Can't tell exactly what the framing around the windows looks like, but could you use a router with a straight bit and bottom bearing to cut the window holes?
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Don't forget to add a Swampratt shop heater. Since you work for an equipment rental house you probably have one of these laying around, well the excavator bucket anyway...
No worries. Shop threads of all sorts and all convos are great.
BTW, a little bit of progress but not what I had hoped for the day of the week and amount of time I've had off work. About halfway done putting up the plywood. More time consuming getting one piece of plywood installed than I accounted for and the weather doesn't help. Should get in a full day tomorrow then in to watch OU/OSU softball game at 6pm. Go Cowgirls!!!!!
Deer blind ladder conversion complete you asked about. This is going to be so much easier to get into.
Don't have the proper bits for the router to do it. THe frames are just C-purlin. I feel like a genious but here is what I did to get the cutouts for the windows and it worked awesome.
I have a ton of the sticky bottom felt furiture things you put on the bottom of chairs or other furniture so they done scratch the floors when slid. I have these felt pad is rectangles. I cut them into about half inch strips. I cut eight per window. I then took two felt strips per window frame corner and made and "L" shape with them. Sorta like this I_ in each corner. Placed them where I'd want the opening in the plywood. I then took a can of paint and brush and soaked the felt. I then took my plywood and placed it where it needed to go and pressed it hard against the felt transfering the wet paint on the felt to the backside of the plywood. I then layed the wood on the sawhorses and used a straight edge to draw lines to the corners of the wet paint felt markings and jig sawed out the window openings. Sorta hard to explain but it worked great.
Just made this crude drawing. THis is my one of my cutouts. THe red markings would have been the paint soaked felt I stuck on the c-purlin window frame. Pressed the wood agains the area it needed to be placed transfering the paint onto the back of plywood. Connected the inside corners of the markings with a pencil line and cut out.
Damn! That's a great idea. Is that first step coming down a bit sketchy? Do you come down backwards or forwards? Wonder if I could do that with a standard ladder stand that sits about 14' off the ground. Would be pretty long I bet. Were those steps fabbed by you or repurposed from what?
The steps are actually some scaffold ladder from the 70's (The year the power plant I worked at was being built) that are obsolete now.
I went into the blind facing forward and came out of the blind facing down the ladder. My only regret is not moving the hand rail 1 foot further towards the blind. There is a tiny little transition area coming down that would have been aleviated by it being moved closer.
It's entirely transportable, so I will probably bring it home and add a foot to that hand rail.
Was a good, hot, humid and sweaty day in the shop. Got about 6 sheets of plywood hung today. Two doors to work around so that took some extra time. May get some done tomorrow but going to Stillwater to watch my son play in a Rugby match. Will have to spend some time moving full shelving units away from the walls so I can continue hanging plywood on the last wall. have about 50 more feet to hang so making some progress.
And damn! It was humid today. The entire concrete floor was like an ocean from the concrete floor sweating. Completely wet. had all doors and windows open with two fans blowing but didn't help. Told my wife about it and then she saw it. Tonight she asked if an AC would help and told her, yup. So, now looking for a the biggest Mini Split I can find that will cool a 1200sq ft shop with 16' ridge. Unless you all have a better solution than a mini split to keep it cool and keep the humidity down. I didn't have the humidity problem last spring and summer so I don't know why now. It could wreak havoc on my tools and equipment in there if I don't do something.
And damn! It was humid today. The entire concrete floor was like an ocean from the concrete floor sweating. Completely wet. had all doors and windows open with two fans blowing but didn't help. Told my wife about it and then she saw it. Tonight she asked if an AC would help and told her, yup. So, now looking for a the biggest Mini Split I can find that will cool a 1200sq ft shop with 16' ridge. Unless you all have a better solution than a mini split to keep it cool and keep the humidity down. I didn't have the humidity problem last spring and summer so I don't know why now. It could wreak havoc on my tools and equipment in there if I don't do something.
My shop is a 30X40 with 10' walls. Added the biggest window unit AC last fall as it got brutal in there during the summer. It hasn't had a good test yet, but tomorrow's 90 degree plus temps may give me a better idea if I made the right decision.
I'm not the AC expert by a long shot but I've read the mini splits can put out more cold air for a larger building.
I'm not the AC expert by a long shot but I've read the mini splits can put out more cold air for a larger building.
A mini split is a good idea. A free-standing dehumidificator may help immensely.
A bit late to bring it up now, but did you lay a vapor barrier under the floor prior to pouring the concrete?
A bit late to bring it up now, but did you lay a vapor barrier under the floor prior to pouring the concrete?
