bryck
Member
Is the vehicle opening that you're now left with the same width as the two you started with? Are you able to reuse one of the doors in the new layout?
The Brick and Tile Garage
- Thread starter Flange
- Start date
Thats the plan. It should be a bet better than it was before with a bit of luck.
Yes and yes. The doors are not great. They are quite cheap ones of a type called "Canopy Doors" Here is a graphic showing the difference between UK door types
However they can be OK if you take care to hang them carefully and draught proof the edges.
I will also need to insulate the door before next winter
Cave Creek Ray
Well-known member
AYE CARAMBA!!!
Wow! I don't feel so bad now... Booger-eating-morons need a job too. But why is it always in construction? We have the same problem here.
I just finished an 18 month renovation on an "old" 24 year-old home here in Phoenix. We ended up jacking the ceiling and demo-ing and replacing about 110 feet of exterior wall due to rot. Imagine this: the exposed wood beams above all the windows moved and the stucco edge along the wood weeped water in and that began the rot. When we started window replacement, we ended up taking walls out and replacing them.
Very cool to allow us to follow along with your considerable efforts sir. Good on you for taking the time to rectify dung-brain construction techniques. Your talent and your effort are far above average. The process will yield a much nicer working environment that you will be justifiably proud of.
I have moved on to the dilapidated workshop and stables in my "new" old house renovation. Like you, I am documenting the tasks, however mundane and will do a thread like yours when I get done in six to eight months.
Work safe. Take lots of pictures. Stop for a pint now and then.
Bravo from Arizona.
Wow! I don't feel so bad now... Booger-eating-morons need a job too. But why is it always in construction? We have the same problem here.
I just finished an 18 month renovation on an "old" 24 year-old home here in Phoenix. We ended up jacking the ceiling and demo-ing and replacing about 110 feet of exterior wall due to rot. Imagine this: the exposed wood beams above all the windows moved and the stucco edge along the wood weeped water in and that began the rot. When we started window replacement, we ended up taking walls out and replacing them.
Very cool to allow us to follow along with your considerable efforts sir. Good on you for taking the time to rectify dung-brain construction techniques. Your talent and your effort are far above average. The process will yield a much nicer working environment that you will be justifiably proud of.
I have moved on to the dilapidated workshop and stables in my "new" old house renovation. Like you, I am documenting the tasks, however mundane and will do a thread like yours when I get done in six to eight months.
Work safe. Take lots of pictures. Stop for a pint now and then.
Bravo from Arizona.
I think its the same everywhere.
I have worked in construction all my life so I get that you need to make a profit but what annoys me is that the extra effort to go from a poor job to one that is good enough is usually just a small amount.
Good luck with your project, I will look out for it.
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Time to finish clearing out the inside. I am well aware that there are a few holes in the brickwork where cables used to pass through that need filling in and I know I have had some guests in the garage overwinter that used them as doors because I occasionally used to see them. The cat dealt with some of them but once this place is empty and the holes are filled in there should be no more unnvited guests.
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The ceiling needed replacing. Nothing that has not be done on this site a million times before. Here is a couple of pictures of the framing around brick pillars to make sure the ceiling is properly supported. I used timber from the trusses from the other garage.
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In this shot you can see the ceiling, the cleaned out space and the floor with the chipped and peeling floor paint.
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And looking the other way.
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Now for the floor. Its the same deal as the other garage. The finish is a bit better but the basic problems are the same. It does not have the hump like the other one but it is out of level. This can be seen in this picture from before I changed the door layout.
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And close up at each end
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The slope is worse on the left (viewed from the outside looking back at the doors) side of the garage which is partly why I had the new door layout like I did as it reduced the issues with minimising the shut gap at the bottom of the main door. So I deceided to do the same deal as the other one and just lay the thin screed.
At this point I will explain about timings. I am trying to show each garage in a continuous thread but this is not quite how it was done.
Once I had decided to screed the floors I investigated what material to use and eventually came up with my choice. It is not the best product available but it was the best balance between performance and price. The materials is about £30 per 25kg (55 pound) bag. However if you buy a full pallet of 32 bags it works out at £18.75 per bag. I reckoned that I needed about 25 bags to do both garages. Therefore its a no brainer. 32 bags for £600 or 25 bags for £750. When it was delivered it had come straight from the manufacturer so the price break is obviously the reduced retailing costs for the vendor.
