Above 1200 Sq/FT Project not an eyesore
- Thread starter jcarapet
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
Short answer yes, kind of. Father time always wins, it's just a when. It's just whether it fits into the timeline that is acceptable or not to me.
I'm somewhat comforted by the idea that i'm following the spec of a landscaping company that handles high end builds regularly. if it's good enough for the fat cats, it will probably be good enough for me. 1/4" is thick enough to mitigate many issues
I also am planning on rolling some rusty metal primer/paint on the inside of the planters before I dump dirt in there.
Beyond that not much else I can do for the look I want.
Obviously, you're going into this with eyes wide open on the issue.
A few years ago, we were getting ready to paint our metal gates & rails around the house - for the 2nd time. My wife decided she wanted to get them powder coated instead.
In the process of researching that, she came across "metalizing". They blast molten zinc onto the metal surface.
So, we had them metalized and then powder coated. It's been probably 15 years and they're still in good shape.
Too late for your planters now but metalizing might be something to keep in mind for future projects.
ZincNation
zincnation.com
ZincNation
zincnation.com
That was a bit of a rabbit hole I wasn't expecting to lose time on yesterdayObviously, you're going into this with eyes wide open on the issue.
A few years ago, we were getting ready to paint our metal gates & rails around the house - for the 2nd time. My wife decided she wanted to get them powder coated instead.
In the process of researching that, she came across "metalizing". They blast molten zinc onto the metal surface.
So, we had them metalized and then powder coated. It's been probably 15 years and they're still in good shape.
Too late for your planters now but metalizing might be something to keep in mind for future projects.
ZincNation
ZincNation
. Interesting process. I wasn't able to dig in on costs/pricing, so curious at what scale it makes sense. More of a rhetorical curiosity than actual.MacTexas
Well-known member
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SilverJimmy
Well-known member
I see you’re using OSB for your walls. I’m considering doing the same in my new shop with 3/4” T&G subfloor sheet OSB. Does the Kilz help cover up the “OSBness” of the OSB? What I’m trying to say, does it smooth out the texture? Then you’re painting it with what kind of paint?
Thanks, looking good in the shop and the pool!
Thanks, looking good in the shop and the pool!
Asking a question very top of mind to me. In short expect zero texture smoothing with Kilz. For me the liquid in it actually raised the grain a bit. The saving grace is that kilz is relatively flat sheen which causes your brain to smooth it. I also did an experiment with drywall mud to smooth and that was a disaster on multiple fronts. With my OSB plywood combo it's liveable but that's subjective. Keep in mind I am still bummed we don't have level 5 drywall in our house.
My original plan on wall panels for this side was a combination that made more financial sense with the prices I started at ($10/sheet 7/16 OSB, $23/sheet 1/2 BC plywood). First layer of OSB full wall height, then a 2nd layer of BC plywood on the first 8'. Makes the area at eye level more appealing while giving me a thicker wall for screwing in french cleats and not having to worry about blocking. With the prices now $17/sheet OSB and $42/sheet 1/2 BC plywood, I'm way upside down. I have 2 more walls left and will be working on an alternative.
Kilz is my white layer, doing Behr Cracked Pepper in "scuff defense" eggshell for the wainscott. cant speak to how it is holding up just yet.
Got my big north wall all paneled up, and mostly painted. Ran a bit short on wainscott paint to finish today, but will tackle the last few square feet later this week. My shop looks like a tornado hit it and I am looking forward to getting things back in place and getting started on storage for that wall.
I was also able to get the shop TV mounted! With me running AC it is making the place a rather pleasant working experience. The tv is also a cheat code for when you are on single parent duty and want to get some QST in.
The planters are continuing but at what feels like a glacial pace. I'm focusing on the biggest planter right now (~52') which is requiring a different approach than all the other ones. Needless to say, there is no way I'm going to hit my deadline that is 2 weeks from now.
I was also able to get the shop TV mounted! With me running AC it is making the place a rather pleasant working experience. The tv is also a cheat code for when you are on single parent duty and want to get some QST in.
The planters are continuing but at what feels like a glacial pace. I'm focusing on the biggest planter right now (~52') which is requiring a different approach than all the other ones. Needless to say, there is no way I'm going to hit my deadline that is 2 weeks from now.
