Above 1200 Sq/FT The Batdog Garage

[JIA]

Quick introduction.

My name is Jason. Was in the military. I traveled in and out of Augusta, GA for years. Spent a good amount of time here. So much so that we bought a house years ago and rented it out while we were gone. On various online forums I became "JasonInAugusta" and the guys called me JIA for short so that's what I decided to use here.

After spending six years away, it was time to come back in 2019.

So this is the place we moved into in 2019. I frequent here and read the discussions, but I figured I should also post.

When we lived in Virginia we knew our next move would be the "retirement" move. Last move we'd make.

After 26 years moving in the military and working out of a 2-car garage I knew I'd want more work area than half of a 2-car and honestly I needed more space for all of the tools.

So...the wife was in Korea for a year and when she hit the point that she had four months left I started the online search for places here in Georgia.

We both agreed that we were tired of living in a neighborhood and I needed a place to work from home. So with those two requirements I started the search.

I do car audio work and knew there wasn't a shop in the area that does the type of work that I do...so I wanted to find a place that would allow me to work from home and have enough space to work comfortably without being cramped. Having a GTR or Huracan in a 2-car bay along with all of the toolboxes, power tools, table saw...it can be nerve-wracking.

Found a place that was nice, sent her a link, asked what she thought about it, and she said "Well, we should see it in person first." So that weekend the kids and I made a trip to see it.

3 1/2 acres, a pond, two houses, a small "shop", and a separate building (honestly just the box of a box truck) for mowers and such.



The guest/party house on the left and the "shop" on the right. The shop is 18x30.



Shop and main house.


Inside the shop.

 

[JIA]

So when the kids and I came to see the place I called the wife via FaceTime and took her on a tour of the main house.

When we were done with the main house I asked her if she wanted to see the other house.

"No, I'm going to get back to sleep". It was after 3 am in Korea so it made sense.

The kids and I finished checking the place out and headed back to Virginia. The realtor was pushing to get me to make an offer on the place, but we had a place we owned here in town that was on the market as well. Wanted to get that one sold before we were serious about a new place.

The problem with the house is that the entire first floor of the main house is all garage space. The 2nd floor is where all of the living space is. Most anyone that came to look at the place wanted to remodel and convert a portion of the garage space to living area.

Not me.

So...when you walk into the front door of the house this is what you see. A 3-car bay.


Standing in the back corner of the 3-car you can see the front door, the door to the 2nd floor, and the rest of the garage space. The area in the distance with the yellow lighting is a 2-car bay.

The area on the left between the exterior wall and that open wall, is where I thought would be a good place to put the wood shop.



There's a 1/2 bath with sink as well as a small bar sink and some cabinets between the 3-car and 2-car. The 2-car area was originally a carport that got enclosed.

When the 2-car bay was a carport, the open wall on the left was a solid exterior wall and this walkway was where the doorway from the carport to the garage was. When the carport was converted to enclosed garage space the wall was opened up, the exterior door removed, and it was, at that point, a garage large enough to hold seven cars.



Standing in the wood shop area looking out into the 2-car and 3-car bays.



Standing in the 2-car looking towards the wood shop area.


So that's the bare bones. I'll update more later.

 

[sbosecker]

Looks like a very nice space! I look forward to updates.

Best regards,

Scott

 

[JIA]

Looks like a very nice space! I look forward to updates.

Best regards,

Scott

Thanks.

Prior to moving down from Virginia I made a couple of trips one weekend and dropped off the '65 Coronet and the '73 Camaro. When I brought the Coronet it was late at night and no one was home so I dropped it in the driveway behind the house.

The '73 I dropped off during the day and put it in what would be the wood shop area.


Move-in day. That 53-footer was backed into the property. Dude couldn't make the turn through the gate otherwise. The fence was dirty here. I had the kids cleaning it not long after we moved in.


We had a new fridge for the kitchen delivered the day we closed. Since the garage had a spot that was perfect for a fridge we moved the old one into the garage.


When the movers delivered our stuff the garage was the staging area for all the boxes we needed to unpack and sort through. I kept the 3-car clean and used the 2-car for all the boxes.

