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

mike's48 · Oct 15, 2008

That blue will look good on the white siding!
Ill be hooking up my fan nextweek (fingers crossed)
and ill let you know if it works.
Mike

mike's48 · Oct 18, 2008

I went to install my fan and it comes with a twist knob for high and low speeds

I didnt know that, sorry.
The switch and plate came in a bag stapled to the inside of the fan. I guess I want have to use the thermostat now.
The name of the Co. my fan came from is Clark United.
They also have a website so maybe ther could answer your questions.
Good luck,
Mike

shopnut · Nov 10, 2008

USING THAT WASTED SPACE OVER THE STAIRS…

I managed to squeeze in a large drawing cabinet in that awkward shaped space above the stairs. I found a nice oak cabinet that will match the flooring and trim in this room, and it will be used to store decals and such. The room is not huge (9x12) so getting extra storage space without protruding out into the room is essential. I framed in two cubby holes this weekend, one for this large cabinet and one for a smaller (but deep) steel cabinet that will sit underneath it.

cyclopsblown34 · Nov 10, 2008

You haven't missed a thing and left enough room to make additions as you think of stuff. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Hardware · Nov 16, 2008

Great Build. lots of ingenuity...

shopnut · Dec 1, 2008

WHEN I’M OUT IN THE SHOP I LOSE TRACK OF TIME…

Now that's not a bad thing, but I figured a nice clock was in order. I found a cool 14" double-sided clock on Ebay and spruced it up a bit to match the décor. I added a pivoting wall mount so it could swing over to the second story window for easy time adjustments.

Link to more info on the clock --> Clicky

e-tek · Dec 1, 2008

shopnut said:
WHEN I’M OUT IN THE SHOP I LOSE TRACK OF TIME…
Now that's not a bad thing, but I figured a nice clock was in order. I found a cool 14" double-sided clock on Ebay and spruced it up a bit to match the décor. I added a pivoting wall mount so it could swing over to the second story window for easy time adjustments.

Now you're just showing off!!!! Very nice!

shopnut · Dec 2, 2008

cyclopsblown34 said:
You haven't missed a thing and left enough room to make additions as you think of stuff. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks - you never have enought room though.

Hardware said:
Great Build. lots of ingenuity...

Thanks. I hope you are enjoying following the build process.

e-tek said:
Now you're just showing off!!!! Very nice!

Showoff? Me? I wouldn't think of it!

porschedude996TT · Dec 2, 2008

Good use of space, I like the pop-out window too...

kprowler · Dec 4, 2008

I just built a 30' x 48' x 14' shop this summer. I poured the floor 2 weeks ago (6"/6 sack), and am just finishing the insulation. Being a powder coater, I have around 2 tons of powder (400 colors) and need to install a loft to store my powder; (over my powder coating bay, which is 12' x 30'). Consequently, I have been searching the web looking for loft design ideas-main concern being load capacity, as I want to make sure I build it strong enough to support the weight of the powder.

My wife actually found this forum, and I have to say, your shop is very impressive. I am stunned with your ingenuity, knack for not wasting any space, as well as your attention to detail. Something I am great with when working with metal, but tend to loose focus when working with wood.

Reading this thread has been an inspiration. Continued good luck, and please keep the updates coming. I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing your project continue to grow and develop.

Jeff

shopnut · Dec 18, 2008

I FINALLY REBUILT THAT OLD FLOOR JACK…

A little side line project here. This jack has been in the family for years and I managed to find a rebuild kit for it. It’s a ‘50s vintage Walker 4 ton and I'm sure it will outlast me. While it was ripped apart, I decided to brighten it up a bit since the original paint was a bit too boring. I like the match of this shade of blue with the yellow cabinets and I will be painting the jack stands, engine hoist, engine stands, and other misc. things the same color someday.

RbrtAWhyt · Dec 18, 2008

How do you like those stanley cabinets?

shopnut · Dec 19, 2008

RbrtAWhyt said:
How do you like those stanley cabinets?

After three years now, the Stanley cabinets are holding up well. The galvanized trim piece at the top of some of the cabinets are the only thing that is showing some corrision in this humid climate and that's more than I can say for my craftsman toolbox. The black plastic framework has not faded. They still look and work like new. The drawers could use ball bearing slides, but I didn't buy many units with drawers and that's probably a good thing. If loaded too heavily, the bottom of the cabinet (and top surface too, I suppose) will sag over time. I've learned to put the heavy stuff on the steel removable shelves, so that's no big deal. I still don't have things arranged in them the way I want but I managed to find someone selling a bunch of the extra shelves so I am stocked up and ready to go "high density" when I have some time. They were a very good choice for me considering price, longevity, size, and features. I would purchase more of them if I could find the yellow ones for a similiar price as before.

