Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT 3rd time's a charm with a 3 car workshop

[loganb]

Shortly after we moved into the house we agreed that the fridge would be the first of the kitchen appliances to get replaced....exceptions of course made for "oh $h!t it broke...lets go get one now" moments. Nothing in particular wrong with it, just a dated Kenmore side x side with a layout we didn't like and found far less convenient(and effectively smaller) than the french door/pull out freezer style we had in Chicago.

On Saturday morning's trip to Lowes for paver base and sand, wandered inside and they had a stunningly good sale on returned or scratch & dent units....in some cases 80% off. Nothing there met the WAF(Wife Approval Factor) but she was open to a few things I didn't think she would and it set the wheels in motion. With Grammy and Papa here we let them take over this AM for the mid day meal and putting the kids to nap and hit a different Lowes to see what their selection would be....turns out was just our local store doing it to clear out their back area...so no dice

But essentially next door is the furniture mecca of the midwest...Nebraska Furniture Mart and since we were already there figured why not, let's see what their Scratch & Dent section holds. For those of you who haven't experienced it and end up in Omaha with time to kill it's an interesting way to kill between 1 & 4 hours as you see fit...and as opposed to the Omaha Zoo which is about 15 minutes down the road and bounces around the top 5 zoo's in the US ranking this venue has no entrance fee !

About an hour later I'm strapping in this:


And then stripping off all the pretty stainless clothes to make it easier to get inside


Dang there are a lot of darn pieces here....



While being supervised by this rather lazy boss:


And about 45 minutes after backing into the driveway we have this:



Pretty top of the line LG 30 cubic ft unit that was a floor model that got swapped to show a new finish for 35% off. Also has the "double door" thing on the right side where you can press that button in the middle to open the outer half of the door and get access to whatever you store in the door....we'll see how useful that really is. A 2nd icemaker in the freezer apparently makes "craft ice spheres".....definitely a marketing gimic to get the husbands interested but I'd love to find out from someone on the inside as to how effective it is....either way yes I'm gonna try it.

Still expensive for a fridge but for the single most used appliance in the kitchen and the one that caused the wife the most irritation I hopefully bought brownie points for many days here. "Happy Wife, Happy Life" or my more modern version "Happy Spouse, Happy House"...either one applies here. So it sits now till at least tonight when we see if it's cooled down and ready to swap into position or not.

And nope....no more work on the mini-split yet...maybe after bath time tonight?

 

[nicholam77]

Damn, you've been getting a lot done! No thanks to lazy dog boss and sleepy baby coworker

We made a similar move at the beginning of the pandemic during our 1st "lockdown". Upgraded the fridge from side-by-side to french door + freezer. French door is soooo much better. But I hate the freezer part. To get to anything you have to rifle through the whole thing. Ours is a "counter-depth", though, despite being 36" wide, so probably less room than yours.

If you have the means I think it's valuable to splurge on most used / most important objects. Not for the luxury of it necessarily, but I think quality objects that function well can improve your wellbeing. I've been trying to improve that around my own house and life where I can. Just like visual clutter I think mental clutter can weigh you down (depending on personality), and if something pisses you off every time you use it (like the silverware rack in my dishwasher!), or a faulty light switch, or a fridge that's a PITA to use, then it's contributing negatively to your mental state and your mood and your day. Sometimes everyday. Each little annoyance adds up to a cumulative effect. I guess what I'm saying is don't feel too guilty upgrading if the old one wasn't working for you.

On the flip side, If you haven't already, see if someone will take your old unit for free if it's in good working order. Or maybe the old one goes to the garage and gets loaded up with beers?

or my more modern version "Happy Spouse, Happy House"

I like that much better!

keep at it, the mini-split is going to be great

P.S. I edited a TV commercial for Omaha Zoo back in the day haha

 

[loganb]

Quick run to the garage after the bulk of the work was done to double check everything after completing wiring over lunch hour and we got this:


More to come but so far impressed!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Just cutting the humidity alone makes a HUGE difference!

Awesome, super happy for ya!

 

[loganb]

Just cutting the humidity alone makes a HUGE difference!

Awesome, super happy for ya!

