Workshop 88

[Mr. 360]

Picked up a free Bosch 1380 Slim grinder yesterday. The body was wrapped in tape, so I unwrapped to expose the issue, the glass reinforced plastic frame had cracked through and allowed the back half of the casing to move a lot. Epoxied the daylights out of it and hopefully it holds now, will add this to the ever growing stable of grinders (this makes 4, one for wire wheel, one for cutoff, one for grinder, one for abrasive pad-wheel).

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Also worked on slicing up some free french doors to replace the aged flat panel doors in the house. Since nothing in there is square the door had to be cut off-square.

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The garage now, is an absolute mess. With the influx of a bunch of free tools (one of which being the grinder), I've more than run out of storage room, and have resorted to the tried and true 'pile' method, until I get some cupboards or even make temporary shelving.

 

[Manshoon]

Nice shop that you have going on here. I too bought my first house and still live here, but it was also built in the 1940's with about the same size garage, mine is 12x18.

It's funny that all the cars in the 40's are BIG and the garages they build for them are so dinky. It led up to me building another shop on the lot that was for a old Motor Home we bought, the new is 20x42 with 13' on the corners for the RV we sold.

I love all the ideas that come from you and everyone else on these boards, it's inspiring me to wire up the new shop sometime soon and add a few extras that I have found watching everyone's garage builds. 88 shop is a good number and name, Just ask Rick Hendrick or Dale Earnhardt Jr. lots of cool stuff goes on in them shops.

 

[Mr. 360]

Nice shop that you have going on here. I too bought my first house and still live here, but it was also built in the 1940's with about the same size garage, mine is 12x18.

It's funny that all the cars in the 40's are BIG and the garages they build for them are so dinky. It led up to me building another shop on the lot that was for a old Motor Home we bought, the new is 20x42 with 13' on the corners for the RV we sold.

I love all the ideas that come from you and everyone else on these boards, it's inspiring me to wire up the new shop sometime soon and add a few extras that I have found watching everyone's garage builds. 88 shop is a good number and name, Just ask Rick Hendrick or Dale Earnhardt Jr. lots of cool stuff goes on in them shops.

Thanks Manshoon, I agree on the garage size thing. I guess they still considered them more as "sheds" in the 40's, maybe the concept of putting your car in them didn't catch on until the 50's, no idea.

 

[STANIMAL]

Thanks Manshoon, I agree on the garage size thing. I guess they still considered them more as "sheds" in the 40's, maybe the concept of putting your car in them didn't catch on until the 50's, no idea.

Cars were fairly small until the late 40's .

 

[Mr. 360]

Picked up a few free tools and 'decor' items recently. Found this Makita circular saw in the scrap steel pile at the dump, someone had sliced through the cord and decided to toss it. I wired in a cord, works fine. Only damage is the back portion of the aluminum where the sawdust ejects is bent/cracked. Probably not enough to be a safety hazard.

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Also found 2 old steering wheels in the old car-pile on my family's farm. One off a 1950-ish Ford truck

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And one off a 1954 Chevy Bel-Air

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Neither were on the vehicle, just laying in the ground under leaves and moss. Some of the coolest vintage garages i've seen on here have a couple old steering wheels hanging somewhere, and while these aren't off an old Alfa, they should add some character when I find a spot for them.

Lastly, I picked up this never been used Craftsman rolling stand (adjusts to fit the entire line of craftsman bench-top tools). Still havent figured out if I can use it, but it's sturdy and well built.

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Might modify it to roll my table saw in and out from under the island, then fill the underside with storage space for blades, scraps, etc.

 

[dubber]

Love the old wheels, especially the black one. Always liked the idea of having one mounted on the wall.

 

[Mr. 360]

Love the old wheels, especially the black one. Always liked the idea of having one mounted on the wall.