Did a slight rearranging of the shop and moved the project truck into the back where I was running my welding station. Have a friend that is renting some space for his jeep project while he puts his house on the market. Not ideal to lose the space, but he is essentially paying for my electric bill for the shop for the summer.
Got the green light for some Friday night QST and was able to get the overhead storage rack buttoned up. Couple of hazards around that. It turns out when you switch from flux cored back to ER70s6 you need to remember to switch your leads. Was wondering why I was getting garbage welds for a bit. The extreme positive is the usage of the Evolution Mitering cold saw for accurate cuts. I blame @fouckhest for pushing me over the edge to buy it. Don't know how I dealt with the inaccuracy of the abrasive chop saw for so many years.
Shot of where it will be in it's final resting position. Still need to paint it which I'm not looking forward to for some reason. Pretty sure I could park a car on it though.
Got the green light for some Friday night QST and was able to get the overhead storage rack buttoned up. Couple of hazards around that. It turns out when you switch from flux cored back to ER70s6 you need to remember to switch your leads. Was wondering why I was getting garbage welds for a bit. The extreme positive is the usage of the Evolution Mitering cold saw for accurate cuts. I blame @fouckhest for pushing me over the edge to buy it. Don't know how I dealt with the inaccuracy of the abrasive chop saw for so many years.
Shot of where it will be in it's final resting position. Still need to paint it which I'm not looking forward to for some reason. Pretty sure I could park a car on it though.
Always happy to help someone up their tool game!
don long
Well-known member
Just caught your thread and enjoyed the refresher course on building a shop It's been a while since mine went up. You have a nice setup with the pool and shop together. My wife would have me jump in the pool before letting me in her house after working all day in the shop lol
Thanks for Stopping by Don. It has been a labor of love for sure, but the setup is turning into what I envisioned. Several more phases to go but that is the never ending process. I have a ways to go to catch up to yours yet, but i'm ambitious lol.
Mundane week at the eyesore household. Had a bunch to do at work before taking some time off in July. Buddy is renting some space for his project Jeep while putting his house on the market. Was kind enough to throw some money for the space which will pay for the AC each month he stores it. Big plus as I am getting quite fond of working in a conditioned space.
In a related move, I tried applying some bubble insulation to the roll up doors to see if i could mitigate the heat that just radiates off them in the afternoon. Did a test run on one of the west facing doors and measured the difference with an infrared thermometer. My best case scenario was about a 4-6 degree difference. Based on the sheer amount of time to apply, and cost of spray adhesive, it's not really worth continuing. We just bought my wife a car so I'll revisit getting some actual insulated doors once we pay that off.
Fourth of July was a low key affair by design. Just a couple of friends, made a couple of racks of ribs, and hung out by the pool all afternoon. The area is pretty big on fireworks so was able to sit out by the pool after the sun went down and enjoy the show from the deck. The more we get to enjoy the space, the more I know we made the right decision moving out here. It also drives me more and more to complete the vision we have for the place.
In a related move, I tried applying some bubble insulation to the roll up doors to see if i could mitigate the heat that just radiates off them in the afternoon. Did a test run on one of the west facing doors and measured the difference with an infrared thermometer. My best case scenario was about a 4-6 degree difference. Based on the sheer amount of time to apply, and cost of spray adhesive, it's not really worth continuing. We just bought my wife a car so I'll revisit getting some actual insulated doors once we pay that off.
Fourth of July was a low key affair by design. Just a couple of friends, made a couple of racks of ribs, and hung out by the pool all afternoon. The area is pretty big on fireworks so was able to sit out by the pool after the sun went down and enjoy the show from the deck. The more we get to enjoy the space, the more I know we made the right decision moving out here. It also drives me more and more to complete the vision we have for the place.
Hey All,
As is with most of us on this site, I have not been idle over the past several months, but never felt it was worthy of an update. As we have reached the end of the year it felt wrong not to document some of the progress.
When I last left off, the biggest driver to finish projects officially happened. We welcomed our second kiddo (and first girl) in July. As was planned, everything took a back seat to kids being entertained and keeping momma happy. Nevertheless, I did find myself yearning for QST and trying to get some stuff buttoned up.
I have a bunch of time off at the end of the year so hoping I can get a couple more things done.
