[AT] Talking about shops/sheds

[charlie hill]

I have to agree with John about the oil or gas heat.   You can sometimes 
pick those units up cheap and they pump out a lot of heat
fast.    As for the doors, if you can swing it make one of the big doors at 
least 13' 9" or so because 13'6" is the legal height limit for
tractor trailers.  You might need to back a trailer in there some day to 
load or unload something.



-----Original Message----- 
From: john hall
Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 8:05 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] Talking about shops/sheds

Al, given your location I wouldn't worry so much about heat but I would want
to install a BIG wall fan to draw in fresh air. It will help tremendously
when it is 95 in the summer. And when you have to crank up something that is
2 cycle or diesel, it will quickly evacuate the fumes. As for heat, we have
an old oil furnace that works great. Maybe consider that or an old gas unit
that someone is replacing. Since you are not a full time farmer or a
retiree, you'll want something that can heat the shop up quickly so you can
work when you want to and on short notice--kind of hard to do with a wood
stove.

How often and for what are you going to use the shop? If you are working on
farm equipment, put in a wide and tall door---I think ours is 12 ft high and
18 or 20 ft wide roll-up. Overhead/bridge cranes and jib cranes are nice. If
that is not in your plans, at least make sure you have room to navigate an
engine hoist. It takes a LOT of open floor space to navigate them around. If
you are going to work on big stuff, you ought to consider a crane of some
sort. Try to build the shop large enough to have a project tucked away in
the back corner, yet have room to work on stuff that is more urgent.

As was suggested, make a layout of what equipment you want to install. We
have a workbench running down each side and a storage cabinet that runs
along the back wall. One workbench is made from a tobacco looper. It has a
steel top added so it can be used for welding. The other workbench is built
in place from 2 x 6 lumber. It has a steel top that covers it including the
edge next to you as well as going a few inches up the wall. It is heavy
enough that it won't get dented and is easy to clean up spills. Underneath
we have parts bins. Those bins were once dedicated to specific pieces of
machinery when this was a "real" farm. Consider also room for a bolt bin.

Our welder is next to the door so we can get the leads outside for repairs.
If you suspect doing a lot of maintenance outside, pour a big apron. It is
also nice when you are pressure washing.

Put in plenty of drops for airlines. It is easier to put in too many now
than to go back and cut and splice to add another one.

Put in plenty of lights, the older you get the more you'll understand what I
mean!

John Hall

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