# Converting a pig shed into something useful+ various bodges



## curtisrider (6 Jun 2016)

Hopefully this will be interesting to some, it's not a full build but quite a lot of work all the same!

I have been longing to do something with my workshop for quite a few years now but not had the time or money to do anything about it as well as living 150miles away from it. I'm moving back to the farm where my parents live and therefore I can now get the workshop sorted the way I would like it.

Predominately I am into restoring vehicles but I also really like the wood side of things too. I'm fortunate enough that I can have 2 large seperate spaces in the same building for me to have 2 workshops in one.

This is the current space:







This is the area I will be extending into:











As you can see, a total tip, no proper storage solutions, poor lighting and no wall/floor coatings to reflect the light. The plan is to fit out the extension, then move everything out of the old workshop and refit that before deciding on the overall layout. I hope 5k will cover getting a basic shell ready, inc paint and electric. I need to find somewhere to chuck the camper, tractor and truck whilst I do all this! I am going to remove the support beams (new stronger ones will be put in beside the current ones) to allow for the ramps to be fitted and make use of the full height of the place, this will require some engineering to ensure it's strong enough, I am seeking advice on this.

I think splitting it into two sections, one for metal work and one for woodwork is the best way with this place, also an office and a kitchen/shower/toilet block if I want.











I have been collecting and making my own tools since I was young, so I already have quite a collection of kit. I am also making and buying bits and bobs so I will include my finds as I update the thread!


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## curtisrider (6 Jun 2016)

I also meant to mention I am a tightwad and like my bargains  

My recent acquisitions for the workshop are:

Bandsaw and engine stand for £40






Makita 2704 for £10, just needs a motor rebuild (parts come to £140 so that's pretty good!), it's currently in pieces hence why it looks quite bare.





Plymovent duct for £13.50, I already have the extractor fans to suit





A budget rolling cabinet substitute, for £20 i'm not grumbling! A nice thick gauge steel, 75mm castors and ball bearing drawers. The fold up surface is kind of handy, but both bits of surface will be replaced with something fresh, along with a bit of paint on the cabinet and it should be good to go.









I also picked up this SIP trolley for £40, it was new but needed the draw fixing which took about 10mins. It probably wasn't really worth buying at that price but looked handy with the slimmer draws for smaller tools.









I got this red cabinet for a tenner, it has ball bearing runners which is a bonus. I will equip it with wheels and a quick coat of paint, I have a new sealey top box that fits nicely on it (not that knackered one as per the photo!)






The following I got for for free which I was really chuffed about:

Gabro Sheet metal folder






Floor standing polisher that I have converted to single phase






Metal lathe that I have converted to single phase (just need to make a panel for the switch, came with loooooads of accessories)






Axminster mortiser






Flat steel bender (can do up to 10mm)






Record tube bender






Axminster Roller/brake press






Theres more tools, as well as loads of hardwoods and steel. I got very lucky!


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## deema (7 Jun 2016)

Unbelievable luck!! I'm soooooo envious


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## curtisrider (7 Jun 2016)

Thanks Deema, I know i'm very fortunate to be in this position.

I was going through a shed full of grain equipment dad no longer wanted and found a few gems that were about to find themselves on the scrap pile.

A Big Brute vacuum, 3 motors for vacuuming grain stores. This thing was very effective when I last used it so should be pretty happy on something like a planer/thicknesser.





A oil drum and a galvanised cyclone, a pretty awesome combo when combined with a powerful enough extractor! I need to find a removable lid for it but i'm not sure where to get one unless I go to Big Brute for one of theirs but I fear they will be quite pricey. There was also LOADs of galvanised ducting including bends that should be enough to fit my wood workshop area.


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## curtisrider (7 Aug 2016)

After a bit of a delayed start some progress is happening on my workshop. The 'new' section was a total tip and the original workshop wasn't much better!

Quick tidy up, so much stuff in there it is really hard to keep organised! I also need to finish collecting the rest of my stuff from the garage at my house as that's ram packed 









The rubbish tip needed sorting, several bucket loads of rubbish and rubble in the JCB and some floor was exposed

















You will notice the roof has been chopped about and that the top is sagging, turns out those mahooosive railway sleepers are totally rotten at the bottom. I have lots of wood and stuff on order so progress should happen (and stop when harvest starts, joy). I managed to get a load of free fluorescent light fittings so once the beams go in I can get those up ready for wiring in. I can't wait to get studding the walls and get a sealed area sorted, the floor can wait til after that.

