More Shop!
Sep. 20th, 2009 07:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catsittingstillI spent a happy day yesterday puttering around constructing shelves and tool racks and lumber racks on my wall-mounted 2 x 4s. My thought was that I may not know exactly where I want everything, but a few extra holes in the 2 x 4s won't matter so if I don't like where I put something I'll just move it.
I made a tool rack for "thin tools with handles" (basically two 1 x 1.5 " true* boards separated by a half inch: the tool slides between the boards but the handle is too wide to pass through, so the tool hangs vertically (or mostly vertically depending on its center of mass relative to its center of support) above where I think my workbench will be when I have one. It holds things like chisels, my file that has a handle, my combination square and try square and sliding T bevel, that kind of thing. Under it I have made a little flat shelf to hold my sharpening stone, my exacto knife, the two files that don't have thick handles, the tape measure, etc.
I'm trying to keep tools of a type together. All the layout tools in one general area, all the sharpening tools in one general area, etc. I think the exception will be "tools to work on machines" (since I have the Shopsmith I need to adjust, etc) since some of them (the screwdriver in particular) I end up using on wood too. We'll see where those end up.
The shelf for Shopsmith parts is particularly challenging. I have table saw parts, sander parts, drill parts and lathe parts, and I'd like to keep them each in their own little area, and each acessable in the order needed for changeover. Plus they're odd shapes and some of them are quite heavy, so I've been leaving slots in the shelf (so the saw blade and sander disc can hang vertically, for example) and notching out places for some things so they don't roll around on the shelf, but sit stably. The notching out has been fun: the jigsaw work isn't all that interesting but I'm enjoying working with the chisels. I thought at the time this would be good practice but now I think about it, chiseling softwood like this pine might be quite different from chiseling hardwood like ash. We'll see. It's nice how long chisels stay sharp in pine, that's for sure.
Anyway the Shopsmith shelf is only like half finished, and I still need to come up with a way to store the extension tubes. Boy, they're loud when the roll around on the concrete floor--and putting them *down* on it? I feel like I ought to put in ear protection before I handle them. So I want a wood rack for them. Plus I need a rack or a shelf or something for the extension tables.
Plus I have a whole extra lathe duplicator (made for the Shopsmith, but extra equipment, not standard). It's still in its box and the box fits under the Shopsmith, so I think that's where I'll leave it for now. A lathe duplicator lets you make identical turnings on a lathe--four table legs that are exactly the same, for example. If I were planning that kind of table or chair or bed or something it would be useful. As it is... I would *love* to be able to swap it for a jointer or planer.
I've been making the shelves out of 1 x 1.5" true lumber, because when I was making the doors I made a dumb mistake. I knew I wanted eighteen pieces of lumber that size for the braces (so six 2 x 4s sawn up) but when I got to the lumberyard I forgot my calculations, saw the "18" in my notes, and ordered 18 2 x 4s. Sawn up into 1 x 1.5" true at the lumber yard because I didn't have the tools to do it myself.. So of course I can't take the extras back.
It makes quite a pile, but it turns out to work perfectly well for braces for shelves (I was afraid it would be too thin, but it's working fine so far) and for making tool racks and cleats to attach shelves and racks to the 2 x 4s on the walls, and, laid side by side on the cleats, shelves. It's nice and soft so it's easy to cut to length with my douzouki saw--which cuts straighter than the jig saw and less noisily--and to notch out with chisels if necessary. I have used up maybe a quarter of the extra wood so far. And the first thing I did was put up braces on the walls and pile the lumber on them, because having it leaning against the back wall simply took up too much space.
I am very happy with the doors: I must have opened and closed them four times yesterday and it was no big deal. Didn't have to run around and check that there was nothing in the path of the "door levers" because there were no door levers and I was right next to them when I opened them anyway. I do miss having windows in that door, though, because my favorite neighbor lives on that side and I liked to run out and say hi when I see her coming home, and now I can't see her anymore.
And I'm very happy with the lights. I don't even need the five light switch most of the time--the three light switch plus the windows is enough. But the extra five lights are nice after the sun goes down.
And the reason I have written so much yesterday and today is that I keep waking up and wanting to work on the shop but it is rude to the neighbors to use power tools at six or seven am on a weekend morning. So I'm sublimating.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* lumberyard measure is not like regular measure. A 2 x 4 is not 2 inches by 4 inches but 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches (roughly). The excuse is that it was 2 x 4 when it was sawn at the sawmill but then it was planed down to be smooth and that removed the extra wood. I suspect this is bullshit: if they can hit 1 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches regularly, they could hit 2 x 4 if they wanted. But it is not possible for one person to change this. Therefore when I give wood's measure it will be lumberyard measure, unless it is true measure, in which case I will append "true" to the measurement, so you know. Note that measures of length are always true--if the lumberyard calls it an 8 foot 2 x 4 it really is 8 feet long.
.
I made a tool rack for "thin tools with handles" (basically two 1 x 1.5 " true* boards separated by a half inch: the tool slides between the boards but the handle is too wide to pass through, so the tool hangs vertically (or mostly vertically depending on its center of mass relative to its center of support) above where I think my workbench will be when I have one. It holds things like chisels, my file that has a handle, my combination square and try square and sliding T bevel, that kind of thing. Under it I have made a little flat shelf to hold my sharpening stone, my exacto knife, the two files that don't have thick handles, the tape measure, etc.
