Above 1200 Sq/FT Ernie's Place

[StormcrowAz]

Mainly making some good progress on the courtyard gates. Added the center sections in. Didn’t feel like doing this on the floor so fiddled with it mid-air for the larger gate section. The smaller side was easier as the whole thing sat on the table.

Welded it all up and hung for fitment check

It was at this point that the wife pointed out that the bottom of the small gate was uneven.

Not sure how that happened, seemed to measure out good after it was tacked together. Either warped during full weld or I just missed it. Either way, not acceptable. After some pondering on the easiest way to fix it without making it worse, decided to make a couple diagonal cuts in two corners and spread it apart. My thinking was this would allow it to increase overall width without actually bending any of the straight tubing.

Seemed to work fairly well, especially after more welding and grinding clean-up.

Bought some cane bolts to keep one of the gate sections secured, will need to drill a hole in the sidewalk for that. Of course the cane bolts are for regular gates and I want to put it on the small side, which only has a few inches of real estate to attach to, making the bolt way too long and will interfere with opening/closing of the big side. I guess when you build custom things, everything else needs to be customized, too.

I’ll have to cut the bottom part to length after the sidewalk hole is drilled and I know how much is needed.

Also took the cut out “W” and attached it to the other side-courtyard-gate:

And finally, painted and installed the main gates

Still need to square the anchor bolt thing away so it’s not so floppy, but overall happy with how they turned out, and more importantly, so is the wife.

 

[Finallygotit]

Todd, gates turned out well. The shower....REALLY turned out well!

 

[drivesitfar]

great work all around. gates and new covered areas look very nice and of course the bathroom does too.

with all the cutting you do you probably should find a good quality old metal cutting bandsaw, but if you like the portability i've had great luck with my *********** Milwaukee (older one). I had a newer one, but the blade kept slipping off so I mentioned I didn't need it and a friend said he would like it and he fixed with some electrical tape which in my mind was a bit hoaky but he's happy.

anyway good to see your skills keep improving and thanks for sharing.

 

[StormcrowAz]

Dan – Thanks and thanks for stopping by! How goes your new build? Haven’t seen an update in a while?

Drives – A nice Ellis horizontal band saw with the big Rockwell vertical would be an ideal set-up…but until that time comes, the HF stuff has treated me pretty good. If I read your thread correctly, you just had a birthday? If so, Happy Belated Birthday!


On top of making some minor repairs and improvements to the new toy hauler, I’ve managed to also make forward progress on the shop electrical set-up. More circuits ran and almost done with conduit. I really wanted this to look professional, but should have know in order to get professional results you need to be, well...a professional. Considering I have nowhere near the experience to come even close to that title, I guess I'll have to live with these results. Those conduit runs and corner bends didn't turn out as nice and uniform as I would have liked to see...but they are solid and functional. You live and you learn.

The place is a disaster and getting tired of tripping over junk.

But now that I’ve got some additional covered space, I figured I could clean it up a bit. Before I start dragging stuff out there, I figured this would be the perfect (probably the only) time to throw down some densifier/sealer on the new concrete. After research, it looks like the PS104 is good stuff so I went with a few gallons of that.

Application can be done with a garden sprayer, so I figured I would go that route. A buddy had given me several of those old stainless fire extinguishers and they work great for spraying weeds and bugs. Easily refillable and a schrader valve for airing up, no pumping required. I even converted one ‘em for a portable camp shower.

Anyways, I managed to break the pick-up tube, which was plastic, but was lucky enough that the threaded end into the valve was close enough to standard copper plumbing fittings to be able to make a replacement.

That worked well enough to get the job done, forgot to get pics of the concrete though. Picture wet concrete, then it drying. Pretty much that, nothing exciting.

After letting it dry and cure the wife helped me move out the first load of stuff outside. So nice having things clean and clutter-free. Relatively speaking…

I think my next project (while still finishing up the electrical) is going to be fabbing up a metal storage rack for the long pieces.

 

[bad_idea]

I have a couple old water bottle extinguishers kicking around. Great idea! Thanks.

 

[drivesitfar]

I had to laugh at your critical view of your electrical work cause it really looks great. we are our toughest critics that is for certain.

it looks terrific from my chair.

thanks for the BDay wishes and yep another year above dirt has come and gone so hope I have a few more left in me.

keep up the great work now while your weather is perfect cause I know you probably won't want to work outside once the temps hit 120.

 

[StormcrowAz]

Bad_idea - I do like those extinguishers. I used a manual pump one for a while and it’s a lot easier to just air it up with a compressor. The camp shower works really good, too. Not as good as being at home, but when you have no other shower, it’s a lot of shower to have! Plus being stainless I just throw it on top of the camp stove and let it warm up a bit. Thanks for checking out my stuff!

Drives – Yes, I’m still critical on how it looks but am fairly confident of its functionality. The bends may not be perfect but with excessive amounts of conduit, over sized wire gauges, and careful install - I’m hoping the shop won’t burn down any time soon. And yes, it has been just about perfect out lately. Not looking forward to the summer, but hoping that the extra shade structure on the south side of the shop will keep the cinder block for baking as badly and absorbing/radiating as much heat.



