Building my ultimate Lista work bench

[LXCam]

And then it was time to start on the hose reel stuff. First order of business was cleaning up the spray boom job I did a couple decades ago. I only blasted off the scaled paint and the rust. I kinda figured looks really didn't matter, but preservation did. And because I didn't want to take the time to completely disassemble everything I needed to seal the spring cavity.

I thought I'd use hot glue, but didn't have any. And tape wouldn't have worked. So I took some plastic welding rod and melted it in with the help from a widow screen tool. I was floored, it worked great.

Also I protected the bronze bush on the ratchet side with a plug. That way I could blast the gear assembly.

And after the second spray bomb ordeal, that melted in place seal popped right out.

Then it was time to start on the carrier. I went extra think on the flange just incase the bearing doesn't work out, I can mortise in some sealed bearings around the perimeter.

So I know it was like a million pictures ago, but this assembly was originally a double sided reel, lucky for me as all I needed to do was a mild mod to the shaft and cut it down.

The retractor catch had seen better days. Even the best of the two was wore the frick out. The pivot was wasted and so was the catch. So I reamed it out and installed a new bushing.

The next step was to finish up the axle modifications. First was the detent that keeps it from rotating. I also drilled and tapped what is now the top so the vertical load wasn't on the set screw. I left it long just in the event something doesn't work out so good and just used washers to shim it up.

Got the bracket installed hopefully forever.

And got the reel up there so I could test out if all this **** worked. I need to rebuild the pneumatic swivel before I install it other wise I'd have dug just wiping this out tonight. Maybe tomorrow I can get that done and load some hose on it.

 

[hawaiiysr]

Loving this box build. Good job!

 

[Scottwi]

I just came across this thread and have to say it makes me want to start over with all the ideas I have for my box/bench.

Great build!

 

[LXCam]

Loving this box build. Good job!

I just came across this thread and have to say it makes me want to start over with all the ideas I have for my box/bench.

Great build!

Thanks again guys, Its been a lot of fun putting this together.

This afternoon I'm supposed to do something I thought in a million years I'd never do but I guess it's who does the asking. You ready for this bs, I'm doing a air ride on a fricking minivan for the head of marketing for Chrysler. Ugg!!

 

[dittle fart around]

Hope no one minds, I'm going to try and break some of these pic's over to another page. With all the ones I've loaded on this one, it's got to be a major PITA to load.

If you save your photos on a Garage Journal album in your User Control you can use them on different threads. Or you can copy and paste from one thread to another.

 

[dagooos]

Than came out nice! first class!

 

[BPJOOP93]

You sir have done an awesome job. I probably missed it but what do u do for a living?

 

[LXCam]

If you save your photos on a Garage Journal album in your User Control you can use them on different threads. Or you can copy and paste from one thread to another.

Hum, I'll try that out thanks for the tip D

Than came out nice! first class!

Thanks Dagoos

You sir have done an awesome job.�� I probably missed it but what do u do for a living?

Much appreciated BP. I'm a construction consultant and specialize in jail construction mainly integrated systems, control and constructability resolution. I also have a performance business that's more a hobby anymore then a job. The car stuff is what I luv the best, but the other lets me afford health care coverage and food...........and in that order I might add


So, speaking of car stuff typical of all car related things....the fricking parts didn't come in. They were supposed to be in last Friday now it's going to be a mad futher mucking rush to make the delivery Friday for the Saturday unveiling. And people wonder why I don't so this as a living.


But on a brighter note, I busted *** on the table again today all though it doesn't look like I got much accomplished. It's amazing how long details can take.

I got the swivel rebuilt. That entailed cleaning and polishing out the corrosion so the O-rings would seal good.








And after spending a hour or so trying to dig together parts for the regulator I finally gave up and headed to HF for a new one. That sucked as I have several laying around, but either they are 1/2" or 1/8 and 1/4. I wanted a full 3/8" set up to maximize the flow, but my 1/2" stuff was far to big to fit into the panel area. Then I spent another hour digging through the junk drawers for fittings. So it ain't pretty, but fug it no one will ever see this stuff but you guys.



Then my next disappointment was the panel material. I could have sworn I had some 1/8" aluminum that was big enough to fit it. But obviously not. So I grabbed some 16g SS and ended up regretting that choice. You know those days when you should just walk away, well today was that day. My dies in my knock out set had seen much better days then to tackle this panel. I killed three pilot drill bits getting greedy and busted one tap while doing the hose guide thingy. Of course it was the first hole so I couldn't change anything and had to complete the other three before removing and fixing that issue.