Post #37 has more detail on the cabinets in case you missed it. The pegboard holes in the doors have come in handy too. They are re-configurable inside with adjustable shelves. They have options available such as caster sets and additional shelves and matching pegboard accessories.

As soon as I get some pics, I will post them so you can see some interior views.

shopnut · Dec 19, 2008

NOW I REMEMBER WHY I HATE DRYWALL…

I have been using the white vinyl soffit material to finish off the interior of the shop area because I remember working with drywall was not my cup of tea. I just started finishing off the attic area above the second story office and I really want this area to be more like the interior of the apartment so I will have to bite the bullet and suffer through some drywall work. Well, it’s all coming back to me now – I still hate this! It’s tough work by yourself and I will have to recruit a helper when it comes time to do the main ceiling area or come up with an elaborate system to hold the large sheets up there while I position it. And this stuff is just too fragile – one bump and the edge or corner is damaged. Not to mention the dust! My hat is off to you sheet-rockers out there! I think I ran across a thread or two concerning drywall work on this site so I will have to do some reading before wasting too much time. I’m sure there are lots of little “tricks” to help speed things up. Luckily, it's a small room.

Complaints aside, it seems to be going okay. The cutouts you see in the ceiling are for recessed fluorescent fixtures (troffers) and I scored on a pallet of 42 of them for 300 bucks. They are $50/each at Lowes and Home Depot!

cyclopsblown34 · Dec 19, 2008

That is an awesome deal on the light fixtures. I just love this build.

shopnut · Jan 5, 2009

THAT CRANE MADE THIS JOB JUST A LITTLE EASIER…

After a little framing, rough electrical, and insulation work, I was ready to install some sheets of drywall on the vaulted ceiling and one of the walls. The big cutouts you see in the pictures are again for recessed fluorescent light fixtures – there will be no shortage of light in this little room! The crane got called into action to help get the 10’ sheets to the second story level. That turned out to be the easy and fun part of this job. With a little help (well, maybe a lot) from my better half, we managed to wrestle those big sheets in position on the sloped ceiling. For the small ceiling, it wasn’t worth renting a drywall jack, so I made a couple of deadman props to help hold it in position while screwing it down.

Two pictures show us hoisting up some extra 4x8 drywall sheets for the walls. One as it just lifted up off the saw horses and the other in position to be unloaded.

TIP OF THE DAY - I tried a method for cutting out the hole for the ceiling fan box that a thought I would share. On the ceiling framework, I marked my box center location and drilled the 1/4” pilot hole through until the saw teeth just contacted the 2x4 surface. I then traced around the saw cup as a guide to mount circular box. Before the drywall was hung, I cut a smaller hole (roughly 2”) in the approximate position, to allow me to find the pilot hole in the ceiling rafter. Once the drywall was perfectly positioned, I ran the pilot bit of the holesaw back into the predrilled hole as a guide and enlarged the 2” hole to the final size.

cdrewferd · Jan 6, 2009

Looks great.

porschedude996TT · Jan 6, 2009

shopnut said:
After three years now, the Stanley cabinets are holding up well. The galvanized trim piece at the top of some of the cabinets are the only thing that is showing some corrision in this humid climate and that's more than I can say for my craftsman toolbox. The black plastic framework has not faded. They still look and work like new. The drawers could use ball bearing slides, but I didn't buy many units with drawers and that's probably a good thing. If loaded too heavily, the bottom of the cabinet (and top surface too, I suppose) will sag over time. I've learned to put the heavy stuff on the steel removable shelves, so that's no big deal. I still don't have things arranged in them the way I want but I managed to find someone selling a bunch of the extra shelves so I am stocked up and ready to go "high density" when I have some time. They were a very good choice for me considering price, longevity, size, and features. I would purchase more of them if I could find the yellow ones for a similiar price as before.

Post #37 has more detail on the cabinets in case you missed it. The pegboard holes in the doors have come in handy too. They are re-configurable inside with adjustable shelves. They have options available such as caster sets and additional shelves and matching pegboard accessories.

As soon as I get some pics, I will post them so you can see some interior views.

I looked for the Stanley Factory ebay store and can't find it, do you recall the seller's name?

Thanks!

shopnut · Jan 6, 2009

porschedude996TT said:
I looked for the Stanley Factory ebay store and can't find it, do you recall the seller's name?

Thanks!

