# New Work Shop begins



## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Here are some images of the beginning phases of my new shop project.
This small shed, approx. 10x14, occupies what will be the northwest corner of the new building. 


The shop will occupy approximately 1/3 of my rear yard, and will be 28x30. 

As work progresses, I will posted updated images and notify the readers here, for those who might be interested. 

regards,
smitty


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## Geoguy (Feb 22, 2008)

Cool demolition shots Smitty. 28'X30' is going to be one great shop with a lot of room to spread out projects! Can't wait to see photos of the construction.


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## Capt Crutch (Jan 21, 2008)

Great stuff Smitty, thanks for posting and please keep us posted on your progress. I'm excited for you, just seeing what you've done so far!


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## Lloyd James (May 27, 2007)

All I can say; that will make a great shop with a lot of room. 
Can I rent out half of it?


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## BopCord (Mar 8, 2008)

Looks like you are off to a good start, I am planning an addition on to my present shop which is a shed 33x60 so full of stuff can't walk in it. My new shop dedicated to woodworking will be 36 x42 (free trusses) good luck.


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## don716 (Mar 1, 2008)

Right now mine is a 12x24 but I'm working on a 36x36.It should be completed soon.(I HOPE).
Donny


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## Marko (Feb 11, 2008)

:huh: R U going to reuse the bricks? :huh:


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## stuart (Jan 20, 2008)

what's wrong with the old shop anyway??

The hole on the side?


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

stuart said:


> what's wrong with the old shop anyway??
> 
> The hole on the side?


Stuart: the building coming down isn't any kind of a shop; it's my lawn-mower snow-thrower winter motorcycle barn. That's all it ever was, and there was never room for anything else. The new building will be much much better! 

Marko: I was going to try to reuse the brick, but a mason I work with talked me out of it, and said that for a job that small, unless I knew how to do it myself, I'd have trouble finding someone to come do it for hire. I was only going to brick the front elevation of the new building (side facing my house). Harvesting the used brick, chipping them clean and paying to have them set again...too much hassle, especially when I can use NailLite instead. http://www.nailiteinternational.com/hlbrick.aspx

Might even be able to paint or stain to match? Not sure, still looking into it, but it's gotta be a better alternative, labor-wise.

thanks for the comments, fellas...I'll keep you posted.

regards,
smitty


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## stuart (Jan 20, 2008)

you could use, smitty, the old bricks for laying on the floor [or inside walls - just use contact cemet] for the old time look.


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## dpmcreations (Feb 3, 2008)

*congrats*

Congrats on the new shop... A whole lot of people would love to have a shop like what are building so use it alot and most of all, enjoy the hell out of it... Let us know what you are putting in for machines...


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## Marko (Feb 11, 2008)

I would try and incorporate those bricks somewhere.......just me,I've done alot of Historical renovations ,Traditional and Contemporary remodeling and one thing I always tried to do was salvage one very clear and present element from the old design and show it off in the new design:icon_cool: .Or not show it off but place it somewhere to be foundKinda like a tribute to what was there and remembrance as to how far the place has come.whether it's a happy thought or not the old building still took up real estate and served a purpose.You could place 1 brick as a keystone at the front door or use em all in a new front step design(the ideas are endless):yes: .I understand and appreciate the cost to reuse brick but it's so readily reusable and a shame to not do something with it.Tells a cool story too......it's really none of my business and please do not be offended by me adding my uninvited .02cents worth.But I've had alot of experience with this stuff and can't help myself sometimes.Kudo's on the demo! Mark


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Marko said:


> it's really none of my business and please do not be offended by me adding my uninvited .02cents worth.


Marko: If I didn't want to hear the opinions of others, I wouldn't have signed up to belong to this online community of other like-minded idividuals. Thanks for the comments, your outlook is appreciated. I'll keep in mind at least keeping a few bricks around as momentos...

regards,
smitty


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

smitty1967 said:


> Marko: If I didn't want to hear the opinions of others, I wouldn't have signed up to belong to this online community of other like-minded idividuals. Thanks for the comments, your outlook is appreciated. I'll keep in mind at least keeping a few bricks around as momentos...
> 
> regards,
> smitty


I would have visions of a sweet little barbeque pit.

Gerry:thumbsup:


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Well into the month of March, as we all know, but only Day 2 of the project. Regrettably, I went down with influenza shortly after we began the demolition phase. I actually didn't feel too well the day we started knocking in the shed, but adrenalin and comraderie both served me well that day. A few Bud Lights masked my remaining discomfort. 

At any rate, here's the progress from a very short Day 2. I waited until my son arrived home from school, and in about 90 minutes, we had half the roof sawed into manageable sized pieces and stacked up out of the way. In the first photo, they are visible near the end of the blue extension ladder. 

My wife says my pictures are boring. I say its what you don't see, but what you imagine in place of all the debris, that makes the pictures worth looking at.....

stay tuned for more...
smitty


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## DSallee (Feb 29, 2008)

Congrats on the beginnings of your new shop Smitty! The wife and I are in the market for buying a house and our (my:shifty search will include a shop or a place to build one..:thumbsup:

I totally understand your flu thing going on too, I've been off work the past 3 days with this crap!

Looking forward to following your build...

Dave


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Thanks Dave. I plan to keep a running log of photos/information posted here. If anyone gets tired of it or bored, I suppose they can just stop looking, and all other interested parties are free to comment. 

Where at in MO is Neosho (sp?) I am going to Springfield Mon/Tue Mar. 24th/25th to the Grizzly shop. You close by? 

Hope you heal quickly like I seemed to...

regards,
smitty


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## DSallee (Feb 29, 2008)

smitty1967 said:


> Thanks Dave. I plan to keep a running log of photos/information posted here. If anyone gets tired of it or bored, I suppose they can just stop looking, and all other interested parties are free to comment.
> 
> Where at in MO is Neosho (sp?) I am going to Springfield Mon/Tue Mar. 24th/25th to the Grizzly shop. You close by?
> 
> ...


I'm about 60 miles west/southwast of Springfield. I just got a Grizzly catalog last week and realized they have a store in Springfield... and I WANNA GO! LOL.... Told the wife that we need to go there someday just to look around... she said... "you DID say I can get my hair done this weekend, right?" I said... "SURE!!!.. now you did say that you wanted to get it done in SPRINGFIELD, right?" LOL



Well, I thought I was getting over this crap yesterday and get back to work but this morning I was running a fever again :huh:

Dave


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## DSallee (Feb 29, 2008)

Hey Smitty, I just noticed you are from central Illinois? What parts? I have lots of family in Effingham, Greenup, Mattoon and Decator areas ... I was born in Charleston....

Dave


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

DSallee said:


> Congrats on the beginnings of your new shop Smitty! The wife and I are in the market for buying a house and our (my:shifty search will include a shop or a place to build one..:thumbsup:
> 
> I totally understand your flu thing going on too, I've been off work the past 3 days with this crap!
> 
> ...


When my wife and I started seriously looking for a home in the Powell River area, about two years ago, one of the many requirements was that the place have a good sized shop, or at least a good location to build one. When we looked at this place I was awestruck. We both really liked the house, but in addition, there is a big warehouse at the front of the property where the former owner ran a coca-cola distribution business. It is 4200 square feet, with 12 foot ceilings, and concrete floors. It was twice the size that_ I would have built, but put a couple of boats, all your woodworking tools, and some stacks of lumber, and before you know it, it isn't so big any more. The unfortunate part of this is that even though it is insulated, I can't afford to heat very much of it._

_Gerry_


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

DSallee said:


> Hey Smitty, I just noticed you are from central Illinois? What parts? I have lots of family in Effingham, Greenup, Mattoon and Decator areas ... I was born in Charleston....
> 
> Dave


Dave, congratulations on the hair dresser bargain...as any woman will probably tell you, the real metropolitan look can only be gotten from the salons in the big cities, right? You are to be commended for keeping the War Department happy. 

The Chief Executive Order Givers and Skillet Throwers Union Local 12 President, and ME, her husband, and MY fan club (11 and 16 y/o boys) reside just outside Peoria. It's a great little town, only yards from the approach to Greater Peoria Regional Airport where the Blue Angles will begin practicing in a week or so for their upcoming April air show. The amazing thing that most show visitors don't realize is that, living under the pattern, we get to see the show six, seven, eight times in the weeks leading up to the actual show date as the pilots practice their stunts, search for landmarks, etc....pretty awesome! 

Anyway, thanks for the comments, guys....more soon.

regards,
smitty


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Newest additions to the photo set of my workshop construction are below. 

It is spring break here in the public school districts my sons attend. My 16 y/o called (text'd, im'd, myspaced?) some of his buddies. They were offered $10.00 per hour to come help us lump out the debris from the old shed. A 15-yard roll-off dumpster sat in the street out front, approximately 30 yards away. 

