Post Recession Shop Rehabilitation Project

NedNorton · Jul 2, 2015

I debated for a while whether to do a build thread and decided that some folks may want to read it and updating the thread may give me some additional motivation. I'll apologize now; it’s going to be a long process.

Short back-story…
In 2003 I built a small house in the mountains. Included in the build was a 20 x 36 heated workshop. At the time I was a Contractor/Carpenter and the shop was used to mill/build handrails, built-ins, spirals, etc. It was a working shop that was put into service as soon as the drywall was up and taped. No frills. In 2009 the flashing on the flat roof failed and there was a waterfall inside every-time it rained. I fixed the roof, cleaned up, treated for mold, and re-insulated with ridged foam. There was very little work during the recession so the shop sat 1/2 put back together. It became the catchall for everything that didn’t have a place to be in the house. Some tools were sold to pay bills (Laguna 16HD & Powermatic wide-belt). My once productive shop fell into disrepair.

Well, economically things are better and it’s time to put some energy into getting my shop back up and running. Unlike its first iteration, I don’t need to use it for work. I’m now a construction manager and when off work, I only build stuff I want to build. The shop will need to handle woodworking, machining and fabrication. Also, I got married and my bride wants to park in the other bay of the garage so you can add motorcycle repair to list of activities.

This will be a one wall at a time, one fixture at a time, and one cabinet at a time kinda project. Maybe I’ll be done before the snow flies!

The catchall...

Lumber storage has always been an issue so after demoing the back workbench I decided that this is where I would start. 2x4's & 3/4 EMT conduit painted and installed after finishing the drywall.

Second wall is done and buttoned up.

Up next a place to store all the cut-offs.

920kip · Jul 2, 2015

Well done. One wall at a time, I am looking forward to your progress. :thumbup:

Bib Overalls · Jul 2, 2015

I am also doing one wall at a time. So far I have done 2 1/2 walls. It is getting easier as I go but I am leaving a mess behind.

NedNorton · Jul 4, 2015

Bib Overalls - I hear you! Just when I get a part of the shop fixed-up it seems like I just organized some stuff and moved the rest to a different spot.

NedNorton · Jul 4, 2015

You have to love days off work. Time to get back into the shop and get going.

One wall, one cabinet, one fixture at a time…

It’s installment number two. With the continuing mission of getting the lumber organized, it was time to get the cut-off cabinet built. This is based on a Wood magazine's cut-off cart that I scaled up for my shop from one bay at 14 ½” to three bays at 60”wide. The plans are online here for anyone interested. http://images.meredith.com/wood/pdf/dp-00438.pdf
Giving credit to the designer, it’s well thought out, holds a ton of shorts, and should fit nicely under the new rack.

Here is just a part of the hard wood shorts from projects past.

After a couple hours of work on Friday, I had this...

A little painting this morning...

It is taking two times as long to get the stuff done with the paint but I think it will be worth the added effort in the end.

Loaded and rolled into place this afternoon...

I think that is all time I have this weekend. The plan is to build a rolling cabinet for the sheet goods next.

It's coming together... Slowly... I guess I'm at 2 walls and a cabinet. :rocker:

Thanks for reading,
Chris

mistervelocity · Jul 5, 2015

Great start. I'll be watching.

crawler07 · Jul 5, 2015

Like stated above great job so far!

NedNorton · Jul 10, 2015

I had some time this week, as my wife was out of town for work, so I started on the wall cabinet. For a little context, here is the new shop layout. Some guys on the forum here are masters at SketchUp, that isn’t me! All that was necessary was a scale floor plan so I could move things around and get a layout that would work. I’m pretty happy with it.

Shop%20Layout%207-10-15%20w%20lables-M.jpg

The cabinet is 7' wide x 4' tall x 10" deep. I'm building it as one unit and hanging it on the wall with a french cleat. Simple plywood box with a face frame and flat doors. It will get a coat of paint as well. I'm leaning towards some version of blue.

