Garage Makeover Part 3

 You guessed it, another boring ass garage makeover video. I was so proud of myself for shooting it in one take until I viewed it and realized it really was a yawn fest. Everything I wanted to say was in there but your host is a lot like the walls he painted...dull and boring. Is having no personality a personality in itself? I decided to break up the video and add a pinch of spice. Not too much mind you but just enough to force you to take a swig, sit up, and pay attention.

Later.

The Writing On The Walls

 I've been putzing in the garage a couple hours a night for the last few days just picking away at my garage transformation. There sure is a lot of little crap that needs to happen and one of those things was slapping a coat of paint on the existing insulated wall that separates an already heated stall from the other two I'm working on. That wall has been there at least 50 years and was a good place to make a few notes about garage activities.

 Oil change records were scribbled here. My wife ordered a dry erase board that I plan to use moving forward.

 I think these were the air pressure settings for my Aprilia.

 The last owner scribbled on the walls too.

 I'm guessing the above pic is notes for an ignition switch.

 None of it matters because its all gone now. A coat of black paint insured that. A coat of grey was slung at the door and trim. The 4 x 8 sheet on the saw bucks is my new tool board and will hang in the void on the pictured wall. It was either a tool board or a Jimi Hendrix black light poster. The tools won but black light posters would be cool, or at least I thought they were cool when I was a kid. Anyway, laying out how I want tools hung on that board is a task I'm thinking will suck to get just right but maybe I'm just over thinking the whole thing. I'll use wood screws as hooks to hang up whatever tools are homeless and change it as needed. 

 I started to lower the two speakers from the rafters and mount them on the newly painted walls. It then occurred to me I had an entire surround sound system stored in the basement so those speakers are now hanging in the garage. I'm waiting on some speaker wire I ordered to finish with the jams.

 The to-do list still includes hanging a whole bunch of other crap on the walls, lowering the garage door openers, venting the attic, ducting the furnace, insulating and paneling the ceiling and prep/paint the floor. Other projects include shelving, cabinets, tool storage solutions and cleaning out that parts room. 

 What started out as replacing two garage doors has turned into a big project. I should have seen the writing on the walls.

Later.

 

So Much Stuff-Garage Makeover Part 2

 We're not gonna get into that whole part 2 or part 5 monkey business like last weekends post. Just know that this is a continuation of the same project. There is so much stuff in the garage and I have to keep moving it from wall to wall to gain access to each new phase. They postponed our citywide anything goes bulk pickup day this spring and thats gonna work in my favor cuz I plan to lighten the load and wasn't ready by the original earlier date. It just doesn't make sense to save a $5 part for fifteen years because I might need it some day. If I'm in the right mood on pickup day, there will be a big mess out by my curb (but not in my shop, garage, parts room or sheds).

 My plan is to get a lot of the stuff I am keeping to hang on the walls. I'm not quite to that stage yet but getting close. Check it out:

Later.

This Bugs Me

 I need to wash my bike! The above pics were taken last week and it has been my intent to clean this bike but stuff happens and a guy gets busy. When you're busy, other stuff doesn't happen and here is the bike as of yesterday.

  I could sit here and tell you about how I promise to get the bike clean by a certain date or whatever but the fact is I'll probably just hit it with the leaf blower before the next ride. I've got some pressure washing to do on the house so maybe I'll hit it then. On the other hand I could polish it and check the forecast before each ride and never go out when the bugs are heavy. Ya right.

Later.

Garage Makeover Part 1, Or 4?

 I've been telling you about my garage makeover for a couple weeks now so how is this part 1? If I called it part 2 you'd be wondering where part 1 is and never find it.  Here is a link to the last time I talked about it with the attic ladder and air compressor install, which is technically part 3, and a link to the post about replacing the garage doors which in part contains part 2, and also a link to the actual part one video where I add some support to the ceiling. I couldn't call that vid part 1 because at the time I didn't realize there would be any more parts. So this video called part one is really part 4 but I only talk about work and don't perform any so is it a part at all? You decide.

Later.

More Of Grandpas Table Saw

 I've been talking about some DIY around the house and that includes plans to update my garage. Because one of the upgrades will be a painted floor, I've decided to look at the things I move around in there that might scratch that new paint. I remember being pissy when I scratched the painted floor in the heated shop and none of us wants a repeat of that performance. One of those scratchy things is Grandpas table saw. I never did get around to cleaning and painting the framework for the saw because I was in a hurry to get it running and have been using it ever since, so welding on it was no big deal. 

 The saw itself is a tabletop unit but the 1/4" thick angle iron framework makes this thing a beast to move around. That old motor is on the portly side as well.

 I put it on some furniture dollies and that made it easy to roll but I also rolled it right off the dollies a few times. Its built like a tank so there were no issues. What I wanted was rubber feet to protect the new floor and keep the machine stable while forcing wood through a dull blade.

                                       

 To make it mobile was just a matter of adding a couple wheels to one end and a handle on the other.

 Nothing fancy here, just slap some wheels on and push the thing out of my way. I wanted to move this across the garage and start insulating the walls so I just did the quickest, easiest thing I could think of. The wheels are mounted so they don't touch the ground until the other end is lifted up. This means its on all four rubber pads while in use.

                                             

 

The handle came off an old tool cart. Some times it pays to be a pack rat. 

 I'd given some thought to not putting the saw back into this big stand and may actually remove it some day. For now it seems to work out well to put my miter saw on top of it for use. These woodworking tools take up a lot of precious real estate in my garage and consolidated them is important. 

Later.

The Five Stages Of Shop Rags

 This blog has been about bikes, tools, diy, work bullshit and whatever else I have going on. It seems fitting that a blog called "The Greasy Shop Rag" should occasionally talk about shop rags. Todays blog is a vlog and its all in the video:

 Later.

More Door DIY

 I spent last weekend a slave to a paint brush as I continued the front porch makeover. When I wasn't up and down a ladder flinging white paint I was in the garage painting doors. We like the green front door so much that we decided the side doors needed the same treatment. This is the old wood side door that is similar in age and design as the front door I showed you about a month ago. 

 The doors are really cool looking in design but the wood needed protection and the brown color is too drab. The dark area on the bottom was protected by the screen door. The lighter area above it doesn't look that way from sanding, rather sun fading. Here it is in green.

 ...and the front door getting a second coat...

 I could show you a pic of the other side door but it doesn't have the character of these old wood doors with their detailed design and imperfect glass. Its metal and has an oval window with fancy glass. You've seen them all over. A hundred years from now if its not rusted out nobody is gonna say "wow thats a cool door". Instead the question will probably be weather it goes to the dump or to the scrap metal recycler. The good news is that now that its green, we really like it.

 Theres one other door on the house that is still white and we're undecided if its gonna stay that way. Right now that door isn't even used because there is a toolbox sitting in front of it but we're looking at changing up the standard operating procedure around here at least as far as the garbage cans go. Now that the wood side door is done and I've installed a new screen door we have found its convenient to use that door and theres a good spot out there to hide the garbage cans. Those cans would be easy to access from my shop as well. The only downside to all this is its gonna eat up another full weekend cutting and laying sod, laying pavers and changing Mowbys boundary wire. 

 Home ownership really is a mixed bag of nuts don'tcha know.

Later.