Regardless, the ambitious list for 2025 is this.
Miscellaneous.
As is with most of us on this site, I have not been idle over the past several months, but never felt it was worthy of an update. As we have reached the end of the year it felt wrong not to document some of the progress.
When I last left off, the biggest driver to finish projects officially happened. We welcomed our second kiddo (and first girl) in July. As was planned, everything took a back seat to kids being entertained and keeping momma happy. Nevertheless, I did find myself yearning for QST and trying to get some stuff buttoned up.
- My primary goal this year was to get rid of piles. Piles of trash, piles of dirt, piles that contributed to the term eyesore. Final score was 3 removed, 2 added. A net improvement!
- Planters around the pool area are mostly complete. The largest I still need to finish up cross bracing and straightening before final welding, then can apply rust paint on inside and fill with dirt.
- As a safety win for kids I was able to get the pool fence installed as well. Turned a half day job into a multi weekend project because I wanted a bespoke install. Don't be me.
- Finished installing gutters and trim on north wall. Still have plenty to go with rest of shop, but took a chunk out of my pile of uninstalled trim.
- String lights installed under shop porch. Adds a rather nice ambiance and functionality.
- Started some work on the back firepit install. I would continue further on this, but I think based on circumstances it's best to focus on other stuff first.
- Ran a gas line to the (distant) future outdoor kitchen that will go in. This was a needed step as I have a number of landscaping projects in 2025 that I didn't want to have to rip up in a few years to install this.
- first trellis installed.
- Started and largely completed outdoor bar height table. Still working on getting the troughs built and everything dry fit before I send it to powder-coat
- Shop organization continues. It's still a nightmare with no end in sight. Would be nice to build the mezzanine or add a shipping container or both.
I have a bunch of time off at the end of the year so hoping I can get a couple more things done.
Regardless, the ambitious list for 2025 is this.
- More piles gone. Preferably in the shop and not just outside.
- Get the shop/pool bathroom done. This requires talking to a septic designer and getting permits, along with some other things.
- Get my office out to the shop. I have moved my office 3 times in the house the last couple years playing new kid tetris. My son is constantly in there trying to break stuff. I would like to have a permanent home free from my kids destructive hands.
- Finish planters around the pool. This includes lights, sprinklers, dirt, and at least some plants. Bonus for speakers.
- Get lawn equipment/materials outside shop where appropriate. Tired of it taking up valuable project space. Shipping container preferred but not realistic in 2025.
Miscellaneous.
- Wife started a new job at the end of the year. Harder job with a longer commute, so I will have to start doing my fair share of childcare.
- Property behind me has been building a house for the past few months, and recently tore out all the trees. I am going to try looking as trashy as possible to entice them to build a very tall fance. I will not stand idly by when my favorite outdoor bathroom spot has been compromised!
- Bought a bunch of tools this year and enjoyed every single one of them. finger brake and cordless angle grinder are my two biggest winners the last few months.
Attachments
Had a couple weeks off during winter break. Most of it was spent with family and friends catching up. Did a couple other things though.
- With the gas line installed in the ground and dirt all messed up, I decided while it was worth moving some of the sprinkler heads around the gas line to account for new planters. This turned into "well, I might as well address the gutter downspout water management too". Which then turned into me going down a massive rabbit hole and ripping out a huge chunk of the sprinkler system for redesign.
- The neighbors did end up putting up a privacy fence. It's not attractive, but it gives us the semblance of privacy in the backyard.
With my son getting older and more adventurous, I find that trips out to the shop are increasingly about him being able to find anything dangerous that is not put up. One of those things is chemicals and flammable material. As a result I have been keeping an eye out on Marketplace for a lockable fire cabinet to lock up all my chemicals. Low and behold, a cabinet came up that is cosmetically rough, but at $200 for a 60 gallon the price was good enough. A cleanup and couple coats of paint will go a long way.
Part of my adventure to pick it up was finding out that there is a scrap yard not 5 minutes from my house with a decent amount of stuff. They are currently selling off inventory as the land has been bought out to build a Costco. Honestly, i'm more excited for my little backwoods area getting a Costco than the scrap yard, but it didn't stop me from finding some goodies.
