Why Have One Workbench When You Can Have Two?

So the corner in the back of my garage is kind sad. I put up some pegboard and thought that meant I was organized. But the cruddy table I was using wasn't doing it and the new workbench I made (which I LOVE) was not the best place to build certain items because the garage itself is not level.*

I did not have plans, I decided to "wing it". An idea I do not recommend. I measured 20" from the floor so I could slide my shop vac under, but set the top of the bottom shelf at 20"... dumb. It wasn't until I was sweeping up tonight that I realized what I'd done. We really do learn from our mistakes!

It's been raining a lot lately and the wood was wet. I've had it drying in the garage for about four days, but it's still not dry. My circular saw did not like cutting through it. I made it work. The support posts were a bitch to cut, but I think they give it a very sturdy look. There are so many screws in that thing (I love overkill!).

My Kreg Jig worked flawlessly--I love that bad boy! And all my Ryobi tools were perfect!

The red carpeting is from my camping days.**  I used it to kneel on so I didn't destroy my knees any more than they already are.

It's level and that was my biggest concern. I did a little more work after these pictures, with the cross supports

The tops of the shelving go in tomorrow. The big problem will be cutting the wood around all the posts. Now that will involve some very careful planning...

*The structure is level, just the foundation sunk--I'm on a hill and the garage is at the bottom. When the house was remodeled, they also took care of the garage. I'd say it's about 70% new materials, with true walls and a level roof... it's the floor that's been a bother.

**More like glamping: The group I camped with had a full outdoor kitchen (with steam tables, and a butane powered oven), as well as a full bar! We used to feed over 100 guys breakfast and dinne! Since I needed power for my CPAP, I had an Aerobed and an electric blanket. I was also in a 10-man tent for just myself... I had a sitting area AND a dressing area near my sleeping area. We did camping right! 

Click HERE to see how it turned out!

Workbench Project... Done!

Finally, it's done! While it is far from perfect, it really helped me hone my skills with my Ryobi circular saw, the jig saw, and impact driver. Tools are fun! 

I think the top may need another sheet on top--something thin--to make it a smooth surface. There is a slight bow on the edges of the MDF pieces. If I were to do it again, I would get one sheet... but jeez, that one sheet would be HEAVY!

Initially, I wanted to include my miter and table saws into the design, but I feel I would have lost a lot of the table top space I need. However, I found a rather cool idea on the Family Handyman site: Heavy-Duty shelf brackets to add various attachments. They called it "the Swiss Army Knife" of workbenches. While the workbench is technically complete, it does give me some ideas for a few additions!

(c) Family Handyman

Workbench Update

Nope. Still not done. In my defense, it's been pouring and getting out to the garage is a battle to stay dry, plus work has been busy, but mostly because I didn't feel like it.

However, I started briefly yesterday but quickly noticed the screws I've been using would not work for the wheels. So another trip to Home Depot was in order. 

As you can see, I successfully mounted the wheels... and they work REALLY well! Nice smooth ride! The locking mechanism on each works well, too. 

I did have one minor (read: "Holy Crap! This is bad!") moment. For the bottom shelf, I measured from the bottom when I attached it to the legs. Neglecting to remember that the legs might not all be exactly the same length. Before I applied the wheels, I noticed the leg lengths were 29.5", 29", 29" and 28". OOPS! I was not as careful as I thought. So I used my circular saw on three of the legs, bringing them all to 28". However, when I measured the lower portion of the bottom shelf to the footing, the measurements were: 3", 3", 3", 5.5". Yeah... 

Needless, to say, it looked seriously caddywompus. I pulled out my screws (good thing I didn't glue anything) and moved everything into proper place. 

Then I added the top, which I will use my trusty circular saw to look pretty... probably next weekend. 

I threw the bottom shelf boards down just to see what I'm dealing with... I've got to figure out how I'm going to measure and cut those to fit around the legs. I'm sure there's an easy way, but I'll be sure to implement the most convoluted and time-consuming method. 

I'm sure there are many of you out there reading this (okay, one, maybe?) thinking that I really need to measure better. I do. I wasn't exact on this project for a number of reasons. Mostly because I don't have a proper workbench to build anything... and the garage floor is seriously (and I mean seriously) not level. The previous owners rebuilt the garage but left the foundation slanted. While the roof is level, the flooring is not, so it kind of throws everything off. My "thinking" (using the term loosely) was that if I made a decent, but not perfect, workbench, I could then build decent projects from that. Yeah... looking back, not one of my best ideas. Learning process... 