Agree on humidity reduction....it cut 15 points of humidity but only 4 degrees in the first 90 minutes and it was a huge improvement! Thanks sir

We made a similar move at the beginning of the pandemic during our 1st "lockdown". Upgraded the fridge from side-by-side to french door + freezer. French door is soooo much better. But I hate the freezer part. To get to anything you have to rifle through the whole thing. Ours is a "counter-depth", though, despite being 36" wide, so probably less room than yours.

We had a similar layout on our GE fridge in Chicago and it just felt worlds bigger with a more useful layout and with 2 extra adults in the house right now more fridge space is definitely helpful so we're already enjoying the new found space. We looked at a couple counter depth units but our old fridge already stuck out 6" and we valued the space in the fridge more than the space "in front of" the fridge...so full depth we went

If you have the means I think it's valuable to splurge on most used / most important objects. Not for the luxury of it necessarily, but I think quality objects that function well can improve your wellbeing. I've been trying to improve that around my own house and life where I can. Just like visual clutter I think mental clutter can weigh you down (depending on personality), and if something pisses you off every time you use it (like the silverware rack in my dishwasher!), or a faulty light switch, or a fridge that's a PITA to use, then it's contributing negatively to your mental state and your mood and your day. Sometimes everyday. Each little annoyance adds up to a cumulative effect. I guess what I'm saying is don't feel too guilty upgrading if the old one wasn't working for you.

And you nailed my wife's mood and desire to upgrade on the head....it was functional but frustrated or irritated her everytime she used it. I'm a fan of "Buy Once, Cry Once" but also have found that those little extra and options on the higher up models(regardless of what it is) are often really darn nice....which causes mental strife with my frugal/cheap side....so the middle ground is buying used in terms of houses, cars, tools and scratch and dents in the world of appliances when we have the time! It takes more effort...but I kinda enjoy the hunt

On the flip side, If you haven't already, see if someone will take your old unit for free if it's in good working order. Or maybe the old one goes to the garage and gets loaded up with beers?

We actually discussed what'll happen with the old one on the drive back home from buying the new one! For now, it's actually just in another corner of the kitchen, it's out of the way and provides extra freezer space close by as my wife is "over supplied" with milk and our deep freeze is nearly full of it as we wait on her paperwork for donations to get completed so we can free up space in the deep freeze. I'm probably going to sit in the newly more comfortable garage for awhile and stare around and see about locations....but in the end I think it's too big for our/my plans there and with the deep freeze in the basement we just don't need it so it'll probably get sold and I'll eventually pick up a smaller fridge for the garage beverages.

 

[jbrentd]

Congrats on getting it installed and working. I really look forward to have a garage with AC. It was 92 in my garage yesterday when I went to workout.

 

[Swanny1953]

Somewhat surprised your mini split only reduced temps 4 degrees in 90 minutes. The unit in my nearly 1,000 ft garage with 20+' cathedral ceilings will cool down to 75 degrees in less than an hour! Admittedly, the garage is foam insulated, but unit works really well for me.

 

[loganb]

Congrats on getting it installed and working. I really look forward to have a garage with AC. It was 92 in my garage yesterday when I went to workout.

Thanks! While in college I had an air conditioned shop at work and forgot how nice that was...makes the quick projects when I have 10 or 20 minutes to putz much more enjoyable

Somewhat surprised your mini split only reduced temps 4 degrees in 90 minutes. The unit in my nearly 1,000 ft garage with 20+' cathedral ceilings will cool down to 75 degrees in less than an hour! Admittedly, the garage is foam insulated, but unit works really well for me.

I think it was due to the humidity, had a lot of moisture it had to get rid of before it could do much cooling...been sitting at 72 degrees and 50% humidity since about 12 hrs after firing up

Still need to finish up a few things outside on the lineset cover and stand but humidity has kept me from getting too excited about that just yet...in its place:


Got the remotes and 1st aid kit remounted




Tried out the 2nd ice maker in the freezer of the new fridge which makes "craft ice"...not as good of ice spheres as a high end bar but cool gimmick



Tried to organize that always present "box of cables" and found the Chromecast so finally got the garage TV powered up



And a bit more progress on putting things away...every day get a bit more organized



Coming up soon is getting that laser back running

 

[slik560]

Well done. Envious of a garage that size.

 

[racer-john]

Yeh, me too.

 

[loganb]

Well done. Envious of a garage that size.

Yeh, me too.

