Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT The 12-Gauge Garage

[Zeppe807]

Thanks, guys.

Johnston seemed like a very nice and level-headed guy.

Here's the drill press in its final form. I wired in a push button on/off switch today, with guidance from the guys on the Lighting and Electric forum.

None of it's, well, perfectly straight -- but I'm happy with it.

Now, the new bench is done.

Looks great! Nice drill.

I want to paint some tool boxes to match my Craftsman boxes, but I have not been able to find the right colors (maybe I am too picky). What colors and type did you use?

Thanks,
Joe Zeppe

 

[Mr onetwo]

Jack, congrats on the award! Also, that is one handsome boy you've got there.The memories you are building with him in that fantastic garage will last him a lifetime and beyond to when he has children!

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks.

Jack, its neat to see your little man out there starting to work on his own projects. It seems like not long ago you were soliciting ideas to how to keep the garage door secure because he was starting to wonder around and be curious about the garage. My how time flies.

Time moves fast and it also moves slow. Our daughter is now 5 months old -- and I feel like I'm just getting used to the idea that we're having another kid. But then, some things haven't changed: I still don't have a good lock for the garage door. We've just been keeping the boy from going out the back door, for now. And making it clear that he can only go out there with me. But he's no dummy. Sooner or later I'm going to have to figure out a locking system that both father and son can live with.

Looks great! Nice drill.

I want to paint some tool boxes to match my Craftsman boxes, but I have not been able to find the right colors (maybe I am too picky). What colors and type did you use?

I'm only picky if it's something I'm going to notice standing 10 feet away. I used Rustoleum Regal Red and their Black Semigloss Enamel. It's a pretty close match. But here's a picture where if you look at the Craftsman stack on the right, you can see that my (newer) middle box has significantly darker drawer faces than the boxes above and below it. In person, you can see that the red is more vibrant on that box, too. I guess the paint fades with time.

Jack, congrats on the award! Also, that is one handsome boy you've got there.The memories you are building with him in that fantastic garage will last him a lifetime and beyond to when he has children!

Thank you. I have no idea if he'll grow up to be interested in owning my old car or any of my tools and equipment. I hope he does. But if he doesn't, I hope he finds something in his life that he enjoys as much.

 

[Ben7203]

Hey Jack, trust me, odds are your boy and girl will be interested in your car and tools as they get older. I have an '84 CJ7 that I spend allot of time "tinkering" with. My son, 9 yrs old, will go out with me, spend two minutes under the hood, then starts riding his bike or playing with the dog. He doesn't show allot of interest in it at all. Well this weekend, we're in the house channel surfung and run across the Dumbest stuff on Wheels show. Some nut job, rolls his jeep down a hill and destroys it completely. We're sitting together laughing and he turns to me and says "Daddy, don't worry, I'll never do that" I was a bit surprised, so I asked him if he was going to get a jeep and he said "no, I'm going to get yours" I guess if I want to keep my CJ, I better start shopping. This is so cool!!! Enjoy the times ahead!

 

[superspec]

thanks for the folding table idea!

 

[Squankum]

Some nut job, rolls his jeep down a hill and destroys it completely. We're sitting together laughing and he turns to me and says "Daddy, don't worry, I'll never do that"

This is the part where you inform him, "That's right, because you won't be driving my CJ or any other such vehicle until you're 30 years old! Now, let me show you this brochure, from 1981, when the Volkswagen Rabbit diesel pickup truck had the new, bigger, 1.6L motor. It got 50 mpg highway long before there were hybrids! Which is good, because you'll be paying for your own fuel. Maybe you can go beg for fry oil down at the McDonalds, that will build character..."

 

[mjozefow]

Glad to see you got a proper vise Jack!

 

[cfaas416]

Jack, you may have answered this before but where (and what kind of) is your air compressor? I'm sure its in some extremely neat place hidden yet functional to no end.

I just cant say enough how amazing this shop really is.

 

[mdbeck1]

... We're sitting together laughing and he turns to me and says "Daddy, don't worry, I'll never do that" I was a bit surprised, so I asked him if he was going to get a jeep and he said "no, I'm going to get yours" I guess if I want to keep my CJ, I better start shopping. This is so cool!!! Enjoy the times ahead!