The wide top compartment will hold my Stabila Levels and Sliding Compound Miter Saw Stand. The rest of the cabinet will get filled-up with other shop supplies.

Face frame added. The outside of the cabinet is white, the inside is the same light grey as the bottom of the walls and the face frame is the same dark grey as the stripe. I have to keep telling myself that, "All this extra time painting will be worth it".

The cabinet is up on the wall and I started painting the doors. I hate finishing drywall. Before putting the cabinet up I sanded and painted the lid just where I had to. At some point I'll have to do the rest.

I hope I can get the doors finished up this weekend and everything hung.

Thanks for reading,
Chris

NedNorton · Jul 12, 2015

A little progress today. Both sides of the doors are painted and now hung. I think it turned out pretty well.

The next step is to handle the sheet goods. Right now they are sitting like this.

I'm up to 2 walls, 2 cabinets and 1 fixture (if you count the lumber rack).

Thanks for reading,
Chris

southalabama · Jul 12, 2015

Keep up the good work and keep posting.

I like the colors and the wood rack.

NedNorton · Jul 12, 2015

Thanks. I wasn't sure if anyone was reading this. Either way, it feels great getting things back together. Just having the space to build the wall cabinet wouldn't have been possible with the way it was when I started.

Now that I can see the floor

it got me thinking that I want to do something to finish it. I'm leaning towards either doing RaceDeck tiles or Rust Bullet. Both have their pros and cons for a working shop as apposed to a showplace garage. Up here in the mountains and living on a dirt road, when it comes time to "Garagejournal" the garage, I'll go with RaceDeck free flow. In the shop I'm thinking that the Rust Bullet may be happier around the heavy machines, saw dust, and chips. Both don't like welding but I think the RB will handle the grinding sparks a little better. :dunno:

If anyone has any experience to share or opinions on the matter I am all ears. I should probably tackle that part of the project sooner rather than later. I'm not sure where all the machines will go during the floor work but I can figure that out when the time comes.

Thanks for reading,
Chris

Rodney Schultz · Jul 12, 2015

I'm in too! Subscribed! Wood working, metalworking, motorcycle, and all of us along for the ride. Thanks for taking us along! Looking forward to where this goes, and what you will do in the space.

Rodney

jwhcars · Jul 12, 2015

Nice cabinets your building. I suspect at the speed that you are moving that you will be finished before the snow arrives.

NedNorton · Jul 13, 2015

Motorcycle repair...

As anyone who has ever owned and ridden a British bike knows... Maintenance is just part of the game. Let me introduce mine.

1974 Norton Commando.

The rain in Colorado let up and I thought I would take the girl out for a ride. Well.. The front caliper froze about 15 min in. I took the caliper off and road home. I guess the motorcycle maintenance part of the project is coming a little faster than I expected.

To be honest, I had the parts waiting. When I purchased the bike, it was in pieces. In the receipts the caliper had been rebuilt 17 years ago and was still working. With everything that had to be done to get her back on the road the caliper was down on the list.

I guess it was time...

Good thing I have a lathe. Homemade tool to get the outer cap of the caliper off.

My support crew...

Apart..

I didn't take pics of the caliper back on but it went together smoothly.

Here is one of my favorite pics of the Norton taken last fall.

Back up and good/better than new (I used stainless parts).

Thanks for reading,
Chris

jbmatth · Jul 13, 2015

Very nice on the cabinets and wood storage. As far as the floor I would use something that would sweep easily, with so much wood work going on in there you will have mounds of sawdust and will want to make cleanup easier. I have no experience with any garage flooring so you are on your own there. I would probably go for a paint/epoxy/sealer of some kind then use something over it when doing welding/grinding type work. I'll tag along to see how this one goes.
JB

captain14 · Jul 13, 2015

Very nice woodworking skill on the cabinets. Don't we all have many projects and not enough time. You make a list to complete and another priority shows that needs to be done NOW!