Anyhow, I'm done wining all in all it's not as nice as I wanted it to turn out. I really don't care for the hose guide thingy so maybe I'll lathe up some bezels to cover this stuff. And if you're wondering the reason the top and bottom return lip on the panel face is so I can bolt it top and bottom where the screws can't be accessed with the cart in place.







I'm thinking tomorrow I should be able to complete the tubing work underneath and then get the side panel at least cut to size.

 

[Strouty]

Looks really nice, I love the color and your attention to detail is great. Those little things always kill way more time than you ever think.

 

[Duker]

Hum, I'll try that out thanks for the tip D







Thanks Dagoos







Much appreciated BP. I'm a construction consultant and specialize in jail construction mainly integrated systems, control and constructability resolution. I also have a performance business that's more a hobby anymore then a job. The car stuff is what I luv the best, but the other lets me afford health care coverage and food...........and in that order I might add





So, speaking of car stuff typical of all car related things....the fricking parts didn't come in. They were supposed to be in last Friday now it's going to be a mad futher mucking rush to make the delivery Friday for the Saturday unveiling. And people wonder why I don't so this as a living.





But on a brighter note, I busted *** on the table again today all though it doesn't look like I got much accomplished. It's amazing how long details can take.



I got the swivel rebuilt. That entailed cleaning and polishing out the corrosion so the O-rings would seal good.

And after spending a hour or so trying to dig together parts for the regulator I finally gave up and headed to HF for a new one. That sucked as I have several laying around, but either they are 1/2" or 1/8 and 1/4. I wanted a full 3/8" set up to maximize the flow, but my 1/2" stuff was far to big to fit into the panel area. Then I spent another hour digging through the junk drawers for fittings. So it ain't pretty, but fug it no one will ever see this stuff but you guys.

Then my next disappointment was the panel material. I could have sworn I had some 1/8" aluminum that was big enough to fit it. But obviously not. So I grabbed some 16g SS and ended up regretting that choice. You know those days when you should just walk away, well today was that day. My dies in my knock out set had seen much better days then to tackle this panel. I killed three pilot drill bits getting greedy and busted one tap while doing the hose guide thingy. Of course it was the first hole so I couldn't change anything and had to complete the other three before removing and fixing that issue.



Anyhow, I'm done wining all in all it's not as nice as I wanted it to turn out. I really don't care for the hose guide thingy so maybe I'll lathe up some bezels to cover this stuff. And if you're wondering the reason the top and bottom return lip on the panel face is so I can bolt it top and bottom where the screws can't be accessed with the cart in place.

I'm thinking tomorrow I should be able to complete the tubing work underneath and then get the side panel at least cut to size.

Geez..... It's been like 24 hours and no progress? What's up with that... Don't tell me you your slacking off trying to squeeze in a meal or two and God forbid a knap or worse "consulting!" Chop chop lets get some pics up on here!

Of course this coming from someone who can't tell you the last thing he completed!

It's looking great...had to bring your "A" game all the way on this one didn't you... Raising the bar for the rest of us!





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[LXCam]

Looks really nice, I love the color and your attention to detail is great. Those little things always kill way more time than you ever think.

Geez..... It's been like 24 hours and no progress? What's up with that... Don't tell me you your slacking off trying to squeeze in a meal or two and God forbid a knap or worse "consulting!" Chop chop lets get some pics up on here!

Of course this coming from someone who can't tell you the last thing he completed!

It's looking great...had to bring your "A" game all the way on this one didn't you... Raising the bar for the rest of us!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

OH YA??!!!.............well I'll show you there ain't been no slacking round these here parts. My *** had all flipping day to play around and why?!.....cause those car parts didn't arrive until 5:damn08 tonight.


So thankfully today is the last of it for a little while. Reason one, I need to do some work on the house and two..........it's 98.7% done.

The hard lines are wiped out.








The inlet I offset out the back and if I put a panel on the back, will just notch it.



And once that was done, it was finally time to get some hose on that biatch. Sounds pretty easy right and I guess it could have been but after taking a closer look at the old hose thought that abrasive wrap might be a good idea. So I used some heavy duty shrink tubing, the kind with adhesive and formed the 90 where it exits the inside of the reel and connects to the swivel.



Doesn't look as good as factory, but I can live with it.



And I even used some 1st grade math skills today when figuring out how much preload to give the reel based upon the length of the hose. Some one mentioned concerns about the hose falling off a while back and here's what I discovered. It does but only if you push the hose back into the cabinet. I just bought some POS HF 25ft hose to make sure this works ok and to find out just how long of a hose I could use. I'm going to get some 1/2" flexzilla and change out the fittings in the future to all 3/8". When that day comes I might go ahead and build a simple cradle to there's no way the hose can loop off the reel. Or not.




