New member with some questions

[D7Pyro]

Hi all, my name is Mike.

Me and my little family have moved to our forever home and looking to turn our single garage into a workshop. (5.5m x 2.5m)

I've got alot of hand tools inherited from my previous job and gradually building elsewhere. Picked up a decent size compressor and hoping to pick up some tools for it soon.

Main things I will use it for is workshop for car maintenance and bit of restomods here and there (cars are in car port), plus general home DIY.

My grandfather has left me his machine shop, but I'm unsure how much of it to take on with the premise that I might use it very occasionally. Available is a vertical mill, lathe, surface grinder, large pillar drill and bandsaw saw along with numerous other tools. He was a toolmaker by trade so there's numerous attachments, hand and measuring tools. Far more than I'll never know what to do with. I do have some experience with the machines having grown up with them, plus I did some work with Mills and Lathes during my apprenticeship. By no means an expert!

If you had to pick between the milling machine or lathe which way would you go? Should I just stick to bandsaw and pillar drill as a general workshop? What other machines/tools should I look to pick up; I'm thinking a decent size press is high on my list?

If you've got this far, thank you! And thanks in advance for any advice

 

[Sachakins]

Hi and welcome to our insanatorium
I'd have to keep them all, just couldn't let them go, you'd struggle to buy something like them today.

 

[Bingy man]

Hi and welcome to the forum , I’m with @Sachakins above - if possible take everything you can . Once settled in your new home you can decide at your leisure what to keep and what to sell on . You might regret leaving stuff behind but it will probably be to late then .. take it with you then take your time to work out what you will definitely not use . Good luck..

 

[Cabinetman]

Yes far too good to not take with you, don’t suppose you know a metalworker where you are moving to? They might be able to take some surplus with the arrangement that you can use it? Long shot I know.

 

[D7Pyro]

Hi and welcome to our insanatorium
I'd have to keep them all, just couldn't let them go, you'd struggle to buy something like them today.

Insanatorium sounds like me head most days I'd love to keep it all for sure! Unfortunately I don't think I have space; but my intention is to go to my grandparents and measure up everything big, then come back to mine and try and work out what will fit. Not a 5 min job as over 100 miles between us aha

 

[D7Pyro]

Hi and welcome to the forum , I’m with @Sachakins above - if possible take everything you can . Once settled in your new home you can decide at your leisure what to keep and what to sell on . You might regret leaving stuff behind but it will probably be to late then .. take it with you then take your time to work out what you will definitely not use . Good luck..

Thank you for your thoughts! I'm really not too sure I can fit everything in, but my intention is to make the journey over in next month or so and have a measure up of everything and then see what will fit before I commit to moving it. Over 100 miles between us so can't afford to bring anything that won't fit aha

 

[Sachakins]

What will happen to the items you leave behind?

 

[D7Pyro]

What will happen to the items you leave behind?

Most likely sold on, unless I can generate interest from a museum type organisation to take it on

 

[D7Pyro]

Yes far too good to not take with you, don’t suppose you know a metalworker where you are moving to? They might be able to take some surplus with the arrangement that you can use it? Long shot I know.

That's a great idea, but I don't know of anyone unfortunately I was thinking of trying to generate interest from a couple of local to me museums

 

[DiyAddict]

That's a real conundrum. I was in a similar position, ended up selling my dad's machines on Ebay, then regretted it. Years later, I now have a pillar drill, lathe and mill, with many accessories, all packed into a tiny outbuilding, and am on the search for a surface grinder.

All of those machines pictured are desirable for a home workshop and you'd have no trouble selling them quickly. If you want to maximise your income, sell the attachments and accessories separately - they'll add up to a good few grand.

To answer your original question, if you could only choose one, I'd choose the lathe, but in your shoes, I'd also choose the mill (with attachments) in preference to the pillar drill. It'll do most jobs a pillar drill will do.

is there enough room in the garden to erect a small workshop/shed for the machine tools?

 

[D7Pyro]

That's a real conundrum. I was in a similar position, ended up selling my dad's machines on Ebay, then regretted it. Years later, I now have a pillar drill, lathe and mill, with many accessories, all packed into a tiny outbuilding, and am on the search for a surface grinder.

All of those machines pictured are desirable for a home workshop and you'd have no trouble selling them quickly. If you want to maximise your income, sell the attachments and accessories separately - they'll add up to a good few grand.

To answer your original question, if you could only choose one, I'd choose the lathe, but in your shoes, I'd also choose the mill (with attachments) in preference to the pillar drill. It'll do most jobs a pillar drill will do.

is there enough room in the garden to erect a small workshop/shed for the machine tools?

Do you have any pictures of your workshop, I'd love to see them! Is yours insulated at all?

Unfortunately I'm not able to sell anything to raise funds as you suggest as anything sold would go back to the estate so to speak to be split 10 ways.

I'm definitely looking at the mill as 'the one' to go for if I can't make anything else work.

It's all been sat dormant for a number of years now, but with moving home had the ideal opportunity to try and make something work rather than sell it all on.