It's probably easier to do one wall at a time and sort through the clutter and dump what you can in smaller piles for the trash truck.

mustangmike6996 · Jul 13, 2015

I love the cabinets. Looks like you are on the right path

NedNorton · Jul 13, 2015

Thanks, Guys. I have a few more cabinets to build yet i.e. chop Saw/radial arm station, under the table saw outfeed and more tool storage on the wall above the table saw. I also have plans for a grinder cart that can store metal cut-offs.

Captain14, I wish we had a trash truck up here! I'm having a dumpster delivered when I decide to tackle the drywall. Until then I have a pile started on the side of the house. We live up in the mountains on a couple of acres so no neighbors to worry about. My wife on the other hand isn't loving it.

FTWingRiders · Jul 13, 2015

Chris.. Looks great! I'm envious of your cut off cart. Might just have to tackle one of those myself. You'll be glad you took the time now to paint, if you're anything like me, getting back to a project is tough.
I'm subscribed. Good luck!!!

NedNorton · Jul 19, 2015

FTWingRiders - Your build is great! It puts my little shop to shame. You should build the cart. It really is a good and efficient design. All my cut-offs were in trashcans before. I never knew what I had. I hope that when I get to build something here again the cart will make it easier to find stuff and stay organized.

Back to the action... (Slow motion action)

This weekend I had a little time to get the sheet goods rolling cabinet done. It’s based on the Wood Magazine cabinet located here http://images.meredith.com/wood/pdf/dp-00438.pdf. Again, just like the cut-off cart, it’s a well thought out design. I did upsized the dimensions from the online plans to fit the shop.

Nothing hard about the construction. The size of the cabinet was the only issue. It’s a full 8+ feet tall, 4+feet deep and 30” wide.

Casters on…

Standing the thing up after construction almost killed me. I was reminded that it took 5 sheets of plywood to build and I’m not as young as I once was.

On it's wheels and painted…

I added some exterior carpet to keep things in place once loaded.

Loaded with all the sheet goods and ready to be pushed into place.

Pushed into place. (Did I mention that it's freakin' heavy!?)

I'm excited that this mess...

Is now this...

There is now space for the Index mill! Just need to finish the dry wall in that section, paint, and borrow a buddies bobcat to move it.

As the shop sits now... (A couple of cabinets, a couple of walls, one fixture, and counting :rocker:

)

My wife and I are headed out of town at the end of next week so unless the house sitter wants to get on finishing the drywall :lol:

things will be at a stand-still until we get back.

I think next on the project list is working on the drywall and putting the 1/2 bath together. (Yep, there is a bunch of misc **** in the bathroom too!)

As always... Thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Chris

WarrenJ · Jul 19, 2015

Nice build. Looking forward to the progress.

NedNorton · Jul 20, 2015

Thanks, Guys. It has been a process. I'm at almost a month in and if this were one of my commercial builds I'd be shown the door!

Seriously... I appreciate all the support.

Cheers,
Chris

NedNorton · Aug 5, 2015

Back from vacation! Good news… The trip was a blast. Bad news… The house sitter didn’t finish the drywall and I still need to get on it. Oh well, I was hoping.

My buddy came up while we were gone and used the shop to mill some trim for his place. Yes, it was organized enough for someone to actually use! :thumbup:

The downside is that the cyclone dust collection isn’t hooked-up and I didn’t remind him that the Unisaw fills up quickly. I opened her up and found this… :wtf:

No harm done though. Took the ShopVac and pulled out 2 full loads of dust from inside the cabinet. my friend, to his credit, had gotten all the chips from the planer and jointer and he even put away some of the other shop supplies that I hadn’t gotten around to organizing.

He also left me this…

It’s all alder cut-offs! I thought I was done with cut-offs! Most will be going into the wood stove this winter and the rest will go into the my new fancy cart. I'm done storing cut-offs in trash cans. He must have missed the memo.

It looks like he had to re-saw on the tablesaw. Not ideal, for sure.

