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JeremyBurke

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Dennis Cavallino said:
I also just wanna say: great job. I like GJ because of guys like you who share all those great pictures from inside and around their working space at home. Mine is a mess atm, but your thread inspires me to put away my iPad and start to clean up. Keep up the good work.

Cheers,

Dennis
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Dennis, I am very humbled by your comment. I started my thread because I was inspired by so many of the members here, like Jack Olsen, BB767, Shopnut, and Red Leader to name a few.

taumac said:
Great job on the bench. Came out great and I like the L shape design.
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Thanks taumac. The L shape was was a two fold plan to get more work space and provide separation between work space and storage for kids stuff.



kfainf said:
Once your garage is looking great! Superb job on the workbench top! Nice job getting the kids to help also.
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Kfainf, thanks so much. The boys like helping but sure have short attention spans. That will increase as they get older though.



1/2 Cup said:
Will do:thumbup:
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Awesome I can't wait to see them.



sean Buick 76 said:
I REALLY like the work bench!!!!!!
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Sean, thanks so much. I'll keep you all posted as it is slowly completed.
 
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JeremyBurke

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Here are the pictures I promised to show the softened edges of the bench and its current state.





It will probably be a little while before I can make any updates but hopefully before it cools off too much and I can't add any finish.

Cheers
 
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drivesitfar

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Jeremy: that is one of the coolest looking bench tops I've ever seen. nice work so far and i'm on board to see it shined up and used. also pretty nice you got the boys to help even if only for a couple minutes.

just curious how the wood shavings and glue worked in the cracks. are they dry and looking pretty good now? any pictures and if you want to wait until after your trip to take some i can wait.

keep up the good work and also awesome to see other members from around the world are on this thread too.
 
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JeremyBurke

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"L" Bench Putting a finish on it.

Hello all,
While I have been delinquent in posting I have been doing a lot of work in the Garage and wanted to post a few pictures of that progress.

For cost and recommendation reasons I decided to go with Varathane oil based finish.




First Coat on.


I just put the 4th coat on last night and the bench is really soaking it up. I think I will end up using nearly 2/3 of the gallon just getting the bench well coated.

This is what it looks like after 3 coats. It was too dark last night for good pictures.

 
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JeremyBurke

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Now that I have 2 great benches a good bit of the way done I have to have some great vises as well so I am also working on them.





I got a very clean Reed 204R for the Bench close to the house wall. This is what it looked like the day I got it.





I also got a great Holland 15 from a fellow Journal member. She has been patiently waiting for me to finish the bench so she could have a forever home.









The Reed was the same vise as the Craftsman 5186 I already restored but the Holland is much bigger so I had to build a new e-tank and while I was doing that I wanted to make a better anode for it. So I broke out the welder this weekend. and make this out of some scraps.











I then broke down the vises and started cooking them in the tank.



















Here they are fresh our of the tank.





and then after a light pass with a hand wire brush.

 
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taumac

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Wow, bench looks great. Nice work on new e tank. That looks better than my setup. On vises what I learned to do is right after Etank put in a sink or run hose over it and use hand wire brush. I found it gets black of better if you don't allow part to dry with black on it. Keep it wet until your finish brushing it. Nice update and work youve done. Keep it up.

5 Stitches Garage
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=211899
Florida GJ Group
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=117
 
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JeremyBurke

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Thank guys. Taumac the vises cleaned up pretty well. I'll admit they look blackened in the picture but didn't too much. As for the e-tank cage. I must admit I stole the idea from your mop bucket tank. At least I think it was yours.

Any tips on cleaning the anode side afterwards. I usually just wire wheel it with a hand held grinder. But I am very open to suggestions that are quieter and don't spread the mess around so much.
 
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drivesitfar

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Jeremy; i second Taumac's tip of putting a scrap piece of metal or another piece of rebar in the middle of the tank and putting negative lead on anodes and positive on the scrap. otherwise I've heard pressure washing and wire wheeling and that can get the stuff everywhere.