Thanks for joining gents! I continually remind myself that I'm very fortunate to have both a supporting spouse who generally encourages(and at least doesn't discourage) the garage pursuits and that the last 14 years of seemingly endless house projects on successive properties combined with some fortunate timing landed us in the house we're in! This fall I need to spend some time working on my consolidated "single stall" workshop for the days I feel like getting 2 cars in the garage....but for now I'm generally sprawling across a "comfortable 1.5" stalls while we have 1 car in it

As for those little "putzing" projects...here is one of them from this weekend...the 42" Craftsman base never got a real top for it. At the last house it was in the basement storage room as the garage was detached and I kept the common house project tools in it and never really "worked" on the top...more it just caught **** thanks to my Flat Surface Disease. Now that everything is in the same space being used differently and time to finally put a top on it:

Using a sheet of surplus table top material from a work auction I've been carrying around since probably 2013. Don't recall exactly what it is, but it's a resin/epoxy based material with a Formica butcherblock laminate on top and bottom. We use them as the tops of on giant air hockey tables (aka assembly lines) as we move product(windows) down them which is why the grid of holes are in them. Heavy as sin and spendy, but very durable. Didn't take a picture of ripping to width but with patience it doesn't go to bad:



Oops....just a hair big still


Definitely need some chip collection but liking having a router table



Nothing fancy, just a chamfer to smooth that edge a bit


The holes aren't ideal...but they'll work! Maybe I can find something creative to do with them as their grid dimensions should be dead on as we drill them all out on a CNC router prior to installing...hum.... Also hit all edges just a tad with a file to soften any remaining sharp edges like those corners and knock down any remaining burs on the laminate



So got itchy Friday night and Sat AM and played a bit of Chinese Checkers with stuff trying to better work out "homes" for the larger footprints. I want to get the laser back running and as I don't really have time to make an air scrubber and haven't found a used one close enough to buy....I'm probably going to vent it outside which means that it needs to be somewhere along that wall it, the drill press and air compressor are on.

The craftsman toolbox moved to where the laser had been parked, then the drill press, planer, air compressor and the "permanent" jointer(other is leaving) all moved around


The major power tools got clustered together....bandsaw could be used in this location, the jointer would just need shifted slightly for use..planer a lot but that's ok with me.


I like this layout better....but still not sold yet on where the right spot for that laser is...good news is I like things on wheels so nothing is terrible to move! If anyone has any thoughts would love to hear them!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

I'm in version 2 or 3 of my layout. You just have to keep working in it and find the right flow!

 

[gearhead1960]

Sent you a PM.....

 

[nicholam77]

Everything's looking pretty functional! That baby doesn't seem to be slowing you down too much!

I think your layout is making sense. I know you're multi-disciplinary, but I think the classic advice for a woodworking shop is to have the table saw / assembly table in the middle and then major workstations surrounding it, that way you never have to walk too far to pick up / set down your workpieces. Seems like you kind of have that going with your work surfaces clustered together and center "island", and at least your stuff is mobile like you said so you could always move the MFT or something closer to the bandsaw etc if needed. To that point I don't think it matters too much if you have to wheel the jointer out a few feet to use it. As long as it's an easy move and you're not having to shuffle multiple machines around just to use one, or dig stuff out, then I don't see why things can't be a little flexible in location.

Re: the holey top in your Craftsman tool chest, I don't know of much use for an orthogonal grid other than defining angles, such as 90°. Perhaps you could 3D print some bench dogs or stops and use as a secondary assembly surface for drawers or frames or other joints that need to be lined up? I know you have the MFT for that, too, though. Another idea -- maybe it wouldn't be strong enough, but perhaps you could also 3D print a clamp base to fit the holes like this Seneca Woodworking one if you have any Kreg clamps? Or, if you have some bench top tools that don't always need to be out, you could make some bases that have "pegs" on the bottom that index in the holes, so you could set the tool+base on the the top and not have it slide around. Thinking smaller things like grinder, sharpener, pocket hole jig perhaps. Or back to 3D printing, maybe some "bench cookies" to raise workpiece off the surface for finishing or clamping?

Keep at it, jealous of that mini-split!

