Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT The Scooter Workshop

[Denwood]

I'm still using an aluminum rail, two spring clamps and a skillsaw for sheet breakdown. One of these days will spring for a tracksaw.

Loving the camera grip shots. Maybe a thread on the GJ "Ideas for interesting pics" needs to be fired up! I've settled in on an iOS workflow to take the shots, color correct, crop, resize, title and upload to FTP. Sounds like a lot but I have it down to a few minutes per pic.

In any case, your selfy gets my award for "Best anonymous prone self triggered selfy" on the journal

 

[Modern Jess]

Very cool shop you have there! I got triggered in Gregor's topic to read yours.

Thanks very much for the kind words! I'm a big fan of Gregor's thread as well (as you can no doubt tell from my recent comments there).

I'm still using an aluminum rail, two spring clamps and a skillsaw for sheet breakdown. One of these days will spring for a tracksaw.

I've definitely done it that way in the past. And with a good aluminum rail (one that won't flex in the middle) it's not a bad way to do it. The main difference between that technique and a tracksaw is that the zero-clearance edge of the track and the riving knife at the tail make for a finished cut every bit as good as a table saw.

I like the DeWalt version, which improves upon the Festool features ever so slightly while simultaneously being not quite as good as the Festool. If I had it to do over again, though, I would probably just go for the Festool TS55 model.

Loving the camera grip shots.

Heh. Yeah. Well, it's kind of right up your alley. I thought you might like that when I posted it.

Maybe a thread on the GJ "Ideas for interesting pics" needs to be fired up!

Sounds like a good thread idea!

I've settled in on an iOS workflow to take the shots, color correct, crop, resize, title and upload to FTP. Sounds like a lot but I have it down to a few minutes per pic.

Interesting! I still do all my post on the Mac (not that I do very much post). I have found in the past that managing the photos within iOS was cumbersome, but that was several years ago. Maybe I'll revisit it.

One thing I do really like is PhotoStream. I can take a picture on my phone (I have a 6, which has a surprisingly good camera) and then walk over to my Mac, and the photo has generally already propagated there. And for shots taken on my G7X, I can pull them off the camera with my phone, at which point they propagate through PhotoStream as well.

In any case, your selfy gets my award for "Best anonymous prone self triggered selfy" on the journal

Hah!

 

[Modern Jess]

This weekend, I was able to make some progress on the compressor closet. I've intended all along to make the most of the closet, given how much precious floor space I permanently carved out of the shop. Initially, the closet was only intended to hold a compressor, and nothing else. I had some issues figuring out how to not have the door to the closet interfere with everything else, though, and the surprising solution was to make it bigger. This allows the door to open in a spot where it doesn't interfere with anything, while also giving me some extra wall space (both interior and exterior).

Somewhat accidentally, the alcove inside the closet ended up being just about perfectly sized for the standard Festool systainer box. This shelf holds almost all of my systainers, plus makes a space for the CT26 vacuum. I should also point out (full disclosure) that most of these do not actually hold Festool tools -- I like Festool, but I like the systainers even more, and use them to store most of my oft-used woodworking tools.

Here's the starting point, using my DeWalt tracksaw to break down a sheet of plywood. I ripped one sheet into four perfectly matched 11.25" x 8' pieces.

One of the problems I had to solve was how to keep the edge of the shelf off the floor. I went to talk to my machinist friend to ask him for ideas, and he ended up making these awesome foot adapters for a panel edge. Clearly, he's a much better welder than I am. And he painted them, too! I am going to owe him for this.

Next up was drilling all the shelf pin support holes:

Assembly begins:

I swear I used every corner clamp I had. The construction is screwed and glued, so I didn't use any bar clamps.

A bit of test fitting to see how much stuff I actually had:

Preparing the wall in the closet for installation -- here's the cleat that supports some of the weight:

And here's the end result:

And of course there's a spot for my beloved vacuum:

After I got the shelf installed (and after I bought my machinist friend lunch) I broke down another sheet of plywood into the pieces necessary for the next cabinet. But that's another post for a different day.