Ran the last major bit of conduit and wiring, the last circuit going to the newly concreted and shaded outside storage area. Also installed a LED motion-sensing security light out there. Eventually I’d like to enclose that space and add some more outlets, but for now I’ll call it done.

Well I lied about the storage rack being the next project. I couldn’t stand not having the little porta-band up and running so decided to tackle that this weekend. Most of the old stand was still in good shape, so figured I’d retro-fit it for the new Bauer saw. On the old saw, I removed the upper handle and used these two bolts for the main attaching point, essentially hanging the saw from there.

This new saw has one larger bolt holding the handle to the top of the saw. It uses kind of a wedge/key shape, which I’m guessing is to keep it from rotating on that single point while in use.

I took a small scrap piece of 3/8” plate and cut that shape into it using a cutting wheel and the belt sander.

Needed something sturdy to weld that piece to. That assembly will eventually weld to the vertical support on the original base, holding the saw up. A small drop of that well pipe from the ladder build should do nicely. Cut a notch on one side and drilled a hole on the other for the allen key access to tighten the bolt.

After tack welding the plate to the pipe, I realized I had just captured the bolt inside that piece. Still functional I suppose, but if the bolt ever stripped out or some similar problem occurred, I wouldn’t be able to pull it all the way out. So I made the hole bigger and cleaned it up some.

Welded the piece to the pipe and bolted to the saw

Welded the pipe to the stand

Next step was making the table. On the old saw I had used 1/8” plate, which worked, but was kind of flimsy, especially after using my friends Swag set-up. This time I went with ¼” and made the table twice as wide to match the base stand. Welded some supports to the base and drilled the holes that attaches it to the saw. Put in the slot for blade changes, but somehow was about 1/8” off where I needed it to be. So hacked it up a bit more so the blade clears. Only way to really fix it would be to start over with a new table. If it causes any performance issues I’ll do that, but I’m thinking it’s just cosmetic so will run it as-is for now.

New table versus the old one

In order to further stabilize the whole thing, I added some extra half-inch square tube to each corner. On the right side welded the tubes to the base and sheet-metal screwed the tops to the tabs welded to the table. Want to be able to remove it if need be. On the left side both stabilizer tubes are attached with self-tappers both top and bottom. Need to remove those for blade changes. Added a coat of new paint to conceal any poor quality workmanship done in haste.

It works and is rock-solid. Odd that this model doesn’t come with the safety guard covering the spinning wheels. Might have to see about modifying the old one to fit. Happy to have this saw running, surprising how much you miss something after it’s gone.

 

[drivesitfar]

that is some great work making that new portable bandsaw a stationary tool that should help you cut up your steel until you find one of those good old big bandsaws.

we had a inch or so of snow this morning that melted off by noon so send us up some heat if you might be able to.

cheers and keep up the great work!!

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice job on the porta-band table and stand.

 

[StormcrowAz]

Drives and Mike – Thanks for the comments and stopping by!


Took an extended weekend off work for some desert camping. Took the new toy along and put around 115 miles of trail riding in perfect weather on it. Before we left I did buy a new windshield for it. Easy install.

Also took a 1/8” sheet of aluminum and cut it to size for a roof. Radius on the front visor corners and bent the back corners down to bolt it to the cage. Tried putting a bend in the rear to match the cage curve, and ended up putting it too far forward. I’ll probably get a new piece and re-do it to my satisfaction. For this trip it worked great and was really happy to have it.

Our campsite

Lots of trail riding

Hiked up to Martinez Cabin and some of the old mines in the surrounding area

Had some 4x4 fun, too

Hard to come back to work after that. On the bright side, though…last night got a long-awaited delivery

Now I need to figure out how to move it out of the shop, get it onto the concrete slab I poured for it, and how to wire it up. Oh, and also need to run all the copper lines and install the hose reels so I can actually use it.

 

[drivesitfar]

WOW that looks like fun!!

nice looking ride too.

just curious do your cell phones work out there in case you have an emergency or do you own a satellite phone?

might be a good time to pour a concrete sidewalk next to your shop maybe 4 feet wide so you can move that cool compressor with a pallet jack or engine lift?

you're weather is perfect for mixing and pouring concrete if you have the time.

cheers and your dog looks happy.

 

[C91x]

Wow, I can't believe how much the cabins and the actual mine have deteriorated since i was last there. That used to be a pretty gnarly trail when it was open, you'd go up past the mine, up the mountain, and then back down.

I'm jealous of that compressor. I've had my eye out for a deal for over a year now but it looks like i might have to just bite the bullet.

 

[StormcrowAz]

Drives,

This area isn’t too far off from a decent sized town (Florence, AZ) and we managed to get some decent reception at times. No satellite phones for me. I did just recently acquire my ham radio technician’s license and carried a couple of hand-held dual-band radios programmed with some local repeaters for emergency use.

