New Shed build log

[jamoni]

Thanks, guys.  This is turning out to be a great learning experience for me.  I've never done roofing before, and in all the construction I've done, there was always plenty of manpower.  Doing so much of it by myself has really strained the limits of my creativity.  Still, I'm learning, and very very soon I'll be able to get to work on my REAL projects.
Today I got off work a little early, so I raced home to wrok on the roof.... er, I mean...
broke out my motorcycle and tore ass around the town, waving to pretty girls and zooming around without a care.  Motivation needs to be tempered with fun sometimes. 

[jamoni]

Today I slept in.  We got a little snow and rain this week, so I gave the sun a chance to dry my roof off a bit.
Once that happened, I broke out the tarpaper:

Afterwards I put the tarp back on.  That'll be it for the roof until we have some really nice weather for the shingling.  I need to get a couple paychecks in the bank first, anyway.  Shingles are pricey!

NOW it's a shop!
Tomorrow will be trimming and caulking, and squaring up the doors.  Also, if it's halfway nice out, moving the bikes and tools to the new shop!

[75Plus]

What part of St. Louis are you In? I am down near Grants Farm.

Joe

[jamoni]

I'm not too far from you: Up near the Galleria.

[jamoni]

Today was beautiful out, so I skipped the shed and went for a motorcycle ride.  It's been too long since I could ride all day.  Awesome.
Got home and did some conceptual labor, deciding how I want to lay out the shop.  Here's what I came up with:

My only concern is that the layout desk will get swarf and crap on it, or end up as auxilliary workbench space.  Measuring and layout tools will be stored under the layout desk
I'm going to build the benches into the walls, using 2x4 framing and 1/2" plywood for sides and back.  The front will get a sliding panel or a canvas curtain to keep swarf out.  Probably the panels.
Inside the benches will be a two tier shelf, probably 1/2" plywood.  The top of the machine bench will be a couple layers of 3/4" plywood with an aluminum chip tray covering it. Eventually.  
The other bench will probably have a butcher block top to take the hammering and stuff I'll be doing there.
I'm not sure what I want to do with the bench grinder and other less used tools.  I saw a trick in a woodworking magazine where they attached the tools to plywood trays, then had a station where the trays slid in and got clamped to the bench.  The trays then fit into slots underneath the bench for storage. I could probably do that to my scroll saw, bench grinder, router, etc.
I'm also thinking about using the rafter power tool storage I saw somewhere on Madmodders.  It was pretty trick.
I'm thinking I'm going to make the loft full length, and build a fold down ladder/door.  Done right, I can still get long stock up top, and this will allow for storage of parts, ladders, saw horses, etc. that I don't use too often.
Do you guys have any comments, suggestions, criticism,  free money?  

[Bernd]

I'm out of the last one, money. But I do have a comment. Nice work, and I think you'll probaly change the layout around by the time you get all your equipment in the shop. Other than that carry on with the good job your doing.

And spring is just around the corner. You'll be able to take longer motorcycle rides. 

Bernd

[Darren]

Might moving motorbikes past nasty sticky outbits on machines (and anything else you "temporarily" chuck in there) pose a threat?

Workshops always get cluttered no matter how hard you try. I might also be worried about swarf in my tyres?

But as Bernd says, you'll be re-arainging till the cows come home .... 

[jamoni]

I'm actually pretty good about cleaning up the floors during and after a work session.  The benches... not so much.
As for hitting stuff on the benches with the bikes, that drawing is to scale, and the benches are each 2 feet wide, which means I have ~8' between them... That's wider than my old shed! 

[jamoni]

Today I had a few hours, so I moved all my tools to the new shed, brought over two dressers I've been using as workbench and storage, and started getting organized. 
I used to have several different toolboxes organized by purpose, a habit left over from my Army days.  One was general mechanical, one was woodworking, one was metalworking, etc.
The old shed was very cramped, which made getting to all the toolboxes very hard.  As a result, they got all jumbled up.  So the first task was to take all the tools I own, and lay them out on the table. And dresser.  And windowsills. And floor. 
Eventually I got them all out and had a good look.  Who bought all this stuff? There's tools in there I've never seen.  There were a couple who's purpose was a mystery to me.  It's like some bizarre tool fairy snuck in and left them for me!
Also, I don't think I need 5 pair of bolt cutters.  Nor 7 hammers.  So I sorted out all the stuff and put it in it's new homes, including a giant pile of "Sell on Craigslist" stuff.
Did the same with power tools:  4 drills?  Really?
Then I moved all my stock over, and found a temporary home for it.  I also pounded in some nails to hold extension cords, light string, coats, etc.
Moved a lot of junk from the back room out to the old shed.  I have 3 times as many bicycles as people in my home.  That's got to change. 
Made some decisions about the new workbenches.  I decided they'll be fully enclosed with thick plywood, and have padlock hasps on the front.  I'll also be barring the windows. This, in addition to the locks on the door (and the dogs and light sleeping veteran in the house) should help slow down any sticky finger types. I'm also going to place locks on the hatch to the loft, as I plan on putting ladders, camping gear, Ham radio equipment, and other stuff up there.
Most of this is paranoia, since I live in a pretty decent area.  Still....
Anyway, work has been a little slow, so the roofing will have to wait for a month or more.  It seems fine with just the tarp and tarpaper.
More later!

[dsquire]

Today I had a few hours, so I moved all my tools to the new shed, brought over two dressers I've been using as workbench and storage, and started getting organized. 
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Anyway, work has been a little slow, so the roofing will have to wait for a month or more.  It seems fine with just the tarp and tarpaper.
More later!

Jamoni

Hope that work has picked up for you and that you have been able to get around to the roofing. Just thought a little nudge might get us a progress report and a picture of a finished shed full of projects. 

Cheers 

Don

[jamoni]

I'm alive!
So, I DID get the shet roofed and trimmed out and whatnot, and I did do some work in it.  Mostly motorcycle stuff, trying to shoehorn a BIG dirtbike motor into a LITTLE streetbike frame.
Unfortunately I can't locate my pics of the completed project, but they are somewhere.
So.... I was renting the house where the shed sat, and after a few short months of workshop bliss, I decided to up and get engaged to a gal who owns her own house.
So.... I had to tear the shed right back down.    It's sitting in my new side yard.  Unfortunately the yard is tiny, and there's no room to put up the shed... HOWEVER there is a garage, with a concrete pad, that's almost as big.
So my shop has been partially moved out there, until we can sort out who owns the ton of crap filling it up, and get rid of it.  Then it'll be mine all mine!
I have been keeping busy, though:

I'm gearing up to do some knifemaking.  I have the tools to do custom knives now, but I want to be able to crank out decent quantities of simple blades as automatically and quickly as possible.  So I'm building and modifying a handful of machines to make that possible.  The next step on the grinding machine is to make better slides and fixtures, to add a screw feed to both slides, and to motorize them.  I'm going to put up a system of switches that will reverse the main slide motor at each end of it's travel, and feed the grinder motor down a variable amount each time the slide returns to it's start position.  Also, a stop switch once it's cut to full depth.  This will let me start it up, and it will automatically shuttle the work back and forth while gradually deepening the grind, until it's done. Then I can put down my cafe mocha and marvel at my awesomeness.

[dsquire]

Jamoni

I was beginning to think that you had skipped the country. A Woman! Now I understand. 
We would be intereted in seeing some pictures of your knives when you have some. 


Cheers 

Don