Thanks Dubber. I'm partial to the old Ford wheel too, though it's in worse shape. I saw it recently at the local Il Fornello's restaurant where they had an old Lancia Fulvia wheel, thought it looked super cool. It adds a lot of character I find.

 

[double-z]

wow, you get some good free stuff.
good sketches too.
can't wait to see more.

 

[Mr. 360]

wow, you get some good free stuff.
good sketches too.
can't wait to see more.

Thanks! I currently seem to know a lot of people who are downsizing and moving, which leads to them trying to free up some space by shedding tools. Otherwise, I don't seem to have an issue pulling (good) stuff when people put it at the end of their driveway, or having a quick scavenge of the scrap steel pile at the back-woods dump near my family's farm.

 

[Jagmandave]

What do you consider vintage iron? Old cars or old bikes or? What do you consider vintage? 40's-60's or 80's and 90's?


Garage is coming along nicely!

Imagine how cool it would be to be in there on a snowy winter day, with a nice warm heater going and you working on your next project!

How close are you to the water? Couple blocks or a couple of miles? Are you close to the power station?

 

[Mr. 360]

What do you consider vintage iron? Old cars or old bikes or? What do you consider vintage? 40's-60's or 80's and 90's?


Garage is coming along nicely!

Imagine how cool it would be to be in there on a snowy winter day, with a nice warm heater going and you working on your next project!

How close are you to the water? Couple blocks or a couple of miles? Are you close to the power station?

Thanks! I'm looking forward to using it in all seasons, I think the new roof will really improve the user experience inside. I guess I consider vintage to be anything pre... mid 70's (since I'm only in my mid 20's, the 70's seem like ages ago). I have a few old Willys Jeep trucks from the 50's and 60's, and an old Wagoneer that I saved from the scrap pile. I guess this garage is partly dedicated to the preservation of older trucks, tools, etc. Things that society would rather we forget about and just keep buying new stuff.

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91 Grand Wagoneer, restored and fitted with a '72 grille for that 'vintage' look.

 

[dubber]

Love those old beasts. Well done on that puppy.

 

[HSpencer]

Thanks! I'm looking forward to using it in all seasons, I think the new roof will really improve the user experience inside. I guess I consider vintage to be anything pre... mid 70's (since I'm only in my mid 20's, the 70's seem like ages ago). I have a few old Willys Jeep trucks from the 50's and 60's, and an old Wagoneer that I saved from the scrap pile. I guess this garage is partly dedicated to the preservation of older trucks, tools, etc. Things that society would rather we forget about and just keep buying new stuff.

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91 Grand Wagoneer, restored and fitted with a '72 grille for that 'vintage' look.

Thank you for your interest in restoration of the really good stuff America used to produce. All my good stuff is pre-70s. I would always rather redo something that is well made than to buy **** that is mass produced in all parts of the world and sold for prices here that are insane. I am amazed we are not living knee deep in landfills even in our backyards!!

GOOD JOB!!!! Keep it up!!!

Best Regards
Herb Spencer

 

[Altstr]

Nice garage! I am a fan of the small ones. Seems a tool is always within reach. Although it does make it difficult to swing a 4x8 sheet of plywood around in there with a couple of MC's parked.

I really dig the 2x6 walls. Were those original? I would think up in Ont. you are going to want to insulate and pick up a propane or natural gas through wall heater or something. Not to mention, change the framing of the roof and you could support a nice second story space off that.

My garage is about the same size at 14'x20'. I got a free discarded furnace from an old mobile home. Small enough that it comes on once in a while to maintain 50 degrees F (Detroit winters) and costs me about $10/month on my bill.

I concur with others on the electrical. A 100 Amp/8 circuit sub panel feeds 220V for my compressor or arc welder but both are never really running at the same time.

Keep checking for freebies around town and you'll find donors for those cabinets in your drawing soon enough. Years ago at a rental place I made my first workbench from old pallets and even re-used the nails. Talk about a shoe string budget.

Good Luck Man!

