Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT The **** Shack

[bdbecker]

...I welded a large nut centered over a hole drilled in the side of the receiver. Then threaded an appropriate sized bolt such that it can be tightened against the hitch, locking it in place, and removing any play. Not wanting to fetch a wrench every time I switched the hitch, simply weld a 3 or 4" piece of 1/4" rod to the bolt head. Quick twist of the wrist, and you're good to go.

Thank you for the kind words Will.

I really like that idea of having a handle on a tensioning bolt, I'll probably give that a shot. So far, the loose fit hasn't bothered me too much using the vise. I haven't really done much on the bench grinder yet, but that is where I'm most worried about the wobble.

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Wow that burner looks **** all finished. Im currently doing a rush job wood project for a christmas gift and I already wish it was steel instead...

Oh man, I feel your pain. This year was the first time I've been decently proactive and gave myself plenty of time to work on a project. Normally, my modus operandi involves a few late nights in the garage, box fans and heat guns cranked on high to get stain or paint to dry, and last minute runs to the hardware store.

Now that I'm typing this, I just had a wave of anxiety wash over me. I totally spaced off that I told Wife I'd make a coat hook for Stinker so she'd have a spot to hang her princess costume dresses. Guess I will need to make that last minute run to the hardware store after all...

 

[rixtrix1]

Cool stuff going on. I like how the firepit turned out. Have you considered getting some of the colored glass 'gravel' for firepits that you cover the burner with to disperse the gas, and thus flame, all over the pit? Like WillS said about the nuts and jam bolts, they are great for taking the slop out. You just have to position them so the top of your tool stays level with the table when tightened.

Our youngest son always used to find a box to wear over his head, so much so that his nickname was "boxman" for a few years! Your robot head turned out great, too!

 

[bdbecker]

I found some time to stain/seal the inside of the wood base last night. I also attached some metal nail-on feet to create a 1/2" gap at the base of the fire pit. This will allow fresh air to flow in from the bottom, as well prevent any propane pooling inside the box should there be a leak in the plumbing. This means the fire pit is now complete! Now I just need to come up with creative way to give it to her - I sure as heck am not going to wrestle it into the house.

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Cool stuff going on. I like how the firepit turned out. Have you considered getting some of the colored glass 'gravel' for firepits that you cover the burner with to disperse the gas, and thus flame, all over the pit?...

Yes, I will be covering the burner with lava rock. I'm already over the agreed upon gift budget, so fire glass at $150+ per cubic foot is not really an option. Lava rock is only $5 a cubic foot, so if I replace it down the road for something different, I'm not really out all that much.

Speaking of something different...
https://www.thegreenhead.com/2017/08/fire-pit-skull-logs.php

Not sure how Wife would react to that one, but the 20 year old metalhead in me is saying "Buy ten of them!"

...Our youngest son always used to find a box to wear over his head, so much so that his nickname was "boxman" for a few years! Your robot head turned out great, too!

Too funny! We had to take the robot head away from Stinker for a little while, it was becoming a bit of an issue.

 

[dwysywd]

Speaking of something different...
https://www.thegreenhead.com/2017/08/fire-pit-skull-logs.php

Not sure how Wife would react to that one, but the 20 year old metalhead in me is saying "Buy ten of them!"

If she is gonna freak over $150sqft, these bad boys were $50 ea! Damn I was so disappointed by the cost!

 

[bdbecker]

Lol... I'm the one who would freak about the cost of the glass, not Wife.

------

I smoked the Christmas turkey this morning - wish I could share it with all of you! Happy holidays everyone!

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[bdbecker]

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I got happy tears from Wife this morning - mission accomplished. I ended up just setting it up last night and lightning it before she woke up this morning. As soon as she went to get a cup of coffee she saw it out the window. She panicked for a split second when she saw fire, but figured it out pretty quickly. She had no idea this was what she was getting.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

 

[Finallygotit]

Great job! You know you did good when there are little tears of joy.


Congrats and Merry Christmas.

 

[XJSuperman]

Very nice!

