Geek's Garage

[Modern Jess]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Love the location.

Love the shop.

Love the Sprinter.

Love the bikes.

But the workbench-over-motorcycle-lift is f-ing awesome. I think you've just solved one of the biggest problems in my own shop, so thank you very much for that!

I'm in!

 

[Compressor]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Excellent thread! :thumbsup:

 

[greyghost18t]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Great progress. Love the location

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

So the motion detection alarm went off in the middle of the night last night.

I jumped up to see what was up...

I guess it is time to go to a remote infrared illuminator so this little guy stops making webs in front of the camera

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

sd171: that rack is EXACTLY what I'm looking for! Is that something you made or are they available retail?

Modern Jess: lol - thanks for the kind words. When I came up with the idea I kinda went "well duhhhh.. why didn't I think of this long ago"
It works great. Goes away when you need floor space and can be pulled out as an extra workbench or for when bike work is need.

I really liked having my "island" in the middle of the room usage wise but it just took up too much space overall so it started life here:

...but has found itself moved over to the wall so I can get multiple motorcycles or the 4 wheeler or what not into the free space

in this photo the cabinet on the left is actually out of the van and contains its fridge:

The island is just made out of scrap I've had laying around - including a shelf unit down the long side - which totally by accident left just the right amount of space for one of my roller cabinets; so I can actually put the lift away and then make it disappear by rolling the cabinet in place.

One of the plans on my list is I'm going to build a "mobile" island out of 8020 with all kinds of retractable features (retractable table saw and router with integrated 8020 fence), flip up wings, etc.

 

[kabinenroller]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

So the motion detection alarm went off in the middle of the night last night.

I jumped up to see what was up...

I guess it is time to go to a remote infrared illuminator so this little guy stops making webs in front of the camera

Wow! Just last night I was awake thinking about which weapon to reach for if my motion sensor in the shop was to go off. There would not be much left of Mr. spider if I would have grabbed the " big one"!
I may have to look into an infrared also.

 

[sd171]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

sd171: that rack is EXACTLY what I'm looking for! Is that something you made or are they available retail?

That rack is from Tire Rack, but almost identical racks are available from Griot's Garage and HyLoft. More details are available in this post:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4427705&postcount=63

 

[metalhead140]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Wow, awesome location! Cool van and bikes too, and a great workshop already, with plans to make it even better. You must have a huge number of tools if all those tool drawers are full! Love the photos of the old planes too, very cool.

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Thing single most dangerous item I own/have ever owned:
A cheap 17 foot ladder

My solution to use it today without a spotter:

The husband of a client of mine fell off of a 10 foot ladder last fall. Broke his hip and his lower back. He is still in a wheel chair

This has made me even more paranoid about this aluminum death machine...

 

[mrtoolfool]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Great thread with all the photos, I really enjoyed reading. Beautiful place you have. Nice work on all the upgrades.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[nsogiba]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

what a place you have. thanks for posting up. why go on vacations when it's all in your backyard?

 

[machsnell]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

geek sweet place you have. Love the van and paint. motorcycles even more. Heaven right there.

quick question to you or anyone who can help a image illiterate - how do you size your pictures to fit in the screen so they are so easy to see? i take pics off my phone and when and if i can get them in my post they are they are small and or need to be opened.

life is hard for me in this arena....

 

[quad]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Thing single most dangerous item I own/have ever owned:
A cheap 17 foot ladder

My solution to use it today without a spotter:

The husband of a client of mine fell off of a 10 foot ladder last fall. Broke his hip and his lower back. He is still in a wheel chair

This has made me even more paranoid about this aluminum death machine...

Awesome thread!

Good idea about supporting the ladder from behind.

A few years ago I used a wooden ladder on our rear deck to clean the gutters. The ladder was just a few inches short of reaching the edge of the gutter and was leaning against the brick wall. I went up and was standing there cleaning the gutters when all of a sudden it slid down the wall and I fell face down on the deck. I stuck my left hand out to break my fall and broke my wrist. I was laying on the deck for about 2 minutes soaking in all the pain and looking at my twisted wrist. I must only have fallen 6' and ever since this happened I am extra careful around ladders.

 

[rockingthe2]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Once again Garage Journal strikes my insatiable need for useless inanimate objects. I don't know why I have a desire for a B-17 belly turret in my future shop, but now I'm gonna have to have one...

Also, Awesome shop, location, bikes, everything. Love it!

 

[MacTexas]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

OK, I'm sucked into this thread. I too went from shelves to cabinets.

I also built my first garage with windows and when I built my second garage I put two small windows on the back wall. Windows take up wall space. I am sure you have a good view to see out of the window but when I am in the garage I am not thinking about the view.

I will watch your progress with interest.

 

[ajohno]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Fantastic job on everything well done.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

So I was feeling optimistic today and did this:

It started snowing withing 15 minutes -lol
...and now it is snowing hard - notLOL.

