Something just clicked…..

[Strouty]

Today was a super productive day, I only worked for 5 hours, had help from my Dad for about 3.5 of it.

Before he got there, I moved all the scrap hardware out to one of the storage boxes, I was afraid he would see it and want to take it all. I then moved all the empty green metal bins out to the same storage box, even grabbed the empties from the conex. By the time he got here I was ready for the lift posts to be moved out to the trailer, it took me a bit of prep as there was a lot in the way. First we decided to take the heavy wall mast tube (for the tower job) out of the trailer and bring it in the shop, I forgot how heavy it was. Then the posts were a bit of a challenge to get into the box, but we did it. Then we turned our attention inside and I took the really large roll of oil absorbent cloth down from the top rack of my stack racks, brought it out to the other storage box where the other roll lives. Then we moved stuff to get at the fish tank, at this point stuff was everywhere and it was a bit of a pain. Took that out to the storage trailer along with the base. I think there where a couple other things that went out back, but you get the idea. Then we went back inside and Dad ran the forklift while I stood on a pallet to swap the ceiling fan direction for summer mode. Lastly we got the pressure washer and a few other things down from the overhead storage. The place looks like a mess, but it feels good knowing what has been done. The elbow feels a bit overworked so I am done for today. Here are a few pictures of the mess, sorry no in between pictures, can't slow down progress with a camera.

 

[nine4gmc]

Yeah Strouty, 107 would be the model number. I'm not familiar with that machine but it looks heavy duty and Singer is top notch.

Bill, unfortunately I have no experience with industrial zig zag machines, or long arms. I very much would like a long arm zig zag machine but just for fancy stitching in seat covers and it's a want, not a need for me atm. Tacsew makes some affordable machines that are perfectly capable of sewing sailcloth and you may find them used at even better prices.

Hancock Fabrics is closing down in our area, if it's a nation wide thing, maybe Strouty can get them to send ALL the lace his way so he will have enough for Tampa's ladies.

 

[Strouty]

Nines, Tampa will think you said Hand ****.

 

[cbacres]

Strouty, looks better every day.

Now Shorty has spotted your 18 drawer Lista, I mentioned you might sell it and made a comment about a road trip to come get it. Problem is we are both lusting after it, so we agreed each of us would take 9 drawers.
It was further decided that Taumac should come pick it up for us since he is mr. Organized and his shop is essentley done ( for the moment) while Shorty and I are in the middle of getting our shops cleaned up.
So, I told him we'd supply cash for gas, food and hotels, but he wanted cash for "entertainment".
Being that we are appreciative of him taking a road trip, I suggested that he take Tampa along for the entertainment and you would probably like to see Tampa anyway. Then somehow it turns into us paying for entertainment for both of them. I explained our internet was for Tampa to be the entertainment.

Well, we all agreed that was a image that would be hard to erase so we are skipping it, we could maybe send a couple of the fab four along for the ride, Taumac claimes to have full access to them, but I'm afraid there wouldn't be enough room for them and the Lista, and you'd be stuck with one of the four in your shop, and then Tampa would be mad at us and...... Never mind.
Can you please price how much it would cost to ship Brown?:








Disclaimer
This post is the result of our love for Listas, too much texting and way too much windshield time today to enable me to think up some of this.

 

[Strouty]

The funny part is I sold it today, Dad wanted it, a lot. He is buying another cabinet in my office and I am buying two cabinets from my Brother. Basically we are all selling them to each other for what we paid for them. I think my Dad and my Brother have a lot of my old cabinets, they are not as picky as I am.

 

[cbacres]

That was a nice cabinet, never have seen one before in that height. Can you imagine the SF of shelf space that would fit in there.



Shorty, we're off the hook for the trip cash, no box, no cash. Someone should tell Taumac.

 

[Strouty]

If I had a full machine shop, that cabinet would be awesome. As it sits, it is essentially a table that I put stuff on. I think I use 5 drawers, so it is a lot of wasted space on me.

