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

[Jim Becker]

If you mean for the walkway, it's just a couple inches of compacted washed stone...leftover from the shop floor where they told me to buy ten ton and only used five. They didn't believe me that I already had the flippin' thing level within an inch all around. LOL

I got the 12' section closest to the house done today. Unfortunately, I got a late start because it was supermarket day this morning plus a bunch of time doing thing at our older daughter's apartment because she had knee replacement surgery with extra ligament work last week and we're doing a twice a day dance for that. The end results was I finished up at about 20:00 getting the final 3' broomed and then got the whole thing tarped because of the expected rain later tonight and tomorrow. The HFT mixer worked well and I'll probably get most of the cost back when I sell it later, given I bought it on sale. Totally worth it, especially working alone. No way this could be effectively done with hand-mixing.

[Michael Burnside]

Looking forward to the pictures. I put myself through college setting foundation forms and flatwork (5 years). It's hard, honest work and unbelievably taxing. Like you're doing, break it up into sections. Every summer we would have bets how many "new guys" will make it until lunch before bailing. Less than 20% could stick it out for more than a couple days before quitting.

[Jim Becker]

It is indeed hard work, Michael. Those are "only" 60 pound bags (I can't handle 80 pounders!) but there's three per wheelbarrow load plus the "added moisture". And then there is the bendy-bendy thing to screed and work things and edge and so forth. But it will get done. Not today, however...my plan to do the second section was thwarted by some other necessary morning tasks that would have got my start too late to finish up before we have to leave to pick up and take our daughter to get the staples out of her knee tonight. (Not normally used for knee surgery but she needed ligament work to straighten out her leg, too) So I have some things to do in the shop for a friend and for adapting an old lab bench I got for free for the garage.

[Michael Burnside]

I'm glad to hear that, Derek. I'm looking forward to "something different" here. The reviews have been good and I like the way then engineered things. Relative to this, I took care of putting in a circuit in the temporary shop so I can plug it in and use it there since realistically, it will be late fall before I likely will have the new shop building to the point that I can actually use it as a shop, even informally. The front, right corner where I have the current SDD setup has the space to slip the G700 into without causing a problem for the J/P and I'll just use a short hose to temporarily connect it to the existing 5" duct I have in the space. The unit has already been passed to the carrier so it just has to make its way to the east coast for delivery.

Jim, apologies if this is off-topic, I can delete if you want. I'm in the market for a new DC and it has come down to the Oneida Supercell "High Pressure" or the G-700. They're basically the same price, give or take, so it really comes down to does it suck! Are you still happy with it? Remote control functions ok? Filters and area around DC isn't full of dust and they actually work? I read that you've had Oneida before so I was curious if you thought maybe you'd go back to Oneida if you had to make the decision again. Thanks!

[Zachary Hoyt]

The concrete walk looks like it will be very nice when you have time to get it done. It's a lot of work, though. Because my shop is closer to the house I was able to put down a 12' aluminum scaffold plank that fits just right between the shop steps and the house porch step. Once the snowbanks are all melted and the grass comes back I can put it away for the summer.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, apologies if this is off-topic, I can delete if you want. I'm in the market for a new DC and it has come down to the Oneida Supercell "High Pressure" or the G-700. They're basically the same price, give or take, so it really comes down to does it suck! Are you still happy with it? Remote control functions ok? Filters and area around DC isn't full of dust and they actually work? I read that you've had Oneida before so I was curious if you thought maybe you'd go back to Oneida if you had to make the decision again. Thanks!

Yes, very happy with the G700, including since it's been hooked up to the ductwork. I believe I've commented favorably in my G700 thread on that. Filtration is outstanding. The singular issue is it's relatively easy to clog the grate on the inlet when face jointing and thicknessing "sticky" wood, so I'm very happy to have used quick connect ductwork.
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Round two of the walkway got done yesterday and I'm pretty darn pleased. This round went easier because 1) I have a better handle on operating the mixer with more consistent output and 2) I managed to get started mid-morning and was done the "hard work" by lunch time. From there, it's pretty much "hurry up and wait" to do all the final touches. Because it's a bunch of pours spaced out in time just because of processing things, stuff like the initial edging comes in stages and getting the "perfect time" for the brooming is tricky because one end of the 12 foot section is more cured than the other for obvious reasons. But it all worked out as I've learned to be patient while doing my own work.

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While I was doing this, Mr and Mrs Canada Goose came over to watch while they munched grass at the edge of my property and the lot next door. I hope they approved of the new work. They already left their "sign of approval" on the first section...LOL

[Kyle Stiefel]

Looks like pro level crete work, good stuff

[Jim Becker]

Looks like pro level crete work, good stuff

I appreciate the kind thought, but a real concrete pro would be spewing their breakfast if they looked closely at it. That said, it will do the job and once the lawn is restored and normal weathering occurs, it should look nicer, too.

[Jim Becker]

The walkway is complete so I can move on to restoring the grass, etc. The third section went smoother than the second which was easier than the first. Learning curve and all that, particularly with getting consistency with the mix.

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[Michael Burnside]

Looks pretty great to me, well done Jim.

[Jim Becker]

The local married Canada Goose couple just left their, um...mark...of approval on the new walkway. Again. LOL

[Brian Tymchak]

The walkway is complete so I can move on to restoring the grass, etc. The third section went smoother than the second which was easier than the first. Learning curve and all that, particularly with getting consistency with the mix.

Nice work Jim! Now that you have the process down, and if you're looking for something to do now that the shop build is done, I have ~160 feet of sidewalk that needs replaced....

[Jim Becker]

Nice work Jim! Now that you have the process down, and if you're looking for something to do now that the shop build is done, I have ~160 feet of sidewalk that needs replaced....

LOL. No way would I "come out of retirement" to become a mason, my friend. That said, I was playing with concrete again today, but just what I captured from a couple of broken bags in the shop from the insanely bad palletization. There is a small storm drain next to where our front walk joins out driveway and the driveway is paved so that it channels water toward that drain. But around that drain was just dirt and flat rocks. I dug that stuff out and did the first part of a two-part job of making an actual ramp and curb around the drain to contain the water and channel it directly into the drain. I'm trying to use up the broken bags and this small job was perfect for that. Just to do something different, I bought some fiberglass rebar...less expensive than steel and far easier to cut. That was nice given I needed a few 16" and 12" pieces so that the second part of the job (the curb) is fully tied into the first part. (the "bowl")

[Jim Becker]

I got the lawn around the new walkway put back together, seeded and mulched so that hopefully there will be some nice green grass in a few weeks. This essentially completes all construction aspects of this new shop building. I do have a few more lawn/landscaping repairs/changes to make, but they are not really material to the build. This was quite a journey, mostly fun with only a little occasional frustration. I pretty much love the new shop environment and look forward to enjoying it for many years to come.

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[Aaron Inami]

It sure will help when rolling stuff out to your shop!