OT: DIY

[MickeyDavis]

Awesome pics

[Finn]

Looking great! Paslodes are awesome, until they stop firing & no amount of cleaning/tinkering can get it to work.

[Pachinko_]

Yeah this is my friend's, I don't think I'd ever buy one myself, but they're irreplaceable for construction. I tried to drive a few nails in there with my cheap hammer and I gave up after the 4th nail I think.

[Pachinko_]

Weekend #6 was pouring down so I did nothing, but this weekend I made some progress.

First I put up the south wall, which was again a case of framing and pre-cladding with those #^$(#^ cement sheets (which I have regretted a hundred times over mostly because of weight and also how difficult they are to cut), and then lifting the whole monstrous thing and plonking it into place. What makes it so hard is not just the weight but also that it's completely flat from one side with nothing to hold on to, and also the sheet that has to extend out a bit from the frame in the bottom (to sit against the side of the concrete slab) which means once I lift the wall I can't put it down again or it might break. This whole process nearly ended me but I won in the end



The other two walls will be easy because I can work from the outside which means I can just install the frames and then install the sheets one at the time.

Then I decided to just go with a flat roof with a bit of a pitch for the rain water to run off so I made an extension to the existing front wall to give it some elevation. I'm kinda making it up as I go at this point so this is what I came up with



No idea how I was supposed to do this properly but it's true and square and solid as a rock so I guess this is the main thing, to hold the roof and keep it from falling on my head.

I also made the east wall and put the window in. The idea is for the casing of the window to come flush with the siding when I put it up so I left it 9mm proud of the frame to allow for the thickness of the sheets. See how that works out, I think it will be a nice clean look but I can always unscrew it and push it out or in if I (meaning she) don't like it.

So this is where I'm at now:



I put one roof beam up to get an idea what the roof will look like and I'm trying to decide if I want it to protrude at the front and add a fascia and soffit or just cut it flush with the front wall and just finish it with some sort of a flashing. No practical purpose or great difficulty one way or the other, just a question of what looks better. Also trying to decide if I want a steel roof or that plastic corrugated stuff. Plastic is easier to work with, lighter and easier to cut, plus I don't need to order it as the local hardware store stocks all kinds of colors and sizes, so I'm tempted. Any opinions on both those things more than welcome.

Oh and the friggin door stopped closing for some reason, there goes my plan of putting it up first to avoid those problems LOL
I never had the patience for doors and hinges, so I'll just take the electric planer next weekend and shave the crap out of it. Whatever sticks out gets cut and don't care if I end up with a triangular door LOL

[MickeyDavis]

Looking nice, great job.

[Pachinko_]

Ok I don't know if anyone is interested but just for the sake of completeness: the target of having a weatherproof building by Xmas was achieved



Pretty much the whole exterior is done, all that's left to do is fabricate some sort of a trim for the door, I'll probably just use the left over zinc flashings from the roof. In the last minute I also added 3 little non-opening windows between the studs over the main window, I made those with perspex and DAR pine.

Overall I consider it a small but difficult build, I had to squeeze between prickly trees, jump fences and climb on the neighbour's shed to get to all the spots I needed to get to, and come up with alternative solutions for all the spots I couldn't get to. Most exhaustingly, I had to actually talk to my neighbours. I also had to do a few 2-man jobs by myself and bend a couple of best practice and safety rules. My wrist was on ice most of Xmas day and some ligaments will complain for a few days, but hey, I'm alive and the job is done.

Total cost to me was about $5k Australian pesos and I will probably spend another $2k for sound insulation, drywall, epoxy floor, lights and some extra powerpoints. A local builder had quoted me $23k for the lot which I thought was crazy at the time, but now I know why.

[jute2003]

Ok I don't know if anyone is interested but just for the sake of completeness: the target of having a weatherproof building by Xmas was achieved



Pretty much the whole exterior is done, all that's left to do is fabricate some sort of a trim for the door, I'll probably just use the left over zinc flashings from the roof. In the last minute I also added 3 little non-opening windows between the studs over the main window, I made those with perspex and DAR pine.

Overall I consider it a small but difficult build, I had to squeeze between prickly trees, jump fences and climb on the neighbour's shed to get to all the spots I needed to get to, and come up with alternative solutions for all the spots I couldn't get to. Most exhaustingly, I had to actually talk to my neighbours. I also had to do a few 2-man jobs by myself and bend a couple of best practice and safety rules. My wrist was on ice most of Xmas day and some ligaments will complain for a few days, but hey, I'm alive and the job is done.

