LawnJockey

Here is my payroll dept.

You can't fix stupid. The problem is that we protect them from Darwin's forces and thus they have more time to breed at a much higher rate than rational people. The future looks pretty dismal if you think about it too much.

Although there is often valuable content contained in the statements of such a body orifice it is often diluted by the delivery. When I come into contact with such folks my first reaction is that I am glad I am not them. If I give them a second thought it is mere wonder as to what caused them to be the way they are. They certainly can't be happy in life.

That tool looks perfect for drilling through joists overhead for piping. It would sure beat getting wacked in the side of the head with a hole hawg. If I understand the feed mechanism correctly it would put pressure against the next joist and thus eliminate the need for force being applied by the operator. In regards to the square taper Lee Valley Tool sells some taper adaptors that might be able to be used. I have a couple I got from them that I use in my brace and bits. Also you could get a chuck set up for a Morse Taper, take it apart and forge it to the apporpriate square taper. If you want to try that I have such a Morse Taper chuck from a mini lathe that was stolen I would be happy to send you.

Is that a forklift bottle or an old compressor tank?

Often they are one and the same.

Those remind me of the Three Stooges.

Don't rule out misters and a fan. That is what the local taco stand uses and last summer at 118 it was almost bearable.

That is a nice building. If dust is suspected I would empty it and get in there with a pressure washer wearing some cheap foul weather gear. Start at the top an work your way down. Most pressure washers have a suction tube for cleaning products, not a bad idea on this one. Let it dry for a week or two. If that doesn't do it think about encapsulation by spray painting the interior using an airless sprayer. Home Depot has some cheapo ones that are easy to use and cheap. First do a coat of Kilz sealer, then a couple coats of paint. If the slab is suspected it can be cleaned and sealed with epoxy sealer. I have had to do this after bad tenants when nothing else would get the animal smell out.

There is a guy on Youtube from Phoenix, Kevin something or other, and he does a lot of metal art and welding videos. I have noticed his shop in Phoenix isn't insulated and he uses one of those big swamp coolers on wheels that they sell for shop use at Home Depot. That is what I am planning to use in my new shop.

You might want to soap the gas line and connectors just to make sure there are no leaks.

I hear K Mart has a special on Preparation H in honor of the Curmudgeons.

First off welcome, most of us are friendly. Personally I don't mess with wiring but I can recommend a good book that has been around for ever: Wiring Simplified. I think it is in its 44th edition now. We are getting ready to build a shop here and a guest house so I am dealing with many of the same issues regarding supplying power to the two new structures. In our case the designer and electrician are talking about increasing the service to 600 amps. Our incoming service is as far from the shop location as it can be on the property. Here it will run from one end of the house to the far end and then underground for about 100ft, then across a bridge and then another 40ft to the shop.

I quit smoking cigarettes 33 years ago when we were expecting our daughter. I did the American Cancer Society group that quits on November 15th each year. I will have a cigar when I am on a fishing trip with the guys but not a single cigarette. I never smoke cigars at home that way I keep it limited to special times. I have never had any cravings for cigs. It works for me.

Jim, Thank you for posting the photos. I will be showing them to the designer when she comes back out on Tuesday. What are the dimensions of Studio FE?

Unfortunately I can only go so big and still get away calling it a garage. Thus I will have to mix both metal and wood but not necessarily at the same time. When I started looking at this thread I was hoping to see photos as to how others have solved the space/mixed use problems but the photos have disappeared.

I am in the South West like yourself. I do all sorts of wood and metal work thus the need for flexibility. This is a tiny space to fit everything in and not have it like a crammed storage locker. I have just started toying with bladesmithing. Current project is a 240' steel fence. Next is a 65' steel pedestrian bridge built in pieces and assembled at the site. Equipment going in the shop includes a large compressor, table saw, planer, verticle bandsaw, power hacksaw, belt sander, belt grinder, bench grinder, drill press, Oxy acetylene rig, 3 welders, chop saws, gas forge, coal forge, 300lb anvil, work tables, ect. There will also have to be storage for a hefty collection of hand held power and air tools. There is also the normal mechanics tools and other various woodworking tools. I am also building a power hammer. My current thinking is have the forge related items outside in the covered work area. I may be able to get away with covering some of the area at the side of the building in the set back area for stock storage after the building has it's final inspection.

I am working on designing a new shop for the new place. It is going to be much smaller than the last one, probably 20 x 20 to maybe 24 x 24 with an additional 1/3 the sqft as outside covered work area. It gets a bit tricky here because there were CCRs recorded back in the 50s but no active HOA. There is a limitation on outbuildings restricting such buildings to garages. Then there are setbacks, etc. We have hired a designer to design and take it through the permiting process. If anyone has photos or suggestions on design of a shop this size I would like to hear them. At this point I want roll up or barn doors in the front and out to the covered areas, a built in gantry inside the front door, ample power and lighting. With the small space I plan to put everything I can on castors to make adapting to different projects easier. Thanks

Paint it brown and put it on your favorite neighbor's door mat.

I confess, I am a book junkie too. Books, tools, outdoor gear and bicycles, they just seem to multiply.

Yes but now the stairs no longer meet code width requirements. Lawyers will get you one way or another. The dog may be judgment proof but are you?

They are struck with a caulking mallet. The mallet gives off a certain sound which is used to make sure the caulking is driven in uniformly. Do a google image search on caulking mallets to see what they look like.

As Frank Zappa said, "Is that a real poncho or is it a Sears poncho?"

Happy Kwanzza.

I got stung by a bark scorpion a few months back. Talk about pain, 18 hours straight and nothing, not even percocet, would dull it. Now I send the wife out with a black light to hunt them down in the evening.