Four young men showed up, all 15 and 16 years old. We started at 9:00am, and had two dumpsters filled and the job 'complete' by 2:30. I didn't pay them for a half-hour lunch, but I did buy Subway for them. During lunch, I took the opportunity to give a little praise and speech about what a great bunch of workers they were and how any employer would be looking for these qualities in their futures. 

So...Two 15-yard dumpsters: $490.00. Twenty-two man-hours of labor to haul away a bunch of debris: $220.00. Listening to your son and his buddies ham it up about teachers, cars, girls and all that crap while you work side-by-side with them on a beautiful spring day: Priceless!!

More images will follow soon.

regards,
smitty


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Hey everyone: here we are some 45 days after beginning the demolition of the old building, and finally some progress to show for my efforts! 

The frost wall footings have been excavated, the guy who does my concrete is satisfied everything is ready, and the village inspector smiled on us today, too. Tomorrow, several friends who owe me coupons from one favor or another are going to be called in, and about a half-dozen of us will spend the morning on the sore end of a wheel barrow. 

The complete set of images to date can be seen at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/smitty1967/WoodworkingShop

regards,
smitty


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## Handyman (Jan 2, 2008)

smitty1967 said:


> So...Two 15-yard dumpsters: $490.00. Twenty-two man-hours of labor to haul away a bunch of debris: $220.00. Listening to your son and his buddies ham it up about teachers, cars, girls and all that crap while you work side-by-side with them on a beautiful spring day: Priceless!!
> 
> regards,
> smitty


 
Smitty1967 I just loved your story. Spending time with your boy and his friends IS Priceless. I have a son-in-law that would rather spend time at my house hanging with me, than at his with my daughter. And I dont even pay him. LOL


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## DSallee (Feb 29, 2008)

Looking good Smitty... Heck, if I were closer than a whole state away, I'da gave ya a hand :clap: ... 

How big of shop are ya building?

Never mind, found it.. LOL



> ..... The shop will occupy approximately 1/3 of my rear yard, and will be 28x30.


You must have a pretty big back yard!

We'll keep watching......
Dave


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## jdixon (Nov 21, 2007)

smitty1967 said:


> So...Two 15-yard dumpsters: $490.00. Twenty-two man-hours of labor to haul away a bunch of debris: $220.00. Listening to your son and his buddies ham it up about teachers, cars, girls and all that crap while you work side-by-side with them on a beautiful spring day: Priceless!!


Smitty,

I don't know how I missed this thread until today. Your story brought a smile to my face as well. I have 3 boys (14,12 and 7) and there is nothing better than doing a project along side of them all the while listening and telling stories together. 

Damn, sorry I missed demo. Heck I would have jumped in the truck and came up to give you a hand. Seriously if you get into something and need an extra hand drop me a line and I'd be happy to help if I can. The project looks like it is coming along very nicely. I'm anxious to see your progress!

John


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

jdixon said:


> Smitty,
> Heck I would have jumped in the truck and came up to give you a hand. Seriously if you get into something and need an extra hand drop me a line and I'd be happy to help if I can.
> John


12 yards of concrete coming today, all going to be wheel-barrowed to the back....:blink: 

thanks guys. more updates to follow
smitty


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## Geoguy (Feb 22, 2008)

smitty1967 said:


> 12 yards of concrete coming today, all going to be wheel-barrowed to the back....:blink:
> 
> thanks guys. more updates to follow
> smitty


Hope you still got access to those teenage boys.:thumbsup: They can drive a wheel barrow.


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Smitty,

Hey, you're coming along pretty good!!

I saw that you trash/dumped all of those bricks...
Here in So.Calif., used brick is purchased at a premium over brand new brick... I guess that is not the case where you are?

Looking very nice...

Thank you for the updates.


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Joe Lyddon said:


> Smitty,
> 
> Here in So.Calif., used brick is purchased at a premium over brand new brick... I guess that is not the case where you are?


Hey Joe: thanks for the comments...My original plan was to try to recycle some of the brick to face the front elevation of the new building. My mason talked me out of it. He cited the labor-intensive task of chipping off the old mortar, and breaking 3 bricks out of five in the process...another dimension in pouring the floor---adding a footing under the front wall to carry the weight of the brick, and the cost for him to come back after the flatwork to add the brick to the building. 

All in all, I think it'll be OK without. The siding and aluminum on the new building will match the aluminum soffit/fascia/gutters on my brick home. It will still look like it belongs, without the extra cost or labor. 

Additionally, here are some images of the footings and forms. The last form will be added after the sand is brought in for the sub bed. More updates to follow as work progesses.

regards,
smitty


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## Aaronmcc (Apr 12, 2008)

Well there's your problem, you've got a hole in the side and no roof. 
Nah, just joking. I think that'll be a nice shop to work in.


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## leejb (Feb 16, 2008)

Smitty it looks like your getting along with your shop pretty fast.
Are you going to get it done so you can work in it this summer?

Lee
http://woodtamer.wordpress.com


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## fanback (Mar 9, 2008)

Wow ..that's a good sized shop. Looking forward to more pics. M.


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

leejb said:


> Are you going to get it done so you can work in it this summer?


Hey Lee...I hope to be able to have the building finished and begin setting machines by Labor Day. My framer says all he'll need is three days once the truss package arrives....he'll begin building the walls once the trusses are here, on the ground. Trusses are ordered after the pad is complete, since they take the final measurement from the pad, not from any plans. (holy crap is that a good idea, as I've learned this past week....the guy in the excavator only has to get 'close' to your dimensions!)

At the end of work today, the forms are built and we're ready to pour half the floor. That will come Wed. next week, only because of schedules. Then the second half should come Fri. I'll get some other pictures when the floor is complete.

So, no, I don't think I'll be building anything this summer, but by autumn, I should be making some specimen cuts, working on my workbench and cabinetry. I plan to completely finish the interior walls, then set the machines, then build the balance---workbench and cabinetry---myself. 

Then I'll be ready for projects!

regards,
smitty


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

This weekend has been busy getting ready to pour the slab. My mason decided to do it in two pours, halving the amount of work but also creating a way for him to float a bullnose joint in the center of the long dimension of the floor. He will then float one across each pour, in the center, so that visually, the control joint will look symetrical and pleasing to the eye. 

Here are some images of the work on the forms. I had two tandem loads of torp (coarse sand---32 tons total) brought in, and a local guy who does on-demand skid steer and dozer work came and moved all to the back for me for a hundred clams. Beats the wheelbarrow routine! 

The footings will support the floor with an approximately 12" x 12" shoulder, and will be tied to the floor with the bar and the 2" x 2" notch the mason floated in the wet footing pour. 

The electrical runs are buried in the sand below the finish floor level. The far run terminated with the box will be flush with the finish floor, 120VAC and will be a workstation with two machines. The stubbed-in PVC nearer the front of the shop will be for 240VAC for the table saw.

concrete coming Wednesday for the first half. more to follow...
smitty


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## bigredc (Sep 1, 2007)

Very nice. Your not going to know how to act with all that space. 
Chris


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

Okay, I googled it, and even tried looking it up in Wikipedia before asking. What is a "Frost wall"?


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## DSallee (Feb 29, 2008)

Hey Smitty... looks like your coming along pretty good... 

Dave


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## bigredc (Sep 1, 2007)

dbhost said:


> Okay, I googled it, and even tried looking it up in Wikipedia before asking. What is a "Frost wall"?


Don't feel bad. I've been in construction 25 years, and I don't know what it is. I've heard of a frost line. Maybe it's the same. That's how far down the ground freezes. It changes depending on what part of the country you are in. Your footer wants to be below that, so it doesn't move with the ground as it freezes and thaws.
Chris


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

bigredc said:


> Don't feel bad. I've been in construction 25 years, and I don't know what it is. I've heard of a frost line. Maybe it's the same. That's how far down the ground freezes. It changes depending on what part of the country you are in. Your footer wants to be below that, so it doesn't move with the ground as it freezes and thaws.
> Chris


Precisely, Big Red...that's how my mason refers to it. He is constantly saying 'frost wall' and I am constantly calling it a 'footing.' We know what each other is trying to say, so that's the important part. 

The frost wall is 36" deep, ~12" wide, and will carry the slab. The frost wall is poured first, under the perimeter of the slab. The frost wall is stuffed with 3/8" rebar after the pour, to tie into the slab later. A chemical termite barrier will be injected into the soil on both sides of the frost wall. The frost wall gets it's name, as Big Red suggests, from the average depth of frost in the soil. By making the frost wall deeper than the average frost, it should prevent movement of the slab, or at least minimize it, and thus prevent cracking and heaving. 

