This page features my shop in the garage. Since my space in the basement and the garage is limited my shop is pretty well split up. It requires double tooling in most cases. It is too much work running up and down for this and that. Unfortunately my wife insists on keeping her car in the garage thus confining me to my half. Since the garage is unheated and the winters are quite cold at times I am hoping to build a room within the garage. This will allow me to heat and air condition. The room will only be 8' X 14'. but I am hoping it will be adequate. Our dining room is seldom used and would give me enough space but the little woman has peculiar ideas about that too. Oh well. What's a fellow to do?
This is an overview of my half of the garage. I, as a certified hovelologist, (one who collects STUFF) I designed it myself. As equipment accumulates over the years things sort of grow like topsy without any direction. That is soon going to change. (Hopefully)
This is a die filer which I aquired from a machine shop near my place of business. In addition to being a die filer it also becomes a scroll saw. These are no longer used by commercial shops as die makers are nearly extinct due to new technology. However, for the home machinist the tool is invaluable and highly sought after.
This is small die filer made from a set of castings. These were obtained from an advertiser in HSM. I don't recall the name of the advertiser just not but the die filer is often shown in their ads. The castings were of very good quality and the kit went together very well. It is one of those tools that are not used real often but when needed they are a pleasure to use. It is a solid machine. I built this prior to buying my floor mounted die filer. This one is more convenient for filing smaller items. After completing the machining I had the parts epoxy powder coated. This was done by a commercial coater. It makes for a beautiful finish.
The die filer is powered by the motor taken from my scroll saw. The drive belt is a jumbo "O" ring. I often use "O" rings for drive belts. They have good traction and perform very well where there are only light loads.
The motor mount is a no brainer. It consists of a large hinge. The weight of the motor provides adequate belt tension.
The photo to the right is the result of a corrupted file. However, if you click on it the real photo will come up. This is the first step in remodeling my shop. With the help of my friend Lee the shop area was pretty much emptied and everything was moved to the other half of the garage. Next step is filling holes, tapeing seams and painting.
Will all this stuff fit in 112 square feet? My wife is hoping so. She wants her car back in the garage.
Hey, It Looks Like It's
Finally Happ'nin'!
This is the second step in my remodeling project. The seams are taped, the corner is now painted and the Bridgeport will be moved into it.
This is the third step. Friend Lee and I spent the evening moving the mill to it's final resting place. It will probably live there longer than I will. The next step will be to put up two walls and a couple doors.
We're getting somewhere now! The steel studding is in place. The drywall will go up next. The sheet rock and the tapeing should take another couple of days. I'm getting anxious.
Success At Last!
The shop is very small, 14'X8'. It should actually be referred to as compact but adequate. The red double doors are my wife's idea. It needs a splash of color to keep it from being boring.
The frilly curtains are next I guess. I may just have to draw the line somewhere. The air conditioner has been working well in our 90 to 100 degree weather. Hope for a break in the heat soon.
This is my Tiawan deburring machine. It is a very noisy belt driven 12X40 machine. I have had it for perhaps 12 or more years. New belts, gear deburring, bearing replacement, etc. have not produced any results. It is time for a replacement!
This is the last corner of my shop. There are only four. I have a lot to do yet. The walls are bare, no shelves or peg board in place. That will all come in due time. At least I am back in operation. Time to make some more chips.
I have collected several different plans for a band saw base and had planned on welding up an angle iron base. I recently saw an ad in a Harbor Freight flier showing a $14.95 furniture dolly, It fits perfectly and is very stable. I will fasten it to the dolly with four small angle braces. The carpeted cross members actually grip so well I may not bother. I could not buy casters for the price of the dolly.
Click on the thumbnails to view them in a larger size.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6: 23