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

kabineroller: the infrared works really well inside. Outside it is pretty much useless because it attracts insects which constantly trigger the motion detection. If you want to use it outside I highly recommend turning off the IRs in your camera and getting some infrared emitters that you mount at least several feet from the camera

sd171: thanks for the info! I will be ordering at least 2.. maybe 3 of them

compressor, silverghost20t, metalhead140, mrtoolfool, ajohno: thanks for the kind words gents!

nsogiba: That's kinda the reason my wife and I moved here. Moving to our favorite destination sure cut down on travel time

machsnell: I use smugmug which allows you to choose the size of photo you want when you get the link. I find that for most folks web browsers I don't want to go wider than "XL".

For example:
Small:

Medium:

Large:

XLarge:

...then it also has 2XL, 3XL and original - which I won't post so I don't cause a left right scroll bar here

If you do check out smugmug use this code to sign up:
https://secure.smugmug.com/signup?Coupon=Lpg9Tig3c9YmI

and I'll get $5 off of my annual renewal fee.

regardless - I've been using the site for several years and I love it.
Works really well.

quad: Ouch! That's my fear too. Often the ground I have to put the ladder on here on our property is not flat (we have very little flat ground) so I always try and be extra careful if my wife isn't around to stabilize things for me.

mactexas: In Texas you are warm (p.s. I lived in Pilot Point, just north-east of you of you for a decade ). You can leave the garage door open and let light in. I don't have that option here in the winter and I have more wall space than I need with my plan - so I'm *really* looking forward to the windows. They are going to be one of my favorite features of the shop. Letting the light and the view in will make the time in the shop that much more enjoyable for me.
When I was in university I had a job where I worked in a building that had zero windows - I absolutely hated it. It was like being in prison. One of the big reasons I like this house is it is full of glass and views - In my head the shop needs to match!

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

I didn't work on the shop today but got lots of little things done in the shop

Pulled the battery out of the jeep. Sitting at less than 2 volts - no wonder it wouldn't turn over

Repaired the power transformer for an external SATA to USB converter:

Confirmed the source of my KTM's speedo issue.. replacement is now on order.

Made a spacer for my grinder so I could fit a brass brush on it:

Went to move the 2" ball to the ATV so I could move some trailers around and found out the shaft size was wrong...

So I went to the store to buy a new 2" ball and $375 later...

...am I the only one that can't go to a hardware store for a $7 part without spending a couple hundred bucks?

I think I'll start clearing some brush tomorrow.

Our canyon has two "slash days" per year where they allow you to bring vegitation slash to a drop off location in the canyon for a nominal fee (it is less than $20/load) and then they dispose of it for you. It is a pro-active way to encourage land owners to better mitigate for fire danger.

 

[rartuin270]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

...am I the only one that can't go to a hardware store for a $7 part without spending a couple hundred bucks?

Most of us don't have that kind of disposable income. But if I had the money I would be the same way.

Also I can't believe nobody has mentioned insulation yet. Aren't you going to insulate this thing???????

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Yes, I mentioned it somewhere up above - the next three big things to do are install the windows so I can then insulate so I can then drywall.


.tablet

 

[coby65]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

X2 on the ladder precautions.
Years ago I was helping a friend in his shop. He needed to work on the ceiling mounted waste oil heater and we got the ladder out and I was going to hold it while he climbed up. While I went outsideto turn the oil pump on he decided to go up the ladder............I walked in just in time to see him fall about 6'. Luckily no broken bones but he wrapped up in the ladder and had bruised ribs and his back was messed up for a couple weeks.

I am with you........could never have enough windows

 

[jesse72]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Geek, what a great garage and property. Its nice that you have a attached garage, detached shop and a basement work shop! That's not too bad! Keep up the god work and posts!

 

[cynicalrider]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Awesome garage, awesome location and awesome bikes. ADV riding is a type of riding I have been wanting to get into for a long time but have been limited by money/time. Ideally I will get a dual sport within the next year to feed my fix to get off the beaten path a bit.

 

[SK Eric]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Geek: I have a strong urge to sell everything I have and move to the mountains and live on bark and berries. Thanks for the pics.

 

[fireberd350]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

great thread, subscribed. im digging all your plans/ideas/executions thus far. Nice work!

 

[AndyCBR]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Geek,

Enjoying your thread and jealous of your location. I've ridden my Tenere through CO several times and there is some awesome riding all around you.

If you don't mind me asking what do people do for a living around those parts? I assume theres a fair amount of road time to get back and forth to a job.

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

jesse72: I'm pretty happy with it too Considering how little flat/level space my property has, it is nice that the workspace exists because I don't really have anywhere to add more

cynicalrider: adventure riding is awesome! I've had more fun at 15mph exploring on my adventure bikes than I ever had at 150mph on race bikes

SK Eric: That's pretty much what I did Moved to Colorado with a 20 year old car and a couple hundred bucks in my pocket. Didn't know a single person when I got here. All these years later, it was the best decision I ever made - I absolutely love it here!

fireberd350: The ideas keep evolving but I think I'm pretty set on what I want out of this upcoming phase

andycbr: It really depends on where you choose. The vast majority of Colorado folks live in the "Front Range" which is basically the north-south strip of flat land on the east side of the Rockies right before the mountains begin (i.e. Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Fort Collins, etc). It is standard city & suburb type stuff - about 4 million people - so it has everything imaginable.