Picked up this gang box for $100, and 24 of these 3.5" 3/16" wall square tube fence posts (8 foot) for $15 each. Neither are you **** deals, but are decent and meet my needs for future projects. I'm currently negotiating on some I-beams for another couple projects I've had in mind.
Part of my adventure to pick it up was finding out that there is a scrap yard not 5 minutes from my house with a decent amount of stuff. They are currently selling off inventory as the land has been bought out to build a Costco. Honestly, i'm more excited for my little backwoods area getting a Costco than the scrap yard, but it didn't stop me from finding some goodies.
Picked up this gang box for $100, and 24 of these 3.5" 3/16" wall square tube fence posts (8 foot) for $15 each. Neither are you **** deals, but are decent and meet my needs for future projects. I'm currently negotiating on some I-beams for another couple projects I've had in mind.
Contrary to everything posted, one of my other big goals for 2025 is to get my focus to single stream projects. For the past couple of years every project I have started has unraveled with scope creep to include at least 3 other side projects with equal or greater scale to the original. With two kids and a wife who wants a date night on occassion, less project is more.
As an example with an table i'm trying to build, one of the things I want to do is build a couple of troughs that can nest under the boards and hold drinks. The trough building has so far devolved into
btw regarding the drink trough for my table, if you want any advice on how to be bad at measuring things or wasting $50 in aluminum, i'm your guy.
As an example with an table i'm trying to build, one of the things I want to do is build a couple of troughs that can nest under the boards and hold drinks. The trough building has so far devolved into
- Buying and assembling a SWAG finger brake.
- finding out that the SWAG won't work and building my own sheetmetal brake
- building my own jig to cut square tube into fingers for the brake
- Finding that my brake is not quite good enough (know why people buy them), and building a metal scoring jig to help my new brake
btw regarding the drink trough for my table, if you want any advice on how to be bad at measuring things or wasting $50 in aluminum, i'm your guy.
Juiced06GTO
Well-known member
My wife will never understand how 1 project spirals into at minimum 3 others.........and at least a half dozen trips to the depot.....and 3 or 4 new tools........and.......
She also doesn't understand the side projects I perform to avoid buying more tools.My wife will never understand how 1 project spirals into at minimum 3 others.........and at least a half dozen trips to the depot.....and 3 or 4 new tools........and.......
I seriously considered buying a magnetic sheetmetal brake just to build the tubs for the table. Don't want to pay for it. Don't want to store it. Don't have a large need for it afterwards.
As my father in law would say "it's a sickness"
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Time flies, progress doesn't. Or at least you don't think it does until you stop to update GarageJournal. Too much stuff for one post.
Overall things are going pretty good. Family is good. The house is holding up. Chugging away on projects even though I could use a break to really focus on work.
I'll break the slightly more interesting stuff up by individual posts. For everything else I will just lump together here.
- My buddies Jeep project is still being stored at my place. Negotiated getting some large welding gas bottles for a few months rent. Need to build an upgraded cart now to handle the new bottles and better layout for my welders/plasma.
- My outdoor drink trough table is in purgatory for various reasons.
1. Other projects had higher priority
2. I took a stab at welding aluminum for another project as a warm up to the troughs. It is evident that I need several dozen hours of practice
3. It was going on the pool deck, and that's looking like it won't be used much this year. Will reserve revealing more until that gets sorted out.
- My cheap Hazard Fraught bench vise shattered due to misuse, so had to go and get a slightly better one. While making the new mounting plate for that, my Hazard Fraught bench grinder also gave up the ghost. Have to say i'm happy with both the upgraded models so far. I would have loved an Ameribrade grinder and a fireball hardtail, but now is not the time to be spending lots of money on things. You will see me contradict myself multiple times in subsequent posts.
Overall things are going pretty good. Family is good. The house is holding up. Chugging away on projects even though I could use a break to really focus on work.
I'll break the slightly more interesting stuff up by individual posts. For everything else I will just lump together here.
- My buddies Jeep project is still being stored at my place. Negotiated getting some large welding gas bottles for a few months rent. Need to build an upgraded cart now to handle the new bottles and better layout for my welders/plasma.
- My outdoor drink trough table is in purgatory for various reasons.
1. Other projects had higher priority
2. I took a stab at welding aluminum for another project as a warm up to the troughs. It is evident that I need several dozen hours of practice
3. It was going on the pool deck, and that's looking like it won't be used much this year. Will reserve revealing more until that gets sorted out.
