Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT The Scooter Workshop

[Modern Jess]

"So now you can drill holes very well.... Why is that important?"

That's the usual reaction and also direct evidence you don't relate to that person.

Yes. This.

Well done, love the setup!

Thank you much, sir!

 

[Modern Jess]

Binge-read your whole thread in two days and loving it. I wrote down a few ideas to use in my own shop regarding parts organization and general shop build-out ideas. Please keep this thread going, it's fantastic!

Thanks much! I've been putting off any posts declaring the shop finished, both because it's never finished and because the finality of such an event would be kind of bittersweet. And while I do still work on the shop itself, it is mostly finished. Someday I'll post really pretty pictures with the shop clean and tidy. Hah.

 

[Modern Jess]

First off, I'd like to add my thanks for this thread, enjoyed reading it over the past several days. I, too, am much more of a lurker though I do plan to start my own garage build thread sometime soon.

You are most welcome, and always happy to provide some tiny bit of inspiration.

Overanalysis paralysis, amirite???

Yes, but only to a point. Recognizing when you're stuck is important, at which point you have to move in some direction, even if you're not sure it's the right one.


[/QUOTE]

Hah! Thanks for that.

 

[Modern Jess]

I’ve also just found and gone through your thread recently, and really appreciate the efforts you took to document what you learned for others. I think the community education aspect of GJ is key, and we all owe a debt of gratitude to members who teach us all so much (I can name many).

Yes, definitely. I learned much from other people's build threads, and definitely took ideas and ran with them. The least I can do is pay the favor forward.

Could you post a panoramic shot of whole shop for us? I’d love to see where it is now if you’re willing.

This is something I've been trying to do for literally years now. The general state of the shop is what usually stops me. That said, you can see most of my shop in my build videos on YouTube (link in my sig).

 

[y'sguy]

I finally got around to reading all the way through your adventures.
Thanks for all the inspiration–in particular the use of Unistrut. I've always wanted to use it for a project but never quite got around to it. Sort of like I always wondered if I should do a post on what goes on in my studio and garage. Nah, I probably just continue to randomly post, lurk and do whatever it is I do.

 

[Matias]

Good work on that drill press bench. I like the idea of the cabinet in it also. And of course, that mobile vise is excellent!

 

[mepstein]

I detoured here from Gregor's thread. Great read. Thank you.

 

[Modern Jess]

There's a postscript to the butcher block island / drill press bench story.

The original butcher block island was a cast-off from a friend of mine, and I've had it kicking around for at least 12 years. Before that, it was a piece of my friend's childhood, and so there was some sentimental attachment for him.

I had a narrow piece of the top surface leftover, really the worst of the worst -- but my friend did some mental re-arrangement in his head and saw a salvageable collection of bits that could become a cutting board. So I kicked off one final attempt to salvage what I could.

Starting with this:

Some selective cutting:

And I had the basic shape:

And a bit left over:

The glue joints were failing after 40-odd years, so I ripped them at the joints on the table saw:

I also trimmed a little off the worst part of the top surface, again at the table saw, and ended up with this:

Glued up:

Then it was on to the really hard (but also really interesting) part of the project. There were numerous drill holes (all full of grease) and pock marks on the top surface, and the bottom surface was originally the "less nice" sides of the wood used in the butcher block, and had defects as well. I decided I could do some inlay work to hide the drill holes, but needed a shape that would fit with the project.

As it happens, my friend had designed a specialized tool years ago for hand-tightening scooter oil filters. I decided the shape (colloquially called a "snowflake") would work well for some of the problem areas on the cutting board.

I cut these with a handheld CNC router.

For some of the smaller holes, I just cut simple plugs and glued them in:

For the reverse side, some of the wood was actually rotten. I needed a big patch for that. In talking to my friend, he mentioned a canyon near his childhood home, and we hatched a plan to use a the topographic outline of that canyon as the shape for this patch. I did a manual curve fit using a vector editing app, and uploaded it to my CNC router.

Pretty pleased with how this side came out.

And here's the finished product:

 

[y'sguy]

Great job, and some thoughtful time well spent.

 

[tjpavlov]

Amazing job!

 

[tj675]

Is that the Shaper Origin? How do you like it?

 

[Modern Jess]

What a great setup that looks fantastic, great job!

Great job, and some thoughtful time well spent.

Amazing job!

Thanks, all!

 

[Modern Jess]

Is that the Shaper Origin? How do you like it?

It is. I like it a lot but... I haven't been using it enough to justify its rather steep price. I'm trying to remedy that -- got a project on the bench right now that will make use of it, and I've got some plans for future stuff.

 

[tj675]

Can’t wait to see what you have in store for it.

 

[loganb]

It is. I like it a lot but... I haven't been using it enough to justify its rather steep price. I'm trying to remedy that -- got a project on the bench right now that will make use of it, and I've got some plans for future stuff.

Super excited to see the usage of that Origin. We have a couple at work but haven't justified it in my head yet for home.....

Sent from The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Robey5]

Modern Jess:

I happened across your build thread when I was looking for creative ways to mount a drill press, although: the one that I have is not nearly as gi-normous as the one you have.

I saw the drill press, as well as the cutting board and had to start from the beginning of your build thread. I must say that your attention to detail is impressive (from a fellow engineer). I will continue to watch and would like to comment that I have *really* enjoyed the time/effort that you have put into this write-up.

