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Thread: Spring Shop Improvement Projects?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    Spring Shop Improvement Projects?

    The grass is growing (!), the birds are singing and "doing the dance"...so...what are you doing this spring to enhance your shop?

    My spring project will be to finally get my air system piped in like Bill Grumbine did not long ago. I'm way over due for that. I have my new filters temporarily installed and my auto-drain...draining...now it's time to get serious about the rest of the system. Of course, no good shop project goes unpunished...mine will also include moving the compressor a few feet to where my cyclone filter currently dangles down to bring my closet into code compliance relative to access to the electrical panel. Extending the cyclone outlet/filter isn't hard, but did require $80 in parts...sheesh!

    So what's on your spring "shop improvement" list?
    Last edited by Jim Becker; 04-09-2005 at 9:13 PM.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
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    Wixom, MI
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    The vast majority of my Spring is going to be spent in the backyard trying to finish up the landscaping around the pool. Lots of work left to be done!! My first shop project of the season is going to be a the large deck storage box for all the pool toys.

    Keith

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
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    West of Ft. Worth, TX
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    My Spring goal is to finish the outside of the shop. I'll be siding the west wall this weekend (I'm taking a break for breakfast, then I'll be back at it). After that I need to do the South wall that will require re-studding the wall, taking the roll up garage door down, raising the header to gain some clearance so I can get my van inside during hail storms, and building swing out doors. Hey Jim B., where can I get the tamper proof swing out hinges you used?

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim O'Dell
    Hey Jim B., where can I get the tamper proof swing out hinges you used?
    I ordered the door sets that way from the factory...they are pre-hung door units with insulated steel doors, low-E glass and setup to open out. The hinges are the same as normal hinges except the pins are welded in so they cannot be removed. (The reason for that last feature is that the pins are on the outside of the building for those not familiar with them)

    Further security comes from dead-bolts in the middle and the top and bottoms get pinned into the header and floor when they are closed and secured. Even if the lock was picked, they still could not be opened without completely destroying the doors...which would require more than just "hand tools"!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Ontario Canada
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    I've just acquired (rented) a second 20'x30' shop across the hall from my current 20'x30' shop. So the plan is to use one as a machine only room and the other as a bench,assembly and finishing room. Pretty darn exciting but it's going to be a lot of work. The concrete floor is uneven , cracked and chipped. Looking into pouring some self-leveling gyp-crete.I'll get some pics on Monday and keep track of the progress.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    Sarasota, Fl
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    Jim, Good question. I'll be organizing my shop and trying to gain more stoage. I've never gotten my shop organized so everything has a storage place. I don't have a lot of wall space to hang stuff so I'll be building more cabinets I guess. I try to avoid any yard work as much as possible. I'd rather be making sawdust.
    Alan T. Thank God for every pain free day you live.

  7. #7
    For me it is lots more remodelling inside the house, at the same time, I would like to get my table saw operational and a mobile cabinet made. That is the big project for me so I can start working on some actuall wood working projects. I have slowly been upgrading some tools etc. in the mean time.

    Corey

  8. #8
    Jim, my spring project is going to be building a new shop. We just got a new home and we're gearing up for the final move. I'll have a blank canvas in the new garage to work with. So right now I'm collecting resources so that I do things right. And if the budget permits, I might do some "yellow" accents - gorilla yellow, that is.

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    A number of things. Jim, you saw the back mud room off of our kitchen where the water heater sits. That small room needs a complete make over and will entail some more closet space hopefully. SWMBO is talking of repainting some rooms - ala - the faux painting techniques we crossed into via the bar room project. Outside, I need to fabricate new doors for the older of my two sheds and next to that one, I need to tear down the older of two firewood storage sheds and build another in its place.

    Now, I only need to fit all of that in between the 40 hr./week occupation - going to the Saturday night dirt track racing - watching the NASCAR Nextel racing events on Sunday afternoons with my buddies at the new bar and mowing the abundant lawn area around the house. Oh yeah, of course I have to fit some Sunday morning fishing trips down the Delaware River into the Summer also. Need to justify buying that boat! Have I mentioned that I can't wait for the next eight years to drift past so I can call myself officially "retired"?
    Last edited by Fred Voorhees; 04-09-2005 at 11:22 AM.
    There's one in every crowd......and it's usually me!

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jason Tuinstra
    Jim, my spring project is going to be building a new shop. We just got a new home and we're gearing up for the final move. I'll have a blank canvas in the new garage to work with. So right now I'm collecting resources so that I do things right. And if the budget permits, I might do some "yellow" accents - gorilla yellow, that is.
    I smell several goats-in-progress there, Jason!! 'Glad you found a place. And just think of all the "design help" you're going to get from the boys and girls at SMC...
    ------

    Fred...but what about the shop? I'm wondering about shop improvements in this thread!!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Southern MD
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    I plan on finishing up my workbench if I get any shop time this spring. I think I'll be building a deck (but which of 3 different house projects depends on finances). I also plan to get back to my old routine of less WWing during summer, more during winter. A pattern broken by my recent move and shop buildout. By Fall I would like to have one "foul weather" project completed though.

    Jay
    Jay St. Peter

  12. #12
    Hey Fred, I am a dirt track fan to from way back. You live in some prime open wheel country! You an open wheel fan or late model stocks? Of course we have a few good tracks around here for dirt tracking.... Knoxville is just a couple hours away. Been a racing fan since I was a kid watching Petty, Pearson and Allison banging and bashing. Man, what a change.... we went from 2 -3 races a year on wild world of sports to every race televised as well. Young race fans dont know how good it is today! Sorry for the off topic run guys.
    Corey

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker
    ------

    Fred...but what about the shop? I'm wondering about shop improvements in this thread!!
    Yeah, I knew that you would say that. Well, if all goes well......and I still have the mental fortitude after all of the other projects, I think the next thing up in the shop is to replace the original benchtop along the South wall of the shop. All thirty or so feet needs to be replaced and mock the 6'X6' workbench with the MDF and hardboard top.
    There's one in every crowd......and it's usually me!

  14. #14
    Join Date
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    Waterford, MI
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    Well I'm counting my recent outfeed roller table install as one of my shop improvement projects. Beyond that I think I'm way overdue for weeding through my offcuts again and getting rid of some stuff. It's amazing how many shorts you can accumulate. A good spring cleaning is also in order with broom, air compresser nozzle, re-broom, then mop - or maybe even a pressure wash. After that I'm going to take a good long look at the floor and see if I can talk myself into epoxy coating the floor before starting anymore WW projects.
    Use the fence Luke

  15. #15
    I'm working on sash right now hoping to close up the two large openings on the east and west walls of the shop. After that I need to close up the hole in the wall where a board is missing and replace the floor that rotted out. When that's done I'll finally be able to mount the DC that's been sitting around for a year or so.

    Just got the last of the lights up and started installing outlets in anticipation of moving the tools in the garage up to the shop.

    I hope to get all that done by the end of the summer so I can concentrate on getting a wood stove installed so that woodworking won't be a seasonal past time.

    All this when I'm not working on reroofing the house. That project resumes this weekend!

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