However the product has a shelf life.
So what I did was Garage 1 roof and then I moved everyting into garage 1. Then I did Garage 2 doorways, ceiling and floor. Then I moved everything back to garage 2 and then I did Garage 1 floor. Then I moved everything back to garage 1 so I could get on with the rest of the work there. I have not posted in that order because I figured it might be confusing.
I had put some floor paint down a few years ago as a quick dust suppressor but it needs to go before I can do anything with the floor I read on this site that a 2000 to 3000 psi pressure washer would take the paint off. I hired one but was not impressed.
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Here is a close up of the square patch near the middle of the above picture
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I therefore hired a guy to blast clean the floor. He charged me a half a day rate and the finish was perfect for the screed. Unfortunatly I did not get any pictures but here is one that shows the floor just before I started the screed. You can see the floor has been removed of paint (although is now a perfect trap for leaves).
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Its the same deal as the other floor screed. I realised I told a lie at the top of the thread. Things that I have help with also include the floors. I enlisted the help of a relative to mix the screed for me for both floors and the same person also helped with plasterboarding both ceilings.
View media item 50318
View media item 50321
The ceiling needed replacing. Nothing that has not be done on this site a million times before. Here is a couple of pictures of the framing around brick pillars to make sure the ceiling is properly supported. I used timber from the trusses from the other garage.
View media item 50323
View media item 50324
In this shot you can see the ceiling, the cleaned out space and the floor with the chipped and peeling floor paint.
View media item 50325
And looking the other way.
View media item 50327
Now for the floor. Its the same deal as the other garage. The finish is a bit better but the basic problems are the same. It does not have the hump like the other one but it is out of level. This can be seen in this picture from before I changed the door layout.
View media item 49562
And close up at each end
View media item 49563
View media item 49564
The slope is worse on the left (viewed from the outside looking back at the doors) side of the garage which is partly why I had the new door layout like I did as it reduced the issues with minimising the shut gap at the bottom of the main door. So I deceided to do the same deal as the other one and just lay the thin screed.
At this point I will explain about timings. I am trying to show each garage in a continuous thread but this is not quite how it was done.
Once I had decided to screed the floors I investigated what material to use and eventually came up with my choice. It is not the best product available but it was the best balance between performance and price. The materials is about £30 per 25kg (55 pound) bag. However if you buy a full pallet of 32 bags it works out at £18.75 per bag. I reckoned that I needed about 25 bags to do both garages. Therefore its a no brainer. 32 bags for £600 or 25 bags for £750. When it was delivered it had come straight from the manufacturer so the price break is obviously the reduced retailing costs for the vendor.
However the product has a shelf life.
So what I did was Garage 1 roof and then I moved everyting into garage 1. Then I did Garage 2 doorways, ceiling and floor. Then I moved everything back to garage 2 and then I did Garage 1 floor. Then I moved everything back to garage 1 so I could get on with the rest of the work there. I have not posted in that order because I figured it might be confusing.
I had put some floor paint down a few years ago as a quick dust suppressor but it needs to go before I can do anything with the floor I read on this site that a 2000 to 3000 psi pressure washer would take the paint off. I hired one but was not impressed.
View media item 50328
View media item 50329
Here is a close up of the square patch near the middle of the above picture
View media item 50330
I therefore hired a guy to blast clean the floor. He charged me a half a day rate and the finish was perfect for the screed. Unfortunatly I did not get any pictures but here is one that shows the floor just before I started the screed. You can see the floor has been removed of paint (although is now a perfect trap for leaves).
View media item 50331
Its the same deal as the other floor screed. I realised I told a lie at the top of the thread. Things that I have help with also include the floors. I enlisted the help of a relative to mix the screed for me for both floors and the same person also helped with plasterboarding both ceilings.
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Good work and a really interesting read. It's annoying that so many short cuts were taken as the style of the garages is quite pleasant.
Why did you replace the roof trusses, was it purely to gain the strength for storage?
Why did you replace the roof trusses, was it purely to gain the strength for storage?
Yes.