The 3-car allowed me to store the Chevelle and Camaro out of the way and also allowed us to put the golf cart that came with the property inside and easily accessible.

The German Shepherd is my service dog. She's where the Batdog Garage name comes from.


Since I was going to work from home I needed to get the woodshop built so I could, well...work.

I didn't have a clear plan for layout of everything because I knew once I started working the space would tell me what made sense. I've moved a storage shelf twice already. My clamp rack has moved twice. The wood lathe has yet to find a home. It's like a nomad, just moving around the shop.

I picked up a SawStop with 52" fence and overarm dust collection. Since that would be the base that everything else in the shop would be built around, I wanted to get it in place and set up. I decided to put the blade 9 feet from the wall behind the saw so I could rip a full sheet with and additional set of hands. You can also see where I started removing sheetrock from the existing framing and started cutting pressure treated 2x4s for the new wall sections.




A pic of the wood shop location with the table saw and overhead air filter in place. Here you can see where I took out the sheet rock along the bottom of the beam and studs on the left/right of this open wall. I tore out the sheetrock along the open wall so I could start framing. PT lumber, Loctite PL8x and concrete nails went down first. Then I could start framing with regular 2x4s.


The only nail that was in a wall anywhere in the house was this one. They had driven it into 4" DWV pipe coming from upstairs.

I'm not going to remove it. It'll get framed when I finish out the sheetrock.

 

[JIA]

The best decision I made was to make additional shop space by putting in a large 45 for a double door. This gave me an additional 6 or 7 feet of shop length. Here I'm using some painter's tape to lay out the rough idea for the walls.


Started framing the long wall. Decided to put three 2'x4' windows in so the space doesn't feel as small as it is. I also wanted these so if/when others are here working I can look throughout the shop and see what they're up to and how things are progressing.





With the long wall close to done I started focusing on the door and how it was going to fit into the mix.

Started laying things out with 2x4s and looked at how I was going to do studs at the 45s.


Framed up the last bit of the long wall and mocked up the 72x80 rough opening for the door.


The 45 degree wall for the door put it in a location that would cut through the 8ft light above it. That would need to be relocated.


Coffee break with some random bits of 2x4 mocking up the wall where the door will be as well as the end wall of the shop.


PT and sill plates down for the end wall. Rough door opening dry fit.


8-footer relocated. Had to cut slots and drill through the joist to get the power across to the new location.

 

[JIA]

Started framing the end wall and 45 degree wall for the door.



Another coffee break.




Decided to run power to a location within this wall before I put drywall up on this side. Nail plates were used on this side...then I removed the drywall on the other side and installed them.


Filler pieces were made for these 45s. It's one continuous, solid corner.


Progress. Throwing up drywall on the exterior of the shop just so I could get it closed in. Still had more framing to do here and I needed to add nail plates on the shop side of the studs. Just wanted to get the woodshop somewhat enclosed because I was cutting so much wood and dust was all over the entire first floor - to include the cars.

Rockwool was used inside the walls.



Drywall going up on the interior of the shop.

 

[JIA]

I decided to make a cutout for this. The only nail that left in any of the walls was driven into the 4" DWV pipe coming from the 2nd floor.

I'm sure that Brian probably though life sucked at some point on 3rd shift for Charlotte Pipe Company in Jacksonville, Florida while working extruders 2A and 2B. But at 4:47 on a Saturday morning he churned out this work of art.

I'll frame it like an art exhibit.

Exterior drywall and mud. The wall had to mate up to the existing drywall and it took a lot of mud to blend in on the right side of this image due to a concave area in the existing work.

Lots of correction to make it flat.

I am by no means an expert at finishing this ****.


But I got things fairly smooth. Smooth enough that it doesn't bother me right now. I stuck an outlet high up on the wall so I could mount a TV and have some sports on for background noise. Thought about putting it in the wood shop but the dust from MDF wouldn't be good for it.



Actually looks like something. Still have some correction to do to blend this corner in to the wall so there's not a concave area. You'll notice the lower section isn't as nice. Back back and all. I get to the low spots when I'm feeling good.

 

[JIA]

The start of the dust collection system. Using an old Jet DC-1100VX-CK that I picked up in Hawaii. Would like to upgrade this at some point but for now it'll do.