 

[loganb]

Life has gotten in the way of fun projects and updates here but a quick photo array

Spent some time back at the farm over Labor Day, we would normally be a couple fields into corn harvest bit was a late year this year so had just gotten started in the 1st field before it got too wet and had to pause for a few days

So while on the farm we played "on the beach" as she called it or the leftover sand from a recent concrete pour





Stood on grandpa's acorn welding table:


And got to pretend she was operating the big yellow "digger tractor"


Back at the house been trying to make use of the recently cooler weather for landscaping work that's long overdue:





And wifey is happy as the bedroom furniture we ordered in March finally arrived...bed frame/headboard, 2 chairs and 2 nightstands:

 

[XJSuperman]

Nice! Thats some serious equipment in the farm shop! How come your daughter didn't get to dig for real? Its a bit bigger than a mini ex but thats alright, as long as you were in an open area. I totally feel the life-in-the-way sentiment. Work is kicking my **** and slowing garage projects.

 

[Atlascycle]

Logan,
what is the large Blue machine in the background of the shop photo?

 

[loganb]

top in your Craftsman tool chest, I don't know of much use for an orthogonal grid other than defining angles, such as 90°. Perhaps you could 3D print some bench dogs or stops and use as a secondary assembly surface for drawers or frames or other joints that need to be lined up? I know you have the MFT for that, too, though. Another idea -- maybe it wouldn't be strong enough, but perhaps you could also 3D print a clamp base to fit the holes like this Seneca Woodworking one if you have any Kreg clamps? Or, if you have some bench top tools that don't always need to be out, you could make some bases that have "pegs" on the bottom that index in the holes, so you could set the tool+base on the the top and not have it slide around. Thinking smaller things like grinder, sharpener, pocket hole jig perhaps. Or back to 3D printing, maybe some "bench cookies" to raise workpiece off the surface for finishing or clamping?

Keep at it, jealous of that mini-split!

I was thinking something along the same lines of using the grid for basic hold downs/reference pins for common "benchtop" activities....and I like the idea of the sharpener as I just got in a new set of wetstones I haven't used yet....hum....thanks!

Nice! Thats some serious equipment in the farm shop! How come your daughter didn't get to dig for real? Its a bit bigger than a mini ex but thats alright, as long as you were in an open area. I totally feel the life-in-the-way sentiment. Work is kicking my **** and slowing garage projects.

Logan,
what is the large Blue machine in the background of the shop photo?

The farm shop...well yeah...not the usual farm shop.

Dad is a engineer by degree and spent 10 years in a custom metal design/build environment prior to returning to the farm and taking over from his parents. His hobby is making metal chips instead of wood and much of the machining equipment is used to repair/support farm equipment and during slower times is fun to have around and do "stuff" with. The equipment is generally all manual machining from the '40's to maybe 80's vintage and still highly capable machinery but without CNC controls it gets expensive to keep in most shops as it takes up a lot of floorspace and operators are harder and harder to come by so the prices generally tend be right. To further enable collecting old iron, we have "native" 3 phase power and the equipment to load or unload most anything as well as space under roof to house it....so stuff ebbs and flows pretty often as new capabilities get added or upgrades get bought and older/less capable stuff finds new homes

The blue beast in the background is a DeVlieg 3H horizontal jig mill or sometimes called a horizontal boring mill. Approximately 30k lbs of pure machining power and one of the more powerful and dynamic machines from a shop in the 40's thru the 80's but largely obsoleted today by CNC machining centers though there are still some operations, especially on very large workpieces that these shine.

Here is a slightly better picture, but the operator station is directly infront of those couple of handwheels and push buttons toward the right side of the machine on the backside of the table. The table moves in (2) axis, the 3" diameter spindle moves in/out parallel to the floor and then the entire spindle assy moves vertically on that large column. Don't recall what the weight limit of a workpiece/fixturing on that table is but think it's around 15k or 20k lbs(no that's not a typo) but it's under the reach of the jib crane so we can pick up workpieces, fixturing plates etc on and off it with relative ease


We've also got it's little sister (a 2B instead of a 3H) which is the next size down and "only weighs" around 12k lbs total and is approximately half the total size that sits in a "lean to" shop off the side of this building and is about 75' away from the big boy. The "little guy" is in much nicer shape and is a more convenient size for much of what we use it for, but as floorspace was available and the increase in capability was a nice benefit it found it's way here from a shop that was closing down.

