Let's See Your Shop

[fix]

I have shop envy.
I keep all my toys in the Basement, and it's just a tiny bit cramped.
The temperature is nice though, pretty consistent all year.

I don't really ever clean though. I just move stuff from one flat surface to the next.

[stevec]

I'm jealous, not of your cramped conditions but of your nice temperature all year.
I only do little jobs in the winter because it takes too long and costs toooo much to heat the shop.

Our cleaning procedure seems to be Identical though.

Steve

[Sunset Machine]

Look at all the room he has. I can even see a bit of a floor. Room for 2 more machines I say.

[Vinny]

Although among the most necessary, horizontal surfaces are the worst things to have in the shop. I clean the same way. Then once in a while I start cleaning them up and either getting rid of things or putting them where they belong I find when I move to the next surface the previous one looks alot like it did before I started. No way to win.

[fix]

I noticed today that I was working on top of a steel box that I keep odd bolts in. It just happened to sit fairly stable on top of a pile of clutter, providing an entirely new flat surface.

[War-Machine]

I had just gone through this thread yesterday. Very impressive equipment. Definately a labour of love. Not to mention some of the cleanest work spaces i've seen...GM

[zmotorsports]

Nothing fancy here.  Just a square box measuring 34'x34' with 14' ceiling height.  It used to be a 2+ car shop to work on our race cars and toys in.  We have a 24x26 attached to the house so this was built specifically to work out of, not storage.

Over the years of gathering tools and equipment the size of the shop has shrunk.  As it sits now, we have a single bay for automotive work where we have an Ammco 10k pound two-post lift, a smaller bay where we have two motorcycle lifts for working on motorcycles and a welding/fabrication/machining section which has slowly "eeked" into the one bay reducing its size for motorcycles only.

My wife and I bought our home in 1991 and I built the shop in summer 1995.  In 1997 I purchased a 3-in-1 machine to compliment the services I can provide.  I originally built the shop as a place for my son and I to hang out as he got older and to do side work to fund my racing/motorcycle/Jeeping/sand duning/snowmobiling addiction.  Over the past 20 years now it has morphed into a full-blown custom, repair, fabrication and machine shop.  I no longer do any racing and we have sold all of our toys except our Jeep and Harleys.  I have slowed down doing customer work but still manage to find enough stuff of my own to work on and if a job comes up that I find interesting and can make a few bucks on, I take it on.

Here is my son's new to him 2002 Duramax on the lift to address and oil leak at the left side lower rocker box/valve cover.


Here is the motorcycle bay but I have the bikes in the garage at the time this picture was taken.  The two lifts are also pushed closely together to make it easier to walk around.  Once bikes start filtering in the lifts will be separated with enough room to walk around each with a bike on them if needs be.


Here is another picture from the man door looking down machinery row.


For the future I think this is how the shop will stay arranged.  I have had the new mill and lathe for about a year now and I did play with some ideas as far as arrangement but in the end I have settled on this configuration.  It is tight when I get a few projects at once going on but I don't see my wife and I moving so this will have to do.  I have been impressed with many of the shops on here as I was lurking, but finally decided to join.

Mike.

[EdK]

Very nice shop Mike!

Ed

[PixMan]

I love the shop, very well equipped!

What area of Utah do you live in where bars on the windows is a good idea?

And where's the pictures of the Harleys? Lots of fellow riders here!

Ken

(a Triumph guy)

[zmotorsports]

(06-11-2015, 04:45 PM)EdK Wrote: Very nice shop Mike!  

Ed

Thanks Ed. It is my home away from home. Luckily my wife let me splurge when we built it because she knew how much time I would be spending in it.

(06-11-2015, 08:22 PM)PixMan Wrote: I love the shop, very well equipped!

What area of Utah do you live in where bars on the windows is a good idea?

And where's the pictures of the Harleys? Lots of fellow riders here!

Ken

(a Triumph guy)

Thanks Ken. I am in northern Utah between the cities of Salt Lake City and Ogden. I really haven't had an issue but I put the bars on the windows along with alarming everything just to keep the honest people honest. I am sure you understand that theory.

I will have to throw up some pictures of our bikes. I have a 2010 Wide Glide that I have done a bunch of work to, which is my back and forth to work bike then I have a 2004 Ultra Classic that is mine and the wife's touring bike. I have built that up from 88 ci to 95ci with a lot of other bling.

The 2012 Street Bob is my son's. He bought a Buell Lighning XB9 just out of high school and two years ago sold it and stepped up to the Street Bob. He love's his bike and has added a lot of little "dress up" goodies on it.

Mike.