An Airstream Workshop

[Bronson]

Airstreams are indeed extremely popular currently.

They were originally made in southern California, starting in 1936. Airstream founder Wally Byam expanded production to Ohio in 1952.
Production in SoCal ran from the late 1920's (Wally Byam made other trailers prior to forming Airstream...) until 1979.

We have a 1966 Streamline Empress, 28'. Streamline was started by a couple of Airstream engineers, and looked very similar, but with some neat differences such as the interior cabinetry is riveted aluminum, not plywood. And the cool center mounted tail light.

We found ours in a barn on a vineyard in Healdsburg. Restoring it to be a pool house/guest house.

I wondered who Wally Byam was...I took this pic the other day in Amarillo, Texas.

 

[Macrosloth]

He founded the company, Airstream Inc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_Byam

 

[sberry]

I have built a couple things out of trailers and they are a lot of work. Lots of stuff rammed in with glue and staples, lots of pieces in one, dam near as many as in a house.
Building a workshop in one doesn't excite me. It has character and is great for the guy that made it but there would need to be a biz reason for me and wouldn't start with an airstream if that was the case unless it was a marketing gimmick.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Seems like he could get by with a Taig lathe....not sure that saxophones really involve any especially long or wide parts....maybe a few rods here and there.

 

[Kevin54]

Airstreams are indeed extremely popular currently.

They were originally made in southern California, starting in 1936. Airstream founder Wally Byam expanded production to Ohio in 1952.
Production in SoCal ran from the late 1920's (Wally Byam made other trailers prior to forming Airstream...) until 1979.

We have a 1966 Streamline Empress, 28'. Streamline was started by a couple of Airstream engineers, and looked very similar, but with some neat differences such as the interior cabinetry is riveted aluminum, not plywood. And the cool center mounted tail light.

We found ours in a barn on a vineyard in Healdsburg. Restoring it to be a pool house/guest house.

Thank you for posting that. I never looked up the history of the Airstreams, but when I was little, around 6 years old (I was born in '56) there was a restaurant right in front of the Airstream factory, and my mom, dad, and I would go up there for a Sunday dinner, and I remember looking out and seeing all of the polished aluminum Airstreams. I thought back then that they were pretty cool. I'm not a camping person, but if I could find one for a good price, I would rebuild one for a flip, or just maybe take a few trips in it.

Down towards Springfield, Ohio, just a few minutes from me, there was a guy buying them up and refurbishing them. He's spend a few weeks with a buffer and polish, and when he was finished, they were shining like a mirror.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

I hope to pick up a two axle trailer (not an Airstream) within a year or two and gut it to rebuild into a mobile operations center for event usage. I think trailers are a good solution for mobile workshops if you need to move it at all and have the space, but going outside to the workshop on a cold day may be enough to keep me inside instead!

Still, if you have the space, not a bad idea.

Trailers are just roof leaks waiting to happen. It's their primary function.

 

[mauris69]

Very, very nice. Congrats!

 

[Sunbimmer]

Yep again, awesome. Thanks for sharing