I am getting a home/shop at last.

Brian Ayres

Brian Ayres

Joined
Feb 4, 2011
Messages
1,429
I separated from my ex-wife in 2008. Since then I've lived in 8 different places. I've lived out of plastic boxes until November of last year when I finally got my own tiny 400sq ft apartment. The sacrifices to keep my kids taken care of and to honor a woman I will always love were worth every night in a friends/relatives spare bedroom.

We finally sold our house in 2011 and now a year later all my bills/debts are paid.

I sign a rental agreement tomorrow with my 19 year old daughter and 14 year old son. The new house has a 22'x20' garage that is ONLY for knifemaking.

I have spent the last year making knives out of my buddy Greg Haile's garage(THANKS GREG!!) but now will finally have my own house.

The thought of being able to step out my door and work whenever my muse leads me out there is incredible.

The greatest part is I get 2 of my kids with me. Nothing is as precious as when your given a second chance with something you thought was forever lost. :D

Learning to make knives over the last 18 months has been healing to my soul. The fellow knifemakers I've met have been by and large the best group of people I've ever met.
 
Congrats on the new place Brian!

Awesome that you get to live with your kids, you sound like a great guy :thumbup:
 
Thanks. I am super happy. Got all my daughter's stuff moved tonight. I didn't know a 19 year old could have so much stuff!!
All my grinders, saws, drill presses, anvils and mill get moved Sunday.
I won't even hang a picture till I get a few hours of shop time!
 
It is very nice to have a shop dedicated to knife making. At my old house I had half of a 2 car garage and a small out building. Makes work much easier to have everything in once space.
 
Great news. Best of luck with your new start.
 
Enjoy your new digs! Sounds like you are due for a run of good fortune. Now you can start shopping for a power hammer.
 
I'm sorry that it took such a difficult road, but that sounds awesome, Brian. My very best wishes to you and yours!
 
Very cool Brian!!! :) :cool:

I'm also sorry to hear it was a difficult road getting to this point... but the one positive is that you will appreciate it that much more. :)

Still need to figure out a time to have you up for a visit.
 
Brian it was really cool seeing you today, im looking forward to being able to hang out with you in your own shop, you deserve it bro! Find some consistent time each week to devote to making knives, some times 3 am works for some sanding or gluing, your knife dreams are now only a few steps away..life is good Brian youve got the eye, skill and desire heck your Bruce Bumps adoptee, and Nicks inviting you to come up and play, find the time my friend and get to grinding!!!
P.S. Seriously consider laying out a clean room, ill help you build it, text me when the house has settled down and ill come over and help with your lay out, etc.
Greg
P.S.S. Your grin was ear to ear when you left today, classic stuff!!
 
Brian, I,m so proud of you, why didn't you tell me I was a grandpa?

Congrats on the new place with the kids and a shop. Life is good!
 
Heck ya Nick, id love to come up!
Brian...we will find time together....to get to Castle Rock!
 
NickWheeler said:
Greg- I figured you would come with him... :)

You can build a couple walls for me too! ;) :p
Click to expand...

I'll add plumbing for you Nick!

Bruce,

Grandpa? Heck I forgot to mention. I have 4 kids. So you have 4 grandkids. I hope you don't feel old because I now have to inform you that I'M going to be Grandpa any day now. You'll be a GREAT-Grandpa.
The good news is that they are all awesome kids.

Greg,
I'm thinking about a small partition wall Greg.
I've spent all my spare time out there. I haven't even unpacked my room and it's been 10 days.
Lol.

Lighting is being bought today! A couple overheads to start.

I'll post pics soon in shop talk. Trying to figure a semi permanent layout.
 
Brian, Greg, hope you still have time at some point this summer to come over for a mini hammer in- talked to my friend Ray Rogers the other day, he lives nearby and would probably come, too. He's a real good maker who, while he's not a forger per se, makes some really nice damascus with his press. Good folders, too.

There's nothing like setting up a new shop that's better than anything you've had before. That's what I did when I moved into this place!
 
Thanks. I'm pretty stoked. I'll add pics Monday. Have my high bench set up for my mini mill and drill press and my grinder bench for my GIB and 2 disc grinders.
Working on a welding table and 2 more work benches.

Greg and I will come up Salem. I know I'm setting aside a week to come up see you and swing down to Boise to see my mom.
 
Hey Brian,

I'm going in a different direction for the same reasons. I've had my son in one of the best school districts around on a permit, but it has proven iffy, whether they will admit my daughter. My wife and I are taking control. I'm leaving the house and shop I love for a similar house that I will be leasing in the right zip code, but the garage (shop) is 11' wide instead of 22' and no deeper. I can deal with a small shop for steel, but all of my wood tools need a home as well, so in addition to moving and setting my place up for lease, I'm building a new shed at the new location. I cancelled our summer vacation, and it's all move and build from here until the 1st of Aug.

Here's my old shop. Half of it, anyway.

IMG_2048.jpg


Here's my new shed to store half of my tools. This may be a blessing, once I get the "new " shop lit and wired, I may find it nice to have a specialty area that does not get hit with storage issues.

IMG_1315.jpg


If I showed you the new shop now, some of you might get upset. I know I do - no lights, no adequate power - nothing but a small space with a water damaged ceiling and a worse floor than the one I'm leaving. I won't show photos of that that space until I get it going, but I'm on a knife making hold until conditions improve - which they will.

Take care all.
 
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