26x27 detached in So Cal

[ZTFab]

Here is my small detached Fab shop.

For the last 3 years it has been serving me well as a fully functioning Fabrication shop with a plethora of industrial equipment.

Weaver 9K Twin post lift
Pehaka 23" Band saw with Hitachi VFD
JD2 Model 3 tubing bender with 10ton Enerpac Air/Hydro
Edwards 6'x10ga Metal Shear
20" Delta geared head drill press
Milwaukee Dry Cut saw
Burr King and Rockwell Sanders
Miller 250DX Syncrowave TIG welder
Lincoln PowerMIG 200 welder
Lincoln SP135Plus 110V MIG
Hypertherm Powermax 380 Plasma
Husky 60 Gallon upright compressor
48"x16ga Enco Box and Pan Brake
36" Mittler Bros powered Bead roller
Pexto 24" Slip Roll
American Rotary 20HP CNC rated Rotary phase converter
10' x 14ga Roper Whitney Combo Brake (stored in 17x27 attached garage)
9x42 Bridgeport Series I geared head Mill with power feed and DRO (stored in attached)
11x36 Rockwell Metal lathe (stored in attached)
KRL1003 Snap-On tool box filled with tools
etc, etc.....

I have recently decided to consolidate all of my equipment into the main shop. That will mean downsizing some of it as it is just too large for the space.

In years past I leased a 3000sq ft shop for my Fabrication business, Zero Tolerance Fabrication. After a sever back injury (two compressed discs) in 2007 I decided to downsize and bought my house with the existing "shop" space as the overhead in Southern California is ridiculous.

It has been quite a transition from 3000sq ft to what I have now. I sold off many machines, welders, another Western 9k two post, etc.. and tried to keep as much as I could but the reality of keeping things like my 10' sheet metal brake at my house have finally hit me and I need to get more "home" appropriate equipment.

I have already sold the 10ft brake and found the exact same model but in the 6ft version. I have also found a replacement bandsaw, a 14" Powermatic that will replace the 23" Pehaka.

My next move will be to replace the upright floor cabinets with wall-hung cabinets so that I can bring the sheet metal brake and my lathe in to the shop. I will also be selling my Mill and attempting to replace it with a smaller version if possible.

Eventually I would like to coat the floors, finish the drywall and paint all of my equipment to match.

 

[WhatThaFrig]

Wow. Very nice layout.

 

[darkbuddha]

That's one seriously well-equipped "home" shop. Very cool! I saw your posts on Jack's 12 gauge garage thread, and I wanted to compliment your welding skills. Impressive to say the least. Bummer about having to downsize, but sometimes paring down can actually spur creativity and resourcefulness that can't be found any other way. I'll look forward to seeing what you do with the place.

 

[ed_v]

Great shop ZtFab!

I saw where do UTV custom work. Very cool. I'm guessing the shear and brake is mostly used on aluminum?

Ed

 

[ZTFab]

Thanks for the compliments!

Actually, the downsizing was one of the best things that has happened to me. I was offered a job shortly after moving my shop as the head R&D Fabricator for a company and have been there for 3 years now.

As you said, I have been able to use my shop for my passion of fabrication rather than worrying about putting food on the table and that allows me to be creative and do what I love.

The current consolidation of some of the equipment is merely a realization that my shop won't be any bigger anytime soon and some of the equipment that I have is just too large to be able to have all of it and use it too.

Yes, Ed I have been mainly working on UTV's for the last few years (in fact the job that I took is for Pro Armor where we build nothing but ATV and UTV accessories). I use the shear and brakes for a combination of aluminum and steel, depending on what I'm building.

The shear can handle a full 6 feet of 10ga (.134") steel and my brakes can handle 4ft of 16ga or 10ft of 14ga.

 

[ZTFab]

Here are some quick pics of the projects I have built in my shop.

