Above 1200 Sq/FT 48x32 Shop

[Chilliwack Murray]

We've had quite a few extremely heavy rains here in the past week or so and apart from a few small depressions to rake over, no puddles and all the water went right to the catch basin or continued down slope away from the shop. Nothing whatever heading toward the parking area or shop doors. Quite pleased, that's a big concern eliminated.



Time to start using up the spoil pile by terracing and leveling the yard. Not looking forward to 6 months of mud though.

 

[Pluribus]

Straight from fire season to mud season...what a year, huh?

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Forgot to mention back in the spring I picked up a genuine Kubota backhoe for the little tractor pretty cheap. A good enough price that there was no need to haggle and everyone walked away happy. The backhoe has proven very handy with the wall project, it's almost a toy compared to the JD400 but much better for precision work than the big one in my hands at least.

The local Kubota dealer had the original side rail kit and a much heavier wrap around top link bracket so I don't expect any issues if I don't abuse it too much.

Part way through the wall project the weld broke on the boom lock pin and I didn't know the boom was bouncing on the hydraulics and ended up blowing the raise hose while digging up some rocks. Would've been an ugly job to change without the lift:



What made me think of this was I finally got a couple hours to put together a dolly to make taking it on an off easier and making storage much easier. It's not pretty but used what I had on hand.



And needed to take the backhoe off to put on a rock rake, I'm pretty sure they've been multiplying while I was away at work.






and back to the lift - 1001 uses!

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Short winter days are here again and have been wanting to put some work lights on the little Kubota since I got it however none have ever met my Dutch pricing requirements.

Princess Auto to the rescue... They recently had some nice compact utility lights for $15 each and I couldn't resist. Made a bracket from some 1-1/2 angle and mounted to the ROPS (yes I know it says don't drill or weld but I'm not too concerned about a couple #8 screws weakening it to the point of collapse).

Turns out the are bright - so bright I need to control them individually. Since they are for use in the dark, I wanted to be able to find the switch easily, didn't want a toggle sticking out to get damaged and wanted it waterproof and to look somewhat like it belonged. And the final condition, I hate repeating things so it should outlast me (doesn't seem like a tall order some days).

Well, I ordered up some backlit pushbutton waterproof switches on Amazon, some 12V relays with connectors and harnesses and scrounged up a fistful of diodes, resistors and heat shrink tube and got to work.

The end result was satisfying enough to share. Switches light up half brightness with the dash lamps, full brightness when on (hard to tell from the photo but bottom is on) and looks like it belongs. Just need a reason to drive around in the dark now.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

So, using the lift over the past few months I've noticed the safety latches were getting a little slow to engage. They are spring engaged and air release cylinders that roll a large cam into the column latches and I assumed the grease was getting thick in the cold and drying out. If I exercised them a few times they engaged with the usual sold clunk.

The cylinder and latch mechanism is inside the carriage and almost entirely blocked from view by the ram and chain most of the time so I tried several times to lube it but it didn't improve any so I ran the lift up empty to get a better view (which didn't really help) and on the way down the ram hooked the air cylinder bending the bracket and cylinder rod. Upon closer inspection, I found one of the shims that keep the ram plumb had moved out of position allowing the ram to lean toward the safety release. The slow release I think was my own fault, I had intended to install a pressure regulator as the max inlet pressure is 85PSI but had forgotten to do this and have used full 120-135psi on it many times. This didn't exceed the rating of the air cylinder but probably put more strain than the design intended on the rod and bracket causing it to deform just enough to be sticky.



After getting the carriages blocked up and the rams retracted (which took over a week with cold hyd fluid) I had some limited access to the locks. After some words and some grease in the hair I got them out and was happy to find the ALM part number is actually the Parker number which was available on Amazon for about $26 each and another $10 each for brackets... Picked up an air regulator too.



Pretty sure I've needed to use the lift more times in the past couple weeks than in the past several months.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Well, lift parts arrived from Amazon after a long wait and went back together surprisingly easy for where they had to go. Shimmed the ram so it leans away from the air cylinder and all looks good.

In hindsight, the only time the ram could have contacted the air cylinder is when there was no weight on the lift and it was 2/3 up as it was when I was bleeding the rams. Anyway, I feel better anyway having pulled the safety latches apart and understanding how they function. Next project is a thumb for the little Kubota backhoe.

 

[Riley]

It's been great following your project over the years. The land shaping really came out great!


Thanks!

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Thanks, sometimes wonder if anyone is reading these updates.

The groundwork still has a long way to go but it’s tough when you have to keep using the shop and yard while you work.

The contours are pretty close to what I want, now I need to do some surface prep so something will grow in it. Also need to put in new garden beds for the Mrs flowers. She has a lot of flowers. Around here that will need to be complete and ready to plant in about a month.

For the shop, I’d like to build out the other side with an 8’ ceiling room with a deck on top. Then move all the welding and grinding into there where I can close the door and keep the dust and smoke out of the rest of the shop. I’m not seeing that happening this year though.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

The ground is drying out and grass is growing over the mess I made last year so I spent some time raking and digging out rock recently but there is truly a never ending supply.