I think that about covers it....

thanks for all the comments, guys.

regards,
smitty


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

bigredc said:


> Very nice. Your not going to know how to act with all that space.
> Chris


You would be absolutely amazed how quickly a big space becomes a small space once you add all your toys and materials.

Gerry:laughing:


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

That is *SO* true!


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

got half the slab poured and finished today, power trowelled the shop floor, and put a broom finish (texture) on the 4'0" walk in the front. 

I will add pictures once the whole slab is complete. 

I'm tired! I'm going to eat, have a bottle of beer or four, watch the Cubs at 7:05, and promptly fall right to sleep in my chair!

regards,
smitty


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## bigredc (Sep 1, 2007)

That's hard work. You always sleep good after days like that.
Chris


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## jdixon (Nov 21, 2007)

smitty1967 said:


> I'm going to eat, have a bottle of beer or four, watch the Cubs at 7:05, and promptly fall right to sleep in my chair!
> 
> regards,
> smitty


Dang Smitty! I knew I liked ya but now you moved further up the list. Cub fan too?! Are ya putting a tv in the shop? I'll bring the cold ones when you're ready and we'll watch some October baseball!:thumbsup: 

Now get us some more pictures!:smile: 

John


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

jdixon said:


> I'll bring the cold ones when you're ready and we'll watch some October baseball!:thumbsup:


You got a deal, John! I may just take you up on your offer---might use some help setting those machines. I'll keep you posted....

smitty


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## jdixon (Nov 21, 2007)

I would be happy to help. I may be dumber than a rock but I have a strong back!:laughing: 

John


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Hey guys and gals! I'm glad to report that the part of the task I dreaded the most---the foundation, or more specifically, the _concrete,_ is finished! :clap: 

I've got 33 yards in the back yard, all by wheel barrow.  Mind you, I've got some great friends and they all assured me after today, the third day in two weeks that they've made the drive here to be a wheel barrow motor, that they are indeed still my friends.

So, I'm getting in the shower and heading to my favorite local franchise bar-and-grill restaraunt to buy some gift cards for a thank you note for each of them. 

For the foundation, here's a quick recap. We dug footings, or frost walls, 36" deep around the perimeter of the slab. These were filled with a rather wet mix of 3000psi footing mix (ugly-crete). Then the field was filled with torp, and leveled and compacted to 4" below the forms, and in two pours, we made the finished floor and front walk. The workshop floor has a power trowled finish to make it easy to sweep, while the front walk has a brushed or broomed finish, since it's exposed to the weather.

I'll put a couple more images on this post once the new pour is cured and matches the first pour. 

regards,
smitty


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Looking GOOD!!

I couldn't see any bolts sticking up around the edge for the wall anchor points... I hope you didn't forget them...

That's going to be So Nice!!


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Joe Lyddon said:


> I hope you didn't forget them...


oh sh!t I forgot to---wait a minute....my framer told me he's either going to drill them or shoot them. Too much trouble matching pre-existing bolts to appropriate holes. Gauranteed to build a wavy wall that way, he says....

thanks for the comments, Joe. I'm anticipating the construction phase, bending some nails and getting on the roof to lay some shingles....I am also most certainly looking forward to having it done and seeing what I can accomplish. 

regards,
smitty


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Looking good smitty. That's the nasty grunt work done. The rest should be fun.

Gerry


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Gerry KIERNAN said:


> Looking good smitty. That's the nasty grunt work done. The rest should be fun.
> 
> Gerry


Gerry, that's exactly what I was thinking....I was _really _not looking forward to getting all that earth moved around. Compare those images from yesterday, above, with these.

Guess what I discovered? I rented a Toro _Dingo _power shovel. They come with several attachments, and I got the 42" bucket and the 42" tiller (I think they called it the cultivator attachment). So, dreadfully anticipating several days with a shovel and my little 5hp rear tine tiller, I was pleasantly surprised today when I went to the rental shop, got home and got started moving earth by 8:30am, and was back home having a beer after returning the rental equipment by 4:30pm! 

Men, let me tell you...this is one cool little tool, and if you have some earth, sand, rock or whatever to move, RENT ONE OF THESE POWER SHOVELS!!! I saved myself three days, a back injury, and a ton of headache. See how good it already looks? When the framers are done, I'll plant some grass after grooming with my rear tine.

regards for now,
smitty


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## DSallee (Feb 29, 2008)

Hey, I didn't know you was building a basketball court... LOL ... That thing sticking up in the middle might be a problem though..  .. J/K!!


Looking good Smitty... :thumbsup: ... looks like it's gonna be a nice shop! It'll really start coming together when the walls go up.. 


Dave


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Smitty,

What's that pipe sticking up... Gas line? Water? No toilet? :icon_smile: 

Really C O O L !!


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## mdlbldrmatt135 (Dec 6, 2006)

I think in the earlier Pics... it looked like Grey PVC for electrical.........


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Joe Lyddon said:


> What's that pipe sticking up...


yup, it's electrical...for the cabinet saw.


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## jdixon (Nov 21, 2007)

Smitty,

Looking great! Do you have a picture of the power shovel? Man you gotta be excited with the progress to date.

John


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Hi Smitty

That looks like a good days work.

I noticed that you are pretty close to grade with your slab. Is there any chance of flooding in your area, or are you going to build up a block wall before building your stud wall. It does look like you have sloped the soil away from your slab, so maybe that will be enough. Around here water runoff is a big consideration. We call our area the Wet Coast of Canada.

Gerry


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Gerry KIERNAN said:


> Hi Smitty
> 
> That looks like a good days work.
> 
> ...


Hey Gerry: well, there's not really much chance of flood from rivers or waterways, where I'm located. Rainwater definately has a path through the yard, though. Yes, the soil right now looks close to the slab, but remember---when I took the pictures, the soil was still full of air from the fresh tilling. I will finish-grade with a small tiller and rake/shovel etc. to get it where I want it, approx. 4" below the slab...just enough to cover up anything that spilled out beneath the forms.

Now it's back to waiting....waiting on the framers, the truss order, the windows, etc. So I think I'm going shopping for my air compressor today. 

regards,
smitty


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Okay, 4 inches should do it, as long as you have good drainage. You are right of course, the ground will settle.

Given that the housing market in the States has just about bottomed out you shouldn't have to wait too long for your carpenters.

Gerry


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Hey everyone: No new pictures to put up yet, but the trusses for my building arrived today, and the lumber for the walls and the sheathing are due tomorrow. The framer starts Tuesday...._then_ I'll have something to take pictures of!! :thumbsup:

smitty


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Hey gang! Here's the latest photos....it's been a hard couple of days, worrying about the weather and whatnot. Now we have severe weather in the forecast for tomorrow. I pray it passes us by...we have four walls up, with no roof system yet. 

We ran out of Tyvek house wrap, so had to use some 30# roofing paper I had on site. Headers are 11-7/8" LVL. Sheathing is 7/16" particle board. Sill plates are anchored to the slab with 1/2"x5" expanding anchors. The plates are drilled before setting the walls, and then the slab is hammer drilled. 

The roof system will rest on a header and four columns at the front of the pad. Trusses will go up tomorrow, depending on the weather. Keeping it all sturdy and secure in case of storm-level winds is _not _a certainty. We'll continue to hope and pray for the best.

All of todays pictures are on my picasa page at http://picasaweb.google.com/smitty1967/WoodworkingShop

Hopefully more images tomorrow. 

regards,
smitty


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## top (Mar 24, 2008)

that looking good can't wait to see more:thumbsup:

top


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Hey smitty!

That's looking pretty good! Seems to look BIG now...

... can hardly wait to see it with machines in it!

When the walls & roof go up, it makes you think it's almost done... nice feeling... but not true... there is alot more after that... Yes?

Looking good!!

Thank you!


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## jdixon (Nov 21, 2007)

Smitty,

Looking good! Cubs win and pictures of Smitty's workshop! A good night!:thumbsup: I hope you know I'm living vicariously through your project. I hope the weather is not as bad tomorrow as they are predicting too. We are having an 8th grade promotion party at our house tomorrow for our oldest son. But it it doesn't sound good. Good luck on getting it all battened down and keep those pictures coming!

John


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

You're making good progress Smitty. It will go together pretty fast now. 

Gerry


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## bigredc (Sep 1, 2007)

I just though of something as I was looking at your pictures. It would be nice to put the piping for a DC system in the attic. It would take some good planning right now. That would look real clean, and would be one less thing for dust to collect on. It just popped into me head as I was looking. With more though it may turn out not to be a good idea. Just though I pass it along. Lookin good. 
Chris


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

smitty, how tall are the walls? I helped a buddy put up a garage/shop about a year or so ago and his trusses are about 10' off the floor, if I remember correctly. The roofline is actually over 20' at the peak. Big trusses that were a bear to put up, but it was still a lot of fun. Damn good experience building something like that from scratch. Made me feel like I was accomplishing something. 