Total cost to me was about $5k Australian pesos and I will probably spend another $2k for sound insulation, drywall, epoxy floor, lights and some extra powerpoints. A local builder had quoted me $23k for the lot which I thought was crazy at the time, but now I know why.

Looks like a nice sturdy little building. I'd like to put a little bigger out building up for a workshop also but am not sure we have the yard for it. I've seen some intriguing plans using pallets that could really lower costs.

[Pachinko_]

Looks like a nice sturdy little building. I'd like to put a little bigger out building up for a workshop also but am not sure we have the yard for it. I've seen some intriguing plans using pallets that could really lower costs.

Yeah 12X16 or so would be ideal for a home shop, mine is 10X13 mainly because I was restricted by some trees we'd like to keep.
Having said that I've seen a guy that has a nearly fully fitted shop in a little 8X6 outhouse (including wood lathe, band saw, planer, drill press, grinder, kiln, vac). Won't be building any hot rods in there but there's still a lot he can do, I think he mainly makes Scottish bagpipes and knives.

Pallet wood is perfectly fine, I only used "proper" cladding because we've already spent a bit of money landscaping around the house and we wanted to build something that doesn't ruin the look. Also skipping the concrete floor would save you a lot of money, you can always just build a frame on concrete pavers or slippers and lay down some plastic to hold down the humidity and then a particle board floor.

[Pachinko_]

I hate doors. A single door can ruin your weekend.

But I have put so much work into this project that yesterday I decided to skip the OKC game and finish it off properly.
I went to the hardware store, bought a combination lock and some other bits and pieces and started early.

First problem is that the old hole for the lock was much bigger than the lock I bought. That has happened to me before and I know how to tackle it: I cut a piece of hardwood in the exact dimensions of the existing hole, dunked it in wood glue and plugged it in. While that was drying I started aligning the door, which wasn't closing at all.

First I took off the door and I recessed the two right hinges into the frame, and moved the top left one slightly back. I plugged the old screw holes with pieces of chopsticks and screwed right next to them. I also shimmed the bottom left hinge. I tried the door on and it was a lot better but there was still a small overlap. That was all I can do hinge-wise, so I took the left panel off again and shaved a few mm off with an electric planer. Then I put it back on and it was finally 100% aligned.

Then I noticed there were large and uneven gaps at the top and the bottom, so to hide the gaps and weather seal the door better I measured and cut 4 pieces of hardwood I had laying around to make trims and cover the gaps. I had no nails left at this point so I drilled and countersunk screwholes, put the trims on and then filled, sanded, primed and painted them.

The plugged hole was dry by now so I started boring holes for the lock with a spade bit and a hole saw. The installation of the lock was relatively uneventful but it was fiddly work and took me over an hour. Worst part was reading the instructions which looked suspiciously like a direct google translate from Chinese to English.

With the combination lock installed and functional I started on the flashings. I had some leftover corner zincalume from the roof so I cut 3 pieces with my tin snips. Then I did 4 cutouts for the hinges with an angle grinder and some other cutouts so all 3 pieces fit together and inside the frame. Then I took the doors off again and fit the flashings in and screwed them on the door frame from the inside. Then I connected them together with pop rivets, and added two bolts on the top corners to secure them on the outside. I put a bit of matching grey color silicone around the flashings for good measure but this is not crucial as I have ordered a ready made canopy for over the door.

And then finally, 10 hours later, I had a door that was aligned, flashed, trimmed, weatherproof and deadbolted



That was the last update from this project. The inside is a workshop, and workshops are never finished anyway

Off to get drunk now, happy new year people!

[AussieBuck]

I owe this thread some treehouse update photos. Will attempt to do so from phone or do it tonight

Sent from my [device_name] using [url]RealGM mobile app[/url]

[M-C-G]

Anyone ever do your own solar type heating in the garage? I am not trying to heat it up to like 70 degrees during the winter, but it would be nice if using a simple solar set up, I could capture some heat and run it into the garage for those chilly Wisco winters.

