My Smallish Fab Shop

[bbaxj]

I spent 4 years after college building projects in 2 bays of my parents' 3 car garage and learned to do a lot of good work in a small space with minimal tools and resources. I built these there from the ground up, all custom fabrication, plus a handful of other projects:

Then I FINALLY got myself a place once the economy stabilized(I graduated and got an engineering job in the auto industry just before the bottom fell out) and I saved up some more coin. Bought this place for a great deal:
Back:

Front:

I would've loved to have a barn, but managed to find my dream house for a price I could afford so I couldn't resist. The current garage will still get the job done for me, so no huge issue there. It's about 24x24, 2x6 studs, 8' doors, 11' to the trusses. Lots of potential there.

The house is on 3.5 acres so there's plenty of potential to add a barn later.

 

[gibby64]

thats a good width for a 2 car... should have plenty of room for storage... especially with the 11' height

 

[bbaxj]

When I moved in(March 2012) the garage was pretty bare, just 2 halogen bulbs and a few 110v outlets. That was fine by me since then I got to build it all how I want.

First step was to have a buddy epoxy the floor:

I was hesitant to do it since it'll get messed up with all my steel work, but all it cost me was some fabrication I did for his Jeep. It's been really nice so far for cleaning up messes.

I did things a little differently than most people on here seem to; I put almost no effort or money into "finish" work(insulation, walls, trim, paint, etc). Not because I'm lazy, I'm actually very **** about doing things right....it simply wasn't a priority for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm doing all the work right, straight, neat, and strong, but not making it into a second living space like many seem to do. I have nothing against that style but funds are tight due to buying my first house, and insulation and flat/pretty walls aren't a big deal to me at this point....I just want it functional. It's all gonna get beat up, covered in grinding dust, etc. I've got a 115,000BTU torpedo heater I'll use in the winter for heat and I'll open the doors and turn on a fan in the summer. Once I get working I don't need it to be more than 45* or so anyway. Priorities are workspace, storage space, and power sources.

Next up I added a ton of shelving to make the most of the space I had. With the 11' to the trusses I was able to add shelves around 3 sides, and if I run out of shelves I can add them above the 8' doors also.

(I got those lights free and since sold them since they're overly bright and inefficient for my use)

Also added some more shelves for large part storage, compressor, etc.

This is suspended because underneath will be the steel rack running pretty much the whole length of the garage for my various pieces of tube.

Next I decided to use the "dead" space between the doors for some shelving. I decided to use the large 2x6 studs to my advantage for storage:

 

[mdkingsley]

Good use of your space, enjoyed the show so far.

 

[bbaxj]

For some reason I didn't take many pics of the bench I built but I can get more if anybody wants it. It's 3/4" MDF doubled up to 1.5" thick with a 1/2" radius routed on the front edge. Then I coated it with Home Depot's crappy floor epoxy. It looks good, is somewhat tough, and can easily be touched up later when it gets beat up. The frame is all 2x4s, lots of bracing, tied into the wall studs, and built-in shelves underneath.

The bench is 12' long plus the small section that sticks out behind the man door. The drill press will sit on this section and the beer fridge goes underneath.
I'll also be adding a 2'x4' steel table at the end of the bench for fabrication/welding and other heavy duty use. I'll have my large vice mounted to it with a removeable mount using a trailer hitch so I can get it out of the way when not needed. My large toolbox will go in the corner next to the steel table.

I then added the cabinets shown above and added a stereo. The cabinets are obviously mix and match, but eventually I'll sand and color match them and probably cover them with 100s of automotive and aftermarket stickers I've collected over the years. I mounted my 100amp subpanel on the wall behind the man door, ran the power cable underground inside conduit into my basement, and am currently working on finishing up my wiring. I added a bunch of 110v outlets, 220v for compressor, welder, and plasma cutter, 8 4' 2 bulb T8 flourescent lights on the ceiling, smaller flourescents under the cabinets, etc. I'm about 90% done with all that. Once that's done I need to bring the rest of my parts, tools, and equipment over and I can get back to work on my Jeep after a year hiatus while I got settled in. It's gonna fill up in a hurry so hopefully I added enough storage space.

Here are some more miscellaneous pics(yes it's messy at the moment):

 

[skooter_built]

Lookin good buddy, what ya gonna replace the Dodge with?

 

[Rigpig]

Great property, house and shop!! Keep the progress pics coming.
Cheers!

 

[bbaxj]

Lookin good buddy, what ya gonna replace the Dodge with?

Thanks Andy. I just picked up a 2005 Silverado 2500HD. I love it so far, except for fuel mileage. But I've got a Focus econobox for commuting so it shouldn't be a big deal.

Great property, house and shop!! Keep the progress pics coming.
Cheers!

Thanks! Will do once I have more to show. I doubt anyone cares about pics of my wiring and subpanel

 

[K5/TBSS]

Great start. I am in a very similar situation - Graduated 3 years ago with an BSME degree; and bought my first house last fall. This spring I will be remodeling mine - Flooring, paint, and lighting are on the main agenda.

PS - Is that your lifted Ram at the sand dunes? I've seen a few memes made out of it that have gone somewhat viral. Cool!