Yours looks great, by the way.


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

> It would be nice to put the piping for a DC system in the attic.


Chris: I thought the same thing...reason being, getting the DC plennums to fall between the flourescent lighting fixtures, for all the bends and turns and angles they have to make, was a pure bear. I have 16- 4' Flourescent fixtures. 

I then got to thinking about cutting holes precisely, relocating a machine for any reason, and making straight runs in the attic with all those trusses and their webs sticking all over, and it turned out to be much easier to rearrange the lighting plan. I still have the 16 fixtures, but now I have four banks of four---the east and west banks are oriented on an east-west line, and the two banks towards the center are oriented on a 45 degree angle, perpendicular to each other (the two center banks point towards the center, like a chevron pattern.)

Even when the DC plennum design actually influenced machine location and placement, it was still easier to rearrange the lighting to keep straight plennum runs with angles and turns not greater than 30 degrees. 



> smitty, how tall are the walls? Yours looks great, by the way.


Frank: My walls are 8'-0". The hip roof is 4/12 pitch, and the highest truss is approximately 5'-0" from the bottom of the joist cord (ceiling joist) to the top of the peak. We were able to rotate them up with an 8-foot 2x4. I know what you mean, though...the big boys were straining by the end of the afternoon! Thanks for the comments. More pictures soon.

regards,
smitty


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## morgid (Apr 1, 2008)

Cool demolition shots. Are You going to reuse the bricks?


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

morgid said:


> Are You going to reuse the bricks?


Nope, I've been through the debate with the bricks...the cost in time and energy to recycle them isn't worth it to me. They've already been transported to the dump.

Update: today, Sun., Jun. 1st, was another highly productive day. I worked alongside the guy who is doing the framing for me, as I have every day, but today was different. It wasn't a crew of 3 plus me and my 16 y/o son...today it was the lead carpenter and me. We got all the hip rafters and hip jack rafters nailed in on all four corners. If you've ever done this, you know it takes_ alot _of time without looking very productive. Each of these small trusses has to be squared and brought up to the plane of the roof so the sheething fits well. 

We then got the rafter tails marked and cut (an hour working with your arms over your head) and got all 124 feet of 2x6 fascia board nailed (two hours working with your arms over your head). While the ladders were out, we wrestled the purlins up to complete each of the east and west faces of the hip. All in all, it was a productive day. We've been fighting mud all week, and had another 2 inches of rain Fri. and Sat. morning...I hope that does it for the rain. Roof sheething goes up tomorrow, and windows and doors. Roof paper if there's time in the day, because tomorrow is the last day of time in his bid. 

The attached images show the usual poses I've been taking, but I also included some shots from the interior, a detail of the header that's carrying the front of the building on columns (the front wall of the building is non-load bearing, because there is no footing under the pad), and a roof-top perspective from the house, looking down into the building.

I can't wait til I can show you some interior finishing pics and some tools! :thumbsup:

regards,
smitty


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

WOW!

That's one HUGE - BIG HEADER!! I'll bet that a person or two to get into place!

You're doing really well!!

Keep it up!

Thank you!


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## dirtclod (May 7, 2008)

I'm late into this thread.

You did good planning and laying in the electric utilities in the early stages. What about a water line?

I helped on a house addition last fall. We tore the bricks off 1/3 of the exterior an used them for erosion control. Erosion control: (Kentucky definition) Find a big ditch and see how much of it you can stop up. :laughing: But the owner found out they were in a delimma when they couldn't match up the old brick with any currently being manufactured. This problem bounced around for a few weeks. So, like an after-the-fact I realized I made a mistake idiot, I suggested they tear the brick off the rest of the house about 1/2 way down and use it to make a 1/2 wall around the new addition. Much to my suprise, they love the suggestion. Guess who got voluntered for this duty! So I spent several weekends with a air chisel, first removing the brick, then cleaning the mortar off, washing the bricks, and stacking them on pallets, then disposing (Kentucky erosion control) of the rest. We allmost didn't have enough and were considering removing some of the earlier erosion control dams to make up the difference.

All that being said: I think it's wise to reuse all available material. Making New Jersey mountains or Kentucky erosion control dams are not the best way to do things. I knew several who wanted the old bricks for sidewalks, but the old bricks had 3 holes through them that would have filled with water and cracked open during freezes in that application. But all was not lost as many of them ended up at a coworkers housed to help rebuild his front porch.

I like the overhang you have. Good for an impromptu shelter and also helps to protect the walls/foundation/open doors.


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Hey ladies and gentlemen: 

It's been quite a spell since I've posted an update. This could be laziness, but take a look at the pictures and I'm sure you'll agree---not lazy, but busy! 

Once the framers left the job, the labor fell to me. I started with the drip edge and roof. My 16 y/o son and 3 of his buddies (my cheap labor crew) humped all the shingles to the rear yard from the driveway, then devised a simple little ramp to get them to the roof. Two of the guys lifted from the ground, and two picked up the bundle at the roof's edge and carried them around the roof. There were 15 sq. of 30 yr fibreglass shingles, about 83 pounds per bundle. Best money I spend on the project so far! 

I spent most of the next week working on the soffit and fascia wrap. This went fairly well. I struck a level line from the rafter tail to the wall, then hung a nailer above it, J-channel to the bottom of that nailer, and took off hanging soffit. I cut the pieces on the worktable jig you can see in one of the interior pictures. 

During this work, the electrical contractor came. On one of the hottest days of the season so far, they dropped the service from the pole (seen at rear of building), set a new panel, and powered the house with 100-amp refeed going back out a second weather head. This option was the cheapest of several bids I received; two others wanted to feed the house then trench back to the building. Rudundant and costly, I thought. So, I have two weatherheads on my new building, but it is far from ugly....

Next came the siding. My father-in-law helped me get started, then a guy I work with came over three or so hours each day we were off, and we got the siding completed in about another week, working partial days here and there. 

Finally, the last two days were spent preparing the yard and cleaning up for seeding. I rented a Dingo again (as explained in one of my previous posts) and cultivated the earth to a point that it was so fine you could hardly walk on it! I then rolled the seed areas, fertilized and seeded, then scratched the seed in with a leaf rake. Then last night we got 1.2" of rain, and I'm sure about 70% of my seed washed away. I also discovered I still have a low spot trapping water between the building and house :blink: after all that work! 

The ceiling in the center has been laddered in for a floor for the 'attic' space where the air compressor will live. You can see that in one of the interior pictures, too. 

For now, all is well and progressing nicely. The electrician (my brother) is coming tonight after work, and we're putting together a material list and headed to Lowe's. Might have ceiling lights hung by the weekend....we'll see. 

Enjoy the pics and I'll keep everyone updated.
regards,
smitty


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## TS3660 (Mar 4, 2008)

Very nice Smitty. I bet you feel like a kid on Christmas morning. What are your plans for heating and A/C?


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## bigredc (Sep 1, 2007)

Looking great.
Chris


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Hey Smitty!!

You're finally into the knitty gritty phase!!

*LOOKING G R E A T!!*

That's going to be one SWEET shop to work in!

I wish I had that much room on my lot (and money!)...

You've got alot of good natural light, which I think is very nice.

Thank you for the updates!!


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Thanks for the comments, friends! It's been a long time coming, and the satisfaction is starting to come through. Tonight my brother and I went to Lowe's, spent mucho-dinero, about 650 US clams, and got 1000' 10/2 and all the accessories and started setting boxes according to the plan.

Bud, my heating will be qty 4- 240VAC, 2500W baseboard heaters. One will be located as close to center of each wall as possible. On the south side, that one will be moved about four feet towards the corner to make room for the miter station. 

A/C will be a window unit, 15,000 btu, rated for up to 900 sq. ft. (my shop is 840 sq. ft.) It will be mounted permanently in the wall, and the cut-out is just visible in the last image of my most recent set of pictures from earlier today. It will sit just to the left of that triple-hung window opening. 

Thanks again, guys...cool things happening now and it won't be too much longer!

smitty


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## top (Mar 24, 2008)

that is nice you will spend some nice day and night their have fun doing what you like 



shop of top


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Hey everyone! Man, let me tell you, it's been a busy several weeks. I'm glad to report that everything is going smoothly, though. Except for the tendancy for $50.00 bills to fly out of my pocket every time I walk inside my near-by Lowe's store, that is....

Anyway, here's a quick update. I've been busy inside after the siding and roof were finished. The wire was pulled with a little planning, and wow was that a fun process. I really enjoyed the math and the geometry behind it, and was quite fortunate to have my brother, a supurb electrician, right along side me to help.

I hung fiberglass insulation, then 1/2" OSB panels for the ceiling. After rolling on three coats of flat white latex, I installed the 16 flourescent ceiling fixtures, wired them, and finally have lights inside! 