And once I got all that done, there was just no good reason not too finish up the side piece. I was soooo close I could taste it but I'll admit it took some effort to end this almost last major hurdle. I've finally reached that burned out stage of the game.


I had some 40" X 40" sheets of stainless, where I got them from I have no idea but they were in the pile and in good shape so I was very thankful my hoarding tendencies paid off during this project. After yesterdays BS drama I was very happy to whip out the plasma for this.



And once is was all cut up, twas time to drill. I kind of went overboard on the count, but the measurements just matched up so perfectly I couldn't help myself. With 5" on center, even my brain dead *** could not screw it up.

The only thing that sucked was those screws are all through bolted and I used nyloc nuts. That way you're not taking the panel off without grinding all the heads off. My issue being is for some damn reason I seem to only be one person and this would have been easier with two persons.

My index and middle finger on my left hand are only there for looks. They don't work no more. So doing almost anything with my left hand that requires dexterity is somewhat difficult. Had I built the cart stall on the left side, this would not have been a problem.






And guys here it is. Ya I'll be doing a couple more things in the future like making the electrical and air legit. Plus I want to fatten up the side uprights to 1" wide. Hell I might even build a matching upper cabinet but for now I'm done.

I can't thank you guys enough for the very kind props. There are some very talented fabricators on this board so your compliments are very much appreciated.

 

[ADSR]

That is just awesome! You really have some fab skills, my friend.

I will have to copy this at some point.

 

[Strouty]

Beautiful!

Now WTF is that screwdriver holding thingy???

Pictures please.

 

[akdiesel]

Work of art. Nicely done.
I just noticed one thing. On the right side you have about a 2" rise on your stainless top that holding your tape measures. Could this cause an issue with the vise handle with pinching of the hands?

 

[PoorOwner]

hi, can you share what cutting tools you use to cut the mild steel to build your stuff?

 

[LXCam]

My apologies for getting back here but that minivan project kicked my asssss and then there was a three day event to enjoy myself at.

That is just awesome! You really have some fab skills, my friend.

I will have to copy this at some point.

Thanks much LD

Work of art. Nicely done.
I just noticed one thing. On the right side you have about a 2" rise on your stainless top that holding your tape measures. Could this cause an issue with the vise handle with pinching of the hands?

Well the vise is just sitting there. I had thought about mounting it but in all honesty, it's just far too high to get any benefits or use it effectively. I'm going to get me a mini vise for this bench with soft jaws. I only need something that I can hold AN fittings or small items and not anything I need to beat on.

As for that 2" rise, I'm going to make a side skirt that will make that 1" wide and extend down even with the bottom of the front lip. I found some 16 gauge 4"W C channel in the rack of death last week to use. I'm thinking about doing that this week if my body decides it's up to it. The last few days took its toll.

Beautiful!

Now WTF is that screwdriver holding thingy???

Pictures please.

Damn Strouty, I thought much more highly of you before that question. Whyyyyyy it's a orange and silver screw driver thingy, gezzis man can't you tell.

Ah it's an old Klein pegboard display that I made some sheet metal sides and back for so I could use it in the top of my old HF 56" box. It works pretty good and handles a screwdriver up to 2ft long.

And I did this one for my SAE T handled allens. But one of these days I'm going to make a couple side pieces to help it stay upright. It's never fallen over, but it sure ain't the most stable thing I've ever built.

hi, can you share what cutting tools you use to cut the mild steel to build your stuff?

Well mostly my drop down band saw that's on page 3 or 4. And my most favorite tool in my shop, Milwaukee deep portaband. There isn't hardly a day go by one isn't in use.

 

[Strouty]

I should have known is was some custom awesomeness. Nice work on everything! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

 

[extropic]

Just read this whole thread. I'm exhausted.

It's all been said and I can't say it any better, but I'll just ad my thanks and congratulations on a super build. I hope whoever finds that unit, in some future millennium, has an appreciation of the detailed craftsmanship.

One question, I didn't understand the attachment of the SS top. Countersinks thru the top and flat head screws into the coupling nuts? Or???

Super build.

 

[LXCam]

Just read this whole thread. I'm exhausted.

It's all been said and I can't say it any better, but I'll just ad my thanks and congratulations on a super build. I hope whoever finds that unit, in some future millennium, has an appreciation of the detailed craftsmanship.

One question, I didn't understand the attachment of the SS top. Countersinks thru the top and flat head screws into the coupling nuts? Or???

Super build.