Good news and bad news (really only bad)...
I found the the exact seller name on an old ebay printout which was "Stanley Authorized Auctions". Unfortunately, they don't appear to be selling on ebay anymore.

They used to have hundreds of great deals on tools and hardware listed at any given time. Our loss!

pevrs114 · Jan 6, 2009

ShopNut,

This is my first time visiting this site, and a buddy tipped me off to your build. Very impressive.

I was thinking, as I looked at your last set of pictures, and remembered that you said you intended to wall off the stairs. I see how useful your crane is, and would hate for you to lose it's effectiveness in getting large objects into the office. It looks like there's a perfect spot for a pocket-style access door right where that drywall is being passed through the stairwell. Just an idea!

Keep it up, your shop is very impressive.

porschedude996TT · Jan 7, 2009

shopnut said:
Good news and bad news (really only bad)...
I found the the exact seller name on an old ebay printout which was "Stanley Authorized Auctions". Unfortunately, they don't appear to be selling on ebay anymore.

They used to have hundreds of great deals on tools and hardware listed at any given time. Our loss!

Thanks for the effort. I'll keep an eye on them and see if they reengage.

shopnut · Jan 7, 2009

pevrs114 said:
ShopNut,

This is my first time visiting this site, and a buddy tipped me off to your build. Very impressive.

I was thinking, as I looked at your last set of pictures, and remembered that you said you intended to wall off the stairs. I see how useful your crane is, and would hate for you to lose it's effectiveness in getting large objects into the office. It looks like there's a perfect spot for a pocket-style access door right where that drywall is being passed through the stairwell. Just an idea!

Keep it up, your shop is very impressive.

First of all, welcome to the website and thanks for your comments and feedback. You will find Garage Journal a very valuable site for working on your own shop.

I have been on the fence for a while whether or not to add an access hole in that wall by the stairway. My big concern is that the lift height of the crane and the low structural member right there in the wall will limit the height of any object that can actually pass through. Nevertheless, there may be a few times it might be used so I will probably add an access panel or pocket door as you suggest. Also, someday I may not be as fit to carry any heavier objects up the stairs. At one time, I was even thinking about another sliding window right there, but that may be apt to get broken. Keep posted to see which method I choose. I'm a few months away from finishing that wall.

Thanks again for your suggestion.

shopnut · Jan 12, 2009

THE ATTIC STORAGE AREA GETS SOME DOORS…

My choices were limited due to the sloped ceiling in the office so I decided sliding doors would work the best. I started with some 6-panel interior doors ($25/each) and cut each one to make two short 27 inch high doors. One picture shows a door right after cutting it and another with the sliding door hardware attached and being bench fitted. I used hollow-core doors for their low price. Luckily, they have internal boards at the edges right where the track rollers attach. I also bought some little strips of wood to seal off the open bottom edges of the doors.

The other two pictures show the doors installed. Eleven feet of closet door track spanned the opening allowing the doors to move to any position for easy access. I chose the raised panel type door because they will match the other door leading into the office. I will now need to take them down so I can finish the sheetrock job and also paint the doors. Cost and time of the door project - $80 and 5 hours.

shopnut · Jan 19, 2009

THE OFFICE ROUGH ELECTRICAL IS IN…

Well, most of it anyway. I still need to run the wires for the stairway 3-way light circuit. I took a lot of pictures to document where wires route, but I won’t bore everyone with all the details. I used armor-clad wire routing from the main panel to junction box up in the office. From there, Romex routes to all the individual switch and receptacle boxes since they will be buried behind the drywall. So far, I used about 150 feet of armor-clad and 250 feet of Romex. I used the blue plastic boxes and they seem to work fine. Where I needed 2 and 3-gang boxes, I opted for the heavy duty type as they feel much sturdier when hanging out from the studs.

I have a number of different circuits running to the office area including one 15A for receptacles, one 15A for lighting, and one dedicated 15A for a small window air conditioner. The attic lighting will connect to the main office lighting circuit so that they cannot be on without having the office lights on. This should keep me from leaving them on inadvertently. A special 15A circuit is included to power the timers by the main panel and it will have battery backup power so I don’t have to reset the timer clocks every time I loose power for a few minutes. From this timer circuit, I will power the blue Bowtie signs and other “night lights” around the shop. Lastly, there’s another 15A circuit routing up to the crane to power the future electric hoist. I may need to change this to 220V as most heavy duty hoists I’m seeing are at least that voltage. I also ran some speaker wires in the wall for some recessed speakers across the room – much easier to do now then later. I didn’t run cable TV or phone lines yet because I‘m leaving an access hole up into the office and can route that stuff later if I need it.