I started the dust collection build by removing the impeller from the base and attaching it to the wall. This saved me $100 in 6" pipe and fittings.

Can also see a white shelf I hung on the wall to reduce clutter. I pulled this out of the garage of the other house on the property.

Started running pipe. 6" main with 4" drops. The 90 in this pic was used because the local shop was out of 45s and this 90 would get me up and running. An added bonus is that I had the opportunity to make airflow measurements with the 90 in place and then again after switching to two 45s.

In this pic you can also see the white plumber's strap I used on the 6" wye. This is used to hold the main 6" duct against the wall.


Added a 4" drop for a floor sweep behind the table saw and starting putting up grid wall so I can hang templates and tools. At this point I was unpacking everything and had no place to put it all. Complete chaos.

That 90 you see in this image was due to the supply house not having 45s. A 90 gets things plumbed and I had the chance to measure airflow differences between the 90 and 45s.

More drops. Also made brackets that are anchored to the wall. These support all of the ducting at the blast gates. You can see one of the pieces of plumber's strap holding the 6" piping to the wall.

The single 4" drop on the right is the floor sweep, the two 4" drops directly behind the table saw are for the table saw (the first is for the overarm dust collection, the 2nd is for the cabinet), the 6" drop will feed through the outfeed table, and the 4" drop on the left is for the mobile cabinet that has a router lift in it. I hard piped as much as I could to keep airflow up.

I built risers to bring the table height of the table saw to the same 38 1/2" height as the mobile cabinet. This is better for me. Keeps me from leaning over a lower table.

Also hard piped dust collection to the cabinet base and connected flex hose from the overarm to the drop for it.

A shot before the risers were built that shows the 4" drop for the lathe station.

Panorama distorted things here a bit.

Started building the outfeed table. The legs are made from 2x4s, the top was framed with 2x8s (used 2x4s for two sections at this point because I was out of 2x8s) so I could run 6" dust collection pipe through it.

The middle was framed with 2x4s


I framed the bottom with 2x6s so I could pass the 4" piping for the cabinet dust collection through it.

Started mocking up the top of the outfeed table.

 

[nadogail]

JIA, you do very nice work.

 

[JIA]

So let's discuss this outfeed table. I'm of the opinion that if I'm going to take up square footage of floor space in my small wood shop (It's 29x11) I want to make the most of that space.

So the outfeed table had to be a multi-purpose unit.

I wanted a router lift in it.
I wanted the side storage like you see with the Paulk tables.
I wanted sheet storage.
I wanted a downdraft sanding table.
I wanted to use the combined surfaces of the table saw and outfeed table as a large assembly table.

With all of those things in mind, I got to work.

I put a 3" inset on the table with a 3" radius where it meets the mobile cabinet. I did this because that 3" of additional width/outfeed distance would've created a large "dead zone" where I couldn't reach a corner of the table. If you can't reach that area...it's useless.

I also tapered the end and dropped a 5" radius on the outside corner instead of leaving the top of the outfeed table square on the end. This taper made the distance between the table saw and wall seem more open than it is. Without the taper I felt cramped walking from the outfeed side to the opposite side of the table saw.

Also have PVC pipe dry fit in place for the table pass-thru

Better shot of the outfeed table. The 3" inset and radius allows better reach to the back left corner of the table which reduces "dead space".

No point in having a large table if you can't use it all.

You can also see the taper on the end of the table and how it meets the table saw. This taper made the walk to the in-feed side of the saw feel much more open.


An added benefit of using 2x8s to frame the top of the table is that I could also build some 8" tall Paulk style storage for the thing.


I also built Paulk style storage for the end of the table where it is tapered to meet the table saw.



I had to leave clearance for the door of the table saw cabinet.


Paulk style storage in the end of the table complete.



I spent a good bit of time sitting here planning and laying out everything for the top (and bottom) of the outfeed table. Also plumbed dust collection piping through the table surface.


I cut a location for a router lift and built a test version of a downdraft sanding table. This test version is 1/2 the length of the size I'd like to have built into the table top.