I was concerned that nothing would grow after losing the top layer of soil, everything below is glacial till but seeing how well the grass has taken I'm pretty sure it will provide a decent cover if not this year, next year for sure so the next step will be to level it out and cover up the last of the rocks sticking out. I have a huge pile of spoil from the driveway and wall but it is full of rocks from an inch or two up to feet across so I've been trying to think of a way to separate and bury the rocks and put the fines on top.

Rock buckets are expensive and would be too slow with the little Kubota so I got to thinking about the JD400 and came up with the idea of a frame that will sit inside the bucket. It already has an extension on the cutting edge so a drop in frame that will hook over the top, maybe bolt into the sides, with 5/8" rebar held inside 3/4 pipe welded to the frame will let me easily switch between a small and large spacing. I'm thinking about 1-1/2 inches apart, 3" if I remove every second bar will work but that's easy to change later if necessary. For scale, this is 80" across and about 27" high made of 2" angle top and sides with 1" on the bottom.

A couple sketchup pictures and a picture of the bucket attached for reference. I'll bolt the top of the frame so I can remove the bars easily and probably weld something across the top to keep the bars in place.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Seems to work pretty well. Still need to add a permanent brace and something to hold it in the bucket.

 

[rakane]

Interesting idea to use a rock grill in the bucket. I may try to make one, fit after a Heavy Hitch tooth bar.

Meanwhile is a 30' Grady White.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Picked up more rebar and tried a few scoops with all bars in. Seems to work okay, ran it into the pile hard a few times to test and didn’t bend or break.

Only challenge seems to be knowing when it’s full and how far to tilt to get the rocks out. A helper or a mirror would probably make it more efficient.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Another landscaping project... Wife has wanted raised beds for vegetables and flowers for the past three houses and 25 years so it's really about time.

I had to put something together quickly a couple months ago to get the flowers in the ground and used some metal scraps I had around but quickly found out there was absolutely no way to have anything square that requires digging or driving anything into the ground. The result was a little disappointing so I will have to revisit it again next year.

For the vegetable beds, I figured a box sitting on top would eliminate the issue of hitting rocks so I built 6 of these. I Around here untreated wood will rot away in a couple years and I didn't want treated wood in the soil where food is growing so I used more of the used metal I had around and built these with virtually all of the PT wood separated from the soil by the metal. Since they sit on top, they are square and I can put them exactly where I want.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Finally got around to running some steps along the wall to make getting up and down the hill more manageable in winter.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Lazy to update as always. Got a fence on the top of the wall last month and with the frosty weather the steps are a big improvement to slippery grass that rapidly turns to mud in the constant wet and cold.

Made use of a lot of used pipe I had access to and just had to make some base plates to anchor to the blocks. I didn't want to have to look through a fence so I used 3/16 steel cable though I may go back and paint the posts black next summer to make it blend in a little more.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Stumbled across an old Toledo scale for free the other day. Only catch was it had to be removed from the loading dock it was countersunk into. Price was right and there was an old compressor as well so figured it was worth a look.

Compressor turned out to be a very large refrigeration unit and is just scrap but the scale is complete and just needs a little TLC. Scale base is about 4x6' and is still in the trailer but brought the head inside to get a better look.

 

[Pressingonward]

That scale is very cool, nice find!

Love your sig by the way.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Thanks, that was when I brought it home in pieces.

It’s cleaned up and put together and working just waiting for some glass, trim and paint.

Now I need to figure out what to do with it.

 

[TomcoPDR]

Seems to work pretty well. Still need to add a permanent brace and something to hold it in the bucket.

Nice jig. And it works well

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Worked fairly well but the dirt needs to be quite dry and it was a pain to get the clear dirt out.

I ended up covering the bottom 12” so I could dump the rocks without losing dirt. Then a pivot pin in the top and a
lock pin to release the bottom so it could swing out to dump the dirt easier.

Seemed kind of slow and tedious until I tried doing some by hand. Did about 15 yds in about 5 hours spread over several weeks. No idea how well a grizzly would’ve worked but would need a big one for the size of the bucket.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Finally getting around to burying power and water to the shop past the wall. Added a riser to the septic tank clean out while I had the grass all dug up too.

The backhoe on the Kubota saved me a ton of work and it is slow and small
enough that I was able to do 90% of this with the tractor and not a shovel. You can bet I was careful and took very small passes.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Well, I've been working myself up to build out the right side of the shop and move the welders, lathe and other metalworking tools out there to keep the mess out of the main shop and away from the lift and thought I had a plan but then came a deal you can't refuse.

Original plan was to build a flat roof and make it into a deck with a door off my upstairs office. I'd just be able to get 8' inside but I figured I could live with that and I'd enjoy being able to sit outside the office when I needed a break. Did I mention the deal? A 21x34 commercially built bridge crane became available free - I only had to remove it from the building it was in... Well, it pretty much was the building it was in but that was being demolished anyway so it wasn't too tough to drop it to the ground.