I have the outside completely buttoned up now, including my roll-up door and paint on the service door. The security lights and decorative lights are up, and once I get my tools set, I have some old pallets saved from the project that I'm going to use to make shake shingles out of. I'm going to use these to wrap the four columns on the front of the building. 

Interior insulation and walls this next week, and I should have some more pictures for you. Until then, here are the two shots I have of the outside, finished (except for the columns) with the lights on at dusk today.

regards,
smitty


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Hey Smitty!

You're getting there! Looks good!

Are those high voltage/watt spot/flood lights in the corners?
If so, I can just see your power-meter-wheel wearing out a bearing spinning so much! ($$$)

Really very nice... It's really going to be F U N stuffing the machines, etc. into it!! 

Do you have your machine layout done?

Thanks for the pics... COOL...

Your grass is growing-in very nicely TOO!


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## DSallee (Feb 29, 2008)

Hey Smitty!

NICE my friend! Looking great!!

Soooo.... when you having an "open house party/cookout" so we can see that awesome shop in person?:yes:

Dave


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Fine looking shop Smitty. You've done a nice job.

Gerry


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## jdixon (Nov 21, 2007)

Smitty,

It looks fantastic! You should be very proud. You gotta be itchin to get some tools in there and start building stuff!

John


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Well everyone, now the fun begins....I'm almost finished with the interior of my workshop. I am going to Lowe's tonight to get the paint for the OSB wall panels, which you see here in the attached images. 

After paint, I will set the receptacles and switches, and trim the panels with baseboard and crown, and then it'll be katie-bar-the-door! 

I have a truck and trailer lined up and should be going to Springfield the week of Aug. 11th, if everything goes well. _Then_ I'll have some pictures....

These are taken from opposite corners to give the complete perspective. I hope I got the point across.

regards,
smitty


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Hey, now you're getting SERIOUS!! 

It's REALLY starting to happen...

The real FUN begins...

I wonder how fast you're going to fill it up?


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## bigredc (Sep 1, 2007)

Great. Looking good. Lots of lights. The roll up door is a good idea. Your making a lot of people jealous. I'm at the top of the list.


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

bigredc said:


> Great. Looking good. Lots of lights. The roll up door is a good idea. Your making a lot of people jealous. I'm at the top of the list.


Hey bigred, thanks....although jealousy isn't my intention, obviously. I've done so much for so long and saved and scratched and got lucky a time or two that now we're finally able to make a nice shop. I spent 12 years working off of portable machines, bench-tops and roll-around everything, working out of a one-car garage that is actually a garage. My wife still parks in it. So now, we won't have the weeks-long question and answer phase (how long, when, who's, why, almost done?)....

regards,
smitty


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## Terry Beeson (May 29, 2008)

Smitty... Things are looking good! I'm on the jealous list, too. I'm assuming you're coming to Grizzly in a couple of weeks? You may want to bring a bigger trailer... LOL


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## bigredc (Sep 1, 2007)

You don't have to explain yourself. Unless you robbed a bank to get the money for it, otherwise, I'm sure you work hard for your money like the rest of us. There's nothing wrong with having nice things. My basement shop is about 25' X 35' and I'm spilling out into my garage. I'm sure there are guy's that would love to have the space I have. Have fun, keep up the good work. 
Chris


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## Maveric777 (Jul 30, 2008)

I got to admit. I just stumbled across this thread and couldn't stop until I looked at every pic and read every post. Very proud for you Smitty. Thanks for sharing it with us and inspiring "Woodworking Noobs" like myself. Now I got to get out in my shop ....cough .... cough.... garage....... and make some saw dust......lol

Thanks again!


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Alright, ladies and gentlemen....here goes!

I'm done-done-done with my building!! :icon_smile:

I never thought the day would arrive after things got under way in March. Today I finished what trim I could, saving the last corner of baseboard and shoe until after I set my built-ins in the northwest corner. 

So, here are the pictures of the interior, paint and trim applied. 

And, you know what this means? I'm going to Springfield, MO Saturday to spend my son's first semester of college. Oh well...there's always the US Army, right? 

Enjoy, and tool pics coming after this weekend!
smitty


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## bigredc (Sep 1, 2007)

Very Nice. Can't wait for the machine pictures.
Chris


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Smitty,

That looks SO NICE... you ARE having the FUN of your LIFE, I can tell!

But, I think *you gotta move that there ladder...* *

Also, do you have Covers on all those A/C outlets? *  :thumbsup: :laughing:

BTW, what is that black square on the ceiling... a hoist/pulley railing or something?

I'm HAPPY for you being able to do this! :yes:

Have a GREAT SAFE time filling it up! :yes:

Be Safe and Careful! :yes:

Enjoy...


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Joe Lyddon said:


> BTW, what is that black square on the ceiling...


Hey Joe: that black square is actually grey, like the rest of the trim. It is the scuttle for the attic. I trimmed it out like the rest of the openings. I was originally going to put my air compressor up there, but I've talked myself out of that. Now I'm thinking of a powered vent fan in the roof, to clear out the dust and fumes when I may need to. 

Anyway thanks for the comments and yes, we'll have tool pics soon!

regards
smitty


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Looks great Smitty. I can't believe you're complaining about a 6 month build time though. Building my buddy's shop, aka Garage-mahal, it took over a year from start of excavation just to get the building complete externally. He's still doing little things to the inside of it a year plus later.

So, as I was saying, good job.


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## Nate1778 (Mar 10, 2008)

Dude, very nice, I can't beleive I hadn't scene this thread as well. Well done. I am going to have to do something like this in the next decade or so, off the top of your head do you have in the shop alone, money wise?


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## RLHERRON (May 15, 2008)

Smitty, What material did you use for the ceiling? Also, did you do anything special for the walls? I realize you used OSB, the paint looks better than I thoght it would. Shop looks great. That is where I'm at on my shop now. Wasn't going to pay to much attention to the walls right now, after seeing your shop, I've changed my mind.

RL


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## TS3660 (Mar 4, 2008)

Smitty,
Is that you just coming in the door in the one picture? How are you going to reach the light switch? :laughing:


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## Terry Beeson (May 29, 2008)

Wow... I am so jealous but glad for you... Nice looking shop. Send the kid to community college... :laughing:

Have fun at Grizzly!!! :thumbsup:


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## Geoguy (Feb 22, 2008)

Wow, that is great! You will never regret painting those walls. Sure, they will get a little dirty but they reflect so much more light. Don't know about you, but I'm finding that with every passing year I need more light in the shop. Haven't decided if I should clean the walls, repaint, or get glasses.

Can't wait to see it filled with Grizzly green.


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## Terry Beeson (May 29, 2008)

Yep... Smitty's probably pulling into the Grizzly parking lot with his 18-wheeler 52 foot flatbed saying "LOAD 'ER UP, BOYS!!!"

Breakfast at Hemmingway's in BassPro watching the big saltwater acquarium behind the bar...
Making decisions on whether to get the 10" or 12" Grizzly tablesaw...
Loading and securing a load of new Grizzly equipment...
Swing by Lambert's and let them throw rolls while you eat a late lunch...
Head I-44 east with a stop at Big Louie's at St. Robert/Ft Leonard Wood for some "fine entertainment..." (.)(.) & (_|_) 
Then home to unload, unpack, assemble, plug in, and PLAY!!!!!

(Hope you brought plenty of singles for Big Louie's... )


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

OK, Terry, you seem to have the plan, but unfortunately it didn't work out that way. It RAINED from Rolla to Springfield and back to Rolla. 

It's 12:40am Sunday, and my fan club (12 and 16 y/o sons) and the wife just now finished unloading everything....into the garage! The trailer wouldn't fit, so we had to unpack and unwrap and cart and roll every piece...including the cabinet saw. That was interesting. 

Pictures and details when I get time tomorrow (later today).

A beer for ol' Smitty, and it's bedtime!


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

*Hip Hip Hooray... !!*  

*Hip Hip Hooray... !!*  

*Let's hear it for the wife & kids..!! *  :laughing:


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

OK, everyone...first, let me say again---Thanks to one and all for the great comments and encouragement. This workshop has been in the planning stages for quite a while, and now its my reality! I'm glad to be able to share with you everything I've done so far, and equally glad that some of you have seen good ideas to copy. 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow that I've been able to (nearly) complete this great project, that I've had the help of many great friends and my two great sons, and that, despite falling from the ceiling while my 16 y/o and I were installing insulation, we were able to complete this project without any major injuries. Apart from a few scrapes, a cut here and there, and smashing a thumb with a framing hammer on the last day, we all escaped unscathed.

So...yesterday, my 16 y/o and I left Bartonville at 8:00am. I borrowed a friend's 1/2 ton Chevy and a different friend's 16' tandem trailer. It was a good set-up, evenly matched. We drove 72mph all the way to Rolla, where we hit rain. It then continued to rain on us until we had Rolla in our mirrors. But in Springfield, the rain didn't matter!