There is enough room, but not the money. I have a project car which I can sell which should fund the transport of machines plus some set up in my garage, but not enough there for building work on top unfortunately.

 

[TomGW]

I would also be wanting to keep them all, if at all possible, but certainly the lathe and milling machine.
I can understand that anything you don’t take will be absorbed into the disposal of assets, but surely if you take the lot then you would be at liberty to choose what to keep, or sell on, later.

 

[D7Pyro]

I would also be wanting to keep them all, if at all possible, but certainly the lathe and milling machine.
I can understand that anything you don’t take will be absorbed into the disposal of assets, but surely if you take the lot then you would be at liberty to choose what to keep, or sell on, later.

I really need to get over there and measure up machine sizes so I know what space I have left to play with. 2 bits of kit I don't have and know I want are a MIG set and a 20+ ton press. I guess that's true, just becomes an argument of morals in that case

 

[Jason Wheeler]

I really need to get over there and measure up machine sizes so I know what space I have left to play with. 2 bits of kit I don't have and know I want are a MIG set and a 20+ ton press. I guess that's true, just becomes an argument of morals in that case

Just a thought, but what about power - are they 3-phase…and if so do you have 3-phase?

 

[D7Pyro]

Just a thought, but what about power - are they 3-phase…and if so do you have 3-phase?

From memory my grandfather used a phase converter for them. I'd have to do the same or put single phase motors on them

 

[niall Y]

I was faced with a similar dilemma, however. in my case it was my own workshop machines, when I had to quickly close down my old workshop during the last recession.

A couple of the smaller machines I managed to fit in my cellar. For the larger ones, I fabricated an awning, in the garden, with an Onduline roof. I stored the larger machines under there, wrapped in tarps, for a couple of years , before I moved house and got a new workshop. They are all back, up and running nicely now.

 

[D7Pyro]

I was faced with a similar dilemma, however. in my case it was my own workshop machines, when I had to quickly close down my old workshop during the last recession.

A couple of the smaller machines I managed to fit in my cellar. For the larger ones, I fabricated an awning, in the garden, with an Onduline roof. I stored the larger machines under there, wrapped in tarps, for a couple of years , before I moved house and got a new workshop. They are all back, up and running nicely now.

I'm glad you found a way of keeping everything and got it all back up and running again! Did you have any issues recommissioning anything?

I've been having a think, and I'm hoping to put up a shed for storage which then gives me the whole garage to work with as a workshop, see what the other half thinks aha!

 

[niall Y]

I'm glad you found a way of keeping everything and got it all back up and running again! Did you have any issues recommissioning anything?

I've been having a think, and I'm hoping to put up a shed for storage which then gives me the whole garage to work with as a workshop, see what the other half thinks aha!

Hi there, D7Pyro. There were a few issues with rust, but it was superficial. I even remembered correctly , how the bits and pieces I had taken off the machines when I broke them down into more manageable sections, went back together.
In my case it was a bit of " needs must when the devil drives". I had to be done quickly, and I had to come up with a solution. Thankfully, everything worked out well in the end.

 

[DiyAddict]

Do you have any pictures of your workshop, I'd love to see them! Is yours insulated at all?

It started out as a 10'6"" x 6'6" outhouse. I had the ceiling spray-foamed (Not normally advisable I know, but ok for an asbestos roof), and lined the walls with battens & plywood. I made up some french cleats so I could store plenty of tools & accessories on the walls.

The space then evolved as I acquired more machines. For example the Emco FB2 clone mill came up locally for a price I couldn't refuse. If I had something as lovely as your Steinel mill, I'd have got rid of the bench where the pillar drill is and put it there.

There is a small air compressor and shop vac under the bench, and you can see various items I've made to increase the storage further - for example, the under-lathe drawers for bar stock.

The lathe is a similar size to yours. With a bit of imagination, I reckon you could squeeze more in than you might think.

All the best, Paul

 

[D7Pyro]

It started out as a 10'6"" x 6'6" outhouse. I had the ceiling spray-foamed (Not normally advisable I know, but ok for an asbestos roof), and lined the walls with battens & plywood. I made up some french cleats so I could store plenty of tools & accessories on the walls.

The space then evolved as I acquired more machines. For example the Emco FB2 clone mill came up locally for a price I couldn't refuse. If I had something as lovely as your Steinel mill, I'd have got rid of the bench where the pillar drill is and put it there.

There is a small air compressor and shop vac under the bench, and you can see various items I've made to increase the storage further - for example, the under-lathe drawers for bar stock.

The lathe is a similar size to yours. With a bit of imagination, I reckon you could squeeze more in than you might think.

All the best, Paul

That's a beautiful workshop Paul, thank you for sharing the photo's and write up with me, definitely given me some ideas!

I think I've succumbed to the fact I'm going to sell a project car which will fund a garden shed for storage leaving me with the full space of the garage to work with as a workshop. The proceeds should enable me to move the machines and fit out to the workshop with some new doors, abit of insulation and some electricity.

I've been playing around with some layouts, I currently don't have accurate sizes for bandsaw, surface grinder and drill. How does it look to you?

Thanks for all your input, appreciate you taking the time. Mike