From this:

To This:

Full Custom Aluminum Dash:

Another One:

TIG welded DOM Cages:

Custom Aluminum Roof/Wing/Led Enclosure:

 

[ZTFab]

Custom Aluminum Dash:

Some Pivot Boxes for my friend's dual sport Chenowth:

Before:

After:

 

[ed_v]

ZTFab,

My god those are the cleanest welds I've ever seen!!!

I'm thinking of getting a JD2 bender. Have you used it without the hydraulics? Do you really need it with the bender for what you do?

Thanks for sharing.

Ed

 

[ZTFab]

ZTFab,

My god those are the cleanest welds I've ever seen!!!

I'm thinking of getting a JD2 bender. Have you used it without the hydraulics? Do you really need it with the bender for what you do?

Thanks for sharing.

Ed

Thanks Ed.

I used my JD2 for years without the hydro. For me the biggest pain is the amount of dedicated space that you have to use for the bender to be bolted to the ground rather than being able to have it on a stand or cart such as I do now with the hydro unit.

With it's mechanical leverage most steel is fairly easy to bend depending on the wall thickness. The harder the alloy or the thicker the wall, the longer your leverage bar will have to be and in a smaller shop, it can be quite cumbersome to work with.

You can always add the hydro later and there actually many good "budget" conversions that can be found on the net. I love my JD2 bender.

 

[oldschool914]

Wow very nice work.I haven't seen beads like that ever

 

[ed_v]

Thanks Ed.

I used my JD2 for years without the hydro. For me the biggest pain is the amount of dedicated space that you have to use for the bender to be bolted to the ground rather than being able to have it on a stand or cart such as I do now with the hydro unit.

With it's mechanical leverage most steel is fairly easy to bend depending on the wall thickness. The harder the alloy or the thicker the wall, the longer your leverage bar will have to be and in a smaller shop, it can be quite cumbersome to work with.

You can always add the hydro later and there actually many good "budget" conversions that can be found on the net. I love my JD2 bender.

Thanks

 

[bluesman2a]

Wow! Great thread!
As one fabricator to another (although, I'm not EVEN in the same plane of existence), that's one great set of tools, use of space, and exceptionally clean set of projects, sir.

 

[kbkna]

Very NICE! Is the GPS used for dessert riding. You must have some great riding areas.

 

[ZTFab]

Thanks again guys!

Now I'm hoping to improve the look of my shop.

It's been great and I have loved having a shop that is all business but now I want to make it look good too.

...and yes, the GPS is used for open desert riding.

I live 45 minutes from the Mojave Desert or Lake Arrowhead, 2 hours from Ocotillo Wells/Anza Borrego, and 3 hours from Glamis.

There is plenty of riding to do!!

 

[wilb1976]

I've admired the work that you've shown on WW and can't wait to see more. Welcome!

 

[The J]

Really impressive fab skills. Those welds look amazing. Love the pictures of the aluminum dash tacked and final welded version -- great stuff!

Nice shop, well equipped. Have fun!

 

[ZTFab]

Thanks.

I posted a few more in depth pics of the dash work here:

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1276028#post1276028

 

[ZTFab]

Here is the new sheet metal brake that will replace the 10 footer.

It's the same Roper/Whitney Combo brake but this is now 6ft x 14ga





Also, here is my new Powermatic 14" Bandsaw that will replace my 23" Pehaka.

 

[NASTYZEN]

My kind of shop!Looks like your set up for real work in there.Those are really nice welds,are they done using the pulser attachment on your t.i.g.?

 

[ZTFab]

My kind of shop!Looks like your set up for real work in there.Those are really nice welds,are they done using the pulser attachment on your t.i.g.?

Thanks!

No pulser. I have a Miller Syncrowave 250DX TIG and it doesn't even have the pulser module installed.

....and the last pieces are MIG welded with my Lincoln PowerMIG 200 with no pulse or "triggering"....just continuous, short circuit welding.


