Progress Garage

[Amarch22]

So I have been a long time lurker here and thought I would start a thread as a place to, more than anything really, archive my garage endeavors. This is not a "garage build" thread or a thread dedicated to any particular project, just a place to post what I've been up to - however random and intermittent that may be! I enjoy working with my hands, fixing things and generally keeping things in order. I don't think my content is anything spectacular and most might deem some of my pursuits trivial, but it's going up nonetheless . I don't consider myself a master of anything and know my ways of going about things may not be the best, so part of my purpose here, I suppose, would also be to tap into the vast resources here and improve my manual labor skills becasue I am always looking to do things in the most accurate and correct manner. My day job keeps me pretty busy, so my garage time comes and goes in spurts. So onto the garage itself...


Garage Perspective by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


Garage Plan by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


Garage Outside Inl by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

The garage is an attached two-car garage. The floor is concrete slab on grade, two extrior walls are CMU and interior wall is typical timber frame, with some attic space above (trusses on 24" centers). This is the only storage area we have (other than said attic), so everything (lawn equipment, sporting goods, etc.) all has to go in the garage. When we bought the house 3 years ago, the garage needed a little TLC. The previous owners left some scabbed together shelving and random hooks on the walls as well as some old cabinets and just general junk. So the first thing I did was pull everything down, tossed whatever I could, disassembled the shelving (which I kept the materials for scrap) and painted the walls. Regarding paint, I am usally a Ben Moore guy, but for the garage I went with Behr Premium Plus in "Silverscreen". I wanted something that allowed the door, trim, and windows to stand out from the wall but still be somewhat light and reflective. I'm pretty happy with the choice. Work in the garage over the next couple of years involved a combination of the following:

• Rearranged items
• Replaced heating elements in hot water heater
• Rearranged items
• Replaced failed garage door torsion springs
• Replaced metal garage door rollers with nylon (highly recommended)
• Rearragned items
• Painted attic door white (was natural birch)
• Cleaned
• Rearragned items
• Hung Craftsman Versatrack and hooks
• Rearragned items
• Cleaned
• Installed two additional 2-bulb T8 flourescent light fixtures to accompany the two 2-bulb T12 exisiting fixtures
• Rearranged items (I think you get the idea)

So as you can see, there hasn't been a lot of attention given to the garage other than general upkeep. More recently I have made the conscious decision to get more deliberate about the organization and set up of the garage.

One of my earlier projects was to build a cart for material storage. Apologies for the lack of construction pics (and the awful quality of this one - sheesh).


IMG_0068 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Unfortunately, my documentation efforts in the early days were a bit lacking so here are some more recent pics of the place.


Rear Wall by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


Left Wall by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

I took all the (mobile) items out for cleaning and pressure washing of the floor. This sort of gives you an idea of the space. It's certainly not huge, but I am perfectly happy with the space. If nothing else, it makes me be intentional about what I put and how I work in it.


Cleaning by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


Panorama Cleaning by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

 

[Amarch22]

Progress Garage - Adirondack Chairs and Some Scraps

So about a year ago, I decided the back patio needed a place to take a load off while grilling, etc. so I picked up some cedar boards and got to work on some simple Adirondack chairs.


IMG_2034 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


img_2044 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_2032 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_2060 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


img_2531 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


img_2510 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

After assembly and a little test drive, I finished them off in Sikkens Cetol-1 in Mahogany. I love this stuff, expensive, but after a couple years outside, they still look "just-finished".

 

[Amarch22]

Progress Garage - Some Cool Old Stuff from PawPaw

Around Christmas time, the wife and I (as usual) head North (to us) to visit the grandparents and extended family. Now my PawPaw was a man I always looked up to. Hard working but always warm and caring. He had a shop (mostly wood working and maintenance) out in the back of the yard which Grandma has pretty much left in tact. I always find myself out there rummaging around. I found a couple interesting items (at least to me) and thought I'd share them with all of you.

