Workshop 88

[Charlie Tango]

Hello Eric ,
Put a Fat gutter we call it where I come from I think you call it EAVES TROUGH you will really dry her out along your walk and side door entrance and stop the splatter along the sill keep mud off feet also . Im sure you plan on it but why wait ; dry and tight .
Great stuff enjoy pics ,
Regards ,
Don

 

[Mr. 360]

Hello Eric ,
Put a Fat gutter we call it where I come from I think you call it EAVES TROUGH you will really dry her out along your walk and side door entrance and stop the splatter along the sill keep mud off feet also . Im sure you plan on it but why wait ; dry and tight .
Great stuff enjoy pics ,
Regards ,
Don

Hey Don, thanks for the comment, welcome to GJ! I do have a bunch of eaves troughs (gutters) stored out behind the garage, nice wide galvanized ones. Funny, I had intended on getting them up a while ago but it's just one of those things that has a mind of its own I guess. I have a rain barrel too for collecting the runoff when I get around to it. For now the splatter is pretty minimal cuz of the rocks along the base, but I still get some dirt on the building in heavy rains, an eaves would fix that for sure.

 

[STANIMAL]

looking good !

 

[Mr. 360]

looking good !

Thanks Stanimal!

 

[Mr. 360]

No real work to the garage itself recently, been working on my snowblower project.

View media item 35227
The nice thing is, the garage is nice and serviceable, and pretty warm too. I did recently start stapling the bubble wrap in the rafters (not code, I know) to cut down on some of the heat loss. done abt 1/4 of the garage so far, it goes pretty quick.

View media item 35229

 

[tornadocaster]

You obviously don't have OCD... I wouldn't be able to stop popping the bubble wrap.
Great work so far. I'm watching the snoblower thread also since I have to rebuild mine soon.
Cheers!
Gio

 

[Mr. 360]

You obviously don't have OCD... I wouldn't be able to stop popping the bubble wrap.
Great work so far. I'm watching the snoblower thread also since I have to rebuild mine soon.
Cheers!
Gio

Thanks for watching! I'm not really doing a rebuild on the engine by any means (I checked inside the cylinder and it looks like very little scoring, good compression too, so I'm leaving well enough alone). I am giving the body a good go over, and some tune up stuff. Hope it helps.

I can be OCD about some things, fortunately I was able to put the desire to pop aside and concentrated on the heat retention.

 

[michel]

I did recently start stapling the bubble wrap in the rafters (not code, I know) to cut down on some of the heat loss.

Hahaha just hope Mike Holmes doesnt know about it....he'll make a fit.

Joke aside, nice job on the garage.

 

[Mr. 360]

Hahaha just hope Mike Holmes doesnt know about it....he'll make a fit.

Joke aside, nice job on the garage.

Haha, pretty sure a good portion of this entire site would make Mike Holmes' skin crawl, but nobody could deny that some pretty impressive stuff comes out of these shops.

Thanks for the comment!

 

[Verdigrie]

Great work so far, your ingenuity utilising the space you have and your ability to get free stuff are both really impressive.

Did the bubble wrapped roof make much of a difference? I have a whole roll just sitting there and would love to do anything to reduce the heat loss through the roof.

Fellow ID here too

 

[Mr. 360]

Great work so far, your ingenuity utilising the space you have and your ability to get free stuff are both really impressive.

Did the bubble wrapped roof make much of a difference? I have a whole roll just sitting there and would love to do anything to reduce the heat loss through the roof.

Fellow ID here too

Hey thanks for the comment! Not a ton of ID guys on here. I haven't actually finished the bubble wrap roof yet, probably about 1/4 done. I did search google for the R value of bubble wrap, seems to be about 2 or so, which isn't much but it's better than just plywood and steel. I'll update my findings when I get it finished.

 

[Mr. 360]

Man, winter's arrival really gets ya busy. I've been working a lot lately on house projects and that old snowblower, so I haven't had much time to work on the garage itself.

On the weekend I did get a few moments to get my welding area kinda re-organized and set up so now I can actually weld stuff, which is handy.

