender66 - The Boeshield T-9 spray I was planning to buy to prevent rust on the hoist chain also comes with a bottle of rust remover – perfect to use on that rusty old foot, eh?

I’m ready to design that elevator anytime. I just need specs like maximum expected load, lift height, budget, list of parts you may have on hand, etc. I know you were just kidding, but I think it would be kind of fun. So if you want some ideas, just let us know.

BTW – I like the new avatar.

dsquire – yeah, definitely not going to rush anything. That heel plays such an important part in the way we walk. The doctor said I still could have some minor pain walking on a side slope even after it’s all healed up – so maybe no more roofing work for me (That wouldn't bother me one bit!)

Tripp P. Thanks - I’ll get through it. Did you name that nice garage yet?

Ompha - You may have started something here – I’ll come back to you later.

mellamoesrico – Yes, as vernmotor said – great first post. GJ has a way of bringing us crazy fools together, doesn’t it? Thanks for all the kind words about the place – it has certainly been a labor of love for me. I was really hoping to get through it without the Asylum biting me, though. Well, I ALMOST made it to the finish line unscathed. I’m actually surprised it didn’t happen sooner.

Yes, the beams are still uncovered, so I guess I have plenty of time to think about them in the near future I believe yellow with some black highlights could work really nicely up on those exposed rafters. It certainly is in the running. Thanks for your input – and I always like free advice!

Jack Olsen - The doctor thinks 100% is achievable, so that is great news to me. It may be a while before I’m there, however, and right now I would settle for 70 or 80%.

rickairmedic - I’m sure I will be hearing it from Mrs. Shopnut every so often too (like EVERY conversation!).

Bob Heine – too funny! Sometimes it’s taken more like a challenge than a warning.

motodavid2000 – Yeah, it has really slowed me down on the normal things I do. But with all the doctor’s visits, surgery, and all the misc other junk, it has been anything but boring. Now, however, is when that long 3 months of recovery time begins so we’ll see just how stir-crazy I get waiting for this thing to heal.

NASTYZEN - Thanks. I wish there was some type of quick repair they could do. A little prep work around the cracked area, a quick zap with some bone filler material, and a fresh coat of paint. Back in business! Well, maybe someday.

The “sit-down” job list is getting quite long already and I fear 3 months may not be enough time

gbcamp72 - This walker is getting to be a pain, and a powered scooter would be just the ticket. Maybe I will scavenge parts from my gas powered drill and put that Ryobi engine on a scooter. I can see it now --> Honey, want to race to work? Me on the sidewalk and her stuck in traffic on the street, hehehe (we work at the same place, BTW)

I mentioned previously that I loved your place.
Just wanted to also mention I love the way you manage this thread..... neatly.