Standard Issue First Aid Kit


IMG_0442 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0444 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0448 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0445 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0447 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0446 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

I cleaned it up and waxed it:

IMG_0452 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

7.62 MM Ammo Box. There were a few of these buried under his work bench, so there's more for future trips! I also cleaned this one up and waxed it. The lid seal was still in great shape.


IMG_0450 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

To be continued...

 

[Amarch22]

Progress Garage - Wilton Vise

Wilton 4" Utility Vise. I know it's their lower end vise, but since it has sentimental value to me, I wanted to bring it back to it's former glory and put it back into service. I couldn't think of a better way he would want it used.


IMG_0424 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0426 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0427 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0428 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0429 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Disassembly:

IMG_0432 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0435 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0436 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0437 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

After glass beading and a hot tank for the main parts, courtesy of the local machine Shop (thanks guys!) and a soak in Evaporust for the hardware:


IMG_0454 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0453 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0455 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0456 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

 

[Amarch22]

Progress Garage - Wilton Vise (cont'd)

The hardware came out rust free but still needed a little love. I started with the vise bodies by masking off the area of the slide that was getting paint.


IMG_0458 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

So I set about gently (as I could) coaxing the shine back out with the venerable 3M EXL wheel attached to my Roloc and die grinder:


IMG_0463 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

I was pretty happy with the results. Before and after:

IMG_0459 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

IMG_0460 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

IMG_0458 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr
IMG_0461 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Then i went after the hardware, jaw tops, and anvil surface (see jaw and anvil pics after reveal).

IMG_0467 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Then I began paint. There are no pics of the paint going on because I was, well, painting. After masking the freshly polished slide, jaw tops, and anvil, the process was one coat of Rustoleum Self-Etching Primer followed by two coats of Rustoleum Professional Enamel in Gloss Red. I had wanted to do Red Hammered, but I could not source it locally and I didn't want to wait a week for it to arrive from ordering. I'm still pretty happy how it turned out.


IMG_0468 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

And the reveal:

IMG_0469 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0470 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0471 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0473 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0474 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Ready for Reassembly:

IMG_0477 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

I started by applying paste wax to all the newly clean and polished hardware, jaw tops, and anvil surface. Then I applied anti-seize to the jaw screws and installed the jaws. Next was a coat of anti-seize on the swivel base main and lock down screws and installed the static jaw onto it's base. I gave the slide a good coating of 90W gear oil, wiped down with a rag and slid it into it's home. A coat of anti-seize on the lead screw, a new cotter pin, and she was as good as new!


IMG_0480 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0482 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0485 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0483 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Yes, the handle is still bent. I'm not super worried about, but if I can scheme a way to straighten it out I will, but I may just leave it since I know the guy that actually bent it in the first place


IMG_0486 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0488 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

I have a Craftsman Ginder/Vise stand on order (the heavier one). When it comes, this guy is getting bolted up and placed by the compressor.

 

[Amarch22]

Progress Garage - Air Line Filter Bracket

I picked up an in-line air filter from Ingersoll-Rand's ARO lineup. The thing is way more compact than I was expecting! I wanted to mount it to the wall with some quick release couplings so I can disconnect my compressor and wheel elsewhere if needed. Only problem is I didn't have anything to mount it with. IR makes a bracket for such a purpose, but I decided to try my hand at making one. I took a small piece of 22 Ga. sheet steel, laid out the pattern, marked the centers with an automatic punch, and drilled some holes using my step-bits.


IMG_0498 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Then I cut out the pattern with some simple aviation snips.


IMG_0499 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

I put in a couple of bends and then a test fit.


IMG_0500 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0504 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Then I clipped the sharp corners. Gave it a coat of self etching primer, followed by two coats of black and a coat of clear.


IMG_0503 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Painted and mounted. I still need to do some plumbing, but it should be up and running soon!


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr
MORE PICS TO FOLLOW!