 

[nine4gmc]

Strouty, that 107w1 is a lightweight(heavy duty) zig zag machine. Its more useful in a tailoring, awning or curtain type shop that mainly sews cloth and canvas materials. It would be okay for decorative zigzag upholstery work but not too good for general upholstery due to thickness limitations. Another issue is feet for that machine, being a zigzag, you are extremely limited to feet options further preventing normal use. You may be able to do some things with it but you'll find it's limitations fast imo.

The double needle machine has more thickness capability but is just as limited on feet options making it more of a specialized machine as well. You can sew with a single needle in the 112 for longer stitch lengths and standard seams but again, limited feet make it better for specific operations.

To sum it up, you may be better off selling both those machines and buying a 111 or modern clone of the 111. For instance, i have left & right zipper feet, left and right 1/8", 3/16"& 1/4" guide feet, about six different size welt feet along with smooth and teeth straight sew feet for just my single needle machine, then i have two different width feet sets for my double needle machine. You can get by with fewer feet and a good single needle machine but you are limited to what you can do with it.

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[Strouty]

Thanks for doing that legwork, I am not sure I would have understood what everything meant. I will definitely have to sell them, then once I get what I am looking for, I can buy a servo motor too.

I am going to work on cleaning the inside of the garage for a while, then after lunch the plan is to go outside to do some more stuff, but we will see how things go. Once the inside starts to look like a shop, I may not want to go outside.

 

[Strouty]

Strouty, I think you had the right idea about that green Lista cabinet. After seeing the pics you posted and the hardware you keep it really does not fit your working theme. Take the $500 from selling it any turn it into more usable drawers and the type of storage you can use. The end result will be a more usable shop storage system which has been your big goal lately.

That was a nice cabinet, never have seen one before in that height. Can you imagine the SF of shelf space that would fit in there.

So I decided to take some dimensions and try and figure out what I would need to replace this green lista cabinet.

I am starting to think that there is no way to replace it. I would need several more drawers for the lista storage wall or a lot of wall space for the tilt out bins that I had planned on using. I spent some time messing with the bins, it looks like if I make a piece of wood to act as a spacer for the back of all the drawers, my OCD will be a bit less crazy. Remember that these drawers do not open all the way up, it is about two inches shy, so if I make a spacer it should make access easier and losing that bit of space is not an issue. I also think that I need to sort and label the drawers. The biggest thing will be to make a frame that allows it to be moved with the pallet jack and raises the cabinet up.

My Dad is going to be a bit disappointed.

I appreciate all the input, not sure I would have thought about it as hard as I have without you guys. :thumb:

I found an easy way to space the bins out so they don't get stuck under the edge of the cabinet, the dividers work in both directions, so I just used a divider to make the space. Works slick and I have plenty of dividers. I also sorted more of the drawers and labeled some of them.

 

[Strouty]

I sent an email off to RM Schaller, they make the little plastic bins that fit the lista cabinets, I am trying to find out if they will make a run of them in lime green. I have seen both the lime green and they have a light blue, either of them would be better than red. It looks like it will actually only be about $400 for all the bins that I would need and that is cheaper than the tilt bins that I would need to buy, plus no wall space lost. If they tell me that the order is too small, I may try to start a group buy to get green ones made.

Getting closer to having room for the TXT!

 

[Strouty]

I guess yesterday dragged all the productivity out of me. I have sorted some more, but I am just not feeling it today. I may have to take off early and see if I can get something done at the house.

 

[Strouty]

I am still pushing forward at the shop, update pictures should show some progress, but it doesn't feel like it yet. The mess that Dad and I made yesterday was a bit more than I realized and my elbow is a bit sore to say the least. The cold is all but a memory, so that is a plus. I keep finding more buckets and totes that need sorting, so I am trying to sort them as I go rather than just shuffling them out of the way like I always have before.

 

[Strouty]

The extra push was worth it, shop is looking much better, tomorrow should be the icing on the cake.

 

[Strouty]

I forgot about my plants, I found a couple cement containers that I liked and decided to break up some of the plants to make two planters. I think they came out nice, we will see how they do long term.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Strouty your shop is looking better every post, well done.