 

[sakurama]

I like the custom tags on the systainers- very organized. Looking good!

 

[1/2 Cup]

Absolutely awesome work Jess

I think a track saw is on my want list.

Regards

 

[Modern Jess]

I like the custom tags on the systainers- very organized. Looking good!

Yeah, those are actually pretty cool. I discovered as I was exploring the world of systainers that the label slot holds standard vinyl ID cards. I bought a printer that would print CDs, bought an aftermarket ID card tray (that fits where the CD tray would go) and a bunch of blank vinyl ID cards and voila! Photographic, color-coded ID labels. Certainly makes it easier to find stuff at a glance.

Absolutely awesome work Jess

Thanks much!

I think a track saw is on my want list.

Yeah, tracksaws absolutely change the entire flavor of working with sheet goods. No more maneuvering a giant sheet of plywood to the table saw. It makes it a pleasure instead of a chore.

I still keep the table saw around, but I'm starting to wonder if I really need it.

 

[E12-535iTurbo]

How is that vacuum? Would you prefer the 26 over de midi?

 

[Modern Jess]

How is that vacuum? Would you prefer the 26 over de midi?

Love, love, love the CT26. It was actually the first piece of Festool gear I bought, and I was immediately blown away. It's hard to articulate -- in the field of vacuums, which are utilitarian and commoditized -- why one vacuum should be so much different than the rest, but I'll try: it's exceptionally quiet (and I really mean that), it's highly mobile (the big rear wheels and front swivel wheels are well placed for stability), the "hose garage" allows for neat and tidy storage, the ability to stack and lock a big pile of systainers on top is really handy, and the auto tool-on mode is very convenient (though not especially unique here). Every detail seems well thought out, right down to the internal feet on the top motor section that you can use to set down the top when you've got it open for bag changes. It also has a very long, beefy, heavy-gauge cord, since it is a de-facto extension cord for all the tools that you might plug into it.

There's a lot to like about this vacuum cleaner.

I don't have any real experience with the mini or midi, so I can't really speak to those. They look similar, just a bit smaller.

 

[R7237]

Very nice build. I have been following the process and enjoy the posts.

 

[Modern Jess]

Very nice build. I have been following the process and enjoy the posts.

Thanks very much! Comments like that keep me motivated to keep going (and keep posting about it).

 

[Denwood]

Jess, the custom feet are perfect.

Knowing nothing about the Festool vac, how would you compare it to a standard shop vac. Can it do wet? Bag only? Quiet is nice...

In the noise category, you may want to throw up a few sound panels on your interior compressor walls. They are super easy to make using 6lb density Roxul, or Owens Corning 605. I did a bunch of research on this stuff spec'ing construction of our STC 60 film/photo studio. It's a bit over the top with dual walls, dedicated ventilation blah blah.

Photo stream to MAC makes a lot of sense. I'm a Lightroom guy, but find myself doing the iOS thing more and more. My last few pics using "pano" mode have been a surprisingly good replacement for a wide angle lens. iOS 8 also has added quite a few color/exposure tools that I use for every pic.

 

[Modern Jess]

Jess, the custom feet are perfect.

I'll pass that along to my friend Gary, who took it upon himself to fabricate them for me when I couldn't find an off-the-shelf product. They really do make the whole thing come together.

Knowing nothing about the Festool vac, how would you compare it to a standard shop vac. Can it do wet? Bag only? Quiet is nice...

It does wet (though I've never tested it) and it also does bag (but obviously not at the same time). And between the bag and the HEPA filter, there's no dust. The capacity is smaller than a typical shop vac, but for whatever reason it took me forever just to fill up the first bag, even using it attached to the track saw for various projects. I thought maybe I had made a mistake by not getting the Grande Loco model, but this one seems to have more than enough capacity for me. It's also much lower to the ground than typical shop vacs, which goes back to what I was saying about mobility. I always found regular shop vacs on wheels to be clumsy, tipsy affairs.

