HOTFR8
Banned
Still admiring your work Mike.
An Aussie Barn Build
- Thread starter Aussie Mike
- Start date
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Looking good.. keep it up
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
Now that the winter rain has eased up a bit I thought I'd better fix up the storm water connections to my tanks. When I fist ran them in I had the down pipes dropping over the edge of the slab. This proved to be a real pain when cutting the grass. I managed to damage one of the down pipes with the mower.
I figured I'd drill through the slab and drop the pipes through it, keeping them clear of the edge. I also get a bit of run off water from the neighbours place so thought I'd put some drainage in too. I've run aggi pipe in the trench and then covered it with scoria and then soil over that. It should stop any water hanging around or running under the slab.
I finished off another T56 Mid shift conversion the other day too. It turned out very nice.
My big steel work table is nearly done too, I've just got to finish painting it.
Cheers
Michael
I figured I'd drill through the slab and drop the pipes through it, keeping them clear of the edge. I also get a bit of run off water from the neighbours place so thought I'd put some drainage in too. I've run aggi pipe in the trench and then covered it with scoria and then soil over that. It should stop any water hanging around or running under the slab.
I finished off another T56 Mid shift conversion the other day too. It turned out very nice.
My big steel work table is nearly done too, I've just got to finish painting it.
Cheers
Michael
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1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Thanks for the progress report.
HOTFR8
Banned
Winter rain has eased ? It did not look like it here yesterday. Nice progress.
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
Same here yesterday. I'm glad I got all the pipe connections done on Sunday.
Cheers
Michael
HOTFR8
Banned
Yes we had a nice day here on Sunday as well. Would have been a perfect day to set all that up. Tanks full yet ?
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
All 3 tanks are well and truly full. I'm setting up a system to flush the downpipes on the house tank next. Also looking at setting up a first flush arrangement on the down pipes to the shed tanks.
The plumbing stuff is fun, like a big Lego set with all the pipe fittings. Digging trenches and holes *****. The ground is clay and hard digging. I borrowed a friends jackhammer to make the job a bit easier.
Cheers
The plumbing stuff is fun, like a big Lego set with all the pipe fittings. Digging trenches and holes *****. The ground is clay and hard digging. I borrowed a friends jackhammer to make the job a bit easier.
Cheers
HOTFR8
Banned
I have a system on the house that fills with water before it then backs up and into the pipes into the tanks. This allows me to flush the dirty water and not let the rubbish get into the tanks. Still have screen filters on top of the tanks. ( i think we spoke about this when we met at the swap I recall ).
I have also recently added a brass pipe fitting that allows me to pump water from the smaller house tanks to the bigger shed tanks and this in the summer is very handy as my house tanks fill so quickly.
I have also recently added a brass pipe fitting that allows me to pump water from the smaller house tanks to the bigger shed tanks and this in the summer is very handy as my house tanks fill so quickly.
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
My fabrication bench is pretty much done. Just got to give it a 2nd coat of paint (ran out). Unfortunately due to a bit of a miscalculation the top isn't quite how I wanted it. Silly me figured standard dimensions on full sheets of steel would be the same as the sheets of Aluminium I've been buying in the past. A sheet of Aluminium is slightly over 1200x2400 whereas steel seems to be bang on. This just meant I had to stitch an extra piece on the end of the bench. Still it won't affect how it works.
Starting to make up some fixtures to plug into the sockets now. The first one is for my tube notcher.
I figured it was time for an upgraded compressor. The Old McMillan MC12 I've had for more than 20 years worked fine but couldn't keep up with the demands of the sand blasting cabinet or the DA sander I bought a while back. I took it to the Shepparton swap meet with some other stuff the other week and sold it.
The new one is another McMillan but this one is a lot bigger. I figure stick with McMillan as I had a good run out of the old one.
Unfortunately the new one doesn't fit under the bench like the old one. I figured I better finish panelling the wall and fit a dedicated power point so it can sit beside the bench.
Cheers
Michael
Starting to make up some fixtures to plug into the sockets now. The first one is for my tube notcher.
I figured it was time for an upgraded compressor. The Old McMillan MC12 I've had for more than 20 years worked fine but couldn't keep up with the demands of the sand blasting cabinet or the DA sander I bought a while back. I took it to the Shepparton swap meet with some other stuff the other week and sold it.