The plants make a great touch as well, they should do ok.

Regards

 

[Strouty]

I figure at some point I will actually get to use the shop, rather than clean and organize it.

 

[Strouty]

My Brother came over today and we used the shop! We had to swap tires from my dump truck to his used ones, he can't get his truck inspected without good tires. Basically he is using my tires and rims for a few months and then when he buys new ones, I get mine back. For my troubles (none that I can think of) he gave me a couple cabinets that he did not need. They are going to be perfect for in the office, I just need to do a bit of fixing them up and then a coat of paint. I was glad to help him out and it was nice to be able to bring the dump truck inside and work on it.

I still have some more organizing to do, but now I have a good start and an actual direction to move in, before this I felt like I was running in circles chasing my tail.

 

[Strouty]

Shuffled some of the trucks around so I could dig out my bigger sawhorses and the water tank. Found out the brakes on the low bed trailer are frozen up, so at some point I have to jack it up and remove the tires so I can beat on the brake drum. I am not looking forward to that at all, but I need the trailer to move the excavator in a couple of weeks. After I strap the tank down to Bev, I am going to load up all the scrap hardware buckets and a few other things so I can drop them off in the morning, should be a great check, maybe $15? I would rather do that than pay to have the **** taken away. Monday I should have my water tank filled and ready to go, then I can clean things at the shop again!

I can see now that I need to set up some more pegboard in the stockroom to hold my rolls of tape, that seems to be the best way to store it, plus it looks nice as well. I will update more tomorrow when I get back to the shop.

 

[rmalkow2]

Those look like nice cabinets for parts storage. Nice deep drawers. Brothers helping each other out. That's always a good deal.

 

[nine4gmc]

Those cabinets are awesome!

 

[Strouty]

They came from a store that sold video games, that is why they are stenciled N64, PSX, etc. They are not as heavy duty as I am used to for shop use, so I am going to use them in the office for office supplies, paper, file folders, and other things. My current storage only has two small drawers and one that is a regular file size, the deep drawer ***** for what I am using it for, too many things stacked on top of each other.

I tried to use acetone to remove the stencils, but they are still visible even after scrubbing. If I scrub much more the original paint would start to come off. They are a cool wrinkle texture, kind of like the hammered rust-oleum, so I think a repaint will be cool. Not sure what color, I had some cobalt metallic blue that I tried, it looks pretty good, but I will need to paint the bookcase the same color, otherwise it will look awful.

This is what it will be replacing, I have to shorten the bookcase a bit and I will lose the top shelf, but I think it will be worth it.











The light makes this look weird, but I don't have time to set up ideal lighting for my pictures today.

 

[Strouty]

At home filling up the water tank, takes about an hour, going to have dinner, then clean the fish tank. I have a few things to do around the house, so I figure I will still be productive.

 

[Wanna Ride]

Just sitting up there, patiently awaiting your attention...

 

[Strouty]

The table is almost cleared off!

 

[Richard Cranium]

Strouty, I have the same toy crane that you have on that top shelf. Arm a tron ?
It must of felt great to be able to get the dump truck in and be able to change the tires. Do you have the air compressor up and going?

 

[Strouty]

The air compressor is working, but unfortunately it is not working correctly. It now goes to 60 PSI and that is it, I started chasing the problem, but before spending a bunch of money on parts I am waiting to see if the "new" compressor will be a better one to start with. It is supposed to be newer than mine and is currently in operation, so I will just have to see how well it works, may be the tank is in bad shape, maybe the tank is better than mine, just not sure yet. Should be another week or two before I can pick it up, so I am practicing patience.

We ended up using an electric impact to remove and install the lugs.

I am about ready to head to the scrap yard, I am curious to see how many pounds of hardware I actually have in Bev. Then I have to come back to the house to load up some stuff that needs to go to the shop. Water tank is full, so I will have water at the shop after today!

 

[nine4gmc]

I'm guessing 450# of hardware?

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[Strouty]

You were close, 500 pounds of hardware, they pay $105 a ton for it, so almost double what light iron was bringing. I had 20 pounds of lead as well, the check was a whopping $29 and change. At least the stuff is gone and I won't be tripping over it, or even worse, trying to drag it back into the shop.