 

[Mr. 360]

Thanks for the comments, some great ideas there!

The Wagoneer is definitely a 20ft job, since I bought it for $250 and it was seriously plagued with rust. Spent about 4 years and maybe a grand to get it to where it is now. It's a Tremclad paint job.

Love the idea of a mobile home heater, that's brilliant! This place is about the same size as one. The 2x6's will be great for insulation, and I honestly never even thought of adding a second story... Maybe someday when the budget allows, that'd be awesome!

I love all the support and creative ideas from people on this site, makes we want to go right out and build something.

 

[cwolfley]

just a quick note on your virago what year and size is it just curious apears to me a 84-85, 700-750? i used to have one fun bike. by the way great plans for your space.

 

[santagary]

All our buildings are roofed with steel Pro Panel and we love the sound also...especially in the upstairs bedroom, the barn and my garage. The snow slides nicely also. Nice work...your making me wish I was 25 again and had 1/2 of your vision and skills.. Thank you for this thread

 

[Mr. 360]

just a quick note on your virago what year and size is it just curious apears to me a 84-85, 700-750? i used to have one fun bike. by the way great plans for your space.

I'm not actually sure, as this was the previous owner's bike. It was gone when I moved in. Would have been nice to have hammered it out in the deal though

All our buildings are roofed with steel Pro Panel and we love the sound also...especially in the upstairs bedroom, the barn and my garage. The snow slides nicely also. Nice work...your making me wish I was 25 again and had 1/2 of your vision and skills.. Thank you for this thread

Thanks for the comment, glad you like it! Progress is as usual, pretty slow, but I try to keep relatively up to date here. I'm definitely looking forward to a steel roof.

 

[Mr. 360]

This was a real 'UGH' weekend for the workshop. Heavy rains a few days back caused a loooot of leaking through my not quite sealed roof, and what did run off onto the ground came back in between the floor and the wall, since the pad sits below grade

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It looks messier than it is, since I was trying to scramble and pull things out of the water. Wouldn't you know a bag of brand new mortar mix was sitting right in the middle of the puddle. A few boxes of tools, and personal belongings that hadn't been unpacked from the move got all wet.

This has seriously pushed up the need to re-roof this place. Will be doing that hopefully this month if I can manage the time. Now planning on steel roof, eaves trough's to a rain barrel for plants, and a drainage tench along the sides of the structure, like the following diagram

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On a side note, to bring a little cheer back to the rather soggy building, I set up my old desktop computer, home to all episodes of Top Gear. This lightened the mood a bit while cleaning items off the water soaked floor.

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View media item 31543"Tonight! Richard Hammond suffers trial by fire." - Amphibious Car Challenge

Note, 5 days later, the floor is still drying out.

 

[PCO6]

Your garage is coming along great - keep up the good work.

I love your sketches and your Wagoneer.

 

[VWPORSCHEGT3]

Oh, well, 1988 was the year I was born,

GET A JOB YOU YOUNG PUNK!!! lol... your the same age as my little sister... little sister who towers above me....

 

[Mr. 360]

Started trenching yesterday, since the forecast is calling for yet more rain and I can't bear to watch the garage flood out again... it's not even dry yet. I figure this should be a good setup, it's about a foot wide and a foot deep, and if I install an eaves trough, the runoff down here shouldn't be as torrential as it currently is. Hope to get this lengthened out to the ends of the building soon, plus the runoff out the front.

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You may note the rot at the bottom of the door frame. Replacing this is also on the "to do" list. Something tells me this area got wet very often, luckily I'm saved for the most part due to the relatively young age of the building.

 

[Mr. 360]

Your garage is coming along great - keep up the good work.

I love your sketches and your Wagoneer.

GET A JOB YOU YOUNG PUNK!!! lol... your the same age as my little sister... little sister who towers above me....

Thanks for the comments, guys. Glad you like the place.