Awesome job on the bench and it sounds like that very old very dry wood you used for your bench top is really sucking up the varathane. looks terriffic so far and hopefully not so nice that you won't want to do any work on it. by the way how are the fumes from the varathane and are they getting into your house?

keep up the great work and great job on your E tank. i'm saving that picture so i can have my neighbor weld me on similar to it with some scraps i have laying around. i was going to build a U shaped one, but i think i like yours better and it's a lot lighter than the one i plan to use.
 
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JeremyBurke

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Taumac Thanks for the tip on removing rust from my anode. Unfortunately I can't do that this time since I already drained the tank but you better believe I will from now on.

Drives As for the fumes it has been no issue. I have been leaving the garage door open to vent and that seems to be working. Even in the laundry/mud room right next to the garage there are no noticeable fumes. honestly even though it is oil based I have been impressed with how low the fumes have been. Even when I am putting it on fresh.
 
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JeremyBurke

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So I have been working on the DL for a few weeks and have made some real progress. Here are a few progress pictures.



I did rough up the paint a little so hopefully it will stick well.



I then painted them up.



I had to reassemble it the next day. It took a little time put on all the handles but I like the way it's shaping up.





I still need to add some trim and lighting but it is getting very close. Oh I also need to finish up these vises and mount them. One on this bench and another on the house bench.
 
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GDPossehl

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Those cabinets and the block counter came out great! I'm thinking about doing something similar in my garage. I just need to knock out a closet wall first.
 
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rubberrodder

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Jeremy, If it weren't for the vise on top, I would have sworn that was a bar top. It looks that nice. And the repaint on the cabinettes looks killer too.
 
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JeremyBurke

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Thanks rodder. I have a few things I would have done differently (don't we all) but over all I am really happy with it. Once I get a few more little details buttoned up it will be ready for its closeup shots and posting on the big bench thread.


Here are another few shots of the vise and its cousin a Craftsman 5186 also made by Reed.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1412215422.288846.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1412215433.238956.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1412215445.026098.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1412215461.789519.jpg

Neither is set to go on the big bench, my Holland 15 is going there instead. Once it's all assembled and ready.

By the way big shout out to nine4gmc for recommending FluidFilm. I used that on the shiny parts of the craftsman over a month ago haven't touched it since and everything is still shining bright. :beer:
 
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taumac

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JeremyBurke

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Taumac that is a kind offer to save me the issue of having to buy more craftsman stuff to match it. Fortunately it is destined for my dads house so I narrowly escaped the issue.
 
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JeremyBurke

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There is another 5186 up near me with the flat nose like my reed. I could be persuaded to get it and do a swap or ship if the deal was one I couldn't refuse. :beer:
 
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JeremyBurke

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"L" Bench Vise

I got a little time this weekend to add some finishing touches to my big bench I got my Big Hollands 15 back together and mounted on the bench.

Layout
First I wanted to make sure that the the handle wouldn't interfere with the drawers or doors from the bench.



I also wanted to make sure items clamped in the jaws wouldn't interfere with the bench.



I then drilled the holes and bolted it down.:rocker:



Edit: I should have stated why I picked the location that I did.



If I put it closer to the door it would have made it harder to use the door because of how far it sticks out from the bench.

Off the end of the peninsula might have worked but I am already a long ways into the garage (into parking space for my wife and I didn't want to impinge on that anymore.
 
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JeremyBurke

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Under Bench and Floor Lighting

I also had a set of rope lights laying around that I thought might be a nice addition to make the drawers easier to see into. So I got out some cable clamps and screwed them tight under the lip of the bench.





All the drips you see are from the bench finishing not from painting the cabinets. I am a little embarrassed about it but it is a workbench after all.

By the time I had finished the upper section my oldest son had come out to help and he had a great idea for what to do with the extra tail. He suggested running them along the floor. So a little creative routing later and now items dropped on the floor will be easier to see.









Here is one final shot.


I still need better lighting on the actual work surface and to install trim along the bottom to prevent things from bouncing underneath, but it is getting very very close to compete.
 