After testing the downdraft test box I decided to go ahead and build the 15"x30" downdraft box for the outfeed table. Here it's just dry fit. I wanted to get all of the holes that needed to be cut into the top of the table sorted out with this layer of MDF before laminating it to a 2nd layer. This would allow me to use this layer as a router template.

 

[mogandave]

Congratulations, nice place!

 

[JIA]

JIA, you do very nice work.

Thanks, man.

Congratulations, nice place!

Thanks, Dave.

With the cutout for the downdraft table made it was time to laminate the first layer of the outfeed table to another piece of 3/4" MDF. I used subwoofers, my shop press, and other random bits as gravity clamps.


The two layers laminated together and flush trimmed. The body filler is due to me working with a migraine while cutting the rough opening for the downdraft table with the jig saw and going outside the lines. The plan was to rough cut and then flush trim the opening with the router. I didn't focus, messed up, and came back with body filler.

Didn't have to dig into the body filler at this point, but I did anyway.

I also routed slots for the miter tracks from the table saw to extend into the outfeed table. Since the router lift is centered on the table saw blade the miter track extensions will also serve as slots for a router fence. Again, multipurpose.



More pieces added to the downdraft sanding table and holes on each end cut for dust collection.
All dry fit here.


A piece of white pegboard as a temporary top for the downdraft table.


Since I used the router to cut channels for the miter track extensions, I needed to make some filler pieces to go here on the ends. I decided to over-cut the channel and just make a filler. This gave me sharp 90 degree corners where the miter track ends. I missed the pictures, but I just rounded some material on the router, cut it to length, and glued the filler pieces into the track with CA. The masking tape over the router lift is prep for the next step.



Time to start finishing the table.

I chose black Formica for the top. In the past I've used Formica's Micro-dot (less surface area allows things to slide easier) but this time I went with standard black Formica. Matches the extension table on the SawStop.


Got the Formica laminated to the top and put the router to work with a laminate trim bit.




To finish the table top I installed 1 1/2" T-molding around the edge.

 

[JIA]

Got on the floor and started looking at the physical mock-up of the under table dust collection. I planned everything on the top of the table to make sure the piping would fit between the downdraft table and router cabinet, but getting things in place gave me a better idea of what I'd be dealing with.

Since I have a single 6" pipe running into the table for dust collection I needed a way to control airflow under the table. This stupid table pushed me into the iVac system with automatic blast gates.

That meant I had to buy 3 4" blast gates at $110 each, a tool sensor for the router ($70) that will open the gate when the router comes on, a switch for the dust collector that will kick on when the router comes on ($60), and a remote ($30) that I program to the two downdraft sanding table gates so they open when I'm using the downdraft sanding table.

Oh, and I needed ANOTHER remote to use with the rest of the tools in the shop. I spent $500 freakin dollars on dust collection because of this table. As much as it sucked having to spend that much on dust collection at one time due to the table, I'm really digging the automatic on/off I have at the router. I'm looking forward to getting the table saw, lathe, and the other router station set up on the iVac system. Table saw will cost me $290 to get set up, then another $180 for the 2nd router and ANOTHER $180 for the lathe. That will happen Johnny Cash style - One Piece At A Time.

The dog joined me on the floor while I contemplated the piping layout to make the dust collection work automagically.


This is the view on the right side of the table. The wye is split to the right side of the downdraft table and the router lift.


A better view. iVac blast gates will go right at the entry point where each pipe passes through the walls of the downdraft table and chamber for the router.


I picked up a switch for the router from Rockler.



Installed the switch at the corner of the outfeed table between the Paulk style storage spots.


Decided to remove the butcher block top from the mobile cabinet that I built in 2012 when we lived in Hawaii. Started building a new top that is 1ft longer from MDF.

Will give me 6ft of worktop on the mobile cabinet and give me room to add storage to the mobile cabinet. There's a template in place here for a 5" outside radius.


Laminated the top of the mobile cabinet and added T-molding. Same process as the outfeed table - only not as complicated.




I picked up steel plates for the router lifts inserts. These keep the leveling set screws from digging into the wood over time which forces you to re-level the lift to keep it flush to the work surface.

