Australian workshop - big plans in a small space

[sams]

metalhead140: sure I can post some updates. First up will be that bench I was working on. Apart from not bothering to finish my top drawer the rest is done and it works awesome! I will take some pictures for you soon. Other than that I have my Bridgeport style King Rich mill in place and running off single phase and I also have a new shed up that I have only recently finished my shelves off with.

rixtrix1: Good guess! 20mm angle and RHS/SHS. In hindsight 25mm/1" angle would of been the better choice, less prone to bend out of shape and also it would provide more of a lip to stop larger diameter bars from rolling off when bumped. Now Ric, I used some modest MDF/craftwood panels that are only about 6 to 8mm thick. However due to the narrow depth of the shelves it's never a problem. These where freebies due to being former packing pieces for truck parts.

-Sam

 

[1/2 Cup]

Looking forward to seeing your updates

 

[metalhead140]

Excellent, look forward to the pics! I thought you may be gone never to be seen again, which would be a shame given all the great ideas and work in this thread. Out of interest, what sort of parts are you making to sell?

 

[Tonus72]

Subscribed.

A great space...

Tony

 

[3/4tonYJ]

great space utilization.......
like your unique ideas, i might have to borrow a couple

 

[sams]

metalhead140: I am one very patient person, sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed by things but eventually get back to it. I really should of made some updates sooner though. I make/get made some conversions parts, mostly to put a formerly front wheel drive Toyota engine into a rear wheel drive cars. I purposefully use a different username than everywhere else and don't mention my business name on here. This is due to the fact that someone may search for me, find this thread and get put off by the fact that my parts come out of a well set up garage, but still a garage instead of a proper workshop or factory. I was concerned that some people might change their opinion of what I offer because of it. I can happily sent you a private message with the details if you're interested.

3/4tonYJ: as I said before to others, take any idea you like, on the condition that I get to see a photo of the finished result.

 

[sams]

Now as for my fabrication bench here is an old photo:



I really disliked making these drawers this time, I cursed and said never again as I worked on them. Can't remember if I mentioned it before- I used steel bottoms to reduce the space between each drawer to fit them closer together and hence have more room.


Now todays photos:





Top drawer still isn't completely done, I just don't want to know about it right now, I will get to it eventually.

Vice is really nice to use, it's as low as possible without the back hitting the table when it swivels around on its axis. Also not visible in the photo is I have a nice clear access all around the outside of it.

Table has welded on nuts with bolts in them for each of it's feet, from which I adjusted it till it was as close to level as what I could measure. The top of the table is also very flat, I went to a lot of trouble to achieve this.

My trike slowly comes together with it's increasingly elaborate jig. I like this table to be kept close to clear as much as possible in the front half, however I am happy for my trike to sit there till it's done, it's rarely a bother to me there.

On the left side of this bench behind the end of the drawer housing I have a single shelf divider, some gear goes directly on the ground and the rest goes on the shelf. The other side of the bench was made with an opening so that it could be used like a desk. Obviously this isn't how it can be used right now, but down the track it would be good. In the meantime I put some bulky items in there.

I also down the track will weld in dividers in these drawers, another reason for the metal bottoms panels

 

[metalhead140]

Nice bench! I would be interested to find out what you're making if you send me a pm. I can make some assumptions as to which Toyota engine from earlier pics. I actually have a Dellows bellhousing to fit a Toyota T50 box behind the original BMC engine in my MG. I've had no end of trouble with it, can't seem to get more than a few thousand kms out of it before I have issues with the clutch not releasing properly. Would be very interested to see what sort of parts you are turning out in your workshop!

Cheers,

Andrew.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Thanks for the update, getting those draws right would be a pain, youve done well.

 

[muibubbles]

great thread! love the skinny shelf for the material stock

 

[Tex Arcana]

Subscribing. Love the ideas.

 

[sams]

Nice bench! I would be interested to find out what you're making if you send me a pm. I can make some assumptions as to which Toyota engine from earlier pics. I actually have a Dellows bellhousing to fit a Toyota T50 box behind the original BMC engine in my MG. I've had no end of trouble with it, can't seem to get more than a few thousand kms out of it before I have issues with the clutch not releasing properly. Would be very interested to see what sort of parts you are turning out in your workshop!

Cheers,

Andrew.

Dellows make complete ****. I saw one of their 4A to Supra box adapters- it was an abomination and will not work with re-engineering the clutch release. Also they didn't allow for the fact that engine engine is tilted 5 degrees so the gearbox ends up twisted instead and stressing the mounts as well as leaning the gear stick over. I think you will find you have a bad misalignment or something else stupid like that.

