I have been a tinkerer for years. My father was a petrol and diesel mechanic, then later branched out into the building trade so I have grown up around machines and the smell of oil. When I lived in Australia getting quality machines was difficult since Asia Pacific mostly imports from Taiwan and China. This all changed when I moved to Norway a few years ago.
Norway used to be an industrial country that was very self sufficient. Of late though, more industry has been created related to the oil and gas area and production has suffered. This means that there is a world of wonderful European tools available to the savvy home machinist / carpenter / tinkerer... like me.
Having moved to a new house a year ago, my garage was un-insulated and started out like this:
I had initially begun moving tools into it but hadn't moved my machines since condensation would cause them to rust. I have machines and tools in order to fix machines. None of the tools I own were bought without a specific purpose and an immediate need. For example, I started with this:
And worked on it to get it to this state:
This required mechanical tools and some specialized tools which were purchased along the way. Most of the time I buy broken machines, repair them, then sell them. This allows me to upgrade to more industrial quality equipment while also avoiding the credit trap.
I recognized the need for an insulated, well lit and machine friendly workshop. I needed 3 phase power and as many outlets as possible. I begun with insulation and cladding the walls. A light coloured paint made a huge difference:
Before:
After:
I had recognized the need for smart storage solutions since I needed to be able to keep the garage clean. Machines don't like dust and grinding my own tools meant that I needed to be able to do this outside since the abrasive dust would destroy the fine tolerances of my machines. The solution was to utilize rolling work benches as grinding or work stations.
Even my plastic storage containers are located on a rolling rack in order to move it out of the way. This means that moving machines in and out of the garage is a breeze.
Like most people on this site, my garage is a work in progress. A few months ago I managed to move in the last of the machines. The next post will show you how it looks at the moment.
Paul.
Norway used to be an industrial country that was very self sufficient. Of late though, more industry has been created related to the oil and gas area and production has suffered. This means that there is a world of wonderful European tools available to the savvy home machinist / carpenter / tinkerer... like me.
Having moved to a new house a year ago, my garage was un-insulated and started out like this:
I had initially begun moving tools into it but hadn't moved my machines since condensation would cause them to rust. I have machines and tools in order to fix machines. None of the tools I own were bought without a specific purpose and an immediate need. For example, I started with this:
And worked on it to get it to this state:
This required mechanical tools and some specialized tools which were purchased along the way. Most of the time I buy broken machines, repair them, then sell them. This allows me to upgrade to more industrial quality equipment while also avoiding the credit trap.
I recognized the need for an insulated, well lit and machine friendly workshop. I needed 3 phase power and as many outlets as possible. I begun with insulation and cladding the walls. A light coloured paint made a huge difference:
Before:
After:
I had recognized the need for smart storage solutions since I needed to be able to keep the garage clean. Machines don't like dust and grinding my own tools meant that I needed to be able to do this outside since the abrasive dust would destroy the fine tolerances of my machines. The solution was to utilize rolling work benches as grinding or work stations.
Even my plastic storage containers are located on a rolling rack in order to move it out of the way. This means that moving machines in and out of the garage is a breeze.
Like most people on this site, my garage is a work in progress. A few months ago I managed to move in the last of the machines. The next post will show you how it looks at the moment.
Paul.
