Greetings from Pennsylvania!

[Laker]

Hello All,
I've been lurking here for about a year, trying to absorb all I can. Awesome forum. We bought our house about 6 years ago from a guy who had two little girls. I fell in love with the 2-car garage. It had a ventless natural gas heater, (8) florescent light fixtures on the ceiling, he had the garage wired with 220V for a half-dozen German-made wood working machines. Drill press, lathes, sanders table saws etc. (no cars). He had a TV in the corner and a stack of woodworking DVDs. At the time, I thought it was over the top. Now with two little girls of my own, I'm beginning to understand. Outnumbered and surrounded 18 hours a day, that garage is our sanctuary. About two years ago I studded and drywalled (yes, type X) , and slapped on a $5 mis-tint can of green paint. I also painted the floor, but it didn't last. Wish I had known about the GJ flooring forum back then.

Here is a picture taken when the paint was just dry, but I hadn't moved all my stuff back in, and one with the sad state of the floor paint from today, as well as one of the wacky 220V outlets, which I have no use for.

I've been looking for a workbench and vise, and learned loads here on GC about American made vises, and have refurbished two to date. (an Erie 44, my grand-uncles and a Parker 973). I couldn't have done it without the help of GJ.
Anyways, I just wanted to say 'hi' and thank everyone for their invaluable contributions, hope I can repay the favor.

 

[4th-stooge]

Welcome Laker!

This is about the best place on the planet to find info on finding/fixing/refurbishing vises, especially the great American-made marques (Parker, Reed, Columbian, etc.) I have one excellent Parker and another on its way to rebuilding.

Regarding your garage, can you give us some more detail, like dimensions, etc. and what your plans are for the future?

Good luck and stay with GJ, these are the best folks on the planet!

4th-stooge

 

[930dreamer]

Welcome to the GJ.

 

[malibu101]

Welcome!
Where about are you in the state?

Check out the "Pennsylvania Pride" social group on here too! -
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=88

 

[Laker]

Hey Folks,
Thanks for the warm welcome! I live in the western suburbs of Philadelphia and just signed up on the the PA Pride page.

The 2-car garage is 20 feet deep and 22' 10" wide. The larger side is used either for the wife's car in the winter and/or kids' bikes, sleds, although the wall space is all mine (tools hanging on first two pictures above) The other side is mine where I tinker on a 20 year old car.

I, like others on here have been brought up believing if it isn't food and not sold at Sears, I don't need it. After 5 attempts at purchasing a Made-in-USA steel workbench frame, I have given up on Sears. (2 orders showed up damaged, 1 'missed the truck' and two orders were duplicates placed in error by their CSRs) I have a stack of receipts, returns and excuses 3 inches high.

So I bit the bullet and dropped some serious coin on a workbench made by a family in Savannah, Georgia. I could have made a workbench myself, but it's the chicken and the egg. I had no workbench to make it on :

My workbench to date has been the cardboard packaging from a sliding screen door. I restored all three vises on it, as it has served me well despite being on the floor. Now I have to decide which vise to mount on the soon to be delivered bench. The Reed 106 may be too big, and stick out too far in the narrow path between my car & bench.
The Erie 44, is my Grand-uncle's vise but doesn't have a covered lead screw.
The Parker 973 looks killer in my opinion, but not sure a 3" Jaw is big enough. Maybe I will look for a 4.5" vise and restore that too