 

[bdbecker]

MCGCA! (making chinese grinders chooch again!)

Waiting for Wife and Stinker to get home this afternoon, I decided to dig into my old angle grinder to try and figure out why it wasn't working. Backstory - this is the first angle grinder I ever purchased, bought it for $20 at a Theisens probably 15+ years ago. It was so cheap that even at $20 it came with a bunch of grinding wheels and sanding discs. I named it "Pork Chop" when I used it to chop my first motorcycle (pork - hog - harley... chop - cut).

Tore it down, wiped off the commutator, blew out the grinder dust.
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One brush looked good, but when I tried to pull the other, the plastic plug cracked. I'll have to assume the other brush is in good shape, but I guess when it dies this time, it'll be the last (third time tearing it apart). Tough words... I'll probably try to find a replacement.
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The issue ended up being a short at the connection lug. I found a few cracks in the cord casing causing so now it's got a 2' cord instead of a 6' one.
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Plugged her in and she worked, so I gave her a fresh paint job.
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[dwysywd]

That’s my kind of paint job. Wife always says why did you do that and I say, cause I can. Merica!


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[burger]

Nice job on the fire pit!

 

[bdbecker]

Picked up a new (to me) welder last night - a Millermatic 135. While it only has a slightly better duty rating and amperage output over my current Northern Tool welder, the big selling point was the availability of repair/service items. After looking it over last night, it is definitely a better built machine than the NT as well.

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The guy I bought it from said it came with a "a few extras". I'd say a 2/3 bottle of gas, two weld hoods, a new 10lb spool of .024 wire, another 7-8lbs of .030 wire loaded on the machine, a pile of contact tips, nozzles, lenses, and other items could be considered a bit more than "a few".

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The whole package cost me $300. It's a little bit of a bittersweet deal. The gentleman I bought it from is in stage three of Parkinson's and is selling off everything before moving into assisted living. He has an impressively positive outlook despite his situation. When I saw all the extras, I offered him more money but he turned it down. He just wanted to make sure his tools were going to be put to good use. I assured him it would and thanked him.

A good reminder to not take things for granted and to make the most of the days we have.

 

[Toothaker]

That's a real nice welder. It was very nice of you to offer more. I get how the seller wanted it to go to someone who was going to use it and appreciate it.

 

[Finallygotit]

Nice score but what a sad situation. I get it though. And I know the welder will be well taken care of and used if past history is any indication.

 

[XJSuperman]

Wow! Thats nearly identical to my welder deal in every way. 135 Miller, tank, hood, wire, etc, except the guy I bought mine from had been willed a bigger model when his friend passed away. I paid $400. You did fantastic there. I hope the gentleman makes the best of his condition.

 

[bdbecker]

Avoiding what I should really be working on (insulating the garage). Decided to make some retractable casters for the weld table. Details to follow once I finish...

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[burger]

Avoiding what I should really be working on (insulating the garage). Decided to make some retractable casters for the weld table. Details to follow once I finish...

Curious to see how you implement those. Looks like an interesting design. What are your temperatures like this time of year?

 

[tbecktold]

Thanks for the inspiration to break out of my own analysis paralysis! I'm working with a similar garage and was at that same standstill. I'll have to wait a year or two to work insulation/heat into the budget, but this thread has made me take several good long looks at what I can do with what I have for now!

 

[bdbecker]

I've debated about having casters on the weld table since it was built. On one hand, I like the ease of being able to roll a table around on wheels, but I don't like how, even when locked, casters always seem to slide and move around. After dragging the table around for the last year or so, I knew I needed casters, but I wanted them to be retractable. Commercially available kits are pretty pricey, so why not build my own? Walking by the scrap bin at work, I snagged some stem casters off a damaged cart. I picked up about $25 worth of schedule 40 pipe and hardware. 1" pipe fits nicely inside 1-1/4" pipe - not so tight that it will bind, not so loose that it slides at an angle.

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I then cut the 1-1/4" pipe into 8" long pieces, and the 1" pipe into 6.5" long pieces. I also cut some endcaps for the pipe using a hole saw and some scrap pieces of channel.