So now my 8' ceiling is looking a lot less tolerable. It didn't take too much consideration to determine I want a crane a lot more than a deck so a little erasing and stretching in sketchup and I think I have a workable plan for a lean to roof similar to the trailer parking. I framed in an 8x8 doorway in the back corner of the main shop when I built it that will give inside access and I'll put a door up to keep the mess contained. I should be able to get 10' for the low wall and a 9' door while keeping the floor within an inch or two of the main shop.

I have a busy next six weeks with work but hope to get everything ready to start on this in September. Framed and roofed will be a good start, then I can work on a slab and finishing out of the weather.

Old plan:



New plan:

 

[jollygreengiant]

Nice build you have there! I really like the green siding against the wood.

Question, could you post pics of the door you built? I was reading your posts when you were building it but there are no pics showing, I'm assuming they have expired wherever you hosted them? I'm thinking about building a set of carriage doors for my building and would love to see how you built yours. TIA.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Hmm, maybe they have, I will have a look and replace them as soon as I get a chance.

EDIT: wow, lots of pics missing. I’ll try to go back and fix it up.

 

[hysinthius]

I haven't been on here in a while. thought I would check out some builds as i am finally about to start mine. This is just amazing. I think I might have said wow a few times out loud. Thanks so much for providing this.

J

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Nice build you have there! I really like the green siding against the wood.

Question, could you post pics of the door you built? I was reading your posts when you were building it but there are no pics showing, I'm assuming they have expired wherever you hosted them? I'm thinking about building a set of carriage doors for my building and would love to see how you built yours. TIA.

Went back through and replaced as many missing pictures as I could find on my hard drive. A few posts still missing pictures but most are there.

 

[jollygreengiant]

Went back through and replaced as many missing pictures as I could find on my hard drive. A few posts still missing pictures but most are there.

Awesome, thanks!

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

After much measuring and re-sketching I've concluded I can get the ceiling height I need for the crane and still end up with a deck and additional finished space. Will get started on concrete as soon as the weather allows but looking at lumber prices I may wait for prices to improve before I get too far on framing.







The top of the new slab will be 12" lower than the existing shop so I will need a small ramp but it works out that I will get a 10' ceiling inside. On the outside, I will need to raise the lowest spot in the back corner about 18" and lower the highest spot in the opposite corner about 3" so it works out well. I' had drawn the door halfway to the back of the finished area however this will be pushed to the front corner so the step up is not in the middle of the room and I may also move the front wall forward for another 4' of inside space and less outside space.

Got started raising the low corner and the drainage collection box before the snow last week and this week I got started on trenching for the footing before the rain:

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Trying to make a clean level bottom in this trench with my little backhoe on the Kubota was almost impossible with the digging bucket I have so after much googling without success (possibly because I have no idea what it would be called) I put this together to change my digging bucket into a cleanup bucket.

It fits tight on the teeth and the 5/16" plate is supported by the teeth so it shouldn't put much stress on the two mounting bolts. It's not for digging anyway so it should hold up even if it's not pretty.

 

[offroadtoad]

Awesome job Murray

Just read your thread from start to finish. It is great being able to see someone’s vision come to reality. It also goes to show how much time and energy is needed to see the project through.

Keep posting your progress.

Happy New Year

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Thanks. I have too many projects and not enough time like most people so it’s been a long haul. Hopefully get some good weather in the spring to get going early.

I look at some of these fancy shops with everything finished and clean and cant imagine ever getting to that stage.

Hoping with this final addition I can put things away in their final locations and start being able to find them again.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Finally got started on the addition - just in time for material prices to go through the roof. Thinking I will get the concrete done and see where prices go in the Fall before I continue with framing.

If nothing else, I can start assembling the bridge crane once the concrete sets up.

 

[jollygreengiant]

You're not kidding about material prices. I picked up 8 2x4x14' and it was almost $200!!!

We are waiting for material prices to drop too. Hopefully it happens sooner rather than later.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Took a while to organize but finally got the concrete done today. Now the waiting to power trowel and make sure no animals walk over it before I put up some safety barrier.

Hopefully lumber prices come back to earth so I can build something on it.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Well, now we're gettin' somewhere - prices have finally dropped enough to buy some lumber and get started. Now that I'm committed I have to get it closed up before the really bad weather sets in but motivation is good.

It worked out that I got my 10' ceiling underneath and the step up out of the exiting office will be a landing flush with the joists and won't interfere with the crane. I end up with a 12" drop from the existing shop floor in the back corner which I can build a ramp up to 12' if necessary. Based on visualizing with a couple 2x4s I think a 12" drop over 8 or 9' will be fine.

 

[Pressingonward]

Enjoying following your progress. Glad to hear lumber prices are finally coming back down to earth.

Any concerns with snow loads on your flat roof deck, or is that not an issue in your area? My knowledge of Canadian geography and weather is pretty limited

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Only the front 1/3 is flat - it will be a deck, the back 2/3 will have a second storey with a vaulted ceilings matching the existing roofline. There are some sketch up renderings of what I planned a few posts back. The finer details have changed a little as I go but the idea is the same.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Another Saturday and got the floor joists done and some of the decking. The old JD400 sure beats pushing plywood up the ladder. Came in handy to lift the beam too.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Decking finished and started on the walls today. Starting to look like the picture in my mind.

 

[racer-john]

Nice progress.