Something just clicked…..

[Strouty]

I forgot, we got my buddies truck in, but I did have to put the forklift and the "new" air compressor outside. I would have had to totally destroy the shop to keep them inside and fit his truck.

I also cheated a little, I put some containers of stuff in the back of my truck. If I had more time today, I would have probably not had to cheat. I ended up getting to the shop around 3:00 this afternoon and he rolled in around 5:00. It felt pretty good to have room to work around a full-size crew cab F-250 (short bed).

 

[Strouty]

Usually when I walk into the shop, I feel burdened and that makes it hard for me to set any sort of goal. I guess maybe I am using the mess as punishment. I have a lot of decisions to make, some are tough ones and others are easy.

The majority of the projects I have are almost designed to not be completable. Sometimes I wonder if I am just using the shop and all the mess as a distraction the way an alcoholic would use alcohol.

I will say that today when I walked into the shop and the middle section was wide open, it did feel better. I know that I need to make more of a mess to clean up, but just seeing all of that floor is giving me a glimmer of hope.

 

[Strouty]

I got a couple things done outside before the rain. I may end up losing power due to the storm going through, it has all ready flickered once. If that happens I am headed home for the night.

I brought in some of my stack racks, I want to modify them to hold two shelving units. Then I can move them around with the pallet jack, rather than having to unload them to move them. I figure one side can either go against the wall or I can have them perpendicular to the wall. Either way they will be easy to move with either the pallet jack or the forklift.

 

[Strouty]

No matter how I lay them out the shelves end up being bigger than I want. I think I may just make bases for them so they can be moved with a pallet jack. I may have to come up with some reinforcing so they can't sway when being moved.

It doesn't make sense to cut the stack rack, it will end up being twice as much work. I know from moving these shelves around, they have lots of flex and I was hoping to use the back to back design to make them stronger. If I do that they would be at least 36" by 36" and that seems too deep. If I make them individually, the deep ones (green shelves) would be 24" and that seems reasonable.

 

[Strouty]

I also have a couple of things that I am trying to figure out what to use them for.







Then I have some things that I know what I want to do with, but need money and time to do it!

 

[softailgarage]

Just needed a little organization... and pegboard, don't forget the pegboard

 

[nine4gmc]

Take the things you don't know what to do with and list them on CL or similar for a reasonable price. If they sell, you have money to do the things you know what you want to do with but need money for. As for the shelves, they are so lightweight, I would lag screw them to the wall and be done. Once you try making a base to move them around, you are chasing your tail.

 

[Bogey won]

Those are not problems, those are challenges and who better to meet the challenge than self.

Or go to home depot hire a couple of illegals, put them to work, get it done, if they don't come back and clean you out, your Good to go.

List the overflow on Craigs list, the horrors of that are much overblown on here, as far as Im concerned, but that's me, TX is Castle Doctrine and im putting Softail on the grounds to deal with those nasty thieves, he has a plan, and a good one i might add.


Good intentions avail us nothing, its only through action that we are rewarded.

Best to ya, its 102 for the next 2 weeks in TX and hell may freeze over but TX never will.

79 degrees, at night and working in the shop, with a clean up rearrangement, plan your battles i have. So can you.

Softail????????Peg board ? whats that ? have 5 sheets waiting on a home, or me to clear a space to home them.

 

[Strouty]

Take the things you don't know what to do with and list them on CL or similar for a reasonable price. If they sell, you have money to do the things you know what you want to do with but need money for. As for the shelves, they are so lightweight, I would lag screw them to the wall and be done. Once you try making a base to move them around, you are chasing your tail.

I had them in the stockroom but know that they are out in the main shop area, I need to be able to move them. When they are loaded, they weigh about 500 pounds or more. They hold lots of bins and those bins hold a lot. The four shelves will take up 12' of wall space. If I make them so I can move them, I can put them in front of the door in the fab shop, then move them if I need to get through it. The door also happens to be twelve feet wide.

I will experiment with them, but I need to do something they are in the way and taking up three times the space because the bins are everywhere.

 

[Strouty]

I figure I will probably list the deuce and a half axles on craigslist, because they are the most expensive project.

The two screw jack things were my GF's fathers, she will want me to make something out of them before selling them.

