My new shop thread

[bgaidan]

I have a thread in GCC about the entire property I bought, but I figured I keep one here just on the shop as I move in and what I plan to do with it in the long run.

So starting from the top...

Here's the main house and the shop in the background. The house is built in to a hill so the shop sits about 15-20' above the front entrance to the house. The big concrete pad in front of the shop used to house tobacco curing barns from the past life of the property.

Shot of the entire building:

Covered patio off the front "sun room"

The small bay on the right is the insulated heated/cooled side. About 20'x30' The other two bays aren't insulated but there's an nice wood burning stove in there that'll have no problem cooking the place.

Here's the unconditioned side. EVRYTHING in these pics came with the property...and then some. (See the GCC thread for details). 9k two post lift included

This is the climate controlled side. The PO used it for his taxidermy business. I plan to put my machine tools in here....and probably pick up a few more. 200 amp dedicated service already installed! I need to figure out what to do about finishing the walls and ceiling. Right now it has 4 or 6" of EPS foam exposed. I'm pretty sure that stuff's extremely flammable. (Need to do an experiment!). I really don't want to rip it out and have to dispose of it so I'm thinking about encapsulating it. Possibly going with more corrugated metal all around.

This the front room. I'll set this up as my office and "clean" hobby area - a place for my drones, electronic stuff, ham radios, vinyl plotter, 3d printer, etc. It's about 2x bigger than this pic shows - probably ~10x30'.

And then I have this carport off the side of the shop to house the lawn toys:

Right now I'm just working on getting as much shit moved out of my old place as fast as possible. A lot of stuff came with the new place so part of the road ahead is to see get rid of duplicates and stuff that I just don't need and then work on getting organized. And then it's on to doing some wiring for the 220v stuff and probably a RPC for the machine shop side....and a good air distribution system.

More to come...

 

[SLOWPOKE693]

That place is unbelievable, and you are one lucky man for scoring that setup!

Post pics of the dirt track car when you get a chance.

 

[bgaidan]

That place is unbelievable, and you are one lucky man for scoring that setup!

Post pics of the dirt track car when you get a chance.

Will do. There's a member here that had a dirt track thread in GCC. I was PM'ing him back when I was first working on closing. Hoping he can tell me more now that I own it and have a better look.


The PO gave me a print out of the ad from when he bought it. I know it's a '91 bullitt chassis. From a quick google search, that was apparently the first year they made them. Not sure if it still has much value or not. Rearend is in it, but no engine or trans. He left me a stack of new galvanized sheet to make new body panels for it too.

 

[bgaidan]

I also need to figure out what to do with the chevy. As much as I'd love to finish it, I don't think I'll have the time in the foreseeable future. The PO had it acid dipped. The body is mostly intact, but there are several places where it's rusted through swiss cheese. There's an engine and trans for it...no idea on the condition. There's brand new hubs and rotors. New clutch and pressure plate and I think some new floorboards and other parts inside. I found the steering column in the pole barn yesterday.

 

[SLOWPOKE693]

I doubt it's worth much seeing as its from 91 and dirt car suspension technology has made leaps and bounds of advancement since those days.

You must not be a true motorhead if you want to sell those cars...... First thought in my mind would be: "I need to build a street legal hotrod using the Chevy body and that dirt track chassis.

 

[mobil1syn]

First thought in my mind would be: "I need to build a street legal hotrod using the Chevy body and that dirt track chassis.

this guy did that with a c10

https://instagram.com/officialpro10?igshid=1pgj63dan6k0k

 

[bgaidan]

I do not need another project.
I do not need another project.
I do not need another project.


Repeat as needed.

 

[rockota]

Info on the hanging lights?

 

[bgaidan]

Info on the hanging lights?

He told me where they came from....some nearby business that closed. Can't remember what it was though. I've seen them somewhere before but I can't put my finger on it right now. Kinda typical metal fixtures....not sure if they're enamel or just painted.

I like the look, but I think I'd rather have LEDS up on the rafters.

They currently all have CFL bulbs in them. I'll probably swap LEDS in to one part of the shop and see how I like them. If I don't, I'll ditch them for LED fixtures mounted up on the rafters. I can probably sell them to more than cover the cost of new fixtures.


