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

Foxxtrot · Mar 31, 2013

Checking in again after a couple of months, or whatever it has been. As usual, amazed at what you accomplish and how you always manage to find some type of material to do the job, even when you don't specifically plan for it! :thumbup:

As far as the Avalanche goes, 50k miles???!!! I wouldn't get rid of that thing for 30 more years if I drove as few miles as that! Around here, if it's not over 100k, it's not a valid choice of transportation! '99 Mountainer - 203k, '00 Volvo S80 - 171k, '07 Sierra - 198k, '97 Blazer - 145k, and (recent acquisition) '94 MX3 - 120k. I have a friend that got rid of his Avalanche and has been kicking himself ever since. He buys used, and said that the Avalanche and the Wrangler hold their value better than any other vehicle he has owned. He is currently shopping for a decent low mileage example in the '07-'10 range and it is not going well. I recommend keeping it! :beer:

Lastly, while I miss the weather in the winter, I did not care for the summers, so I while I am slightly jealous of what you have been able to get done over the winter, I will be smiling in the summer months! :evil:

Oh yeah, and one more thing......99 PAGES!!!!!!

shopnut · Apr 1, 2013

akdiesel - I had to research that Insteon system. Looks pretty cool, and Smartphone control - very cool. Some of the components remind me of the X-10 stuff I was planning to use for light control. Have you found that it works well with fluorescent lights? If so, do you know if they have magnetic or electronic ballasts?

A broken thumb? Dang, that will slow anyone down a bunch. At least fingers heal fairly fast. Visiting Mickey in May - shouldn’t be too hot yet for an Alaskan family trip, but don’t forget the sunscreen! I bet the kids already have every minute of your trip booked up. Hooking up at the Monster Garage bash would have been great, but maybe next time. Or maybe we should all head to Alaska this summer! One of these years I will make it up there.

tinbender_66 - OH NO - people are expecting certain things out of me now. The pressure is on! :eyecrazy:

(No worries, no one drives me harder than myself.) Thanks man.

Foxxtrot - Hey, it’s the quarterly check-in! Thanks for the kind words. I’m leaning towards keeping the Avy. If they’re as sought after as you mention, it definitely would pay to sell it on my own when the time finally comes rather than trading it in.

I’m not looking forward to the heat of the summer here, but hopefully this year, all the work up high will be finished and I can stay down on the ground where it is a few degrees cooler (and less distance to fall after passing out from heat exhaustion

)

And thanks for giving me a 99th page - It’s kind of funny to think a garage could be discussed that much. I guess I better update that index soon.

shopnut · Apr 1, 2013

A LITTLE THOUGHT ON THE FRONT CONTROL PANEL…

With 4 more temporary cords hanging down between the doors, this rat’s nest of wiring got even messier. Soon it will be time to put on my electricians hat and clean it all up.

This one kind of reminds me of looking up a mine shaft.

I decided it was the right time to list out all the switches/controls and electrical connections being made in this area. For some history of this subject, jump back in time to this post to see the lighting plan (although some additions were made): Reply #724 - Electrical Schematic - Lighting Plan

Light Switches
- Main Bay fixtures (right zone 4X)
- Main Bay fixtures (center zone 4X)
- Main Bay fixtures (left zone 4X)
- Main Bay fixtures (under-door 4X)
- Porch lights (future, spare 1)
- Porch lights (future, spare 2)
- Front Loft fixtures
- Side Loft fixtures

Other Controls
- Door OPEN/CLOSE switch (left)
- Door OPEN/CLOSE switch (right)
- Power clerestory window OPEN/CLOSE switch and indicators (left bank)
- Power clerestory window OPEN/CLOSE switch and indicators (right bank)
- Cutoff switch for door fans (might be 12-hour timer)
- Bug screen OPEN/CLOSE switch (left, future)
- Bug screen OPEN/CLOSE switch (right, future)
- Center rafter fan/light switch (future)
- Center rafter misc (future)

Misc
- Air supply regulator and solenoid valves for power windows
- Quad outlet for under-door lights (in door drum cover)
- Night Light circuit (for lighted signs)
- Quad outlet at 42”
- Power to duplex outlet in front loft
- Spare circuit to front loft (future)

I knew there was a lot of wires and other stuff back there, but it’s good to see them all listed out to get an actual number to plan for. It will also help when heading to the store to pick up electrical parts.