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drivesitfar

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Jeremy: thanks for showing the ruler in the vise jaws so you don't have to guess if the static is where it needs to be when mounting it. also thanks for sharing the thinking about the handle between the doors so you don't have to move it every time you open a drawer or cabinet.

great idea for the lights and that 7 year old is got some of his Dad's design thinking already going around in his head. :bowdown:

I know you mentioned it on the vise thread, but I was thinking drilling that first hole in your AWESOME bench might have caused you some nervousness and maybe a bead or two of sweat coming down from your forehead. :D
 
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JeremyBurke

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drivesitfar said:
Jeremy: .....I know you mentioned it on the vise thread, but I was thinking drilling that first hole in your AWESOME bench might have caused you some nervousness and maybe a bead or two of sweat coming down from your forehead. :D
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Yeah Drives: I was terrified of getting wrong but it turned out well. I was nervous and apprehensive but its done now.:eyecrazy:
 
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JeremyBurke

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"L" Bench Complete

I did it, last night I put the finishing touches on the "L" Bench. Added a few more cable clamps and touched up the paint spots I had missed. So here it is my complete workbench.

It might be hard to pick out but the lights are a lot snugger to the bench top.


It is a little easier to pick out in these shot as there are fewer hot spots and places where you actually see the bulbs from the working position.







Some day I will add some trim to the bottom but for now I need to start working on improving the lighting in the garage.
 
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drivesitfar

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Jeremy: I'm betting you'll get several PM's from guys wanting you to build them this exact bench in their huge shops. be prepared to give rough estimates for the cost to build them one because yours looks like it's nicer than those $10,000 tool boxes.

cheers and good luck on the lights.
 
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JeremyBurke

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Drivesitfar, thanks for the kind words. I haven't gotten any PM's yet. I do have a standing order from my dad once he moves into his new place.
 
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JeremyBurke

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Taumac,
Never could pull the trigger it was an hour drive each way and just over my spending limit for a vise so I had to let it go to someone else.
 
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JeremyBurke

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Small project catch up

So over the time that I was working on the big main bench. I let several small project stack up and so I took a little time during a down weekend to catch up.

Several months back this great Walker Turner 1-944 drill press joined the machinery line up in the Hodgepodge Garage.



This is the Drill Press in transit to my place in the back of Drivesitfar's trailer. In this picture you can see the reliant 3/4 HP motor that it arrived at my place with.



Well this weekend I finally got around to installing the motor I had picked up to make it a little more stock.





I also cut a heavy rubber mat into 2 sections to create a grease and scratch protective pad for the new bench.





I also did a little measuring so that I can size a bronze washer to remove the backlash from my Hollands' main screw.



I think I am going to use a 0.035" thrust washer to take up the slop.


This comming weekend I need to find the gap between the main nut and the static housing and make a spacer block to tighten that up. I think that is close to 0.250".
 
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rubberrodder

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That drill press is way cool. :drool: How tall is it? For a bench topper it looks huge. My bench top drill press came from Hobo Freight.:sad: But it has done everything I wanted it to.
 
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JeremyBurke

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taumac said:
Nice DP you got there. That will be a great addition. I hope Drivesitfar brings me presents when he heads my way LOL
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Thanks Gerard, its a great DP. Drives and I exchange favors pretty often, he did drive it down but it didn't come for free. I'm not saying it wasn't a good deal, it was but not free.

rubberrodder said:
That drill press is way cool. :drool: How tall is it? For a bench topper it looks huge. My bench top drill press came from Hobo Freight.:sad: But it has done everything I wanted it to.
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Thanks Rubberrodder, it is a great DP. Its actually a floor model I would put it at roughly 6' to its tallest point maybe 5'-9" on the small side. For the life of me i can't remember if it or I is taller right now.

ALL: I just looked at the Garage Gallery front page and sometime over the weekend I got my 20,000th view. I completely can't believe that. Thanks so much for stopping by everyone. And thanks so much for helping me get this far.
 
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