Besides being much quieter, it has an adjustment for how much suction to apply. This accomplishes two things: (1) It makes the vacuum more usable when attached to a sander (as too much suction would stick the sander to the surface) and (2) it reduces the power consumption, which can come into play when you've got something plugged into it that uses a lot of amps (typically in-rush current at startup). A good example would be my compound miter saw: Sometimes, with the vacuum turned on high and the compound miter saw plugged into it, I'll trip a 15 amp circuit when they both turn on. I have 20 amp circuits to solve this problem, but I occasionally forget that getting that big blade moving takes a lot of juice, and the two tools at max will be over-budget.

In short, it's not any one thing that makes this vac awesome (though the quiet comes close). It is the sum of its parts, the gestalt that makes it wonderful. All the little details that make it a noticeable joy to use.

In the noise category, you may want to throw up a few sound panels on your interior compressor walls. They are super easy to make using 6lb density Roxul, or Owens Corning 605.

Yeah, I'm thinking of doing exactly that once I get the real compressor in there (not purchased yet). I've read a bit about "bass traps" for studios, and I suspect that a big slow compressor will benefit from that wall treatment.

I'm a Lightroom guy, but find myself doing the iOS thing more and more.

My biggest obstacle to an iOS work flow (in this context) is the naming and uploading of the photos to my own website, from where I hotlink them in my posts. This is now more plausible than it used to be, but is still a bit on the clumsy side. I've been playing with Transmit for iOS, and it's pretty good. But not as easy as having a keyboard in front of me.

Okay, I suppose I could use a BT keyboard.

 

[Modern Jess]

Here are a few photos of the CT26 to go with my description(s) above.

Here's the hose garage that keeps the anti-static hose tidy. Note also the handle by which you can carry it around (i.e. out of the back of the truck) when necessary:

The obligatory cord wrap (not unique to this vacuum, but I've had models without any provision for cord wrapping!)

The motor unit separated from the catch section. Hard to see here, but the whole motor unit is resting on its own internal integrated feet:

The business end. I've had this for over a year, and the HEPA filter looks brand-new. The bag does a great job of filtering dust.

Here's one of those internal feet poking out from inside:

The catch bucket with bag installed:

Kickstand to keep the unit from rolling when you don't want it to:

Certification:

And finally, it carries your tools around for you. The systainers are locked in place by a pair of built-in systainer fastening clips. Even with this much weight on it -- and very top heavy -- it's still quite stable.

Like I said, it's hard to really articulate why such a lowly device as a vacuum cleaner is worthy of such high praise. But when you experience it, you just know.

 

[Denwood]

I searched the vac specs after your first post, and I have to say your mini-review was the best I've seen. I get it.

Once photos are resized, I am using the "FTPonthego" app which allows you to upload, and rename the images as you do it. It allows you to browse your photos on the camera roll, sort by date (so you can pick out the smaller resized versions) and upload. When you select the file to upload, you can quickly rename it during the process.

 

[Modern Jess]

Once photos are resized, I am using the "FTPonthego" app which allows you to upload, and rename the images as you do it. It allows you to browse your photos on the camera roll, sort by date (so you can pick out the smaller resized versions) and upload. When you select the file to upload, you can quickly rename it during the process.

Sounds promising! I'll check that out.

 

[E12-535iTurbo]

Thanks for your impression of the vac. Really helpful.

 

[M1TCH]

Can you get Henry vacs over there ? www.henryvacs.co.uk no need for a bag and very powerfull check them out, the cord winds into his head, i think they do a aqua one as well called a Harold ive got a Hetty which is the same as a Henry but pink "im now in touch with my feminine side"

 

[Modern Jess]

Can you get Henry vacs over there ? www.henryvacs.co.uk no need for a bag and very powerfull check them out, the cord winds into his head, i think they do a aqua one as well called a Harold ive got a Hetty which is the same as a Henry but pink "im now in touch with my feminine side"

I am reminded of Teletubbies, somehow...

 

[M1TCH]

I am reminded of Teletubbies, somehow...