Thanks extropic. Yes the top is attached with counter sunk machine screws. Which reminds me, I still need to attach the top with counter **** screws.

I keep debating about building a hutch so I just haven't gone back to this aspect. I will say working out if it for the last few months as been a real pleasure.

 

[rmsg0040]

Just read through the whole thread, damn!

Awesome work

 

[alpinewhite]

Just read through the whole thread, damn!

Awesome work

Same. Dayum!!!! You're my metalworking idol now. ;-) Subscribed. Looking forward to more pics.

 

[M6erfan]

Impressive man!

 

[LXCam]

Just read through the whole thread, damn!

Awesome work

Same. Dayum!!!! You're my metalworking idol now. ;-) Subscribed. Looking forward to more pics.

Impressive man!

Thanks much guys!

 

[alpinewhite]

Great thread and project.

Sorry if I missed this info but here's my question:

Is this:
a) your personal shop at home?
b) a place of business that you own?
c) a place of business that you work at?

 

[LXCam]

Great thread and project.

Sorry if I missed this info but here's my question:

Is this:
a) your personal shop at home?
b) a place of business that you own?
c) a place of business that you work at?

Thanks AW. Welp, there's a boring story to the **** shack shop. When I closed my construction business and moved out of my building. I needed a temporary shelter solution for a few months while I sold the house as we were planning on relocating to Texas...that was 6 yrs ago

How this **** hole came about is pretty funny (well now it is). I was just 3 weeks from closing escrow on my building and a combo GC/electrical contractor was going to buy out my business. Well with 3 weeks to go he bails on the deal and I was left with a 20 year collection of stuff to deal with and no time to do it in. And renting storage was not going to happen. I had a 4ksqft warehouse filled with pallet racking 16ft high and had amassed so much **** I told him the day you come to get all this just bring a couple empty semi's and a few trucks. So there was no time to pull permits or build a new shop. I went out and bought a 40ft container to match the other one I already owned, poured some footings and 1 week after ordering a 18' X 40ft commercial rated garage port tossed it all together in a couple of days.

If it wasn't for the fact I still plan on moving I'd rip it down and build a 40 X 60 shop that I always planned for that area of the property.

 

[shortykorte]

Nice updates. Thanks for sharing the orange screwdriver thingy also.

 

[Terrick down Under]

L, just dropped by to check this out. Seeing what you said about mine, got me curious.
I am so happy I did, I am a fitter/machinist/toolmaker/welder by trade and absolutely hate having to by a tool ( sockets and ratchets etc. excluded of course). I love making things also, but watching people and seeing that they can't see the hidden stuff is a lot of fun. Your approach to these items is really refreshing and interesting.
Are you going to do a thread about the interim shop. I bet it is not bad at all.
You got me watching!

 

[LXCam]

Nice updates. Thanks for sharing the orange screwdriver thingy also.

Thanks SK

L, just dropped by to check this out. Seeing what you said about mine, got me curious.
I am so happy I did, I am a fitter/machinist/toolmaker/welder by trade and absolutely hate having to by a tool ( sockets and ratchets etc. excluded of course). I love making things also, but watching people and seeing that they can't see the hidden stuff is a lot of fun. Your approach to these items is really refreshing and interesting.
Are you going to do a thread about the interim shop. I bet it is not bad at all.
You got me watching!

Well coming from you terrick that's a hell of a compliment, thank you. But to answer your question, naw. I tossed that thing together in short order. It's fine, but nothing to brag about that's for damn sure. One of these days after I finish up a couple long outstanding projects I'll finish up the machine area, then I'll probably open my yap.

 

[ADSR]

Still my favorite build thread on GJ!

 

[slodat]

Great job!!

 

[matta5]

Incredible fab work, love your attention to detail.

 

[LXCam]

Thanks again guys!.

 

[jp_over]

Wow - excellent job!

 

[Carquest]

Read the whole thread today, as everyone else says, that is one mighty impressive build you have done! Thanks for sharing, great ideas even for those of us "fabrication challenged" .....

 

[Arps]

fantastic build. Great job!

 

[MG30]

TOP,TOP, TOP!
Subscribed.

 

[LXCam]

Wow thanks guys. I didn't even notice anyone had posted here in a while. I've also been giving a bunch of thought into some kind of upper cabinets with a tool backboard. So maybe sometime in the near future I'll get off my *** and do a bit more with her.

 

[K.Weber]

Nice set up dude!

 

[ADSR]

I haven't seen a tool box that can top this one.

 

[PugetDude]

LXCam- Just read through all 10 pages. Awesome build, fantastic fab skills, and a great job documenting the project. Thanks for sharing it with the GJ community.