I sold the Laguna 16HD during the recession. That was a terrific bandsaw and a re-sawing monster with a 4.5hp Baldor motor. I’m not sure that now, given that the shop isn’t a moneymaker anymore; I can justify the $3K for a replacement. They have a 14SUV. Not an Italian saw but still has decent specs. Rikon is making a 14” pro saw also. Both are priced a little more on the economical end of the spectrum. One thing is for sure; I will need a new saw. If anyone has had experience with either the 14” Laguna or Rikon, I’m all ears for a recommendation. My feeling has been when it comes to a bandsaw, best to buy the largest you can afford/justify as the lesser quality saws really struggle when re-sawing and are more headache than they are worth.

This weekend I hope to jump back onto the drywall and get that done. Also while we were away UPS delivered some metal pegboard for my planned clamp rack. Maybe I’ll get that up too.

Thanks for reading,
Chris

xtremek · Aug 5, 2015

This is not my kind of build. BUT, a couple of your storage ideas are ripe for theft by me, and your work is really nice, so count me in for the ride along. Great job. :bowdown:

Scav · Aug 5, 2015

I really enjoy the painted sheetgoods-cart, I think it really makes a difference. Love your work and can't wait for more updates

PugetDude · Aug 5, 2015

Great thread!
Subscribed for updates.

jbrentd · Aug 5, 2015

I like where this is going. Keep up the good work.

Justanoldguy · Aug 5, 2015

Yep.
Liking this thread and bad *** sense of humor.
Reminds me of me.

NedNorton · Aug 6, 2015

Thanks for all support. I’m glad that people are enjoying progress and following along. It’s slowly getting done.

Jetlag. This morning at 3am both my wife and I are wide awake so I figured that I would try and get something finished in the shop.

If you skip the, “here is my metal pegboard install” post, my feelings won’t be hurt. :thumbup:

Like all these shop projects, I hope that other people can get something from them. There are a ton of threads here on GJ that have inspired this build so if someone is searching "metal pegboard" they may get some ideas. :dunno:

It seems like guys either love or hate pegboard. I fall into the later and have never been a big fan but… I dislike fixing holes in drywall and re-painting because I have to rearrange where stuff needs to go more. When the shop was “No paint, No frills” I would just put anther screw in the wall and keep on going.

The panels were ordered from www.wallcontrol.com and I have to say, they work really well. The slots work much better than the standard holes. Plus, if you go to their site they carry 4’ tall sections.

Of course the holes don’t line up with a stud.

I’ve used these anchors in the past when I ran trim crews. They worked great when the framers forgot to add backing for closet rods. Unlike butterflies, etc. you can back the screw out after install.

16 screws later…

Clamps loaded up.

I like it. They are holding a bunch of weight haven’t fallen down yet. I may use more of it by the tablesaw to hold jigs. Now I have to find the rest of my quick-grip clamps still buried in the piles you guys can’t see due to the picture angles.

There is still some electrical I need to run for the mill before I start on the drywall around the bathroom and on the ceiling. Did I mention that I hate drywall? If things go well (queue Murphy) all will be taken care of this weekend and I can get back to building cabinets.

As always…

Thanks for reading,
Chris

1/2 Cup · Aug 6, 2015

Wow, fantastic effort Chris. :thumbup:

Scav · Aug 6, 2015

Nice clamp collection!

bww_mnm · Aug 6, 2015

That is some serious poundage on the walls w those clamps!

metalhead140 · Aug 7, 2015

Wow, you've made a lot of progress quickly. Well done! Looking forward to further updates.

Brunow · Aug 7, 2015

Looks good!

AP2TUDE · Aug 7, 2015

That movable cabinet that is painted to match your walls is fantastic. I hadn't ever thought of doing something like that, but it makes my OCD heart just swoon with possibilities.

NedNorton · Aug 10, 2015

Thanks for all the kind words, guys. I appreciate it and just updating the thread, and knowing that a few folks are reading it, gets me motivated and off my ****. Even to do drywall.

The weekend wasn’t as productive as I had hoped but one thing is for sure, I have renewed my long-standing dislike for sanding drywall.

I swore no self-portraits during this thread since it’s the shop everyone wants to see but I think I will have to make an exception this time.

