Ongoing Workshop Projects

Eric Patterson

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Staff member
It's been a while since I posted about the happenings at my workshop so I'm going to try and catch those interested up. A lot of pictures to follow.

I planted some shrubs in the beds I made a while back. I've also planted some bald cypress trees from bare root plantings to create a hedge row on the back and side of the lot. About half have come to life. The others no signs of life so far.

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I got tired of leaving the hose on the ground so I took a leftover RR tie and made a hose rack. What do you do when Thomas and his teenage friends come to the shop and say they are bored? Put a post hole digger in their hands and tell them to make some muscles.

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We are putting in food plots again this summer at the hunting property so I bought Dale Phillips disc harrow at auction. Kind of a basket case so I've done a complete restoration including new bearings. Discs should clean up on their own simply by turning dirt. I'll finish re-assembly when I get my tractor back from having it's steering box rebuilt. 50 years made it kind of playful.

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I found an old workbench online at an estate sale for $75 and was interested in salvaging the vise off it. When I got there turns out it had 2 vises dadgummit. A little research and I learned the bench was made in the 1920s by EH Sheldon when restored are they quite valuable, as in the thousands, so I'm saving it for a future project. The W.C. Toles vises are pretty sweet too. Also interesting is the bench stops that pop up to allow a woodworker to keep his wood on the table when hand planning. The are seized in the down position but should clean up fine.

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From craigslist I've cobbled together a pretty decent sound system. Several hundred watts of power from two receivers pushing four speakers (love the old ADS and Yamaha speakers) and two powered subs. "Flying" the speakers keeps them out of my way and I like the way the sound floats across the room. Adding a Bluetooth a receiver that puts out analog signals straight to the receivers opened the door to stream music from my Ipod Nano. I LOVE it. As you can see my tastes are rock.

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I love the old metal parts cabinets by Lyon, Equipto, etc., and scrounged some up. They are perfect for keeping all your hardware organized. Sifting through coffee cans got old so I took a good 40 hours of cold winter nights and sorted hardware. Well worth the tedious task. I can actually find things now!

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Microfiche cabinets are perfect for storing small items. I've been watching craigslist for these and occasionally they turn up. I make my own drop-in boxes with removable dividers for flexibility. I can easily pull a box out and take it wherever it is needed.

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Can a man ever have too many files? Not at $1 a piece from estate sales. I had to put new handles on though.

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These drill bit index boxes by Huot are a must if you keep a supply of drill bits. It's getting hard for my eyes to see the size marked on a drill bit and this solves that problem as long as I put it back where it came from.

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Estate sales have turned up some hand tool bargains. Draw knives are out there and usually under $25. These need some work but should clean up nicely. A project for another day. If there is ever a gas leak and I need to pound on something I'm covered. Found a bronze ball peen hammer for $4 and a steel one for a buck. With new handles by me they should come in handy. The anvil is made from RR track. I'd love to find a real anvil but there seems to be some blacksmith hobbyist madness going around. They are hard to find and when you do go for around $5 per pound. There is a sellers market on anvils right now.

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One of my earlier wood working projects and it gets used a lot. I'm using this workbench to store a bunch of black locust turning blanks. You can't budge it without risking hernia.
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Jeff Smith decided to complete a Powermatic 1150 drill press restoration and put it in my shop. It's almost done. Kind of matches my variable speed model of the same vintage don't you think?

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Progress on putting up the pine walls from reclaimed bleacher boards continues. Two walls done and two to go. The job is made a lot easier by having the machines on the job site. The Powermatic 66 and outfeed table is the heart of the shop and the Powermatic planer I restored a few years back strips the old finish off. It does dull the knives but I'm getting faster at replacing them. The Powermatic shaper and Samco powerfeed are perfect for putting the ship lap joint on all the boards. After that I add batt insulation and attach with decking screws so down the road removal will be easy. After the walls are up I'll add crown and trim out the doors and windows. A lot of work still ahead and it is hard to make time between Thomas's travel baseball and duck season. One day though....

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Speaking of shapers I finally had a chance to get the Oliver 287 that used to live in a NASA pattern shop running. After sitting outside for who knows how long, waiting to be auctioned, the top cleaned up pretty well and damn if it didn't fire up when I put power to it. Runs very smooth. I could use it as is but have hopes of doing a full restoration. I like the flat belt configuration and mass of the machine. Oliver didn't cut any corners. I had a custom mobile base welded so it can be moved around as needed. Pretty much all my machines are on mobile bases, or will be.

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I repurposed my old lunch box planer mobile cart as a grinding stand. I like being able to use the wire wheel to clean off rust and grime near the door so I can sweep the mess it makes away. I need more room on the cart for all the sharpening accessories. A project for down the road...

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The local schools have frequent auctions. When a panel saw went up I snagged it. Breaking down plywood on a table saw is doable but not real easy. I've lusted after the one in Lowe's for years. I think it will be a good purchase.

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The Monarch Unipoint patiently awaits my attention It is need of a total restoration. I'll get to it one day.

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What would a shop be without a clock? I have a warm spot for stuff out of schools...

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I found the workbench below on the school auction site as well. It's top was a disaster so I made one from the bleacher pine and added another craigslist find, a Yost vise. That was one of the better craigslist purchases I've made and the workbench sees a lot of use. The shop stools, another estate sale item, are nice when folks stop by to chat.