Bonus deathtrap branch cutter that I found in an old mans shed down the road whilst looking through his tools he was selling, a 9" grinder on a 6foot pole with a saw blade is just wonderful...


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## adidat (7 Aug 2016)

Coming on nicely! I'm just going through the process of sorting out my workshop, every so often I find a clear workstation! Not for long though!

That grinder makes me feel a bit sick! Did you buy it?

Adidat


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## curtisrider (8 Aug 2016)

Hopefully once this section is sorted and the tools are spread out it'll be a bit more manageable! I'm now looking into windows for it as I realised i'm going to need them very soon!

I want to buy the grinder, not to use but just to put on my wall. He built some pretty cool tools, I bought his home made table saw with sliding table which works well however I have a few decent table saws already so this will become a parts donor for a drum sander eventually.


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## Claymore (10 Aug 2016)

This is a massive project and I'm looking forward to seeing it progress....... you have a LOT of work to do but once sorted it will be great. What are you going to make once your up and running? maybe combine your two hobbies and build pickups with lovely wooden beds or Morris Travellers etc?


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## Harbo (10 Aug 2016)

Crikey that looks like a massive task you are embarking on - good luck - you seem to have the right attitude.


Rod


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## curtisrider (11 Aug 2016)

Cheers chaps, hopefully the updates over the next few days should be more interesting as the timber arrives and it's raining so I won't be doing any harvesting!

I have a T25 Doka so wooden sides are actually a likelihood judging by how bad these ones are! It's going to be one of my first projects as I need it on the road for transporting stuff, my Astra and 924 don't cut it!

I love making stuff, I know that's vague but that's because my interests are very widespread due to being rather fickle and not wanting to do the same sort of thing over and over day in day out. I love challenges that push me and my abilities so it's important to have a mixture of easy tasks to feel like I've achieved along with harder tasks that may take a while to solve.

I aim to cater for my fickleness by firstly creating a workshop that gives me the room for multiple projects and my ever increasing tool collection and secondly by doing a job that embraces a good deal of my interests and skills. I am largely self taught, I did work for a builder for a year and that gave me confidence in myself and to progress my skill set. I taught Design and Technology for 3 years at secondary school, it was great but I didn't spend much time making!

I taught myself how to fix cars, having them in pieces doesn't faze me and i'm happy to work on modern vehicles too even with dreaded electrical problems! I'm also handy with a melty stick and love fabricating out of steel. Finally my love for woodworking has recently grown since investing in some half decent kit which has made it a pleasure. Lastly I hate paying people to do a job that I think I can, so I always like to have a go and 

Restoring campervans and cars is something I have done previously and would like to offer again. Glamping is very popular right now and so I would like to get involved in creating retreats with my own twist on things as I have been less than impressed with what I have visited/stayed in, I'm also fortunate enough to have some land that could be a potential camping/glamping spot along with some barns which are potential holiday homes, this is something I will be researching further once i'm on my feet and my workshop is ready to go.

As you can see there's no real business plan yet, just ideas. I want to experiment with what I enjoy for a little bit and see what is the best combination of happiness and earning before I dedicate myself. I'd sooner be happy with less money than rich and unhappy.


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## curtisrider (11 Aug 2016)

Today we were rained off from harvest so that meant I could crack on! The wood arrived which meant I could finally start constructing something. I have studded out the toilet/shower/kitchenette area and that felt pretty good as it looked like progress and the roof is finally supported properly in that area! The septic tank for the house isn't far away so next time we have a digger in i'll get that excavated and then I can plumb it all in (the building already has a water supply).

Firstly I cleared the rubbish from the right hand side, there's still stuff there but it is easy to move and at least it's things I want to keep.





I then got on with taking down the rotten beam and stud walling, a few knocks with a sledge hammer and it fell apart!





As you can see I took out the RSJ, this will be welded to another one I have to make a length to support the big doors, I hate to waste!





The left corner hasn't had the stud finished yet, I'm waiting on installing the new beam before I do so so it all ties in.