Standard trusses are not designed to take any attic loading and on top of that their design means that there is a lattice of struts in the way even if they were able to take an attic loading.
The tiles had to come off anyway.
I need storage for stuff like camping gear, christmas stuff, ladders etc.
Therefore the additional cost and effort to install propper attic storage was, for me, worth it.
Doors on next. You can see the slope of the floor on this 800mm (32") door. I did not take any pictures of the floor after I had screeded it but it looks prety similar to the other floor earlier in the thread.
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The hinges I have chosen have built in dog bolts.
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I hung the door. Took it off to paint it then re-hung it.
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And then tidied up the outside soffits etc.
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In an ideal world I would have replaced the main door but for now it has to stay due to budget constraints.
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The hinges I have chosen have built in dog bolts.
View media item 50337
I hung the door. Took it off to paint it then re-hung it.
View media item 50338
View media item 50339
And then tidied up the outside soffits etc.
View media item 50340
In an ideal world I would have replaced the main door but for now it has to stay due to budget constraints.
The internal walls need attention next.
A lot of people on this site seem to remark on how they like brick walls as an internal finish. I agree they look good but are nor as practical as insulated, smooth painted walls. The bricks that my garages are made of vary in depth slightly so there is a lot of dust caught by the small crevices. I need a space that is practical to work in so I dont mind covering the bricks with dry lining.
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I took this oportunity to prime and undercoat the skirting boards. (sorry about the poor picture quality)
View media item 50348
Its amazing how paint changes the feel of a space.
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Remember these trusses that came off the other roof.
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Time for some recycling
This is a 10 inch (250mm) Wadkin Saw (I am using imperial as primary units to describe it because that is what this Wadkin is. It dates from the 1950's so it was made before the UK went metric.) This saw is almost identical to the US made Unisaw. I am told that the main differences is that the Wadkin has the various stop and adjustment screws accessible from the outside of the Saw wheras the Unisaw has them inside. Perhaps someone who is familiar with Unisaws can comment on where the Unisaw stop screws are?
View media item 50353
Last time I was in the USA I bought a dado stack from good old Harbor Freight (some might say bad old Harbor Freight). The reasons I got it from the USA are two fold. First, dado stacks have mostly ceased to be sold in the EU because of some legislation called the Machinery Directive. Basically using a dado stack means taking off some of the guarding on a saw. Whilst this is not a problem for a home user it is an issue for industry due to the Health & Safety implications of operating machinery with guarding removed. Therefore dado stacks cant get CE marks so it is hard (but not imposible) to get them here.
The second reason is that the spindle on this saw is 5/8" (about 16mm) diameter and this is still a standard US size. So this USA blade will go onto my saw without having to use an adapter bush on the spindle like I do with other blades. Using a bush with a dado is not as straightworward as it is as using a bush with a single blade.
View media item 50354
So I made some sawdust out of the old trusses.
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Because the floor is out of level I made the bench square but then made some shims to go under each leg to get the top level. You can see them in this picture near our cat who had come to inspect progress so far.
View media item 50359
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The thing about bench space is that it soon gets cluttered. This bench is not yet finished, I have just built the frame and put a piece of ply cut in half on the top for now but it is nice to start to have a space to work in rather than work on. The ply is a standard size sheet which is 2440mm x 1220mm which is very close to 8" x 4" so the bench is 2.44m or 8" long so it gives these pictures a sense of perspective on how big (or if you ask me, small) this space is.
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Whilst I had the saw out I made more sawdust out of some birch ply.
View media item 50363View media item 50364View media item 50365View media item 50366
Now I need to think about power and light. Here in the Uk, electrical work has to be signed off by a competent person. For domestic work they have to be Part P Registered. The UK Building Regulations are like USA Building Codes and they are split into sectione with each section lettered. For example Part L deals with insulation and Part p is electrical installation.
Some electricians insist on doing 100% of the work themselves. However I use a guy who is able to sign off other peoples work so I do all of the first fix and he connects and test the circuits and issues the Part P Certificate. An advantage of the way that I am doing this is that everything is surface mounted so it is easy to inspect.