And it continues... 

New Year... New Project

I decided I needed to work on some built-in shelving for the house. I need something for my office and then a much larger project for the den/family room. I've been planning in my head for months and I finally have written it down. Now, I just need to confirm with the measurements. I'm used of winging it on things, and you can't just wing it with building cabinets. Thankfully, there are tons of items on Pinterest to help. 

However, before I can start building cabinets and shelving units, I need a solid workbench. I have a smaller bench and a decent old desk that I've used for projects in the past, but I need a good sturdy workbench to really make it all come together.

I figured the long MLK weekend would be perfect and it would mostly be completed by Saturday, with final touch ups on Sunday. I found a million great workbench ideas on Pinterest, and while I didn't have exact measurements, I knew what I wanted.

Home Depot was great in that they cut up a bunch of lumber for me. The guy there was not that precise in his measuring and cutting. I had twelve 96" 2x4s that I wanted in three 32" lengths. I figured after the cutting, I would get two 32" lengths and one 31.5" lengths. They were all over the place. I ended up with 34 close to, but not exactly 32" boards and six 64" boards. I brought them home and prepared to start work in the garage.

And then I tried to get into my garage...

Talk about a disaster! I spent Saturday cleaning out my mess in the garage. A summer and winter of shoving stuff in there without caring left the place a mess. Then the winter wind and rains added a ton of leaves and some extra moisture to the mess. It took almost all of Saturday to get it ready for my build.

By the end, I laid out a few pieces of lumber on the ground, just to get a feel for what I was getting myself into. (And to make it look like I did something!)

Looks like I did something other than just stacking lumber on the floor, right?

I got my new Kreg Jig out and started drilling. Let me just say, that thing is freakin' amazing. Easy to use, great cuts, made for solid construction. I thought it would be good, but it exceeded my expectations! 

Kreg Super Cool jig!
(No compensation for praising their awesome product)

I finally got to use my Craftsman Workbench, which worked out fine. It's not my favorite thing in the world, but it held up and made the process a little easier. Let's just say it's a little rickety.

I also got to use my Dewalt clamps... the really long ones! The lumber wasn't quite as straight as I thought, so the clamp helped when I needed to bring a few pieces together so I could drill, baby, drill! Those worked out great. Definitely worth the money.

Clamp and L'il Workbench working together...

This is as far as I got today. I'm trying to decide if I want to incorporate my table saw and miter saw into the table. Once that decision is made, then I can add the top and bottom boards for work and storage, respectively.  I also need to buy some wheels so I can move it about easier. 

My garage floor is not level, so I need to find a level spot in my backyard to make sure it is level before I put on wheels. I may do a built-in along one of the walls, which will also double as a bar for the back deck. That's all part of my future projects.

I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out. It's solid--and will be even more so once I get the top mounted as well as the bottom shelf. 

I promise more pictures when it gets finished.

I Love My Sprinklers

Really, I do...

These things are nothing but a pain in the ass! Every time I turn around, someone has stepped on one and broken it. I finally got them fixed last week, but one was barely putting out any water. So, I gave it a little twist... and it started working a little better! So I gave it another twist... and the spray was better. One more... and the damn thing popped off! After my Nth trip to Home Depot (I kept buying the wrong size sprinkler heads: I have 2" high heads and I kept buying 4, 3, and finally 2.5 inch heads), they are all finally working.

Now if I can only get the automated sprinkler system to come on when it's supposed to... 

Merry, Merry!

I've obviously slowed down on projects now that the Christmas Season has arrived (and that I've gotten married!)  But here are a few shots of the Christmas decorations. These are items I've collected/created from previous homes, so now I have to make everything fit in my 'forever home'. It will be a process... 

The Tree: Fake... but a good fake! The ornaments are mostly from my parents. They collected them throughout the years from friends and through their travels. It's a wonderful trek down memory lane. 

Because it's still just me, there aren't many gifts under the tree, so I've filled it with toys and figures that make me smile. Somewhere in the still unopened boxes, there is a train set to run under the tree...

My mom was a Textile Design (read: Fashion) major at Carnegie Mellon (at that time Carnegie Tech) and she made the Three Wise Men which hung in our dining room. I loved them as a kid. More than the tree, they said "Christmas" to me.  Sadly, they were ruined after they moved to a bigger house in the 80's. But the memory stuck with me and I created these after my mom passed away from a picture my dad took in the 70's.  They got a little wrinkled over the year... gotta iron those sometime!

