Exciting Weekend

It has been an exciting weekend in the life of my shop.

What I am most excited about is that my band saw arrived yesterday.  I got the Rikon 14" on a great sale at Woodcraft (Woodcraft.com and also a terrific store that I am lucky to have close to the house).  It's a super band saw that is highly rated and has 13" of resaw capacity.  It's sitting in the shop in a box but that still counts.  The stand to make it 'portable' is there too but at over 250 pounds I don't expect to be moving it around much.  It will be a tool that gets a lot of use.

The 20" Dewalt scroll saw also came from Woodcraft a few weeks ago.  The light and stand accessories are waiting to be assembled as well.  The scroll saw is probably my favorite tool to work with.

Also in house (but not in the shop yet) is my dust collector and midi-lathe.  More on them some other time.
The second thing I am excited about is that the last of the drywall is up.  There are a few more screws to put in but the cutting and lifting is DONE.  I have some of the taping and mudding done but much more left to do.  The ceiling field is all but done with a final thin coat of mud left to put on the seams.  It's time to start the corners so I can paint the ceiling before hanging the lights and ceiling fans.

The lights are already purchased and in the shop. There will be seven - 8' T8 high output fluorescent with four 32 watt bulbs in each. Oddly enough, they will be mounted where you see the electrical hanging from the ceiling.

The two ceiling fans will be mounted mid-shop.  They are a simple white 52" fan but should be a great help in heating and cooling the shop.

I've had the heater (Modine Hot Dawg 60,000BTU gas heater) on the last few days to make it comfortable to work.  I am very pleased with the ability to keep the place warm and not run all of the time.  It is also surprisingly quiet.  It's wired temporarily so it's not going to be powered when I'm not in there but it works great when I am.

All in all the shop is ready to be a comfortable place to work in the winter.  In a couple more weeks the electricians will have been back to get everything powered up and the tools in the garage will be making the move to the shop.  It's been a lot of years in the planning and a year in the making but it will be worth it.

Rain . . . Rain . . . Rain

I ran out of drywall the middle of last week.  My closest Lowes is out of the stuff I want so I have to go all the way to Browndeer.  Enter the rain.  We have had rain every day for the last week and there are supposedly two more days to go.

So I've been plastering and hanging the rest of the insulation.  So far so good.  Nothing has fallen off.  I may be able to get the drywall by Thursday.

The attic insulation arrives tomorrow (R39).  I am having it blown in by someone that knows what they are doing.  It's more expensive than I could have done it myself but it will be done right.  I don't know that I could say that if I was installing it.  It probably would have been wrong and I would have a huge hole in the ceiling to fix when I got out of the hospital.

My ceiling is all screwed up

No really.  I just hung the last piece.  On to the walls.

Thanks for the use of the drywall lift Harvey.  What a back saver.

Getting there

The dry wall is going up.  A third of the ceiling is done and the back wall is getting a start.

Pictures coming soon.

The heat is on

The heater installation was finished on Wednesday.  Gerth Heating (Muskego, WI) did a fantastic job for me.

The unit is a Hot Dawg 60,000 BTU gas powered unit with sealed combustion.  That means the air supply for combustion comes from the outside instead of from inside the shop.  It is a major safety feature when it is in a dusty area (and I intend for there to be plenty of dust made in there).

We've had some water in the shop with the last couple of rains.  I can see that water is coming in the garage door and the bottom of the service door.  That's easy to fix.  There is also some water getting onto the floor on the west side (it's opposite the work on the heater so I know it's not related).  The wierd part is that there is no sign of it coming from the roof or rafters.  We were in there today within an hour of the rain stopping and nothing was wet except the floor.  We considered the possibility that it all came under the garage door but the way the floor is sloped it would have to run uphill almost two inches.  I'm waiting for the next rain storm to get in there while it is raining to see where it is coming from.

The insulation continues to go in and drywall continues to go up.  The weather should be nice enough this week that I can get on the roof to install the attic ventilation.  There currently is none at all.  While I'm up there I will be looking for anything that might be letting the water in.

On The Way

The first load of insulation is almost all in and the drywall is starting.

The heater is on order and we are waiting for the exhaust kit then that goes in.

I won't be getting in the shop until next Thursday.  The heat makes it a killer and next week is booked to hilt every day until Wednesday.

Electrical

The electrical is roughed in and waiting for the inspection to take the next step.

The heater is on order.  Pressure washed the whole exterior yesterday.  I might actually get to put some of the tools together one of these days.

Looks like this thinkg is really going to happen this year.

Getting closer

The windows are done and the siding is back up so it's time to take the big step.  No more tip-toeing around on this little project.  It's so close I can almost smell it.  The electrical is going in Friday, only two more days, and I've selected the guy and the hardware for the heater. 

The outlets will average four feet apart and 48 inches off the floor.  Six on the east wall (it has the service door and will have the standing tools on it) and seven on the west wall (a 29 foot wall that will be a bench to use the bench top tools on and general storage).  Both walls will alternate two 20A circuits.  Nowhere will two consecutive outlets be on the same circuit.  Each wall will also have two 220 outlets.

The south wall will only have one outlet on a dedicated 20A circuit.  That's because it will ultimately be the source of the outlets that will be built into the tool bench.

The north wall has two outlets but they are for the TV and sound system.  Yep.  That's what they're for.  That wall also has the garage door and is blocked by the service door so there is little room for anything more important.

The ceiling is another story.  There are 7 outlets for lights.  Each light will be eight foot sections with 4 high output T8 fluorescent bulbs in each.  There are two brackets to mount ceiling fans with individual speed controls mounted by the door.  There is also a dedicated outlet for the air filter I will ultimately get.  They all come with remote controls at this point so the high ceiling isn't important. There are also two outlets on a dedicated circuit that will be right above the workbench.  There will eventually be two cord reels hanging to get retractable power to the workbench.

