The 30 year garage

[Olinrj]

Sean, he definitely likes to help out. Right now no plans for the 401. Once I knock out a few projects I'll start going through it and get ready to rebuild it. Still working on what it will go into.

Xtremek, thanks! Not putting a vapor barrier in as the garage may not be heated completely and I don't know if the exterior walls are fully sealed. I'm of the opinion that the walls should breathe, if excessive moisture isn't present. As far as the motorcycle goes, I got it this summer amd have an agreement with my wife that the house projects that we had in the works will be done before I get 'distracted' and work on my toys. So far I've held up my end of the bargain. Once she can park in the garage, it's on!

 

[Olinrj]

The bench is in place. Need to get the top sized and together. The height ahould be flush with the radial arm saw top. With the 72" frame and a 6" overhang on the left, I should have 10 feet of bench on the left of the saw blade. Hopefully more to come tonight after the boys go to bed.

 

[Olinrj]

Well, I didn't get any further that night. Ended up enjoying the first fire in the fireplace and relaxed with the family. Friday, however, my wife helped clear out the side lot next to the garage. It had become the dumping ground for anything that didn't need to stay inside. Now we can get a vehicle through to the back yard and eventually will pour concrete for an extra parking spot. The third photo is the pile that will go to the dump.

Because we are getting close to being able to park a vehicle inside, it was time to get a new opener. While I would love a side mount, it's not in the budget. Ended up with a 3/4 horse belt drive. Friends came over for dinner and afterwards my buddy helped get it installed. We had to replace the backing above the door and reframe the rear supports but the opener was functional when they left. Still need to fine tune the limits and replace the controls but I'm pretty happy with it.

I work until Thursday morning and my wife is out of town Friday thru Sunday so the only time for work will be after they go to bed. Hopefully I can make some more progress. Only two weeks until the deadline / kids party.

 

[xtremek]

Looks llike that pile made a decent dent in things.I don't know about you, but when I purge, it feels great. Insometimes. fact, I get carried away

 

[jbmatth]

Bob, Your place has lots of potential and it is nice that is it larger than the normal 2 car by a few feet, that extra space for benches and storage will come in handy. As far as the 3.5mm to RCA wire, it is probably working just fine. From what I remember years ago when working with my vehicle stereo the RCA is a low voltage input and you'll never get much volume out of it that way. You can use a 3.5mm to tape converter if you have a tape deck in the stereo, or I'm sure there is something to boost the signal to a higher output for the RCA end. Sorry I can't be more help but that is about all I can remember for now. Keep up the progress I'll tag along for the adventures to come.
JB

 

[Olinrj]

Xtremek, a dent has been made, but there's still more to go! It definitely felt good to purge.

Jbmatth, the extra width is great as it will allow me to build a bench/cubbie mud room area on the house side of the garage and help segregate the areas. I am trying to get my cousin over to help set up my computer and tie it into the stereo and stream music that way. While it would be cool to have a Bluetooth connection at the stereo, I can put that money to use elsewhere.

I got a little bit more done last night. Will post pics in a minute.

Thanks again for following along.
Bob

 

[Olinrj]

I had a bit of time last night and got three things done on my list. The ten drawer cabinet is not in its final place (for now) with room next to it for plywood storage. The bench now has a top. The vise has been mounted.

The bench top was a bit of work, had to separate two wider sections of bowling alley that I had and put together the proper width. I ended up using chunks of osb to join them together from the bottom. Overall I am happy, but on the right end there is a slight hump in the middle of the top which sits a touch higher than the radial arm saw cabinet. I may have to plane or sand it down to allow longer stock to sit flush when cutting on the saw. A project for another day.

I had a small project to complete prior to mounting the vise, reinstalling the jaws. On my trip to Ace hardware I got new screws for the jaws then cleaned the mounting surfaces and cleaned the threaded holes. The jaws don't close evenly but I think it will work well enough for now. I plan to use it to it's fullest so am not too worried at this point.

If all goes to plan (famous last words) I should get some cleanup done tonight and have my wife's parking spot cleared out.

 

[Olinrj]

I've been busy now that my wife is back in town, but I was able to surprise her a bit. The photos help tell the tale. I managed to get her parking space cleared and reduced more of the random **** to a point that with her help, we'll be ready for the kid's birthday party next Sunday. Tonight is my last night of work and this weekend is more focused on the house and the last few projects but i'll try to get a few more things done and keep progress updates coming.

 

[Olinrj]

Here is the sad, tired trailer helping to haul the last of the garbage to the dump. Sunday is the big party day so I plan to get back to the garage and finish setting up the side wall. I will also be able to get the craftsman lathe from a family friend. He and I discussed this over a year ago and I already have the radial arm saw and belt/disc sander in place. Can't wait to get it in place!