Ran into a guy by the name of Phil Heaton in the showroom....turns out, he's originally from Peoria (city where I work), has a sibling or two still up here, and talked to Terry Beason from next door Nixa, MO who told him I was coming! Thanks Terry...the welcome was great.

The order was placed earlier in the week via email, and I added two items I'd forgotten. Paid the bill, got a free hat for my boy (darn it! If I knew they were free, I'da got one too!!!), and picked up the small parts in the showroom delivery area. Then went across the street where we were loaded by two very cool guys and a forklift. Everything was shrink-wrapped due to the rain, and turns out that helped alot in keeping things from moving once we got under way. 

We strapped it all down tight, stopped at Walgreens for some cigars and a soda, and a 3-pound box of malted milk balls, and headed east on I-44. We made two fuel stops and a supper stop, and were in Bartonville at 11:15pm.

Once home, I realized I was not going to get the trailer backed into the garage, so we started to unload everything by hand. We then used some four-foot pieces of 1/2" black iron pipe and rolled the cabinet saw pallet off the trailer with my aluminum ramps (think: Egyptian pyramid construction). This process took about an hour all together. Today after worship, my 12 y/o and I started moving the cartons to the shop from the garage while my 16 y/o disassembled my Delta contractor's saw. We spend about another hour moving everything, including rolling the cabinet saw the same way.

That's where I'm at....my wife has some minor surgery tomorrow, and I'm home with her all week, so I'm going to give her one of my FRS radios and leave the house quiet. This of course means that I'll be out in the building, putting stuff together!! :yes:

Once my little covey of bear cubs comes out of their cardboard hibernation, I'll get some more pictures. I also planned to take a record of assembly images for myself for future reference. If anyone wants to see these, let me know.

that's all for now, folks...
regards,
smitty


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Golly...

Now, I'm feeling a tad jealous...

What a DREAM to have happen!

Brand NEW stuff ALL AT ONCE! ... no fussin around!

Bang, it's done!! What a WONDERFUL way to go!

Sure is nice that you were able to do it!

Can hardly wait to see the spreading of the Green!

Will be an awesome sight, for sure!

Be Safe...

Hope your wife has a successful day Monday... God Bless her...


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## Terry Beeson (May 29, 2008)

smitty1967 said:


> OK, ...my fan club (12 and 16 y/o sons) and the wife just now finished unloading everything....
> 
> A beer for ol' Smitty, and it's bedtime!


:blink: You are one lucky man... :laughing:

I bet the wife even brought the beer to you and pulled your shoes and socks off and fluffed your pillow.... :thumbsup:


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Terry Beeson said:


> I bet the wife even brought the beer to you and pulled your shoes and socks off and fluffed your pillow.... :thumbsup:


What are you, nuts? Have you surrendered your urine specimen for tox screening this month? Drop the crack pipe, Terry....you have to remember that while my darling bride can stay up until 2:30 in the morning watching some lame-a$$ movie that she's already seen sixteen times, she darn well wouldn't be out on the driveway at Midnight by choice, much less doing anything to make _me_ comfortable. 

As soon as the door went down...yes, in fact I did open a beer. Two, actually....and she was under the covers.



thanks for the laugh, though, Terry....
smitty


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## jdixon (Nov 21, 2007)

Congrats Smitty! That has to be one good feeling getting to this point. Now the real fun begins. Sounds like you had a good trip to Grizzly, glad you made it back safe and sound! Just returned myself from dragging a boat back from NC with a friend. I thought I was the only one who bought malted milk balls by the 3 pound box!:laughing: 

Looking forward to the Christmas morning atmosphere pics as the boxes start getting torn apart! Love the obligatory pooch pic checking the shop out earlier in the thread.

John


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## bigredc (Sep 1, 2007)

SWEEET. I'd like to see your pictures of everything going together. If you don't mind. 
Chris


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Well, Chris, I'm not going to bore everyone to death with the step-by-step, but here's a few...

The bandsaw was pretty straight forward, as was the sander. The base cabinets (are they called cabinets?) are stamped steel, painted and punched. The hardware is all metric but it's spot-on and everything goes together exactly as intended in the instructions.

So here are the bandsaw and sander...


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

The shaper was the booger of the bunch....because I had to spend so much time cleaning the cosmoline from all the cast surfaces. Mind you, I cleaned it from the surfaces of _all_ the machines, but the shaper had it hiding in places I'd never dream of. Good thing I was looking hi and lo for it....I probably still missed some. 

On the cast iron, I started out with a citrus-based liquid cleaner, as the instructions suggest. I quickly saw this as a lesson in futility and moved on to chemical science. I switched to the trust old standby, Remington shotgun cleaner aerosol. It worked like a champ. Then for the bare, virgin cast iron, I wiped on a quick coat of automotive wax to protect from rust until I can research and buy something more suitable. 

This first picture is a comparison of the two pieces of the fence, cleaned on the right and just out of the wrapper on the left. Later in this sequence, you see how busy the table of the shaper gets when assembled according to instructions. I can also see some of those appliances hanging on a wall somewhere, sometime down the road, in favor of something a little more user-friendly.


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

and finally, 16 y/o Kevin assembling the tool chest, and the drill press. The drill press was insanely easy, I thought, for as complex as it looked going into it. Most of the intricate stuff was already complete....for serious shop equipment, this stuff was as close to 'plug and play' as I can think of....

That's it for tonight...more pics soon.
regards,
smitty


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## top (Mar 24, 2008)

well done smitty now you can back to what love doing


* "THE SHOP OF TOP"*


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## BobbyfromHouston (Jul 4, 2008)

*sander*

I really liked that sander. I have a Grizzly Bandsaw and it is so nicely built. I wished someone would teach me to send pictures and I would share them.
Bobby


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## BobbyfromHouston (Jul 4, 2008)

Do you think you will put a six inch riser in that bandsaw?


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

BobbyfromHouston said:


> Do you think you will put a six inch riser in that bandsaw?


I'm not sure if I know what you mean by that....you mean make it higher up off the floor? If I do that to anything, it'll be to the shaper...it sits pretty low to the ground.

smitty


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Smitty,

What a Beautiful site!! NICE stuff!!

I have a G0555 too... love it... What he meant by the 6" extender was not just raising it more off the floor. 

You can increase the total resaw HT. cut by installing the "Extender", I think for around $85, that makes it use a 105" blade and makes the Max cut close to 12" instead of 6". I got the extender... it's nice to have but only if you think you'll ever want to resaw more than 6".

That Shaper... is that just a Cadillac type of Router? :laughing:

You're doing great... Take it cool and slow... do it right.

Thank you...


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## Nate1778 (Mar 10, 2008)

smitty1967 said:


> I'm not sure if I know what you mean by that....you mean make it higher up off the floor? If I do that to anything, it'll be to the shaper...it sits pretty low to the ground.
> 
> smitty




I do beleive he means a 6" riser block, it raises the re-saw capability of the band saw to 12".


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## johnjf0622 (Feb 8, 2008)

Smitty

Everything is looking good. Had my eye on that same shaper. What is the advantage of the radial drill press? Is it mainly to set your angles on the head instead of the table? Seen that in the catalog, just haven't gotten down to Muncy to see in person the whole deal with it. 

John


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

hey John: you have to see this thing to believe it....for the money, it's a helluva machine. Well built and well balanced, and I cannot conceive of any angled hole you would _not_ be able to drill with it. The adjustability seems infinite....I can't wait to actually do something meaningful with it and see how it performs.

If I were you, I'd make the drive to Muncy. I've been to Springfield twice now...once to shop, and then last Sat. to buy. It was well worth it for me, six hours from the showroom.

regards,
smitty


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## johnjf0622 (Feb 8, 2008)

Hey Smitty

Definitely let me know or post on here how the drill press works. I seen in the grizzly book it is not priced bad at all. Oh I am planning for the trip to Muncy. Lucky for me it is only 1 1/2 to 2 hours away. Gives me a lot of time to look around and all. Let me know also about the Shaper how you like it and your sanding station. I don't know if Muncy has a hands on thing so you can try them or not. So opinions from the tool owner is the best thing. Looking forward to seeing more pics of the shop.

Thanks
john


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## johnjf0622 (Feb 8, 2008)

Hey Smitty

Are you going to post anymore pics of the shop?

John


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Here's the rest of the story, everyone....hope these pictures help you better understand the method of my madness.

I have mistakenly deleted the planer and jointer pictures from the camera prior to copying them...this isn't a huge deal. Tomorrow or the next day I'll get another. 