I know they look a bit well camp but they are amazing bits of kit you can use them with or without bags they are very powerfull and im on to my third in thirty years, i do abuse them and they keep going, without the bag i always blow the filter out with the airline after emptying they will take gravel up if you drop onto the drive while cleaning the car ask how i know

 

[Blorton]

Jess - I just found and read this thread in one sitting. Great stuff! I really like your attention to organization and the way you've made electrical and air outlets future-proof. Your ventilation scheme could also be used for the house itself during mild parts of the year.

One suggestion - make sure you have some kind of critter guards on your external vents. It would **** to discover residents later.

 

[Modern Jess]

Jess - I just found and read this thread in one sitting. Great stuff! I really like your attention to organization and the way you've made electrical and air outlets future-proof.

Welcome, and glad you liked it. Stick around for the pretty pictures which will inevitably arrive, when I finish the shop in six more years.

Your ventilation scheme could also be used for the house itself during mild parts of the year.

In a way, this is in fact practice for something more ambitious on the house itself. We have a whole-house fan (installed by the previous owner) that does a great job of cooling off the house after sundown in the summer, but it sounds like a helicopter in the central hallway of the house. It also requires us to run around and open all the windows in the house before turning it on. I'd like to replace it with something quieter that is smart enough to draw in fresh air (run through a filter, natch) when the temperature differential is favorable, just as I have done with the shop. Instead of a whole-house fan that you run for a little while, though, I'd prefer something with less CFM (and less noise) that could be run for longer periods of time. An HRV / ERV almost meets that requirement, but they are built primarily to preserve inside temperature, not change it. So I want something conceptually similar to an HRV, but without the heat transfer core.

One suggestion - make sure you have some kind of critter guards on your external vents. It would **** to discover residents later.

Definitely. Thanks for the reminder. I have been meaning to put a screen on the new vents installed outside, and haven't gotten to it yet.

 

[Denwood]

J, check Zehnder.... Many of the Zehnder products incorporate summer bypass cooling, and have electronics to manage this for you with internal/external temp monitoring. http://zehnderamerica.com/products/heat-and-energy-recovery-ventilation-units/

We have a large Venn HRV, but I'd have to build my own bypass core to do what Zehnder is doing already

We have the same issue with Cinevate's building... we can move a lot of air on summer nights, but it's not filtered..so dust can be an issue. We are using these solar charged, temperature managed window operators to manage night opening windows in our clerestory addition. Wiring them after the fact would have been a big PITA. Wireless control and solar powered means zero wiring : http://solarsmartopener.com/

They work very well..zero issues over 3 yrs now. They are less expensive than conventional window operators..as a big bonus. Solar smart also has an ECI remote that you can integrate home automation with to incorporate their openers into home automation. I'll take credit for that addition

 

[Modern Jess]

J, check Zehnder.... Many of the Zehnder products incorporate summer bypass cooling, and have electronics to manage this for you with internal/external temp monitoring. http://zehnderamerica.com/products/heat-and-energy-recovery-ventilation-units/

Well what's the fun in that?!?

(No, but seriously, I'll check that out -- thanks for the link)

 

[Modern Jess]

Just a small project I did over the last couple of days. More about it here in General Discussion.

 

[Modern Jess]

I seem to be running behind on my thread. I finished the second cabinet in the closet a week or so ago, but haven't posted pictures. I've now moved on to mudding and painting the last wall of the main room, pictures to come shortly.

Here's the cabinet going together. Pretty simple construction:

Then it was time to prep the closet. Unistrut to the rescue (again). This is the "shallow" variety, so as not to bump the closet off the wall too far. I'll use the spare ends on either side to hold the plumbing for the air lines down the road:

The cabinet was then bolted to the strut channel with 1/4" bolts and some washers:

This detail shows why the first cabinet was constructed in such an odd shape. Plus, I wanted to be able to get longish-stuff into the corner to keep that space from being dead:

Here's the cabinet all loaded up, with the fold-up table saw parked underneath it:

And here's the compound miter saw parked in front of that. It does make it awkward to get in and out of the closet, and I might get tired of that. But right now I'm really happy to have the miter saw out of the way:

Unexpected bonus: I've had this Incra miter gauge floating around for a bunch of years, and it has never really had a good place to live. Now it does:

 

[Modern Jess]

Okay, on to the fourth wall!