 

[Olinrj]

No real progress this weekend, we had the boys birthday party. It was successful, especially with the streak of good weather. We used the garage to get all 12 kids seated in one place for lunch and some games. Here is how it ended up. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get the side wall cleaned to my liking but I have revised my initial plan.

Taumac, I am going to follow your initial advice about utilization of wall and floor space. The side bench is coming down and the three wall cabinets I have are going into the basement for temporary storage. I have to lay out the side wall to include the 10 drawer cabinet, the 26" toolbox, the 12" craftsman lathe that I will bring home in 2 weeks, the compressor, the welder cart, and a future drill press. Once I have that sorted, i will use whatever is left for the side bench.
Because I have enough bench on the back wall and due to the fluid nature of some of my projects, I may just change the top of the medical cart to use the bowling lane section. This woukd keep another mobile tool cart around and also give a smaller work surface. Thoughts?

I know there isn't much going on visually with progress, but with all that is going on right now I just want to continue to bounce ideas off the forum members to ensure that I maximize what I can and avoid any mistakes that I may be headed toward. Thanks again for checking in.

Bob

 

[chilly_moose]

sweet!

 

[taumac]

My thought is about walls and floor space is that if it can be put on a shelf it goes on a shelf and what's too heavy should be on the floor on casters. When you start building shelves start at top and work down. That maximizes shelves and what's left is floor space. I would try dry layout to see how it works. Use it and make changes if needed and grouping functions help.

 

[dcmus]

I'd try a second audio source to verify the receiver. I'm not a tech but did some audio work in my music store so know enough to get in trouble.

 

[dcmus]

I have run into phones which are low signal and distorted. Sound like you're getting half of a stereo signal? My solution was a laptop interface from Rapco-Horizon but that goes from 3.5mm to XLR so no help in this situation.

 

[Olinrj]

Thanks for stopping by. The layout will be an in-progress dry run, adjusting as needed. I will extend the upper shelf to the right edge of the window on the back wall to gain a little more storage. Regarding the stereo issue, I will try to get another cable to rule that out. My phone is a Samsung s5, not sure if the headphone output is the problem. Until that is sorted, I am using a small bluetooth speaker with my phone.

I was able to get some more insulation installed before the boys got home from school. Only have about 10 feet along the upper shelf and the front wall to do and the walls will be done. After that, it's on to the roof.

 

[Spyider]

looking good. at least we had good weather this last week.. prepare for the cold now!

 

[Olinrj]

Thanks Spyider. Yeah, the weather has given me a chance to get a few more exterior things off the list, but i'm hoping to have all the wall insulation done and the side wall cleared out to readjust things next weekend.

 

[Olinrj]

Took longer than I hoped getting back into the garage but I got most of the insulation in and cleaned out a few boxes that were on the floor. Tomorrow night I hope to continue progress but who knows what the next day will bring.

 

[taumac]

Took longer than I hoped getting back into the garage but I got most of the insulation in and cleaned out a few boxes that were on the floor. Tomorrow night I hope to continue progress but who knows what the next day will bring.

I always liked it when you go to the garage and fell like you made progress. I miss that felling cause it feels lately like there's a bigger mess than when I started.

 

[Olinrj]

It is a good feeling. Unfortunately the boxes I sorted were my two "miscellaneous hardware" boxes from the move and they just got dumped into the rolling medical cart bottom drawer. I'm mainly trying to get the floor cleared so I can pull the side wall counter and cabinets down. For now all the metal cabinets are going into the basement, possibly for use in the future small workshop down there. Once the wall is clear I can bring home the lathe on December 4th.

Today I am starting a moonlight job to help continue our financial improvement. Will provide details tonight. Thanks for stopping in.
Bob

 

[xtremek]

Hey Bob, I can save you some work. Just let me take the lathe off your hands and you won't have to do so much cleaning.

 

[Olinrj]

That's almost a tempting offer!

 

[Olinrj]

Got a little more cleared Wednesday evening, nothing worthy of pictures. This morning I am going to get a few hours in at my side job then hopefully will have the side wall clear for the lathe. Also need to pull out the snowblower and fire it up before tonight's storm.

The side job is good, helping a friend of a friend do radon mitigation. I like the work and the guy I am helping, plus it pays a little. Not sure how long it will last, but any extra money is better than none.

 

[Olinrj]

Progress was made this morning but no pictures yet. Tomorrow afternoon is the big day! I've got a friend helping me bring the lathe out of the basement of the family friend's house. I have most of the side wall cleared out and ready. Once the lathe is in place i'll finish setting up the rest of the wall. Picture will definitely be taken and posted tomorrow!

 

[xtremek]

I hate you and you ****.

