alpinewhite
Well-known member
It was discussed in this thread.
Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT The 12-Gauge Garage
- Thread starter Jack Olsen
- Start date
Workspaces sized between 265 and 485 squarefeet.
JMcFly
Well-known member
Yeah, I found it after searching for 15 minutes.
JeremyBurke
Well-known member
Ok I'm new here and just found this thread. I had seen some of your press through the years but at the time was really mostly interested in the car and thought the garage was some 100k rich guy pad (which says a lot about you skill and what consistency of design can do). Now I am going to finish this thread (it is my Everest) and I will have more comments then but thanks for this. As of this writing it's 171 pages and I am at 145 (I can do this).
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JeremyBurke
Well-known member
I made it! Someone cue up the theme to "Rocky" for me, I would also accept "We are the Champions" By Queen. I read all 171 pages of this thread and it was awesome.
Jack I love the car it is perfect and beautiful and while I would love to own an old 911 it is a little out of my price range. So instead I have an old barely running not driving (brakes are important) 1963 Ford Fairlane 2Dr Hardtop. That lives in my 2.5 car attached garage.
The Garage. Jack it is an inspiration for so many reasons. You mentioned in your recent post that you weren't sure why it got so popular. I don't think any of us will ever know all the reasons but I know why it struck a cord with me. 1) It is attainable, 2) it is simple, 2) it is functional.
Let me explain.
1)Attainable: I have hardly any diposable income, three sons under 7 will do that. But I have a 2.5 car garage, a little spare time and I enjoy surfing craigslist for a good deal. Thanks to GJ I have learned a little more what to look for and thanks to your thread I have something to aspire too and ideas to use in my space. Like I said I don't have much disposable income but I do have some and with time and patience I can come up with my own $3500 dollars to turn my shabby garage into a shop that things can get done in.
2)It is simple like you have said a few times there are plenty of palatial garages on here but your's started out with scrap wood and leftover door hinges, I have like five sets of those right now. I might even have 2 sheets of plywood and some old 2x6 cedar that would make some great upper cabinets like you did. While the things you made took a lot of work and time, they are all things that I can do. I have some of the skills you had when you started and I am not affraid to try new things I can make those things I know it.
3)Function: you actually build stuff, beautiful stuff and when you do it looks just like my garage does now, a mess. However, because you made a place for everything it cleans up well and fast.
Your garage is perfect and made me believe I don't have to wait for 20 years when I can afford a 100x40x16 foot pole barn. I can get started tonight.
Thanks for the inspiratoin and time documenting the process. I will be watching what comes next and when I start my little garage project I will keep you all posted.
Also a word of warning, I had been nudging my wife about a garage expansion for a little while now (I have about 13' straight back I could easily add for more work space just not the money) and your garage prompted me to decide I don't have to wait until I can afford that I can make changes now That will make it more usable and functional. The warning is for this, she immediately asked me who is this man that I have to kiss
. I told her he is Jack Olsen and he is beast 
Jack I love the car it is perfect and beautiful and while I would love to own an old 911 it is a little out of my price range. So instead I have an old barely running not driving (brakes are important) 1963 Ford Fairlane 2Dr Hardtop. That lives in my 2.5 car attached garage.
The Garage. Jack it is an inspiration for so many reasons. You mentioned in your recent post that you weren't sure why it got so popular. I don't think any of us will ever know all the reasons but I know why it struck a cord with me. 1) It is attainable, 2) it is simple, 2) it is functional.
Let me explain.
1)Attainable: I have hardly any diposable income, three sons under 7 will do that. But I have a 2.5 car garage, a little spare time and I enjoy surfing craigslist for a good deal. Thanks to GJ I have learned a little more what to look for and thanks to your thread I have something to aspire too and ideas to use in my space. Like I said I don't have much disposable income but I do have some and with time and patience I can come up with my own $3500 dollars to turn my shabby garage into a shop that things can get done in.
2)It is simple like you have said a few times there are plenty of palatial garages on here but your's started out with scrap wood and leftover door hinges, I have like five sets of those right now. I might even have 2 sheets of plywood and some old 2x6 cedar that would make some great upper cabinets like you did. While the things you made took a lot of work and time, they are all things that I can do. I have some of the skills you had when you started and I am not affraid to try new things I can make those things I know it.