 

[Mr. 360]

Picked up a couple cool things recently. I nabbed a clearance Ryobi grinder (identical to my other Ryobi) from Home Depot. It was their display model so never used, but it's missing the clamp nut.

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Also picked up this cool free WW2 piece, it's a heavy steel chair with the words "SEPT 1941 MORSE. DEPT." on the bottom, along with makers mark and signatures from during the war (they appear dated, either inspections or the user's signature). I don't really know much about it, if anyone has Info I'd be more than happy to find out about it. This piece came from an older family friend who recently moved and had to downsize. This was tucked in a dank corner of the cellar, and they didn't recall where it came from.

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Now I have seating, which is nice, although this one is pretty short. I have lots of angle stock though, I may make leg extensions at some point that it will sit on (not welding to it or anything, don't want to destroy a piece of history). the chair looks like it had casters, so I may be able to slot into those anchors on the bottoms of the feet.

 

[Mr. 360]

With the place finally drying out, I decided that it was time to get things off the floor and into some kind of elevated storage. My decision was to build a quick and dirty shelving unit in the front corner of the garage, which was really untouched since I threw stuff there when moving in.

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I hadn't shown a pic of this end of the garage yet due to it's lack of cleanliness, but I can now that I've fixed it. I gutted the long black bar with extension cords and duffle bag on it, the bin on the floor, and a pile of other useless stuff. Much of it was purged and thrown out (much to the delight of my wife), and some of it was moved to the shed.

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Most of the material I had on hand, the PO left the plywood shelf things in the rafters, so I just screwed them to the wall along the back, added a leg, and supported the other corner with a cleat underneath (not shown in picture).

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I realize this shelving unit sits where I plan to put the 30-ton press, but for now the quick and dirty shelving holds a ton of stuff and keeps it off the floor in a dry part of the garage. The bags and garbage in the left side of the above pic need to go, and that box still has unsorted moving stuff. The other side has a bunch of stuff i'm putting out at the curb for free. Panel doors, some old shelf thing, garden shears and snips from the PO, paint tray, lamp etc etc. Gonna pitch a bunch of stuff from the rafters too to help clean this place out so I can start fresh on it.

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[softailgarage]

Perfect size "beginner" shop, I think your really gonna enjoy making it your own. Good sketch artist too, where did ya pick that up?

 

[istephen]

Re: Workshop 88 = Workshop "Love and Kisses"

Nice garage.
Fantastic sketches. I too thought to myself, "Wish I could draw like that."

88?
Nothing wrong with that. It's "Love and Kisses" in the ham radio world.
ref: (http://www.civilwarsignals.org/pages/tele/wurules1866/92code.html)


73!

 

[micro2112]

I love this thread. Such impressive renderings and use of space.. motivating me to start drawing up my own plans.

 

[pals444]

Nice garage! I like small garages that triggers the ingenuity of the owner. Great ideas for storage and workspaces have been hatched by owners of such garages. And You are well on Your way I can see. This will be good! Looking forward to updates.

Good luck on Your water problem. I have been there too. It ***** when water enters spaces it's not supposed to be.
I see You are an Inventor user as well (so am I). I could tell by Your drawings that you are familiar with 3d-work. Looking good

 

[muddy tires]

Mr. 360 - I hope that all this flooding we've been having here in Toronto has bypassed your shop ...

 

[Mr. 360]

Perfect size "beginner" shop, I think your really gonna enjoy making it your own. Good sketch artist too, where did ya pick that up?

Thanks! I love it so far. I'm an Industrial Designer so sketching is sort f the basis for what i do every day. I spend a good portion of the day sketching out ideas. It just takes practice, lots of practice

Nice garage.
Fantastic sketches. I too thought to myself, "Wish I could draw like that."

88?
Nothing wrong with that. It's "Love and Kisses" in the ham radio world.
ref: (http://www.civilwarsignals.org/pages/tele/wurules1866/92code.html)

Haha, never knew that, Thanks for the comment. Great support and ideas on this site, always makes me feel more ambitious.