I'm trying to keep tools of a type together. All the layout tools in one general area, all the sharpening tools in one general area, etc. I think the exception will be "tools to work on machines" (since I have the Shopsmith I need to adjust, etc) since some of them (the screwdriver in particular) I end up using on wood too. We'll see where those end up.
The shelf for Shopsmith parts is particularly challenging. I have table saw parts, sander parts, drill parts and lathe parts, and I'd like to keep them each in their own little area, and each acessable in the order needed for changeover. Plus they're odd shapes and some of them are quite heavy, so I've been leaving slots in the shelf (so the saw blade and sander disc can hang vertically, for example) and notching out places for some things so they don't roll around on the shelf, but sit stably. The notching out has been fun: the jigsaw work isn't all that interesting but I'm enjoying working with the chisels. I thought at the time this would be good practice but now I think about it, chiseling softwood like this pine might be quite different from chiseling hardwood like ash. We'll see. It's nice how long chisels stay sharp in pine, that's for sure.
Anyway the Shopsmith shelf is only like half finished, and I still need to come up with a way to store the extension tubes. Boy, they're loud when the roll around on the concrete floor--and putting them *down* on it? I feel like I ought to put in ear protection before I handle them. So I want a wood rack for them. Plus I need a rack or a shelf or something for the extension tables.
Plus I have a whole extra lathe duplicator (made for the Shopsmith, but extra equipment, not standard). It's still in its box and the box fits under the Shopsmith, so I think that's where I'll leave it for now. A lathe duplicator lets you make identical turnings on a lathe--four table legs that are exactly the same, for example. If I were planning that kind of table or chair or bed or something it would be useful. As it is... I would *love* to be able to swap it for a jointer or planer.
I've been making the shelves out of 1 x 1.5" true lumber, because when I was making the doors I made a dumb mistake. I knew I wanted eighteen pieces of lumber that size for the braces (so six 2 x 4s sawn up) but when I got to the lumberyard I forgot my calculations, saw the "18" in my notes, and ordered 18 2 x 4s. Sawn up into 1 x 1.5" true at the lumber yard because I didn't have the tools to do it myself.. So of course I can't take the extras back.
It makes quite a pile, but it turns out to work perfectly well for braces for shelves (I was afraid it would be too thin, but it's working fine so far) and for making tool racks and cleats to attach shelves and racks to the 2 x 4s on the walls, and, laid side by side on the cleats, shelves. It's nice and soft so it's easy to cut to length with my douzouki saw--which cuts straighter than the jig saw and less noisily--and to notch out with chisels if necessary. I have used up maybe a quarter of the extra wood so far. And the first thing I did was put up braces on the walls and pile the lumber on them, because having it leaning against the back wall simply took up too much space.
I am very happy with the doors: I must have opened and closed them four times yesterday and it was no big deal. Didn't have to run around and check that there was nothing in the path of the "door levers" because there were no door levers and I was right next to them when I opened them anyway. I do miss having windows in that door, though, because my favorite neighbor lives on that side and I liked to run out and say hi when I see her coming home, and now I can't see her anymore.
And I'm very happy with the lights. I don't even need the five light switch most of the time--the three light switch plus the windows is enough. But the extra five lights are nice after the sun goes down.
And the reason I have written so much yesterday and today is that I keep waking up and wanting to work on the shop but it is rude to the neighbors to use power tools at six or seven am on a weekend morning. So I'm sublimating.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* lumberyard measure is not like regular measure. A 2 x 4 is not 2 inches by 4 inches but 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches (roughly). The excuse is that it was 2 x 4 when it was sawn at the sawmill but then it was planed down to be smooth and that removed the extra wood. I suspect this is bullshit: if they can hit 1 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches regularly, they could hit 2 x 4 if they wanted. But it is not possible for one person to change this. Therefore when I give wood's measure it will be lumberyard measure, unless it is true measure, in which case I will append "true" to the measurement, so you know. Note that measures of length are always true--if the lumberyard calls it an 8 foot 2 x 4 it really is 8 feet long.
.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-09-20 01:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-20 02:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-20 02:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-20 02:30 pm (UTC)It will have to wait a while, though. I have so much else to do! :-)
no subject
Date: 2009-09-20 04:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-20 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-21 02:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-21 02:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-20 05:37 pm (UTC)<pedantic>BTW, 2x4 is called the "nominal dimension" of the lumber and written without inch marks; 1½"x 3½" is usually called the "actual dimension" and written with inch marks.</pedantic>
no subject
Date: 2009-09-21 02:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-20 06:50 pm (UTC)Glad things are coming together. Right now I can really empathize with the extra depth of sense of accomplishment that comes from applying one's ingenuity to Overcoming Obstacles!
no subject
Date: 2009-09-21 02:47 am (UTC)I ripped out the pegboard before I called the contractor in. It had been mounted on boards nailed (!) to the cinderblock. The nails left great big divots when I took them out.
I am "off" pegboard. I understand it works for other people: maybe they have better hooks. If I were ever going to do pegboard again I would paint all the hooks bright yellow.
However it *is* satisfying to solve little problems, especially with the current low-pressure "If I don't like it I'll just undo the carriage bolts and try again" situation.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-20 07:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-21 02:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-21 05:54 pm (UTC)And aside from rocket parts, I still have my high school shop lathe project (a nut bowl).
no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 09:52 pm (UTC)We can tell which of the wood support structure in the basement holding the house up is original, because some of it is nominal lumber with the mill-marks still on (not planed smooth). The 2x8s acting as our floor joists? Are actually *2 inches by 8 inches*. Real inches, just like the ruler uses. I gaped so big when I noticed that ...