Below 265 SQ/FT Clint's Kiwi Shed

[ClintNZ]

About time I got a few pics of my place up on here... When I bought my old place 6 years ago a big part of the attraction was the double garage. It was 6x9m or 20'x30' with a 6x6m garage area plus a 6x3m side room. Somewhere to make stuff, to maintain the fleet & a home for the toys. Over time I added lots of improvements to make the place tidier & more functional.



Usual residents are a KTM 640 Enduro dual sport motorcycle & a somewhat modified Toyota Landcruiser LJ71.



The first thing I did was paint the floor with a basic water based concrete paint. Not the most durable stuff but most of it has held & it fitted the budget at the time. Next up was to put in some panels behind where the workbench was going. I used to work at an MDF mill so I had a few sheets in stock. Some lighting was also installed early on as there was nothing. Selected some paint to match the KTM



I had a good start with some stuff from my parents old farm, the big solid bench & the good 'ol Record No5 vice. I later added the steel top to make the area safer for welding.

Also from the farm & installed early on were the white box / shelves for storage.





One of the filing cabinets has been converted to a rubbish bag holder, the other is storage. Around the time I was getting the shed organised my girlfriends workplace was having a big remodel & they were disposing of lots of filing cabinets, & all the green drawers & cupboards I now have under the bench. $free is my kind of price

The orange cabinet was dad's old gun cupboard & has the powertools & air tools.



The 'Machine Shop'



The lathe is an old Atlas 10. A bit worn out but hugely useful & lots of fun.

The other major piece of equipment is my Chinese TIG welder / plasma cutter. Well, actually my girlfriend's but she lets me use it.



The side room was guest accommodation & gear storage:



Will add some more details on the place when I get around to taking some more pics. Ask away if there's anything you want to know more about.

Cheers
Clint

 

[ajohno]

Fantastic setup you have there.

 

[GregsRetroGarage]

I like the lathe setup! I used my Atlas till is was flat dab worn out and still got $600 out of it when I sold it. I still have not found a replacement! Nice setup!

 

[crawler07]

Looks great the color is fantastic

 

[Jacko]

I really like the powertool cabinet. great stuff.

 

[Justanoldguy]

Hi neighbour.
Been spending some time in Rotorua lately.
Unfortunately it's been at the hospital with my wife who had an operation.

 

[1/2 Cup]

G'day Clint from across the ditch, great setup.
Regards

 

[SLYDIT]

welcome from Tauranga!



http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=258880

 

[Sunbimmer]

Like your place a lot, good atmosphere Thanks for sharing, oh and if you have more pics of the yota..... you know what to do

 

[SLYDIT]

A girlfriend with a plasma cutter?

THAT'S a keeper!

 

[Rural53]

Welcome from Tauranga as well. I used to live in Rotorua. I also own things with Simex bolted to them

Edit: Just worked out who you are. Does the LJ71 have a 1UZ?

Justin

 

[ClintNZ]

Cheers guys!

Yep the Toyota has 4.0 Lexus power. I have a thread in our NZ 4x4 forum on the Landcruiser with heaps of pics of all the mods. It got the V8 about 8 yrs ago, then over the last 2 years I've been busy upgrading the suspension & installing stronger axles.

Cheers
Clint

 

[ClintNZ]

Been a while since I called in here so as well as checking out everybody Else's cool stuff I should post a few pics of my own recent garage projects:

140K km service on the KTM, cam bearings & water pump service, oil change etc...

Rebuilt my grandmother's old mixer for mum:





Cambelt on the girlfriend's car...

Had a big milestone 2 months back with the Landcruiser passing the low volume vehicle certification inspection. This is a requirement for modified vehicles in NZ. Great to have all my work ticked off as up to standard & be back rolling & road legal after 2 yrs+ of fabricating & spannering.



This doesn't mean an end to working on it though... I can always think of something else to add or tweak like a spade holder & work/reverse light on the spare wheel carrier I had built previously.