Regarding a concrete sidewalk – sounds nice…but that would also be a lot of concrete! I don’t think I’m up for that quite yet! I was thinking of knocking together a metal frame the compressor could bolt to, probably from that old well pipe, and toss on four cheap dolly tires to that so I can roll it out there. Looks good on paper, we’ll see how it works in reality.

And yes, he is the quintessential “Good Boy”.



C91x – Yes…Mother Nature and Father Time wins every time. Which reminds me I was going to look to see if there’s any old pictures somewhere for what it used to look like, back in the day. The road is now blocked off fairly early on and it takes a 10-15 minute hike just to get to the cabin.

I also have been keeping an eye out for a decent used compressor for some time now. Seems like most things in this area are old, worn-out looking, industrial three-phase units. Not necessarily bad, but still commanding a hefty price tag. Combine that with the cost of converting to single phase and might as well just go New. Buy once, cry once

 

[Finallygotit]

Now I need to figure out how to move it out of the shop, get it onto the concrete slab I poured for it, and how to wire it up. Oh, and also need to run all the copper lines and install the hose reels so I can actually use it.

I have no doubt whatsoever that this will be in place and running soon. Nice score!

 

[StormcrowAz]

Dan – Thanks for the vote of confidence! I am motivated to get this done. It sure will be nice to have the added convenience.


Weekend QST! All about the compressor. For some reason they put a pallet underneath the one the compressor was bolted to, so wanted to get that out of there. Hooked a chain to the JD and got it out where I could work on it.

Loosened up the belt guard for clearance so I could run strap through. Used the gantry to raise it up enough to pull the bottom pallet out.

Picked up some 8” solid, flat-free, tires from Harbor Freight. My original though was to make a metal frame the wheels would attach to, and then screw that to the bottom of the pallet. I could then roll the whole thing out to the back of the shop. After thinking about it some, I decided to skip the whole metal frame concept and just bolt the wheels to the pallet. Figuring pallets are pretty sturdy as-is, and as much as I like cutting and welding stuff, that’s just a lot of extra work. So drilled holes on each corner of the pallet and made some spacers out of ¾” EMT to clearance the wheels.

I just happened to have 5/8” bolts of the right length sitting on top of the nut/bolt organizer. They were left over from the shop press, having removed them to replace with grade 8 hardware.

All assembled the pallet had a little bit of flex too it, more than I was willing to live with. Drilled some holes in a couple pieces of square tubing and screwed it to the front and back of the pallet which stiffened it up considerably.

Again using the John Deere, dragged it out back without incident. No steering with the pallet of course, but easy enough to overcome by a little persuasion while in motion and in the dirt. Also drug the gantry crane out back, which was no easy task. The dirt is mostly hard-pack up until the last 10-15 feet or so to the concrete pad. Both pallet and gantry bogged down badly. Ended up using wire racking so the gantry could roll all the way up against the shop. No in-process pictures, but finally managed to finagle it in place with a bit of effort.

All of that work…could have been mitigated by 5 minutes with one forklift. Right tools for the job and in this case I didn’t have it, but made do regardless.

Next thing is to make the shed. Measuring, cutting, deck screws, and soon the walls are together. I’ll also say those Fireball tools came in handy, too. Not just for metal fabrication, I suppose!

Even though the frame shouldn’t ever be exposed to anything, I threw on a coat of water sealer just to make me feel better. I mean, I feel a little bit bad about putting this shiny new, and expensive, tool outside in a shed. Kind of like a form of neglect almost. I also wasn’t able to find any pressure treated 2x4’s the last few trips to Home Depot, and from what I’ve read it’s recommended for those to be used when in contact with the concrete. Moisture concerns I guess. Probably not an issue with the three times a year it rains here, but maybe a little water sealant will compensate. At least in my mind.

That’s it for the weekend progress. Next step is build and install an overly-complicated door on the shed.

 

[drivesitfar]

i'm very happy to see and hear your compressor cart didn't tip over and you were able to get it to it's new home. WHEW!!

i'm guessing you put a tarp over it so the night dew doesn't creep into your new compressor until you get the roof on?

great out of the box thinking there !!

good luck with the rest of the shed's roof and door and even though that nice compressor will be outside I bet it will serve you well and it won't be so loud in your garage.

enjoy your perfect weather!!

 

[StormcrowAz]

Drives – No, no tarp. It’s out there nekkid in all its glory. With the temps and humidity being what it is, we don’t really get much stray moisture floating around. We had some wind kick up the other day so it got kinda dusty but I think it will survive. As always, thanks for stopping by!



This weekend was fun. Came home Friday after work and the first thing she says is: “I’ve got bad news”. Ruh-roh. Takes me to the back yard and there’s a patch of grass (ok, weeds) roughly 6-10 feet in diameter that is just soaked, sounds like you’re stepping on a wet sponge. Considering I haven’t had the sprinklers on for a couple months, and it’s at least 25’ away from the shop septic (which hardly gets used anyways) I’m guessing this is the water supply line to the shop. Didn’t really feel like digging into it (quite literally) that night, so put it off to the next morning. Realized I didn’t have the tool to turn the valve off at the street, so knocked one together real quick. Half-inch square tube and some random scraps of quarter-inch stock.