3)Function: you actually build stuff, beautiful stuff and when you do it looks just like my garage does now, a mess. However, because you made a place for everything it cleans up well and fast.
Your garage is perfect and made me believe I don't have to wait for 20 years when I can afford a 100x40x16 foot pole barn. I can get started tonight.
Thanks for the inspiratoin and time documenting the process. I will be watching what comes next and when I start my little garage project I will keep you all posted.
Also a word of warning, I had been nudging my wife about a garage expansion for a little while now (I have about 13' straight back I could easily add for more work space just not the money) and your garage prompted me to decide I don't have to wait until I can afford that I can make changes now That will make it more usable and functional. The warning is for this, she immediately asked me who is this man that I have to kiss
. I told her he is Jack Olsen and he is beast
OP
Thanks! A GJ member translated for me, and here it is:
The Perfect Garage… …is found in the middle of Los Angeles, where every inch counts. Fellow American hobby mechanics have even awarded Jack Olsen’s hobby refuge [or asylum] with a prize. In getting there, the owner spent less than 2600 EURO ($3500) on the renovation, although it took four years.
“Necessity breeds invention” – space constraints are no exception. As Jack Olsen utters this phrase, you don’t realize any of the effort and clever ideas. He used both for his garage project. In contrast, the cost was much less important.
But first things first. Jack writes scripts for Hollywood and lives with his family in these L.A. sidestreets: comfortable, quiet, convenient. A strip of green in front of the bungalow house, large trees in the yard, alongside a driveway to the hidden two-car garage. In short, the American dream exemplified: one time already expensive, now priceless. [the translation is tough… I don’t understand the intent here…]
Jack is difficult to assess. Age? Occupation? Life Calling? [or life mission? this is a somewhat poor translation for the word berufung]
He looks younger than his 49 years, could pass for a surf instructor. The rusted, doorless Jeep Wrangler, his daily driver, fits his image better than the patinized 911. And also that he welded the massive driveway gates himself.
“Back there is my oasis,” he says in a calm voice. And in a few steps, he slowly opens the wide overhead door. A calm. While the lower jaw of the observer follows the laws of gravity, the eyes gaze upon a perfect garage. White, durable tiles, a small platform lift, massive steel cabinets on two walls, three large workbenches at comfortable working height, tools in every crevice, all extremely organized. On the left a small sink, next to it a vintage phone.
Originally the garage was large enough for two cars. Now its 6.1 by 6.7 meters (20 by 22 feet) contains the dreams of a hobby mechanic. For four years Jack worked, continually refining, and all contents were sourced secondhand. “The steel cabinets in the back are the strongest available, and normally cost thousands of dollars. I bought them all at auctions, like most of the things in here, for a fraction of the original price.”
Another example of his creativity hangs from the ceiling: the round lamps were originally cake pans. The man of the house drilled a hole, installed a bulb holder, and ran some wire – now they illuminate the entrance to the workshop. Following this approach allowed Jack to do this all for under $3500. That’s less than 2600 Euro with the current exchange rate. But it must be noted that the tools are not included in this figure.
Not only does Jack’s dream garage have its own website and blog (12-gaugegarage.com), it also carries a special award. The U.S. magazine, “Family Handyman,” nominated as Best Garage of the Year in 2011. Dare someone say there are no upsides to space constraints.
Captions
“Heavy tools like angle grinders and clamps are stored on the backside of the central workbench.”
1. “There’s always room for a workbench. At least that’s what Jack Olsen said, and installed hinged workbench on the wall.
2. Of course a two-post lift is great, but when there isn’t enough height, then this smaller scissor lift makes do.
3. Safety is not missing from Jack’s garage.
4. The tools are either within arm’s reach in nooks, or stored in special cabinets.
5. The massive cabinets have two benefits: nothing gets dusty and clutter stays hidden.
6. The workshop phone is a classic – like the Porsche on the lift.
“Even the two-car garage fits every dream of the hobby mechanic”
“And this is how it looks behind closed doors:”
1. The red plastic bins are available – even in California – at Ikea.
2. Jack stores screws and small hardware in small plastic bins that hang on the inside of the doors.
3. The shelves can withstand heavy loads…
4. …yet the jack and jack stands should be stored at the bottom.