I will send you a PM



For everyone else I have more updates which I need to take pictures of.

-Sam

 

[rixtrix1]

Thanks for the update, getting those draws right would be a pain, youve done well.

Ditto on this. Time to start working on projects.

 

[metalhead140]

Dellows make complete ****. I saw one of their 4A to Supra box adapters- it was an abomination and will not work with re-engineering the clutch release. Also they didn't allow for the fact that engine engine is tilted 5 degrees so the gearbox ends up twisted instead and stressing the mounts as well as leaning the gear stick over. I think you will find you have a bad misalignment or something else stupid like that.

I will send you a PM



For everyone else I have more updates which I need to take pictures of.

-Sam

I can't disagree with you there. Will PM you. Looking forward to further updates!

 

[Mattty]

which lathe do you prefer the hercus or hafco? I have a hercus and was going to upgrade to a hafco, but after seeing your hercus with the DRO , i am not sure what to do. i want to make a model steam engine, which lathe do think is best suited

Thank Matt

 

[BBChevro]

Great thread sams, a lot of good storage ideas.

In post #168 I can see your engine winch on the floor, did you have a problem with it?

Keep up the good work.

Mark

 

[Nursepeter1973]

Hi there,
Can I ask where you got the drawer slides from? I am mulling over a similar principle for my workbench (like what 1/2 Cup did)... would much prefer to do a full width drawer but am uncertain if the slides are good enough(they are rated to 45kg each allegedly) http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/231174419502?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

[sams]

Sorry for the delay everyone, have had lots on.

Matt: the chinese made AL-335 Hafco was rubbish, I preferred the Hercus. However now that I have a Taiwanese made Hafco it leaves the Hercus for dead. If you have the ability and patience to do so then using your existing Hercus and converting it to have a read out would be pretty effective. I need something that can handle more load, for steam engine parts if it's benchtop then it's unlikely that you do.

BBChevro: yes I did, because I was short on time I swapped it with one I had saved for another project. The way it died is when I tried to use it, it could only go down but not up. I was told it was a bad idea leaving a 190kg weight hanging off it for a few weeks. I plan on taking it apart and having a proper look at it in due time.

Nursepeter1973: I bought my from a place called the "Plyboard distributor", those ones on ebay look very similar


-Sam

 

[sams]

A view inside my new shed.



These shelves are taller they look, the top boards are 2.1M (7') by memory. They each have a dyno-bolt to the wall so I can use them like a ladder for whenever the need arise.

The lights are obviously up and are working, despite being a small space I have 4 of these fittings. Much like my garage storage corner I will need a lot of light due to it having so much crammed in. Each light fitting has two of 28W T8 to T5 adapters. I know these adapters are a false economy in terms of saving money, I don't care about that but rather that is turns on instantly. Also they where all for free. I need to put some cable ties up obviously to get these leads out of the way.

Of note I have no light switch in any form. Rather I put in a movement sensor, I like it so much I want to do the same for my other storage area.

Another 20V laying around on the ground, I need to take the crank out of it to see if it's any good.

I will see if I can take a photo of my milling machine tomorrow, it looks quite good where it's sitting now.


- Sam

 

[BBChevro]

The movement sensor is a great idea - it reduces the risk of putting your hand on a giant spider while groping around for the switch.

 

[Kwikasfaki]

Any news lately?

 

[sams]

yes lots, I need to take some more photos and make a post. I am quite busy at the moment so it may take me a little while.

 

[Scottishross]

Stunning garage mate

Love the storage ideas

 

[Lyndon]

I've just found this thread, and it's a good read. I don't post much, but I do like the work your doing with your storage areas.

How does the garage look overall now that the sheds are giving you all that extra storage?

Keep up the great work, and posting it here.

Lyndon
From sunny Sydney (well it is today anyway).

 

[Flinter.50cal]

Re: My unfinished garage in Vic/Australia

OK...so far easy to understand, where do you buy these containers from?

Just found this thread through Pinterest. Very glad I did!
Sam, I love your shop! I'm a sorter by nature and you've done a grand job.

The slim storage boxes can also be found in the fishing department of Fleet Farm or similar home/farm supply stores. They're in the tackle box section. Our local store has them for around $5-$7. Some times you get lucky and there is a BOGO.