 

[JIA]

Built the main carcass for additional storage for the mobile cabinet and tore things down to get primed.



Decided to make a couple of slide-out pieces. One to hold drills and chargers. The other (not yet built) will hold brad and upholstery nailers.


The slide-out storage for the drills. I added a strip above the chargers to keep the chargers from rotating forward and falling off with a battery on them.


Priming.


More priming.


The legs for the table were raw 2x4s. Decided to cut some 1/2 MDF casing to cover them.


The casing template taped together.



This is the part I hated. As much as I planned dust collection in the shop, I completely overlooked how I was going to control airflow under the table. The iVac system was the answer, but I ended up at $500 to get functional dust collection at the table and the remote that I could use with the manual gates in the rest of the shop.

The iVac system requires 3 outlets for each tool. One for the tool, one for the Pro Tool Plus sensor (clamp on current sensor), and then another outlet for the gate itself.

I also picked up a Woodpeckers PRL V2 router lift and a Porter Cable 892. The Woodpeckers PRL is awesome to have in front of the table saw because of how fast you can raise/lower the lift.


The 892 mounted in the PRL. I chose this lift because You can raise/lower it with 1/4 turn. I liked this feature because with it being on the outfeed table I can quickly get it out of the way for cuts on the table saw.

I keep a flush trim bit loaded in this lift since cutting depth isn't critical when flush trimming. This allows me to keep a profile bit set at the right depth in the mobile cabinet and the flush trim where I can quickly raise/lower it.

 

[JIA]

So that was the way things stayed for a while. Work was making sure that I was staying busy. Busy enough to buy a Shapeoko XXL. It's a CNC router with a 31" x 31" cut area. (This thing has paid for itself a few times over now.)

It was delivered and I was excited to get it built.

Built the thing and realized I hadn't built the table/cabinet for it. I literally had no place to put it...so it was sitting on the table saw/outfeed table.






The Gnome came to the shop Saturday. I was already in the process of building a storage rack/cabinet for the CNC. He jumped in (literally) to help.











I bought this Husky adjustable height table so I could sit and design sub enclosures, edit video, and so on. I removed the two drawers and added them to the cabinet for the CNC.

 

[ronr80]

Well that's just great, now there is a whole slew of us on here that are real jealous. thanks Ron

 

[JIA]

Back to the outfeed table. Seems I skipped over this.

I placed the switch for the router lift at the corner between the Paulk style storage units. I got to work making a radiused filler panel that slides into the corner. I made this so it can be easily removed (simply slide it out) if I need to service or replace the switch.

In these photos you can also see some of the casing I built for the legs of the table.






Then is was just a matter if priming it.



I forget what I was working on - cleaning up cabling under the table if I remember correctly, but the wife came down to tell me that dinner was ready. She couldn't find me.


Yup, that's me. Laying on the shelf of the outfeed table.



Back to the outfeed table. Specifically the downdraft sanding table. I mentioned before that I had iVac gates under the table. Two for the downdraft table and one for the chamber the router lift is in. In this photo you can see the two iVac gates (yellow) on the left and right sides of the downdraft chamber.


I cut some strips of 1/4" MDF and glued them at spots around the downdraft chamber to support the baffle of the downdraft table then cut the baffle from some scrap pegboard.


Just as with the rest of the outfeed table, I laminated the pegboard with black Formica the drilled each of the holes.

 

[JIA]

Well that's just great, now there is a whole slew of us on here that are real jealous. thanks Ron

Thanks, Ron.

Not looking to make anyone jealous, just sharing what should be my final garage/shop space.

While it's nice to be able to say that we're not moving anymore, it's kind of dark to put it into terms where this is your final/last shop.


Here are a couple of overall shop photos. Since I work from home I juggle working on vehicles for people as well as working on the shop. That usually means the shop gets put on hold so I can work on cars. The goal was to get the shop built and fully complete before taking on projects for people but it didn't work out that way. I had a guy that shipped down from PA even though I wasn't fully ready for it. Built a car for a speaker manufacturer, and several other cars as well as the usual subwoofer enclosures.