I got given a load of Celotex offcuts several years ago and always thought they would come in handy for something. They were all a bit wonky so it was a mission trying to get them to fit together nicely so I'll get some expanding foam in the gaps, although insulating this area isn't totally necessary I figured it would be a good way to use old stuff up. I have some larger sheets I will use on the roof although that isn't foil backed but every little helps.





Tomorrow I hope to rip out the stud work above the block wall and renew that, I won't be able to do loads to it as I am waiting for the new beams to arrive but at least I can make some progress. After that it's the same thing with the larger stud wall on the other side.


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## curtisrider (12 Aug 2016)

Not much progress today as I only had a few hours available until I had to harvest. The weird horizontal beam is gone and in its place is some new uprights and studding, this should prove to be a bit stronger than before as everything is tied in properly. Eventually there will be windows put in but I can't seem to find any for the right price so I'll just whack shiplap over the lot until some turn up.

Old chipboard and plastic mesh removed, rotten beam revealed and removed









Fresh timber going in along with suddenly massive amounts of daylight!





Tomorrow I will try to do a few more sections and then that wall is nearly complete (apart from new beams going in when they arrive). After that it is the tall wall which will be a bit more of a mission!


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## MattRoberts (12 Aug 2016)

I wish I could see your photos. Stupid tapatalk


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## curtisrider (12 Aug 2016)

Just imagine lots of mess, then lots of green timber. That sums it up!


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## buzzworx (15 Aug 2016)

cracking space you have there chap i'm envious
just a thought on your extractor barrel lid conundrum couldn't you chop top off around halfway in the top rib section and add some toggle clamps and add some neoprene strips to the cut edges to crate a seal


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## curtisrider (17 Aug 2016)

That's not a bad idea, I might give that a try as we have a few barrels knocking about anyway! It'll be a while before i'm ready to do that anyway.

Air filtration has been one of my worries since thinking about the inside of the workshop area as I quite like having functioning lungs and dislike having to wear a mask all the time (I know I will need to when i'm making lots of mess), I was going to buy a small unit from Axminster but then found this Jet AFS 2000 which is far more suitable for £100!





It makes my little car look even smaller! Very chuffed.


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## SammyQ (18 Aug 2016)

A roof rack on a Porsche... :shock: 

Sam


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## Harbo (18 Aug 2016)

Jet powered!! 

Photos are fine on my phone using Tapatalk

Rod


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## curtisrider (19 Aug 2016)

That Porsche is one of the best cars I've owned for hauling stuff about, the boot space is huge considering how small the car is and the roof rack means I can whack bikes on top (or giant air filtration units!). It's getting a tow bar at some point to drag a teardrop caravan. Cheap, useful and most importantly fun motoring at it's best I think, I've had it four years now and it only breaks down once a year... last night being its fourth break down, I'm sure it'll be an easy fix.


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## Phil Pascoe (19 Aug 2016)

924 or 944? I can't quite see. You'll be lucky to get a towbar for it now they have to be tested and CE marked.


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## curtisrider (19 Aug 2016)

There's some floating about as nobody wants them on these days! it's a fairly modified 924 (narrow body compared to the wider 944), lots of home made parts on there too.


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## curtisrider (20 Aug 2016)

Feather edge started going on the outside:





Two new beams went in too, that felt really good as I could start to see the space opening up

Loads of rubbish was cleared out and old support posts removed, hopefully next two beams will go in tomorrow and then I can finish studding the tall wall


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## curtisrider (24 Aug 2016)

Well progress hasn't been fast, so many little jobs that keep popping up as well as other distractions!

















Supports are all out and new beams in, Window frames made and the short wall is now getting covered in featheredge. I have been trying to plan out the lighting, I think I'll have 3 rows of lights over head per bay and some smaller lights at the back of the benches that can be independently switched on if needed. I'll have 20 double sockets and 4 16A sockets in total in this section, which sounds like lots but it's better than having trailing leads everywhere as well as constantly unplugging things. I hope to concrete some of the floor near the entrance next week when the ballast arrives, then I can crack on with the doors and get it locked up!


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## Phil Pascoe (24 Aug 2016)

Don't spend money on blanket cover lighting - put enough in so you can see your way in in the dark. Save your cash by putting the light where you need it to work. LEDs and more LEDs.