View media item 35680View media item 35681View media item 35682
I temporarily hung the leftover beadboard from my house project from the rafters, though once I can figure out where to use it, or sell it, it will be gone. It is kind of an eyesore right now. I'd like to build a small wall mounted lumber rack for my extra 2x material that's on the floor so I can get the cars in the switch to snow tires. Maybe one evening this week I'll pound that out.

View media item 35683

 

[1/2 Cup]

I love your use of space, I have a similar issue and have started hanging stuff from the ceiling.

 

[runt262]

Good idea to use both sides of the joist. I've got plywood on the top joists that I will soon need, with 2x's on top. Dreading having to take everything down.

 

[Mr. 360]

I love your use of space, I have a similar issue and have started hanging stuff from the ceiling.

Good idea to use both sides of the joist. I've got plywood on the top joists that I will soon need, with 2x's on top. Dreading having to take everything down.

Thanks guys, I don't mind it temporarily, though I do at some point plan on reworking my lighting which would make this setup impossible. It holds it for now though without having to juggle things into the top. I got the idea from the PO who had hung some old closet doors and a ladder from the rafters that way.

 

[xtremek]

From what I remember you're heating this so you can work in the winter. I think our budgets about on par with each other. I covered the under side of my trusses with 5mil clear plastic. Without it, my kerosene torpedo would get it sweat shirt/ hoodie comfortable, but I'd have to keep it running or it would turn cold immediately. With it up, I had to turn it off after about 1 an hour of running and then cycle it every 15 minutes to stay t-shirt comfortable. I left a large area clear of the plastic and used some 2' sub-flooring squares that sit on top of the rafters so that I can still get into the rafters to get at the big/long lumber I have stored up there. I can feel a huge difference in the temps when I have to get in the rafters. Not the best, but the price was right and it was fairly quick and easy. Just an idea.

 

[Mr. 360]

That's a good idea, I'm hoping that my heavy bubble wrap will sorta do the same thing. At some point when I get some time I will have to try and get the rest stapled up. I did mount it so the bubbles face the plywood, which leaves a 1/2" air gap out to the flat side. Im hoping this adds a bit more r-value than putting the flat side against the plywood.

 

[Cudajas]

Man, winter's arrival really gets ya busy. I've been working a lot lately on house projects and that old snowblower, so I haven't had much time to work on the garage itself.

On the weekend I did get a few moments to get my welding area kinda re-organized and set up so now I can actually weld stuff, which is handy.

View media item 35680View media item 35681View media item 35682
I temporarily hung the leftover beadboard from my house project from the rafters, though once I can figure out where to use it, or sell it, it will be gone. It is kind of an eyesore right now. I'd like to build a small wall mounted lumber rack for my extra 2x material that's on the floor so I can get the cars in the switch to snow tires. Maybe one evening this week I'll pound that out.

View media item 35683

Looks good!

How do you like the Master Craft mig welder? Is it worth getting for auto related items?

Keep up the good work!

Jason

 

[Mr. 360]

Looks good!

How do you like the Master Craft mig welder? Is it worth getting for auto related items?

Keep up the good work!

Jason

Thanks Jason, I do like it for lighter stuff. Its max thickness is 1/4" steel, so most auto stuff is doable with it. I lucked out at Canadian Tire when I bought it, it was the last one and they gave me 75% off to get rid of it. The next day they had a brand new shipment of the exact same model in, go figure. If it hadn't have been on sale, I may have gone with a lincoln or something.

I'm a novice welder, but I did use it for all the welding when I restored my Wagoneer. It's good to learn on, cheap to run, and pretty portable.

 

[Mr. 360]

I had an old 1/4HP electric motor kicking around that belonged to my great grandfather. It had sat in my parents basement ever since I could remember, so I was happy to be able to bring it back home.

It was pretty stiff to rotate at first, but I oiled it up, took the pulley off, and pulled it apart to get at everything for a cleaning. I pulled the housing off the end and slid the 'core' out, cleaning off a bit of old crusty grease and dust. The bushings are in good shape so i cleaned them up and oiled them, and slid the unit back together.

View media item 35865View media item 35866
I have been told that this once powered his old wood lathe, but he gave the lathe away before I was born. so, what to do?