This is a better picture of the operator station on the smaller 2B, the station on the one above has all the same functions but arranged differently as it's a newer design. DRO readout on all (4) axis and the control buttons, under the DRO are your depth stops on a rotary indexer for frequently performed operations. The twin knob black handle in the center is your spindle in/out with the manual readout to the left, with the remaining knobs controlling power feed speeds, directions and some other items that I can't recall. I've poked some basic holes with this machine and that's about it so my recollection here is based on watching/learning and not from actual machine time on these.



At the time of the picture this was setup on the table, don't recall what it was but it broke and a new one was essentially un-obtanium so it got machined. In most "current" shops this would've been likely run on a CNC turning center to do it all on a single machine, in this case it was turned down on a LeBlond lathe, then setup on the index head with tailstock shown for the milling and gear cutting operations



End of the day right now, I've got more interest in the wood chips than metal at this point in my life which is partially driven by just the greater portability of wood chip producing equipment over metal chip producing equipment. When I get the space would love a metalworking portion with a roughly 10 x 40 engine lathe, a knee mill style mill with CNC control(ProtoTRAK DPM would be sweet if money didn't matter), a CNC plasma table and a dedicated weld area...but that's probably a ways away and at least 1 move away so until then I borrow Dad's stuff or pay someone else!

 

[Atlascycle]

sounds like you have quite the shop at your disposal.

thanks for the info Logan,

Jason

 

[loganb]

Quick couple of shots while I work off my disappointment of the ending of the Chiefs & Ravens game

Attempted to get some garage time... yeah the fussy guy didn't like that so we headed back inside:



Working on getting the laser running, well it's water cooled and the setup I was using in Chicago wasn't worth redoing so time to make some improvements.

Standard 5 gal bucket with fittings for the basic aquarium pump. This machine isn't big enough to benefit from a chiller but if I ever get a bigger one it will be



Tried to replace the tubing with 3/8 ID stuff I had on hand due to the growth inside it... yeah that didn't work as it leaked at the barb fittings on the laser tube inside the case. Also think the prior owner might need a reminder on how you're supposed to use Teflon tape....




Found 5/16 ID tubing locally because i was impatient and figured I could 3D print an adapter barb to go from the 5/16 to 3/8 as nobody had 5/16 fittings locally...



First trial out of back ABS was a miserable failure. Used ABS because it was what was loaded but didn't think hard enough about its tendency to warp.... live and learn

Round 2 swapped to write PETG:





And at least 1 is recognizable... but at this point I gave up as it was supper time then bath time then bed time and somewhere in there kickoff time.

Quick Google search tells me that the K40 laser usually has 8mm ID/12mm OD silicone tubing so off to McMaster Carr it is for some industrial shopping and after 10 minutes I have what hopefully is all I need ordered and supposed to be here on Tuesday

Other significant learning this weekend was in the future just pay the tree guy what I thought was too much money to stump grind that solo stump..

After gaining "experience" with this stumper on a roughly 10" diameter maple I recognize I should have either paid the fee or gotten the bigger machine so it would have been more enjoyable! Took about an hour total which obviously didn't kill me but I gained more appreciation for those doing it daily regardless of how big of a machine they're running

 

[loganb]

And I free up some space in the garage only to have it filled up with something else.....



I'd make a guessing game on "What is it?" But a quick Google search would give it up, so it's the new pellet smoker/grille. Similar to a Traeger but built in the US with heavier materials and with a supposedly superior temp control. Several neighbors have one and love theirs and have been wanting a new outdoor cooking device for awhile so pulled the trigger last weekend. My first foray into pellet or smoking so should be interesting to see how it goes!

 

[jbrentd]

Nice! One of my co-workers loves and swears by his Recteq.

 

[loganb]

No fancy unboxing sequence here....but went from this:



To this:



In about 30 minutes. Nice packaging, fit and finish seems pretty good, couple spots in corners where the powdercoating is a bit light but nothing I'm worried about. Got it connected to the phone(Wifi) no problem and played with that a bit and it was cycling it on/off and adjusting temp set point so seems to work....now to figure out what the first victim will be...probably whatever I find on sale at the meat counter!

And as I saw @nicholam77 talking about them in his great build thread here, found a home for the new "tub of towels" that followed me out of Tractor Supply the other day

 

[jbrentd]

now to figure out what the first victim will be...probably whatever I find on sale at the meat counter!