As you can see, my main panel is getting pretty full so I may need to combine a few other circuits with low loads on them. The good thing is I already have breakers for the car lift, air compressor, and welder, so I am covered for the near future, anyway.

My window order arrived this weekend so I will now be able to finish the framing in the office. These windows will replace translucent fiberglass external wall panels and give me a nice view of the lake. Then its drywall hanging time again.

R1chy · Jan 19, 2009

I like the electrical panel labels, nice touch and makes it easy/quick to ID the right circuit. But is it comforting to see on the panel door you have the normal diagram with chicken scratch like the rest of us.

Nice job and appreciate your documenting each set, helps to get ideas.

R1chy

shopnut · Jan 23, 2009

ANOTHER LITTLE SIDELINE PROJECT…

I have been looking for a reasonably priced electric hoist for a while now and I final found one local. They even threw in the trolley so I can keep my manual setup as a secondary hoist. Sometimes there are decent deals on Ebay, but shipping is usually half the cost of the hoist.

This is a 1/2 ton Dayton model that runs on 110V and it works great, including the brake and limit switches. It now needs some cosmetic work before hanging it up. Since I will be repainting it, I was thinking it would look good in blue to contrast the yellow crane.

Update (2/5/09):
I decided to just hang it up since I have other higher priority projects going on. Here it is installed. I left the other manual hoist up there as a backup. And if I ever need to lift more than 1000 lbs, I bought a chain "block" that lets me "share" the load between the two hoists and effectively lift 2000 lbs. (at half the speed). My BendPak HD-9 lift (when I buy it) will be the only thing I can think of right now that will exceed 1/2 ton. I'm sure there will be others...

shopnut · Jan 26, 2009

THE DEMOLITION HAS STARTED…

The new office windows (to face the lake) have arrived and it’s time to start the framing job. Since the height of the opening for the current translucent fiberglass panels is just 14”, I need to cut down into the finished wall a bit to make room for the taller (18”) windows. This will also help center the windows, height-wise, on the exterior wall between the roofs, plus it kept me from having to special order non-catalog windows ($$$). I plan to do this all the way around the building someday (14 windows) so watching the cost now could save me a bunch later.

I just had a little time this weekend to mess with it so I decided to rip out the existing sill plate (a 2x6) and see what was in there. One picture shows the drywall cut down a few inches, exposing the edge of the 2x6 allowing me to pry it up. The other was after removing the 2x6, with now exposed studs and insulation. Luckily, there were no surprises like wiring to deal with. My biggest challenge will be cutting off the tops of the 2x6 wall studs about 4” down without disturbing the drywall too much.

shopnut · Feb 2, 2009

DESPITE THE RAIN, THE EXTERIOR WINDOWS ARE IN…

Since the first day was wet, it didn’t lend itself to opening a hole in the exterior of the building. There are always plenty of other things to do, so I decided to hang some more drywall in the office attic. And after tripping over portable light cords one too many times, I decided to install two of the fluorescent light fixtures in their respective holes and temporarily wire them with the wall switch. Should have done that weeks ago!

After the rain passed, I moved on to the main event. The other four pictures are shots of before and after the window installation. It was a lot of work enlarging the window opening, but I couldn’t be happier with the results – the view is great, and dramatically changes the room. A small 5000BTU air conditioner will mount in the hole between the windows. Because of the late start, I wasn’t able the finish up the exterior siding. With rain in the forecast again, I had to install the fiberglass panels back on to make it watertight (which actually doesn’t look too bad). Eventually, this wall will be tan to match the rest of the exterior walls and have 5 more windows running the full length of the building.

PurdueSD · Feb 2, 2009

Thats a nice little birds nest up there!

shopnut · Feb 2, 2009

PurdueSD said:
Thats a nice little birds nest up there!

Thanks PurdueSD.

I was thinking about calling the 2nd floor office the "Crows Nest", but then I thought "Cuckoo's Nest" might be more appropriate considering the name of this shop. :willy_nil

Arcticf7ext · Feb 3, 2009

Hey Shopnut, again thanks for the updates. It's great to see the progress. How about a picture through the window from the nest. Lets see the lake view that made you decide to change the size of the window.

I remember a picture of the lake way back, but never from the office.

shopnut · Feb 3, 2009

Arcticf7ext said:
Hey Shopnut, again thanks for the updates. It's great to see the progress. How about a picture through the window from the nest. Lets see the lake view that made you decide to change the size of the window.

I remember a picture of the lake way back, but never from the office.