Another source is home sewing centers like Joanne Fabrics. Check out the craft projects storage department. These are pricier but sometimes they're on sale for 50% off which gets them close to the farm store price (for the same slim size). The advantage to these is that the dividers are adjustable and various depths (height) and inner bin sizes are available.

For those that like things to match, my two local sources (Joanne Fabrics and Fleet Farm) have boxes which are nearly identical in appearance.

 

[hachiroku]

wow, nice shop Sam. Hello from AE86DC, lol

 

[Justanoldguy]

Cool ideas Sam.
Keep em coming.

 

[Jo Diesel]

You sir are inspiring. I have a large shop but need to start condensing as I have run out of room and plan on using some of you ideas. KUDOS

 

[Cris B]

Thanks for bumping this - so many good ideas and inspiration in this thread, I've just read the whole thing again from start to finish.

 

[stg454]

Great ideas. I'd like to start getting in machine work.

 

[jinjaninja]

love the work old mate... place is coming along nicely!!!

 

[commonut]

Just found this thread via Pinterest. Love it, great work. Interested in seeing how you converted your new mill to single phase if you have any pictures of the progress. (and if you still come on here that is!)

 

[Terrick down Under]

I am always amazed how so many people find this forum in so many different ways. Maybe this metric system, has some good points.
Keep up the pics, we are waiting!

 

[jantar]

Re: My unfinished garage in Vic/Australia

ok as requested, this won't be the best description but here goes:

right all you need is two uprights out of just about any material. They need to spaced apart enough so that it's wider than the tubs you wish to fit in and the width of the angled sections, allow a bit extra to make it easy to pull in and out.

Here is mine:

I have two RHS sections going up on the outside but that's only because I wanted a wooden front pannel.

Hi Sam,

Thanks for the great thread and sharing your ideas.

A very basic question, going back to one of your early posts, what did you find was the best way to attach the uprights to the brick wall?

Thanks

 

[sams]

My appologies to those who posted on here that I didn't get back to and thanks for all the kind words said, I have had nothing but positive experiences on here.

Now over here a lot of stuff has happened, but that aside I have decided that from here on I will be doing some updates again. A decent amount of changes have been made and it's looking better than it has for many years.

How does the garage look overall now that the sheds are giving you all that extra storage?

It took a while but I was able to finish my huge drawers and the shelving unit in my shed. On top of that I did some other upgrades in my garage itself. So to answer your question things have improved significantly. I will post some pics.

Just found this thread through Pinterest.

Just found this thread via Pinterest. Love it, great work. Interested in seeing how you converted your new mill to single phase if you have any pictures of the progress. (and if you still come on here that is!)

I am a bit confused here, I don't have an account with Pinrest so I am curious as to what on that is linked to me? I am not at all familiar with how Pinrest works at all. So if someone could please explain or link to it.

Commonut: I used a chinese variable speed drive, these accept a single phase in and 3-phase out. I am happy to share more information should you still need it after all this time.

Cool ideas Sam. Keep em coming.

That I will thanks

You sir are inspiring. I have a large shop but need to start condensing as I have run out of room and plan on using some of you ideas. KUDOS

I get satisfaction in people being able to use my ideas, as I have said before I am all about sharing ideas instead of keeping secrets which only help myself. Should you use any of my ideas I would like to see how it works out, be it via giving me a link or otherwise.

Hi Sam, A very basic question, going back to one of your early posts, what did you find was the best way to attach the uprights to the brick wall?

Good question, for better or worse this workshop has solid bricks. That means I can drill wherever I want. For light loads I use wall plug cord that I cut to the lengths and dyna-bolts for heavy load. Or did you mean something other than my conduit fittings and so on?

 

[sams]

Due to how many updates have been made there is a lot to show and explain. So what I plan to do is for now show zoomed out photos with just the basic info. Then if it's worth explaining further I will post better photos with proper descriptions. As usual I want to make people think and give people ideas that they can hopefully use them self.

As always if anyone has any photos they want to see or want to know more about something then feel free to ask. I don't plan on leaving for a long time like I did last time.

I am happy to say that my bench is as good as ever and the only update I have done to it is to drill the holes that are visible in the front cross brace under the top plate. This is so I can slide in and bolt down a custom made dispenser for a large packing paper roll. When fitted in place it sticks out the left side and I temporarily move the drill press across a little. I am happy to say that the bench top being empty like this is it's normal state. I might fill it up and sometimes leave it like that overnight but it's emptied the next time I go out there.

- The lighting system is unfinished, hence the unprofessional cabling and multi-adapter on the wall.