One thing that's going to be an issue is I want to put a couple sections of pallet racking in that back corner. The lights aren't going to get along too well with my forklift.

 

[rockota]

He told me where they came from....some nearby business that closed. Can't remember what it was though. I've seen them somewhere before but I can't put my finger on it right now. Kinda typical metal fixtures....not sure if they're enamel or just painted.

I like the look, but I think I'd rather have LEDS up on the rafters.

They currently all have CFL bulbs in them. I'll probably swap LEDS in to one part of the shop and see how I like them. If I don't, I'll ditch them for LED fixtures mounted up on the rafters. I can probably sell them to more than cover the cost of new fixtures.


One thing that's going to be an issue is I want to put a couple sections of pallet racking in that back corner. The lights aren't going to get along too well with my forklift.

They are cool looking. I bought a couple of similarly shaped LED’s and was thinking about more, so seeing the pic grabbed my attention.

 

[Firstram]

I do not need another project.
I do not need another project.
I do not need another project.

 

[Johann]

I need another project.
I need another project.
I need another project.


Repeat as needed.

This is what I am hearing...

 

[GLTHFJ60]

That shop is intense.

I'd love to build a nascarlo style car some day. Using a dirt track chassis is a great idea.

 

[shortbus4x4]

I do not need another project.
I do not need another project.
I do not need another project.


Repeat as needed.

But your eyes are saying "I need another project".

 

[bgaidan]

The shop is going to get a lot smaller once I finish moving the rest of my shit in. Though it does blow my mind that I have enough room to store my 20' hauler in there.

I loaded up the Bridgeport CNC and Lagun Mill yesterday. It was supposed to rain late yesterday and today. Of course it started raining just as I was strapping them down. I was committed at that point so I just hosed them off with WD and hit the road. Luckily it was only misting and stopped about 10 miles up the road. I wiped them down and sprayed them again when I got there.

Stored inside until Sat. when my friends are coming up to help load the big Cinci lathe. I rented a hydro lift trailer for the weekend so we'll use that to haul the forklift up to the new place and unload everything.


Other than a couple more tool boxes and tool cabinets, this will be the last of the big stuff.

 

[HELL BOUND]

That is nice shop and spread. Looks like a super nice property with some cool history. Looking forward to updates .

 

[JolietJames]

What state? We are getting the hell out of AZ and moving to TN next year. I will be bringing my machine shop with me as well
except for my VMC. I plan to sell it for a newer, bigger machine once I'm set up in the new digs.

 

[bgaidan]

What state? We are getting the hell out of AZ and moving to TN next year. I will be bringing my machine shop with me as well
except for my VMC. I plan to sell it for a newer, bigger machine once I'm set up in the new digs.

North/central NC. About 15 minutes from the VA line. I'll eventually get a VMC and a CNC lathe, but I need to let the finances settle down a bit and build a rotary so I can power them.




I got my big machines moved last weekend. The 12.5 x 60 Cincinnati lathe, Lagun mill and the Bridgeport CNC.

I trammel the bridgeport in over the weekend. Got it within a couple tenths side to side but found that the knee has apparently sagged and I have almost 6 thou difference front to back. It's rigid ram model so there's no tramming for "nod". The head was originally scrapped in to the ram from the factory. From what I've read, I'll have to get some .001" shims and shim the top of the head out to get it as close as I can. I can live with it for now, but I'd like to get it dialed in. Probably explains why I always had problems with fly cutters.


Aslo hung the "art" that came with the shop.

 

[JolietJames]

Very nice.
How many amps do you have to your shop?
I may build my next converter but I need very stable and accurate voltage for my VMC due to its age.
I feared a home-built unit would not be smooth enough.
Glad you found that property. The power demands are not easily met. I am lucky enough to have 225A from the street
which is just enough for my home and shop. Finding what I need in TN has not been an easy task.
Current zoning is CR so I can operate from home. Not sure how it works in TN or how common property like this can be found there.

 

[Firstram]

What a total slam dunk on the whole deal. Put some cheap acrylic over the "shop art", it is too cool to let the shop environment ruin it!