The old set of wheels was part of a railroad luggage cart or some type of thing. I actually want to make them into a cart for my torches, I all ready have a cart for my torches, but it has no class.

I figure the things that are outside are on the back burner until I get the inside closer to organized.

Anyone looking to build an offroad buggy? I have two deuce and a half steer axles and one straight axle. You could make a cool 6x6!

 

[RustnGrease]

Strouty, been following this thread and wish you the best of luck in organizing your shop. I'm working on a similar situation in mine. A little bit at a time makes the end result easier to see. A possible build for those two screw jacks would be shop stools or seats when at a bench, plus they're adjustable.

 

[Strouty]

Strouty, been following this thread and wish you the best of luck in organizing your shop. I'm working on a similar situation in mine. A little bit at a time makes the end result easier to see. A possible build for those two screw jacks would be shop stools or seats when at a bench, plus they're adjustable.

My GF would like that idea, they seem really rugged except for the wheels. I have not had time to really play with them. I am going to put them in one of the outside storage boxes so they are out of the way for now. I may print off some picture to use as ideas.

 

[mdbeck1]

No matter how I lay them out the shelves end up being bigger than I want. I think I may just make bases for them so they can be moved with a pallet jack. I may have to come up with some reinforcing so they can't sway when being moved.

It doesn't make sense to cut the stack rack, it will end up being twice as much work. I know from moving these shelves around, they have lots of flex and I was hoping to use the back to back design to make them stronger. If I do that they would be at least 36" by 36" and that seems too deep. If I make them individually, the deep ones (green shelves) would be 24" and that seems reasonable.

I had them in the stockroom but know that they are out in the main shop area, I need to be able to move them. When they are loaded, they weigh about 500 pounds or more. They hold lots of bins and those bins hold a lot. The four shelves will take up 12' of wall space. If I make them so I can move them, I can put them in front of the door in the fab shop, then move them if I need to get through it. The door also happens to be twelve feet wide.

I will experiment with them, but I need to do something they are in the way and taking up three times the space because the bins are everywhere.

Those racks are nice but if you fill them up the Center Of Gravity (CG) will be too high and there is a good chance that they will tip over.

If you really want them mobile I would suggest picking up some more pallet racking and set it up against one wall. Slice the smaller, lighter racks into three or four foot high sections, put them on pallets with some kind of backing, and use your forklift to put the pallets on the racking. You will have a LOT less chance of them flipping and jurting someone.

If you are SURE that you want the existing racks mobile like they are you will have to be ready to expend some time, money, and resources. My first thoughts would be to put them back to back but put either plywood or a piece of thin steel/aluminum between them. Then bolt them together. If you don't think that's good enough then build a lift under them and still... bolt a piece of something solid (plywood, metal, aluminum, ...) on the back. You might also think about putting it on the sides. Then you have a chance at making them mobile. The other idea might be to take that 8020 you got and the casters and make a mobile frame for under it. You will still want to make the back solid.

Of course there's another option that I just thought of. Someone on here had a garage that was tall enough for a second story. They put a good floor in and had several rows of shelving up there for "deep storage" items. When they needed to get into it they used either a ladder or a scissor lift to go get it. It's just an idea and you might have the height.

 

[bczygan]

There is just something about clear floor space, isn't there?

I helped my neighbor clear and clean his garage a couple of weeks ago.
It wasn't that he had too much stuff, it was just all over the floor.
We, or I, picked up things, and stacked them, or put them in overhead storage or on shelves.
It cleared most of the floor area, which we swept.

Just made the place feel expansive.....the way yours is now looking.

It was workable before...hell, even narrow aisles would give access. But having a big, clear, empty space lets the mind think of the projects that could be done there.

Bill

 

[Strouty]

Those racks are nice but if you fill them up the Center Of Gravity (CG) will be too high and there is a good chance that they will tip over.

If you really want them mobile I would suggest picking up some more pallet racking and set it up against one wall. Slice the smaller, lighter racks into three or four foot high sections, put them on pallets with some kind of backing, and use your forklift to put the pallets on the racking. You will have a LOT less chance of them flipping and jurting someone.

