Matty's Garage Projects (Aus)

[octane_matty]

matty, they stock some nice timber there and your selection looks great.



Your table is coming along nicely.



Regards

Thanks mate,
what kind of finishes do you use on your tops?
I've only used Cabot's gloss oil based poly before and looking to branch out to something more natural/matte looking.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Thanks mate,
what kind of finishes do you use on your tops?
I've only used Cabot's gloss oil based poly before and looking to branch out to something more natural/matte looking.

Matty, I like Cabots Danish Oil or their poly urethane.


The Danish lets you build the finish you want from a satin finish to a nice gloss.
Plus it is easy to repair if you need to down the track.

Regards

Edit I was down your neck of the woods today for work and clean forgot about the timber place...........******.

 

[octane_matty]

Matty, I like Cabots Danish Oil or their poly urethane.


The Danish lets you build the finish you want from a satin finish to a nice gloss.
Plus it is easy to repair if you need to down the track.

Regards

Edit I was down your neck of the woods today for work and clean forgot about the timber place...........******.

Hahaha be careful 1/2 cup some of these places are as addictive and bad for your wallet as a casino.

Picked up some Cabot's Danish on the way home to test out [emoji106]

 

[octane_matty]

Unfortunately no updates on the engine or coffee table at this stage, but here's a little side project.

Decided to make a small wine rack for the Mrs from the leftover Redgum fenceposts.

Setup my circular saw as a tablesaw, probably rather dangerous but it worked well!

Horrible cheap drill press comes back to bite me here....chuck wobbles a good ~3mm and the motor is gutless for this size holesaw.

Had some fun with my router then glued up

Some sanding and some Danish oil later...

I'm pretty happy with the results

 

[hewey]

Wine rack came up a treat, nice work.

 

[1/2 Cup]

matty, great work.

I have often thought of doing something similar but thought to myself " whats the point as a bottle of wine comes in the house it tends to get consumed"

Regards

 

[octane_matty]

matty, great work.



I have often thought of doing something similar but thought to myself " whats the point as a bottle of wine comes in the house it tends to get consumed"



Regards

Haha, pretty sure my Mrs is preparing for some kind of apocalypse or wine shortage

Btw the reason I asked about your bore measuring is because either my bores are really worn and out of shape or I'm just not getting accurate measurements.

I'm using the telescoping bore Tbars which are driving me crazy. Haven't decided if I'll buy a dial bore guage or take it back to the machine shop

 

[1/2 Cup]

Matty, if you are not getting consistent measurements run it back to the machine shop and look over their shoulder while they do it..

Regards

 

[code4pay]

Setup my circular saw as a tablesaw, probably rather dangerous but it worked well!

I did that for quite a while mine worked really good as well. I ended up getting an Aldi saw it was less accurate than my home made one . But I made a new wooden top for it and it is alot better now.

 

[octane_matty]

I did that for quite a while mine worked really good as well. I ended up getting an Aldi saw it was less accurate than my home made one . But I made a new wooden top for it and it is alot better now.

Nice work, I've considered a cheap tablesaw too but can't bring myself to purchase one just yet. Good to know the Aldi saw is as sloppy as my drill press!

 

[Bempa]

Nice work on the wine rack, redgum wood looks really nice!

 

[octane_matty]

Small update of progress on a few things...

Coffee table is coming along well
Taped up for some epoxy.
I went with the west system epoxy, seems to work quite well!

Went a little overboard with the epoxy, but it fills even the smallest crack or grain very well

I'll admit i was a little worried after doing this if i could clean up the mess i made.

Decided this was no job for an orbital or sheet sander...
New tool purchase! Makita 9400G-MT Belt Sander
From what i understand this is the cheap Maktec variety but it works amazing! no idea why i didn't buy one years ago!

Initial sanding done with the Belt sander, then plenty of passes with the circ saw and router with a flush trim bit to cut the top to final dimensions

It seems i was a little over zealous with the belt sander and rounded one of the corners.

Needless to say this was not what the Mrs ordered and she wasn't impressed

Nervous cut with the saw

Glue offcut onto the side

Quick sand

Surgery complete

I may have forgotten to previously mount tabs to secure the top so welded some small brackets in

In other news, went to Carbatec last weekend, barely made it out alive...quality woodworking buffet

It's about time I also did some work in the house....
Built a frame for some recessed shelves

Mounted in the wall and put some plaster up. Sadly broke my screwgun halfway through, barely put in 100 screws with it and body has cracked

In car news...
the S54's water pump bearing started failing recently.
New bmw pump, hoses,oem thermostat and belt installed

Sadly I've also decided to part out the S54 car, it's finally time to purchase a more practical car, probably 4x4 ute to haul parts, bikes and the LS E36 someday.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Matty, great recovery surgery..

Carbatec is my kind of store, they have some great stuff..