 

[Amarch22]

Progress Garage - Brakes

While I was working on restoring the Wilton, I took the time to clean up the front brakes on the truck. Years ago I painted the calipers red and it was, admitedly, a pretty hack job. I also installed Hawk's Super Duty Brake pads. at that time. The dust these pads generated was pretty bad! I lived with brown wheels for a while (and yes I keep it clean on a regular basis) so I finally decided it was time for change. I ordered up a set of Hawk's Performance Ceramic pads.


pc-box-pads by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr
(Stock Photo)

The main feature I was after was reduced dust. While I had the wheels off, I decided to clean up the calipers and rotors. The process was removing the calipers and brackets from the spindles. I plugged the brake line ends with rubber stoppers (like you would find in a chemistry lab). They worked like charm - I left them there for 2 days and not a drop of fluid.

I attached a knotted cup brush to my DeWalt 4 1/2" angle grinder and stripped away the years of paint and gunk from the calipers and brackets in no time!

I shot both calipers and brackets with Self-Ethcing primer. I used Duplicolor's Ceramic Caliper Paint followed by Duplicolor's High-Temp Clear Coat. So it was primer, allowed to dry, then caliper paint, heat gun, caliper paint, heat gun, a light coat of high temp clear, heat gun, light coat of high-temp clear, heat gun, medium coat of high temp clear, heat gun. Phew! I think they came out pretty well. The finish seems stable but time will tell.


IMG_0479 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


IMG_0489 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Then I looked down and saw the rusty hubs and rotors. Off they came. They got the same treatment as the calipers. I masked the surfaces of the rotors by printing some templates from Autocad.


IMG_0493 by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

 

[W650Mike]

Cool stuff Allen!

The calipers look great - as do the rest of your projects.

 

[Amarch22]

Thanks Mike!

 

[kyle@hcb]

Love the custom mount! Cool projects

 

[Amarch22]

Thanks Kyle! I added a pic of the filter mounted to the wall up in Post #6. I still need to add some fittings to finish up the plumbing. I will probably put a 90* on the outlet to point the quick release away from the wall, and replace those brass clunkers with some Legacy fittings. Like these:


IMG_0462_opt by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

 

[rohartman]

Nice work, great pictures, you look very organized, can you come and work in my shop for awhile!?

 

[Amarch22]

You know, it's funny you say this, I have a few friends that I would love to be turned loose in their shops/garages But seriously, thanks for the kind words, I still feel like I have a long way to go!

 

[Amarch22]

Progress Garage - Toolbox Top

I have been using this piece of hardboard that came in the box for my toolbox as a top - not as a work surface, but more of a temporary holding spot for tools and things while I am working. I am planning on finishing off the box with the upper chest, but I don't know when that will be so this is a temporary solution.


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

I picked up some ribbed stair runner and began cutting it up.


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

First came the toolbox and a little bit of instant gratification


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

While I was at it, I cut a piece to go under the jack stands in the cabinet.


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

And here's a shot of the rest of the cabinet contents:

Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

 

[Duck72]

Subscribed! I like the attention to detail you have with your projects.

Also what brand of upright cabinet is that where you keep your jack stands? It looks like it holds a lot of stuff for it's size.

I like the filter bracket idea as well. Keep up the good work!

 

[Amarch22]

Much appreciated, Duck! The two tall cabinets, bench, and rolling cabinet under the bench are by Seville Classics and are sold at Sam's Club. My Dad is actually the one who turned me onto them a few years back and I had hoped to be able to put some in my garage when I got one. For the price, I don't think they can be beat. A search on here for them will unearth lots of threads! And yes, I too have been impressed with how much I can cram into them! I've got plans for one more tall cabinet and a few wall cabinets.

Did a little organizing. I'm trying to get stuff off the top of the cabinets:


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

 

[Bib Overalls]

Very nice set up.

 

[dubber]

Very cool!