- My cheap Hazard Fraught bench vise shattered due to misuse, so had to go and get a slightly better one. While making the new mounting plate for that, my Hazard Fraught bench grinder also gave up the ghost. Have to say i'm happy with both the upgraded models so far. I would have loved an Ameribrade grinder and a fireball hardtail, but now is not the time to be spending lots of money on things. You will see me contradict myself multiple times in subsequent posts.
I got my gang box and flammables cabinet cleaned up and painted. Decided they were a good enough excuse to try out 2k urethane paint instead of Rustoleum.
I started with a roll on epoxy primer base for a couple coats. Wasn't strictly necessary, but knew it wasn't going to hurt. Followed up by rolling on a couple coats of the Urethane. That stuff is nasty, but man is it tough. Should hold up for as long as i'm going to own them. For future projects I will spray over roller brush, but for beat up things it doesn't matter.
I started with a roll on epoxy primer base for a couple coats. Wasn't strictly necessary, but knew it wasn't going to hurt. Followed up by rolling on a couple coats of the Urethane. That stuff is nasty, but man is it tough. Should hold up for as long as i'm going to own them. For future projects I will spray over roller brush, but for beat up things it doesn't matter.
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Lumping a couple of other purchases related to storage together here.
I have had plans for a couple projects related to storage and shop layout. 1 is a storage rack that spans a full bay without any columns interrupting the span, and it could hold an engine block at the center. The goal was to maximize under storage space on a section that will eventually have a roll up glass garage door as a bar window
As a failed mechanical engineer in college I had to rely on AI to tell me the ballpark of what I needed, which was some 4x6 I-beams. Another marketplace stalk sent me on a 5 hour round trip with my buddies trailer, and I-beams required. Two for storage, two for another project I dreamed up along the way.
The other project that will happen long term is a large mezzanine. One day while stopping by McCoys I saw a stack of long PSL's that would be very useful as support beams for a mezzanine. Only wanted a couple, but they would only sell me the whole package. At $500 delivered, I wasn't going to complain about extra wood. I can always find a way to use it.
I have had plans for a couple projects related to storage and shop layout. 1 is a storage rack that spans a full bay without any columns interrupting the span, and it could hold an engine block at the center. The goal was to maximize under storage space on a section that will eventually have a roll up glass garage door as a bar window
As a failed mechanical engineer in college I had to rely on AI to tell me the ballpark of what I needed, which was some 4x6 I-beams. Another marketplace stalk sent me on a 5 hour round trip with my buddies trailer, and I-beams required. Two for storage, two for another project I dreamed up along the way.
The other project that will happen long term is a large mezzanine. One day while stopping by McCoys I saw a stack of long PSL's that would be very useful as support beams for a mezzanine. Only wanted a couple, but they would only sell me the whole package. At $500 delivered, I wasn't going to complain about extra wood. I can always find a way to use it.
One of the things that has been a bother lately is the figuring out ways to maximize storage out there. In this instance it's taking advantage of the wall space and going vertical. Obviously pallet racking is the right answer, but I wanted a maximum of 30" depth due to space requirements, which is not a common depth.
Lo and behold, on a late night Facebook Marketplace stalk there was a set of 10' tall, 30" depth racks with shelving for sale an hour away. A quick back and forth, and two days later I was bringing them home after loading them in the pouring rain. They looked to be in great shape and there were more than I originally thought, so didn't even bother haggling. Not a you **** pricing, but I feel happy.
Once I got them home I started playing with the layout and where everything should live. Temporarily I threw one section up where it wouldn't be too in the way so I could store other rack parts.
The other section that I was focused on was one bay in the north wall.
It is a 20' bay that I planned on spanning with a couple different sections high, with the lower area more open for toolboxes and my bandsaw. Unfortunately the column width and the minisplit in the middle made it where I couldn't quite use the 8' beams as is.
rather than go shopping for other beams that I would have to repaint, I elected to cut down and weld back a few of the existing beams to do the job. Was a great exercise to continue practicing TIG and minimize heat affected zone. They are ugly but should hold.
rinse and repeat 10 times, and I have a set of racks exactly how I envisioned it. I'm still playing around with the layout in the lower section. Thinking about welding another set of beams and using the center area as a workbench or desk area. Open to suggestions on that.