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Loving the new welder.

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After the endcaps were welded on (1-1/4" pipe got one endcap, the 1" pipe got two) I drilled holes and welded hex nuts on the ends. The 1-1/4" pipe got 3/4" nuts, the 1" pipe got some metric nuts on them (not exactly sure what they size is). You can kind of see how it works in this pic. Tighten the 3/4" bolt, it pushes down on the 1" tube, causing the caster to contact the ground. Loosen it, the caster slides up allowing the frame of the table to rest on the ground.

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I had some pieces of notched tube in inventory, so I cut off the ends for spacer/mount tubes. I needed clearance for the casters to swivel without hitting the frame.

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All tacked up.

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All welded up and installed. Its easy to raise and lower the casters using an impact or drill. Even using a socket wrench, lifting the table requires very little effort.

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The table still fits under the bench with about about a 1/2" to spare on each side.

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I need to cut the brakes off the rear set of casters because the foot pedals hit the workbench legs if the casters aren't oriented correctly. Its not the most elegant solution, but I'm really happy with how well this system works.

 

[bdbecker]

Curious to see how you implement those. Looks like an interesting design. What are your temperatures like this time of year?

Lol... temps aren't exactly the best these days. It was 3 degrees yesterday morning, but got up into the high teens the last few days. I can get the shack up to the mid-thirties using the kerosene heater, which is actually pretty workable as long as you dress appropriately. Wednesday the forecast is a high temp of -9. Yeah, you read that correctly, -9 degrees for a high - the windchill is supposed to be -40. That's not typical for this area.

------

Thanks for the inspiration to break out of my own analysis paralysis! I'm working with a similar garage and was at that same standstill. I'll have to wait a year or two to work insulation/heat into the budget, but this thread has made me take several good long looks at what I can do with what I have for now!

Glad to hear it! I'm looking forward to the day when I can walk into a fully insulated 50+ degree garage in the middle of winter, but that's also a few years off for me as well. As long as we're taking steps forward, its better than nothing!

 

[racingtadpole]

That caster solution is exactly what I need for my sheet metal machines. Nice work!

 

[bdbecker]

I also did a full write up on he firepit construction...

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7686406#post7686406

 

[burger]

-9° makes our 12° high on Thursday seem downright balmy!

Good execution on the retractable casters! That's a smart design.

 

[bdbecker]

That caster solution is exactly what I need for my sheet metal machines. Nice work!

Glad you like them! Feel free to copy/adapt/improve however you see fit.

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Good execution on the retractable casters! That's a smart design.

Thanks!

What doesn't show in that post is the absurd amount of time I spent thinking about how to implement this idea. Everything from boat trailer jacks with wheels, air cylinders, bottle jacks, RV leveling jacks, hinge mechanisms, ways to lock/unlock casters... it got to be a little exhausting laying in bed at night thinking how to raise and lower a stupid weld table while still being able to fit it under my bench.

Originally, I was going to make them out of square tube using plate casters - basically a miniature trailer jack. I also was planning on installing the nut for the large bolt onto the caster tube and running the bolt through a bushing on the housing tube. When I found those stem casters on the cart in the scrap bin, I knew I had t use them. I also couldn't get my hands on the right size square tubing without making a trip across town to the steel supplier, but realized I could use schedule 40 pipe after I referencing a dimension chart for a work project. Finally, I would have needed fairly long large bolts to get the travel needed, which would have cost more and required a special order from McMaster. Moving the nut to the outer body meant I could get away with shorter bolts that were much less expensive and readily available, and gave me a little more wiggle room for any misalignment.

One simple thing to make the whole assembly cleaner looking would be to weld the nuts to the endcaps first, and then weld the endcaps onto the tubes with the nuts on the inside. I realized this after I had already welded the endcaps on all the tubes, but wasn't going to cut everything apart to change it.

 

[burger]

What doesn't show in that post is the absurd amount of time I spent thinking about how to implement this idea.