 

[55cadillacking]

Ok, you're hired. When can you start? LOL

I love your attention to details. I did the exact same thing to top my Craftsman 55" and 6' work bench. I went through RubberCal. I couldn't handle the curled edges, so I used little brackets to weigh the ends down. On the bench, I actually screwed the brackets down to clamp the edges.

Looking forward to seeing what else you tackle.

 

[Amarch22]

Thank you guys, I appreciate it.

 

[Amarch22]

Wow, Rick, I have to say it's an honor to have you here. Your place looks amazing! I can really appreciate how organized and deliberate you are about your space

I like the idea of the brackets, I may have to implement should the corners cause any grief

Indeed, stay tuned I have a few projects coming down the pipe. Waiting on parts and such...

 

[55cadillacking]

I also rock the Hawk pads on my car. Stock pads on most cars are so soft you spend your life battling the brake dust.

 

[Amarch22]

I have noticed a vast improvement in dust. They have been in for two weeks now, and the wheels still looked like I just cleaned them. Whereas, my older pads would have had my wheels coated 12 days ago!

 

[Amarch22]

Hey guys. Quick little update. I added a quick rendering of my idea for the garage layout to Post 1

I'm working on some more perspectives and details, I'll get those up as I finish them.

 

[HSpencer]

Super nice restorations!! I use that rubber matting myself, and it is good for many things.
The vise work was very detailed and well done. Being 30 years US Army, I appreciated the "Kit, First Aid". I have a couple of them myself, one is like your in an OD green box, and the other is white. I also have a "Kit, First Aid, Battalion Aid Station". It is in about a gallon size box, OD green. I think the one you have was issued to go in a vehicle. Thinking that is right as you drew "Kit, First Aid, the "OVM" or "On Vehicle Maintenance" along with the check out from the motor pool.
Very Nice!!!

 

[Amarch22]

Thanks for sharing the info H. I'd like to see some shots of your kits. I find these kinds of things pretty cool. I noticed all the pieces and parts in the kits seemed to originate from different parts of the country, which I thought was interesting. I also thought "Pin, Safety, Curved" was interesting

 

[Amarch22]

Quick update. I finally decided to get my mower clipping bag up and out of the way. I mulch 90% of the time, so it was just taking up space on the floor. I mounted a couple of hooks to the wall above the garage door tracks to store it.


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Before:

Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

After:

Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

I'm still not quite happy with this wall but it's functional for now.

 

[HSpencer]

Thanks for sharing the info H. I'd like to see some shots of your kits. I find these kinds of things pretty cool. I noticed all the pieces and parts in the kits seemed to originate from different parts of the country, which I thought was interesting. I also thought "Pin, Safety, Curved" was interesting

I will try and get you a pic of the kits I have. BTW: "Kit, First Aid, Individual", was the little pouch you wore on your "Belt, Pistol" and contained a "Dressing, Gauze, Individual". I laughed for years on end about the army's descriptive manners of listing the equipment. This has brought back some of that to me.

I used to have a ton of this kind of stuff from my old Supply Sergeant days. In the army, the "science" of supply simply consisted of getting things from someone else's warehouse into your warehouse. It did not matter what it was as you were looking for things of value or that you needed. During Desert Storm, I remember trading four brand new window air conditioners for a case of coffee!

You and I would get along well as I LOVE to restore just about anything. In these attached photos, I have restored a set of tools from my Great Uncle, who was a repairman way back in the 1920's and 30's. His box was handmade, and I redid it all and made a new tray for the box.

Anyway, that's enough old army talk--HA

 

[dubber]

I really like your refurbe of the vice

 

[Amarch22]

...I have restored a set of tools from my Great Uncle, who was a repairman way back in the 1920's and 30's. His box was handmade, and I redid it all and made a new tray for the box.

Anyway, that's enough old army talk--HA

The toolbox looks good and I like that its contents look equally cared for. Nice work

I really like your refurbe of the vice

Thanks, dubber. It was actually a very rewarding process!