 

[LShee778]

Mechanical/manufacturing engineer here as well. Just graduated last year. Just got my first house and garage. I'm also a fellow jeeper (see signature) I'll be keeping an eye on this. Looks great so far. Love the house as well.

The real question: Do you work for Chrysler or GM? haha

 

[K5/TBSS]

Haha... I actually work for an aftermarket manufacturing company. We supply/manufacture parts for Autozone, Napa, etc. Don't get your hopes up though... Just sensors, switches, solenoids, stuff like that. lol

Great looking Jeep too. I have a K5 Blazer on 35s that I take out every so often.

 

[LShee778]

Haha... I actually work for an aftermarket manufacturing company. We supply/manufacture parts for Autozone, Napa, etc. Don't get your hopes up though... Just sensors, switches, solenoids, stuff like that. lol

Great looking Jeep too. I have a K5 Blazer on 35s that I take out every so often.

I was actually referring to OP haha but I did similar work. I designed the presses, waterjets, and test/assembly fixtures used to make heat shield, ****** tunnels, and other insulation for the auto world as an OEM supplier. Left that company though. Now i do assembly lines/conveyor systems.

My jeep ****** is out of a k5 haha. Running the old trusty SM465 behind a 355 SBC

 

[930dreamer]

That's a nice house, and plenty of room to expand.

 

[K5/TBSS]

I was actually referring to OP haha but I did similar work. I designed the presses, waterjets, and test/assembly fixtures used to make heat shield, ****** tunnels, and other insulation for the auto world as an OEM supplier. Left that company though. Now i do assembly lines/conveyor systems.

My jeep ****** is out of a k5 haha. Running the old trusty SM465 behind a 355 SBC

Oops.. Guess I need to pay closer attention. Sounds like you have a better trans than me. The 700R4 is on its last leg... I have a TH350 ready to go in though.

 

[itchy]

You bought a great looking house, and nice piece of property. Glad to see you still have the TJ hiding in the corner. Garage is coming along nice.
Cheers, Keith.

 

[dlenkewich]

Wow! That's a beautiful piece of property you have. Congrats!

 

[NUTTSGT]

You have a nice looking place, I wouldn't mind seeing the inside of the cabin too. You're getting some work done to the garage to make it useful, no doubt, you'll use the heck out of it.

I know you didn't want to insulate and think of it as a second living area but as you get older and try to start using it year around, having it insulated will be nice. Even if you do a section at a time, you'll be glad when it's done.

 

[bbaxj]

Great start. I am in a very similar situation - Graduated 3 years ago with an BSME degree; and bought my first house last fall. This spring I will be remodeling mine - Flooring, paint, and lighting are on the main agenda.

PS - Is that your lifted Ram at the sand dunes? I've seen a few memes made out of it that have gone somewhat viral. Cool!

Sounds like lots of us on this forum are at about the same point! Pretty cool.

The black Ram is my best friend's truck, but I designed all the suspension and built every inch of it in my parents' driveway. The owner of course helped a lot and got pretty good at fabrication himself as things moved along. A full build thread can be found here:
http://www.greatlakes4x4.com/showthread.php?t=92553&highlight=cumdumpster

The blue Ram in the first few pics was my truck. I built it a lot more mild than the black one, but it still had custom long travel suspension, heavily trussed front axle, 37" tires, etc.

I actually sold it about a month ago, it was just more than I needed and cost more than I wanted to pay now that I've got a mortgage and everything that goes with it. I stepped down to a stock 3/4 ton Chevy with the 6.0L.

Mechanical/manufacturing engineer here as well. Just graduated last year. Just got my first house and garage. I'm also a fellow jeeper (see signature) I'll be keeping an eye on this. Looks great so far. Love the house as well.

The real question: Do you work for Chrysler or GM? haha

I actually work for Extang....truck tonneau covers and all that good stuff.

You bought a great looking house, and nice piece of property. Glad to see you still have the TJ hiding in the corner. Garage is coming along nice.
Cheers, Keith.

Thanks Keith, I'm pretty happy with it! The TJ isn't going anywhere, but I do wish I would've stuck with the milder build like I was originally planning when I almost traded for yours. Once again I went overboard and have taken forever to get anywhere with it due to lack of funds and motivation. At least this one will still cost 1/3 of what the Scrambler would've.

You have a nice looking place, I wouldn't mind seeing the inside of the cabin too. You're getting some work done to the garage to make it useful, no doubt, you'll use the heck out of it.

I know you didn't want to insulate and think of it as a second living area but as you get older and try to start using it year around, having it insulated will be nice. Even if you do a section at a time, you'll be glad when it's done.

Here are a couple crappy pics from when we were first moving in:

I agree on the insulation. Eventually it'll definitely get it, it just wasn't a priority yet. I just want to get it operational for now, and insulation wasn't necessary to get things working. When I've worked out there this winter I've definitely learned that it doesn't hold heat well at all but I can deal with it for the time being.

 

[kyle@hcb]

Cool house/garage! Quite secluded.

 

[Outlander]

Very nice set up!! Right up my alley

 

[1badcj8]

Hi, was browsing through looking at other built Jeeps, came across a picture of the Scrambler next to the black truck you are building, or were building. It's an older post but I'd very much like to know where you got the hood scoop on it if you wouldn't mind letting me know.

Thank you... And yes your place is pretty awesome!