Just for laughs… This is my, I'm so excited to spend my Sunday sanding drywall face. Complete with blood shot eyes. :sad:

The shop is covered (along with me obviously) in a ton of drywall dust.

I’m almost done with the lid and should be able to get the primer on tomorrow. The lights are all down so I’m only working while the sun is up. I’ve painted by halogen and I almost always have to do it again. Did I mention that I dislike drywall? I can't wait to be done and back to building cabinets.

I guess I am up to a couple of walls, a couple of cabinets, 2 fixtures and an almost ready to paint ceiling! :rocker:

(Gotta keep a positive attitude!)

As always…

Thanks for reading,
Chris

NedNorton · Aug 14, 2015

No comments on the self-portrait? I thought for sure there would be something. Misery does love company.

Oh well…

Progress, the slow glacial kind…

Finished priming, painting and getting the lights hung. Check out the refection off the ceiling! The semi-gloss paint was a good call. Also check out all the drywall dust. To be honest, I think the shop looks almost as bad in this photo as when I started only with a grey stripe.

I carved out a little time after work and got to cleaning up. It now looks like this. :thumbup:

I still have this pile to get to. It’s the stuff that has made it through an extensive culling but still needs to be gone over again. There is my cyclone front and center doing a whole bunch of nothing.

Before tackling the dust collection, I think I’ll build the storage on the tablesaw wall to hold most of the cased tools. The plan is to finish the wall stuff so I can then coat the floor. One wall, one fixture one floor at a time, I guess. Plus, I need to trim and paint the doors.

Today felt like progress. I’m not ashamed to say it; the drywall was getting me down and I'm happy to be done with it for now. There is still the wall that was fixed after the leak. It may get wood instead of drywall.

I should have a Saturday morning to throw at the wall cabinet. I hope to get the box done and maybe a first coat of paint on the doors.

As Always...

Thanks for reading,
Chris

jbmatth · Aug 14, 2015

That looks much better after the paint! You are really turning this place around and making it a useful and functional environment for you.

I would say I don't like drywall sanding and dust but I really haven't ever had to do it short of the occasional patch. But after reading what others have said many times about it I think I'll just pass.

Sent from my bag phone.

Scav · Aug 14, 2015

I like your wood storage. A place for erverything snd erverything in it's place! Are you planing on adding any tools once you are done?

NedNorton · Aug 14, 2015

jpmatth, Yep. I would skip it. If it's in the budget, hire out the drywall. My wife keeps saying, "You can do that, you used to build houses." That statement equals no budget and get to sanding! I'm thinking for the west wall that still needs something, that I may sheet it in 1/2 OSB and install beetle kill pine on the horizontal. It's a pre-sanded product so all I would need to do is shoot the finish. That solution is sounding better and better.

Scav, Ahhhh.... More tools! Actually, I'm close to max capacity. There just is't any more room for additional big machines and for what I do my tool selection is pretty complete. There isn't a lot that I can't build woodworking wise. Machining and fabrication are a different story but my machines have a reasonable amount of capacity and hold good tolerances. If I need more the neighbor down the road is an aerospace prototype builder and has a great machine shop attached to the house. But, from now on the rule is, if something big comes in something big needs to go. I was lucky in that, most of the big machines were purchased for jobs that I was being paid to do. The tablesaw, jointer, planer, lathe, dust collector, etc are all well over a decade old and running strong. Pay for good tools and cry once has shown to be true in my case. I will be passing all of this stuff down to my heirs. There has been more metal work lately so the drill press will be getting replaced at some point. The Delta just isn't up to the task precision wise. It's a fine tool for wood but not for metal. Also, the mill is sitting in the garage and will need a refresh. It's a 1946 Index model 40 that is around 2/3 the size of a bridgeport. That rebuild will probably find it's way onto this thread.

Sorry, long answer to short question. I struggled with that question a lot before starting. All that was just the highlights.

Cheers,
Chris

Post Recession Shop Rehabilitation Project

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