I even hit it with a coat of paint. Figured it’s probably a good tool to have for just-in-case plumbing emergencies.

Based off the radius of the squishy-ness I guesstimated where the leak might be.

Fortunately the weather was perfect out, so didn’t have a heat-stroke digging. The pup agrees. Rough life he’s got…

Several feet down, and fairly close to where I thought it might be, I found the culprit.

Yep, that’s probably not good.

Some couplers, a new elbow, and the repair section is cobbled together.

Let it sit for a while before turning the water back on and no leaks. Waited until the next day before filling the hole in, just to be sure. Definitely not how I planned to spend a big chunk of my weekend. But oh well, could have been worse I suppose.

Did manage to make some progress on the compressor shack, too. Installed the lower door bearing:

For the top bearing, I sunk it into the header board. Not super-pretty, as this was literally the second time I’ve ever used a router, but it seemed to be fairly efficient at hogging out wood for this purpose.

Drilled holes in the door to run the pipe-hinge through. The diameter of pipe I had was just a touch too large for those bearings. I don’t have a lathe…but do have a belt sander.

Cut some 2” flat strap and put holes in it. The pipe runs through the door into the bearings. The plates (just tacked for fitment in the picture) are welded to the pipe and then screwed to the door. All the rotation happens at the bearing.

Opens and closes super-smooth.

Also managed to throw a roof up there.

That’s it for now. I think the next things to do is to finish the wiring, install the tank drain, and fire it up. Should be easier to access now, before the walls/door are skinned.

 

[Finallygotit]

Nice work Todd!


Just curious, what made you go down the path you went for the door rather than conventional hinges? Don't get me wrong, what you did is a great idea which I will probably copy but I was just wondering.

 

[StormcrowAz]

Dan – Thank you! Mainly just for the experience of doing something new and different. While performing hinge-related research I ran across hidden bookcase hinges (expensive!) with a similar pin/socket concept. Those are typically just one on top and one at the bottom. I was thinking that by running the pipe all the way through and then connecting it top, middle, and bottom to the door it might add some rigidity and hopefully combat any sag. Seems pretty good so far, time will tell!

 

[fartymarty]

Dan – Thank you! Mainly just for the experience of doing something new and different. While performing hinge-related research I ran across hidden bookcase hinges (expensive!) with a similar pin/socket concept. Those are typically just one on top and one at the bottom. I was thinking that by running the pipe all the way through and then connecting it top, middle, and bottom to the door it might add some rigidity and hopefully combat any sag. Seems pretty good so far, time will tell!

The bottom hinge is a thrust bearing correct? And the weight of the door is transferred to the pipe via welding on the straps...and the weight on the pipe is transferred to the bottom bearing via a friction fit of where the pipe fits in the bearing and where it doesn't? Did I get that all correct?

Sorry about all the questions, but inquiring minds want to know what you did there. It's difficult to successfully steal someone else's idea if you don't fully understand it.

 

[quadrcr87]

The compressor shed is turning out great! Very stout. I will say that the hinge design would not work out the best up north. A little water and freezing temps could make the lower hinge seize up.

 

[drivesitfar]

nicely done with the plumbing fix and I bet you wouldn't have liked the bill if you called a plumber.

nice looking door on your new shed and yep routering takes a little practice, but it looks fine from here.

I guess you have perfect weather. 80's and sunny is what I dream about all winter hoping we can get some by June.

cheers!!

 

[StormcrowAz]

Marty – Mostly correct, I think. The bearings I used are Pillow Block Flange Bearings, and not the thrust variety. The pipe is basically suspended between the top and bottom bearings, with the set screws in the bearing shaft holding the pipe in place. I believe the thrust bearings are designed to have the weight placed directly on the bearing race (if that’s what it’s called?) surface. I am by no means an expert with bearings and their usage. Could be that these weren’t designed to support the load in this manner, but they appear to be fairly beefy and am thinking the weight of the 2x4’s and a couple pieces of tin should be minor in comparison. Hopefully by keeping them greased, and with relatively low usage, it will work fine and outlast me. And hey…Amazon said they were “Industrial”, so they have to be good. Right?

Quadrcr87 – Yes, we do have a different set of concerns here. Other than a complete concept failure…I guess sometime in August the red-n-tacky I put in there could melt out and drip all over the place. Thanks for stopping by!



Drives – I don’t know what the going weekend rate for digging ditches and fixing plumbing would be…but bet it isn’t cheap. Probably $800 in labor and $3 in parts! And yes, perfect weather here for a little while longer. As you know it will soon turn into what feels like working inside an oven, and then while I’m baking outside and consuming gallons of water to stay hydrated…it will be your turn to post pictures of rolling green hills from your back deck. Probably while you’re lounging and sipping a cool drink with a little umbrella in it.

 

[StormcrowAz]

Slow but steady progress.