If you are SURE that you want the existing racks mobile like they are you will have to be ready to expend some time, money, and resources. My first thoughts would be to put them back to back but put either plywood or a piece of thin steel/aluminum between them. Then bolt them together. If you don't think that's good enough then build a lift under them and still... bolt a piece of something solid (plywood, metal, aluminum, ...) on the back. You might also think about putting it on the sides. Then you have a chance at making them mobile. The other idea might be to take that 8020 you got and the casters and make a mobile frame for under it. You will still want to make the back solid.

Of course there's another option that I just thought of. Someone on here had a garage that was tall enough for a second story. They put a good floor in and had several rows of shelving up there for "deep storage" items. When they needed to get into it they used either a ladder or a scissor lift to go get it. It's just an idea and you might have the height.

Shortening them might be the way to go. If I had a little more height I would add a mezzanine, it stinks because I can't stand up on my "second floor". I also have some 12" shelves, maybe I could still do the back to back idea, just using the smaller shelves. I am going to have to play around with it some.

 

[Strouty]

There is just something about clear floor space, isn't there?

I helped my neighbor clear and clean his garage a couple of weeks ago.
It wasn't that he had too much stuff, it was just all over the floor.
We, or I, picked up things, and stacked them, or put them in overhead storage or on shelves.
It cleared most of the floor area, which we swept.

Just made the place feel expansive.....the way yours is now looking.

It was workable before...hell, even narrow aisles would give access. But having a big, clear, empty space lets the mind think of the projects that could be done there.

Bill

It does feel pretty good. I might print out a picture of it like that as a motivator. The best part is I can do figure eights with the forklift now!

 

[sean Buick 76]

For a quick easy way to stiffen up the metal shelves use some plywood screwed to the back... use some self tapping screws and it should be quick and easy.

I agree with the suggestion of hiring a few people to help you out for a few days... it would not cost much and you could get a ton of stuff sorted and put aside for sale I bet.

 

[Strouty]

I have lots of issues. Trusting someone else to help organize my stuff would be hard. Have you ever watched an episode of hoarders? I am not that bad, I am also not to the point where I can let go of "control". If I had a couple people they would be standing there watching me make decisions. I bring in help when I have a lot of things to move.

* I am conveying my true thoughts telepathically *

 

[Thumper68]

Some where in amongst all your posts here you mentioned that you were thinking about access to your loft storage space but didn't want the stairs taking up usable floor space.

I had the same issue and came up with this.
The stringers and steps are made up of 2x6's the top is hinged with 2 strap hinges and the railing is 1/2 inch pipe.
There are 2 pulleys one straight up from the bottom of the steps and the second next to the wall.

My counter weights are old window weights, the only thing I want to add is a 6 inch pvc pipe for the counter weight to ride in to protect it from obsticles in it travel up and down.

 

[nine4gmc]

I have lots of issues. Trusting someone else to help organize my stuff would be hard. Have you ever watched an episode of hoarders? I am not that bad, I am also not to the point where I can let go of "control". If I had a couple people they would be standing there watching me make decisions. I bring in help when I have a lot of things to move.

* I am conveying my true thoughts telepathically *

Same here, I rarely even ask for help moving things, almost and sometimes to the point of breaking it myself trying to move it, instead of asking for help. I'm a loaner in those regards...DON'T TOUCH MY STUFF!!! That said, my stuff is not quite as big as your stuff, you do have a fork lift though and unfortunately I sold mine...Just keep at it but set a simple goal, like clear out one room and do not put anything back in it that does not belong there. Then go to the next, and so on. Start small if you need to but pick one area and clean it out and do not put anything thing back in it that's not permanent.

Some where in amongst all your posts here you mentioned that you were thinking about access to your loft storage space but didn't want the stairs taking up usable floor space.

I had the same issue and came up with this.
The stringers and steps are made up of 2x6's the top is hinged with 2 strap hinges and the railing is 1/2 inch pipe.
There are 2 pulleys one straight up from the bottom of the steps and the second next to the wall.

My counter weights are old window weights, the only thing I want to add is a 6 inch pvc pipe for the counter weight to ride in to protect it from obsticles in it travel up and down.