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The turning tool rack will eventually be mounted to the wall but even resting on a girt it does a nice job of keeping mu gouges handy. It was q quick project a few years back but I'm putting in the post simply because it works so well and may give someone else an idea.

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I needed a place to store the air hose so I decided to use the spot below the stairwell and an old tractor wheel. It works okay but I'd rather have one that spins and prevents line twist.

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My Black Brant II and Broadbill are ready for next season. Keeping them out of the elements should minimize maintenance. Thomas bow fishes with the Broadbill a lot during the summer. So glad I built it when the kids were in diapers.

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Goose decoys, another unfinished project. I did the grit-o-cobb treatment like Restle decoys except I used epoxy as the adhesive. They are bullet proof. Just need to make time to finish painting them.

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You aren't supposed to put weight on the bottom chord of roof trusses but seeing as how my Poke boat weighs less than 30 pounds I think they can withstand the stress.

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Finally, a lot of the machines in my shop run on three phase. originally I built a 5hp rotary phase converter. When I moved in the new shop I retrofitted another 5hp. One day I'll run conduit to the machines. For now it's drop cords.

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Good morning, Eric~

Congratulations on all of your progress! It certainly shows that size does matter when it comes to shops. And, thanks for posting all of the organization and cleanliness. Now others will relegate me to the Kings of Entropy bin where I live most of the time......

All the best,

SJS

 
WOW!


Eric, that shop and how your equipping and stocking it is incredible. When are you going to finish up a batch of calls? Been waiting for a good number of years now for my custom AL duck call.

Wicked impressed,
Scott


 
I love those old benches - I have one in the shop that i got from an antique dealer I know

thanks for saving another one from the fate of being a foo-foo kitchen island rather than seeing an honest day's work
 
I love those old benches - I have one in the shop that i got from an antique dealer I know

thanks for saving another one from the fate of being a foo-foo kitchen island rather than seeing an honest day's work


Rick, that's where the money is. I've seen the ones with swing out seats go for over $3000. To be honest, I'm not offended by the collectability of industrial items, but I wish there was less competition and lower prices.
 
I love those old benches - I have one in the shop that i got from an antique dealer I know

thanks for saving another one from the fate of being a foo-foo kitchen island rather than seeing an honest day's work


Rick, that's where the money is. I've seen the ones with swing out seats go for over $3000. To be honest, I'm not offended by the collectability of industrial items, but I wish there was less competition and lower prices.
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oh -I do understand - but its like seeing a vintage pickup lowered to the ground and painted neon - haha

of course I also fully realize - I'm a dinosaur --I still think waterfowl guns were fitted by craftsman gunsmiths, that they have a pair of 32 inch barrels aligned on a horizontal plane and decoys are cork or wood
 
I dont know what you specialize in making but you make many other craftsman Jealous . Beautiful Shop. It a shame you & Steve dont live closer together You both could go in Business
 
pretty well organized. The vise and table are an old memory from I A shop in jr. high. Hadn't seen one in a dog's age. Hmm, that is another name for those stops.!
 
Thanks everyone.

George, you are correct, they are "bench dogs." This bench was built in the 20's so you might have actually used it :)

Scott, call making will resume once Thomas is off at college (he's going into his Jr. year of HS).

Paul, I hope to resume boat building and piddling upon retirement in about 10-15 years. Until then I'll work on getting the shop ready and pursue whatever might interest me. I'm a proud piddler and tinkerer. I have had some interest in the boat bed I built for Thomas a few years back and people have suggested they would be very marketable. That idea is in the back of my mind as a possibility.
 
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Wow Eric, very fun to look at your growing collection! Damn, very nice indeed! So many fun things and what potential. Wonderful space and stuff...
 
When ya go to The Happy Hunting Ground (not soon God Willing), yer family is gonna have one heck of a yard sale...


Vince, I hope to never leave the burden of dealing with the contents of my workshop to my kids/wife when I pass. If I'm hit by a bus that could happen, but otherwise I will deal with all of it when the time in my life arrives where I can't use my shop or lose the desire. I've seen my own father downsize his possessions and forego purchases simply because he has no wants for anything he doesn't already have.
 
Eric
Thanks for the update on your Man Cave--very impressive! Really like the treatment of the walls. What is your floor?
wis boz
 
Eric,

You got a bedroom up those stairs? Your hardware and drill storage are better organized than what we can maintain where I work. Most of the guys don't seem to grasp the concept that dull drills do not sharpen themselves by putting them back in the drawer dull.

Nice work space you have there.
 
Boz, the floor is concrete. At some point I will put a coat of Rust Bullet on it. I used it in the bathroom and so far I like it so plan to use it throughout the workshop area. The garage area will probably remain bare concrete.

Dave, there is no bedroom upstairs but I can see that area getting finished at some point. We planned for that possibility by plumbing in a drain so a shower and sink could be added. I think it could work as a small apartment. Also, I have a can labeled "Dull" and when it gets full enough it will go to the sharpener.
 
Eric - It would be wonderful if we all had the chance to downsize first (myself very much included). Some have, but many have not. I seen some very close friends/gunning partners "estates" handled very badly.

My comment was half joking, half reality (Buzz Kill). Your much more organized than most Duck Hunters.

When I look at my supply of primo white pine, sugar pine & cork. I figure I have to live to at least 90 to use it all. HA!

I began downsizing 6 years ago, and have a long way to go... hopefully.

One works so hard to get the things they want. Then after some serious medical issues ya realize it's all just Stuff. Then the concern of who gets what, and when sets in.
 
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