The new one is another McMillan but this one is a lot bigger. I figure stick with McMillan as I had a good run out of the old one.
Unfortunately the new one doesn't fit under the bench like the old one. I figured I better finish panelling the wall and fit a dedicated power point so it can sit beside the bench.
Cheers
Michael
HOTFR8
Banned
All happening for you Mike. Looks like the Compressor is set up to lift with a Fork lift.
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Nice progress, as per usual.
The McMillan compressors are pretty good unit, the tanks are built in Echuca and they use the Italian made ABAC pump. I have a smaller version that's lasted for 25 years.
I went to the Shepp swap as well, what did you think of this years event??
The McMillan compressors are pretty good unit, the tanks are built in Echuca and they use the Italian made ABAC pump. I have a smaller version that's lasted for 25 years.
I went to the Shepp swap as well, what did you think of this years event??
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
Yep, I've been moving it with my pallet trolley but once it's in place it won't be moving.
Shep was OK but I thought numbers were down this year. It's a favourites of mine and me and a friend have the same 2 sites every year. We had our kids there this year so I spent most of my time at the site and didn't look round much. The kids had a cake stall this year and did well.
Cheers
Michael
Shep was OK but I thought numbers were down this year. It's a favourites of mine and me and a friend have the same 2 sites every year. We had our kids there this year so I spent most of my time at the site and didn't look round much. The kids had a cake stall this year and did well.
Cheers
Michael
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
I bought my old McMillan new about 22 years ago. It was the cast iron V-twin and was super reliable. Still going strong when I sold it. Funny thing was they still sell the same compressor new and it's hardly changed.
Cheers
Michael
Cheers
Michael
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
My first welding project on the fabrication bench. I built a trolley for my bandsaw/drop saw. I figure it'd be good to be able to move it to where I'm working or park it out of the way. The shelf at the bottom is for those handy off cuts that are just a bit to good to throw out.
We got a heap done today on the rest of the bay. We've now got lights in and working over that area. We also finished panelling with the 19mm flooring except for fitting one panel left out to help pull cabling through. Next is finishing the dado panelling and the corrugated iron.
It's school holidays so I had my daughter out helping me today. She had a great time and was doing all sorts of jobs. Nailing dado boards on with the nail gun and helping me pull cables etc. We'll be painting tomorrow.
Cheers
Michael
We got a heap done today on the rest of the bay. We've now got lights in and working over that area. We also finished panelling with the 19mm flooring except for fitting one panel left out to help pull cabling through. Next is finishing the dado panelling and the corrugated iron.
It's school holidays so I had my daughter out helping me today. She had a great time and was doing all sorts of jobs. Nailing dado boards on with the nail gun and helping me pull cables etc. We'll be painting tomorrow.
Cheers
Michael
tool-guy
Well-known member
I did the same thing with the walls of my shed, 19mm flooring. Easy to screw shelves to and good insulation. I'm just down the road from you in Toolern Vale.
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
Toolernvale is a nice spot. I was working out there about 22 years back. I built the roadside cabinet that delivers a bunch of the phone services there.
I tried the 19mm flooring on my old shed and loved the result so it was an easy decision for the new shed. I painted it with the old shed but wanted something different with this one.
Cheers
Michael
I tried the 19mm flooring on my old shed and loved the result so it was an easy decision for the new shed. I painted it with the old shed but wanted something different with this one.
Cheers
Michael
katotter
Well-known member
What a build, and amazing tools to boot.
Good on you.
Good on you.
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
Finished the wall off today. I got my old whiteboard hung up too. Handy for sketching ideas up.
Next job is to paint the floor and then I can put the skirting boards down.
Cheers
Michael
Next job is to paint the floor and then I can put the skirting boards down.
Cheers
Michael
80WTI_55_CHEV
Well-known member
Lookin nice mate.
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
Thanks guys, I'm very happy with how it's turning out. The floor is painted now so I can start moving things back to where they are supposed to be.
Cheers
Michael
Cheers
Michael
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
The floor is all done and the skirting board is installed. I'm starting to move stuff back in now.
I'm working on a flammables cabinet at the moment to safely store fuel for the mower and tractor along with paints etc.
Cheers
Michael
I'm working on a flammables cabinet at the moment to safely store fuel for the mower and tractor along with paints etc.