I’m likely going to divert from the normal household light switches and go with something a bit more compact and nicer looking. Something like a plan view with integrated switches would really be cool and might be a bit easier to use. Here are some examples of what I have in mind.

I will scavenge the lights and circuitry from the original window control panel to build this new panel.

Green:

Red:

There will be a plan view of the shop with switches in appropriate locations to turn on lights and open windows/doors. I might even use lighted switches. Here is a general idea of what it could look like (with some stuff still missing). The red/green circles are the LED lights I already have for the windows. The blue and orange circles would be switches of some sort. The orange would have to be momentary SPDT type because of the OPEN/OFF/CLOSE positions. The blue are just simple SPST switches for the ON/OFF control of the lights and fans.

My initial thought is this will all get mounted on a hinged door for easy service. The panel might have a black background (I have some black plastic sheet) with silver lettering and blocks for the lights and other stuff made with pin-striping tape.

I guess it's time to check out what Radio Shack and the local surplus store have to offer for components. Cost of components will sway the design somewhat.

Vernmotor · Apr 1, 2013

Well now that all looks trick !

Omphaloskeptic · Apr 2, 2013

Shopnut, I know diddly squat about Home Automation Systems, but have you considered that it might be cheaper (and more versatile) by going with a touch panel configurable interface? I did some surfing and there seems to be plenty of retail options and free (linux) based DIY H.A.S. available out there in the web-world. For example, I found this site -

http://store.homeseer.com/store/HomeSeer-Application-Guide-W29C242.aspx

It'll be interesting to see what kind of prices you can get on those enclosures you posted pics of and the cost to stuff them with the necessary hardware.

Wouldn't it be cool to control all the electronics/lighting/fans/motors/etc. from one touchscreen, or even your smart phone via an app. ?

akdiesel · Apr 2, 2013

shopnut
The lighting controller will add a perfect relay for you to know what position your equipment is in. I am also looking at getting some sort of remote indicator to alert me when my overhead doors are closed. I am the worst at forgetting to remember if I closed the door before I leave.
The overhead door shaft for the cables and the chains reminds me of a Hose Tower for the fire team but in smaller scale.
I know the Insteon controlers work with LED or Incandescent bulbs, but I have not used any fluorescent bulbs. I had some old X-10 products. They worked fairly well but not all the time due to obstructions.

My damn thumb is making typing difficult. I just may use this excuse for a while since my spelling is not the best anyways.

shopnut · Apr 2, 2013

Vernmotor - The real “trick” will be making it all work

Omphaloskeptic - Cool website; are you trying to get me into trouble again? There are a lot of really cool things I could do (and kind of want to do), but I don’t want to get carried away. I probably know just a bit less than “diddly squat” on the latest H.A. systems so it might be best to apply the KISS principle (the shopnut version) in this case. I’m seeking switches that are capable of handling the light/fan amperage directly (without use of relays) to keep those circuits simple. I do know that I don't want to wait for a system (HAL?

) to boot up or come online just to turn a light on in the shop.

I'll post up some prices when I get this thing all figured out and parts purchased. I don't suspect I will be sticking more than $100 total into it. (Of course, that probably means it will run me about $250 :sad:

)

akdiesel - I really like having the red/green lights as feedback on the window position and that was well worth the time I spent rigging it all up.

I seem to recall the X-10 system didn’t work well with fluorescent ballasts (magnetic ones I think) and some type of bleed down light (like an incandescent night light) was used by some folks to dissipate the residual current. I also remember there being an issue with which of the two 120V lines the individual circuits were on in the breaker box. They sold “crossover modules” that allowed the low level voltage signals to jump between Line 1 and 2.