Added some more tin to the shed.



Stopped there and switched gears, figuring it would be nice to finish some of the other stuff with the sides still open/exposed.

Wired the compressor and fired it up. Seems to run smooth and a bit quieter than I expected. Someone, probably at the factory while wiring the mag starter, knocked the blank cover out of the box enclosure. Probably because that is Step 1 in the installation guide. Even though nothing was installed there. Knuckleheads.



Since I’m not putting any extra buttons, switches, or lights in there…I didn’t want it left open and exposed so made a quick cover from the scrap pile.



Ran a couple wires to interrupt the pressure sensor and hooked them up to a switch inside the shop. That way it won’t always be “On”. Don’t want to come home to find the compressor has been running all day due to a blow-out in one of the lines.



Not sure what the technically correct way to run these wire is, but seemed kind of silly to use more EMT



So just used some wire loom and secured accordingly. If it’s a problem, it would be an easy fix to run some more EMT, but can’t see why it would be necessary.



Because it’s outside, and I’m lazy, I went with a Moisture Minder tank drain. Really like that it’s mechanical and I don’t have to plug it in. Works off the signal air from the unloader every time it cycles off. I also got the deluxe installation kit that comes with everything needed for the install. (insert eye-roll emoji)


Part of that is the extended drain tube with a built-in strainer. Easy enough to remove the original drain and replace it.


Instructions call out for the Tee fitting to be spliced into the unloader/discharge line for the signal air to activate the drain. Turns out Saylor Beall uses 5/16” copper tube for that and the kit came with a 1/4” tee. Of course neither Home Depot nor Ace has any compression fittings in 5/16. So waiting on Amazon to deliver a new Tee and a 5/16 to 1/4 compression adapter.

The instructions also shows that “for easy installation” it can be mounted up high right behind the ball valve on the tank. Even comes with the bracket to do so. Doesn’t seem to make much sense to me to have to push the water from the bottom of the tank to all the way up top, only to have it discharge all the way back down again. Should be more efficient to just put it right next to the drain tube? I guess that’s not considered “easy installation”. I knocked together this little mounting bracket from 1” tube and some angle iron. Will Tapcon that to the concrete and attach the drain bracket to the mount with some self-tappers.



I also went down to the local John Deere dealership and had them make me up a hydraulic hose with ¾” fittings. This will go between the compressor and the hard copper lines. Should do the trick.



Also played with those used air hose reels I picked up a while back. The only thing I could find wrong with this Reelcraft is the roller bracket was missing a bolt and the other one was stripped out.
Replaced those and put a new hose on it. Seems to work fine. The air inlet is 3/8 I think, so I’ll need an adapter for the ¼ NPT hoses I have.


The Coxreel at first glance is in good shape. The dog spring is broke, which is no biggie, readily available and not too expensive.


Went to replace the hose and noticed that the supply line swivel is gone


Looks like the back of the swivel is tapped and supposed to be mounted on the central shaft of the reel. Best guess is someone probably wrenched on it and snapped it off. Sourced new swivels for around $40-$50, but haven’t found replacement shafts yet. Still looking and thinking about alternate solutions.



So much to do, so little free time.

 

[drivesitfar]

I stopped in to see what you are up to and looks like the compressor company could use you in their R&D department.

glad to hear your weather is still pretty nice while you are working outside and getting your new compressor up and running.

keep up the great work and sorry I don't have any solutions to your questions, but maybe some member does or I bet you'll figure it out.

here's some good luck too just in case you need some!!

 

[StormcrowAz]

Drives – Thanks for checking in and the well-wishes! The weather continues to be near-perfect, but I know the heat is right around the corner. I really should think about replacing the swamp cooler sooner rather than later.


So, in the middle of everything else that’s going on…this is happening:

Since we now have a toy hauler/camper, the wife asked if it would be a good idea to put up a shade structure behind the shop to keep it protected from the elements. Why yes, yes it would. Who am I to argue with extending the shop coverage out a bit? 40’ wide, 35’ deep, and 14’ high will cover the new toy hauler, the little cargo trailer, and the truck. For now it’s just going to be the roof, eventually would like to enclose the sides and put doors on it.

And speaking of trailers, the wife was pulling it out to the front of the house and got a little too close to one of the gates. Even though I wasn’t driving nor even nearby…it’s somehow still my fault. Which is OK, I’m used to that by now.
The gate is fine, but it snagged the trailer canopy arm and the wink link was the bottom bracket holding the arm to the trailer.

Turns out that this particular awning model was discontinued a while ago (of course) and those bottom brackets are now unobtanium (also of course). Figured my only option, short of buying a whole awning, is to reverse engineer the broken piece. Can’t have this thing flapping in the breeze while cruisin’ down the highway.

Started with a little bit of angle iron and a piece of DOM.

Trimmed the angle accordingly and put the mounting holes in the base. Split the DOM in half and cleaned up the crooked cut (grrr) and then welded one half to the angle and the other half to another piece of 1/8” piece of flat stock.