Lo and behold, on a late night Facebook Marketplace stalk there was a set of 10' tall, 30" depth racks with shelving for sale an hour away. A quick back and forth, and two days later I was bringing them home after loading them in the pouring rain. They looked to be in great shape and there were more than I originally thought, so didn't even bother haggling. Not a you **** pricing, but I feel happy.
Once I got them home I started playing with the layout and where everything should live. Temporarily I threw one section up where it wouldn't be too in the way so I could store other rack parts.
The other section that I was focused on was one bay in the north wall.
It is a 20' bay that I planned on spanning with a couple different sections high, with the lower area more open for toolboxes and my bandsaw. Unfortunately the column width and the minisplit in the middle made it where I couldn't quite use the 8' beams as is.
rather than go shopping for other beams that I would have to repaint, I elected to cut down and weld back a few of the existing beams to do the job. Was a great exercise to continue practicing TIG and minimize heat affected zone. They are ugly but should hold.
rinse and repeat 10 times, and I have a set of racks exactly how I envisioned it. I'm still playing around with the layout in the lower section. Thinking about welding another set of beams and using the center area as a workbench or desk area. Open to suggestions on that.
Back to what had been my original focus before a posting hiatus. After a long and highly unlucrative career as a sprinkler archaeologist, I completed the system redesign/rebuilt. It follows a much cleaner, more centralized approach to valve placement. I also went through the effort of future proofing myself by plumbing and burying wire for future zones I might want. Will likely be hiring out for that future work.
Did a bunch of grading work for the section between the pool deck and the house. It drains well while still relatively flat. Will be great as a ******** area. You can see I had to cut down a bit around where I was going to put a planter in the future.
Right after that, ordered some planter dirt and finally filled some planters in time for spring after over a year from starting. To say it was a happy day was an understatement. The tractor earned it's keep that day on the big ones. I have ordered 30 yards of dirt, and probably have another 15 to go before all the planters are done.
With the underground work done I put down some fresh topsoil a couple pallets of zeon zoysia. It is drought tolerant and feels fantastic underfoot. The only gripe I have is it burns quite easily with dog pee.
Originally I told myself that after dirt was in the existing planters I was done until after summer. The landscape design called for 3 more planters in the backyard. Seeing how good everything looked done, it really drove me to knock out the last 3. Those are wrapped up and should have plants in them after this weekend. After this I am really planning on taking a break in terms of new landscape construction.
The current state of the main area I tore up. Hard to believe this all started because I wanted to bury a gas line as future proofing.
There are definitely other parts of the yard that look rough from years of neglect. At the moment knotted hedge parsley is my nemesis. With a good chunk of work done I should be able to have time for maintenance.
Did a bunch of grading work for the section between the pool deck and the house. It drains well while still relatively flat. Will be great as a ******** area. You can see I had to cut down a bit around where I was going to put a planter in the future.
Right after that, ordered some planter dirt and finally filled some planters in time for spring after over a year from starting. To say it was a happy day was an understatement. The tractor earned it's keep that day on the big ones. I have ordered 30 yards of dirt, and probably have another 15 to go before all the planters are done.
With the underground work done I put down some fresh topsoil a couple pallets of zeon zoysia. It is drought tolerant and feels fantastic underfoot. The only gripe I have is it burns quite easily with dog pee.
Originally I told myself that after dirt was in the existing planters I was done until after summer. The landscape design called for 3 more planters in the backyard. Seeing how good everything looked done, it really drove me to knock out the last 3. Those are wrapped up and should have plants in them after this weekend. After this I am really planning on taking a break in terms of new landscape construction.
The current state of the main area I tore up. Hard to believe this all started because I wanted to bury a gas line as future proofing.
There are definitely other parts of the yard that look rough from years of neglect. At the moment knotted hedge parsley is my nemesis. With a good chunk of work done I should be able to have time for maintenance.
Attachments
One other fun note. Another one of my hair brained Facebook Marketplace finds. For the longest time from watching inheritance machining, Blondihacks, all the home hobbyist machining channels I have been wanting to dip my toe in the water in that sphere. One day I saw a machine that seemed in decent shape and just asked him some questions. Based on delayed back and forths, it was obvious that neither of us was in a rush to move.