After my girlfriend saw grandma's old mixer above she decided she'd like one, & is the type of person who will put it to good use... so I got another old Kenwood A700 & fully rebuilt it with new components, & a fabulous powdercoating job from Competition Coatings & Services in Taupo.



Cheers
Clint

 

[1/2 Cup]

Thanks for the update Clint, great job on the mixers.

 

[ClintNZ]

Been doing some landscaping around the shed, had a stack of pavers that I got free a while back so when the old pallet that was my shed doorstep finally rotted away I thought I should get stuck in.



It was one of those jobs that is just a bit small to go hire a digger, bobcat, compactor etc etc but still enough digging & ramming to be a pretty good workout!



Also in the project was running out a pipe & installing the old tub left over from my recent laundry & bathroom renovation so I now have an outdoor sink & water supply in a convenient spot. Had some free slate tiles lying around for the bench top.



All fairly rustic but all i had to buy was the gravel, sand & edging timber so I'm happy! Next projects in this area will be making some outdoor furniture & getting a concrete slab installed out the front of the main door off the end of my paving.

Cheers
Clint

 

[HOTFR8]

Looking good. That sink will be handy.

 

[1/2 Cup]

As above, well done and many thanks for the update..

Regards

 

[ProjectBobcat]

I really like how you've got the inside, it's a bit of a mix of traditional with really practical, wish mine was half as organised!

 

[hewey]

Nice work all round. My wife loves the rebuilt red mixer.

 

[humber2]

Have you got a time and materials report on restoring the Kenwood mixers?

Do you buy in new gaskets and seals?

I have my mothers one from c1960 which has spewed grease everywhere.

Accessories are the mincer from the front and blender from the top mounts as seen alongside the red one.

 

[ClintNZ]

Have you got a time and materials report on restoring the Kenwood mixers?

Do you buy in new gaskets and seals?

I have my mothers one from c1960 which has spewed grease everywhere.

Accessories are the mincer from the front and blender from the top mounts as seen alongside the red one.

Hi Humber, sorry for the late reply, haven't called in here for a while...

I did buy a set of gaskets, seals & electronic components to rebuild the mixers, http://www.ebay.com/itm/KENWOOD-CHEF-A700D-MAJOR-A706D-MOTOR-GASKET-REPAIR-KIT-/121114807151?hash=item1c33014b6f -comes to a few $$ by the time it is delivered but the repair guide supplied with the kit made it well worth while for an amateur appliance repairman like myself. There is also a fair bit of info, repair manuals etc in the archives of the WACEM Yahoo group so get joined up to that.

There was a few hours in rebuilding the mixers but they're pretty straightforward to work on, quite a fun project really. The red one has done a lot of work since I gave it to Rosie (nom nom nom!)

In other news... We have done a deal on a new place just down the street from where I am, with a bigger garage It's only a little bigger outside at 7x9m vs my current 6x9m, but with no side room it's a big increase in actual workshop space. Taking over in 1 month. So I am currently giving my house a tidy up for sale, & thinking about how to lay out the new shed. There is a little fat in the budget for workshop fit-out this time so the new shed will be painting the floor with epoxy & we will line it all with plywood + paint before moving in, then some good lighting is will go in.

Cheers
Clint

 

[1/2 Cup]

Congratulations on the new home Clint, you wont know yourself.

Regards

 

[ClintNZ]

New Shed Update: T plus 10 days

The new shed was almost a blank canvas, I have removed a couple of basic workbenches leaving just a large sink unit that is plumbed in. It's a fairly new building so structurally it's all good to go but the wiring & lighting was just the basic minimum that comes std in an off-the shelf type shed like this.

In between helping move my girlfriend Rosie out of her place in town I prepped & painted the shed floor with an epoxy sealer & then an epoxy topcoat. The paint was from Altex, a local industrial coatings supplier. The finish isn't totally perfect - probably due to me being an amateur expoxy installer - but it is tough & nobody but me will notice the odd roller mark.