Drilled holes in both pieces and welded a nut to the base bracket.

Added some gussets and did a little clean-up

The magic of paint

Here’s where it gets installed

Cleaned up the trailer section, added some new butyl tape to the bracket, and installed.

Here’s the OEM bracket on the other side. This one has a nice quick-release mechanism which I didn’t re-create.

Last couple times we deployed the awning we didn’t remove the arm, just extended the canopy and the arm swivels at that bracket. Figured if I absolutely need to pull the arm out of there it’s just one bolt and a half-inch wrench away. Also, this is now most likely not the weak link in the system if we ever catch the awning arm on anything again. I’m sure that point got transferred to some other part that is equally unavailable to replace and will cause catastrophic failure to the awning and/or trailer. We’ll try to avoid that.

I also worked on the little cargo trailer, by adding some recessed tie-down attachments to the deck. We’ll use the enclosed trailer for quick day-trips when taking the side-by-side out. Install of the tie-downs isn’t really interesting in itself, but even with little projects that seem to be a no-brainer, there always seems to be at least one complication. This time it was clearance issues, of my own doing. When I re-did the trailer wiring I ran EMT under the trailer and put in boxes for future work/repairs. Turns out the conduit going to the box at the very back where the wiring goes up inside the trailer is perfectly aligned up with two of the tie-down mounting bolts. So I had fun turning the box 90° and re-routing the wiring accordingly. Good thing I haven’t put away all the wiring stuff yet.

I even managed to make a little bit of progress with the compressor. Amazon dropped off the 5/16 tee and reducer fittings. I don’t have any 5/16 copper tubing laying around, so used the piece I cut out of the discharge line to attach the reducer to the tee. I would have liked for it to have been a little bit longer, as I think this was probably at the very bare minimum length for it to work, but it did work.

Routed the new signal air line down to the drain

Mounted the tank drain bracket (oh, and drilled holes and bolted the compressor down while I was at it) and hooked up the drain line and signal air line.

Fired up the compressor and let it run. Took about six and a half minutes to fill from completely empty. Also witnessed the drain discharge tube blow out a little bit of air when the compressor stopped, so the auto-drain appears to be functioning as-intended. Did a soapy water test on all my connections and did not find any leaks. Good to go so far. Need to finish putting the tin on the shed and then work on sweating some copper.

 

[MrPink]

Nice build on the shop. I don't spy a Michigan plate on the wall of plates, if you would want one let me know I have a ton of extra's I may even have some older ones i'll look tonight.

 

[drivesitfar]

you seem to keep MOVING don't you? i'm loving the compressor mods and hoping you get it sealed up before you get a bunch of dust stirred up and inside it (or a wind storm blows thru if they do).

just a little carport (HEE HEE)?

is that a kit and looks new or did you find a nice like new used one?

great fix on the trailer's awning!! WELL DONE SIR!!

another cloudy drizzling day here so I'll live in your sunshine vicariously today if you don't mind.

enjoy your day!!

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice repair on the trailer awning mount.

 

[StormcrowAz]

MrPink – (can I be Mr. Black?) Thank you, and thanks for the license plate offer! I think I have Michigan covered, unless my Google skills are lacking and Michigan isn’t: “Mich, Water-Winter Wonderland”?

Again, really appreciate the consideration and if you’d like an Arizona plate shoot me a PM, I’ve got a few extras!


Drives – I outsourced the shade to a local steel company that does both sales and installs on these types of structures. Just a bunch of square tubing, purlins, and corrugated sheet. But what took a small group of guys just a few short days, with the right equipment, would probably have taken me several months to accomplish. Considering I have neither the experience nor the right gear, I figure it would be worth it for them to get it done. Sure does hurt the pocket-book, though.

Even though weather.com doesn’t say it…it’s been getting hot here. Might not be official, but the car told me it was at least 99° on the way home from work yesterday.


Mike – Thanks for checking in and the thumbs-up, much appreciated!


So yep, the guys knocked out the shade install in just a few days. Even with the scissor lift breaking down (water pump, I think) and having to fix it half-way through.

So now that the toys have a shady spot to live under, I’m thinking of taking it a step further (we’re already this far in, right?) and having the sides paneled, too. Might have to sell a kidney or some such. If so, I might try my hand at building some big doors for the front to fully enclose it.

Haven’t had a whole lot of free time and not making as much progress on the air compressor project as I’d like. So far I’ve just been able to finish hanging the tin on the shed

Looks like it was just in time, too. There were some small sticks scattered about and wedged on top of the pump, assuming a bird was just starting to make a nest there. Imagine taking a nap right on top of the pump when it powers up?

Still need to work on ventilation and some sort of handle for the door. Justin – if you’re reading this I’m most likely going to steal your shed handle concept!

 

[jollygreengiant]

So now that the toys have a shady spot to live under, I’m thinking of taking it a step further (we’re already this far in, right?) and having the sides paneled, too. Might have to sell a kidney or some such. If so, I might try my hand at building some big doors for the front to fully enclose it.