After literally months of back and forth I drove out to Houston to load up a new toy a couple weeks ago.
It's an 2011 Acer E-Mill 3vkh. Taiwanese made. 3 HP head. 10x54 table. Supposedly used mostly on plastics and aluminum the last 10 years. Lots of bells and whistles and features that I have no idea how they work. But I got it cheaper than I could buy the cheapest Precision Matthews Bench mill, so it feels like a decent deal.
Here it is in it's current place in the shop
It's been sitting for a bit, but everything feels like it's operating smoothly and play/runout is measuring close to spec. I'm currently in the process of converting it to single phase input and a long laundry list of maintenance that needs to happen. Currently learning a huge amount. I'm not sure, but I may move this to it's own project thread. Currently I have more questions than answers.
After literally months of back and forth I drove out to Houston to load up a new toy a couple weeks ago.
It's an 2011 Acer E-Mill 3vkh. Taiwanese made. 3 HP head. 10x54 table. Supposedly used mostly on plastics and aluminum the last 10 years. Lots of bells and whistles and features that I have no idea how they work. But I got it cheaper than I could buy the cheapest Precision Matthews Bench mill, so it feels like a decent deal.
Here it is in it's current place in the shop
It's been sitting for a bit, but everything feels like it's operating smoothly and play/runout is measuring close to spec. I'm currently in the process of converting it to single phase input and a long laundry list of maintenance that needs to happen. Currently learning a huge amount. I'm not sure, but I may move this to it's own project thread. Currently I have more questions than answers.
Nothing interesting to report this week. Continued working on cleaning up the mill and doing some overdue maintenance. The biggest hurdle remains getting the VFD settings working properly using the chinesium model. I thought I had it working, but then it started giving short circuit errors. a factory reset seems to solve that, but I am going to have to take a more procedural approach on the programming. The reality is as a long term investment I should bite the bullet and get the recommended one.
Other things that are on the to-do list.
- The x-axis DRO scale has a screw screw broken off in the table that needs to be extracted. Somehow I don't own a screw extraction kit so need to buy one.
- Replacing the Power Feed on the x-axis. I bought a generic kit that i have yet to attach, and am certain I will need to do some machining work to get it to fit that requires a lathe. Not ready to buy a lathe with expenses coming down the pipeline.
- greasing the spindle gear. Manual says silicone grease which I ordered, but it turns out I don't have a grease gun that works with the tube. Ordered and should be able to knock out this weekend.
- surface rust removal on the ways. Nothing major, just need to address.
- Pretty sure the automatic quill feed is not working properly. Not looking forward to that process.
A fun thing I have been reticent to discuss has been happening for the last few months. Back in the fall we started to notice that the pools auto fill was running 24/7. Fast forward through research and some inspection and the worst is basically confirmed. Unfortunately, we appear to be one of the thousands of pools in our area affected by what's known as "concrete cancer". It's a chemical composition problem with the concrete of the pool shell that causes structural failure when exposed to water. You know, something that a pool is well known to have. We are at the beginning of the beginning of another long, drawn out process to have the entire pool ripped out and replaced that was built 3 years ago. The effort of managing and maintaining the original pool building process put strain on myself, my marriage, and my job itself. To say i'm not looking forward to doing this all over again is an understatement. Unfortunately, the design of the backyard and it's resale value dictate us to do that vs. fill in and build more shop. Will have more updates when possible.
Other things that are on the to-do list.
- The x-axis DRO scale has a screw screw broken off in the table that needs to be extracted. Somehow I don't own a screw extraction kit so need to buy one.
- Replacing the Power Feed on the x-axis. I bought a generic kit that i have yet to attach, and am certain I will need to do some machining work to get it to fit that requires a lathe. Not ready to buy a lathe with expenses coming down the pipeline.
- greasing the spindle gear. Manual says silicone grease which I ordered, but it turns out I don't have a grease gun that works with the tube. Ordered and should be able to knock out this weekend.
- surface rust removal on the ways. Nothing major, just need to address.
- Pretty sure the automatic quill feed is not working properly. Not looking forward to that process.