At the city house, I was constantly peeking out the man door into the garage to check if the overhead door was closed until I rigged up a convex mirror mounted to my roof gutter that let me check it from the dining room window. The best solution for me might be to buy one of those “garage door monitors” and place the receiver right on the nightstand next to the bed.

I wish there was some excuse for my slow typing, but I just don’t have one :sad:

.

Omphaloskeptic · Apr 3, 2013

"I’m seeking switches that are capable of handling the light/fan amperage directly (without use of relays) to keep those circuits simple."

I can understand wanting to use the KISS method of engineering; especially when trying to keep costs under control! I'm now wondering if you might luck out by searching 'Industrial Surplus' sources for something hefty enough to handle the current loads and have that cool 'Steam Punk' look at the same time.

shopnut · Apr 3, 2013

Well Ompha, I was going to open my discussion about the switches I'm considering with this fine example as a joke:

But my grade school science project switch pales into comparison to Igor about to give Frankenstein "The Works". Well done! :thumbup:

I combed my fine industrial surplus store in search of switch nirvana, and almost came up short. Just as I was about to leave, I stumbled on these little gems.

They will control the large roll up doors. The black buttons are momentary switches and the red and green are indicator lights. They are fully configurable and additional contact modules can be stacked on the back, but they are already perfectly set up for what I plan to do.

The best thing is that the color scheme matches the indicator lights for the windows - red for open and green for closed. A quick glance over to the panel spying a hint of red means something is open that must be closed before I can leave. It works just like the logic on our security system. And I plan to use that same logic on the light switches - red for on.

The lamps in there are 24VDC versions and that is alright because the power window solenoid valve also require that voltage and a source is already installed.

Spec'ing out similar ones on designs years ago, I knew these things weren't cheap. I was fortunate to pick them up for $10 each, while a slightly less feature-packed one is currently available from McMaster Carr for $200.

The icing on the cake is that it appears they were never used. If they would have had more, I would have snapped them up for future projects.

The switch search continues, but this will be the cornerstone of panel and the rest will probably cheap versions controlling all the other stuff.

Omphaloskeptic · Apr 3, 2013

***

score!

***

shopnut · Apr 4, 2013

Omphaloskeptic said:
*** score! ***

Here's the latest panel design with those new "scores" shown near the top. It's still evolving as I buy new switches to try. I found some decent rocker switches with red LEDs for the lights and fans. I have a whole container full of cool momentary toggle switches that could be used to open/close the windows and screens (represented by the simple gray circles), but they look a little out of place with the rest.

(Subject to change)

shopnut · Apr 4, 2013

BUMPERS FOR THE FRONT HOIST TRACK …

I’m getting ready to cover up the rafters soon so I wanted to add a bumper at each end of the front hoist track to keep it from slamming.

I had a left over strip of truck bed mat that worked nicely for the job. A small piece of that, lag screws, and fender washers were all that was needed.

Here is one end mounted. The blue trolley contacts the rubber pad.

Here is a close-up.

THE FRONT LOFT FLOOR GETS PAINTED WHITE…

I had two cans of primer left over from another job years ago and thought I would put them to good use before they dried up.

Just before the job started.

And after it was finished. I almost hate to cover it up with stuff now.

gordyy · Apr 4, 2013

Looking awesome great job

akdiesel · Apr 5, 2013

shopnut

Very high tech for the control panel.
Now the trick to keep the mezzanine floor surgery room clean. That is bright up there.

shopnut · Apr 5, 2013

gordyy - Thanks buddy. I’m getting closer anyway. Looks like you recently joined the forum - welcome aboard!

akdiesel - I need to finish off that rafter and post right there and I know that white will look filthy after it. Hopefully it wipes off okay.