Do this, of course:

View media item 35868
I found this Hobby Craft lathe online for a good price, and went to pick it up. The funny thing is, when I told the seller I was thinking about giving it a bit of a refurb, he said "there's a great site called the Garage Journal with lots of info on that kind of thing." Dang, he beat me to it, haha. Turns out we're both members so I introduced myself as Mr.360 of Workshop 88, small world.

I haven't really bitten into it yet, I actually haven't even measured the swing or the length of the unit. the headstock moves freely, and I gave it a good oiling. I will give it a once over for the time being and clean/oil anything rusty, I'm pretty eager to use it. It sports 4 pulleys on the spindle and my motor has 3 pulley sizes, so my basic math tells me that this equates to 12 different speeds? I know the rpm rating for the motor so I should be able to measure each pulley diameter with my verniers and calculate the driven rpm.

View media item 35869
I can find almost nothing on the 'Hobby Craft' line of tools, other than what the sticker says (by Ashman Industries). It's made in Ontario, and looks surprisingly similar to the Henry Craftmaster lathes of similar vintage. Rough estimate of the production date would be about 1945, just given the casting.

View media item 35870
Anybody know anything about Hobby Craft?

 

[bj383ss]

Nice Wood Lathe! Love your shop.

Bret

 

[1/2 Cup]

Eric, not sure about Hobby craft, but it looks the goods and well worthwhile restoring.
How does the motor start and run? It looks like one of the windings has been over heated, you may want to get it checked out.

 

[Mr. 360]

Nice Wood Lathe! Love your shop.

Bret

Thanks! I'm a fan of the lathe too. I think it should clean up nice and have lots of years in it.

Eric, not sure about Hobby craft, but it looks the goods and well worthwhile restoring.
How does the motor start and run? It looks like one of the windings has been over heated, you may want to get it checked out.

Good eye on the winding, I wasn't sure of it's health at first but it turns out that's all old dust mixed with grease/oil. It mostly cleaned off with a bit of wd40 and a cloth. It actually runs pretty quietly and has that characteristic old motor 'hummmmmmmmmmmm' to it. I was surprised how smooth and quiet it actually is. I think 1/4HP will do for now, but eventually I will probably have to swap out for more oomph. Luckily I can gear this thing down on the pulleys.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Great, I would not throw it away as it matches the era of the lathe.
You could have the stator cleaned, re dipped and baked again or at worst rewound.

 

[DBM]

Hey Eric, you're right that motor looks great with the lathe. I'm happy the lathe has gone to a good home (garage), I'm sure it will be looking great in no time.
Dan

 

[Red Leader]

Nice little lathe you've got there.

There are no entries on the OWWM Vintage Machinery index regarding that manufacturer. You have the only one I've seen.

It's design seems consistent with other mid to late 1930s lathes I've seen, if I was to hazard a guess on the date. Of course, many of those castings stayed the same for years, so it could just as easily be from the 1950s, but the design seems reminiscent of the 30s.

Back in the day, during the start of the 'hobbyist' woodworker period (mainly 1930s-1940s), there were a lot of small start up companies that offered relatively cheap and low cost tools in advertisements in papers and magazines. You see the same kind of thing now, just different 'stuff'. I'm hesitant to call these companies 'fly-by-night', but most of them didn't stay around very long.

Most of these machines were very simply in nature - simple castings, bronze/babbitt bearings, etc.

However, despite these tools being 'cheap' for their day, it is a testament to the way tools were built that this lathe is still around and likely just as serviceable as the day it was made.

This is all just a guess and it is in no way demeaning or looking down on these tools. Heck, one of my favorites is a cheap little Dunlap lathe from back in the 1930s for its simplistic art deco beauty:

 

[58|VAUXHALL|VICTORIOUS]

These sketches are great - more...

 

[Mr. 360]

Great, I would not throw it away as it matches the era of the lathe.
You could have the stator cleaned, re dipped and baked again or at worst rewound.

Hey, never thought of that. Might test this unit out for a bit to get the feel of it, see if it needs any TLC like you mentioned.

Hey Eric, you're right that motor looks great with the lathe. I'm happy the lathe has gone to a good home (garage), I'm sure it will be looking great in no time.
Dan

Thanks Dan, nice to meet another GJ member in person! Can't wait to get it all spruced up and start makin' chips!