Isn't that half the fun?

 

[bdbecker]

Between the cold and the snow, not a lot has been done on the Shack the last few weeks. The time hasn't been wasted though - I've knocked out a few house projects here and there. I also started doing some work on my den. This area is a spare bedroom in the basement. When we moved in, I basically setup some storage shelves for my stuff, the old futon, and my desk and called it good. Functional, but very much a college student/bachelor pad theme. Long term plan is to convert this into an area that is both functional, and aesthetically pleasing (cigar room meets hunting lodge type vibe).

The first "real" project for this room was converting an odd closet area in the corner into a bookshelf. (Actually the first real project was going through my clothes and getting rid of the stuff I no longer wear to free up this space.) Anyway, with all of my early to mid-2000's skateboarder inspired attire either in the rag bin or dropped off at the local Goodwill, I was able to tear out the old cobbled "closet system" and install some standards and shelves. Finally, I'm able to see all my books and have them readily available for reference. The other big improvement is that this is the first area you see when you walk into the room. Instead of a rack of outdated clothing, you now see a clean set of shelves.

Before:
View media item 90580
After:
View media item 90581
I purposely left the boards unfinished for now. My knee-jerk instinct was to stain them, but when I install the storage cabinets and shelves, they'll more than likely be painted to avoid that "sea of wood" log cabin vibe once the pallet board accent wall is installed (yes, all those pallet boards I stained a few months back are still piled up in the garage). Once everything is installed, it'll be easy enough to go back and make the decision to stain or paint the shelves to fit the surroundings.

Den updates will probably be infrequent in the future as getting the garage done is still my main focus, but figured I'd give you all a little update on what I've been doing during these bitter cold days (besides eating pistachios and watching Punisher on Netflix).

 

[dwysywd]

I’d say start a “man cave” update thread but I already know that it’s though to keep up with multiple threads. Plus it’s more fun to keep one long thread going. Or at least that seems to be the way on GJF. Anyhow, room looks great. Looking forward to seeing the progress. I love following the projects you take on and the practical problem solving you apply to find the solutions. Good reads!


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[bdbecker]

Thanks! Yeah, I always feel a little torn about whether or not to have a separate projects thread or not. It would keep things a little more clean and separate, but on the other hand, most of my favorite build threads are a mishmash of garage, house, car, odd projects, and life updates, so I guess I'll keep it as is for now. This little detour project in the den was just me trying to fight off cabin fever one afternoon when Stinker was taking a nap and Wife was out and about. I expect the updates to be infrequent for two reasons. First, the super cold temps are usually gone for the season once we hit March and I'll be able to get back out to the garage again. The second is that the space is fully functional as it currently sits, so if I'm going to do a non-garage project, this area is a pretty low priority.

 

[burger]

My vote is to keep everything together in one thread. The long thread format makes it easier to keep up with you guys. I don't post much, but I do read what you write!

 

[bdbecker]

Oh buddy, we're high tech now!

My Mom was cleaning up some stuff and asked if I wanted a digital TV converter box, the catch was that she had no idea where the remote was. I told her I'd take it for my garage TV and figured I'd be able to fumble my way through the setup process using the buttons on the front of the box. Turns out, you need the remote. I was not too keen on spending $20 on some crusty, used remote from eBay, so I started trying to find a universal remote that would work when I found a random article about re-purposing old smartphones. I soon learned that my old Samsung S5 actually had a built in IR remote feature. The irony is not lost on me controlling a 25 year old TV with a smartphone, but I'll be darned, it worked.

View media item 91040
View media item 91041
There's a local channel that always airs old Discovery/History channel shows that I really enjoy in the house, now I can enjoy it out in the garage. I also was able to setup a remote for my stereo, which I never had before. The thing that always cracks me up whenever I watch this channel is all the AARP commercials. I guess I'm an old soul after all.

 

[bdbecker]

Had a little time this afternoon to mess around in the garage, so I made a couple more clamps for the weld table. I modified a couple clamps awhile back and have since wanted to make a few more. I picked up a few more 6" clamps and a couple of 8" as well.