With that done it was on to the electrical. A bunch more powerpoints & lights are going in. Of course none of the trusses etc matched up with where the lights needed to go so job one was to put some battens in the ceiling to screw the lights to. My latest powertool extravagance, a flash Bosch mitre saw, got put to good use there. Over the weekend my good mate Karl came over to help out with the wiring:

We got 7 of the 11 Philips 60W LED strips installed, relocated the 5 existing single bulbs & got all the new powerpoint wiring & flush boxes ready for the plywood lining to go on. We powered up what we'd done last night & the amount of light looks great, & things will brighten up more with the ply up & painted.

The garage colour scheme is going to carry on the KTM orange tradition of my old place at one end, but since Rosie rides a WR250R we need to have some team Yamaha blue as well, plus a few other colours to tie them together... It ain't gunna be subtle that's for sure ;-) Hopefully by next weekend we'll be getting started on the lining, the plan is to paint, then screw on the plywood.

Once the shed is lined in a week or 3 we will be able to start stripping down & shifting in my big workbench, storage units etc etc from my old shed. Fortunately there's no big rush to get out of my old place so stuff can just be moved over when the new shed is ready for it.

Cheers
Clint

 

[ClintNZ]

T + 17 days:

More wiring done & all the new LEDs powered up. Days are short around here at present so very nice to have a well lit workspace for the rest of the fit out. Got a bunch of the lining primed & topcoat on a few. Will be putting up the fibre cement lining of the welding bay area tonight.



Cheers
Clint

 

[1/2 Cup]

Looking fantastic Clint.

Thank you for the update.

Regards

 

[Justanoldguy]

Will be putting up the fibre cement lining of the welding bay area tonight.

What are you using for this?
Just hardiflex or something more robust?

Shed is looking good.
LED lights? Where did you get them?

 

[ClintNZ]

Cheers guys!

What are you using for this?
Just hardiflex or something more robust?

Shed is looking good.
LED lights? Where did you get them?

Yep just 6mm hardiflex. 1.8m either side of the back corner that will be the welding/grinding area. Will eventually put up a curtain to close off the other 2 sides when required.

The LED lights were on special for $110 last month at Cory's. Philips Core Range 60W. Designed to replace a twin T8 5' fluorescent fitting & when I put one up in the old shed to compare it definitely did the business. At the price it was a no-brainer as it's not too much more $ than a decent 2x 5' flouro fitting with a diffuser, throws better light & uses about 1/2 the power.

Cheers
Clint

 

[ClintNZ]

T + 37 days

Progress being made, got all the back wall painted, installed & wired. Still some trim to go though. Chief colour technologist Rosie on the job:



With that done it's time to start moving in some stuff. Welding/grinding bay first.



Might need to make a cart for the welder now, the lead would reach most of the shed in the old place so never needed it to move before.

Tonight's job is to move in the big workbench. Getting it bolted down & re fitting the lathe, drill & vice won't be a 5 minute job. It will span over 4m under the window.

The new lights are spoiling me, working in the old garage stripping out the workbench it seemed so dim.

Cheers
Clint

 

[1/2 Cup]

Clint, looks fantastic, well done.

 

[Justanoldguy]

Love the color scheme.
Well done.

 

[ClintNZ]

T + 2 months or so...

Starting to become a useful workspace now.

The library at Rosie's work were throwing out a heap of old card file drawers so we scored a big pile of those for tooling, fasteners etc, they filled up alarmingly quickly!

Rosie has been hard at it on the sewing machine making curtains out of various old & surplus pieces of fabric. Will be good to have the shed contents screened off for security.

This corner below will house the motorbikes & with the addition of some tall steel cabinets & some wall & curtain it will be partitioned off to keep things cleaner in that area.

