Since I like to keep my main work area clean, I converted a small room in the house into a workshop dedicated to grinding, sanding, and anything else that
makes dust.
A 60 by 30-inch steel office table from the 1950s was built to last for several lifetimes, and makes a great, rigid workbench. Its drawers store some
commonly-used hand tools and all of my abrasives. I found mine on Craigslist for $40.
On another wall, all of my air and electric sanders and die grinders are stored in the drawers of another old table. Interlocking rubber floor tiles absorb
some of the noise and make the space more comfortable.
Other than the compressor, a Bridgeport vise, and whatever I'm working on, the room is deliberately kept as empty as possible so there's less to clean
up.
Here are some examples of the grinding and sanding work I do.
I like making old parts look good. That's a cast-iron 427 tall-deck truck block, sanded to 1,500-grit.
These 454, 327, and 496-inch Chevy engines are waiting in the living room.
Now on to the garage.
Here's the center of the north wall of the garage.
The toolbox is to the right of the tables. While the 64-inch aluminum Pit Pal
tables and shelves were cleaned off, I took a few more of my garage, and some of the parts for my long-term '32 Ford project.
The east wall is my office. There's an LCD HDTV above the LCD computer monitor, and below that is an Intel Core 2 Duo Mac Mini driving a switchbox with a
passive volume control, which feeds the NHT X-1 active crossover set at 80 Hz, and below that are the pair of stereo power amps for the biamped audio
system.
The garage door (on the west wall) is insulated and covered with blankets for acoustics.
The curtains are also to help the acoustics. The entire floor is covered with two pieces of carpet that had been used for three days at a trade show before I
found them on Craigslist for $50.
The carpet helps the acoustics a lot. It is far easier on the legs than concrete, and it keeps the shop warmer in the winter. Car dollies and engine stands
roll across it just fine.
Energy Pro 22 speakers sit on top of early-1970s, Alnico-magnet JBL Professional 2231A 15-inch woofers in ported enclosures that I designed. To the right is a
small storage area with racks housing four '57 Olds rear axle housings and several sets of early Stewart Warner gauges.
This is all waiting for the chassis, which we're working on.
Here's the south wall. Yes, I like classic racing wheels. Four years ago, the silver wire racks were bought at Home Depot for $40 each.
Here's an important part of the security system. Her name is Dig. She's an Australian Cattle Dog, and every day she trots or runs beside me for three to ten
miles while I'm on my mountain bike.
It wouldn't be feasible to keep the garage clean if I used it for grinding and sanding, and you sure don't want metallic dust in the same room as your computer
and any audio or video equipment. The separate "mud room" is something I consider a must.
|