I have gone with Trunking and conduit because if I buried everything then it is harder to change layouts or add circuits and I am pretty sure that I will be changing layouts as the space evolves and I buy a couple more machines that are on my list of things to get. I know lots of people dont like surface mounted conduit but I dont have a problem with it in a workshop/garage context and it gives me the flexibility that I want and need.
I used HF (hgh frequency, not Harbor Freight) light fittings with daylight tubes. The HF fittings come on instantly and dont flicker if they have a fault. They also use less power for the same light output.
View media item 50367
View media item 50368
View media item 50369
A lot of people on this site seem to remark on how they like brick walls as an internal finish. I agree they look good but are nor as practical as insulated, smooth painted walls. The bricks that my garages are made of vary in depth slightly so there is a lot of dust caught by the small crevices. I need a space that is practical to work in so I dont mind covering the bricks with dry lining.
View media item 50343
View media item 50345
View media item 50346
I took this oportunity to prime and undercoat the skirting boards. (sorry about the poor picture quality)
View media item 50348
Its amazing how paint changes the feel of a space.
View media item 50349
Remember these trusses that came off the other roof.
View media item 50352
Time for some recycling
This is a 10 inch (250mm) Wadkin Saw (I am using imperial as primary units to describe it because that is what this Wadkin is. It dates from the 1950's so it was made before the UK went metric.) This saw is almost identical to the US made Unisaw. I am told that the main differences is that the Wadkin has the various stop and adjustment screws accessible from the outside of the Saw wheras the Unisaw has them inside. Perhaps someone who is familiar with Unisaws can comment on where the Unisaw stop screws are?
View media item 50353
Last time I was in the USA I bought a dado stack from good old Harbor Freight (some might say bad old Harbor Freight). The reasons I got it from the USA are two fold. First, dado stacks have mostly ceased to be sold in the EU because of some legislation called the Machinery Directive. Basically using a dado stack means taking off some of the guarding on a saw. Whilst this is not a problem for a home user it is an issue for industry due to the Health & Safety implications of operating machinery with guarding removed. Therefore dado stacks cant get CE marks so it is hard (but not imposible) to get them here.
The second reason is that the spindle on this saw is 5/8" (about 16mm) diameter and this is still a standard US size. So this USA blade will go onto my saw without having to use an adapter bush on the spindle like I do with other blades. Using a bush with a dado is not as straightworward as it is as using a bush with a single blade.
View media item 50354
So I made some sawdust out of the old trusses.
View media item 50355
View media item 50356
View media item 50357
View media item 50358
Because the floor is out of level I made the bench square but then made some shims to go under each leg to get the top level. You can see them in this picture near our cat who had come to inspect progress so far.
View media item 50359
View media item 50360
The thing about bench space is that it soon gets cluttered. This bench is not yet finished, I have just built the frame and put a piece of ply cut in half on the top for now but it is nice to start to have a space to work in rather than work on. The ply is a standard size sheet which is 2440mm x 1220mm which is very close to 8" x 4" so the bench is 2.44m or 8" long so it gives these pictures a sense of perspective on how big (or if you ask me, small) this space is.
View media item 50361
View media item 50362
Whilst I had the saw out I made more sawdust out of some birch ply.
View media item 50363View media item 50364View media item 50365View media item 50366
Now I need to think about power and light. Here in the Uk, electrical work has to be signed off by a competent person. For domestic work they have to be Part P Registered. The UK Building Regulations are like USA Building Codes and they are split into sectione with each section lettered. For example Part L deals with insulation and Part p is electrical installation.
Some electricians insist on doing 100% of the work themselves. However I use a guy who is able to sign off other peoples work so I do all of the first fix and he connects and test the circuits and issues the Part P Certificate. An advantage of the way that I am doing this is that everything is surface mounted so it is easy to inspect.
I have gone with Trunking and conduit because if I buried everything then it is harder to change layouts or add circuits and I am pretty sure that I will be changing layouts as the space evolves and I buy a couple more machines that are on my list of things to get. I know lots of people dont like surface mounted conduit but I dont have a problem with it in a workshop/garage context and it gives me the flexibility that I want and need.
I used HF (hgh frequency, not Harbor Freight) light fittings with daylight tubes. The HF fittings come on instantly and dont flicker if they have a fault. They also use less power for the same light output.