Nice little lathe you've got there.

There are no entries on the OWWM Vintage Machinery index regarding that manufacturer. You have the only one I've seen.

It's design seems consistent with other mid to late 1930s lathes I've seen, if I was to hazard a guess on the date. Of course, many of those castings stayed the same for years, so it could just as easily be from the 1950s, but the design seems reminiscent of the 30s.

Back in the day, during the start of the 'hobbyist' woodworker period (mainly 1930s-1940s), there were a lot of small start up companies that offered relatively cheap and low cost tools in advertisements in papers and magazines. You see the same kind of thing now, just different 'stuff'. I'm hesitant to call these companies 'fly-by-night', but most of them didn't stay around very long.

Most of these machines were very simply in nature - simple castings, bronze/babbitt bearings, etc.

However, despite these tools being 'cheap' for their day, it is a testament to the way tools were built that this lathe is still around and likely just as serviceable as the day it was made.

This is all just a guess and it is in no way demeaning or looking down on these tools. Heck, one of my favorites is a cheap little Dunlap lathe from back in the 1930s for its simplistic art deco beauty:

Wow, nice detailed response there RL! I have heard before that since there were many companies back then producing lathes (for wood and metal) that companies really had to produce a good product to be taken seriously, so even the small hobby lathes that were sold for $4.50 back then (about $65 now) were fairly reliable products. The nice thing is that since the method of turning wood is essentially the same, you can pick up an older unit for a good price and be even better than a new one.

I would agree with you on some elements of the styling. the 50's tended to get more extravagent in their castings, while the 30's and 40's - at least for small lathes - tended to have a few crisp lines, like around the headstock on mine.

One of the things I like to look for in old tools is local tools, made right here in Ontario. I suppose it's mainly because I find it feels better using an old local tool rather than something produced half way around the world. Most of my favourite tools are produced either north or south of the 49th.

These sketches are great - more...

Thanks Vaux! I'll have to sketch up a plan for a lathe stand for this Hobby Craft, get it up on here.

 

[Mr. 360]

Got a free Cabinet from my folks, they didn't need it anymore. Subtle hints of my childhood seen in the perfectly round dartboard I drew on it as a kid.

View media item 35988
This should help keep things more organized until I get some more cupboards built around the walls, then I'll move this cabinet to the shed.

The garage is due for a really good cleanup now, but I'm busy working on a project so it'll have to be a little at a time.

 

[BellyUpFish]

You need to take a picture of the current setup of the shop.. I'm digging it..

 

[bigjmcconnell]

I'm normally more of a lurker but felt compelled to post in your thread. I like your ideas, appreciation for old tools and use of space. My first garage was a 20x20 and I did more than I ever imagined possible including starting my business there. Like you, I went through several iterations using more farmer inginuity than money.

The downside to your great storage...when/if you move you'll find out how much stuff you really have!

Great content here, keep up the fine work.

 

[Mr. 360]

You need to take a picture of the current setup of the shop.. I'm digging it..

Thanks, I'll try to get a full on snap soon, but I currently have a project taking up some space (Christmas sensitive), and in hopes of not accidentally ruining the surprise I'll have to wait until it's out and I can get the place cleaned up a bit.

I'm normally more of a lurker but felt compelled to post in your thread. I like your ideas, appreciation for old tools and use of space. My first garage was a 20x20 and I did more than I ever imagined possible including starting my business there. Like you, I went through several iterations using more farmer inginuity than money.

The downside to your great storage...when/if you move you'll find out how much stuff you really have!

Great content here, keep up the fine work.

Thanks for the nice comment. I'm definitely no stranger to moving a lot of stuff, but you're right, when I go to move someday there will be a lot to take along (too bad I can't pack up my 60Amp service to take along). I really dig old tools too. As an Industrial Designer, something about them just resonates with me. I'm not exactly sure if it's the styling, the quality of the workmanship, or simply how nice they feel to use, but I do typically prefer older tools over new tools.

 

[Val_C]

Very nice garage, and excellent work of doing the best with the space available. I see you've collected a lot of older furniture, stands etc. They're looking fine just as they are, but I wanted to ask, would you consider at some point to repaint them to keep the same color scheme (if they don't have any sentimental value for you in the form they are)?