“The boss on the phone: screen writer and garage planner Jack Olsen shown in the mirror of the sink corner.”
“The tools look like they were staged for the photo, but it’s always this clean. How is this even possible?” [this is meant in a good way]
“Why not use the area behind the fold-out workbench as tool storage?”
“Every nook of the garage is used.”
“Compliments from other garage mechanics are not infrequent – Jack enjoys it.”
“What does Jack do when he is not working in the garage or working on a script? He’s usually driving his Porsche on the racetrack.”
OP
Jack, this is my view on the 12 ga. Garage:
Size isn't' everything!
What comes out, with each publication and internet blitz, even when you have "action" shots, and stuff is "all over the place" (not really, it just looks in use, which is it's purpose!), it clearly has a purpose.
You can actually work without tripping and falling, EVERYTHING has a place, if not supper handy. You don't have to walk to the "back 40" (my families name for the corner of my lot than has my small storage shed and parking for two vehicles...) to get something, and you get stuff done! A lot of stuff done!
The 12 gaarage is like the Shop Smith; not ideal, but what single woodworking tool can do more wood working than a Shop Smith? Time consuming to setup at times, yes, but you CAN get'er done!
You have shown that you CAN have a multi purpose shop (even down to a lift!), you can keep it clean ( a lot of it is that, it IS clean...) and you can have an operational shop that is not just all show and no go, because the owner is afraid to get it dirty... (I suspect many of the showpiece garage's are a show piece only, and not a lot gets actually accomplished in there...
You show that you can take something from it's humble beginnings as an old used garage, cabinet, desk, whatever, and modify it, a lot or a little, and make it fit. You think about what the impact is when you lay things out, whether its the garage and the latest mod, or when you are fabbing a new spoiler for the Porsche.
It's lines are simplicity itself, and things transition nicely from one area to another. It has a color scheme that works, and while it's far from my favorite color of green, (I lived with that shade in my bedroom as a kid for years, was I asked? not once!), things look like they belong! Paint all that stuff into haphazard colors and guess what? The flow gets lost in the busyness of the colors. The impact is lost!
While it has simple looking lines, it is actually anything but simple. The complexity is hidden and smoothed over with your ability to make it look simpler than it really is!
Don't sell either yourself and what you have accomplished, nor what you have accomplished short. Few could get even a little of what you have done into a garage 2X that size.
I'l never get my garage to look like that, ever. I'm too much of a packrat, and I'm into way too many different things and I know it.
Could I simplify and just say, "I'm going to focus on just this one or two things"?
Sure, but I'd get pissed at myself because I LIKE being able to work on almost anything. I just wish I had more space to do so. I bought this place 26 years ago when I was still racing with the intent of having a 20 X 30 shop in the back, plus the garage. Life intervened and it's never happened. Short of winning the lottery, it probably never will.
Am I doing something about it? Yes, but slowly as life continues to intervene. There are things in life you can control and things that just happen. Call it fate, call it whatever. But its a fact. People envy you your garage because you beat the odds. Not one in a hundred, no, not one in a thousand people could pull it off
So hats off to you Jack. You really DO have something here. Better still, you aren't pretentious about it, and I hope you keep your feet firmly planted, because that is part of what enables you to pull it all off...
Thank you, Outlawmws. Nicely written, too. I'm humbled, and now that someone has said something nice about me, I'm also convinced that tomorrow's track day is going to end up with me crashing into something. Irrational, I know. But I'm knocking on wood as I type this.
Good luck! I wish I could say every page is worthwhile, but...
...there are some long diversions where I just take pictures of my car -- or re-build stuff for it that I've broken. But I appreciate the effort.
I made it! Someone cue up the theme to "Rocky" for me, I would also accept "We are the Champions" By Queen. I read all 171 pages of this thread and it was awesome.
Jack I love the car it is perfect and beautiful and while I would love to own an old 911 it is a little out of my price range. So instead I have an old barely running not driving (brakes are important) 1963 Ford Fairlane 2Dr Hardtop. That lives in my 2.5 car attached garage.