What I do have today are the last tools going together, the cabinet saw and the dust collector. Let me tell you what, I'm glad I waited to do the d/c last....if I'd have started with it, I would have taken all the rest of the tools back to Grizzly. My God in Heaven this thing was a royal PITA to assemble. There were more than a couple places where you couldn't fit a hand to insert or thread a bolt. But anyway, with the help of a 12 y/o with nimble fingers and skinny wrists, we got it done. 

In the d/c pictures, you'll see that I don't have the factory stand; it is bolted to the wall. This morning I decided I didn't like all that weight cantilevered out off that 2x12, albeit it quite sturdily lagged to the framing members. So I threaded a couple eye-bolts into the ceiling joists, and with a turnbuckle and some chain, relieved some of the weight off the outter edge. My intention was only to help carry some of the weight, not move or adjust. I think I've accomplished that.

The cabinet saw was fairly straightforward, although there were quite a few fasteners with those legs and extension/outfeed table. All in all, everything went well...wired everything up, checked voltage across the two legs and pressed the start switch, and not one single problem with anything.

All that's left is buying, measuring, cutting, hanging, glueing, testing, adjusting, cutting, rehanging and re-glueing the dust collector plennum and gates. More on that soon.

regards,
smitty


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

cabinet saw....


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

That sure is looking PURDY...!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Geoguy (Feb 22, 2008)

That dust collector is SWEEEEEEET!!! And, love that outfeed table on the saw - is that a grizzly product?


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## Terry Beeson (May 29, 2008)

Wow... I would take a bunch of pics when you get done and send them to Grizzly... You might be in the next catalog....

Lookin' good there Smitty!!!!


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## themechanic007 (Aug 6, 2008)

Thats really nice...I like the OSB on the walls-people thought i was crazy but when i redid my garage i used 1/2" sanded plywood for the walls, ive poke one too many holes through drywall not to have done it that way..lol

All you need is a small kitchen/bathroom and bed and you could work for weeks at a time


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## johnjf0622 (Feb 8, 2008)

I have T1-11 on my walls. It was there when we purchased the house. I would rather the plywood also. A lot easier mounting things to the walls and you don't have to have a bucket of spacle on hand for the holes made from oop's.

John


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## EugeneInNC (Aug 18, 2008)

Hey Smitty, That is one great looking shop you have. It looks like you did a lot of planning and hard work. It really shows. I work out of a couple of metal buildings with no heat or AC. I think the wood construction you have would be a lot better. I am thinking about going to the Griz. showroom in Muncy PA. I'm shure I could spend a day in that place. I have a question about your purchase from the showroom. Did you have to pay sales tax on the purchase? If you had to pay sales tax what was the percentage? In Raleigh, NC I would have to pay 7.someting percent unless the passed a special wooworking tax during the last legislative session. If they did not pass such a tax that is the only thing they missed. Now they are even talking about making NC residents pay a new tax based on how many miles you drive each year. I should not even get started on that. I am just trying to calculate total cost for a couple of purchases I will make soon. Sales tax in NC can cause the cost of mail order items to be less even with high shipping rates. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Eugene


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## johnjf0622 (Feb 8, 2008)

Hi Eugene
Dont mean to hijack thethread. Here in PA the state sales tax is 6%.
If you go to the showroom and buy you get naided tax. Unless you have a form from a tax free state that would have to reside in. If you order over he net I know you wont get nailed tax unless you live in the state of thier location. You will get nailed shipping though. Yes I checked into this in the past LOL. I figure being 2 hours from Muncy tops I will pay the tax and save on the shipping when I do a Smitty scale shopping. LOL Shop is looking good smitty. Hope this answered your question. 

John

Hey Smitty did you get a free watchdog for all those tools from Grizzly.


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## EugeneInNC (Aug 18, 2008)

Thanks for the info. That is the way it always works out for me. It is cheaper for me to pay the shipping. I thought that since I wanted to see the showroom anyway I might be able to save a few bucks by hauling the machines myself. I will just have it shipped and wait untill the next time I am in DC or north of there to go see the showroom. From DC I could take a day off work and go see it all in one day.

Thanks again

Eugene


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## hands made for wood (Nov 2, 2007)

Hey Smitty, first time I've looked at this thread for a while now. the Shop looks awesome!!! It looks like you have some great machinery there too!! Agian looks great!


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

thanks for all the great comments, guys! 

I am currently in the process of putting the d/c plennum together. It will all be done in 4" PVC, except that the last fitting just ahead of the d/c inlet is bushed up to a 6" elbow. The connection to the d/c is then made with a sewer joint---a large neoprene boot with two hose clamps, one for the elbow and one for the d/c fitting. 

I'll put some pictures up of the plennum, hangers and blast gates and such when I get them, maybe in a day or two. Then I think I'll close out the thread...I'm done with the shop (in a day or two) and ready to begin building my cabinets, workbench and starting some production!

thanks again for the feedback, guys...
smitty


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Dust collector plennum is finished. I used 4" PVC and cemented all the fittings after dry-fitting everything. There is a blast gate for each machine or group of machines, as you'll see. I also hung a blast gate and a drop for a sanding table which I'm going to build in to my work bench. 

This will be my last post for my "New Workshop Begins" thread. Six months start-to-finish, I don't figure that's too bad. It's been fun from the beginning, I loved the work, and now the real fun begins. I'm planning on starting my miter station over the weekend, which will be two 4-drawer bases and a bridge for the saw. I will then build the cabinets for the corner built-in unit and my workbench will follow. I'll post pictures of these as I get them done.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have to say it's been fun sharing with you, and gathering a few ideas along the way. I hope our exchange will continue. Thanks again to everyone for all their comments.

regards,
smitty


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Golly, Smitty, sure doesn't seem like 6 mos.! Time flies when ur having fun, eh?

Looks like you still have plenty of room! Got a new pair of hiking shoes? 

Don't forget to release the tension on the BS...:thumbsup:

Great job!!

Have you seen that workbench on FWW with pipe clamps, etc. in it? Looks really cool and flexible... What kind are you planning on building?


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## jdixon (Nov 21, 2007)

Smitty, It has been a real pleasure to watch your shop come together and a testament to your careful planning on how great it looks! I have truly enjoyed seeing your picture documentation from an old brick shed in your backyard to what you have now. You should be very proud! Now I'm excited to start seeing your projects coming out of the shop. :thumbsup:

Man I would almost hate to get all those shiny new tools dirty. Almost!

John


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

The lighting looks good, the plumbing looks good. I like it. I like to see those long radius bends (long sweep 90's and wye's with 45's) that will not give you any problems. And the cleanouts. Looks like you planned this well...man when will you get to start ruining perfectly good wood trying to make a simple project like the rest of us ? :laughing:


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## EugeneInNC (Aug 18, 2008)

Smitty, I am new to this forum. This was one of the first threads I Looked at a few weeks ago. Your shop really turned out great. All of your planning and hard work shows. I know you will enjoy it for a long time. I have got several ideas from reading this thread especially the bridge for the miter station and DC system. I'm still dragging 4" hoses around the shop. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Eugene


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## Basset (Dec 15, 2007)

That sure is one bear of a shop and I'm green with envy.:thumbsup:


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Your DC system looks real professional Smitty.

Gerry


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## johnjf0622 (Feb 8, 2008)

Looks great smitty. On your clean outs did you have to use something to seal it against leaks through the threads? Like teflon tape or something else.

john


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## chevyll_1967 (Aug 7, 2008)

Looking very very good smitty, Like your lay out and hey dont forget the cable for the TV got them football games comming on plus Cubs in playoffs. when you get done how bout comming to MI and put one up for me LOL. One man's reality is anothers dream doing great job love the photo updates. Chevyll :thumbsup:


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## bigredc (Sep 1, 2007)

The DC system looks great. Don't forget to ground it. You build up a heck of a lot of static electricity with that big pipe.You don't want all that nice work going up in smoke.
Chris


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

bigredc said:


> The DC system looks great. Don't forget to ground it. You build up a heck of a lot of static electricity with that big pipe.You don't want all that nice work going up in smoke.
> Chris


Hey Chris: you know, I genuinely admire and am grateful for your comments. Your intentions are pure, I know. However, I think it's time to put this "static electricity causes fires in the home workshop" business to bed, once and for all.

I appreciate _everyone's _good intentions, believe me. And I will definately ground my system. But like I've said before on several occasions---ESD is NOT a cause of fires in the home workshop environment, specifically not in the d/c systems. I researched the cause and origin tables as best I could and could find no examples of a spark causing a dust explosion or fire. I would suspect that, of those fires that may have begun in the d/c, it was from sucking up a cigarette or perhaps the impeller digesting a piece of hardware, generating some sparks that way. 

