My Shop Remodel/Upgrade...

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BillM

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Well, finally finished my shop workbench. Was on vacation the past 10 days out of state and got back yesterday afternoon. Got the lower plywood shelving installed and coated with boiled linseed oil. I was working a bit fast today and not thinking through all my cuts so it was a bit challenging to get teh lower plywood installed but I got it done and its nice and stout. Need to find the best location for my wilton vise. Thinking the best location is where it's sitting currently on the bench. It's not currently mounted so I you have an opinion on best location please advise. I'm thinking the best spot is near the far end as it won't be used every day and leaves a longer unobstructed workspace should I need it.

Next weekend I'll start loading the bottom shelf with some tools and material I think I want to store there. It'll probably be a continual task of moving things around until they are just right. It's how my slight OCD works. Will also start working on how I'm going to hand all the garden tools on the West side wall and best location for my two rolling tool chests.

Super happy with the bench and how things are turning out. It's all coming together nicely.

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If you can, put it right on the corner so that you can clamp sheet stock on edge off both edges of the corner. That comes in pretty handy. Not all vises will turn that far, so it may not work for you with that vise. In that case, set it so the vise lets you clamp even with the front of the bench. Lets you work on doors and sheet goods as needed.
 

Parks 788

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Put that vice on a 12” square 1/4-3/8” steel plate with a cripple on the outside edge back to the support leg to make it solid as heck.
If you don’t, you will understand later when putting some serious torque on a project that needs rigidity.
I have two of those 3.5” Wilton’s mounted on two different workbench’s for years now. Every commercial machine shop does the same.
Make sure the back jaw is over the bench underneath so long pieces can be clamped vertically.
Maybe it's me because I'm so tired but not following the red. ^^^
 
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Maybe it's me because I'm so tired but not following the red. ^^^
I don’t like mounting vises directly to wood work benches, so I mount a 12” square steel plate in a corner of the bench and then bolt the vise to the plate. The cripple refers to a 45 degree brace from the edge of the plate back to the leg so it is rock solid.
I get pretty rough with mine on occasion, pulling the lag bolts out when mounting directly to a wood bench, so I went with the steel plate method which has proven indestructible so far.
I like to rebuild old farm equipment. Some projects require a 48” pipe wrench to loosen some of those nuts that haven’t been removed on 50 years or longer, rusted in place.
 

BillM

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I don’t like mounting vises directly to wood work benches, so I mount a 12” square steel plate in a corner of the bench and then bolt the vise to the plate. The cripple refers to a 45 degree brace from the edge of the plate back to the leg so it is rock solid.
I get pretty rough with mine on occasion, pulling the lag bolts out when mounting directly to a wood bench, so I went with the steel plate method which has proven indestructible so far.
I like to rebuild old farm equipment. Some projects require a 48” pipe wrench to loosen some of those nuts that haven’t been removed on 50 years or longer, rusted in place.
Dude, that's why they invented penetrating oils! Even WD-40 works OK for that. Spray it. Hit it with a wrench. Both directions! Walk past it and spray it again. Hit it with an impact tool. Spray it again. Walk past and hit with with wrench again. Then spray it again. Repeat as necessary. Eventually, it WILL come lose. PB-Blaster works a little faster, but it's more expensive. You can fake your own penetrating oil up sing a 50/50 mix of acetone and auto transmission fluid, and the same procedure for breaking the bolts or nuts or studs or whatever loose. Also, buy a set of left-hand drill bits for when you break the bold or stud... As my dad used to say, don't force it, use a bigger hammer!

If you don't have time for repeated applications, use a blow torch, plumber's torch, or an oxy-acetylene torch (the proverbial blue wrench) to get it hot, then spray it. Speeds things up, and if all else fails, you can just go ahead and cut it off or out.
 