The heater is a gas Hot Dawg unit with 60K BTUs and a sealed combustion chamber.  That last part is important in a dusty environment but sure adds to the price.  There will be a digital thermostat somewhere in there.

Oh yea, and the name of the place . . . "Cliff's Dog House".  After being in it for most of the past 26 years it will finally be a physical place.

I also bought a new scroll saw.  I got a nice 20" Dewalt with a stand and light and I can't wait to use it.  I haven't even put it together yet.  It's still in the box.  It was on sale for a good price so I bought it knowing that it would be a while before I could set it up.  I moved it tonight to sweep under it and almost cracked the seals on the box just to pet it a little.  A little more patience and I will be able to put it to work. 

Weekend progress



The second window is in and the siding is going up.



A light will be hanging next to the door on a cedar plank.

I finally got sick of the weeds around the house number at the end of the driveway. Saturday was spent removing grass, planting, potting, spreading mulch. 

The lighting was the easy part.  I bought new lights and pushed them in the ground.

1 Down, 1 To Go

The siding is off and the tarps are up.  We finally got enough of a break in the rain to get out to the shop.  I spent the rest of Saturday and Suunday framing in the first window.  Tonight Barb and I put it in. 

 



The tape I bought to put around the window is something else.  I think it is a direct decendent of the stuff Noah used to seal the ark.

Rain

I am sick of rain.

We haven't had 2 consecutive days without rain for weeks.  Can't wait to get into the shop.

I was in contact with a heating and electrical guy last night and am waiting for them to put together some ideas.

I bought a used 10" Craftsman contractor table saw last week.  It's in very good shape and very heavy.  Barb tried to kill me with it by dropping it on my foot.  I'll be tweaking it into alignment over the next few days.  I don't have any doubts that it will be fine for many years.

I also bought a used 10' Craftsman radial arm saw this week.  I'm still not sure if it is the best choice but at the price I got it for there weren't any better alternatives.  Let's just say it's in great shape and the person I bought it from was very, very, very anxious to get it out of their garage.  Not anxious enough that I got it for free but it was a heck of a deal.  This is the same saw I had when we lived in New Jersey and moved to California.  I know it will align great and stay that way.

Woodcraft has a 20" scroll saw on sale this week and it includes a free stand and light kit.  I stopped by yesterday to take a look at it and expect to get it before the sale ends on the 28th.  I already have a scroll saw but it isn't a real good one.  I will still keep it and use it when a large pin-end blade is sufficient (just so I don't have to change the blade all the time) but won't hesitate to part with it when the space is needed.  Maybe one of the kids would like it to use.  I could see Kymberlee enjoying it with her creative bent.

So it's starting to come together.  Once the weather cooperates I'll be moving ahead full bore.  I just hope the rain ends before my patience does.

Windows phase 1

Here's a perfect example of why I am puttingwindows on this side of the shop.  The morning sun will provide some welcome natural light in the shop.  The hot afternoon sun will be behind the trees and ehlp to keep the shop cool.  I am not planning to have air conditioning but 2 ceiling fans instead.

Here's the new power stand on the shop.  I obviously haven't been out there much.  The meter is all the way up to 00002.

Turns out they make a mess when they bring in the big toys. One more side project to keep my busy. 

All set to start

Everything is in place to start the window installation.  The materials are in the shop just waiting for me.

I have to mow the lawn tomorrow but the siding starts coming off the day after that.

Easter weekend

Well, I got a lot done in the shop this weekend.  Just not what I had planned.

On Saturday I opened the garage door to plug in the battery charger for the truck.  Everything went well until I tried to close the door.  The cables on both sides of the door shot off their spools and promptly wrapped themselves around the hardware.  After an hour I was finally able to close the darn thing.

Easter Sunday I spent four hours taking everything apart and putting it back together.  I was feeling pretty good about the job until the cables played their little trick all over again.  At least this time I knew what to do to get the door down.  I locked the door and went into the house cussing Menards for selling that cheap crap.  After $950 the crap is in the garbage where it belongs and some real hardware is in it's place.

Cudos and recommendations for Precision Garage Door fast response and making the door light enough that I can open it manually if I have to (it weighs 250 lbs and yes they weighed it).  The guys were fast and great to work with.  They clearly knew their stuff.

On to windows.

I'm back

The winter projects are wrapping up this week and I'm ready to hit the shop right after Easter.

The plan for the summer?

• Install 2 windows.
• Add remaining outlets.
• Install heater.

All in all, get the shop to a minimum point to be able work in it through the winter.  Once that is done?

• Insulate
• Drywall
• Paint
• Start making some sawdust

So that's the plan.  Progress will depend on cash flow.  Stick around to see how it goes.

On hold. Again.

Had a few unexpected car expenses with no unexpected income.  I will be doing a few small things (like install the windows) but no major projects (like the remaining electrical work) once its warm again.

Let There Be Light

We Energies was on-site today and the light is on in the shop.  200 amps of juice is in the house.  Now I just have to figure out what to do with it.

Thanks for the pics Kymberlee.

Bringing in the big guns

The electrical made it from the pole to the shop today.  Now it's We Energies turn to run it up the pole and connect it. 

So how do you dig down 30 inches for 100 feet in frozen clay.  You bring a big shovel.

 

Okay, everyone say 'Thank you Kymberlee' for going outside in the cold to take pictures for me while I was at work.

'THANK YOU KYMBERLEE'

Happy New Year

Milwaukee has had temps near 50 for the last couple days so we are bringing in the new year with nothing but grass in the yard.

It looks like we had some visitors come back to remark the grass.  At least the flags are visible again.  Now if just get them to come put in the cable before it snows again.

Happy New Year to all.