 

[dubber]

If i ever get a solid worktop that's definitely on my to do list.

P.S. I also rock Hawk Ceramic pads on my GLI and i love them. Definitely a good brake feel, minimal noise and excellent with their low brake dust.

 

[Amarch22]

Progress Garage - Bench Vise Stand

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had a Craftsman bench grinder/vise stand on order. It came in about a weak ago and I finally found a few minutes to take some photos.


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

...and the fantastic packing job courtesy of Craftsman.


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Unpacked and assembled:


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

My goal with the stand is two-fold: (1) I didn't want to take up workbench space since it's at a premium and (2) I wanted to be able to work completely around the vise without obstruction. I had hoped the hole and slot pattern on the top plate would give enough flexibility to mount the Wilton vise.





...But I was wrong. No matter which way I oriented the vise, I could not get more than 2 bolts (and not opposite corners) through. Argh!


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Something else I misjudged was the size of the plate and how it sort of swallows the vise. Entirely, my fault, I should have paid more attention to the dimensions.

I was thinking something more along these lines:


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

Instead of the reality of:


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


I wasn't planning on having to modify the stand (hence purchasing one versus making one), but I am considering just putting a few additional holes through it with the rationale that it will still give me the flexibility to mount a bench grinder or larger vise later down the road. Thoughts?

 

[Amarch22]

Re: Progress Garage - Air Filter

I finally got around to finishing up getting the air filter into working order.


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr


Untitled by Alan.Marchman, on Flickr

It's functional, but I'm not really happy with the setup, so I may try to rearrange and tidy things up better later.

 

[txusa03]

Very nice setup. Is it a bad idea to mount the air filter on the compressor? Just asking for input...I see alot of folk mount it on wall. If you have a portable compressor, it would be better to mount on the compressor?

 

[Amarch22]

Thanks, tx. Regarding the filter, I suppose it could be mounted directily to the output manifold on a smaller compressor, but I did not want to go that route for a couple of reasons. One is vibration generated from the compressor (which is also why I prefer to run a flexible line into the filter), and two, so I could easily remove it from the system (by depressurizing and then disconnecting the air lines) for service, repair, filter replacment, etc. Hope that helps!

 

[HSpencer]

I have seen a few shops that had a vise mounted like you show above. What would be a concern for me would be the need to moly bolt the base to the floor. Would you want to do that, having the vise stand out in the shop where you would be able to get all around it on all sides as your saying. Of course you could jury rig a wheel to mount the stand on, but I am not sure it would be what you want either. Just my thoughts, but being that grinder stand is so nice, I would want a grinder on it instead of the vise. Would it work if you used a metal table (like maybe a welding table) to put the vise on instead? I think I would mount a grinder on that nice stand and put it on a wheel like most people do, and figure out something other for the vise.
At least that is what I think I would do.

 

[Amarch22]

Thanks for input, H. I definitely still have some thinking to do on this one. Being a multi-use space, I'm not sold on bolting it down, plus I likely won't be doing any heavy (enough) work on it to warrant it anyways. Hmm...

 

[aps63]

Nicely organized tall cab. I especially like the holders for the funnels.
Great idea!

 

[Amarch22]

Thanks aps63, it is actually a blend of some ideas I picked up from this very site. I mounted the PVC to a 1x4 poplar board, painted to match the walls (Behr Silverscreen), then countersunk 4 rare earth magents into the back of the board which holds it up against the wall of the cabinet. Each funnel sleeve has a cleanout at the bottom and a coupler at the top, just to finish it off.

 

[Amarch22]

Hey guys. Just wanted to pop in and say for the lack of updates. Work has been very busy, then I took a week off to do some riding in Colorado before the melt and wound up separating my shoulder On top of all that I am in the middle of a master bath reno Soooo, suffice it to say, garage progress will be a tad slow for awhile. Thanks for all the inspiration to keep going...I'll be back at it soon.