(PS: that Festool “dust collection system” is awesome. Thank you for making me put another thing on the list of equipment to acquire in the future)

 

[peelman]

First time I've seen a Shaper actually used in the wild, and to what great effect! They aren't kidding about the precision work! But even smart tools need skilled hands attached to them. A gorgeous finished product there; you should be very proud of that!

 

[OopsClunkThud]

I put the cutting board into proper use this morning, something I didn't dare try to do in 2020!

I learned to make bread on this piece of maple 40 years ago, super happy to have it back in the kitchen. No more drilling into it or building engines on it.

 

[Modern Jess]

Can’t wait to see what you have in store for it.

Super excited to see the usage of that Origin. We have a couple at work but haven't justified it in my head yet for home.....

Sent from The Garage Journal mobile app

This is a bit circular, here's what I spent the bulk of yesterday doing. This is a Shaper-branded Tanos Systainer case, and I used the Shaper Origin to cut... foam inserts for the Shaper Workstation. Okay, so, it's not really justification for the Origin, but at least I was using it and getting to know it a bit better.

 

[Modern Jess]

I saw the drill press, as well as the cutting board and had to start from the beginning of your build thread. I must say that your attention to detail is impressive (from a fellow engineer). I will continue to watch and would like to comment that I have *really* enjoyed the time/effort that you have put into this write-up.

Welcome! Very happy someone is getting something out of it.

(PS: that Festool “dust collection system” is awesome. Thank you for making me put another thing on the list of equipment to acquire in the future)

Can I get a "Damn you, Gregor!?" I mean, I'm not Gregor, but the spirit is there.

 

[Modern Jess]

First time I've seen a Shaper actually used in the wild, and to what great effect! They aren't kidding about the precision work! But even smart tools need skilled hands attached to them. A gorgeous finished product there; you should be very proud of that!

Thanks very much. I've never considered myself a "serious" woodworker, but this project definitely felt like leveling up.

 

[Modern Jess]

I put the cutting board into proper use this morning, something I didn't dare try to do in 2020!

I learned to make bread on this piece of maple 40 years ago, super happy to have it back in the kitchen. No more drilling into it or building engines on it.

Excellent! And nice matching snowflake dish to go with it. I didn't know you had made some in blue?

 

[zanyad]

There's a postscript to the butcher block island / drill press bench story.
.
.
.
And here's the finished product:

Pictures aren't showing up for me. I was able to view them by looking at the page source and following your linked images. Fantastic job! I'm sure your friend is very pleased!

 

[Strouty]

That cutting board is awesome. How did the foam cut? Did you have to freeze it?

 

[mforno]

Re: The Suspended Shelf

Hi Jess, I signed up for the Forum just so that I could thank you... My son had been asking me to build him a loft bed for a couple of years. I wanted to keep it clean and suspended. I was considering threaded rod and searched online something like "How to attach threaded rod to the ceiling..". Luckily your post came up and I totally copied your ideas. It was the first time I have used Strut Channel and now can envision all kinds of projects with it... I still have some finishing to do (like a ladder/stairs... ) but I wanted to pass along some pictures and say thank you for sharing the details of your build. It was very helpful and he is very happy with his new bed!!

Cheers.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/L4Fa3XEwBeTbKSA48

 

[gearhead1960]

Re: The Suspended Shelf

.....he is very happy with his new bed!!

...except for when he has to make it.....

 

[Modern Jess]

Re: The Suspended Shelf

I signed up for the Forum just so that I could thank you.

You are most welcome! Thanks for the note.

 

[Bubbz]

Good day, sir. I've found myself visiting this thread from time to time as I've been looking into building a multimedia desk from strut channel. I have two questions, and would be very appreciative if you have the time to answer.

These monsters finally arrived. I'm not super happy with the galvanized coating on these, but they will no doubt improve the rigidity of the frame well past the point of anything reasonable.

1) Where do you get your strut parts from? In my experience, the big box hardware stores carry only a very tiny fraction of the available fittings, channels, etc., and they don't even keep those few stocked well. I've found companies like Grainger, Graybar, etc., but they all seem to be set up for bulk orders, calling in orders ahead of time, and not so much for browsing and shopping by non-commercial individual hobbyists like me. What's more, if they provide a way to place orders on line, the prices are absurd (presumably to scare off the hobbyist?). My favorite so far was a listing on Graybar, I think, for strut channel post-bases, 100 units for $18,500+. $185 for a few inches of steel? No problem! May as well get 99 more at that price! You seem to have quick access to small quantities, and I'd love to know the secret. You mentioned McMaster-Carr; is that your go-to place for strut, or something else?

2) Regarding the below picture...

Here's what that looks like:

... is that SketchUp? If so, where did you find those models for the strut fittings (or did you craft them yourself)?

 

[Whothrewthatkeiron]

I put the cutting board into proper use this morning, something I didn't dare try to do in 2020!

I learned to make bread on this piece of maple 40 years ago, super happy to have it back in the kitchen. No more drilling into it or building engines on it.

Hey buddy - this is random. Did you ever finish the LX200 project?

 

[HolyDrinker]

Just did a read through this thread after seeing it mentioned in Gregor's infamous Moto Mecca. Thanks Jess, this really was a treat to read and gave me a lot of idea's for work around my shop. Hope all is well in San Fran.

Sam

 

[zanyad]

Sadly Jess hasn't logged in since March 2022....

 

[pickles]

Really a shame. This was such a great thread. I hope Jess is healthy and enjoying life.