Once you head into the mountains things become a lot less populated and more unique.

Personally I own an IT services and networking company named TopGeek (hence my nickname - I didn't choose it! lol) and my team works in the Boulder, Golden, Denver triangle. When I started shopping for mountain property I specifically looked for a location in this canyon due to its proximity to these three cities (and got lucky, because this is about as close as you can get to all three and be in the mountains!).

My wife ended up with about a 35 minute commute to her job in North Boulder.

On a nice day I can pull out of our driveway and drop out of the mountain onto the flats in about 15 minutes. A few minutes less if I'm having fun on a motorcycle

If my company wasn't so well established now in my area, I'd love to live further into the mountains (a dream would be Crested Butte or the San Juans / Ouray) but those tiny mountain communities have very few opportunities and are hard to break into from an entrepreneurial point of view because of their small size.

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

p.s. I had a 12 mile commute in downtown Dallas that took anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours depending on traffic so I'll NEVER complain about my commute living up here!

I did have to slow down for a heard of Elk that was on the road the other morning...

 

[GRN96WS6]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Can you even get high speed internet there?

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Can you even get high speed internet there?

That depends on your definition if high speed The connection I'm on right now is about 2.5mb/s (DSL). As you probably know, the speed of DSL is determined by distance from the switch and I'm about 15,800 feet away so I'm happy to get this fast! I have neighbors that cannot get 1mb/s with their DSL. I can get a 15 mb/s satellite connection but it has about 900ms of latency which is generally too much for what I do. There is a local microwave dish provider that offers upto 15mb/s but my line of sight to any of their towers is blocked by mountains.

There is no cellular service here - I run 3 microcells in the house and our cell phone calls go out over the internet connection.

There is no television or radio service.
We don't watch television and I stream radio service over the internet connection.

Moving here we decided we'd much rather be outside enjoying the mountains than inside using "faster internet". (we used to have over 25mb/s).

Quality of life has gone way up!

 

[mikeway]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Know those problems, summered for 8 years in Westcliffe,CO. Almost no connectivity. Now have an acre near Bend, OR.

 

[bdkw1]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

or the San Juans / Ouray

Love that town! Lots of good riding up there.

 

[Rusty Musket]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

I think I drove by your house a few times when my parents lived in Golden

Curious if the reduced gravity at 8000 feet makes a KTM 950 oil change any less messy...

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Rusty: I drive by the "Sleeper house" a few times per week It is 2 canyons south of us.
(I call it the sleeper house because it was used in that woody allen movie).

8000ft doesn't help with a KTM oil change buy my "hose mod" to the reservoir sure does! I don't have to pull the left tank any more - woot

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Twice per year our county has a "slash drop off" weekend at the mouth of our canyon to encourage/make it easy for home owners to clear out their over growth.

Today started early with felling four trees including the two "dangerous" overhang trees that at some point in the future were lined up to fall on the shop.

One of the overhang trees:

...and down it goes

both placed perfectly:

One was pretty tricky because we had to get it to fall 90 degrees to where it wanted to go to avoid the buildings.

Skinned down:

...and turned into firewood:

Then Cheryl and I got to work clearing undergrowth and trimming the sides of the driveway back (the trees grow like weeds up here!).

Two trailer-fulls to the drop off and we had a productive day!

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

...and while I'm doing slice of life - a couple of snapshots from yesterday.

I played hooky and went mountain biking @ 9000 ft.
Summer has arrived!

sorry for the crappy cell phone compression.

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

 

[Geek]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

Actually worked on the van today!

Shop switched back from moto-work to van work mode:

For some reason 8020 has screened their damn brochure on the end of these end caps.
I doubt it has EVER gotten them a new customer but I guarantee it is pissed off lots of builders

Just a squirt of plastidip and voila...

Note to self: DO NOT RUN DAMPLIFIER THROUGH THE ROUTER
I don't know if my poor router will ever be the same

I have a box that has the Espar and the subwoofer in it. When I cranked the 'toons.. the sub was rattling the box. I took an old panel that was already sound proofed (it was a speaker panel from 2012's version of the build) and it was just the right amount of oversize to cut down and do what I wanted today.

cutting and test fitting

test fitting in the van:

pre-drilling for the jigsaw

Voila! one hole. Note the edges of the board - I routed them down to the thickness so that they fit in the t-slots but this board already had d-amplifier bonded to it so I ended up routing a bunch of rubber. What a mess!

...and voila. A new rattle free sub box. The lid to the box is still temporary. There is a vertical stack of drawers that will be going above this box but I built that lid last fall as a "place to sit" in the meanwhile. It is actually really handy when moving around the van with the bed in place - I might try and incorporate the seat into the drawers somehow

 

[latency]

Re: Geek's Garage @ 8000ft.

I love this thread!