...and nice shop!! I'd love to have 3 stories!

 

[NASTYZEN]

Thanks!

No pulser. I have a Miller Syncrowave 250DX TIG and it doesn't even have the pulser module installed.

....and the last pieces are MIG welded with my Lincoln PowerMIG 200 with no pulse or "triggering"....just continuous, short circuit welding.


...and nice shop!! I'd love to have 3 stories!

No pulser,well NOW I'm impressed!That is awsome welding skills!!If ever you need a job up in the great white north,by all means contact me please.
btw I still have another 2 floors in the front shop that I have to get around to posting.

Keep up the nice work.

 

[SeanP]

nice shop. I am in the midst of planning a 25x36 myself to house my metal fab addictions. What is your ceiling height? What is the model of two post lift? Most is see need 12+ feet and I want at 10 foot ceiling so I can retain storage/office space on the second story. I might just go with the MaxJax roll-away system to conserve valuable space.

 

[Scoutman]

Now that's my kind of shop! It's refreshing to see some real metal working equipment in amongst the sea of hot rod garages. Thanks for posting what looks like a real working space. Most of what I do in my home garage is metalwork and working with a small space and large metal machines has been a challenge, especially when it's attached to the house and is our primary entry point. I'm about to start re-working my space over. Over the past 10 years it has evolved as my needs and equipment have but this time I'm going in with a plan in mind. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[ZTFab]

nice shop. I am in the midst of planning a 25x36 myself to house my metal fab addictions. What is your ceiling height? What is the model of two post lift? Most is see need 12+ feet and I want at 10 foot ceiling so I can retain storage/office space on the second story. I might just go with the MaxJax roll-away system to conserve valuable space.

Thanks.

My ceilings are 10'6" and the lift is a Weaver 9k Floor Plate.

The lift is great, it is built like a tank, extra wide (so wide that I've pulled my Toyhauler through it when I had my Bigger shop), and the columns are only 9 ft tall.

If given enough ceiling height it will lift a vehicle high enough for me to walk underneath it with room to spare and I'm 6'2" tall.

I'm hoping to modify my trusses in the future in order to use the lift to full capacity...if not I might sell it and get a maxjax so that I can "put it away" when I'm not using it.

Now that's my kind of shop! It's refreshing to see some real metal working equipment in amongst the sea of hot rod garages. Thanks for posting what looks like a real working space. Most of what I do in my home garage is metalwork and working with a small space and large metal machines has been a challenge, especially when it's attached to the house and is our primary entry point. I'm about to start re-working my space over. Over the past 10 years it has evolved as my needs and equipment have but this time I'm going in with a plan in mind. Thanks for the ideas.

Thanks! I'm still hoping to "pretty up" this shop just a bit while I'm shuffling some equipment around and attempting to make it even more functional than it is now.

...but I do love having a shop that I'm not afraid of working in!

 

[SeanP]

cool, thanks for the info. now to go practice stacking dimes with my MIG so i can someday post some bead **** like you did.

 

[KenworthW900L]

Beautiful shop and excellent equipment. You are an amazing metal master fabricator. Where did you learn your skills?
Keep showing us your projects.

 

[ZTFab]

cool, thanks for the info. now to go practice stacking dimes with my MIG so i can someday post some bead **** like you did.

Let me know if you have any questions and I'd be glad to help.

 

[ZTFab]

Beautiful shop and excellent equipment. You are an amazing metal master fabricator. Where did you learn your skills?
Keep showing us your projects.

Thanks Kenworth.

I went to trade school to be a Toyota mechanic and worked in the dealerships as a technician for 5 years. After getting my ASE Master Diagnostic and Toyota Master Technicians status, I left the dealerships to build hot rods and off-road vehicles.

As far as Fabrication goes I am self taught and still have plenty to learn. I am 31 years old and am thankful that I may have many more years to continue learning and perfecting the craft.