Cheers
Michael
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Awesome job, you should be very proud of it.
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
I'm really happy with how it's coming together. It's turning out even better than I imagined it.
Cheers
Michael
Cheers
Michael
katotter
Well-known member
Nice looking floor you got there man.
HOTFR8
Banned
Some one will have to say it. Looking very empty yet at the same time looking very neat and tidy.
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
Some one will have to say it. Looking very empty yet at the same time looking very neat and tidy.
How's this?
Moved a few things into position. I think Stiggy the tractor likes his flash new digs.
Got the flammables cabinet done. It just needs a couple of decals on the doors. I picked up a couple of old brown built cabinets for free a few years ago and had been storing junk in them. They had lots of little compartments in them. I stripped 1/2 of the shelves and partitions out of this one and braced up the remaining shelves. Add a lick of red paint and it looks pretty good.
That's enough shed improvements for a while. It's time to get back to working on the Cobra.
Cheers
Michael
HOTFR8
Banned
I bet that is a handy little tractor. Looks more 'lived in' or 'used' in that photo specially with that project in the back.
don long
Well-known member
Mike
I just got on board. I really like what you have there the wood and tin together looks fantastic
my work shop is almost the same building as yours it is 36' by 53' with the center section raised a couple feet for windows
I will be following along
thanks for posting
Don
I just got on board. I really like what you have there the wood and tin together looks fantastic
my work shop is almost the same building as yours it is 36' by 53' with the center section raised a couple feet for windows
I will be following along
thanks for posting
Don
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sikford
Member
Wow, this garage is fantastic. I'm only new on this forum but this build has given me some great idea, I'm in Melbourne as well and haven't long started to create my man shed. Will be making a build thread on it shortly.
Love the garage, keep up the good work
Cheers
Dan
Love the garage, keep up the good work
Cheers
Dan
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
Thanks Don, Your work shop is one of my favourites on here.
Welcome aboard Dan. There's lots of interesting stuff to see on this forum.
Cheers
Michael
Welcome aboard Dan. There's lots of interesting stuff to see on this forum.
Cheers
Michael
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
I like my music playing while I'm working in the shed. For a long time I've had my stereo set up on one of the shelves in my storage area. It was a case of just finding somewhere to put it at the time.
It worked OK but it was a pain to walk around the corner any time I wanted to change a track. Also when I'm in the machine shop working on the Lathe or Mill I couldn't hear it (Unless turned up to antisocial levels). After a session on the Mill on the weekend I decided it was time to do something about it.
First up was to mount the speakers in the area where I spend most of my time. I fabricated some swivel mounts that let me bolt the speakers to the wall and point them in the direction where I'm working.
They are up high out of the way and the cabling runs through the wall.
I knocked up a shelf for the amp and attached it to the wall next to the bench. This also gives me a handy spot to put my rechargeable work light and charger for the cordless drill. I've got an I-Pod dock and a connection for the MP3s on my phone.
I also had an old powered subwoofer stored away. I dug it out and put it under the bench where the compressor used to live. There's no shortage of good tunes now and the system sounds great without needing to turn the volume up to hear it in the machine shop.
Cheers
Michael
It worked OK but it was a pain to walk around the corner any time I wanted to change a track. Also when I'm in the machine shop working on the Lathe or Mill I couldn't hear it (Unless turned up to antisocial levels). After a session on the Mill on the weekend I decided it was time to do something about it.
First up was to mount the speakers in the area where I spend most of my time. I fabricated some swivel mounts that let me bolt the speakers to the wall and point them in the direction where I'm working.
They are up high out of the way and the cabling runs through the wall.
I knocked up a shelf for the amp and attached it to the wall next to the bench. This also gives me a handy spot to put my rechargeable work light and charger for the cordless drill. I've got an I-Pod dock and a connection for the MP3s on my phone.
I also had an old powered subwoofer stored away. I dug it out and put it under the bench where the compressor used to live. There's no shortage of good tunes now and the system sounds great without needing to turn the volume up to hear it in the machine shop.
Cheers
Michael
HOTFR8
Banned
Set up nicely.
80WTI_55_CHEV
Well-known member
Lookin great mike looks like stiggy is eyeing off his new motor transplant.
looks like stiggy is eyeing off his new motor transplant.Sunbimmer
Well-known member
Love what you did with the walls, looks great.