If you're new to smoking, I would recommend practicing with the pork shoulder/"Boston ****". Not too expensive, good fat content, and forgiving to the beginner.

 

[loganb]

If you're new to smoking, I would recommend practicing with the pork shoulder/"Boston ****". Not too expensive, good fat content, and forgiving to the beginner.

Definitely a beginner and that mirrors what the neighbors who have one recommended as well so thank you! Have a meeting later this morning just down the road from one of the better meat focused markets/stores so should find some victims there!

Got it moved over to the "summer location" on the deck and fired up for its initial burn off!

 

[loganb]

sounds like you have quite the shop at your disposal.

thanks for the info Logan,

Jason

The equipment although old is definitely plentiful, best part is there is a willing and capable teacher there to help provide guidance!


Some cool temp plots to appease my nerd side....thinking about a Google Drive Sheet to log my cooks so I can better estimate when something needs to go on based on prior cooks....definitely excessive



Ended up pretty good, I got surprised by how fast it did the last 20 degrees so it came off a bit late and was a bit drier than I'd like but the rest of the table likes things much more well done than I do so it was about perfect for them



While that was underway, UPS delivered my McMaster order with the coolant components so fresh tubing all around of "supposed" factory size and proper hose clamps:


And it works!



Just loaded one of the prior programs to it and jogged it around then tested laser but still looks to work. Have more cleanup and lube still to do, check mirror alignment then ready for a better test. Also have a power gauge that needs wired up so I can see actual mA levels on the tube instead of the 50%, 70% power levels in the software but this is the most it's done since we moved in last summer so progress!

 

[zc15]

Dropping you a pm on your Chicago garage ceiling!

 

[loganb]

Late night update while I wait for someone to get back to sleep...

Playing with the laser a bit and wiring to get the coolanr tank reservoir mounted and off the ground



Punched the hole for the mA power meter in the laser case... hope to get this wired up this weekend:



And used the new pellet grille on a Boston ****/ shoulder roast. Was supposed to be supper tonight based on the recipe on the app... yeah that would have been about 6 hours late but that's OK, I learned and we can have some yummy breakfast burritos in the AM!

Before it got wrapped:



Finally to temp, grille was at 225 till last got about 190 then bumped it up till 205 and pulled it off

 

[jar944]

And used the new pellet grille on a Boston ****/ shoulder roast. Was supposed to be supper tonight based on the recipe on the app... yeah that would have been about 6 hours late but that's OK, I learned and we can have some yummy breakfast burritos in the AM!

I've found its easier to plan on having it done 4-6 hours before you want to eat. If it actually is to temp early I just pull it, wrap in foil/ and some towels then put it into a cooler to keep it hot until it's time to eat. The couple hours of rest improves the flavor anyway.

 

[loganb]

I've found its easier to plan on having it done 4-6 hours before you want to eat. If it actually is to temp early I just pull it, wrap in foil/ and some towels then put it into a cooler to keep it hot until it's time to eat. The couple hours of rest improves the flavor anyway.

That's kinda what happened here....just at a poorly timed interval! Think it came off around 10:15 pm and got wrapped up and stuck in a cooler, when I came down to make a bottle at 4:15 or so it smelled too good to not have a bite so I opened it up and did a quick shred so I could nibble on it while the bottle warmed up...nice early AM snack and it made for yummy breakfast burritos.

Some really random projects this weekend....

Hit up Lowes a couple times for landscape stuff(that oddly didn't get much progress....grrrr) and this inflatable soccer ball and goal was a winner for $10 bucks for some backyard entertainment for the kiddo


One item that was on our docket for this weekend was to make progress moving the home office. I work from home when not traveling and been that way since 2015 so we're well used to it at this point and so far its worked well for us and the roles I've been in during that time. The office is just one of the bedrooms, but with 2 kids now the upstairs "guest" bedroom that was going to become our son's room was adjacent to our daughters room and we didn't like him being in the farthest bedroom from us and sharing a common wall with sis....so a swap with the home office was agreed upon

So Amazon delivered the desks...that would be the boxes with the coffee on it and butcher block tops came from Menards