I've seen the water heater set up, but I am thinking something more simple. Like a do it yourself panel that heats up and running it through a tube into the garage. I get a ton of sunlight on the outside of my garage, so I think something has to be doable.

https://home.howstuffworks.com/green-living/solar-garage-furnace.htm

[stellation]

Has anybody built a bed headboard before? My experience working with wood is pretty limited- mainly just utilitarian outdoor stuff that doesn't need a neat finish (raised vege beds etc.), but would love to start to get my Swanson on a bit more. Does a headboard sound like a decent slightly above entry level project, or is getting a smooth finish (being mindful someone is going to be brushing up against it as it's on a bed) harder than I might think?

The one complication is there's a powerpoint on the wall behind where I'd like to have the bedhead positioned, and I can't easily move it; it's an old fibro wall, we'll either be renovating or rebuilding in the next couple of years so don't want to go through the headache of replacing it. Any ideas how much clearance would be sensible for a cavity to allow space? I'd like to be able to use the power point with a flat ended extension chord it'd probably protrude about 25mm from the wall- any thoughts on if it's fine to just leave power on at the wall if it's enclosed behind somebody's head?

[AussieBuck]

Has anybody built a bed headboard before? My experience working with wood is pretty limited- mainly just utilitarian outdoor stuff that doesn't need a neat finish (raised vege beds etc.), but would love to start to get my Swanson on a bit more. Does a headboard sound like a decent slightly above entry level project, or is getting a smooth finish (being mindful someone is going to be brushing up against it as it's on a bed) harder than I might think?

The one complication is there's a powerpoint on the wall behind where I'd like to have the bedhead positioned, and I can't easily move it; it's an old fibro wall, we'll either be renovating or rebuilding in the next couple of years so don't want to go through the headache of replacing it. Any ideas how much clearance would be sensible for a cavity to allow space? I'd like to be able to use the power point with a flat ended extension chord it'd probably protrude about 25mm from the wall- any thoughts on if it's fine to just leave power on at the wall if it's enclosed behind somebody's head?

Have the main headposts at a decent size then just set the headboard on the front side of the posts giving you all of the diameter of your posts as space behind your bed for your powerpoint. I'm going to make one in the next couple of weeks, we can compare notes, shouldn't be too hard.

[trwi7]

I've built a clock and a god damn magazine rack. Headboard is probably pretty easy. Sandpaper and then paste wax and steel wool should make it smooth.

[stellation]

I'm left with the impression that even just asking "is a headboard easy for a novice/idiot?" may be betray how much of a novice/idiot I am!

[Pachinko_]

it's easy if you keep it simple and don't want to route out patterns, roundover edges etc. Pretty much the most difficult part is to find timber that is properly dry and is not gonna cup/warp/twist/bend on you over time. If you're gonna paint it just get some DAR pine boards from a half decent timber merchant (avoid Bunnings) and glue them up.

[Pachinko_]

An update from Pachinko's hand made tiny workshop

I now have an awning, combination lock and a properly paved entrance so I can call the outside 100% complete.



The inside is mostly done as well, my machines now have a bench to rest on



On the top is my tiny band saw from Aldi, my mitre saw in its enclosure that keeps most dust in, and an ancient drill press that runs surprisingly true. On top of the mitre saw box are my hand planes. Bottom left I made a cabinet that holds most handheld power tools, a bench grinder, spray gun, various air tools etc. In the middle is the scrap timber box, the yellow thing is my shop vac connected to my track saw, and on the right is my air compressor enclosure. That thing was so loud I couldn't hear myself think so I built a triple thickness box for it.



I put a cable in it so I can drain the tank from the outside and a cooking thermometer to monitor the temperature, and if I need to the enclosure slides from under the bench and opens up for maintenance







This is my OCD wall with the screws LOL



some basic hand tools and shelves for storage on top



this is the other bench with the airbrush my kids love to play with and a window to the back yard



it's also my favourite spot for coffee in the morning while browsing the net on the tablet or watching NBA games while I'm working on stuff. On the right is a sheet of plywood that ended up becoming a money box and a dollhouse for my girls





Totally worth it to spend 5 months and a few thousand dollars on a workshop so I can build a couple of boxes eh? EH???

Anyway it's all about the pleasure of making



I still need to build a proper woodworking bench with a vise so that's the next project.

[jute2003]

I'm left with the impression that even just asking "is a headboard easy for a novice/idiot?" may be betray how much of a novice/idiot I am!

Woodwork is pretty forgiving. Keep the design simple and take your time and you'll be fine.

[Pachinko_]

most importantly, keep all your fingers.

[jute2003]

most importantly, keep all your fingers.

Your shop turned out nice and is freakishly organized.