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Workshop Log

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propforward:
Well, here is my story - such as it is.

Back in 2015 I had to take an extremely reduced salary because of circumstances beyond my control - and my new job was a silly distance from my house and shed.

So - I rented the house out, put my shed on its own electric meter and kept control of that (renters did not have access to it). That was a good move - I kept my property and still had access to my shed and tools.  :ThumbsUp:

Shed:



I even finished an Elmer Number 14 wobbler - about February 2016 - and that was great fun.

So anyway - I left the job that was a long way from where I lived, found a better paying one with better employers, and in the general direction of my property. Result!  :ThumbsUp:

One day on the way to work though



Unfortunately I was not in the car.  :Mad:

So anyway, a few weeks in hostipal and rehab, several weeks off work, and even more weeks on crutches and then I got mobile again. Unfortunately, the damage to hips and knees meant I didn't get to my workshop and wasn't up to standing at a machine, so model engineering went on hiatus for a few years, and so I wasn't on this forum much.

Woe is me etc and whatever.

Fast forward past some more enjoyable events, and my wife and I finally moved back to my property a few months ago. Yay!

Before we moved, I took the opportunity to empty the large "storage" part of the shed into the house garage, and finish the shed out some more.

Mostly empty after a LOT of work (it was jammed full of stuff for the last few years)





So, I had a builder, electrician and HVAC guy come in, and we took a simple and inexpensive route to "finishing" this section. basically, by using steel shed siding for the ceiling and OSB for the walls, it keeps the cost way down. Not as nice as sheetrock all taped and everything, but a lot quicker and cheaper. This part of the shed will be for a combo of storage, and "messier" parts of the fabrication process including band sawing, welding and tyre changing (for motorcycles).

So, part way through

propforward:
The sparky chap came in and ran wires, and the HVAC chap put in a nice big heater.






And the builder put in a frame for a through the wall air unit.



Once the OSB started to go up, it actually started looking pretty tidy.





In fact, it looked so decent that I thought I'd have it painted white to brighten it up, while it was empty. I'm glad I did. Of course, as soon as it was painted I had to jam the whole shed full of stuff while we moved from our other dwelling back to this one. These pics are part way into the mess.











For a few months, this part of the shed and the other section were both jammed solid. I don't have any pics of that - but it was depressing. Although I didn't have time to be depressed, because moving and unpacking take up so much effort.

But with that done, I gradually managed to start getting things in order. I now have access to my machine tools and work benches again, and the big area of shed is - believe it or not - getting organized.











There is a lot to do - much stuff to get rid of. Four motorcycles will be leaving soon, and possibly others over time.

I added two welders a few years ago - haven't used them yet - but got them for a steal of a price. This year I'll make progress with those.



After a bit more organizing, I intend to spend a significant amount of time properly setting up my lathe and mill. I rushed into model engineering a bit, full of enthusiasm, and I see I have some adjustments to make to my machine tools. I find myself currently more interested in model engineering than motorcycling, so that will be the focus again soon.

My time away has not been wasted. I volunteered with a local university, and built them a vacuum system for making plasmas and thin films, and am helping a student there learn how to make nano structures and solid state devices. I did get to use my shop to make some fixturing for that - and it has been a rewarding process for sure.

Gratuitous pictures of strange plasma physics things:





That's my story - looking forward to updating the shed pics as I go, and getting back to engines.

propforward:
One thing I am pleased about is that the tremendous amount of insulation is working really well. On a 95 degree day yesterday, the shoppe only got to 73 degrees, without even turning on the air conditioner. Good stuff. Still got some gaps and things to seal to make it rodent, pest and draft proof, but I must say - I really, really like my shed.

zeeprogrammer:
Wonderful story. And looks like a wonderful shop. So sorry about the accident...but it always seems to take one down an interesting and even better road.

But! I am confused. Just where are you? Your language makes me think the UK or possibly Australia or New Zealand, but you specified temps in Fahrenheit.  ;D

Which, on that note, does anyone else on my side of the pond notice an undercurrent of moving to metric? More so than used to be?
I'm fine with it. I'm just trying to get used to the transition.

Uh...yes I know that Fahrenheit and Celcius have nothing to do with metric.  ;D The question just popped up in my mind.

Anyway...I'm glad things are working out for you propforward (what is your name?) and looking forward to seeing some more builds.

Ye-Ole Steam Dude:
Wow, did not take you very long to fill up that nice shop.

Have a great day,
Thomas

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