73!

I love this thread. Such impressive renderings and use of space.. motivating me to start drawing up my own plans.

Drawing plans are a lot of fun! I always start with a top down view, laying it out on graph paper helps with scale too. I dont know how many sketches I've done of this place trying to hash out my ideas.

Nice garage! I like small garages that triggers the ingenuity of the owner. Great ideas for storage and workspaces have been hatched by owners of such garages. And You are well on Your way I can see. This will be good! Looking forward to updates.

Good luck on Your water problem. I have been there too. It ***** when water enters spaces it's not supposed to be.
I see You are an Inventor user as well (so am I). I could tell by Your drawings that you are familiar with 3d-work. Looking good

I agree, my family has a farm so I never really worried about space, now in tight quarters I have to be pretty mindful of all the nooks and cranny's that can become a functional part of the garage. I'll try to update as often as I work on something.

Hope to have the water leakage solved in a few weeks. New roof and drainage will help immensely. It's been a super wet summer up here in the Toronto area, we've had lots of flooding. I use inventor all the time, good program.

 

[Mr. 360]

Mr. 360 - I hope that all this flooding we've been having here in Toronto has bypassed your shop ...

I didnt bear the brunt of it like some parts downtown, i really feel for those folks. I only had about a half inch of water over 3/4 of the floor, and the roof leaked on some boxes and my old lathe. didnt lose too much, just a nuisance getting it all dry. Thanks for the comment though, I hope to beat the leaks with a new roof and drainage trench.

 

[muddy tires]

I didnt bear the brunt of it like some parts downtown, i really feel for those folks. I only had about a half inch of water over 3/4 of the floor, and the roof leaked on some boxes and my old lathe. didnt loose too much, just a nuisance getting it all dry. Thanks for the comment though, I hope to beat the leaks with a new roof and drainage trench.

Glad to hear. Our house is high ground so we were OK. My neighbour across the street lives in a low spot and water in his basement was waist deep. His boat and trailer were floating at the end of his driveway! Sad situation, but the boat and trailer was funny.

 

[Mr. 360]

Glad to hear. Our house is high ground so we were OK. My neighbour across the street lives in a low spot and water in his basement was waist deep. His boat and trailer were floating at the end of his driveway! Sad situation, but the boat and trailer was funny.

Thats a shame for your neighbour, water can be such a nuisance. I'm hoping that with a good solid roof, eaves troughs (to rain barrels), and a french-drain style drainage trench around the place I'll be good.

 

[Mr. 360]

Haven't posted in a while, but I did manage to get a bunch of junk out of the garage just in time for an influx of free tools, hardware, and other cool stuff from the same gentleman I got the WW2 chair from. It's mostly in boxes now, I still have to sort through it all.

View media item 31905A dozen or so boxes full of old tools, hardware, and memorobilia. A few chairs, lots of saws, sawhorses, the list continues.

View media item 31906Selection of power tools, some old craftsman crown top stuff, porter cable, makita, teco, etc. A bunch of hatchets and heads on the left (5 in total). should be able to re-hang those on some new helves, older axes hold their edge longer, better metal-work.

View media item 31908View media item 31909Some various big tools like shovels, saws, etc. Lots of boxes of nails and screws, I should be sorted for years.

View media item 31910Also got this cool 60's record console, works perfectly. It's in the house now, all cleaned up and sporting a new needle.

Since I have yet to go through most of this stuff, I haven't really taken many pics. I'm sure I'll showcase some of the coolest stuff somewhere. I do however, need to get on building cupboards pronto. Need to find good, preferably free, plywood now.

Also, I have the trenching nearing completion, just need to get to the end of the building and then dig a smaller trench for the runoff pipe.

View media item 31907That wheelbarrow was free too.