Electric raise/lower(sit/stand) desks with good reviews on the interwebz, our last house I was spoiled and had both a sitting and separate standing workstation I'd swap a couple times throughout the day thru so as part of the nice office layout a sit/stand desk was a requirement. Since wife is still on maternity leave(and works primarily out of an office) my desk setup gets done first....or that's my mental justification to me just being selfish


Assembled quickly, really just a couple pieces that needed attached and holes all lined up nicely. Dual motors for a higher weight capacity and supposedly smoother operation...however I was getting a fault when I tried to test it...would run and quickly stop



Hey...that's better! Quick review of the Q&A's from customers on the Amazon site revealed there is a tilt sensor in that control unit and it dangling wasn't doing any good....so 2 zip ties to get that level and hey it now works right...yippee!


My work is primarily digital with very little paper, so I don't need a big desk for paper...but I do need a lot of screen space which is currently solved with triples so to accommodate my preferences on depth I'm actually modifying a 36 x 72" island countertop butcher block to use as the top but it needed 4 knocked off the depth



The above operation highlighted a couple things:

• I love having this tracksaw
• I have got to get the 115"(or whatever that longer one is) rail so I don't have to move the short one around to do cuts like this in 2 steps
• Man my blade is dull and needs to be replaced
• Need to do more wiring work so the ceiling outlets that cord reel is on are also not the same circuit as the lights

Due to the above dull blade and that shop vac and saw on the same outlet I get a bit impatient and tripped the breaker 2x in that 6' cut, but at least fixing the dull blade is easy and not very painful to the wallet

Eventually got things moved around and kinda sorta maybe set back up...at least for now. I intentionally bought a larger than needed top as the "board shortener" is much simpler to use than the "board stretcher".



Left the top unfinished for now, I'm going to try and use it for a couple days and better refine the arrangement then will disassemble, make any adjustments to the top and do a finish of a yet to be determined variety. Not sure if SWMBO will dictate a stain first or if it'll just get some type of wipe on poly or oil finish. Already there are a couple accessories ordered to clean things up such as getting the battery backup mounted to the bottom of the desk top, a new triple monitor arm mount and working out where I stash the laptop and dock as with the triple's I don't use the laptop screen so itll likely get stashed out of site under the top which will help allow to cut down the width by 6 to 12" helping to improve the room layout

 

[slik560]

Hmmm. I could use one of those sit/stand desks. That one looks really nice.

 

[loganb]

Hmmm. I could use one of those sit/stand desks. That one looks really nice.

This is the one:

HAIAOJIA Electric Stand up Desk Frame, Dual Motor Load 270lbs Ergonomic Standing Desk Frame 2-Stage Height Adjustable with Memory Controller

I'll try and get a more detailed write up later this week or weekend on how it goes. At the last house I had a noticeable amount more energy at the end of the day and less soreness if I did a couple hours standing vs all sitting. Was especially beneficial for that afternoon slump as well as conference calls that should be getting more attention as standing just brought another level of effort and awareness about me that then improved attention.

 

[iced98lx]

Office is looking great and feels somehow familiar

And I couldn't agree more on the sit vs stand, just being able to mix it up a few meetings a day is so nice.

 

[loganb]

Office is looking great and feels somehow familiar

And I couldn't agree more on the sit vs stand, just being able to mix it up a few meetings a day is so nice.

More to come but a nice improvement on day 1....have more energy at end of day....though wife may not like how that goes because I went and did something I'm trying not to which is starting another project before I finish the prior ones....but I swear its not my fault!

It's mother nature's and my incessant desire to make her happy....I swear it's not my fault I generally make things functional and say "F* the pretty part, let's move on"

Parts show up later this week to hopefully start.....and have Thursday and Friday off work....but here is a snippet of part of the order....any guesses on what ridiculous project I've got myself into? Only showing part of the order as several other components might make it too easy, it's also house-related not directly garage-related....though will have a fair amount of garage time to make it work

 

[bj383ss]

I have no idea, but intrigued.

Bret

 

[slik560]

This is like playing PICTIONARY with internet thumbnails.

 

[loganb]

Some of it showed up today...



Ignore the minor break of shop safety rules....

 

[slik560]

A multimeter.....that takes me out of the loop.

 

[Chrisb62]

A controlled disco lighted cabinet?
Awaiting more clues.......

 

[bj383ss]

LEDs involved!

Bret