I took today off to give myself a three-day weekend, with the intent on making some progress on the fourth wall of the shop. I surprised myself by actually finishing it. Part of that was due to starting with the mudding on Friday night (worked until 11:30pm or so) and part of that was due to the general approach of "F-it! Nobody can see this detail!". There are defects in this wall, to be sure. But in the grand scheme of things, I'm pretty happy with it.

There are still a million little details to address, but the key word in that phrase is "little". There are very few "big" things left to do on the shop, and I can't tell you what a relief that is.

Some obligatory pictures:

Outside of closet was included in this weekend's work:

Also managed to reconnect the speaker over the closet door, so I have music again. I am so stoked!

Lest you think I'm done, though, I still have to finish the vertical soffit on the first wall:

And the back wall of the storage loft:

And if you were wondering where everything in the shop went, it's over here, in the (eventual) mill corner.

 

[BBundy]

Great use of space in your closet build. Gives me some ideas for silencing my air comp and a functional spot to keep some tools organized. Thanks for sharing the build thus far.

 

[Modern Jess]

Great use of space in your closet build. Gives me some ideas for silencing my air comp and a functional spot to keep some tools organized. Thanks for sharing the build thus far.

Thanks, and my pleasure. The closet has seriously improved the shop, much more so than I expected it to.

 

[Denwood]

Nice progress Jess . In LA on business (heading San fran tomorrow) and suddenly wondering why I live in the cold North. Still rather chilly at home to be doing cabinets outside. Getting the compressor outside of my shop was one of my favourite projects. Your ceiling looks really sharp. The workspace is shaping up into a pretty amazing space

 

[Olinrj]

Excellent garages and all around details. I'm definitely going to borrow some ideas you've put into your build, once we sell our house and get into the next one. Keep up the great documentation.

One question, could you provide a bit of detail on the saw horse work platform? It looks like you've used unistrut and secured the cross boards to the unistrut. Does it break down for storage?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[dhubbard422]

The closet turned out really nice. It's pretty amazing how much stuff a well planned closet can hold! Your shop is really coming along. To me, it looks like you're starting to see light at the end of the build.

 

[Scott V]

Man nice work there. I don't post much but I lurk and enjoy seeing your projects. I love working with plywood but don't possess the skills or nice tools you have. Sakurama is another one with the cool wood working tools and creativity. A guy at work has the Festool system and swears by it. I do like the Dewalt track saw. I eyed a Makita version at HD recently. I will need something similar for doing my cabinet doors and drawer faces for the garage soon if I stick with my plan of Ikea bases and Baltic Birch faces. I may need to bug you for help on some cuts Jess.

 

[Modern Jess]

Excellent garages and all around details. I'm definitely going to borrow some ideas you've put into your build, once we sell our house and get into the next one. Keep up the great documentation.

Thanks very much!

One question, could you provide a bit of detail on the saw horse work platform? It looks like you've used unistrut and secured the cross boards to the unistrut. Does it break down for storage?

It is exactly as you guessed. Two pieces of aluminum unistrut (to make it a bit lighter) with sacrificial 2x4 cross beams bolted to the unistrut with typical unistrut hardware. It doesn't break down, unfortunately, though I could take it apart in a pinch. I've mostly just left it outside year-round, sometimes on the sawhorses for months at a time. One additional detail is that I mounted 2x4s to the sawhorses, cut to the same inside dimension as the unistrut rails. This allows the rails to rest on the saw horse and keeps it from moving side to side at the same time.

I took the idea from the now-defunct Benchmark Worktable, which would have been the ideal tracksaw cutting table. Sadly, the company went belly-up, despite a really good product.

The closet turned out really nice. It's pretty amazing how much stuff a well planned closet can hold! Your shop is really coming along. To me, it looks like you're starting to see light at the end of the build.

Thanks, and I've just started coming to the same conclusion in the last couple of days. And oddly, that has produced a weird kind of background angst. I have been doing Just One Thing for so long now that the thought of not doing that has given me tiny panic attacks. Kind of a project-based Stockholm Syndrome.