Brilliant!! I have a 4' x 6' HEAVY sewing table that I planned to hinge up in my new shop to save floor space but was thinking I would need a winch setup due to weight. Seeing your idea, I remembered the stairs in my grandpas shop was the same principle as yours and that's a great idea. Now I can finally move forward on that plan and be functional again!! SUPER THANKS for posting!

 

[Strouty]

Thumper,

I love the idea, looks like a great addition to your shop. The PVC pipe makes perfect sense too. The stairs in my shop would end up being in the way of my forklift mast. I have a rugged ladder that can be setup in a couple of minutes and if I need to get something heavy down, I bring out the forklift. I do not regret removing the stairs at all.

Nine4

I feel your pain, literally.

I always say I would rather break it than have someone else be the one to break it.

 

[Strouty]

As an overall update, nothing has really been touched. I have not been to the shop in about a week or so. I did get my heating oil tank filled, so I am set for the first part of the winter. It was one of my goals and that felt pretty good to check it off the list.

 

[Strouty]

Today I am at the shop, but mostly working on the office area. I am filing paperwork that has been stacked for far too long. A lot is going into the recycling bin as well. I used to be able to pay someone else to do this, my skills are lacking when it comes to filing. It is almost painful for me to do, I would rather remove insulation from a hot attic than this.

I figure the longer I procrastinate, the worse it will get. I have been a little busy at the house, our basement got a little wet from the 6" of rain we got the other night.

I am also still working on my goals and some solid timeframes. I am amazed that even if I do not look at my short term goals for a day or two, everything can get turned upside down. I think my biggest issue is not reviewing them enough, my brain seems to like chaos, so it tends to distract me from the goal at hand.

 

[Strouty]

I ended up spending some time hanging up my small parts cabinets and the magnetic tool holders. It made me feel really good to get those up, I have been stumbling around that for a while now. I also forgot to mention my extension cord and the outlet for the mobile wood shop came in. Maybe next week I can work on hooking that up too.

 

[Strouty]

Tomorrow I can get back to actually organizing the stockroom. I need to sort a bunch of hardware. I also have to list some more stuff on ebay.

I made a lot of headway on the filing and it got easier as I cleared more space. I think I know how I am going to set up the filing system, but not exactly sure.

If I can get the wood shop wired up, I can start making some shelves for the office and stockroom, that will be a huge help.

 

[rmalkow2]

But…you are making progress. I share your dislike for filing papers. But it is one of those necessary things. I guess I should get after my own growing pile.

 

[Strouty]

But…you are making progress. I share your dislike for filing papers. But it is one of those necessary things. I guess I should get after my own growing pile.

I pretty much left everything in piles or boxes for about 3 years, that can make for a serious headache. I have recycled a lot of manuals for tools I no longer have, but there is so much stuff to sort. When I finished a job I just stacked the inspection reports and any paperwork, so now some of it is mixed up so it takes way longer than it would have originally.

The biggest problem I had was that I switched from standard filing cabinets to a bunch of lateral ones and I had to take all the files out and box them up while I figured out where the new cabinets were going. I sold the other cabinets before I had the new ones in so it was a pain. It is going to make things easier in the future for sure.

 

[Strouty]

I just bought a new flat lapping machine for my shop, not sure what I am going to use it for, but it will fit right in!

Spit Fire 48” Gyro-matic Precision Flat Lapping Machine

Model: SP-F888-48

 

[Strouty]

I found out that these stands are worth some good money, now I have to decide if I am going to make tops for them or just sell them as is.

 

[nine4gmc]

Sell them, buy your girl something nice and spend the day together

 

[Strouty]

Sell them, buy your girl something nice and spend the day together

They sell from about $300 to $700 each on ebay. If they have tops I saw upwards of a $1000 each. I figure I should at least see what type of tops bring the most money.

 

[Strouty]

I am pretty sure I have the lapping machine either traded or sold. I like it when things go quickly. Especially the big ones.

I have a buddy coming over to look at one of the air compressors today as well. If he buys it, I can yank the motor off and start reassembling my big quincy. I am pretty sure he wants it, so I have my fingers crossed. I spent several hours last night filing paperwork and cleaning stuff up around the office. I need to cut down one of my bookcases so it will fit in the new location I have picked out.