My son was a little bit older when he told me that he wanted my jeep. I told him that I wanted one at his age too but it took me 30+ years to get the money together and find a decent one. So he probably wouldn't get it for a LONG time. I told him that if he REALLY wanted one he should talk to his Grandpa. Grandpa LIKES to go to salvage yards and buy stuff. Then he could go to Grandpa's house and work on it.

Of course we all know it won't really work that way but he quit telling his friends about "his" jeep.

 

[Jack Olsen]

mjozefow, I almost made it a hat trick, coming close to buying a third, six-inch Wilton at the same time as the two others. It would have replaced my oversized and ugly Chinese vise on the steel bench. But bidding on it went up to $300 and my frugal side won out. The Chinese one never looked all that ugly to me until the Wiltons were sitting next to it. Still, it holds stuff just fine.

mdbeck1, my air compressor solution is both good and bad. I've got it down in the crawlspace under the house -- under the bedroom closet, actually -- with a line running out to the garage and the now-hidden reel in the red-and-black bench. It's a loud-as-can-be Craftsman oil-less, but it's packed into an insulated box with two fans to circulate air through it when it switches on. This is fine, except that I've had a better 220V unit ready to replace it for months. But that one needs a new 220 outlet, a different switching system, and a different box -- which has meant it's been stuck on the to-do list for a long time. The fact that the old one still works, means other tasks always seem more urgent.

But I'll get to it.

 

[Sunbimmer]

Thnx a lot mr. Olsen, for all the inspiration you are giving me for restoring my garage.
Really nice place you got there, but i'm not telling you anything new now do i ?
Exceptionally nice car too (Except for the taillights, but that's my opinion).

Greetings from the Netherlands.

 

[eklipsis]

you may have already said this somewhere but what kind of paint and how did u prep the cabinets? i just scored a metal storage cabinet at a auction($11) and needs some tlc.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, Sunbimmer. I won't argue with you on the tail lights. If I could find inexpensive carbon fiber buckets for the original tail lights -- or any setup that was as light as what I'd have -- I'd probably switch.

Based on your avatar, you might find this interesting:

eklipsis, my approach to painting my cabinets is driven by the fact that I'm both lazy and cheap -- and by the fact that they came with a pretty durable finish already on them. I hit each cabinet with household cleaner, then scuffed it with sandpaper, and then wiped it clean with acetone and painted it with a roller and ordinary latex house paint. It was quick and dirty, but now it's easy to touch up and it looks fine from 10 feet away.

I painted them once they were in position, since these cabinets weighed about 800# each and were not easy to move.

As you can see, leaving them unpainted would have created a real eyesore.

 

[Sunbimmer]

Thanks, Sunbimmer. I won't argue with you on the tail lights. If I could find inexpensive carbon fiber buckets for the original tail lights -- or any setup that was as light as what I'd have -- I'd probably switch.

Based on your avatar, you might find this interesting:

eklipsis, my approach to painting my cabinets is driven by the fact that I'm both lazy and cheap -- and by the fact that they came with a pretty durable finish already on them. I hit each cabinet with household cleaner, then scuffed it with sandpaper, and then wiped it clean with acetone and painted it with a roller and ordinary latex house paint. It was quick and dirty, but now it's easy to touch up and it looks fine from 10 feet away.

I painted them once they were in position, since these cabinets weighed about 800# each and were not easy to move.

As you can see, leaving them unpainted would have created a real eyesore.

I'm always interested in Porsche "stuff" maybe i can buy a Porsche of my own somewhere in time, i'am already building a stable for it.
So thanks for the "FUCHS Evolution", haven't seen that before.

Have a nice day,

Hugo

 

[eklipsis]

Yeah a use the StrongHold cabinets at work and they're beasts...I like you approach because im also cheap(i have to be) and lazy. :thumbsup sir

 

[KingB]

Jack,

You're too modest. I think it's safe to say that 'lazy' is not truly an accurate attribute of yours, you're garage make over speaks volumes and all the work you do in it would say otherwise. Lazy is knowing it needs to be done but watching TV instead. Cheap? Maaaayyybe, but after reading your post I think 'frugal' is more like it.

Also, that photo of the Strongholds in place prior to painting is a rather decent "before" photo. Nice reminder to the rest of us that your garage wasn't always as clean and organized.

 

[Rickenbackerman]

Jack,

No drill press vise?