View media item 50367
View media item 50368
View media item 50369
minimowog
Well-known member
nice work and you're quick, you can come to my garage anytime, well thought out changes for the second garage as well 
nice work and you're quick, you can come to my garage anytime, well thought out changes for the second garage as well
Thanks.
Actually I am not very quick, what you see here is the progress of about 18 months. I did not want to post until I had something to show. In parallel with the garages I have had other projects to do plus work etc etc.
However this thread will be up to date soon. The good thing is that my workshop, whilst no where near finished, is now in a useable state so I can get on with various projects that I have been itching to start but needed a space to do them in.
Here is an update on the bench progress.
I purchased a piece of 10mm (approx 3/8") speel plate. I bought a full piece of a standard size that is 1.25m x 2.5m (approx 4'1" x 8'2") and got the steel stockist to cut it down the long dimension to the depth of the bench which is approx 600mm (2 feet). I will use part of the off cut as a top for a small welding table which is yet to be fabricated.
SWMBO went and fetched it for me with a trailer because I could not get out of work during office hours and after I got home I noted that the sheet has a small bow in it. This is not a problem for the bench but will need addressing for the welding table.
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First its off with the ply top.
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I used the ply as a template for the steel. I dont have a plasma cutter so did the big cuts with a 300mm (12") cut off saw. I used a small grinder for some of the small adjustments.
View media item 50379
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I planned to use the ply as a backing for the steel so the ply went back on and screwed down. Next the plate was rolled next to the bench on bits of round bar and pipe. Assuming the density of steel to be 8,000 kg's per m3, I estimate that it weighs about 110kg's (about 240 pounds).
View media item 50381
At this point I was going to get my neighbour to give me some help to get the plate onto the bench.
Unfortunatly he was out so I decided to see how hard it it would be to do it solo. It turned out to be quite easy. I made sure that I was always safe if it fell and in less than 5 minutes it was on the bench.
View media item 50382
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Some clamps pulled the bow out and the plate was drilled and fixed down with countersunk socket head set screws and tee nuts.
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View media item 50388
All fixed down and cleared off.
View media item 50389
View media item 50390
If you look carefully here you will see the screw heads.
View media item 50391
In parallel with the above I made some more boxes out of 18mm (3/4") birch ply, nothing special just simple joints and glue.
View media item 50392
View media item 50393
These were installed in the bench as per these pictures using 45kg (100 pound) drawer runners.
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View media item 50397
I also made up some fronts out of 12mm (half inch) birch ply and installed D handles with a nickel plate finish which I prefer to chrome.
View media item 50398
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View media item 50400
Next I had a sort out of all the boxes that are full of stuff which I had piled up in a corner for ages. It took a whole day to sort out but was very satisfying to finally be able to know where things were.
One thing I had been meaning to do was sort out my file storage to that they were not blunting each other
View media item 50401
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That is as far as the bench has gone for now and takes the garages up to about early March this year. Here is a shot of the finished bench. It still needs doors on the cupboard under the vice.
The wall cupboards need doors as do the cupboards on the opposite wall.
I need to sort out some more storage for various parts and materials. I have been holding off on that until I have made a welding bench and also bought a milling machine. The type/size of mill will impact the layout so I dont want to commit to something like more cupboards and then get a mill which then leads to a realisation that the cupboard needs to be a different shape, size or location.
Bench Picture.
View media item 50403
I purchased a piece of 10mm (approx 3/8") speel plate. I bought a full piece of a standard size that is 1.25m x 2.5m (approx 4'1" x 8'2") and got the steel stockist to cut it down the long dimension to the depth of the bench which is approx 600mm (2 feet). I will use part of the off cut as a top for a small welding table which is yet to be fabricated.
SWMBO went and fetched it for me with a trailer because I could not get out of work during office hours and after I got home I noted that the sheet has a small bow in it. This is not a problem for the bench but will need addressing for the welding table.
View media item 50376
First its off with the ply top.
View media item 50377
View media item 50378
I used the ply as a template for the steel. I dont have a plasma cutter so did the big cuts with a 300mm (12") cut off saw. I used a small grinder for some of the small adjustments.