I guess my goals for today are:

1) Cut the bookcase down and get it in the office. NOW A GOAL FOR TOMORROW

2) Take a close look at my pallet jacks to see why the forks are tilted down. DONE

3) I need to package an item I am returning to the manufacturer. DONE

4) I need to transfer parts from 8 of my durham cabinet drawers to the 8 new ones so I can deliver the old ones to my Dad. DONE

That should be pretty good.

 

[Strouty]

It is so easy to get sidetracked.

I was all set to transfer parts from one bin to another, then I thought that I should put this stuff into my list cabinet. Of course I decided to clean and oil the bearings first. So I took out all the drawers and cleaned and lubed everything up. In the process I found two drawers were missing one of the bearings. I was hoping they would be in the bottom of the cabinet, but no such luck. For now I am going to use one bearing on each of the two drawers that I am only using for gaskets. After researching from a couple of other threads, I had no idea that Lista does not support the older slides anymore.

I also found out that this one is rated for only 165 pounds per drawer. I found this out because the drawers only come out 85% of the way, not 100% like my other ones. Now I want to take all the cabinets apart, inspect them, clean and lube all the bearings. I figure if they are in good shape when I start, they will last me forever.

 

[Strouty]

Well, I got a bunch done, but I did not get all of my goals done today. I think I did another 20 things that were not on the list of goals. I think for my sake I am going to try and keep on track tomorrow and see how well I do.

 

[Kev442]

Well, I certainly hope sending a compressor on down the road happens. I think that has been one of the peeves of a lot of people reading this thread, inop compressors everywhere taking up space, needing to be moved constantly.

As for me, I decided to part out another car and scrap it. Although it is wonderful to get more space outside, the parts saved need space inside. A frank look over of the parts I have has resulted in a paring of yet more things I will never use, so they got tossed or put up for sale.
The end result is the same amount of shelves are storing parts as before. No more shelving is ever going to be added, that just allows more packratting.
One of the items that went on CList was an engine core that has led to me possibly selling him a 4x4 I'll never use much again. I had told myself it was a backup plow truck chassis, but that's just baloney I fed myself because I like the truck. I'm now hoping he does buy it, one less vehicle to maintain and keep in running condition for no real purpose.

 

[Strouty]

I am hoping that it goes away as well. I took a video of it running, so now I am going to remove the motor so I can start assembling the other compressor.

Tomorrow I need to cut down the bookcase for the office, that will make me feel a lot better, plus it will get a bunch of catalogs and books put away (they have been taking over all my counter space).

I need to figure out the best way to sort and file my manuals for all the tools that I have. Half of them are not full size, they are like the size of a paperback book and they sit weird in the folders.

 

[600SL]

This thread reminds me of my old shop in CT. Just when I get everything to fit my son buys a dirt bike. Then I make a shed for that out side and I have to move. I'm sure my new garage will fill up with something soon enough.

 

[Strouty]

600SL, you have some nice looking equipment. Did you repaint everything or was it in really good shape? I am going to get a VFD for my bridgeport. I hope to start making chips and turning things before Halloween.

 

[600SL]

600SL, you have some nice looking equipment. Did you repaint everything or was it in really good shape? I am going to get a VFD for my bridgeport. I hope to start making chips and turning things before Halloween.

At the time I did the garage I repainted the lathe and brake. The Bridgeport was done about 5 years ago. The VFD is an excellent investment. Kind of difficult to figure out the directions but just PM me if you get stuck.

 

[Strouty]

At the time I did the garage I repainted the lathe and brake. The Bridgeport was done about 5 years ago. The VFD is an excellent investment. Kind of difficult to figure out the directions but just PM me if you get stuck.

The VFD will be nice since the bridgeport is only a J head. I am going to run my lathe off the rotary phase converter for now, it has a variable speed setup all ready so it won't be a huge benefit yet and it is a 3HP so it is a little more expensive than the bridgeport.

I hope to have a chance to paint my machines, for now I will settle for being able to use them. I have used a friends a little, but I need to really "learn" how to use them.

I did not get my bookshelf cut down, I did change the oil in my truck as well as load my truck for the job that I am doing tomorrow.