I have already witnessed the clingy, furry type of static on the outside of my plennums and flexible hose. I know static electricity exists, and I will protect my equipment and me from it. But I will do it for that reason only (protecting the equipment).

thanks again everyone for your comments
smitty


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## chevyll_1967 (Aug 7, 2008)

Smitty, what the heck you doin layin down next to the saw for afraid someone gonna steal it or you just admiring your work? Oh sorry thats the watch dog :laughing:
Nice looking shop and yeah Iam in line on the jealousness of your beautiful layout and the new tooling.Looking good :thumbsup:. Chevyll


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## johnjf0622 (Feb 8, 2008)

Well Smitty you could always suck up a Bounce sheet once in a while that will prevent static. :laughing: sorry trying to make light of what seems to be a ongoing subject.

john


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## bigredc (Sep 1, 2007)

Smitty
That's good to know. I'm very new to woodworking. Maybe a year and half. I put a system in my basement because I was having a lot of problems with my nose and sinuses because of the dust. I got a book and read up on it. That's where I got what I know, and from on here. Saw dust was sticking to the outside of the tubes and I think I got a few shocks, so I believed what I read about the fires. 
Chris


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## Ohio Ron (Dec 22, 2007)

I have followed all of your shop developments as though they were mine. I have dreamed of having such a shop. I guess all of us have. It is wonderful that you can fulfill your dream. I think that I can say for all of us that we could spend so much time in that shop, that our ladies would think we were lost.

Great planning, great engineering and best of all....thanks for sharing. Enjoy, enjoy.

Ron


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## user4178 (Apr 18, 2008)

Shouldn't the main runs be 6" ? like the inlet on the DC.


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Woodchuck1957 said:


> Shouldn't the main runs be 6" ? like the inlet on the DC.


Well, I don't know from should or should not be, but I know I've emptied my 35-gal. barrel beneath my cyclone twice already, and the unit has only been in service about 8 weeks. 

smitty


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## user4178 (Apr 18, 2008)

Smitty, I'm trying not to sound like I'm criticizing. I'm looking into geting a cyclone also and it's just from what I've learned about and seen in DC systems. I'm just trying to help. It may seem to work good now, but it may work even better. I just thought I'd give you a heads up, and maybe it would be something you would like to check into. I don't mean to step on anyones toes. Page 12 and 16 may be of some interest to you. http://www.grizzly.com/images/pdf/Cyclone_Dust_Collectors.pdf


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## bugman1954 (Apr 1, 2008)

I have to agree with woodchuck on this one. Gosh smitty I love you like a brother but if you were using screws to hold your furniture together I would tell you there was a better way. I know you put a lot of work and money into that duct work and it looks great, but that 4" is only allowing about 400 cfm to flow through it. If your main was 7" it would support up to 1200 cfm. 400 is ok if none of your machines produce more dust than that or if you never use more machines at the same time that don't produce totaling 400cfm. My dual drum sander needs every inch it can get. Thats why I stayed with the seven inch and at the last minute reduced it to dual 4" dust ports. 

I had the 4" pvc thing going until I bought the dual drum. A friend of mine hooked me up with a furnace supplier and I was able to purchase HVC metal tubing cheaper than the Lowes PVC prices. I didn't use screws just this cool silver tape and taped every joint. I am only one man running a shop in my garage and would never run more than one dust producing machine at a time. You have a great shop and you could be running the jointer and your son could be running the planer at the same time if your duct work was up to the task.


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## user4178 (Apr 18, 2008)

Well there are a couple things I wonder about, the way it is setup now is the DC starving for air ? If so, would it be putting a unessecary strain on the motor ? And is it prone to clogs in the line ? I can understand the frustration of going through the cost and time of putting it all up and finding out that it may not be right. The easiest and cheapest solution would be to run a 6" pipe from the DC to the first Y where the two main runs come together, changeing the first Y to a 6" also and reduce down after that to your 4" mains. It might still be prone to clogs in the 4" lines, but less likely due to more CFM, and would satisfy the air intake at the DC better than it is now.


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

OK, OK, everybody sit back and take a deep breath....

Chuck, Bugman--no offense taken. I know everyone here who shares their honest opinion and experience is only doing it in the interest of helping to spread the knowledge learned over the years. I fully appreciate and understand that.

Here's my line of thought. First, PVC was easy to come by, easy for me to work with (I am _definately _not a sheetmetal worker), and much less expensive than the metal duct you can buy elsewhere. Secondly, I did all the math and all the research on the system specs. Yes, I know 4" interior wall moves approx. 400cfm. 

I also understand that the prime factor in dust collectors is air velocity to maintain suspension of particles. I think I have accomplished that quite satisfactorily. What I do when I run a machine is this---

There are two main branches on the system. One runs the longitude of the collector inlet. The other Y's from it to 90 degrees. The longitudenal run picks up the miter saw, band saw, shaper and sander. The other run picks up the cabinet saw, planer, jointer and sanding table. When I'm running one machine, I always ensure that a blast gate on one of the other runs is open. I figure this gives me the necessary cfm as well as velocity to make sure the debris remains suspended through the final fittings and into the cyclone. 

I admit I have an issue or two...one is chips coming off the top of the table saw blade. I think short of an over-blade collector, I won't be solving this problem any time soon. Another is the miter saw...I haven't see a good solution to this machine yet. Lastly, I seem to have a few chips on the planer table after every use. I think they are hanging up in the verticle flex hose, and fall back to the table after the d/c is deactivated.

Other than that, I think my system performs well considering it's mainly home-built (like most of ours). It serves me well so far, and without a major overhaul to correct a few minor inconveniences, I don't foresee any major changes. I do see it working well and lasting quite a while the way it is. 

Guys, thanks sincerely for your comments and concerns, and as always, any other comments welcome. Now, if you need me, I'll be out back spreading 35 gal. of wood chips on the garden....:blink:

smitty


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Smitty,

Do you spread chips from Plywood cutting on your garden?

... maybe most of your cutting is solid wood?

Nice setup! I'm happy for you!


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Yeah, Joe---Plywood, melamine, MDF...plenty of glue-based stuff. Do you think that's bad? I assume most of the stuff will decompose over a winter, what with the moisture it will be exposed to. Whaddya think?

smitty


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Smitty,

If it's a Vegetable Garden, yes, I think those bad chemicals will harm your vegies... and should NOT be eaten.

Non-vegetable garden, go for it...


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Joe Lyddon said:


> Smitty,
> 
> If it's a Vegetable Garden, yes, I think those bad chemicals will harm your vegies... and should NOT be eaten.
> 
> Non-vegetable garden, go for it...


Hi Joe

I cut a lot of Western red cedar, and oak. Will they be okay in my Veggie garden?:huh:

Thanks Gerry


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Gerry,

I'm no expert on the subject, but I'd say YES... would be good!

The other stuff like ply, MDF, particle brd, etc. have Chemicals in them formeldahyde (sp), and others that I don't think would be good for a vegie garden.

Spread the stuff around shrubs, bushes, trees (not fruit), etc. that are NOT eaten... not vegies...


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

bigredc said:


> Don't feel bad. I've been in construction 25 years, and I don't know what it is. I've heard of a frost line. Maybe it's the same. That's how far down the ground freezes. It changes depending on what part of the country you are in. Your footer wants to be below that, so it doesn't move with the ground as it freezes and thaws.
> Chris


"frost wall" "frost line"

"ground freezes"

What is all of this? I do not understand the terms.

Other than a little terminology problem the beginnings of your shop look great. I am turning green as I read about it.

George


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## KJWoodworking (Feb 15, 2008)

*Thanks a lot Smitty!!*

I have ruined a perfectly good keyboard drooling over your new shop pics.

You need to put up some kind of warning for us with woodworking tool fetishes.

I now know how much my shop sucks! Thanks!!

All kidding aside, great job you lucky #%&$#@!

I hope you enjoy your new shop and have many years of woodworking enjoyment.


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## johnjf0622 (Feb 8, 2008)

GeorgeC said:


> "frost wall" "frost line"
> 
> "ground freezes"
> 
> ...


Well lucky for you George you probably don't have to worry about frost lines in FLA. Up here in the north it is the depth in the ground in which the ground will freeze in the winter. Therefore water pipes, foundation footings are down below this line. As Smitty said in the earlier post his footings are below 36". That way when the ground freezes it won't heave up on the foundation of his shop. Water pipes obviously are below it to prevent freezing of the water. There are people I know up here in NE PA who have farms and in the winter they actually deal with boulder size rock that get heaved up from the winter freeze. Rude awaking when one of them plowed their dirt drive way and the plow found it under the snow.

John


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## HomeyCat (Oct 7, 2007)

Nice job on the shop. It looks awsome. :thumbsup:

I was kind of surprised at how the foundation was done. I think around here (Idaho), we wouldn't need a wall around the permiter to tie in the slab. I think usually just a slab is poured after the ground is sufficiently compacted. Would anyone else build the foundation with out a "frost wall" ?


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