View media item 50379
View media item 50380
I planned to use the ply as a backing for the steel so the ply went back on and screwed down. Next the plate was rolled next to the bench on bits of round bar and pipe. Assuming the density of steel to be 8,000 kg's per m3, I estimate that it weighs about 110kg's (about 240 pounds).
View media item 50381
At this point I was going to get my neighbour to give me some help to get the plate onto the bench.
Unfortunatly he was out so I decided to see how hard it it would be to do it solo. It turned out to be quite easy. I made sure that I was always safe if it fell and in less than 5 minutes it was on the bench.
View media item 50382
View media item 50383
View media item 50384
View media item 50385
Some clamps pulled the bow out and the plate was drilled and fixed down with countersunk socket head set screws and tee nuts.
View media item 50386
View media item 50387
View media item 50388
All fixed down and cleared off.
View media item 50389
View media item 50390
If you look carefully here you will see the screw heads.
View media item 50391
In parallel with the above I made some more boxes out of 18mm (3/4") birch ply, nothing special just simple joints and glue.
View media item 50392
View media item 50393
These were installed in the bench as per these pictures using 45kg (100 pound) drawer runners.
View media item 50394
View media item 50395
View media item 50396
View media item 50397
I also made up some fronts out of 12mm (half inch) birch ply and installed D handles with a nickel plate finish which I prefer to chrome.
View media item 50398
View media item 50399
View media item 50400
Next I had a sort out of all the boxes that are full of stuff which I had piled up in a corner for ages. It took a whole day to sort out but was very satisfying to finally be able to know where things were.
One thing I had been meaning to do was sort out my file storage to that they were not blunting each other
View media item 50401
View media item 50402
That is as far as the bench has gone for now and takes the garages up to about early March this year. Here is a shot of the finished bench. It still needs doors on the cupboard under the vice.
The wall cupboards need doors as do the cupboards on the opposite wall.
I need to sort out some more storage for various parts and materials. I have been holding off on that until I have made a welding bench and also bought a milling machine. The type/size of mill will impact the layout so I dont want to commit to something like more cupboards and then get a mill which then leads to a realisation that the cupboard needs to be a different shape, size or location.
Bench Picture.
View media item 50403
jwhcars
Well-known member
You are quite the craftsman, very nice work!
In parallel with some of the above things happening I had a couple of garage related new arrivals.
First an anonymous looking box was delivered
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This was inside
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View media item 50372
A minor issue that I need to address is that I have never used a TIG welder in my life. However I need to learn so that is something I will be doing in the near future. Also I need to get the welding table built and get a welding cart (I might just go for the generic Chinese one in the short term so I can concentrate on other things)
I also said goodbye to my trusty old myford lathe. It has been good to me whilst I have had it but I needed something a bit bigger
View media item 50373
And said hello to something of similar vintage (1950's) but slightly bigger.
View media item 50374
View media item 50375
A thought has occured to me in that I seem to keep buying lathes that some idiot has painted the wrong colour. The Harrison seems to have been painted green in the mid 1960's (there is a brass plate on the door stating when it was refurbished by a well known engineering company). It needs a bit of TLC and it did not come with a faceplate or 4 jaw chuck although these items have now been aquired.
I have some other projects that need to be done in the near future but I will be sorting out the Harison very soon.
On top of that I need to re hang the doors to garage 1, make a door for the gable, fit a loft hatch and ladder. Plus some more paint in garage 2 and internet access along with a garage laptop to find a place for that is accessible but also not in the way. Plus loads of other stuff.
First an anonymous looking box was delivered
View media item 50370
This was inside
View media item 50371
View media item 50372
A minor issue that I need to address is that I have never used a TIG welder in my life. However I need to learn so that is something I will be doing in the near future. Also I need to get the welding table built and get a welding cart (I might just go for the generic Chinese one in the short term so I can concentrate on other things)
I also said goodbye to my trusty old myford lathe. It has been good to me whilst I have had it but I needed something a bit bigger
View media item 50373
And said hello to something of similar vintage (1950's) but slightly bigger.
View media item 50374
View media item 50375
A thought has occured to me in that I seem to keep buying lathes that some idiot has painted the wrong colour. The Harrison seems to have been painted green in the mid 1960's (there is a brass plate on the door stating when it was refurbished by a well known engineering company). It needs a bit of TLC and it did not come with a faceplate or 4 jaw chuck although these items have now been aquired.