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks, Brett. I don't want to sound disingenuous (admission: I had to look up the spelling on that). I've put a lot of work into my garage and I'm proud of what I've taken the time to make. I guess I could correct it and say I don't have the kind of perfectionist tendencies people might expect. If it looks reasonably good at 10 feet, I'm happy with it. Some guys wouldn't be. And those guys would make much better woodworkers than I am.

Bigger admission: I am way too impatient for real woodworking. And that's only part of it. I also simply can not let paint dry. I could show you the fingerprints in just about everything I've painted in the garage. I always have to re-assemble the thing before it's actually fully dry. Just something weird in my personality.

And Rickenbackerman, yes I've got a vise for the drill press. It's in the cabinet nearest to the bench. On the previous press I used the half-vise-grip clamp-down holders with for wood and aluminum. But they don't fit as easily to this new table. I'm going to have to modify them to work with this new drill press.

 

[Rickenbackerman]

Nice. (I'm a man of few words when nothing else needs to be said)...

 

[SpeedinLemon]

Mr. Olsen -- What a great job you've done. I'm glad you clarified the "lazy" remarks...you've mentioned being lazy numerous times and anyone who spends any time looking at what you've done with your garage could never call you lazy! I actually bought the Popular Mechanics that your garage was featured in before I found GJ. I enjoyed the article but was left really wanting more! Imagine my sheer joy when I found this place and shortly thereafter your amazing thread. All the details I could want....and lots of pictures saved in my private "shop ideas" folder. I've been following and trying to get through your entire thread for several months now. Glad to see your son out in the garage with you...to me, one of the best things about having a shop is sharing it with the kiddos. Congratulations on your many awards...your time and effort to document your laziness is to be commended and is much appreciated!

 

[Squankum]

Thanks to the discussion here, I learned about the 3M EXL/Scotchbrite deburring wheel and got myself one recently. It really is the cat's pajamas! There's a sale at ENCO, just got a 6" dia x 0.5" wide for $35.59, down from $48.99.

I also got free shipping, but that was a special promotion because I'm on the ENCO email list.

Yes, it removes light rust and polishes things all shiny, lickety split! Thanks, Red Leader! Thanks, Jack!

 

[Bob Heine]

Thanks to the discussion here, I learned about the 3M EXL/Scotchbrite deburring wheel and got myself one recently. It really is the cat's pajamas! There's a sale at ENCO, just got a 6" dia x 0.5" wide for $35.59, down from $48.99.

I also got free shipping, but that was a special promotion because I'm on the ENCO email list.

Yes, it removes light rust and polishes things all shiny, lickety split! Thanks, Red Leader! Thanks, Jack!

Now I'd like to thank Squankum.

ENCO sells the adapters (which don't come with the 3M EXL wheel). This "telescoping" one fits the 1" diameter hole in the wheel and using one, two or all three bushes the hole to fit 3/4", 5/8" and 1/2" shafts.

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PARTPG=INLMKD&PMPXNO=8003402&PMAKA=391-1400

 

[Big Popa]

Hey Jack,
Where did you locate your cabinets? I found some up in San Leandro for sale and just brought home two 5' wide cabinets and one standing desk with a slanted top (I may go about making this flat...).
Just wondering.

Also, I know you mention you use Rustoleum on your cabinets but what type of finish are you using? Are you rolling it on or spraying it on?
Thanks!
-Scott

 

[StretchCt]

The first time I saw a green workshop was my mates Roland's workshop a few years ago. Being Swiss he does everything by the book (the Swiss rule book, that is) and, according to him Swiss workshop furniture is painted green. His workshop is minimalistic to say the least so I was never sure how an all green workshop would look. Thanks Jack, I am now convinced. Yesterday I went out and bought 5l of Reseda green and started the transformation.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks very much, SpeedinLemon.

And Squankum -- man, I could have saved some money.

Big Popa, I got all four of my Strong Hold cabinets on Ebay. There's a place here in Southern California called Reliable Tools which buys up inventory from old machine shops and resells them on Ebay. They used to be a source of some good deals. Lately, the prices they get have gotten crazy high. But I waited through a couple hundred of their Strong Hold auctions waiting for the ones I ended up getting. As you can see from the pictures, the lowest-cost ones weren't the prettiest. But with a little paint, these things are as good as new.

