OP
I won't be doing the tiling until May, probably. But I'm going to do some research and solicit some opinions about the 3/16" steel. It might be that it wont make sense to tile, in which case I can paint it to match the tile, or go in another direction. I'll have to see.
Those are both good points. I should be more cautious, probably. But we've got a brother-in-law house-sitting and the house has a good security system.Jack, are you sure you want to tile it? I see a heavy duty, height-adjustable workbench! Lord knows you need another workbench.
Health tip: yeah, your back probably enjoyed getting some use. Too much sitting and hunching in our modern world. Activity and exercise are important to keeping the back strong and supported!
Security tip: you've already made public so much about your car, house, and C clamp collection, maybe you shouldn't mention your itinerary, too? Call me paranoid. Oh, BTW, where do you keep the keys for the Porsche?
It's funny. A couple of years back I was pumping gas around the corner from here, and a pair of guys jumped out of a car with New York plates. One of them recognized my car and wanted to get his picture taken with me (and it). He was from Great Neck, I think. Very nice guy. But it was a surreal moment. The internet makes the world pretty small.
Yes. I should have waited. And if this was a two-post lift, or one that relied on the bearing/flexing strength of the concrete for functionality or safety, then I would not have done it. But I think in my case my margin for safety is pretty broad. The table doesn't have any requirements for the concrete it sits on or is attached to. And I've got eight inches under there now with 1/2" rebar.
But that kind of attitude is one of the reasons why it's good that I don't do this for a living.
Not a bad start to the Jack Olsen Excavating and Concrete Construction Co.!!
Off topic to the lift install, but on topic to your garage... To the left of the lift is a "wavy" looking area on the wall. Just curious, what the wall is in that area, and why the one spot of a different texture. Sure hope it is not sheetrock that got wet during this install.
The wavy stuff is aluminum flashing, which I put over the plywood on my walls in order to make it more fire safe around my fold-down table that I use for welding.
Here it is without paint:
I think you were rightfully cautious. The one part of this lift install that I'm most nervous about is what happens if someone sees it online and tries something even more half-baked than what I've done and hurts themselves. I think this lift and this installation is safe for my very-particular application. But it should by no means be seen as an idea that's easily copied or duplicated for other types of cars or garages. A lot of the ideas in my garage CAN be adapted easily. This one can not.
Good eye. That's slightly sped up -- only because in real time it's boring. With load, it's 36 seconds to full height. In the clip I shortened it to 27 seconds. We fiction writers worry about presentation too much.