That's both good and bad. It's good in that I can actually use the shop and see what layout makes sense as far as locations of things. In these photos you can see that I moved the wall shelf unit from the end wall to the area over the computer desk. The 4" drop that I was going to use for the lathe station is now plumbed to the CNC. I also upgraded all of the blast gates to iVac units so the whole dust collection system is now automated. All I do is turn on the machines and use them.

The bad side is that I haven't been making progress on the shop. The drywall mud still needs to be finished so I can prime and paint.

I DID manage to get all of the lights converted to LED. I was having issues with the iVac system not opening gates and turning on the dust collector. Turned out it was a ballast causing interference with the system communication. Direct-wire LEDs made the shop brighter, didn't get nearly as hot as the ballasts/fluorescent bulbs, and were simple to wire/install.

Something I don't think I've mentioned, the dust collection piping can be taken down in about 10 minutes. There are a few white plastic strips of plumber's strap that hold the main 6" trunk against the wall. All of the drops (other than the 6" that passes through the outfeed table) are supported by brackets at each of the gate locations. The brackets support the weight, the plumber's strap keeps it against the wall. All piping is dry fit.

Easy to disassemble and easily reconfigurable.




A later picture shows that the clamp rack moved to the end wall where the wall storage was previously located and there's **** all over the shop. I was in a mood where I wanted to get the lathe set up but the entire left wall of the shop was populated with stuff that was staying in place so I started looking at where I could add a drop for the lathe. There really was not spot in the shop where I wanted the lathe station to live because I didn't want it eating floor space. It's currently on the right wall next to a mobile cart.



So I decided to add a drop to the end wall. Doing this meant that, to do things the way I wanted, I'd need an odd piece of PVC plumbing - a 6" wye with inputs 90 degrees to one another...but I couldn't find one anywhere.

I have a friend that works at a large manufacturer and he said "If there's anything in the catalog you need, just let me know. I'll ship it to you." I looked and looked. They didn't make it.

So, here's where it all starts. A standard 6" wye.



...and then it just gets complicated.

 

[JIA]

And the contraption in place.




And that is pretty much where shop progress has become stagnant. I've been busy building cars and enclosures for people and everything regarding the shop has been secondary.

I had one guy that wanted a build and knew I was talking about getting a laser for the shop. As a down payment he bought a 80W laser and had it delivered. I've been using this since it arrived, but wasn't in a rush to find a final home for it because I didn't want to rush into putting a hole in the wall for exhaust only to realize that I should've placed it somewhere else. So when it showed up I dropped it by a window so I could send exhaust out through the window.


Then I put the laser to work on some stuff.


Had a guy that wanted me to build an enclosure for him. When he found out that I could put logos on, he sent me one to see if I could put it on his enclosure. I did a test run to see if he liked it. The darker color was red in his logo, the lighter color was white.


He did so I went ahead and built his enclosure.


Also made a logo for a guy's B-pillar wall.

Steve is the type of guy that if he doesn't like something he'll rip it out, burn it, and start over. I tried to tell him that if I built something he'd not want to rip it out.

"We'll see"

His truck is loud enough that he can't stand it.

This is a progress shot where I was working on it. He had a shell already built in it. I built the internals and baffle.


Steve also asked me to make a logo for him. He wanted one to go on his enclosure. He stood and watched as I engraved and cut it, then wanted to take it home. His son kept it.


So I made a larger logo and we used that on the front of his baffle. Steve is the type of guy that likes to change things so I made his baffle where it could be reconfigured without having to start completely over each time like he had been doing in the past - wasting money.

For some reason the guys here like the raw look. Makes things easier for me.



I also built a parallel sixth order as a temporary enclosure for my vehicle and burned my logo into it.


I've also put the laser to work making boat parts (fuel gauge), speaker grille badges to replace the Bose badges, coasters, night lights, door mats, and the most recent thing is a silly shop sign I'll put up.

This is cut and dry fit. Not assembled yet.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Very impressive space and build! I did notice that the shop stool looks like it might be about due for new upholstery - or more duct tape.

 

[JIA]

That shop stool is an old college art project. We had to create a "3D sculpture" and I wanted to create something functional instead of creating something for the class.