Ah yes, the inevitable project creep. First it will be putting up side walls. Then you'll want to add doors to enclose it. Then you'll want to pour a concrete floor. Of course then you'll have a nice shell, and say to yourself "this would be really nice if it had electricity". Then you will want to add HVAC so it's nice and cool to work in. And before you know it you'll have a nice new second shop and be looking at adding another shade structure to store your trailers under.

 

[drivesitfar]

I bet that put a dent in our bank account. WOW that is awesome!!

I know you will like having sides and maybe enclosing it in eventually, but I bet the shade for your toys and truck will certainly add a lot of life to them.

i'm guessing you are not finished with the little compressor's shed, but wanted to mention that not only birds like shady dark places to make nests. up here almost anywhere a hornet/wasp will make their hive/nest and some are as big as basketballs so putting some sort of wire mesh if you need some air flow might prevent you having an issue.

everything always looks good when you post up your progress pics so keep up the great work as you have time. sounds like you need to start cranking up the AC so best of luck with that.

 

[Finallygotit]

Looks like it was just in time, too. There were some small sticks scattered about and wedged on top of the pump, assuming a bird was just starting to make a nest there. Imagine taking a nap right on top of the pump when it powers up?

Todd, don't be surprised if the bird comes back. I noticed that the enclosure is open at the top. You may need to install some chicken wire, etc there to stop the little ******.

Otherwise, great progress there.

 

[StormcrowAz]

Jollygreengiant – That made me actually laugh out loud. It’s funny because it’s true! Although I don’t see concrete or climate control happening any time soon (unless we win the lotto). But yes…project creep -> I already ran electric to the compressor shed…so while I’m at it…might as well just run some more conduit/wire for an outlet or two plus a security light? And, there’s already a water spigot along the back wall…it might be nice to put a small utility sink back there. Also, since I have this new compressor, might as well run another line and hose reel outside for airing up tires. You know, since I’m already out there working on it… Thanks for the laugh and visiting!

Drives – Yes, expensive…but figured it would be worth it now before steel prices increase again or the materials become unobtainium. We can already tell the difference out there. It might not be exactly fun working on the trailers when it’s 120° out, but it should be at least more bearable and won’t have to lather on the sunscreen to avoid third degree burns. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Dan – Since both you and Drives commented on it…putting some wire mesh up gets bumped higher up on the to-do list. Appreciate the input!


Worked on the compressor shed a bit more yesterday. Managed to get a working handle on the door. Not sure how it ends up taking an entire morning to get what looks to be a simple looking thing accomplished. The handle design is based off of what Justin (rattle_snake) did with his compressor shack door. I didn’t have a lot of threaded black iron pipe in my scrap pile, but was able to throw together something similar in concept, but with a twist.

Don’t even remember when or where I replaced the valve from, but it was in the pile. Sweated the copper in to make it permanent/solid.

I found a small piece of iron pipe that fit snugly inside the ¾” copper tubing and welded a piece of 1” flat strap to the iron pipe. Drilled a hole into a short piece of EMT and bolted it to the strap. Drilled corresponding holes in the door and shed frame for the EMT to pass through.

In order to keep the iron pipe from rotating inside the copper tube, I used a couple of self-tappers to keep it in place. It also prevents the “handle” from being pushed into the shed.

It’s not smooth as butter, but it works as intended.

Heeding advice from my fellow GJ viewers – I added metal mesh screening to the open areas up top of the shed. The wife had some of this amongst her gardening paraphernalia and I’m sure she won’t miss it….

To aide in ventilation and heat management, I found these at Home Depot. Not sure what they are actually for, but were only a couple bucks each and have a nice mesh screen on the back to keep the bigger critters out. Figure I’ll use chemical warfare for the bugs. Anyways…these cut up should work nice between the ribs of the corrugated sheets.

Holes cut (did this on both sides)

Installed

That pretty much wraps up the shed project. Now it’s time to get busy and run all the copper airlines.

Also still find it very ironic that I planned for this shed to be outside and weather-proof (ok, resistant at least) and we end up covering the whole dang thing. I guess at this point it’s still good for some sound-deadening. Not sure what I would have done different if we had the big shade up first. Maybe just made the walls out of plywood? Oh, well…it should outlast me at least.

 

[drivesitfar]

great job on the handle and also a good idea to add more ventilation. I bet your metal siding was still cheaper than plywood cause i hear wood prices are going thru the roof so to speak.

have you been to SEDONA? if you'd like to mention a few of the cool sites you have in your area i'm sure more than just me would like to see pics or hear about them. or PM me cause my bride thinks she'd like to visit Sedona next winter.

I love the PROJECT CREEP ANALOGY!!

60's and sunny here now so bet it's heating up in your winter paradise. I'm not sure if you like ice tea or have a Trader's Joe's near you, but i've been drinking a gallon a day of this brand and I really like it cause i don't have to add sugar, honey or sweeteners. finding some old glass pickle jars and having some handy in the fridge might be a better option than grabbing cold beers when it's 120 and you are doing something that could hurt you.

cheers

EDIT: added a few pics of the ICE TEA I mentioned that is my BEER SUBSTITUTE

 

[rattle_snake]

Still need to work on ventilation and some sort of handle for the door. Justin – if you’re reading this I’m most likely going to steal your shed handle concept!