The Garage. Jack it is an inspiration for so many reasons. You mentioned in your recent post that you weren't sure why it got so popular. I don't think any of us will ever know all the reasons but I know why it struck a cord with me. 1) It is attainable, 2) it is simple, 2) it is functional.
Let me explain.
1)Attainable: I have hardly any diposable income, three sons under 7 will do that. But I have a 2.5 car garage, a little spare time and I enjoy surfing craigslist for a good deal. Thanks to GJ I have learned a little more what to look for and thanks to your thread I have something to aspire too and ideas to use in my space. Like I said I don't have much disposable income but I do have some and with time and patience I can come up with my own $3500 dollars to turn my shabby garage into a shop that things can get done in.
2)It is simple like you have said a few times there are plenty of palatial garages on here but your's started out with scrap wood and leftover door hinges, I have like five sets of those right now. I might even have 2 sheets of plywood and some old 2x6 cedar that would make some great upper cabinets like you did. While the things you made took a lot of work and time, they are all things that I can do. I have some of the skills you had when you started and I am not affraid to try new things I can make those things I know it.
3)Function: you actually build stuff, beautiful stuff and when you do it looks just like my garage does now, a mess. However, because you made a place for everything it cleans up well and fast.
Your garage is perfect and made me believe I don't have to wait for 20 years when I can afford a 100x40x16 foot pole barn. I can get started tonight.
Thanks for the inspiratoin and time documenting the process. I will be watching what comes next and when I start my little garage project I will keep you all posted.
Also a word of warning, I had been nudging my wife about a garage expansion for a little while now (I have about 13' straight back I could easily add for more work space just not the money) and your garage prompted me to decide I don't have to wait until I can afford that I can make changes now That will make it more usable and functional. The warning is for this, she immediately asked me who is this man that I have to kiss
You made it!
Thank you! You guys say it all better than I could.
Here's the garage tonight. The car is all packed up for a 5:30 am departure tomorrow morning.
The rear wing is bolted on for the trip to the track. Once I get there, the front spoiler and side skirts go on. Everything on this bench gets strapped onto the poor car in the name of downforce.
Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
The German magazine article will be very popular because in Europe they generally have very limited space compared to the US (as evidenced by the European members here on GJ who build those tiny but functional garages).
Its all about space management and utilization.
Charles
Its all about space management and utilization.
Charles
OP
That could be. Since the Friday when (I think) the article came out, the 12-gaugegarage.com website has had over 5,000 visits.
Jack,
Last night I discovered there was new content on your thread after a long dry spell, and I was reading things while watching TV. I clicked on your video, right after I saw the title, “A Clean Well-Lighted Place”, I heard Steven Colbert announce that tonight’s episode was devoted to Ernest Hemingway.
OoooEEEoooooooo….
Only surprise in the vid was where the wash up sink was. I always thought it was the left rear corner for some reason. (Left as you look in.)
What Europeans aren’t seeing in the article or your website: how many other cars your household has, the parking space of the rest of your driveway, etc etc. They just wouldn’t understand. Neener neener, Eurofoofoos!
Last night I discovered there was new content on your thread after a long dry spell, and I was reading things while watching TV. I clicked on your video, right after I saw the title, “A Clean Well-Lighted Place”, I heard Steven Colbert announce that tonight’s episode was devoted to Ernest Hemingway.
OoooEEEoooooooo….
Only surprise in the vid was where the wash up sink was. I always thought it was the left rear corner for some reason. (Left as you look in.)
What Europeans aren’t seeing in the article or your website: how many other cars your household has, the parking space of the rest of your driveway, etc etc. They just wouldn’t understand. Neener neener, Eurofoofoos!
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JeremyBurke
Well-known member
Jack, I know it was discussed briefly much earlier in the thread but I couldn't find any pictures and a description of how you deal with temperary storage in the shop itself. What I mean is, and I assume you have this issue from time to time as well, when you have something, a small project or a fix of a kids toy, or furniture that need to be done but you can't get to it right then. Where and how do you store those items so that they don't clutter the benches but also don't get forgotten for all time in the back of some closet or in an attic? Thanks for the continued updates and willingness to help us all get better a getting stuff done.