It's built from bike parts that were going to be trashed at the local bike shop. The top/bottom are 20" wheels, the legs are crutches, and I made the seat from 3/4" ply, foam, and I wrapped it in busted tubes from the trash at the bike shop.

We call it "Cause and Effect" because I managed to kill myself on a mountain bike in 2008.

But yeah, it's about time to put new tubes on. A lot of foam showing now.

 

[superspec]

I knew there could only be one batdog garage and I was right. Glad to see you back here again Jason. I’ve seen all the pics but always cool to see them in one place at one time now.

 

[Meames1]

Too bad you didn't take the time to make the shop nice...... . Awesome work !

 

[m6z]

That's a great space. Cool projects too.

The safety squints sign.

 

[ronr80]

excellent , I am also in my last shop , and never moving again.

 

[Augus7us]

This thread is all kinds of awesome. My OCD is very pleased. The build quality of everything posted is just fantastic, I want to see finished pictures of the truck enclosure.

On a side note I've been tossing around how to setup my new table saw. I think I've found the design I'm going to copy

Looks like I need a cnc router also... Sometimes I hate this place.

 

[Trapps]

Nice woodworking skills!

 

[JIA]

I knew there could only be one batdog garage and I was right. Glad to see you back here again Jason. I’ve seen all the pics but always cool to see them in one place at one time now.

Yeah, I figured I should probably post on here. Most people LOVE the woodshop. I guess mostly because of the simplicity and use of space.

Too bad you didn't take the time to make the shop nice...... . Awesome work !

Right? I was fortunate to find this kind of space but I'm not a fan of all the builder beige. Color changes will be coming. I'm thinking white walls and gray floors with a polyurea coating. No flakes.

That's a great space. Cool projects too.

The safety squints sign.

Thanks.

I forget where I found the file for that sign. I think it was on a CNC plasma group.

excellent , I am also in my last shop , and never moving again.

It's a good feeling to finally build what you know is YOUR shop, isn't it? No more "this will do for now" mindset. It's "Do it once and do it right" at that point.

This thread is all kinds of awesome. My OCD is very pleased. The build quality of everything posted is just fantastic, I want to see finished pictures of the truck enclosure.

On a side note I've been tossing around how to setup my new table saw. I think I've found the design I'm going to copy

Looks like I need a cnc router also... Sometimes I hate this place.

I have a playlist on my half-*** YouTube channel that covers the build of the outfeed table.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL23F_XkCzLeczCe0InVgcZ8nFHChgCdXF

I have a Shapeoko 3. Works for what I do. The closest to what I have in their current lineup is the Shapeoko 4.

Shapeoko CNC Routers

Shapeoko CNC routers from compact 16x16 to full 4x4 ft. Ball-screw accuracy, linear rails, and free CAD/CAM software included. Ships ready to run from the USA.

shop.carbide3d.com

Nice woodworking skills!

Thanks, man. The woodworking is part of what I've always done. I have furniture we're using that I built 30 years ago. I've always been one to work with my hands and I'd rather know how to do something than rely on someone else to do it.

I started a thread in Free Parking for one of the cars I've built here. The car is done, but there are minor details I still want to do. I'll update that with photos and eventually get the entire build log posted there.

...and I realized I mentioned the pond but never posted a picture.

The pond.

 

[55chevy]

Nice place, thank you for sharing. Your skills are epic. Best of luck to you!

 

[JIA]

Nice place, thank you for sharing. Your skills are epic. Best of luck to you!

Thanks, man.

I'm trying to get this thread caught up. Between 2019 and now there's been a good bit that's happened, but it's mostly to vehicles and not to the shop. The shop progress pretty much stalled.

About a month ago I had a guy contact me about building a car for him. He had seen the Audi build and loved it. So we went over the build plan and his car will also require a good amount of metal work. We discussed the fact that I'd have to go to the local metal shop when I needed stuff cut and pay them each time I wanted/needed precise stuff cut or I could pick up a CNC plasma. He knew the labor cost would well exceed the cost of the plasma table so he's going to have a Langmuir XR sent here. Same deal as the guy that bought the laser. This works for me because the wife gets cranky when I mention needing to spend money on new tools. This way I'm not really buying it, but yet I am in a round-a-bout kind of way. Ultimately she doesn't see money coming out of the account so she stays happy.