Here is the latest update for the panel. It's closer to what it will look like in real life. I will use stainless steel or aluminum (preferable SS) for the base plate. Black decal material will be used to group the items. Silver tape from my Brother label maker will represent the light fixtures and test labels.

(Still subject to change!

)
.
.

82_454_shorty · Apr 5, 2013

Shopnut, you should be sending your stuff to the patent office

Omphaloskeptic · Apr 6, 2013

Shopnut, you know you must move the switches into a tighter configuration; we all KNOW you will want to add 'other' circuits to the A.F.C.P.! LOL

gordyy · Apr 6, 2013

Yes I just recently joined while researching getting a lift for my humble little backyard shack. I must have read 500 pages of opinions on which hoist is best, researched pricing and quotes from at least 10 vendors, then after securing financing being ready to sign the documents had a lead on one in my backyard fall in my lap. It was too big for my space but by listing it on the deals page someone even closer to me saw it, bought it, and called me to give me a thanks on the find. Then sold me a used Rotary 2 post they had bought for their shop for what I think is a very good deal. Just started the instalation process yesterday, have been taking pictures and will post some and start a thread when I can.
Mostly all thanks to the insperational work some of you guys do in building yours!!

JCQuick · Apr 6, 2013

shopnut said:
The icing on the cake is that it appears they were never used. If they would have had more, I would have snapped them up for future projects.

The switch search continues, but this will be the cornerstone of panel and the rest will probably cheap versions controlling all the other stuff.

Were you at Sky Craft? :dunno:

shopnut · Apr 8, 2013

82_454_shorty - And if I did, I'd get the standard response that is received 9 times out of ten - "not unique enough". It's tough to please those folks (not to mention costly), you know?

Thanks for your comment though. It's fun dreaming up this stuff for my own personal space, and I really enjoy it.

Omphaloskeptic - I read you loud and clear and thanks for keeping me focused on planning for the future. I found a plate in my inventory that has dimensions of 9.5 x 15.5" as opposed to the 8.5 x 11.0 palette I was working on. So that should give me a bit of room to spread things out and allow room for expansion. There will most definitely be more to add as this place evolves over the upcoming years.

gordyy - Glad to hear the whole lift thing is working out for you. Please let us know how the whole installation is going. I will soon be venturing down that path with any luck (and progress on the remaining things up high that are blocked by lift down low).

JCQuick - My favorite store in the whole wide world!

It's the only place I can shop where 10 new projects are created by just stepping in the door

. It's always worth the trip.

shopnut · Apr 8, 2013

FINISHING UP THE LOFT RAILINGS (Part 1 of 3)…

Before I painted the front loft floor, I removed the overhead grab rail to give it its final coat of paint too.

It looks a little bare up there with nothing but bolt holes remaining on the ceiling.

I didn’t want to paint the I.D. of the mount brackets and discovered an easy way to “mask” them off - foam pipe insulation! Cheap and reusable!

Here are the grab rail pipes (actually upper rails for a chain link fence) ready for a coat of paint. The weather was perfect for spray painting - about 75F and little to no wind.

Before I took the rails down, I marked where brackets would be covering sections up. It was there that I attached some wire so I could roll the pipes for full coverage and also eventually use the rings to pick them up to move them inside for final drying.

All the mount brackets were painted black to match the look of the telescopic loft railing. Here they are prepped and ready to go.

For good coverage I picked them up one by one and sprayed them.

It has a really clean look up there with the railings retracted to the sides and the grab rails gone, but it wouldn’t be very safe, now would it?

They will go back up on the next trip out.

akdiesel · Apr 9, 2013

shopnut

Lots of light up there. still fascinated with how well the retractable guard rail came out.

Wingnut65 · Apr 9, 2013

shopnut said:
And after it was finished. I almost hate to cover it up with stuff now.