 

[Olinrj]

My first hate AND first "you ****", all in one post! Thanks XtremeK! Kids are in bed, so is SWMBO, so I'm out to the garage to burn some midnight oil.

 

[Olinrj]

Made room for the lathe. Tried to get the motor aligned on the belt sander but the belt is shot. Need to pick up a new one. From the side of the cabinet on the right to the edge of the table on the disc side I have 59-1/2". I plan to move the sander to the left of the toolbox and cabinets so there will be even more room. Can't wait for tomorrow.

I still need to clear out the front half of my side of the garage but that should get easier once the lathe is in place and I can focus on setting up the basement shop / dry storage room. I'll take some pics of that mess once I tackle it.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Great work, looking better at every post.

Regards

 

[xtremek]

Keep up the good work. I'm excited for you. Christmas is early at your place.

 

[Olinrj]

It's home! Tear down and hauling was a breeze. It took about 15 minutes to get it into the truck. Need to get new belts and go through the entire lathe but I'm now a lathe owner. The chuck is a made in Poland 6" 3 jaw. I also need to go through the box of bits and start making a list.

I'll continue to document the journey as time allows.

 

[xtremek]

Very nice

 

[1/2 Cup]

It's home! Tear down and hauling was a breeze. It took about 15 minutes to get it into the truck. Need to get new belts and go through the entire lathe but I'm now a lathe owner. The chuck is a made in Poland 6" 3 jaw. I also need to go through the box of bits and start making a list.

I'll continue to document the journey as time allows.

Great score.

 

[Olinrj]

Thanks! I wasn't able to do much today but got new belts for the lathe as well as for the sander. The lathe, based on it's model number, was built in 1937 or 1938 and is a transitional piece. It does not have a powered crossfeed. I'm sure it will take years to reach the limits of it for my use so I can't complain one bit. Now to scour craigslist and find some tooling.

 

[Bib Overalls]

If your chuck is a "Bison" it is one of the best being made today. If not, Polish and Czech chucks are much better than the other off shore choice.

I am a big fan of quick change tool posts and carbide insert tooling. The Chinese made posts with tool holders can be purchased from a number of eBay vendors. I have had good luck with Shars. For carbide insert tooling I use MESA TOOLS. A little expensive unless you are a serious hobbyist. But boy do they make nice cuts. One thing about good tooling, if you decide to upgrade your equipment you can always hold it back from the sale and keep on using it.

Almost every day I look at Craigslist tools for my area. Rarely see lathe tooling advertised. Most of the stuff I do see is way overpriced. You are better of buying on eBay. For example, I just bought a lot of used cutting tools for $15 shipped. A good $50 worth of blank material with some of it having nicely ground cutting edges. You can also buy glued carbide tooling assortments for cheap.

Happy turning!

 

[jbmatth]

I'm right there with Bib on this one, replacement carbide tooling is a must. I'm not confident to be able to accurately grind my own bits so that is the next best option. You have a nice lathe there, let us know what you turn first.

 

[Olinrj]

Thanks Bib and jbmatth.
I am budgeting for a qctp, looking at the AXA size starter set. I plan to start with HSS cutters initially and will see how much I actually use the lathe to determine how much I will invest in cutters and whether or not to switch to carbide.

I had some bench time and got the cross slide cleanup started. The apron still needs to be cleaned. After I cleaned each part I used Johnsons paste wax to protect the metal. Based on how little paint is left I think i have a re-paint in my future.

There is one nut missing from the cross-slide screw and there are two broken handles. Time to do some searching for parts.

Thanks again for your input and help.
Bob

 

[1953mercury]

Looks like you are really coming along. I grew up just down the road a bit in Muskego. Nice score on the lathe, they're good machines. Got this one as a pile of parts many years ago. Cheers, Mike

 

[Olinrj]

Thanks! Even though I can only get work done in fits and spurts I'm pleased with progress so far. I know it's not going to be an industrial grade production lathe but I plan to make the most of it. Your lathe looks very well done and I'm jealous of the power cross-feed. I hope to have mine in that condition at some point. I grew up in the Sherman Park neighborhood of Milwaukee, we moved to our current home in May and couldn't be happier with the house, lot, and neighbors.

 

[Olinrj]

It's been a couple weeks since I've been able to do anything in the garage but this week I was able to get two axes and one 8 lb sledge re-handled. I also went through the belt sander and got it up and running. I have a 120 grit belt and 80 grit disc on it. I think I'll use it for metalworking only, but may change my mind.
Earlier this week I built an additional hitch for my lawn tractor to allow me to move a trailer if needed. I salvaged some 3" angle and went to town. It may be overkill, but sometimes that's okay.

 

[jbmatth]

Nice job on the re-handling of them, and stronger is always better, usually....
JB