 

[bgaidan]

Very nice.
How many amps do you have to your shop?
I may build my next converter but I need very stable and accurate voltage for my VMC due to its age.
I feared a home-built unit would not be smooth enough.
Glad you found that property. The power demands are not easily met. I am lucky enough to have 225A from the street
which is just enough for my home and shop. Finding what I need in TN has not been an easy task.
Current zoning is CR so I can operate from home. Not sure how it works in TN or how common property like this can be found there.

Shop has a dedicated 200a service. House also has 200a. Both are currently under-utilized. For some reason he ran a 60a line about 150' from the shop to the hot tub, even though the house panel is literally 15' from the tub and has plenty of capacity. If it came to it, I could reverse that 60a feed and tied it to the house and have that available as an additional sub panel in the shop. I don't see that happening, but I may want to hook the hot tub back in to the house's panel at some point.

I should be able to run a big enough rotary to run anything I'll even have off of it.


It's been a while since I looked in to it and I need to read up a bit more, but building a rotary is really just a matter of selecting the right capacitors. Same thing a pre-built one will have, they've just figured it out and mass produce them now. No reason you can't build one that's just as stable as a commercially built one. I can get surplus motors for $5/hp at the local yard so 25-30 hp one will only set me back no more than $150. Caps are cheap. I think I'll build a fancy panel that monitors voltage and frequency and maybe even load on each leg if I can find the the gauges cheap enough.

 

[bgaidan]

What a total slam dunk on the whole deal. Put some cheap acrylic over the "shop art", it is too cool to let the shop environment ruin it!

You have a weird definition of cool.

The human/zebra centar thing still creeps me out. Furries are fuckin' weird.

 

[Firstram]

I would rock the hell out of that "art" in my garage! If you don't love it, I live in Wilmington and would be billing to trade beer for some zebra ass

 

[GLTHFJ60]

If you can get motors that cheap, yea, home made is the way to go. Around Durham , people are asking $100/hp it feels like.

 

[arse_sidewards]

I can get surplus motors for $5/hp at the local yard so 25-30 hp one will only set me back no more than $150. Caps are cheap. I think I'll build a fancy panel that monitors voltage and frequency and maybe even load on each leg if I can find the the gauges cheap enough.

Wanna pick up a 25 and sit on it until next time I drag my ass down the east coast?

 

[bgaidan]

If you can get motors that cheap, yea, home made is the way to go. Around Durham , people are asking $100/hp it feels like.

I'm only an hour west of you. If you have specific size you're looking for, let me know and I'll grab one next time I see one.

 

[bgaidan]

Wanna pick up a 25 and sit on it until next time I drag my ass down the east coast?

If there's that much demand, I'll grab a couple spares next time I'm there. They usually have a handful in the 15-30+hp range. With my luck they won't have the next time i go.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I'm only an hour west of you. If you have specific size you're looking for, let me know and I'll grab one next time I see one.

I've been searching for a ~1hp single phase 120/240v motor to repower a horizontal bandsaw I've got. Would be awesome if you could find one for cheap.

 

[bgaidan]

I've been searching for a ~1hp single phase 120/240v motor to repower a horizontal bandsaw I've got. Would be awesome if you could find one for cheap.

Single phase that small don't pop up very often at the places I go, but I do see them of FB and CL ever now and then.

Depending on speed, frame and shaft size, you should be able to find one on ebay for around $100 shipped. That's where I scored the big single phase 5hp for my compressor.

HF has a 1hp single phase 1800 RPM one for ~$140.


I think I have a few 3/4 and down, but nothing over that at the moment.

Does it currently have a 3p motor on it? A cheap VFD is another option.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Single phase that small don't pop up very often at the places I go, but I do see them of FB and CL ever now and then.

Depending on speed, frame and shaft size, you should be able to find one on ebay for around $100 shipped. That's where I scored the big single phase 5hp for my compressor.

HF has a 1hp single phase 1800 RPM one for ~$140.


I think I have a few 3/4 and down, but nothing over that at the moment.

Does it currently have a 3p motor on it? A cheap VFD is another option.

Sorry, don't mean to completely derail your thread asking about motor prices :P

Currently a 3/4hp poly phase 120/240v motor. Had thought about a cheap VFD, but the 3phase motor would have to be real, real cheap to make that worhwhile.

I'll continue to check ebay and I'll have a look at that HF option, that I was unaware of. Thanks man!!

Also, killer shop, love the machines.