- The shelf above the two small drill presses is new, this is very handy as it keeps my flat-pack boxes within arms reach when I am packing my orders.

- Also new is the T-handles and rag tray bolted to the wall. I did this as I found that these were used often enough that I needed them in close reach at all times but I didn't want them to be permanently living on my bench top and taking up my valuable space. Another thing is my remote controlled fan that has been mounted up top and also a second shelf that doesn't have it's board mounted to it yet. This is hard to see but is in the left close to the ceiling.

 

[sams]

Finally a view of my machining center corner, there's lot to see in this photo so I will have to cover most of it another time. From front left and going clockwise around:

- Engine + stand: This used to held on my proper engine stand with a custom adapter to hold it at 90 degrees to it, but I needed it to put another engine on there. So I made this rather crude stand on caster wheels instead. It's mounted like this because I needed to be able to test fit and measure it with a flywheel and bellhousing bolted up and you can't do that with a normal engine stand. The purple thing bolted to the head is a 3D printed prototype manifold.

- Bolt storage (back left): Still going good but ironically it doesn't even come close to being able to hold the fasteners I need to keep in stock now, so I had to make something else which I will cover another time.

- Marking out table + height gauge

- Lathe table (middle): More info this later.

- Hydraulic press: This is the red thing that's hiding right at the back.

- King Rich milling machine (back corner): This is an excellent machine and despite it's sheer size doesn't take up that much room due to how I have situated it.

- Lathe: Still going strong and without any issues. The swarf pile on the other hand seriously needs to be taken care of. I have just ignored it and kept on stomping it back and down. I have joked before that if I keep on going the way I am with it and keep on kicking it that I will eventually end up with a big solid block.

- Mill/drill: This has been fitted to a custom cradle to lift it up over the step and back . I don't normally use that door but when I do I can still get around the machine for access. I plan on making a custom drawer on wheels to go under it. Hiding behind it is a rather dangerous toy that doesn't get used any more.

 

[1/2 Cup]

sams, thank you for the update..


I need to do a similar 90 degree adaptor plate for my engine stand like yours.

Out of interest what was the 3D manifold printed from?

We are doing Metallic Additive printing in conjunction with the CSIRO at the moment.

Regards

 

[Grumblebum]

What a great workshop and design for setup sams. Ironically I had only found your thread yesterday looking at cabinet ideas as I'm adding to mine at the moment then saw you hadn't been active for a while.

I don't use Pinterest but is basically just a pin board site where you tag and pin pics etc of stuff you like, sort of like a layout board. So I think what happens is that your public showing pics get picked up by Google search (this is how I found your thread) and people have added them as favourites under garage organisation etc. if you google search "garage journal cabinets" and look at the images you will see what I mean.

Are you happy with the vertical depth of the individual drawers on the first set you made ? I'm making a set to sit inside an existing cupboard but am aiming for the best surface area.

Hope to see you on here for a while.

Cheers GB.

 

[sams]

sams, I need to do a similar 90 degree adaptor plate for my engine stand like yours.

Out of interest what was the 3D manifold printed from?

If you look carefully you can see a large diameter pipe just under the sump flange of that engine on the left hand side, before I cut this pipe off this used to extend outwards and slot into my conventional engine stand. I also had it spaced down so that the crank could fully turn which was necessary for my work.

I only use PLA with my 3D printing, it's simple, easy and better dimensional stability than ABS. My 3D printer is a modified Flashforge Creator Pro, it wasn't so great initially but with the mods it's bizarrely reliable.

What a great workshop and design for setup sams. Ironically I had only found your thread yeaterday looking at cabinet ideas as I'm adding to mine at the moment then saw you hadn't been active for a while.

I don't use Pinterest but is basically just a pin board site where you tag and pin pics etc of stuff you like, sort of like a layout board. So I think what happens is that your public showing pics get picked up by Google search (this is how I found your thread) and people have added them as favourites under garage organisation etc. if you google search "garage journal cabinets" and look at the images you will see what I mean.

Are you happy with the vertical depth of the individual drawers on the first set you made ? I'm making a set to sit inside an existing cupboard but am aiming for the best surface area.

Hope to see you on here for a while.

Cheers GB.

So that's how it works, thanks for explaining that.

I still need to show my new bulk quantity fastener storage so stay tuned, it's nothing overly unique this time though.

Generally those draws work well for me, apart from the bottom one if anything I want more of with those is deeper drawers. But for the purpose that they do they don't need to be improved.