Very nice place you got there
And uhh....NAD
Very nice place you got there
And uhh....NAD
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
Thanks Guys,
It's a bomb site at the moment while I pull everything out of the shelving at the back of the shed. I figure there's a lot of junk in there that I just threw in to get out of the way when I moved in. Trying to get it organised so I can find stuff.
Going through boxes and discovering stuff I forgot I had. I found a couple of boxes full of abrasives and polishing mops that I'd been looking for. I'm trying to be brutal and just get rid of junk. There's now also a dedicated section for swap meet stuff so I don't have to ferret around looking for things to take in the week before.
The NAD amp is a 3240PE. I bought it about 23 years ago along with a very nice Yamaha PF800 turntable. It was the first decent amp I bought. These days it's all home theatre systems and such so an old stereo amp doesn't get a look in. I do most of my music listening in the workshop so the NAD amp is just the ticket. It might be a bit flash for a shed stereo but it would have just been sat in the spare room otherwise and I couldn't bear to sell it.
Cheers
Michael
It's a bomb site at the moment while I pull everything out of the shelving at the back of the shed. I figure there's a lot of junk in there that I just threw in to get out of the way when I moved in. Trying to get it organised so I can find stuff.
Going through boxes and discovering stuff I forgot I had. I found a couple of boxes full of abrasives and polishing mops that I'd been looking for. I'm trying to be brutal and just get rid of junk. There's now also a dedicated section for swap meet stuff so I don't have to ferret around looking for things to take in the week before.
The NAD amp is a 3240PE. I bought it about 23 years ago along with a very nice Yamaha PF800 turntable. It was the first decent amp I bought. These days it's all home theatre systems and such so an old stereo amp doesn't get a look in. I do most of my music listening in the workshop so the NAD amp is just the ticket. It might be a bit flash for a shed stereo but it would have just been sat in the spare room otherwise and I couldn't bear to sell it.
Cheers
Michael
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
Hi All, It's been a while since I updated this.
I've been a long time fan of guys like Keith Fenner from Turnwright engineering and Jodie fro Welding tips and tricks. They and some others have some awesome YouTube channels showing the stuff they do. You can learn a lot watching them.
I thought I might have a go at making a YouTube video of one of my projects. I had a job come into make some radial caliper mounts for some big AP 6 piston calipers. I decided to try and video the process.
Radial Caliper Mounts Part 1
Radial Caliper Mounts Part 2
Radial Caliper Mounts Part 3
Radial Caliper Mounts Part 4
Radial Caliper Mounts Part 5
Cheers
Michael
I've been a long time fan of guys like Keith Fenner from Turnwright engineering and Jodie fro Welding tips and tricks. They and some others have some awesome YouTube channels showing the stuff they do. You can learn a lot watching them.
I thought I might have a go at making a YouTube video of one of my projects. I had a job come into make some radial caliper mounts for some big AP 6 piston calipers. I decided to try and video the process.
Radial Caliper Mounts Part 1
Radial Caliper Mounts Part 2
Radial Caliper Mounts Part 3
Radial Caliper Mounts Part 4
Radial Caliper Mounts Part 5
Cheers
Michael
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1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
I have just browsed through the clips and will view them in full on the weekend but from I have seen that's awesome work and attention to detail Mike well done.
HOTFR8
Banned
Admiring your machine work Mike.
OP
Aussie Mike
Well-known member
Thought I better update this thread as I haven't added anything for a while.
A fem months back I got a 3KW solar system installed on the shed.
The panels are on the north west facing roof. I decided not to tilt them up as I reckon they look a bit ugly on a lot of the roofs around here. You can't easily see them from the ground so they don't spoil the line of the roof. In the end of the summer months they were producing a steady 2.8KW for most of the day. Being North west facing they don't really kick off till after 9AM but they catch a lot of the afternoon and late afternoon sun.
Cheers
Mike
A fem months back I got a 3KW solar system installed on the shed.
The panels are on the north west facing roof. I decided not to tilt them up as I reckon they look a bit ugly on a lot of the roofs around here. You can't easily see them from the ground so they don't spoil the line of the roof. In the end of the summer months they were producing a steady 2.8KW for most of the day. Being North west facing they don't really kick off till after 9AM but they catch a lot of the afternoon and late afternoon sun.
Cheers
Mike
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