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## curtisrider (24 Aug 2016)

Each section will have a switch so I can illuminate what I need to, it gives me options then and I have got lots of light fittings to use that I got for free. I found in the other workspace it was often too dark when working on cars even with lots of lighting as it was never in the right place so i'm trying to avoid that situation. I would use LED but I can't afford new fittings right now due to the cost of sorting the building out first.


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## morturn (24 Aug 2016)

curtisrider":71t4nu6y said:


> I would use LED but I can't afford new fittings right now due to the cost of sorting the building out first.



You can now buy LED florescent tubes as a replacement.

I put one in my shed last week, they work great in the existing fittings.


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## curtisrider (25 Aug 2016)

I will gradually replace with LED as the fluorescents fail, however i'm not in a position to spend the several hundred needed to cover all the lights in this place right now, sorting out the shell of it is costing me enough! I have been fortunate to get lots of free light fittings which has really helped


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## giantbeat (25 Aug 2016)

morturn":1vpl9klj said:


> curtisrider":1vpl9klj said:
> 
> 
> > I would use LED but I can't afford new fittings right now due to the cost of sorting the building out first.
> ...



i have to agree, im in an old workshop (building dates back to 1860) but has been a joinery works for the last 40 years, i been in 12 of those & worked under old 6 & 8 foot strip lights.
Our hoard of replacement bulbs has run out, i was going to replace fittings & dreading the cost, but i spotted the retro fit 8ft bulbs on ebay & bought one to try, not only was it cheap (£28 delivered for an 8 foot bulb) but it kicks out twice the light as the other fittings, you don't appreciate how horrid the flo tube light is, so yellow compared to the crisp white led.

its worth doing, im currently replacing them as i can (couple a month), im even putting back up old 8 ft fittings we had take down 

loving the progress BTW, keep up the good work.


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## curtisrider (25 Aug 2016)

I got given 9x8ft lights recently with no bulbs, ended up getting 20 brand new ones for a tenner! I know they cost lots to run in the long term but at that price I think I can handle it for now until I'm up and running. I also have a load of 4 and 5ft single and twin fittings too which i'll use in areas that don't require as much light. I have 2 led 4ft lights that have arrived today to try, I wanted to have enclosed lights in the lower areas where I work incase I hit them!

I have lots of stuff arriving over the next few days including the cement and ballast so I can get mixing up for the floor. I also accepted defeat as I've been working alone on this and I so have a guy with a mini digger booked in to dig a trench to the septic tank for the soil pipe, armoured cable and drainage to the ditch so that the area outside doesn't get waterlogged anymore.


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## curtisrider (25 Aug 2016)

Outside wall is now finished (well, until I attack the other half of the building!) it was a total pain as there are so many cuts to do.





One row of lights went up which felt like a mini achievement!





Two are florescent and two are LED, I can't tell much difference between them to be honest which I guess is good!

I'll get the JCB out and do the others on the tall bit tomorrow then hopefully finish the studding on the tall wall so that I can start routing the wire for the sockets. Wood arrives for the doors tomorrow so I can start those over the weekend!


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## curtisrider (29 Aug 2016)

I've been busy with the doors, built them in on piece and then cut in half afterwards. This was far easier than trying to build them on the floor and fit afterwards!


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## curtisrider (30 Aug 2016)

Doors covered and shower/toilet block nearly covered


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## MattRoberts (31 Aug 2016)

You're moving at a rapid pace! Looking great, thanks for the updates


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## curtisrider (31 Aug 2016)

Cheers Matt, I was starting to wonder if anybody was actually interested!

The big doors won't have any locks on the outside, and will be reinforced inside along with pins in each corner which will make it rather hard to break into I hope. I have a bloke with a mini digger tomorrow to smash up the floor and dig out the drains and soil pipe for the toilet. Feels like slow progress right now, I caught my finger in my table saw and it means everything I do is bloody painful! My mitre saw is also not loving life so I need to get a new one ordered.


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## MattRoberts (31 Aug 2016)

Holy smokes, sounds like you had a lucky escape with the tablesaw! 

One question I had was with the framing for the doors. Looks like the verticals are complete lengths, with the horizontals sections in between. Would that not be more prone to sag in the future? Or does the cladding prevent any shear?


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## curtisrider (31 Aug 2016)

Tablesaw incident was sheer stupidity on my part, it's what happens when you get too comfortable and take risks forgetting just how unforgiving it can be. 

