My garage thread

[Big G]

Feb 2, 2010 8:59:47 GMT -4 casey said:

my upstairs is built into my truss which is great storage. ended up with a 16x24 room upstairs for not much extra cost

An excellent idea! Built in attic. Did your trusses need to be beefed up to handle the extra weight of what you'll be storing up there? Perhaps the "I" beam could be used as support.

So, is it a mayjor no no to have a parts washer in the visinity of sparks?... or are they pretty tight when closed?

[casey]

Feb 2, 2010 9:13:38 GMT -4 Big G said:

Feb 2, 2010 8:59:47 GMT -4 casey said:

my upstairs is built into my truss which is great storage. ended up with a 16x24 room upstairs for not much extra cost

An excellent idea! Built in attic. Did your trusses need to be beefed up to handle the extra weight of what you'll be storing up there? Perhaps the "I" beam could be used as support.

So, is it a mayjor no no to have a parts washer in the visinity of sparks?... or are they pretty tight when closed?

yes. i ordered them this way. only extra is a 2x10 on the bottom of the truss. then the floor is just boarded in on that. this would also give your trolly better strength.

[mostheman]

truro.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-heavy-equipment-parts-accessories-HD-I-Beams-8-14ft-long-W0QQAdIdZ179480433

14' 8" Wide Flange Section......

[Big G]

Feb 2, 2010 12:35:13 GMT -4 mostheman said:

truro.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-heavy-equipment-parts-accessories-HD-I-Beams-8-14ft-long-W0QQAdIdZ179480433

14' 8" Wide Flange Section......

Hmm, $85/each. Nice.

What size beam would I need to handle 2200lbs over a 32' span? Over the door would be a 11' span, same weight... well plus the long beam. Gonna have to surf the web for specs and designs.

[mostheman]

My steel book is at home, Il check it when I get home. at 32' your guranteed its going to be a deep section.

[mostheman]

the beam wont support anything else like the story above will it? Plus youll need columns at either end.

[Big G]

I'm thinking two posts at the door with a horizontal section across with the main beam resting on the center. At the far end a single post, likely with some bracing. I really have no idea. I'm not trying to pretend I'm a structural engineer here. LOL, I'm just assuming that's how it would be set up. The most I'd lift would be an engine/tranny/t-case combo or something. Figured a ton would be a good safety factor. No idea if the trusses would rest on the beam... let's assume it won't.

Could probably end up being more then it's worth.

[©Big6™]

For as often you are going to be lifting a motor. Go buy yourself a good Engine Lift from Crappy tire or PA. They fold up nicely for storage, and can be used anywhere in your shop, not just under your beam. I bet it will be cheaper than buying the materials you need to put the trolley and beam will be more.

[Big G]

Yah, I was kind of thinking the same thing 6er. Still worth looking into though.

[bill richards]

No... it's really not... lol!
How many times are you going to swap motors... and how many times is moving those motors only in a straight line going to be an advantage over an engine crane?

The engine crane is way more useful than a beam... and in the end will be WAY less money.

Bill

[mostheman]

For all the lifting youll be doing then, you could do something like this:

We have a 4x6 spanning across 6 or so rafters in our gagage, to that we have a set of chain falls attached. Used that to do all the engine swaps and lift the tub off the heepota, used it to disassemble the old mans skidder and tractor as well. Probably max we had hanging from it was a ton so theres an option as well.

Whoever is doing the design of your rafters discuss it with them.

[jeepnut]

Glen, You should drop out and have a look at my garage.

[theonlybull]

check with your local building inspector for when you need an engineered slab. in anna, co, it's anything over 600 sq feet needs and engineered slab. our 20x40 is on a slab with 12" around the outside, in 12", then tapering up to 6" 4' from the edge. it had 4 rows of 1/2" rebar around the outside, those are tied to 6x6 mess in the middle, with 1/2" rebar stirups.

this was loosely based on a slab designed for NSPI. we had a engineering friend, who owed us a favor, and made up the drawing for us.. could probably get you a copy if you need

if i remember correctly, this was about $2200 in cement, and $900 in iron.... it also cured for almost 3 years before a crack showed up... and it sits on 40 tandum loads of fill.

another vote for the engine lifter... we've got a couple of them. great for moving stuff around. one could extend it higher if you needed to lift higher too

[Big G]

Well there you go! Beam's out. This will allow for a more conventional panel door instead of the roll up, which is probably better insulated anyway.

Yeah Mo, a Buddie's got a chain loop coming down through the ceiling gyprock. Uses it for engine changes and such things. What I lift will be off a trailer or out the back of a truck... both can be moved after lifting.

See, this is why it's good to let you guys at my ideas first! ;D

Thoughts on having a parts washer near (same building) sparks?

[jptj]

Here's the shop we built down to Dad's back in 1987-'88 - 28'X32'. We did this on a tight budget! We dug out the hole for the floor ourselves and built our forms. We had it poured and power-trowelled to get it smooth. It's a foot thick at the edges and 4" in the center. We put 2 rows of concrete blocks around the edge and filled them all with cement, then put an 8' wall on top of those - for a total of about 9 1/2'.

The walls are $0.99 2X4 studs that we got at Eastern Discount when they had a place in Digby, covered in 1/2" chipboard and strapping over the cracks outside.

We got the trusses about 1/2 price (about $600 at the time) because someone had ordered them about a year before and never bought them - they were eager to get rid of them. The only thing I didn't like about them is that they have so many braces that it's hard to store anything up there. We boarded the roof with wood we got sawn at a private mill that dad helped tune up for the fellow. The shingles we bought at a U.J Robichaud yard sale - CHEAP! They were 10 year shingles but we squeezed 15 years out of 'em! If you look closely, you can see small poles sticking out of the peak of the roof - they hold a trip wire to keep seagulls from perching on the peak and making a mess - works pretty good!

The doors are sliding units we got from a man who had changed his shop around and removed those - $100 including all rails and hardware. They even have the man-door in them so we never had to build one in the shop! The windows in the door are the only ones in the place. I had always planned on putting some in but never got around to it. I usually worked with the doors open all summer anyway and had light right from late morning to sunset (they face southwest).

We installed a wood furnace with a blower and, although we never got around to insulating the place at all, within an hour of getting a fire going in there, you could just about work in a t-shirt!

It still stands strong, 22 years later! I had primed the outside but only actually painted it within the last ten years! The floor has held up really well - it cracked a bit across the center and off to the sides a while after it was built but never got any worse. Bought cheap 4' fluorescent lights I think from Canadian tire - I don't think we've replaced a half dozen bulbs yet and maybe one or two ballasts.

At the time, I figured the whole thing ran us somewhere between 5 and $6000 - that included a little over $1000 for the floor and about $1000 for the driveway, the electrical, furnace (used - $100), and all building materials.

I wish I could pick it up and move it to where I live now!