I also just got the phone call about the "new" compressor, looks like next week is when it will be ready to pick up. They are taking the pumps off the tank and he said the motors are really just junk, that is one of the reasons they were getting rid of it. He will get me a more detailed history as well, pretty sure one pump needs a rebuild and the other was working well. I am super excited about this!

 

[Strouty]

I am struggling now, trying to get the brakes on the trailer freed up, damn thing is killing me. I am about to get the crane setup so I can pick the trailer up a bit higher and see what is going on underneath it. I hat old ****, especially when it isn't mine and I am stuck using it. I think the biggest issue is that I don't have any way to apply the brakes and see what is going on at the trailer end. Two people would be really nice.

 

[86turbodsl]

Drums ****.

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[Strouty]

I am about out of elbow power, the good thing is I got some nice shiny new sets of wrenches from the guy in the brown truck. It is also about 25 MPH winds and cold. I need to unload the suburban so I can try and get it inspected tonight, so I guess I am going to try one more time with the brakes, then work on unloading the suburban. I wish I had not touched the brakes, but I got a bit over ambitious.

 

[Strouty]

I am pretty sure that either I am getting no air to the maxis or the pins that the shoes hinge on are rusted, or it could be the S-cam. I am starting from the truck and working my way back, chasing the air. I wish the trailer wasn't 6" off the damn ground.

 

[slowzuki]

Can you set your phone up to take video while you take air on and off? Can you reach in behind to cage the brake manually with a bolt so you can tell if the drum is frozen?

 

[Strouty]

Slow, I ended up marking the rods and I could see that they had in fact moved. The shoes were stuck really good. I had to take off both tires on both sides and beat on the drums until I could here the ring. I got it done, the phone is a great idea for next time for sure.

I also got the suburban inspected, was a bit nervous about some rust, but it was passable, I hate salt. I had time to run to the pet store to buy some more plants for the fish tank, tonight we are doing the water change and it is easier to add plants when the tank is lower. Tomorrow I am going to the shop for a bit in the morning, then I have an appointment that is going to take up a big chunk of the say, so I will most likely end up going home afterwards. Wednesday I am out of town on a job for the day, but Thursday I will be back at the shop. Friday I am out of town again to finish the job, then I will be working at the shop most of the weekend.



What the yard looks like with the brakes locked up:



And with them free:



I started the excavator up today, had to dig a hole to bury about 200 pounds of aquarium rock that I was never going to use.






And of course, we have water!

 

[Kev442]

When I set up my dehumidifier last year, I was amazed to see it pulling about 5 gallons per hour for the first couple of hours. One set above your water jug could seriously reduce trips back and forth and keep things drier this spring/summer.

 

[Strouty]

I have an air conditioner, but same idea, so I may look into that. Once I redo the roof, I will try and capture water from there. The funny thing is I keep forgetting how high the water table is, I think I dug down about 4 feet with the excavator and 5 minutes later, the hole had lots of water in it. I keep saying that I need to get some of those large concrete cylinders (I think they are called tiles?) that they use in storm drains. They stack on top of each other, so if I could dig down 10' or more I could probably have a decent well that I can just pump water out of.

 

[Kev442]

AC usually only drops humidity 10 points below outside humidity, except when it's raining and outside is at 100%.
I bought a decent dehumidifier that has settings for the humidity you want. I set mine at 50%. Best of all, it runs at temps in the 50,s-60's, when it can be very damp, but not hot out.

 

[Strouty]

Does it mount through the wall like an AC unit? When I used my dehumidifier before it would heat the shop up a lot. It definitely took water out, but I was going crazy with the heat. The AC worked really well last year, I have two ceiling fans as well and those make a big difference as well.

 

[Kev442]

When it is running steady in the beginning, it will raise the temperature about 5 degrees. Perfect when in the 50's. Once it gets the humidity under control, it doesn't run nonstop anymore. So, the trick I guess is too set it up about now. Of course, it snowed here last Saturday....