A fun thing I have been reticent to discuss has been happening for the last few months. Back in the fall we started to notice that the pools auto fill was running 24/7. Fast forward through research and some inspection and the worst is basically confirmed. Unfortunately, we appear to be one of the thousands of pools in our area affected by what's known as "concrete cancer". It's a chemical composition problem with the concrete of the pool shell that causes structural failure when exposed to water. You know, something that a pool is well known to have. We are at the beginning of the beginning of another long, drawn out process to have the entire pool ripped out and replaced that was built 3 years ago. The effort of managing and maintaining the original pool building process put strain on myself, my marriage, and my job itself. To say i'm not looking forward to doing this all over again is an understatement. Unfortunately, the design of the backyard and it's resale value dictate us to do that vs. fill in and build more shop. Will have more updates when possible.
Onto some good news. I finally got the plants in the last set of planters I intend to build this year. They really add a more complete feel of the backyard project that has been all-consuming for me the last few months/years. While there is plenty more to go, I intend to take a long break and enjoy the fruits of my labors with my family. Let's see how long I can hold myself to that.
Swanny1953
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Hopefully, your contractor will stand up and help take care of the issue! This *****, especially on an expensive project and apparently it's not an isolated issue.
Thank you Swanny. He has been playing the apologetic and caring person through this so far. I am hoping that eventually translates to dollars and action. It is a massive central Texas issue. Thousands of pools over dozens of companies. From what I have read it's entirely the result of where concrete companies get their sand and aggregate. Funny how something like that has had such cascading effects for people.
From what I have gathered (which is surprising), the concrete suppliers have been largely shielded from legal and insurance action so far. It's mostly the pool builders and the shell subcontractors that are being targeted. For the pool shell sub, they are in the process of bankruptcy with $90 million in claims on a $2 million insurance policy, so expect a big payout from them
. I anticipate going after the concrete suppliers will be a larger class action settlement.The positive is that the pool companies are moving away from the more problematic "shotcrete" setup and back to using gunnite. Regardless, I will be asking for the mix ticket and a core sample before they are allowed to reshoot. Why keeping core samples isn't the default policy is a mystery to me.
I did end up getting my x-axis power feed installed on the mill the other night. For a generic one the install was straightforward. It seems to operate well, but makes manually cranking the lead screw more difficult. I likely have some shim work to do on that, but quite honestly don't know what is expected vs. not.
Currently the only person in my area I know of that is trying to get into machining. Finding a local person who I can bounce ideas off of would be really nice. Austin area is not known for it's hobby machinists unfortunately.
Currently the only person in my area I know of that is trying to get into machining. Finding a local person who I can bounce ideas off of would be really nice. Austin area is not known for it's hobby machinists unfortunately.
Mr onetwo
Well-known member
Concrete problems in New England also. https://www.boston.com/news/local-n...o-crumble-now-they-want-the-state-to-step-in/
Mr onetwo
Well-known member
I just stumbled onto this thread today....what a journey
Best of luck with the pool...safe to say that concrete has been your biggest headache.
I am just starting a new shop build and I am most nervous about the floor.
Best of luck with the pool...safe to say that concrete has been your biggest headache.
I am just starting a new shop build and I am most nervous about the floor.Congrats on the new shop! I have been stopping by your thread on occassion and it does at least look like it's coming along and will be a great space.I just stumbled onto this thread today....what a journey
Best of luck with the pool...safe to say that concrete has been your biggest headache.
With selecting subs, I apparently have the mierdas touch. Everything I have seems to go to... well... that.
I have had much better luck with the second concrete sub that came through a recommendation. Never had to babysit him, he just did it and went above expectations on what I wanted. I have some future work on the back of the shop that I won't hesitate to call when it's time. That would be my general suggestion is going through referrals with proven work.
Education is probably your best friend and this forum has been a godsend on that. It's a rabbit hole admittedly. I also covered some of my bases by taking samples off each of the trucks and did a slump test on a couple of the batches. Ask for the mix ticket as well for tracking. Not that you can make a huge difference, but it will show them you are watching.
The other thing I would recommend is make sure you have all your ducks in a row before pour day. You want everybody calm and not scrambling the day of. The concrete guys will want to rush and try to do stuff last minute so they can push the job through faster. Take your time, observe, and don't be afraid to call for a pause until things are all straight. I didn't do that with the pool deck and I am suffering the consequences of that.