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Not a lot of in-process pics, but I'm really loving this new welder.

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Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

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[Finallygotit]

Not shabby at all.

 

[bdbecker]

Actual garage work? Ugh...

View media item 91108
On my way to the gun show this morning, I cracked the window because the weather was finally nice. My smile soon went away when I heard a grinding sound coming from my front end. When the temps would really drop down this winter, I would hear a clicking sound, but it would go away as soon as it go warm again. I think the front drivers side hub was the culprit. Might as well replace the passenger side as well... On the bright side, Wife got promoted at work and now has a company car, so tracking down a new set of hubs is not an emergency. Kind of nice having a third vehicle again.

 

[XJSuperman]

Damn, I was at the gun show as well, shoulda met up. We hit the swapmeet mostly, but Ive been gun shopping too, so we walked on over for awhile.

 

[bdbecker]

Eh, even if we had figured out a plan to meetup, I probably wouldn't have been much fun to hang out with anyway - that grinding noise really put a damper on my morning. I was planning on hitting the swap meet as well, but ended up just making a quick walk-through of the gun show and passing on the swap meet so I could get home and dig into the Jeep. I was really relieved to hear/feel a click in that hub bearing once I got it pulled off, so in a weird way, it all worked out in the end.

 

[JustinS]

I have hubs for the XK/WK chassis! I sold my XK before installing them.

 

[bdbecker]

Shoot... next time I go to do anything, I'll be sure to check with my Iowa GJ friends first! I just checked the return policy, RockAuto won't cover/refund shipping costs for returned items, so I'll probably just install them.

When I was pulling the wheels, I was reminded that I never replaced my lug nuts after I had one of the covers break off when doing the brakes last summer, so I added those to the order as well. My order got broken up into two shipments - the hubs are coming out of Syracuse, NY and the lug nuts are coming out of Baltimore, MD. As someone who used to work at a distribution center, it is kind of interesting watching the shipping updates on these two packages. The hubs have traveled nearly 1000 miles and are going to be on my doorstep by the end of the day. The lug nuts have only traveled 75 miles in the same amount of time and won't be delivered until Friday. Go figure.

 

[Craptain]

......., it is kind of interesting watching the shipping updates on these two packages. The hubs have traveled nearly 1000 miles and are going to be on my doorstep by the end of the day. The lug nuts have only traveled 75 miles in the same amount of time and won't be delivered until Friday. Go figure.

I order a lot of stuff online and see this all the time. I see it most of all with Amazon, where I don't have prime. I think they actually deliberately delay orders.


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[bdbecker]

Look what showed up on my doorstep this morning. My first ever Harry Epstein order!

View media item 91182
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When pulling the hubs the other day, I decided it was time to grow up and get a set of real pry bars. Most of my hand tools for home use are US made Craftsman. Luckily I was able to get most of what I needed before the downfall, but filling in the gaps with American made tools since then has been a bit of a chore given my budget (or lack thereof) and I've compromised a little here and there like when I got a set of torx drivers from HF. Anyway, a little shopping around online led me to Harry Epstein's website and Wilde pry bars. I always forget about HJE when shopping for tools. After this order, they will probably be the first place I look if I can't find what I need locally. As far as the Wilde pry bar price vs. build quality is concerned, I'm pretty astounded and am definitely happy with my choice.

 

[bdbecker]

Flu and taxes... man it's been tough to get out to the garage lately. Got knocked down with the flu a few weeks ago, and went back home last weekend to do taxes. I did sneak a few minutes hear and there to restore a hatchet I picked up from the ReStore for $5.

Here's the before:
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The handle was in good shape, but needed to be re-fitted. I think it had been replaced at some point by someone who wasn't exactly sure what they were doing. When I cleaned up the head, I found where this hatchet was made:
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Oh well, they can't all be Plumbs and Tru Tempers. It'll make a nice hatchet either way and it was good practice. Here's the finished pic with the handle sanded, stained, and re-fitted and the cleaned up and sharpened head:
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