Regards

 

[octane_matty]

Haha yeah the staff at Carbatec were surprisingly knowledgeable and friendly which was good for a change. Although I went by to pickup a slotting router bit that could cut a slot 3.2mm high and 20mm+ depth...turns out that doesn't exist.
Came home and realised why wouldn't I just use my circular saw for that kind of slot (face palm moment)

Ps get some sleep 1/2 cup!

 

[jon_beer]

Matty Really enjoyed this! Just binged on your thread. Those steel shop tables and benches are making me jealous! I'm looking forward to getting some welding practice in to get to your level.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Haha yeah the staff at Carbatec were surprisingly knowledgeable and friendly which was good for a change. Although I went by to pickup a slotting router bit that could cut a slot 3.2mm high and 20mm+ depth...turns out that doesn't exist.
Came home and realised why wouldn't I just use my circular saw for that kind of slot (face palm moment)

Ps get some sleep 1/2 cup!

Who needs sleep...

 

[hewey]

That coffee table is looking fantastic, really nice work and good recovery on fixing the corner too.

 

[sean Buick 76]

Nice work with all the projects! I have torn down a lot of 5.3 and 6.0 engines and wow that one you have had many many miles... With that said the LS engines are the best engines in the world, keep up the great work and I get that 6.0 will be awesome!

 

[octane_matty]

Nice work with all the projects! I have torn down a lot of 5.3 and 6.0 engines and wow that one you have had many many miles... With that said the LS engines are the best engines in the world, keep up the great work and I get that 6.0 will be awesome!

Yeah I'm really not sure if it does have high mileage or its just had a tough life, we'll find out soon

 

[octane_matty]

Ahhh yes it's that time...

Few little finishing touches still to complete
Top is secured with some gold/brass allen head bolts, yeah I know nobody can see them....but they're cool

And in it's final place...makes everything else in the room look 20 years old

It turned out much better than I expected and is easily my best woodworking project so far. Welding the frame was by far the greatest challenge to make the frame square enough.

Stay tuned for the media cabinet

 

[ajohno]

Great work Matty.

 

[hewey]

Mate, that coffee table came out absolutely beautiful. I just showed my wife and she loves it too, and reckons the work to fix the corner was needed too. What finish did you use on the timber? I like the matte finish, looks nice and natural.

 

[octane_matty]

Mate, that coffee table came out absolutely beautiful. I just showed my wife and she loves it too, and reckons the work to fix the corner was needed too. What finish did you use on the timber? I like the matte finish, looks nice and natural.

Hey Hewey,

the finish is Cabots Danish oil as recommended by 1/2 cup it's relatively cheap, dries in 8 hours and very easy to refinish if needed (I actually finished the top twice, first time had some sanding marks still)
It took only two coats to get enough coverage

The timber is recycled messmate 170x29 from urban salvage
Knots/holes are filled with west system epoxy combined with black pigment.
Sanded: belt sander 80, sheet sander 180, 240 then hand sanded 320 and 600.

Here's a better picture which is closer to the real colour

 

[1/2 Cup]

Matty, now the top has come up just a treat, well done.

Regards

 

[TwoBytes]

Coffee table looks amazing mate, well done!

Great work on the corner surgery too

 

[Terrick down Under]

Really nice work on the corner, me, I would have had to take it somewhere to get that far. I can do concrete formwork in wood, but I prefer steel.

 

[hewey]

Thanks Matty. I've got some milled down railway sleepers that are waiting to become a coffee table, if I ever get around to it.

 

[octane_matty]

Thanks Matty. I've got some milled down railway sleepers that are waiting to become a coffee table, if I ever get around to it.

Maybe I can save you the trouble...Happy to take donations

 

[octane_matty]

Time for for an update I guess, it's been a busy few weeks.
I've got far too many projects on the go but uploading some pictures might remind me I've actually achieved a few things over the past few weeks.

Few weekends ago spent the weekend at a mates beach house down the coast. Took the bike out for a pedal in the morning along the beach, weather was perfect.

Following weekend put some plaster up in the Kitchen.
Open plan living is great, open stud living....not so great

Another update...another tool purchase?
This was on special at the soon to be closed down Masters, last one on the shelf and debatable if it's a bargain. Seems to work relatively well though, not as good as a senco or paslode...but good enough for around the home and 1/5th the price

I may have mentioned I was considering selling the E36 S54, deposit has been taken and it will soon be sold to a new owner.
This leaves me searching for a nice practical car for a daily driver.
After a month or so searching carsales...
Early Friday morning trip to Sydney

Saturday morning drove this beast back
2013 VW Amarok Highline

Higher K's than I wanted but it has a full service history and no signs of major abuse. Scratches and dents here and there but you expect that with this type of car.

Passed some eye candy on the way and made it from Syd to Melbourne on one tank with 50km range to spare.