To be honest I have no idea what is best with the doors as they were a bit of a compromise to allow me to build them alone, the long diagonals put the weight from the far top corners into the bottom hinge and certainly made the structure feel stronger after fitting. I will be using OSB inside which should stiffen things up massively and there will be spring loaded wheels on the bottom of each door too. I've had a few people visit who are carpenters and they haven't said anything negative yet... I doubt the boards will help much, it's pretty feeble wood!


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## Harbo (31 Aug 2016)

Watching with interest.

Rod


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## curtisrider (1 Sep 2016)

The old floor was smashed out today (1-2" concrete on top of insulation) ready for a new floor to go in.





My Porsche has moved in as it was in the way elsewhere, gives a sense of scale of the place!





I boshed together a rough adaptor for my extractor vent for when I'm welding/grinding, it works fine and the position is about as good as it can be to allow for good reach, easy folding and access so I'll get building a neater sealed version when I have time and cut out a hole in the wall for the extractor then that section of the wall can be boarded up.


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## powertools (2 Sep 2016)

I am am about to clad a building with feather edge boards that l want to have a black finish like yours can you tell met what product you have used.


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## SteveF (2 Sep 2016)

just so u know
i am sure lots of us are interested
cant believe the fast pace u work at, and still have good results
i like that extractor arm

Steve


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## timbo614 (2 Sep 2016)

Great thread - but boy-oh-boy you are making me feel tired just reading about your rapid progress!


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## curtisrider (2 Sep 2016)

No progress today, I got caught up repairing a petrol water pump and decided some house keeping was needed so I tidied the workspace and fixed some other bits and bobs.

Powertools, It's called barn paint, its quite thick stuff and is time consuming to apply for a first coat but does look neat afterwards! You can buy it pre applied but it is very expensive but then it depends how much free time you have and what your budget is. There are varying qualities of the stuff but from what I've gathered the cheap stuff is actually quite good, we used it on a section of the house 5 years ago and its done really well on the feather edge but has washed off on the smooth planed doors although i'm not sure if we got round to putting on a second coat...

Cheers for the kind words SteveF and timbo614, I've been trying my best to work fast but not let it suffer on quality! I have learnt so much doing this, I've made mistakes and had to make compromises but fortunately they haven't been detrimental to the end result so far!


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## powertools (3 Sep 2016)

Thanks for reply l am confused by wood treatment these days and don't know which way to go a friend has recommended sx70 but that just seems to be a stain.


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## curtisrider (17 Sep 2016)

I've been in Bulgaria for a week hence no update, I have got the tall wall up and 2 lots of concrete in (4-5" thick). I have put some wire in the floor ready for an inbuilt light so that working on cars is a little easier and there won't be lights/wires to trip over! The floor isn't anywhere near as smooth as I would usually get it even though we have done loads of floors before this just wasn't smoothing nicely and floating it would have been hopeless as the sections were too wide to reach. I will be concrete planing it ready for epoxy anyway so it'll smooth out substantially I hope and then I will be able to get sorting the other half of the place!









In a few days time I can get the other concrete in and a ramp into the building then I can finish off the small wall and move the stuff out ready for the epoxy


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## whoknows (18 Sep 2016)

I registered just to follow this thread. Good job buddy. Keep us posted. (hammer)


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## MattRoberts (18 Sep 2016)

Going to be so great when the floor is complete! Keep it up, and keep us posted!


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## curtisrider (20 Sep 2016)

I was busy today so only got a door made. I wanted to use T&G but it was expensive and not available locally in treated form so I went with 18mm marine ply and a 5x2 frame instead. The ply was glued to the frame and also nailed for extra security. I also routed a v groove into the ply to make it look like T&G which I think has worked out alright, far better than keeping it plain! I need to decide on locks next but at least it'll be pretty difficult to break.









The grooves had saw dust in after rounding the edge, but you get the idea


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## curtisrider (20 Sep 2016)

Cheers guys, I am really excited to get the floor done so I can move in there, the other half of the building is ram packed and becoming a nightmare to work in.


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## Charlie Woody (22 Sep 2016)

Good solution! Did you put insulation inside the ply?


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## curtisrider (22 Sep 2016)

I'm going to once i've installed the lock gubbins, then I will fit an OSB inside skin. It'll be a VERY hefty door!

