temporary shop suggestions

J.Marsillo

J.Marsillo

Joined
Nov 8, 2000
Messages
1,255
I'm doing the unspeakable and moving in with my in laws to save $ for a house
Its gonna be a stressfull situation for a while ,my 2 kids,wife her 4 sisters mom and pop thats a full house :eek: Her father offered me 1 bay of the garage so i can still make knives but I'm not sure if its a good idea.

His garage is a 3 car soon to have a lift,plenty of electricity and space.but its gonna have an epoxy floor.epoxy floor + Hot steel bad combo
also the dust would definitly be a nuscance for engine teardowns.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a temp setup i can deal with the harsh ny winters in a carport.I just dont want to be a pain in the A$$ to my inlaws.
 
Hi Joe, When I was a teenager and played in a band we rented a space in a storage facility at the edge of town and would regularly convene there to practice. Would something like this be an option for you? I know these days there are storage places all over and you could probably get a 10 x 10 space for pretty cheap. ...the downside would be you wouldn't have 220V available and you may only be able to run one piece of equipment at a time with the 20 amp circuit (I assume) they provide... ...just an idea!

:)

-Darren
 
Joe,

How big is the back yard. i bought a 10X20 tarp building from COSTCO hung OSB from the top rails and keep it covered with new tarps. The OSB is great to hold it down as well as deflrct sparks from grinding etc. This is were I set up my forge. I line the walls with sheet metal in the areas needed and it can be set right on the dirt. Keeps you relatively dry so long as the wind isn't whipping. I have a 50 ton press and 100lb hammer in mine with my anvil and forge and all the accessories.. If there's enough room this can be a great temp forging shop (Mine has been temporary for 7 years now), though I would still set up grinding and finishing in the garage. Good luck, were there's a will there's a way. If I can set up a forge on a Naval Air Station in Keflavik Iceland you should be able to there......


Chuck
 
Joe

One guy at the storage facility that I use runs a basic sheet metal shop making flashing for roofing. He doesn't have any power tools, just some lights. Power may be a problem in the smaller units. You may have to run an extension cord to the receptacles that they install for maintaining the facility. If you are in a rural enough area, you can buy a 20 foot shipping container and use it as a shop. A good used one goes for less than
$2000 in the Houston area. Good Luck.

Phil
 
Here's a Pic from the end of my forging building. Thr tanks in the background are not as close as they appear. They are 15 feet away from the forge. You can see on the right is the power hammer and right behind me is my press. It is a monster but it works.

Chuck
 
I ran a forge in a condo garage for about three years. My anvil was on a stump with casters. The forge was also on casters. This way we could move things around and park the cars in there every night according to the rules. It's pretty funny to think about now, but I'd be down there running my forge and air hammer with the garage-door cracked. No one ever complained, but I was also pretty careful about not forging in the morning or evening. You can do a lot with a little space. I forged an eight-bar replica of the Sutton Hoo sword at that place!
But you're right. Dust would be a problem for your inlaws' cars. Could you throw up a quick wall? --- couple hundred bucks in 2x4 and drywall (or less) might be well worth it, and when you leave, you can just strike it if they want.
Oh, I really like temporary forge pictured above. Looks very Usefull. That could work too, but might end up costing more than a wall.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys I really like the storage idea but i'm not sure if they allow that kind of stuff.Ill call a couple today.yard space isnt an issue the tarp building could work too,so does the storage box.and the storage box can be made permanent and shipped around.Hmmm this knifemaking thing is addicting isnt it ?? thanks again guys
 
My current outdoor shop is one of those elcheapo carports. It cost about $100. It aint perfect, but it keeps the rain off my head(mostly):D
 
See if you can find what we used to call a " job shop".. welding, trailer building, light machine work.. everything.

When the feds shut down the gunshop I was working out of I found me a redneck job shop.
They cleared out an are for me and, of course, I did all of the old boys gun work for free ( still do).
I still have a key to that shop and use it occasionally.. 25 years later.

Tractor guys, machinists, welders.. all rednecks and like the weaponry that goes along with redneckizzzm.

Take a ride and talk to some guys.
Remember.. You'll be building some freebies but having a space to work, and access to some killer tools ( and new knowledge), you probably don't have, will be a BIG bonus..

My welding skills and knowledge of steel and fixtures erupted in those couple of years.
I was a young man back then and learned from the old guy how to build far better gunsmithing tools than could ever be bought.
 
redneckizzm....lol

I put some thought into it today i'm gonna look into the cargo box idea.I might be able to get one cheap and know some people to move it too(more freebie knives) the way building permits and zoning goes in my area i might be better off with something permanent and temporary at the same time :confused: If that makes sense??
 
Hello Joe

I forgot about cargo boxes off moving vans and delivery trucks. They are much lighter so they would be easier to work with. The shipping container that I used weighed 4800 pounds empty so I had to rent a crane to take it off the truck ($500 YMMV). Both are typically considered temporary structures by city planning departments so no permits should be required.

Portable workshops are not a new idea. There are companies around that turn shipping containers into offices, residences and workshops. Bolting the larger equipment to the floor and walls means that you won't have to pack them up when you move.

Phil
 
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