Also how did the track day go?
Also how did the track day go?
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OP
Jeremy, I don't have particularly neat working habits. Some stuff just sits out while I'm getting around to it. When I read your post, I remembered this picture, which is one bench during the time I was building the back deck and also replacing my car's front coil springs and rear shocks.
Messy.
But the key thing about the place is how quickly it can go from that to clean again. I honestly haven't had any mess in the place that took more than an hour to clean up. In some ways, that's the accomplishment of the place. It's never a 'weekend job' to clean the place up. With a place for everything to go, there's more time available for actual work.
The track day went great, although I didn't break the 1:26 barrier I've been after all year. Someone was joking with me about only posting pictures of my kids, my car, and my garage on Facebook, and so I made up this collection of pictures all taken on Wednesday. I can't complain at all about the day.
http://scontent-b-sjc.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1017358_10202918795995235_993361563_n.jpg
And if anyone's interested, here's a 4-minute video of a run around the track with a friend in the passenger seat. He recently bought an old 911, and wanted to get a feel of what mine was like out on the track. This was just open lapping, so the passes I make are not like the ones you'd see in a race.
Messy.
But the key thing about the place is how quickly it can go from that to clean again. I honestly haven't had any mess in the place that took more than an hour to clean up. In some ways, that's the accomplishment of the place. It's never a 'weekend job' to clean the place up. With a place for everything to go, there's more time available for actual work.
The track day went great, although I didn't break the 1:26 barrier I've been after all year. Someone was joking with me about only posting pictures of my kids, my car, and my garage on Facebook, and so I made up this collection of pictures all taken on Wednesday. I can't complain at all about the day.
http://scontent-b-sjc.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1017358_10202918795995235_993361563_n.jpg
And if anyone's interested, here's a 4-minute video of a run around the track with a friend in the passenger seat. He recently bought an old 911, and wanted to get a feel of what mine was like out on the track. This was just open lapping, so the passes I make are not like the ones you'd see in a race.
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Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Jack,
Thanks for the ride-along. And thanks for the picture of Molly. She's growing up fast and is going to be a real heart-breaker. You are living a very blessed life and I appreciate you sharing it with us.
Thanks for the ride-along. And thanks for the picture of Molly. She's growing up fast and is going to be a real heart-breaker. You are living a very blessed life and I appreciate you sharing it with us.
CecilTheTurtle
Well-known member
HOTFR8
Banned
Congratulations Jack on some true international recognition for you.
Dirk Thelen
Active member
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2013
- Messages
- 32
I just got my hands on a copy of the German auto bild magazine, Germany is only a stone throw away from where I live. They indeed wrote a very nice article about your garage, the translation above is pretty good by the way.
The Boss
Well-known member
Great video Jack! Remember to hit those apexes!
I spotted the Knipex pliers wrenches instantly...
Jack, GJ is such a collection of tool fetishists, how long do you think it would take the collective hivemind to identify each tool in that jumble if you posted it as a challenge?
(Size and thread pitch on the spherical joints would be an extra credit question.)
.
rfc86
Well-known member
Very nice.
Eddimuller
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2014
- Messages
- 30
through this article I found this site. I love your garage and your car is perfect!
greetings from Germany.
greetings from Germany.
OP
Thank you, Eddimuller! Cool to see it in actual print.
(And Squankum, I'm sure what you're describing would be a piece of cake -- and now I see that I was still using a HF grinder. Where is that thing?)
(And Squankum, I'm sure what you're describing would be a piece of cake -- and now I see that I was still using a HF grinder. Where is that thing?)
WallyKowalski
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2014
- Messages
- 34
do you need any class license to race at willow springs? I've always wanted to take my toys out on the track and live only a couple hours away.
Zeke
Well-known member
No license or school needed for the group Jack runs in called Open Track Racing. They have a web site. There are several of these types of track rental organizations. Some are for bikes and some are more rice than others.
When you go to OTR for the first time you sit in a class and they explain how they operate. Then they take the newbies out for a controlled run with instructors like Jack buried in the pack here and there to observe. After that the meet one more time and then put you on the track with your run group which in most cases for a newcomer will be the yellow group. Blue is more advanced and for faster cars and the red group is limited to experienced drivers and passing is allowed in more parts of the track. The first 2 groups can pass only on the straights (2) and with a hand signal from the car in front.