I definitely can understand the charm of well used thing, but I hate exposed rust, so when I get something in bad shape, I re-paint. But it always a question for me (besides effort spent) - should I do it or just leave it as it is.

 

[Mr. 360]

Very nice garage, and excellent work of doing the best with the space available. I see you've collected a lot of older furniture, stands etc. They're looking fine just as they are, but I wanted to ask, would you consider at some point to repaint them to keep the same color scheme (if they don't have any sentimental value for you in the form they are)?

I definitely can understand the charm of well used thing, but I hate exposed rust, so when I get something in bad shape, I re-paint. But it always a question for me (besides effort spent) - should I do it or just leave it as it is.

Thanks for the comment! That's a good question, and for the most part, I do plan on repainting things to tie them together. I think a while back I mentioned taking inspiration from the Best Made Co's Shop in NY, so a lot of my pieces will get cleaned up, and receive a nice dark grey colour, and hopefully I can make some nice butcher block tops for my tables to go with. I have a sawmill at my parents farm and use it for some custom lumber cutting, and I have saved a few big lengths of sugar maple, cherry, and white ash, so I should be able to make what I need.

I might leave a few pieces as is, for instance that little orange cabinet. I found it at a dump in the steel pile, and brought it home, but I just love the patina too much right now to sand it down and repaint it.

I like refinishing an old tool or piece of furniture too, though usually they get pressed into service as is until the day when I get enough time to give them some attention. It'll happen slowly, but that's the plan for my shop.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Eric, better haul home ALL those old car parts. Take photos and sell it over on the H.A.M.B. forum. They want it all so you can turn it into shop and tool money!

 

[Cudajas]

Eric, better haul home ALL those old car parts. Take photos and sell it over on the H.A.M.B. forum. They want it all so you can turn it into shop and tool money!

wait what...old car parts...I missed that...I LOVE old car parts!!??!?!?!??

 

[Mr. 360]

Eric, better haul home ALL those old car parts. Take photos and sell it over on the H.A.M.B. forum. They want it all so you can turn it into shop and tool money!

you know, I considered that for some of the stuff actually. I have hauled out a few cool pieces so they didnt keep rusting away, the trunk lid off a studebaker (52 starliner i think), hood and driver door off a 52 pontiac chieftan, steel dash out of a 52 plymouth cambridge, etc etc. The parts are rough, but then i've seen some guys on here make amazing stuff out of worse.

I, btw, am keeping the tailgate from the 48 ford pickup (no pics right now). that piece was left in the barn and not out in the woods to rust.

wait what...old car parts...I missed that...I LOVE old car parts!!??!?!?!??

back on page 12, post 234 has a selection of shots i took of the pile.

 

[Cudajas]

you know, I considered that for some of the stuff actually. I have hauled out a few cool pieces so they didnt keep rusting away, the trunk lid off a studebaker (52 starliner i think), hood and driver door off a 52 pontiac chieftan, steel dash out of a 52 plymouth cambridge, etc etc. The parts are rough, but then i've seen some guys on here make amazing stuff out of worse.

I, btw, am keeping the tailgate from the 48 ford pickup (no pics right now). that piece was left in the barn and not out in the woods to rust.



back on page 12, post 234 has a selection of shots i took of the pile.

Ahhh gotchya. Looks like some neat stuff. I love the old stuff. I agree I would pull as much of it as I could and see what I could sell off. What ever does not sell in a few months, take it to the scrappers.

Jason

 

[Mr. 360]

In case anyone was interested, a couple extra pics related to the previous comments.

56 Pontiac Hood. I removed the chrome strips years ago (still sitting with the hood) so that I could take the 2 chrome jets off for display in my room growing up. They now are in my living room at home on display (I have an amazing wife)

Trunk of said Pontiac, the emblem seems intact, though pitted.

Unknown hood. I took the crown and 'V' off the front years ago, still have em somewhere.

Unknown, but gives a pretty good indication of the condition of the pile. Most cars are in pieces, I believe they were dozed into the woods.

 

[Brewsterg6]

The hood is '53 Monarch. It was a Canadian built Ford/Mercury mix. Sort of a fancier Ford with Merc trim...