So knowing that the plasma table is going to arrive at some point this winter I was forced to figure out where it needed to go. This is yet another example of "what makes sense in the space that I have" and not regretting the decision later.

My buddy Cody came over and he suggest putting it on the wall at the end of the 3-car bay behind the van in this photo.


I had moved the air compressor to that wall and would need to find a home for it. A buddy of mine suggested putting it outside. I had a 220 breaker out there that went to the well pump that's no longer used so it made sense to just connect the compressor to that breaker.


Since I knew the plasma table would be against that wall I wanted to do something to keep sparks off the wall. The walls are 9'3" so I decided to put galvanized metal on the lower section and I bought some faux brick panels to go on the upper 4' section. The wall is 22' long so I bought four panels and cut them in half to give me 32' of coverage at a 4' length.

I got the first two panels in place before my back decided it had done enough for the day.




The next day I went out and put a little filler on the seams to blend the panels together. These will get a good bit of work done to them eventually. The pipe through the wall in this picture is for the exhaust fan for the laser.


Since I have 32' of the faux brick and that main wall is only 22' I have some panels left over. My buddy suggested putting the panel on the adjacent wall that is the end of the woodshop. So...that meant that I needed to finally put some attention on the end wall of the shop and address the drywall.

I had already been pecking at it and ran out of mud so this is where that part of the project stopped. You'll notice the lower area on the left of the door opening isn't done. Bad back and all.

So this pretty much brings everyone up to speed on the current status of the place. It's a wreck. Dust from sanding drywall mud is everywhere, but that will soon be over and done with. Looking at this picture I realized that I still need to make the rest of the casing for the CNC cabinet.


Also got a new sign for the "Executive Washroom" as it said on the door sign the previous owner had installed.

 

[JIA]

Here’s a fun one.

Traded a couple of subs I wasn’t going to use for the best shop/beer fridge ever.

 

[MacTexas]

7 car garage, WOW! on the first floor! One of a kind.

 

[JIA]

7 car garage, WOW! on the first floor! One of a kind.

Yeah, I was pretty blown away when I found it. It was basically a bachelor pad.

Here's how the 2-car normally sits when I don't have vehicles I'm working on for others in it. There's a variety of different toolboxes and carts that I've accumulated over the years. The red US General unit with lockers has a hutch that I built so I could have a TV and wrenches screwdrivers hanging on it so when the wife/kids/neighbors needed something I'd direct them to the tools on the pegboard and keep them out of my drawers.

Next to it is a Snap-On Epiq I bought when I was working at a shop. I had purchased another US General but got a great deal on the Epiq so I sold the US General and the Epiq became the new shop box.

I also have shelving to house amps and parts I remove from vehicles to keep things organized.

 

[JIA]

Been working on cars. The only progress I made on the shop today was getting a couple more brick panels up. These two took care of the end wall on the outside of the wood shop.

 

[JIA]

I planned on doing this tomorrow but these arrived yesterday and I've been wanting to get them in.

Low-voltage mounting brackets and some aluminum plates with 1 1/2" grommets.


Installed these on both sides of the wall so I can plumb some 3/4" air line throughout the shop. Bought the stuff off Amazon. It's like PEX, I guess. HDPE inner, aluminum, then HDPE outer.

I laid out the spot to cut on each side of the wall and got to work with the oscillating tool.


I'll put anchors/straps on the long wall to keep it tucked tight and give it a bit of a bend to come out to the plate.



Anyway, I guess it was eating at me that I hadn't made progress with the air line yet. At least with this bit done I can start the process of plumbing the shop and getting rid of hoses all over the place.

 

[losdudes]

Great work, you're an artist for sure.

 

[JIA]

Staying busy, but not on the garage.

Local guy dropped off a couple of blown subwoofers for me to re-cone. His re-cones have different tinsel leads so I'll have to get new terminals and drill the baskets for them, but no big deal.





You can see the mess of a shop behind me.










Everything is dry fit until I get the new terminal hardware and drill the baskets, but the following pictures were sent to the owner so he could see how they're going to look compared to what he had.