It's very safe if you have a safe car.
goodgollyjosh
Member
This thread is just awesome! I would love to build a retro garage like this one day. Thanks for posting!
600SL
Well-known member
Awesome garage. I will be looking into that tile for my garage.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
OP
Thanks!
For those keeping score at home, I've spent the last year working to lower my laptime at my home track. Yesterday, I cracked below a 1:27 for the first time. (As it happened, I had a German film crew following me for for the day, which made it cool to finally get a new personal best after a full year of coming close, but... not.)
Video:
For those keeping score at home, I've spent the last year working to lower my laptime at my home track. Yesterday, I cracked below a 1:27 for the first time. (As it happened, I had a German film crew following me for for the day, which made it cool to finally get a new personal best after a full year of coming close, but... not.)
Video:
santagary
Well-known member
I have finally figured out perhaps the inspiration and the origin of the "Olsen curve". I saw a pic today of a 911 in profile. If you follow the curve from the rear over the top past the windshield and down to the front bumper....you have replicated my friends the "Olsen curve" which is used throughout the Olsen grounds...even on the recently constructed roof of the courtyard!!! Wow...the curve of "black beauty" is expressed in the storage bins, the table and the roof...why didn't I see that before??? It's as thematic as Frank Lloyd Wrights' architectural themes. What's next Jack??
PS: Congrats on breaking your speed record.
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Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Congratulations Jack! You made it look smooth and easy, which is a great accomplishment.
rbn54twins
Member
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2013
- Messages
- 22
Congrats on your time! Thats a great time….
Boosted1
Well-known member
Congrats on the new lap time.
OP
An extra 200 hp and a 6th gear WOULD be a nice addition.
Zeke
Well-known member
Congratulations, Jack! 
I don't know what it's like to drive the same course againandagainandagainandagain, but I sure have learned this lesson thoroughly: the clock is merciless.
If you get it right, it shows. All the other times things didn't go quite right, it shows.
Camera data, you do have. Are you comparing any onboard g force data to similar and faster drivers?
I don't know what it's like to drive the same course againandagainandagainandagain, but I sure have learned this lesson thoroughly: the clock is merciless.
If you get it right, it shows. All the other times things didn't go quite right, it shows.
Camera data, you do have. Are you comparing any onboard g force data to similar and faster drivers?
Most inspiring, Jack! Your story and garage resonated with me.
I have a 20 x 28' "blank slate" space and needed some ideas. Your efforts gave me enough to digest for a while. I'm not a car guy, but I have several hobbies from model airplanes to vintage electronics to woodworking to photography to...
It's nice to see what can be done in a small space with a reasonable budget.
I have a 20 x 28' "blank slate" space and needed some ideas. Your efforts gave me enough to digest for a while. I'm not a car guy, but I have several hobbies from model airplanes to vintage electronics to woodworking to photography to...
It's nice to see what can be done in a small space with a reasonable budget.
OP
Thanks!
I know exactly what it goes back to. As a 12-year-old, I got permission to build a skateboarding half pipe in my backyard. I knew the basics of it -- how you'd make a sort of ladder structure, like a studded wall turned sideways, but with the (former) head and foot as curved pieces. But getting that curve right was something my 12-year-old brain couldn't really figure out. My father suggested that I draw out a plan first, but I was in a hurry to start skateboarding. So I just went at it, and my father -- I think to his credit -- stood back and let me make my mistakes. Then, when the thing just didn't look or work right, he came in and offered his help with any questions I had. The eye opening thing to me was how easy it was to get a 20' radius simply by taking a 10' long piece of string and attaching a pencil to one end while anchoring the other. Boom, there was a perfect curve to cut out.
The (second version of the) ramp was a fixture in the Olsen backyard for many years.
Ever since then, I think I've enjoyed putting curves into stuff I build because I get to re-create that 'aha!' moment I had when he showed me how to scribe a curve.