Space Creates Vacuum... I don't know how you've kept the loft empty this long? When I built my cabinets, as soon as I installed a shelf, stuff appeared. Wow, this looks great!

shopnut said:

Looks like the start of a panel from an intergalactic cruiser! You've added new ideas to a home automation panel. But can you control it from your phone? And, what if you left the bathroom light on?

Never mind, don't go down that path... Keep focused!

JCQuick · Apr 9, 2013

shopnut said:
JCQuick - My favorite store in the whole wide world! It's the only place I can shop where 10 new projects are created by just stepping in the door . It's always worth the trip.

mine too love that place :beer:

I work just down the street from it. But have been going there since it's inception A must for wiring race car's :evil:

shopnut · Apr 9, 2013

akdiesel - Thanks. Sometimes you just get lucky, I guess. My next report will sum everything up on the railings.

Wingnut65 - I’m actually quite proud of my self-discipline in keeping that area clear until it is finished. Didn’t know I had it in me

. The filling of the loft is way overdue, however, since I have bruises on my shins and knees from banging on all the stuff down on the ground - stuff that belongs in the loft!

Yeah, don’t get me started with what could be done with that home automation. I think that will have to wait for Phase 2 (or 3) of this build. That’s assuming, of course, Phase 1 doesn’t kill me first

JCQuick - Right down the street? You lucky dog. I would be stopping in on the way home every night just to see what new surplus they just brought in. I suppose there could be such a thing as "too much of a good thing" though. I would probably have to build another storage shed or something. Right now, it's just far enough away to make me really look forward to the visit.

shopnut · Apr 9, 2013

FINISHING UP THE LOFT RAILINGS (Part 2 of 3)…

So here’s where those parts hung to dry for a week. I just stuck a bunch of 6” screws in the leg of my scaffold and there was no worry of them sliding off as I moved it around.

With the foam pipe insulation removed.

Here are the parts up in the loft ready to be installed.

One side up. I feel safer already

The vertical support stanchion was installed next and the installation was complete.

THE THREE MAIN POSITIONS…

Although the railing can retract to any position, rung by rung, here are three that will be used the most.

Fully closed:

Partially Open (for climbing through on manlift):

Fully Open (for moving larger items in and out of loft):

Note that the stanchion is folded up and stored near the grab rail and I will explain that next.

shopnut · Apr 9, 2013

FINISHING UP THE LOFT RAILINGS (Part 3 of 3)…

Here are some details on the stanchions. This picture shows them all assembled and waiting to be installed.

Here’s an overall shot with it stored in the up position.

A close-up of the hinge.

A close-up of the home-made spring plunger engaged in the holder. The holder is just a chain link fence hinge bracket.

Here’s a shot with me retracting the pin to disengage.

Here’s the matching hole bored in the floor for the pin to engage in.

I’ll wrap up this project with one last overall shot with both sides of the railing completely finished.

CHECK ANOTHER ONE OFF THE LIST!

Omphaloskeptic · Apr 9, 2013

Sky Craft? Okay guys, those of you lucky enough to shop at this 'garage guy goodie' store have a duty to give us a peek. Next time you find yourselves trolling the aisles for things you didn't realize you needed, take a few (hundred) pics to show us what we're missing. MANY years ago when Boeing ran its own Surplus Store near Kent, Wa., it was like 'Nerd Nirvana' to wander the aisles; long-gone now, sigh. So, take pity on those of us not living anywhere near a place like Sky Craft and let us vicariously 'window shop' with y'all!

Oh, by the way Shopnut, that's a good tip on using pipe foam for cheap and easy masking. :thumbup:

Also, you really should keep the smaller plate handy - you know, for the A.A.F.C.P. (Asylum Auxiliary Front Control Panel)! :evil:

akdiesel · Apr 10, 2013

I agree with O (sorry the name is just too long to type out) about more details of this store.