And StretchCt, I would never have even said green was a color I liked. The idea was originally to use four colors. But the green kind of took over.

 

[ckadams00]

Green can be tricky. Here's a word of advice to all of us 12-Gauge groupies: DO NOT just go to Home Depot, stand in front of the paint swatches, and say "I think it's about like this . . .". Jack's "green" has a subtle flatness to it and looks calming and sophisticated. The one I ended up with looked like a four year old threw up on my wall - no other way to describe it. Seriously , it was so bad I didn't even take a photo.

Serves me right for purchasing paint when I have a basement full of old paint that I should be using up.

 

[StretchCt]

Apologies ckadams00, I should have been more specific. Reseda green is very close to Jack's tarragon green. Ask your local paint shop for a sample of RAL6011 (http://www.ralcolor.com/) their system should have the formulation.

 

[Jack Olsen]

As it happens, I picked the green out really quickly while I was getting wood screws at the local Orchard Supply Hardware. But I got lucky. That same day, I also picked a yellow and a red. I painted one whole wall with the red. It looked kind of tomatoe-y to me, but I figured it would dry better. It didn't.

It was a big pain in the neck to paint over a full wall of red.

And the yellow was okay. But slowly, I kept painting it over with a new color: a boring old tan. In the end, the tan and the green looked good together. Simpler was better.

But I pretty much learned that by accident.

(Plus, it's easier to stock two paints than four for when I put a big gouge in something and have to touch it up.)

 

[ckadams00]

StretchCt - not a comment on your green - if you got a good one, more power to ya. I was just noting that in my excitement to get things looking as good as Jack (how hard can it be, LOL) I had a HUGE misfire on color.

Funny how everything on a swatch looks great!

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks to the discussion here, I learned about the 3M EXL/Scotchbrite deburring wheel and got myself one recently. It really is the cat's pajamas! There's a sale at ENCO, just got a 6" dia x 0.5" wide for $35.59, down from $48.99.

Anyone have a link? I went to the Enco site (on my phone, ugh) couldn't find it. A little help?

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Nevermind, I found them. BUT I have a question. Not to hijack but I'm restoring an old Craftsman drill press and want to clean up/polish various components of it. Did you guys buy aluminum oxide or silicon carbide? Medium or fine grit? I'm assuming you mounted it to a bench grinder but could this mount to an angle grinder or something so I can polish the drill press post?

 

[Jack Olsen]

Dan, there's a post by Bob Heine a ways back about 3M discs for angle grinders. One other way to get the drill press column shining would be with a cleaner another Journaler (ZR61?) recently discovered, called Kleen King Stainless and Copper Cleaner.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I recently posted a question on the tool board about finding an inexpensive sander for my shop. My first thought was to get the oscillating belt/spindle model Ridgid makes that Red Leader is such a fan of. But I ended up going with a 6x48" belt and 9" disc model made my (gulp) Harbor Freight. It was $250 when I started looking at it, but came down to $159 after it went on sale and my local store took the 20% coupon on top of that.

I might still save up for the Ridgid model, since it's different in its functionality and also small enough to stow on a shelf. But the HF model is 12 amps to the Ridgid's 5, which makes me think for mild steel the HF might have more muscle.

Today I put the Harbor Freight sander together, and the thing's belt tracks pretty well. And with the stock media that came with it, it bites into wood reasonably well, too. (Still, I'll order some better stuff from Enco.)

But the good news for me is that the machine fits in the small space I had worked out for it.

I've got a tight cluster of equipment on a tiny little bench, but I think it will work for most of what I use it for.

The green even blends in reasonably well.

The only part of the arrangement I'm not thrilled with is the possible interference with wider stuff when I'm using the band saw. But the belt part of the sander does rotate up to vertical. And I can also slide the band saw further out when I'm using it with wider stuff.

I could also build a talle base for the band saw. But we'll see how much it bugs me before I do that.

The HF sander went together pretty easily, and it seems like a pretty stout machine. The castings are crude, which it typical of HF. And one downside is that there doesn't appear to be any attempt made at dust control. And it generates a lot of sawdust.

But for $159, I'm happy -- so far.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Dan, there's a post by Bob Heine a ways back about 3M discs for angle grinders. One other way to get the drill press column shining would be with a cleaner another Journaler (ZR61?) recently discovered, called Kleen King Stainless and Copper Cleaner.