In the shed when we bought it was an old dining table with a very beefy cast iron base. The formica top got cut down into a shelf for the back porch. I got a piece of 1/2" plate from a local engineering firm & screwed that on instead, then bought a small swivel vice for it. I've already used it for a welding job & it's real handy for positioning stuff.

One day when I'm bored I might drill & tap a bunch of holes in it for fixturing stuff.

Also constructed recently was a small cart to fill a gap under the bench & hold oils & stuff. Made entirely from leftover timber, offcuts, stuff found in the new shed etc. Even the casters & handle were from the stock of junk.

Currently making another similar one to go under the other end of the bench & hold aerosols etc.

Cheers
Clint

 

[1/2 Cup]

Clint,Love you set up, it is turning out well.
Plus plenty of room to move..

Regards

 

[Guster]

Also constructed recently was a small cart to fill a gap under the bench & hold oils & stuff. Made entirely from leftover timber, offcuts, stuff found in the new shed etc. Even the casters & handle were from the stock of junk.

Currently making another similar one to go under the other end of the bench & hold aerosols etc.

Nice idea on the cart Clint! Gives me an idea for my vacuum cleaner+dustdebuty combo and where to 'hide' it.

 

[ClintNZ]

Thanks guys! The extra metre of depth vs the old shed really makes a difference in terms of space, there is room to do things in front of a vehicle without having to shift it outside all the time.

The cart was a really quick & easy way to add some made to measure under bench storage. It's mate is just about done now too, spent some of last night holesawing furiously to make pockets for aerosols etc in that one.

Next woodwork project will be some stuff for the house. Need to make some shelves, cupboards etc as there isn't much storage in there. Then it will be back to the shed. A box to put the compressor outside & getting some air outlets mounted is high on the list, already have the piping & wiring in place out through the back wall.

Cheers
Clint

 

[bdbecker]

Nice space you've got there. I really dig your LJ71!

That welding table you came up with is very similar to the ones we use at work. Small footprint, but very versatile. If it were me, I would hesitate to spend a lot of time drilling and tapping holes for fixturing because weld spatter seems to be attracted to threads. What we do is just tack temporary fixtures to the table top itself. When the job is done, we cut the tacks off and sand smooth. We also use 1/2" plate, and while some of the tops are getting a little closer to 3/8", we haven't replaced one yet. Not bad after 20 years in a production weld environment.

 

[ClintNZ]

Thanks mate! Welding fixtures on the table is probably the way to go with this - not as if it's precision flat or anything. Just checked out your thread & am currently most enjoying a Shakey Graves track off youtube

The 2nd under bench cart is now done bar maybe a little wood stain on the cut edges.





The motorbikes are now in their spot. Looks like measurements were correct & there will still be room to move around them once the corner is partitioned off.


Cheers
Clint

 

[1/2 Cup]

Clint, I really like your idea with the underbench cart. It just makes so much sense and is a very practical use of space..

Well done.

 

[slimpickins]

Clint, I really like your idea with the underbench cart. It just makes so much sense and is a very practical use of space..

Well done.

+1 on this comment 1/2 Cup!!! I've seen these before and they're very useful, particularly for heavy items that you might normally put in a drawer and have to buy really heavy duty drawer slides.

Well done on the build! Color scheme is awesome for a garage!
Cheers!

 

[dlcwent]

Very nice place and set up you have Clint. I'll be following along if you don't mind.

 

[ClintNZ]

T + 5 months & about time for an update.

Been busy ticking off a few jobs around the house lately, plus doing the final clear out & clean up on my old place as that was sold & settled a month or so back. Recent shed projects have been the computer cabinet & stereo shelf. The old Kenwood receiver powers a couple of big 'ol speakers tucked up in the rafters at either end & sounds great.



Also bought a bunch of parts organisers & made a set of shelves for them.



Have made minor progress elsewhere too, need to get a few more pics taken.

Cheers
Clint