JCQuick · Apr 10, 2013

Omphaloskeptic said:
Sky Craft? Okay guys, those of you lucky enough to shop at this 'garage guy goodie' store have a duty to give us a peek. Next time you find yourselves trolling the aisles for things you didn't realize you needed, take a few (hundred) pics to show us what we're missing. MANY years ago when Boeing ran its own Surplus Store near Kent, Wa., it was like 'Nerd Nirvana' to wander the aisles; long-gone now, sigh. So, take pity on those of us not living anywhere near a place like Sky Craft and let us vicariously 'window shop' with y'all!

Oh, by the way Shopnut, that's a good tip on using pipe foam for cheap and easy masking.

Also, you really should keep the smaller plate handy - you know, for the A.A.F.C.P. (Asylum Auxiliary Front Control Panel)!

I can do that

shopnut · Apr 10, 2013

Omphaloskeptic - A Boeing surplus store; that would have been cool!

Hopefully some of you can benefit from the pipe insulation trick. I had some cardboard tubes from spent paper towel rolls waiting for the job, but they were just a bit too small in diameter. So I took a walk around the shop and whal-la - the insulation was just staring at me asking to be used.

And about that plate - no worries, I don’t throw anything out!

O/ak/JC - Check out this website: Skycraft Surplus Store

If you go to “Contact Us” page, you can look around a bit like a street view on Google Maps and that will give you a better idea of what they have. Linky: Pan-able video camera

Their online listing is only about 1/10 of what you might find in the store, though, so you better book a flight. Wait, akdiesel is already headed this direction in May, right?

Sunbimmer · Apr 10, 2013

Everything you are doing man is just so inspiring, thanks for that :thumbup:

shopnut · Apr 11, 2013

Sunbimmer - Thanks so much. If it helps you (in some small way) to continue pursuing your own personal dream, then the effort put into this thread is completely worth it to me. I'm looking forward to seeing your dream become total reality over at the Indoor Texaco Gas Station, because it is definitely on its way to be something really special.

(And for others that really don't get what's going on here, I apologize for my frequent updates.)

shopnut · Apr 11, 2013

SOME EDGE TRIM FOR THE LOFT FLOOR…

I wanted just a little something along the loft edge to keep things from rolling off. A socket making a break for it the other day reminded me I was overdue at tackling this task. The aluminum extrusion is stair tread nosing and since it was too tall for the edge of the plywood, I built it up with a strip of wood trim molding. While the higher lip will give just a bit more spillover protection, it remains to be seen if it becomes a trip hazard.

I’m not finished yet, but I completed the trim along the front face between the railing mounts. I still need to do the small sections wrapping around the corner and that will take some time since miter cuts are involved.

STARTING TO COVER UP THE RAFTERS…

After all these years, I finally made a decision on how to cover up the rafters. For simplicity, they will be completely covered in white. The first step was covering the larger areas with vinyl planks. The rest will be covered with a special vinyl profile.

A shot with the trim installed.

And then the planks on the front face.

STRAIGHTENING THE TRIM ON THE HOIST TRACK…

The edge of the vinyl installed on the hoist track was wavy and that bothered me. A quick solution was to add a “starter strip” to stiffen up the edge.

Here it is partially installed.

All finished. Ahhhh - I feel much better now.

Wingnut65 · Apr 15, 2013

Aluminum edge trim on the loft edge... Man, you don't miss any detail, do you?

BTW, don't Starter Strips usually go up first? But then again, I never read the instructions either! :lol:

The details are just the icing on the cake. Glad to see you are finishing off these little pieces of the puzzle! Keep on building!

markf4e · Apr 15, 2013

shopnut said:
....(And for others that really don't get what's going on here, I apologize for my frequent updates.)

I don't comment much on your thread, but I love reading through it! No need to apologize for the frequent updates, I’m sure there are plenty that silently follow along like myself. :thumbup:

JCQuick · Apr 15, 2013

Shopnut apologizing for being a shopnut :lol_hitti

No need to apologize to me I dig your place :thumbup:

and your post :beer:

rieferman · Apr 15, 2013

Constantly amazed at your skills, imagination, and attention to detail. As always, great job!

shopnut · Apr 15, 2013

Wingnut65 - Thanks. I’m sure a few details slipped through the cracks, but no worries, those cracks will be caulked over soon!

