My new shop

[David Miller]

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've visited the Creek so I thought I'd come back and share something will all of you. I started the construction of my new shop last August. I worked on it fairly regularly until the weather got too cold and I got too busy. Over the past few months I've started working on it again. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel so my pace is increasing from a crawl.

I need to update the blog because the walls and ceiling are up but need painted. Hopefully this weekend.

Anyway, here is the link to the blog:

http://millershop2k6.blogspot.com/

The posts begin at the bottom so scroll all the way down and work your way up.

Thanks,
Dave

[Scott Lingle]

Hi Dave,

Looks like a great shop. Coming along nicely. Judging by the Centre Concrete truck and the Best Line rental, not to mention the PS Meteorology links, you're in State College or the area? I wish I'd have gone with radiant heat. At the time we put my shop together, I was on both a tight deadline and a budget. Biggest regret I have is the heat :(

Scott

[David Miller]

Hi Scott,

Yep, I'm in State College. Looks like you are right up the road from me.

The radiant heat is great. I don't have my current system hooked up yet but the previous shop I built had the same system. The heat was nice and even. I plan to use an on-demand tankless water heater for this shop.

-Dave

[Russell Tribby]

Dave,

It looks great. It looks like you're coming around the last bend. It must be really exciting to be that close to having your own dedicated shop. Keep us posted on your progress.

[Art Mulder]

Looks great! I love reading about shop builds, there are always ideas to take away.

Could you elaborate more on those plywood gussets, and also on the sink drain?

I've seen plywood gussets as part of truss assemblies before, but here these just seem to be plain joists, butt-joined together under gussets. Are their weight restrictions on this, or other rules about how they can be used?

And the sink... you have a water supply line coming, but the sink drain just goes to a dry well?? Am I reading that correctly? No septic, no sewer? You must live in the country.

[David Miller]

Thanks for the positive feedback!

Art, the gussets were used to join two 2x8's to span the shop. They are 1/2" plywood, glued and stapled to the 2x8's. I'm not sure about restrictions, we simply did it and the inspector didn't have a problem. It may be hard to see in the pictures but the gussets originally extended above the joists. I was going to run a 2x4 up to the rafters to help support the joists. But I decided I could use the attic space so I flush cut the gussets and added supports out closer to the walls. I now have a 12' wide clear span in the attic (but only ~4' at the ridge).

I don't have the sink installed yet but yes the drain runs into a dry well. I actually don't even have the water hooked up yet either. If I do convert the shop over to a dedicated woodshop I probably won't use the sink very much anyway. I'll mainly use the sink for wetting rags and washing hands.

-Dave

[Ben Grunow]

Everything else looks great but the joists with the gusset are a real no no. That is a dangerous as it could fail as time passes and glue softens and more and more stuff is stored up there. At the very least the drywall if you plan to use it will crack there. I would scab another (the longest you can fit) 2x8 along side each and bolt them together. That span is too long for a 2x8 alone, never mind one with a joint in the middle.

Consider the weight of lights, DC pipe, insulation and drywall over time.

Not trying to be rude but I cant not say something. You will have a problem with that at a later date. Everything else really does look nice and I am jealous of your heat.

Good luck

Ben

[David Miller]

Thanks Ben. We did staple (a lot of staples) the gussets along with the glue. The gussets are 2' long. I also ran supports from the rafters to the joists out closer to the wall. So the longest free span is only 12'. I've attached a picture that shows one of the supports. So I'm not worried about the ceiling.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to the radiant heat too. :)

-Dave

[Brad Naylor]

Great photos, David!

Timber framed buildings are somewhat unusual in England - we have an obsession with bricks!

I've been reading up a little on construction methods as I want to build a small one on my allotment - a patch of ground I rent to grow vegetables on.

I've just learnt more from your set of photos than from half a dozen books!

Thanks David.

[Jim Becker]

Lookin' good! And it's nice to see a great shop going up in Happy Valley!

[Jim Becker]

After re-reading several posts, I share the same concern with Ben, especially if you intend to access the attic space. (Note that Ben is a pro builder and knows his business)

[David Miller]

Thanks guys. However, I'm still not worried about the joists.

My previous shop was 24' wide and I used engineered trusses. They were attic trusses with a 12' clear span and the joists were 2x8's.

I doubt that those metal spiky plates (sorry, don't have a good word for them) that are used to butt join trusses are any better than my gussets with glue and 24 - 1.25" staples each. There are gussets on both sides.

Also remember that I can't physically fit that much stuff up there. There isn't much headroom to get it up there. Any lumber that makes it up there will be 8-10' at it's longest and will span multiple joists. I made this sacrifice to match my house.

But I do appreciate the comments.

Thanks,
Dave

[joe greiner]

I'm a structural engineer and I also share Ben's concern. I'm surprised the inspector gave you a pass on that detail. The 1x hangers you provided near the ends don't provide significant enough support to reduce the span. When trusses are built of short pieces with nail plates, there's usually a vertical or sloping piece meeting at the same location, which effectively functions as a pinned connection, i.e. with no flexural resistance assumed. I'm not registered in PA, and I don't do consultation by long distance anyway; but I strongly urge you to reconsider Ben's suggestion. Even though you intend to limit your storage, a future owner might not. I don't want to hear the rest of the story on the evening news.

Joe

[Cody Colston]

Nice shop, David. I really enjoyed watching the progress from ground breaking to nearly-finished building.

FWIW, my gable end shop (20' x 30') was framed with 2x8 joists (rural area, no code). I attached a vertical 2x4 from the joists to the rafters 7' from the outside wall, leaving a 6' wide passage down the center. My ceiling is 7/16" OSB and I also covered the josts in the attic passage with 7/16" OSB. I store some light stuff up there; ie, pvc pipe and flex hose, but nothing heavy. After 3 years, I have yet to discern any ceiling sag. You might want to shorten the span a bit with rafter/joist supports closer in but that's just a guess and not based on engineering.

I like that dry well idea. I've got water plumbed to my shop (sink only) and one of these days will dig one for my drain. It currently runs out and waters the grass...and it certainly doesn't need watering this year.

Looking forward to seeing the completed pics.