I have some other projects that need to be done in the near future but I will be sorting out the Harison very soon.
On top of that I need to re hang the doors to garage 1, make a door for the gable, fit a loft hatch and ladder. Plus some more paint in garage 2 and internet access along with a garage laptop to find a place for that is accessible but also not in the way. Plus loads of other stuff.
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Brompty
Active member
Flange - a great build (or builds). I am loving the bench you made and the drawers are first class. There are a few UK builds on the Forum and all need thought, compromise an imagination to get around all the issues we have to deal with.
A couple of questions:
Where do you get birch ply from? I have tried timber yards in the past and only find normal plywood of average quality?
Where did you get the lathe from? That is a cracking find.
A couple of questions:
Where do you get birch ply from? I have tried timber yards in the past and only find normal plywood of average quality?
Where did you get the lathe from? That is a cracking find.
Thanks for the compliments.
Birch ply can be bought from various places. There s a small timber merchant near where I live that stock a small range of grade B quality in a few thicknesses.
For a larger range of grade B you can go to Travis Perkins but you need to find one that has a Timber Yard. Not all of them do.
Finally, for a more comprehensive range of grades, thicknesses and sizes you can go to a specialist such as Advanced Technical Panels or Lawcris. Find them on Google but you may need a bulk order as they are distributors so may have a minimum order value or quantity
Your best bet is probabaly Travis Perkins followed by an independent local merchant.
Good luck and hope this helps.
I forget about the lathe question.
It is off ebay. There are a lot of them on there althought usually too far away or overpriced. In hindsight I should have waited a few weeks longer because a better one came along just after I got this one (isnt that always the case!)
I had been looking for one in my budget that was not at the edge of the world for about 18 months so I cant complain too much.
Again, thanks for the nice comments.
I think there is nothing I have done that most people could not do. I am a firm believer that we can all do almost anything if there is enough will and motivation to do it.
Personally, I am glad that Garage 2 is in a useable state (even though there is still a lot to do) because the whole point of doing it is to have a better work space for tinkering in.
Garage 1 is still a long way off. It needs light, power storage a woodworking bench and space for some woodworking machinery. However I am sure it will all come together in the end.
Hello folks, here is a small garage update. I have not posted much of late because I have had family commitment and also a bereavement that has taken up my time.
Any stuff I have been doing have been things I have been doing IN my garage rather than ON my garage.
I have been prompted by an IN the garage project to buy something that I have been meaning to get for a while so last week 3 boxes arrived.
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Some assembly required.
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It is a generic Chinese press and I got it from a company in Germany who shipped it on Monday and it arrived by Friday. It cost the same in Euros (inc shipping) as others did in pounds so about 20% less than buying in pounds.
There were a couple of minor issues with the hydraulics that I had to deal with which meant that it took about an hour longer to assemble than it should have done but all in all I am happy with it.
Any stuff I have been doing have been things I have been doing IN my garage rather than ON my garage.
I have been prompted by an IN the garage project to buy something that I have been meaning to get for a while so last week 3 boxes arrived.
View media item 50898
Some assembly required.
View media item 50899
View media item 50900
It is a generic Chinese press and I got it from a company in Germany who shipped it on Monday and it arrived by Friday. It cost the same in Euros (inc shipping) as others did in pounds so about 20% less than buying in pounds.
There were a couple of minor issues with the hydraulics that I had to deal with which meant that it took about an hour longer to assemble than it should have done but all in all I am happy with it.
155'Ringman
Well-known member
I've just read this thread from start to finish and I'm also very impressed with the transformation that you have managed to make to both garages. As others have said, it's a pity such nice buildings in outward appearance were let down by bad workmanship when they were built but you're doing a great job with them now. Also very nice joinery skills with the bench, it looks great and bonus points for being able to re-cycle some of your old roof trusses.
Just to add, I bought a Sealey floor mounted press last year that uses a bottle jack instead of a ram and pump and have found it invaluable. I have a local tool place and if I find myself in need of a tool quick, I can run down the road and just about anything I want. Worth paying a little bit more to have someone close by that you don't have to wait on delivery for I think..