Thanks for the head's up, Jack. I'll do a search for both those references and try out whichever looks like the better product for my purposes.

I like the cluster of power equipment on the end of your bench. If you're like me, the larger stuff that will suffer from the "togetherness" of your power tools is far and few between, so it won't be THAT much an issue. All looks good.

 

[Bob Heine]

But I ended up going with a 6x48" belt and 9" disc model made my (gulp) Harbor Freight.

But for $159, I'm happy -- so far.

Jack,
Because of you I have a band saw with a table mount. Didn't know I needed it but now it gets used several times a week. I've been looking at that belt/disk sander since it was $89 (on sale for $79). Didn't know anyone who had one so I put it on the bottom of my list. I look forward to your review of the HF sander because my current bench belt sander is slightly smaller and mounted much like the band saw:

Thanks for the head's up, Jack. I'll do a search for both those references and try out whichever looks like the better product for my purposes.

Dan,

Many of the sites that sell the 3M Roloc and Unitized wheel EXL disks offer them in 10- or 40-packs for a hundred or more dollars. My gambling budget is $20 (a roll of quarters) so this is not even in the ballpark. I found a site that sells the Roloc version individually and I ordered 5 (around $20 plus unknown shipping/handling charges). As soon as they arrive, I'll give them a quick test and let you know how well they work.

 

[ckadams00]

Jack - I love the way you have the grinders and sander situated. For the times that you need to move things around there will be just as many times when you don't - and that set up is TIGHT on maximizing space. I'm gonna make a note for my tiny shop to incorporate something similar. Even a crappy HF sander is something I think you will find is a good addition to your shop. I have an "equivalent" Menard's version, but man is it nice when you need something sanded quickly.

I have a much better old CMan that is almost back together. After a lot of work putting it all back together I found that I probably need to replace the bearings . . .so it is in the "to do" pile.

One thing you mentioned, is the dust. Mine can coat my entire shop in about 10 minutes. I don't know the model you have but I'm surprised there isn't a simple vacuum hose hookup. The one I have has just a plastic hole, but without my shop vac attached I would hesitate to use it inside . . .probably create more work then what you get accomplished.

Since you are in SoCal, you might just consider putting it on a Workmate or similar stand in the driveway when you need to do more than just touch up work.

 

[KingB]

Jack,

Nice buy and looks good. Although from the picture that little cluster of tools looks rather cramped, but if it works then that's really all that matters. Still a rockin' & functional garage!

 

[Squankum]

Dan in Pasadena:

I believe this is what Red Leader endorsed on his thread.

3M 3M-05132 EXL Deburring Wheel 6 Inch x 1 Inch x 1 Inch, Grade 9S FIN by 3M

Permalink: http://amzn.com/B002P51S72

I bought something like it, but 1/2" wide, kinda by accident. Some confusion for me on the ENCO site, their part #'s didn't seem to be 3M part #'s, but close. And I was in a hurry.

The one I bought was fine grit, but I don't recall which of the two types of abrasives, and can't check on that right now. Maybe I can give you more more info later when I peek at my bench grinder tonight.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks Jack, Bob and Squankum,

I bought the Harbor Freight knock off of the Roloc (I think) backing plate that goes in a small air powered angle grinder and their mettal cleaning discs that fit on it. Havent tried using it as my compressor died. I bought a nice used 60 gal but have not yet had the 220v put in I need to run it.

As for the 6" x 1" x 1" bench grinder mounted wheel. That looks awesome for some of the stuff I'll be doing. Is the arbor (hole) size 1"? If so, that gotta be way too big for my small & medium sized bench grinders. I'll have to search for a 1/2" (I think) arbor size.

 

[alfazer]

On the dust issue, here's a lash-up I made that isn't too elegant but works well.
I think my sander is like yours, Jack. It's got an English brand name but made in Taiwan. Year is 1988. It is 6"x48" (but has 4" belt on at the moment).
Being in Europe it has a 240v motor.

The dust catcher is the top of a plastic oil can, sink waste-pipe plumbed to an old vacuum cleaner. There's a hole under the disc guard which could also be connected to the pipe when I get time. My sander came with it's own stand.

And by the way Jack, I love your garage. You have started a whole new genre. I love the way it looks and I'm just imagining it with some smells; WD40, gear oil, hot cutting fluid, that kind of thing.