It's kind of like perfecting a golf swing. You're just repeating the same 90-second exercise over and over. But you're doing it while pulling 1.5+ Gs and 130+ mph over and over.
I have a data logger where I can compare my braking points, acceleration, and cornering G-forces with other drivers. I also keep comparing with myself. Here is my most-recent quick lap, and the next-quickest one from a year prior. You really can see how much each lap is the same when you look at two of them side by side. To anyone else, I'm sure it's pretty boring. But there's a lot I watch for in something like this:
I have finally figured out perhaps the inspiration and the origin of the "Olsen curve". I saw a pic today of a 911 in profile. If you follow the curve from the rear over the top past the windshield and down to the front bumper....you have replicated my friends the "Olsen curve" which is used throughout the Olsen grounds...even on the recently constructed roof of the courtyard!!! Wow...the curve of "black beauty" is expressed in the storage bins, the table and the roof...why didn't I see that before??? It's as thematic as Frank Lloyd Wrights' architectural themes. What's next Jack??
I know exactly what it goes back to. As a 12-year-old, I got permission to build a skateboarding half pipe in my backyard. I knew the basics of it -- how you'd make a sort of ladder structure, like a studded wall turned sideways, but with the (former) head and foot as curved pieces. But getting that curve right was something my 12-year-old brain couldn't really figure out. My father suggested that I draw out a plan first, but I was in a hurry to start skateboarding. So I just went at it, and my father -- I think to his credit -- stood back and let me make my mistakes. Then, when the thing just didn't look or work right, he came in and offered his help with any questions I had. The eye opening thing to me was how easy it was to get a 20' radius simply by taking a 10' long piece of string and attaching a pencil to one end while anchoring the other. Boom, there was a perfect curve to cut out.
The (second version of the) ramp was a fixture in the Olsen backyard for many years.
Ever since then, I think I've enjoyed putting curves into stuff I build because I get to re-create that 'aha!' moment I had when he showed me how to scribe a curve.
Congratulations, Jack!
I don't know what it's like to drive the same course againandagainandagainandagain, but I sure have learned this lesson thoroughly: the clock is merciless.
If you get it right, it shows. All the other times things didn't go quite right, it shows.
Camera data, you do have. Are you comparing any onboard g force data to similar and faster drivers?
It's kind of like perfecting a golf swing. You're just repeating the same 90-second exercise over and over. But you're doing it while pulling 1.5+ Gs and 130+ mph over and over.
I have a data logger where I can compare my braking points, acceleration, and cornering G-forces with other drivers. I also keep comparing with myself. Here is my most-recent quick lap, and the next-quickest one from a year prior. You really can see how much each lap is the same when you look at two of them side by side. To anyone else, I'm sure it's pretty boring. But there's a lot I watch for in something like this:
santagary
Well-known member
What a cool connection to your childhood and your Dad Jack. I'm sure your two will reflect back on your teaching and experiences with them. So...I'm wondering then if you picked the curved German cars as another form of appreciation for the curve and excellent construction??? You didn't pick the Austin Healey or Jaguars or Fiats now did you??? It's still such a cool theme and story and I hope your Dad is still around to appreciate you and your family. :thumbup
It's kind of like perfecting a golf swing. You're just repeating the same 90-second exercise over and over. But you're doing it while pulling 1.5+ Gs and 130+ mph over and over.
I have a data logger where I can compare my braking points, acceleration, and cornering G-forces with other drivers. I also keep comparing with myself. Here is my most-recent quick lap, and the next-quickest one from a year prior. You really can see how much each lap is the same when you look at two of them side by side. To anyone else, I'm sure it's pretty boring. But there's a lot I watch for in something like this:
Gee, Jack. Looks like you've got a 1:26:00 in there after all. Just string together the good parts! Thanks again for sharing the videos. Very informative and enjoyable.
rixtrix1
Well-known member
Thanks!
For those keeping score at home, I've spent the last year working to lower my laptime at my home track. Yesterday, I cracked below a 1:27 for the first time. (As it happened, I had a German film crew following me for for the day, which made it cool to finally get a new personal best after a full year of coming close, but... not.)
Video:
Congrats, Jack! Nice smooth lap!
MedusaOblongata
Member
Congratulations on breaking your record!