Just to add, I bought a Sealey floor mounted press last year that uses a bottle jack instead of a ram and pump and have found it invaluable. I have a local tool place and if I find myself in need of a tool quick, I can run down the road and just about anything I want. Worth paying a little bit more to have someone close by that you don't have to wait on delivery for I think..
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Still no updates as such because I am busy working on bikes.
However I did dig out an old layout drawing that I did in 2D AutoCAD and updated it to see where I could fit in some badly needed additional storage.
As I said earlier in this thread I need to add a milling machine to the place and so I have put one in the layout. I found a free online download for a block of a Bridgeport mill. I already know that I would not fit a Bridgeport in without losing too much space but I used it to emulate a smaler machine. I have scaled the one in this image down to 2/3 scale of a Bridgeport although this is a guess on the size of the machine that I end up with as I have not bought it yet.
I also mentioned at the top of the thread that the space I have is too small for my needs but I am having to work with what I have. For comparison I have included a full size Bridgeport at the left of this image so you can see why I cant fit one in even though I would love one.
I need to build a welding table that I have shown in the picture and I will store my bandsaw underneath it.
I have also added a small European hatchback car to the right of the picture to give another comparison of scale.
View media item 50973
However I did dig out an old layout drawing that I did in 2D AutoCAD and updated it to see where I could fit in some badly needed additional storage.
As I said earlier in this thread I need to add a milling machine to the place and so I have put one in the layout. I found a free online download for a block of a Bridgeport mill. I already know that I would not fit a Bridgeport in without losing too much space but I used it to emulate a smaler machine. I have scaled the one in this image down to 2/3 scale of a Bridgeport although this is a guess on the size of the machine that I end up with as I have not bought it yet.
I also mentioned at the top of the thread that the space I have is too small for my needs but I am having to work with what I have. For comparison I have included a full size Bridgeport at the left of this image so you can see why I cant fit one in even though I would love one.
I need to build a welding table that I have shown in the picture and I will store my bandsaw underneath it.
I have also added a small European hatchback car to the right of the picture to give another comparison of scale.
View media item 50973
Water Boy
Active member
Wow very nice work.
Ive just completed civil engineering at tafe and one day hope to have the skills you have to do such a great rebuild like yourself.
The consulting engineer im doing my placement with spends a lot of time redesigning, rebuilding and representing home owners in court because of dodgy builders doing such poor work.
Ive just completed civil engineering at tafe and one day hope to have the skills you have to do such a great rebuild like yourself.
The consulting engineer im doing my placement with spends a lot of time redesigning, rebuilding and representing home owners in court because of dodgy builders doing such poor work.
machsnell
Well-known member
Damn man you got some skills. You have done a masterful job from start to finish with som.e. specialized trades.
I will be learning how to do some of that woodwork with the help of a carpenter friend for my garage. I am jealous of you skills and admire the work so far. Great job.
I will be learning how to do some of that woodwork with the help of a carpenter friend for my garage. I am jealous of you skills and admire the work so far. Great job.
Thanks for the compliments guys.
As I have said earlier in this thread, I am a firm believer that almost anyone can achieve anything if they have the desire to learn and are willing to have a go and also be prepared to fail but then try again.
I learnt how to do my thing over many years by pestering guys who had the skills I was interested and watching them when I got chance.
These days it is a bit easier because of things like youtube. If you have not got a clue about something there is usually a video that gives you an idea and even if you cant learn exactly how to do something then it gives you a start.
I remember the first time I saw how plumbing was done. I was 15 years old (pre internet, pre mobile phones) and my folks had a new bathroom installed. I must have been a right pain in the **** for the poor plumber because I stuck to him like glue and asked a million questions. Then a while later I had a go myself, the first time I soldered a joint it leaked like a sieve but I tried again and again and now it is decades since I had a leaky soldered joint.
You guys just have a go at it. If you want to do, say, joinery then get soem basic tools and have a go. If it goes wrong then have another go and before you know it you will be good at it.
OJ Bartley
Well-known member
Really awesome work on the cabinets, and especially the drawers. I love the shallow top drawers, and the increasing depth as you go down. I hadn't checked in in a while and you're making great progress!