Mate of mine invited some friends over yesterday to burn off before the fire bans start. My friend Dushan and I were tasked with building a chair from scrap wood around the place. (My first photo appearance and credit to Michael for the photo)

Little grasshopper? having a snooze

A beverage holder was added of course (Credit to Dushan for the photo)
It's not level or square but it's comfy and that's all that matters

Remember that post I was going to put up months ago?
Finally put it in this morning

Recently the piles of junk and tools everywhere is starting to get to me in the garage. I've decided to start another project which will hopefully allow me to start cleaning and organising the garage back to what it should be.

Basic shelf plan for the dungeon

Current situation:

The shelves were never built properly, some are rotting away and they aren't really deep enough to be functional.

Cleaned out

Few wallops with the mallet and we're getting there

Little bit of moisture in the back corner which could complicate painting and epoxy. Really looking forward to the garage not looking like an episode of hoarders.

Stay tuned for more

 

[1/2 Cup]

Looking forward to it OM

The Amarok looks the goods too..

Cheers

 

[Grumblebum]

Great update Matty.

I love my BFG's. I rotate mine on the Hilux every 5thou and get plenty of miles out of them.

Cheers GB.

 

[octane_matty]

Yeah these BFG's seem good all rounders, not much road noise and decent grip.

It will be interesting to see how these Amarok's age into the future vs hilux.

 

[Mudnut]

Hey Matty,

Great read, and projects. I plan on painting my floor soon. How is your floor holding up? Will need to make benches also, and I like your idea of rebating the drop saw, so the bench becomes the support table.

One of my reasons my wife allowed me to build my garage, is my 15yo son is looking to fix up a car. He and I are both BMW fans, and an early E30 - E46 are on the cards for him.

Keep up the posts, as I will be following with interest.

Cheers,

Ken

 

[octane_matty]

Hey mudnut, my floor is "alright" where we park our cars you can see tyre tracks and a bit of dirt from working on cars, could probably look better with a decent scrub. Other areas where there isn't much traffic are good as new!

To me the floor was more about having a relatively easy to clean surface and even colour. As you can see the original concrete was disgusting in comparison.

I've had a few parts chip away at my welding bench where I've dropped tools and bits of metal onto the floor.

It's definitely not indestructible but much easier to clean when you make a mess.

BMW's are great first cars, easy to work on and reliable when take care of them.
I'd consider an e46 these days because the interior holds together better. Hard to find good e36 parts these days.

 

[hewey]

Nice update, and the new ute looks great.

 

[ajohno]

Great update Matty.
I have the new BFG KO2 on my Ranger.
Have fun in your new ride.

 

[octane_matty]

Little bit of shed time this weekend wrenching.

Replaced the Amarok's front suspension with Bilstein B8's. Existing front right strut had a good 12mm crack in it, oil everywhere and wouldn't pass a roadworthy.

Sunday had one of the BFGs patched from a fairly large hole.

After some family commitments also fixed a leaky toilet inlet valve.

Reasonably productive weekend and hope everyone else had a good one. Keen for the long weekend next weekend!

 

[octane_matty]

Weather is getting better and better these days, weekends are very busy!

few weekends ago had a nice ride on puffing billy to gembrook, the weather was stunning!

Took the Amarok out last weekend, Warburton -> Mt Donna -> Narbethong -> Marysville mainly fire trails nothing serious.

Had to do a tip run with the trailer, first time towing with the amarok. Plugged the trailer in and dashboard showed a lighting error.
Plug was full of mud and dust!
Trip down to SCA, bought a new socket with inbuilt LED tester, works perfect!

Also last weekend had the chance to clear out the rest of the dungeon

As mentioned previously I have some moisture issues with the dungeon, picked up some damp stop epoxy based paint (Betta Brand) and slapped it on.

The main problem is the moisture coming through from the soil on the other side of the wall.
Time to dig a trench

Damp proof membrane painted on the wall, test fitting PVC pipe and sloping dirt away from wall.

Thick builders plastic added

Drilled holes in the bottom of the PVC, offset from center a little.

Screening rocks + landscape fabric wrap

More rocks + more fabric

Now to cover up all the hard work.

Also this weekned more progress in the dungeon...
Pulled out my Wagner spray gun, minute or two of spraying then ZZZzzzz POP! dead, nothing, nada.
Bit dissapointed I've only used the sprayer 3 times now and it's dead, will see if i can warranty it but thinking my chances of replacement are low.

Pulled out the brush and slaved away..

Mrs Octane put in some hours today and it's starting to seem less like a dungeon!

That's all for now! Hope everyone got some good QST this weekend.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Matty, thank you for the update..

Its an awesome part of the state through Warburton and Marysville..

Just a tip with you trailer plug make sure you split the pins with a screw diver as this helps to get good contact, I do mine regularly..

The dungeon looks good, well done..

Cheers

 

[60beetle60]

Have just seen this thread. love what you did with your diy coffee table, looks the goods! Moisture should also have a much harder time getting into the dungeon now.