I spent quite a long time today getting the door frame finished, lots and lots of routing out to cover the door hinges as they are a difficult profile to match! I think it's turned out fine though, fits tight and flush although aesthetically I'm not won over by my solution for the angled bit above the door... perhaps a light up there will break up the weird chunky look! it functions fine and that's really all I should be worrying about.

The door frame has been reinforced with steel to make it that little bit harder to break into, I'm looking forward to fitting the locks and handle, it'll look more complete then.


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## lurker (23 Sep 2016)

I think many of us are envious of your workspace and workrate.
Looks like you will be up and running before winter arrives.
Keep posting


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## curtisrider (30 Sep 2016)

Cheers! I have been getting the short wall sorted, and now have sockets everywhere  I still need to get the other 2 sections of strip lights in though.

I got a little too excited about putting my big bench in





Extractor arm now all functioning





Currently how it all stands, loads of stuff to be removed for sale/scrap which will make some room I hope!

















Wood workshop is a mess but is slowly losing all the metal work stuff, the Commer and the BMC will have to stay for now though.


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## curtisrider (30 Sep 2016)

I couldn't be bothered to tidy this evening so I decided to try and make more mess by attempting something I have been wanting to try for a while.

I have a few extractors but they are all small and not suitable for 4" hose apart from an electra beckum unit I have which throws out more fine dust than it filters... I can't afford anything decent so I figured I would need to make something instead.

At the start of this thread I posted an image of a cyclone from a redundant grain store system, I got it out of the pile of 'potential project bits' and started tinkering. I had some spare boot seal from my Porsche that makes a good seal for a MIG welder wire reel than I have trimmed a side off to make an adaptor for the motor unit to fit on. 

















The motor unit is from an old wind tunnel my old school was chucking away and it is VERY powerful for its small size. I slipped it on top of the cyclone and put the cyclone into a bucket to test along with 6 metres of piping.





It works an absolute treat! I'm very chuffed, a fine mist of nasty dust comes out of the exhaust side which I will vent outside rather than filter as it all exits into a hedge anyway.


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## curtisrider (13 Nov 2016)

:shock: It's been a while since I've updated this, I've been super busy and the workshop has just been a total tip. I was fortunate enough to be let loose in my friends dads garage which they were clearing, I was told to take whatever I wanted as the rest was being chucked :shock: needless to say I took as much as I could and have distributed it to others in order to prevent it being wasted. I also sold my house and needed somewhere to keep all my home stuff for a while.... and so the workshop ended up being a total dump yard.

This has been massively disheartening and it seemed no matter how much tidying and sorting I did, there seemed to still be piles and piles of things that needed organising, chucking or moving. I've spent the past few days really going for it and I've been trying to give everything a home, I've also been trying to figure out where stuff should go to make refurbishing the wood workshop easier.

I'm now closer to a point where i'm happy, the floors are nearly cleared and just the work bench areas need sorting out now which I hope will only take an evening. 

Metal workshop:





Wood workshop:





Green Ikea boxes are £1 each and fit perfectly in my cupboards and filing cabinets, I got myself a label maker and I have been labelling just about everything:





This little book unit was being chucked out at the school I taught at and makes a handy organiser for smaller stuff:





Metal rack for useful offcut lengths that was made out of bits of scrap pig gate, it's a little bit covered in spare storage boxes currently but being on wheel makes it easy to shift about if I need to use that workspace:









Little pillar drill put onto a small cabinet and on wheels so it can be shared between work spaces until I refurbish my Fobco and also get a floor stander (you can see some of the mess from before when I tidied up):





We need a shared space for storage, so an old pig building that was ready for demolition has been saved and will have racking fitted and is just about able to squeeze in the JCB in the centre section so we can shove pallet loads in there. I ripped off the sides and took out some of the internal walls, most of the studs were rotten so I have replaced them all with recycled timbers from a barn my brother has converted into a house. I need to replace the roof sheeting and remove some more internal walls but it should be a good space once completed


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## curtisrider (21 Dec 2016)

Slow progress but at least something is happening! 

I only had one door in the building and figured that it was pretty unsafe in the even of a fire so I bashed a hole in the wall and fitted one that can only be opened from the inside. This nicely tied in with me replacing the wooden section of the wall as it was totally rotten!





