The funny thing about those vinyl starter strips is they have been lying around since I began the interior siding job many years ago. I thought I would use them everywhere, but it turns out they don’t work when you put J-channel around the entire perimeter so I hadn’t used a single one. I’m glad there's another good use for them and I had to buy 2 more in preparation for covering the rafters.

markf4e - I’m glad to hear it, because at this point, I think I would have a hard time stopping! It’s almost like I’m writing the GJ entries as I’m doing the actual construction. I make a mental note of things that some here at GJ might find interesting and snap a picture of it. Sometimes it's nice having a cheap old camera because I don’t worry too much about dropping it off the scaffold or something (and it has come close a couple times).

JCQuick - Yeah, I guess we all wouldn’t be here if we weren’t just a little bit crazy. I tell people about this website and they say “There’s a website about garages???” with this dumbfounded look on their face. I suppose most normal people would consider us a strange bunch. But that's just fine with me, I'm really enjoying it.

rieferman - Oh shucks, you guys just need to cut it out now. You're going to make me never want to stop building on this place. But the truth be told, I'm ready for Phase I to be over. And 2013 is the year for it! Thanks for stopping by.

shopnut · Apr 16, 2013

A CENTER LIGHT FIXTURE…

I knew all along that a center light fixture was needed in the main bay. Before the manlift was purchased, I was planning this fancy rolling fixture that used the front hoist track to allow it to roll over near the front loft for bulb changes. But the manlift will give easy and safe access to any part of the ceiling now without setting up the big scaffold, so a center fixture will be permanently mounted on the center rafter instead.

As a quick test, I took two 4-bulb strip lights and mounted them up there.

And here are a couple shots with them turned on. You can’t tell very easiliy from the pictures, but the difference between the 4200K and 6500K light temperatures is amazing (I prefer 5000K or higher, YMMV). The temporary lights looked out of place with their different color and exposed bulbs.

This little test proved worthwhile though. I worked while cycling the lights off and on every 30 minutes or so. The extra light in the center of the room is much welcomed and these temporary fixtures will be replaced with some nicer ones that have diffusers over the bulbs.

TO SAVE A LITTLE ENERGY…

I have a 3-way lighting circuit switched at the two man doors entering the shop and it always seems like a waste of energy to light up a bank of fluorescent fixtures just to run out and grab a tool to use in the apartment or something. So I plan to install some energy efficient LED can lights on the center rafter as well. I was in Lowe’s the other day looking at the big fixtures and a clearance sale caught my attention - some 4” LED cans marked down from $54 to $14. And they had 4 of them left, enough to do one rafter. The gimbal feature will allow me to aim them wherever I want for best coverage. They seem about as bright as a 75 or 100 watt incandescent bulb and I left it plugged in for about 30 mins on the counter and it didn’t get hot - Cool!

Now before you go rushing to Lowe’s in search of SKU #403329, their website still lists them for $54 and the associate told me it was a local sale only since they were trying to make room for another product. I would love to find about another 4 of them though at a decent price.

A LITTLE MISHAP WITH THE MANLIFT…

Every project has its ups and downs. This time one of the “ups” proved to be a big downer. I was taking the loft floor edge trim up in the manlift for installation. Normally, I hold on to the long stuff outside the basket, but for some reason I stepped up into the basket and stood it up alongside me with it extending above my head about 2 feet. Well, as I neared the top, the manlift hydraulics strained a bit and then I heard a pop - the aluminum punched through the ceiling before I knew what was going on. Dang!

It’s certainty not the worst thing that could happen, but it will require a little rework someday.

Luckily, only two ceiling panels need to come out to replace the damaged one, but I will wait to do the repair until all the work is done up there - its liable to happen again with my track record!

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

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Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member