Hey Todd, yes following along. To be honest a little jealous of you big new compressor, auto drain, shed and all. You have done a great job on all of it.

And nice job on the handle, I like it!

 

[StormcrowAz]

Drives – Yes I have been to Sedona on several occasions. Lots of little shops on the main road through town, places to eat and artsy shops to browse in. Mostly I’ve just stopped there for a quick bite, meeting relatives and such. That or the local 4x4 trails, but it’s been a while and might need to go back.

Definitely a scenic place, and as they say there– “it’s hard to take a bad picture in Sedona”.

If you’re in the area, Jerome is another neat day-trip. It’s a historical mining community built on a hill-side. Similar to Sedona (less scenic and more vertical) with the little shops and trinkets for sale, probably not as popular though.

Unfortunately I never acquired the taste for tea. It’s either cold water or Gatorade for me. Never been a big beer drinker, maybe a few when on vacation at the beach, or the occasional cold one for dinner when out at a restaurant with friends and such. Thanks for the tips, though!


Justin – Jealous?!? Says the guy with all the cool toys! Thanks for posting your cool stuff and the inspiration it provides! I wouldn't have made that handle were it not for you. If I can ever finish getting the shop squared away maybe I will continue with my own old-truck project.


Sides are up on the shade structure. Definite improvement, but as mentioned - the pull of major Project Creep has to be resisted. So many things I can and would like to do for improvements out there.

For now, I must resist and continue on with getting the shop air up and running. Starting with getting the air into the shop from the shed. Conventional GJ wisdom says that a flexible hose needs to go from the compressor to the hard-lines in the shop:

I put a ¾” coupler on the inside of the shed for the other end of the hose to connect to. Figure it would be easier than fighting the twisty-snake hose trying to tighten to a fixed location. Hopefully these couplers aren’t prone to leaking.

On the inside of the shop, already sweated an elbow in place. Will run the line down a few inches and then over to attach to that unistrut. Need some clearance for valves and gauges.

All I’ve had time for recently, and for the next few days. Going to Tucson tonight to pick up a swamp cooler (replace the rusted out unit recently scrapped) and then taking a road trip on Friday to California for Don Long’s Gas Bash on Saturday. Looking forward to seeing the Big Party Garage in person!

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice.

Sedona is on mine and my wife's radar as a destination to take the Jeep/Coach. Was going to try it this year but calendar filled up too quickly so maybe next year. I hear it is a great place to wheel and very scenic.

 

[drivesitfar]

I know it's hard to keep from PROJECT CREEP especially if you have some extra funds, but that new carport soon to be a huge shop extension is looking good.

we are thinking of going to Sedona maybe next April cause it looks like mid 70's and sunshine while it could still be raining here. maybe we could meet you there for a meal and maybe check out a few spots.

if you have checked out Don's Party Garage thread it really doesn't do his place justice cause I spent 8 hours or so there with a very gracious Don and his wife Ann with my bride and we still didn't come close to seeing everything. i'm not sure how much time Don will have to talk to you or show you around with the hundreds of guests that will be there at the same time, but i'm sure he'd love to have you shake his hand and say hi. HAVE FUN.

just curious when you are sweating your copper pipes for the compressor are you using old solder with lead in it cause I loved that stuff and I almost hate the new LEAD FREE junk. since you won't be drinking out of the pipe I thought i'd mention it if you can find any old solder.

everything looks great from my chair.

 

[Bob Heine]

just curious when you are sweating your copper pipes for the compressor are you using old solder with lead in it cause I loved that stuff and I almost hate the new LEAD FREE junk. since you won't be drinking out of the pipe I thought i'd mention it if you can find any old solder.

Drives, you can still buy 50/50, 60/40 and 63/37 Tin/Lead solder. You just can't use it in drinking water plumbing. It is intended for stained glass and other decorative work but works just fine on copper pipe for anything but drinking water. The EPA banned the use of solders containing lead back in 1987 but it is a weird ban. If your plumbing does not connect to a municipal water system, you can use whatever you want (but your state may have different restrictions). Time to cut the pipes and drill a well....

Those different ratio Tin/Lead solders melt at different temperatures but they all solidify at one temperature. 50/50 solder melts at 421°F and is solid at 361°F so has a working range of 60 degrees. 60/40 melts at 374°F and becomes solid when it cools to 361°F. That means you have a working range of 13 degrees. 63/37 melts at 361°F and becomes solid at 361°F. No working range!

The problem you are having with lead-free solders is their higher melting temperature and working range. Most of the lead-free solder we buy is 95/5 Tin/Antimony solder and its working range is 450°-464°F. That's only 14 degrees working temperature and 100°F hotter than 50/50 Tin/Lead solder.

Sorry for the hijack but this seems to come up a lot.