Note the Menorah on the mantel. My great-great-great grandfather was Jewish when he sailed from France to America for the Gold Rush. He eventually married a Catholic, but I like to keep that bit of family history alive.  

Note the carolers on the silver chest. My mom had dozens of them around the house. She continued to add to her collection until she died. The brass tree was on that very chest in her home. I have yet to find candles for it. But it always added a lovely glow to the room.

Gotta have some greenery! I need to add ribbons and berries to make it more festive.  

The Santas! Again, from my mom's collection. Each of the four kids took some--you can imagine how many she had. Most of them are Russian/Eastern European. All are very intricate and beautiful.  

I didn't get a chance to finish the downstairs den this year. That will be something for Frederic and I to work on next Christmas. Also, nothing on the front of the house--with the exception of a wreath. Again, I didn't feel like climbing on the roof... again, that's something for Frederic to do! ;-)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I Swear I'm Still Working on Stuff...

Sorry I haven't posted. I'm still working on the house, but it's been a bit slower because the projects seem to be getting bigger, more complicated, and needing more tools.  Also, my fiance Frédéric and his friends are coming for the wedding just before Thanksgiving, so that's pushed some things back and moved other things forward. 

TOYS... TOOLS!

I bought a table saw. I started assembling it yesterday and got the legs done, then decided I was tired. I think I have a fear I will cut something off (on me!), so I'm reading the instruction manual very, very carefully.

I decided I needed a workbench, so I got one of these cool little Black & Decker dealies super cheap at OSH! It took me far too long... which worries me: if I had this much trouble putting together the thing that's going to make my involved projects easier, how am I going to handle those?  Slowly. Very slowly, appears to be the answer.

Note that the crank on the right did not come with a pin to lock in the handles, so I had to jeery-rig a solution: a ziptie! Worked really well. I felt this might be a test: Can You Handle It If Something Is Missing? Yes. Yes, I can!

DUMPSTER IN A BAG 

Dumpster Bag

I found a Dumpster Bag at Home Depot. It's a giant bag that can hold up to 3300lbs. I set it up on my driveway, fill it with crap and call Waste Management to remove it and for a low fee, they take it! My junk is gone!  

I've been trying to get rid of boxes for the last few months--I keep cutting them up and filling my recycling, but I just want all of it gone. 

Boxes and Styrofoam I want out of my garage! 

My fireplace insert that was seriously messed up and the old antenna. 

Those are going in the bag and I'll finally be rid of all this stuff. 

CLUTTER

I hate clutter. I finally started on the last of the boxes downstairs. I'm putting my collection of action figures and things that make me laugh on the shelves in the den. (Because I'm still a child.) When I woke up on Sunday, the room was neat and clean, with boxes stacked neatly in the corner. Now, it looks like a fricken toy store exploded in the room. Crap is everywhere. (Pics to follow when it's done.)

My big worry is my office. It's become a catch-all for all the boxes and things I'm not quite sure where they should go. I did manage to fix the bookshelves (thank you Nail Gun!), but the books are sort of haphazardly placed on the shelves. Another project for another evening.

Oh, speaking of projects: When I was going through my final inspection of the house, I was walking down the stairs to the den and I grabbed the flooring for the upstairs (I was going down, so the first floor stairs were now eye-level) and I noticed the cap along the edge was easily moved. It was the main reason I wanted a nail gun. This weekend I finally got it done. It's nailed down and looks good. I'll post pics of that at some point, too.

I GOT GAS

I had PG&E come out and turn on my pilot light for my heater. It's been FREEZING the last few nights (California Freezing, not actual freezing--in the low 60's). Turns out it was already lit (waste), but I felt better having him inspect it, change the filter, and explain a few things on how it works. 

When he turned it on, we set the temp REALLY high to make sure it was working at full capacity. It works great... however, a year's worth of dust bunnies flew out into every room. Good thing I put off vacuuming and dusting this week (and last... and the week before... oy). The funniest bit is that the vent in the master bath blows right on the toilet paper roll. Normally, not a problem, but less than half a roll starts to spin... and unravel. It's almost like having a cat or small child in the house.

When the technician was out, he mentioned that my hot water heater did not have a dial on it and he'd adjusted it. I no longer have hot water, I have scorching hot water. I swear, it's not so much hot water as it is steam... It made my shower more interesting...

That's about all for now... I promise to post more... and hopefully it will be something actually worth reading.