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Dude, that's why they invented penetrating oils! Even WD-40 works OK for that. Spray it. Hit it with a wrench. Both directions! Walk past it and spray it again. Hit it with an impact tool. Spray it again. Walk past and hit with with wrench again. Then spray it again. Repeat as necessary. Eventually, it WILL come lose. PB-Blaster works a little faster, but it's more expensive. You can fake your own penetrating oil up sing a 50/50 mix of acetone and auto transmission fluid, and the same procedure for breaking the bolts or nuts or studs or whatever loose. Also, buy a set of left-hand drill bits for when you break the bold or stud... As my dad used to say, don't force it, use a bigger hammer!

If you don't have time for repeated applications, use a blow torch, plumber's torch, or an oxy-acetylene torch (the proverbial blue wrench) to get it hot, then spray it. Speeds things up, and if all else fails, you can just go ahead and cut it off or out.
Some of those nuts on crust buster disks are 3” nuts. Been down the penetrating oil path and I don’t have a 1” impact gun nor socket to break them loose. 48” cast iron Rigid pipe wrench works every time, and I do reassemble with anti-seize so that crap never happens again.
 

BillM

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Some of those nuts on crust buster disks are 3” nuts. Been down the penetrating oil path and I don’t have a 1” impact gun nor socket to break them loose. 48” cast iron Rigid pipe wrench works every time, and I do reassemble with anti-seize so that crap never happens again.
If you do this kind of work more than once in a lifetime, you need the proper tools. Not saying you have to buy them new, or from Snap-On, just haunt the pawn shops and get what you need to work on the stuff you work on. It may save your back when you get older, or at least let continue working on stuff you need/want to work on when you aren't young anymore.

Probably told this story here before. Shortly after we arrived here from Germany, I bought a 1977 Plymouyh Volare station wagon. Shortly after, it welded a bearing to the passenger side front spindle. Got a couple of quotes to have the work done. $1000. Priced all the parts and tools to do it myself. $800. Laid it all out for my wife. She asked if I would still e able to use the tools after the car was fixed. Jack, jack stands, air compressor and air tools, etc. I assured her that I would, and she blessed the project. That was about 25 or 26 years ago. Lost most of the air tools about 7 or 8 years ago, when myy rental storage was ripped off, but still have the jack, jack stands, and compressor. Used it yesterday to air up the tires on my hand truck before moving the new fridge in the house. I don't have a 1" impact, either, but I don't need one. If I needed one I'd have one! I do have several 1/2" impacts and smaller. Pawn shops and coworkers who needed folding green more than tools...

Yeah, you can use a 4' pipe wrench. It's safer with the right tools! If you don't do this all the time, harbor freight has a pistol grip 1" impact gun for about $170, and a couple D-handled options for under $300. Northern TOOL wants $800 or so for Ingersoll-Rand, or $450ish for their Klutch brand.

Can't speak for you, but my back is too FUBAR for me to do the monster pipewrench thing any more. :hellno:
 

BillM

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You can remove some of that play by inserting used sawzall blades into the cracks
Or cut some of the beer cans laying about to make shim stock. Remove the top & bottom of the can, slice down once and fold it to get thicker shims. There are almost always beer cans. Used Sawzall blades not so much. Except at my shop. I don't care for beer all that much, except after mowing on a hot day. Then it sounds good.:greetings
 

Parks 788

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Small update:

Got most of the West shop wall organized over the weekend. Nothing diagnosed but I probably have some form of selective OCD. I like to have much of my shop stuff organized (some other parts of my life are physically messy - truck back seat, office desk, etc.) plus if a tool, material or piece of equipment doesn't have a "home" it won't get put back in it's place to keep things organized.

I used about 24' of 2x6 lumber and mounted to the wall up high then used various hooks to hang everything off of. I want to keep as much stuff off the floor as possible since I prefer to keep my Kubota and its three implements in there along with my log splitter, 4 wheeler, zero turn, gas pressure washer, and various other gas powered machines. Need all the floor space I can get. With this long weekend I should really be able to get a lot of the junk still on the floor put in its new "home" around the shop.

Pic 34.jpg
 

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