Shop Build...should be a fun journey...

[Tom M King]

I was trying to figure out how the HVAC guy checked the charge in the mini split with it this cold. I found this, but after reading it still don't know unless he recovered whatever charge was in it, and refilled it by weight.

https://www.acservicetech.com/post/c...ini-split-unit

[Jim Becker]

Yes, the cold was a real issue, Tom. We had to warm the tank multiple times, but it needed to be done anyway as the system was low from the previous leak and had no chance of keeping up without getting it reasonably close to where it needed to be. He was supposed to be there a couple days earlier, but some work situations at the "day job" made that impossible. He agreed to come back (he doesn't live far away) in a couple of months or so once it's warmer and check it again. He was actually impressed with the systems features and intelligence. His time and materials was less than it would have cost me to buy just the small 28 oz canisters of the "stuff", too.

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While it's Christmas day, when the daughters and the younger's SO leave after our brunch, I'm going to fire up the Big Orange Power Tool and once it's not flipping me the bird for asking it to run when it's so cold, I'll move the pallets of miscellaneous stuff into the shop building so things are ready to move the machines tomorrow. The sun is out and while it's currently 20ºF, there's no wind, so I might as well take advantage of that.

[Jim Becker]

So as I mentioned in the previous post, once the presents and brunch happened and things were cleaned up, I changed clothing and both moved the pallets of stuff I already prepared as well as my existing anti-fatigue mats and then prepared my trailer for tomorrow's "big tool" move. As an additional Christmas gift to the occasion, my friend Helmut's spouse agreed to let him come play as long as he's home by a certain time, LOL, so I actually have three helpers for moving the big tools (CNC, J/P, DP, BS) plus cabinets, router table, drum sander, etc. with the trailer. The ground is "properly frozen" which bodes well for this move, too...our lawn is like a swamp when it's wet out there from all the rain we've had, including a couple inches this past Thursday.

Here was the first pallet to go...finish cabinets plus the MFT...

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The heaviest was the one with the bins of all my finishing material. The Big Orange Power Tool gave me the stink-eye for that pallet and I had to "feed it" a bit more kickapoo-joy-juice with the throttle to lift and move that sucker. In the end, that stuff is all in the warm and out of the way of the tools that will come in tomorrow. There's still a lot of smaller stuff like hand tools, clamps, etc., but getting that moved is easy and best done once I play a little tetris with where the big stuff will go.

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I am SO glad I bought that pallet jack. I couldn't do it at the old shop because there was no place to keep it. (please believe me on that) That's no longer an issue and I suspect it will get more use than just initially positioning the slider.

[Tom M King]

Big step to get all the weight moved in there!

[Leigh Betsch]

Yes pallet jacks are worth the storage space they take. I keep mine under my scrap drums.
Back in the day, before the strict safety rules of today, we used to peddle them around the shop like a big adult scooter. But those antics are not tolerated today.

[Jim Becker]

Big step to get all the weight moved in there!

Yea, no matter how many 3D renders I do with stuff here and there, I really need to tools physically in the space to be able to "finalize" (for now) where the major tools are going to live to be able to complete the steps necessary to make it a working shop. As much as I loathe the cold, I applaud Mother Nature for giving me the opportunity do get that done tomorrow without sinking into the primordial ooze...

Yes pallet jacks are worth the storage space they take. I keep mine under my scrap drums.
Back in the day, before the strict safety rules of today, we used to peddle them around the shop like a big adult scooter. But those antics are not tolerated today.

It does roll pretty darn easily, but I think I'll also steer clear of making it a plaything so I don't hurt myself and not be able to actually use my new shop. LOL

[Zachary Hoyt]

Good planning, the frozen ground idea is perfect. In my former life I would always be looking out at this time of year for days when the ground was frozen enough to skid logs out of the woods to the sawmill but not so cold that I would be miserable or the tractor wouldn't start. Since you'll be close to the heated buildings at least you can get it and warm up between loads if necessary.

[Keith Outten]

I recently purchased a small inexpensive plasma cutting table that will park on top of my pallet jack so its easy to move around. It will work particularly well in good weather when I am welding or cutting near the open garage door. A temporary table top made from wood or solid surface material will allow me to use the table for lots of other tasks. Pallet jacks make life so much easier for a multitude of tasks.