Man nice work there. I don't post much but I lurk and enjoy seeing your projects. I love working with plywood but don't possess the skills or nice tools you have. Sakurama is another one with the cool wood working tools and creativity.

Thanks! But between you and me, I think sakurama has us all beat.

A guy at work has the Festool system and swears by it. I do like the Dewalt track saw. I eyed a Makita version at HD recently.

If I had it to do over again, I would probably buy the Festool model. The TS55 model was actually unavailable at the time I was deciding which to buy (they had a recall issue going on) and so that made the decision a little easier. And I'm not at all unhappy with the DeWalt tracksaw. I'm a little disappointed with the DeWalt tracks, though. As it turns out, the DeWalt tracksaw can use the Festool tracks, but not vice versa. I may investigate that route.

I will need something similar for doing my cabinet doors and drawer faces for the garage soon if I stick with my plan of Ikea bases and Baltic Birch faces. I may need to bug you for help on some cuts Jess.

Anything I can do to help, let me know.

 

[Modern Jess]

Addendum: Olinrj's question about whether the cutting table breaks down or not got me thinking -- I do believe there's a way to make the table break down, sort-of. Instead of bolting to the unistrut frame, I could use some screw knobs from the underside of the unistrut, into threaded inserts in the 2x4s. It would be a lot of knows, though, and would only be marginally easier to break down. It's still an interesting idea, though.

I also forgot to mention that the table and the sawhorses are not connected at all, and the sawhorses fold up. So it breaks down a little as it is. It's still awkward to store, though.

 

[Scott V]

BTW every time I read "Scooter" in your title I've wanted to share my own creations- how about a Scooter Cooler? So far I have made 6 of them for friends, with 2 going to my nephews' high school grad party raffle. They have become a big hit in my area.

 

[Modern Jess]

BTW every time I read "Scooter" in your title I've wanted to share my own creations- how about a Scooter Cooler? So far I have made 6 of them for friends, with 2 going to my nephews' high school grad party raffle. They have become a big hit in my area.

Excellent!

I must admit that I have in fact carried multiple cases of beer in the step-through of my Vespa. It's an important skill to have in the scooter world.

 

[lucky.expert]

I just found your thread, great read! The funny thing is, as I was reading about your wire rails you installed 'just because you might want to add a drop someday', i wondered to myself if you were a developer of some sort because of your modular approach to things. I saw in a later post I was pretty close!

 

[Modern Jess]

I just found your thread, great read! The funny thing is, as I was reading about your wire rails you installed 'just because you might want to add a drop someday', i wondered to myself if you were a developer of some sort because of your modular approach to things. I saw in a later post I was pretty close!

Heh. I'd like to think it was because I wanted a modular approach, but if I'm honest with myself, I would say that I did it that way because I can't commit to a final design / layout, or even really be bothered to attempt a layout that bears any resemblance to what the finished product will look like.

Then again, maybe that's why engineers prefer modular approaches.

 

[Strouty]

And here's the compound miter saw parked in front of that. It does make it awkward to get in and out of the closet, and I might get tired of that. But right now I'm really happy to have the miter saw out of the way:

Looking great, what if you took the fold up table and laid it on it's side against the back wall (behind the table saw), would that give you enough room to move the miter saw around the corner?

I have similar saws, and I don't have a specific space for them. I like your use of unistrut as well. How are the casters under the card files doing?

 

[Modern Jess]

Looking great, what if you took the fold up table and laid it on it's side against the back wall (behind the table saw), would that give you enough room to move the miter saw around the corner?

There's room for it right this minute, but eventually a 60 gallon compressor will go into that end of the closet. I only have rough dimensions for that (I haven't actually settled on one yet) so I'm kind of playing wait-and-see as to how much space I have left after that. I might be able to move the miter saw further to the right.

I like your use of unistrut as well. How are the casters under the card files doing?

So far so good, they're holding up well, with one exception: I think I bent one (or both) of the lock / unlock levers, when it was locked with the wheels not poking out the front. I think it snagged on one of the bolts. I had some trouble unlocking one of them, and I haven't investigated the damage yet.