The only trouble with doing this is I totally underestimated how long it would take!





I managed to finish it at about 11PM including making all the window frames, phew!

I've also taken down the dividing wall inside, it has moved along one bay making the wood workshop smaller but this was important as otherwise it's a squeeze in the metal workshop as I have two projects vans on the go. I've also whacked in the last bit of internal floor so it's all now level, it's just the outside ramp to do and then the cement mixer can be tucked away!









I'm going to add some extra lower noggins so that when I build the new workbenches they can be attached to the wall nice and securely. I'll order the wood for the benches after Christmas, then I can get rid of those wood working benches!

I've also been rewiring this side of the building as the old stuff was awful, the lights are now in and half the sockets are in also. Once the campervan is out then the space will look far better!


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## curtisrider (29 Dec 2016)

Another step in the right direction, the Commer has been moved out of the wood workshop and into the metal workshop. This is good for two reasons, one as I now nearly have the wood workshop clear ready to actually get it functioning and two because that means the Commer may get some love soon (There's a T25 Doka that needs finishing first!).





It hasn't moved for quite a few years...





Temporary home until I reshuffle stuff, It'll go on a rotisserie when I get round to making one!





Other than that some more wiring has been done and the new separating wall is in but I forgot to take photos....


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## lurker (29 Dec 2016)

I am envious of the space and your workrate

Am confused though is this Norfolk or Nottingham?


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## curtisrider (29 Dec 2016)

Thanks! I used to live in Nottingham but i'm now in East Anglia as I missed it so much!


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## Stanleymonkey (29 Dec 2016)

Slight jealousy here too!

All the best though - must be nice to have such a space to go into and lose yourself for a while.


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## curtisrider (12 Jan 2017)

Thank you Stanleymonkey, I often find myself getting lost but unfortunately it's more because I can't find my way through the piles of stuff that needs organising! 

On the left you can see the store room with storage on top.





The store room has always been a bit rubbish both in its construction and the way it has been used. Access is from the wrong side since I moved an internal wall. I pulled it apart and put up a new supporting wall for the beam. The other side received a new supporting beam and the rest removed. The new floor is 7ft instead of just under 6ft so I actually have some head room! The floor was also never finished and basically it was just awful. Inside I will remove the steel racking and use it elsewhere, replacing it with deeper wooden racking. Above will have a wooden rack to the top and for now the rest of the floor space will accommodate my camper vans roof as it's always in the blooming way!

























I have also been building some benches along the walls. I'm waiting for the top to arrive (the current stuff is temporary so I can place tat on them) but as you can see I have put a shelf in that is split so boxes go in front and behind I can store 3m long extrusions, quite happy with that use of space! The bottom will have drawers when I have spare wood/time.





I need to shift 4x wood working benches and then I'll get some space back! The table saw station will probably take up nearly as much room though...


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## curtisrider (23 Mar 2017)

It's been a while since I updated! I have done a few little jobs though and it's becoming more and more of a useable space.

I was fed up with having a fairly good tablesaw but on a silly little base that felt like it would tip over and also not having anywhere for outfeed as I regulalrly rip long lengths of timber for farm stuff. I also wanted a large centre table as it's just very useful so I spent a few hours assembling this, it's simple in construction but does everything I need it to! I also want to add some shelving to it and an extractor inside for the tablesaw dust at some point, I may just add the big mouth back again as that worked pretty well.





I also wanted to replace the last external wall. This wall faces a ditch and there is limited space to work in. The wall was sparsely studded and just had some rotting plywood to skin it. This was a weak point of the place and where it got broken into many years ago (Hence the steel over the 'window'). I decided that I would ditch having a window here as I'm having some clear sheets in the roof which I'm replacing at the end of summer (It is all sitting here ready to fit!) and also some wall space for hanging stuff and putting up shelves is always useful! I've used some insulation we took from an old shed and recycled some 2 year old roof sheets and used them as the external wall cladding as it seemed a shame to waste them! I also can't wait to paint over the graffiti that the lads who used this place before me sprayed on...





















I've left the bit to the left uncovered as I will be building a small room as an office/studio sort of thing. It'll have my computer and a 3D printer in it as well as an electronics bench as I like to tinker with Arduinos and stuff.

A starting block makes a great clamp rack!


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