 

[brianpgriset]

How's that enco 4' brake work? I've been eyeing it for some time now...

Very nice shop. Hope to some day get as much equipment as you have.

 

[ZTFab]

Actually it works pretty well. I've had it for about 8 years.

Mine is the 16ga bench version and I built the cart for it.

I use it for a lot of my aluminum work and made a 1/2" radius die for it that works great.

Enco has them on sale right now with free shipping in case you didn't know.

 

[BSAschields]

Mad skills ZTFab .... I dont even know enough to start asking welding questions... I own a mig welder so I do intend to learn ....

 

[5lima30]

Excellent and well equipped fab shop! The welds look awsome keep up the good work!

 

[Brett]

Also, here is my new Powermatic 14" Bandsaw that will replace my 23" Pehaka.

Did you convert this saw to be a metal saw? I'm looking at nearly the exact saw locally, but trying to determine how to slow it down for metal.

Brett

 

[BC iron works]

nice zt what did you use to make the wall brackets
to hold you stock looks like 3" channel and 2x2x3/16

 

[Hatch]

Let me know if you have any questions and I'd be glad to help.

What type of tips do you have for layin' down beads like that...
I have been welding for years now, I also have a powermig (and love it) but haven't ever got my stuff to look like that... once in a while I get something kinda nice, but not consistently.
What type of pattern are you doing? low amp low speed (Low and Slow)? or ???

Thanks in advance...
Hatch

Also... you shop is very inspiring... I need to organize my place...

 

[Rockerbox1]

I think my man parts just moved....
your shop and equipment makes me jealous
not to mention your welding skill

 

[ZTFab]

Did you convert this saw to be a metal saw? I'm looking at nearly the exact saw locally, but trying to determine how to slow it down for metal.

Brett

No, this saw is a metal cutting saw with a two speed gearbox and adjustable pulleys for different speeds.

Be careful when looking at vertical bandsaws for metal cutting as most are only wood saws and the blade speed is much too fast for ferrous metals.

Make sure that the saw you are looking at is an actual metal saw, not a wood saw that someone says is a metal saw.

 

[ZTFab]

nice zt what did you use to make the wall brackets
to hold you stock looks like 3" channel and 2x2x3/16

Thanks.

The tubing rack is made from 2x4x.188" and 2x2x.188"

 

[ZTFab]

What type of tips do you have for layin' down beads like that...
I have been welding for years now, I also have a powermig (and love it) but haven't ever got my stuff to look like that... once in a while I get something kinda nice, but not consistently.
What type of pattern are you doing? low amp low speed (Low and Slow)? or ???

Thanks in advance...
Hatch

Also... you shop is very inspiring... I need to organize my place...

Thanks Hatch....

Low and slow with an "e" shaped pattern. Practice drawing a series of lower case, cursive e's in a straight line on paper and that is essentially the motion I use.

Typical settings for my PowerMig are Tap "C" with 250 IPM wire speed. I will adjust the wire speed in approximately 100 IPM increments with each Tap setting for the voltage...so "c" is 250, "B" is 150, "D" is 350, etc...remember, in wire feed welding you set the Voltage and adjust the amperage with your wire speed and wire diameter.

I also run .030" ER70S-6 wire with C25 (25% CO2, 75% Argon) gas mix.

Hope that helps.

 

[ZTFab]

Mad skills ZTFab .... I dont even know enough to start asking welding questions... I own a mig welder so I do intend to learn ....

Excellent and well equipped fab shop! The welds look awsome keep up the good work!

I think my man parts just moved....
your shop and equipment makes me jealous
not to mention your welding skill

Thanks guys.

I have already started moving some things around the shop trying to decide on a "final" layout (is anything EVER final in a shop?? )

I bought 20 of the welded 30" Gladiator wall cabinets and am preparing to remove everything in order to redo the drywall, some electrical, etc...

As I make some progress I'll start posting some pics.