I will try to snap a couple of shots out (instead of at) the windows next time. With about 250' to the lake, I have a feeling the camera is mostly going to capture leaves, spanish moss, and possibly a chubby squirrel shelling a hickory nut

shopnut · Feb 4, 2009

A SAD DAY IN THE ASYLUM's HISTORY…

We had a little catastrophe (well, big SETBACK) when the barn was being built. One of our little hurricanes blew through and decided to level the building. I just happened to be there, braving the elements and checking up on things and caught this on film…

You can image my surprise when I got to say… Gotcha – I just moved a little too fast trying to get the next shot!
Sorry - I was just checking out the features of the new improved website.

Vernmotor · Feb 4, 2009

Ouch ! dang gone thats bad news !

shopnut · Feb 5, 2009

SOON IT WILL BE TIME TO REPLACE THAT OLD LAUNDRY SINK…

Since we built this place, I knew the old white plastic laundry sink’s days were numbered, but I didn’t want to replace it until the stairway was in.

I have been looking for a restaurant commercial grade stainless sink for a few months now and was having trouble finding one (within my price range) that fit my needs and size requirements. I was targeting a single compartment sink with a side drainboard because they usually are small enough to fit in my space. Then I ran across this one locally and couldn’t resist. Like most things used, it needs a little cleanup work to really make it shine. It has the faucet and drains, and that stuff can add up quick buying it separately. The levers in front open/close the drains, which is pretty handy. I think the 3-well sink will actually be more useful to me in the long run.

cyclopsblown34 · Feb 5, 2009

You seem to always manage to find cool stuff for your build. BRAVO! Every time I log on here, I look for this thread to see what cool stuff you've done.

shopnut · Feb 17, 2009

THE EXTERIOR SIDING IS FINISHED…

This weekend, I finished the exterior siding of the office and caulked it all up. With two windows and an A/C unit to trim around, it was a slow process. Looking back, I should have paid the builder to do this when the building was first constructed. It certainly looks much better now though and I hope to someday replace all those clear fiberglass panels – but not until the office is done!

Some words of wisdom for those of you with metal roofs: If it starts raining, get down from there. Just a few sprinkles made the roof so slick my feet came out from under me like I was on a sheet of ice. Luckily I only slid about 3 feet down rather than all the way down off the edge of the roof because it’s about a 13 foot drop! Needless to say, I moved to a few interior projects while the rain passed.

Installing the little A/C unit ended up taking quite a bit of time because the tight squeeze forced me to finish the interior wall surrounding it. Here’s a shot of the interior with all the drywall up on this wall. If you look closely, you can see where I changed my mind about the location of the outlet just above the A/C and moved it to the other side of the stud. In this position, the power cord for the A/C will not hang in front of the window. Luckily there was enough slack in the Romex to allow the change and a little joint compound should hide the patch nicely.

shopnut · Feb 23, 2009

GOT A LOT OF LITTLE THINGS DONE THIS WEEKEND…

But all those little things lead to big things! And hopefully in the next couple of weeks, this place will take on a dramatic new look.

Okay, on to the little things. I finally got around to roughing out the knee recess area below the bay window. I decided to use plywood as a foundation for the sheetrock. That way, the sheetrock will not have to fit perfectly, and it will withstand a “kick” from time-to-time. I plan to use laminate flooring, not only on the floor, but on the footrest of this recessed area and the workbench surfaces of the bay window and nook (where all the tools are resting in the picture).

My in-wall stereo system arrived so now I am ready to finish the framing in the nook and also install the in-wall speakers above the exterior windows. I completed the wiring for the stairway light circuit which included 3-way switches. I also insulated another wall so it is ready for more sheetrock.

shopnut · Mar 3, 2009

IF YOU HAVEN”T SEEN MY “VISION” YET, THESE PICTURE SHOULD HELP…

I spent yesterday installing the white vinyl siding on the outside front face of the office. The permanent wiring is in to illuminate the Chevy bowtie signs. I still need to trim out above and below the bay window, which I think will end up being yellow with checkered flag border, similar to the clock up there. Another swing-up checkered flag door will hide the storage cubby holes under the floor and match the large “stripe” going around the entire perimeter of the shop.

Inside the office, I hung the drywall on the bay window wall so it’s starting to take shape. Recessed area to the left of the bay window will be a model display case. I added a switched outlet inside it so I can light it later if needed. Space below the window is for my knees when I’m sitting on my stool looking out over the shop. I tested the in-wall stereo system and the speakers are now installed directly above the windows. You can barely see one of them on the very left side of the picture.

cyclopsblown34 · Mar 3, 2009

This is such a cool build. I can't say enough how much I look forward to the progress pics.

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

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