Lastly, I placed an order at a local metal roofing manufacturer (buy direct, it's cheaper) for galvanized steel roofing, and pick it up tomorrow. The next few weeks should see me with a new roof, eaves trough, and drainage trench.

 

[gipraw]

Nice project. Good luck getting the water under control. It can be a pain to deal with although your plan sounds like a good one.

If you keep getting all those free tools, you are going to need a bigger place.

 

[HSpencer]

Everything your doing is looking great. Thank you for caring about that 60's record player and console. Furniture like that is priceless in my opinion. I am so impressed with the condition of it, and more impressed with your desire to have such a fine piece in your home.
LOL----screw the IPODS, IPOTS, and IPANS!!!!!!! (This piece of rant and wisdom coming from a 68 year old guy).. YOU have a real treasure there!!! Put on some Benny Goodman and we will enjoy it with a couple cold beers!!!!

Best Regards
Herb Spencer

 

[Mr. 360]

Nice project. Good luck getting the water under control. It can be a pain to deal with although your plan sounds like a good one.

If you keep getting all those free tools, you are going to need a bigger place.

Funny you should mention, I ordered enough roofing to add a 2' roof extension off the back of the garage, since it currently has a 1" eaves. some old patio stones on the ground should make a small nook out the back for storage of tires, saw-horses, etc. Also have plans to build similar lean to roofs on 2 sides of the shed.

Everything your doing is looking great. Thank you for caring about that 60's record player and console. Furniture like that is priceless in my opinion. I am so impressed with the condition of it, and more impressed with your desire to have such a fine piece in your home.
LOL----screw the IPODS, IPOTS, and IPANS!!!!!!! (This piece of rant and wisdom coming from a 68 year old guy).. YOU have a real treasure there!!! Put on some Benny Goodman and we will enjoy it with a couple cold beers!!!!

Best Regards
Herb Spencer

Thanks Herb, as always, I love vintage stuff. This unit was just too nice to say no to. The owner kept all the manuals, bills, even the store-ad tags! It looks almost never used. currently I resurrected my dad's old classic rock vinyl, so I've had some Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Gordon Lightfoot, etc going. This unit has a 6-record auto changer, and plays 16,33,45, and 78's. Only had it for a few days but loving it so far, such a mechanical aspect to music, almost makes listening an event! Thanks for the comments, I'm sure you'll always see something good from before I was born in my workshop

 

[Mr. 360]

Major errands happened this weekend, as my Dad loaned me his Jeep TJ and 14’ Trailer for a few days. My wife and I started by making a run to Havelock to pick up the roofing I ordered direct from the manufacturer (Havelock Steel Products). I must say I am very pleased with the finish of the roofing, and I saved some money buying direct. As noted earlier, the back portion of my roof has almost no eaves, so I am extending it out a bit to add some covered storage at the back between the wall and fence. This will be for items like tires, saw-horses, skids, etc.

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Also carted some free Lumber I picked up from the warehouse at work, from some crates I took apart (all dimensional lumber, and allows me to do the construction part of the roofing for free). Lastly, I carted in a yard of Granular A gravel and ½ a yard of 1” round stone for the drainage trench (seen under my quickly made “Gravel shanty,” created by stapling lumber tarps to the deck and fence).

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To understand what I’ve been on about in this whole roofing thing, here’s a couple shots of my current roofing.

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Most of one layer is gone, and the shingles are basically turning to soil right on the roof. They resemble Tostito chips in their appearance, and a few fly off every time we have a windy storm. There are areas of exposed plywood, over and above the 34 places I patched about a month back. With the Civic Holiday weekend in a few days, I hope to wrap up at least the roofing and trench by then. The eaves trough I will do as soon as I get time.

 

[HSpencer]

It's hard to believe the previous owner would let a roof go that far down. Roofing that would not be that big a deal. I am shocked the PO did not have to roof that before he sold it to you. Your work is continuing to be excellent in your shop. The metal roof should tidy things up nicely!!

Best Regards
Herb Spencer