[Jim Becker]

Zachary, yea, that's the plan...keep moving and take advantage of the warm when practical. The shop is heated so the big door will only be open briefly as each load is, um...unloaded. Three trips with the trailer between the garage and the shop will likely take care of today's efforts. CNC goes first since it travels into the new building the farthest. J/P, BS and DP go next and the rest on the last 100'+ trip.
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Keith, I agree that a pallet jack is a versatile thing and am happy I have the space to actually use it. The old shop didn't have a place to store it, even under something, and honestly, there wasn't enough room to use it either. That's not the case now.

[Jim Becker]

Ah, yes...the "big move" happened this morning and took about an hour and a half-total. The biggest chunk of that was dealing with the J/P which is a "pain in the backside" tool to move because of weight, narrow profile and top-heavy configuration. More on that in a bit. I had three helpers and that was a blessing with the aforementioned tool...

The starting point.

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The CNC went first and that, as expected, was a snap. Winch it up; winch it off; roll it where it needed to go.

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Load two had the J/P and a few rolling things to fill out the trailer. It took a lot of effort and maneuvering to get the J/P up the ramps as it wanted to slide on the dollies it was lashed to at first and cranking down the binder straps broke the plastic on the dollies I chose to use. But we got it up there.

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[Jim Becker]

We also got the J/P off the trailer and down the ramps without killing ourselves. Please note that a winch is involved, so it was more of a guiding process for the humans, but with an uncooperative machine. And while the humans were unharmed, the dollies, um...well...you know...

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In this photo taken later, you can see what I salvaged from the dollies. I should have just gotten another wooden one, but silly me thought that the ones with a steel frame would be stronger. Not so because the steel wasn't welded and was just held in by the casters. Strange design. And one of only two things I've bought from HFT that I have been disappointed in.

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In the end, the J/P was back on its own mobility setup thanks to a small floor jack I picked up as an alternative to a scissor jack that I've pretty much beaten to death from the previous move and loading up for this one.

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[Jim Becker]

The third load was easy...more rolling things plus the MM-16 on its spine. I forgot to take a picture of that load.

After lunch, etc., I started shuffling things around a little to make space so I can begin the "tetris" process of figuring out where things will go plus prepared the two metal cabinets I use for finishing products for painting now that they are warmed up. It was a mess after moving everything and is still cluttered but less of a mess. The only tools that are in the specific place it will absolutely live going forward are the compressor I previously moved and the CNC which might adjust a few inches either way, but will live in that spot it appears in these photos. One step at a time...

Here's how it looked immediately after the stuff was moved:

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And when I headed into make dinner.

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[Keith Pitman]

Your new shop is getting a little smaller every day. But . . . it still looks roomy.

[Thomas Wilson]

The 24’x36’ is a pretty optimum size for a one-person, machine woodworking shop.

I like that you have a Georgia Tech CNC machine.

Now, you have some nice casters for shop carts.

[Jim Becker]

Your new shop is getting a little smaller every day. But . . . it still looks roomy.

Yea, that's a never ending battle, whether you are in a closet or a large warehouse space.

The 24’x36’ is a pretty optimum size for a one-person, machine woodworking shop.

I like that you have a Georgia Tech CNC machine.

Now, you have some nice casters for shop carts.

While I wanted to do 24'x40' and the cost uplift would have been nominal, it was pushing really close to the county conservation board's written 1000 sq ft ground disturbance red line for additional engineering and cost. In reality, it wouldn't have mattered because it turns out only the building footprint would have been considered on something this small, rather than the actual upheaval. But I'm very comfortable with the 24'x36' nominal space as it's wide open and very flexible. That's the big advantage here over the previous shop which was quite nice but slightly smaller and not completely open because of the stairwell in the middle. I will likely miss the convenience of an upstairs for additional storage, but I do have both the 10'x16' shed and my 10'x10' tent-shed on a raised platform. And the garage that has an attic over it. No worries about storage overall.

Yes, the Camaster machine is made in Cartersville Georgia and I like that they maximize content made in North America. The spindle is Italian (HSD) and some of the electronics necessarily comes from global sources, but there's a lot of US and North American content and labor in that yellow beast.

I'm a pack rat for some things and yes, the casters will likely get used for something helpful; same for the square steel tubing and the bolts. Destroying the dollies is largely my fault as the flat platform wood versions are better for point-loads than these were. It's still disappointing but tempered by the use case. Stuff happens.
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Today I'm going to paint the two metal cabinets that I largely keep finishing materials in so I can get them stacked and the containers with said finishing products unloaded and out of the way. 'Probably will move some stuff around to figure out some ideas for placement and start moving toward the goal of good workflow and space utilization. Part of that is keeping a quarter to a third of the space completely open for flexibility.