Situating Fixed Tools in New Shop

[SteveHGraham]

Thanks, Larry. It's a little strange being put in charge of everything someone else has accumulated over a lifetime of work. I try to get his input as much as possible, but these days I have to make some big decisions pretty much on my own.

[TRX]

https://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner

Hunh. I just tried four different web browsers, and all I get is "plugin not available." Doesn't say *what* plugin it wants. Might be something Microsoft-specific.

[Inspector]

Adobe Flash player version 6 or higher. Says so on the Grizzly page.

Pete

[TomB]

Dementia is a strange thing. He is still a safe driver, which is odd, but he can only make short trips. Last year he took off for the dentist with a Mapquest printout, and he was gone for about four and a half hours. Of course, he had been to the same dentist many times in the past. I started calling hospitals. I got him a simple smartphone so he would have a GPS app that would help me find him, but he can't learn how to use the phone, so now I have to come up with something else.

It may not be realistic to think he would be able to make short trips in a new location, but I think staying fairly close to medical providers is important. And if I'm the one driving him around, I don't want excessively long trips.

Be overly cautious about letting someone with dementia drive. My spouse, age 79, has severe (or so it seems to me) dementia and I've had to stop her from driving. I use to live in the Binghamton section of NY and was at that time taking Nancy to a Neurologist in Johnson City. The practice he was in had a patient that lived only about 6 blocks form the office and she had driven herself to the office for a normal dementia checkup. I don't think she had family that helped her much. She left the doctor's appointment and apparently found her car and drove off. That was the last anyone saw of her for months. Police were involved a few days latter and they searched everywhere that seemed sensible. She disappeared in the early winter and was not found until planting season. Some how she had gotten on the Interstate (there are other routes but the Interstate seems most likely) and driven three counties away, then gotten off on a hi-way going into PA, then took two right turns onto dirt roads. On a road that ran behind a large cornfield, apparently while driving fast she went straight through the brush and into the cornfield while the road went sharply right. Snow likely covered the scene soon thereafter and the farm barns, house and family were on the other side of the field and somewhat around a corner.

The story had been in the local papers but hearing it as a justification for not letting Nancy drive made a big impression on me. For a while I thought she could drive if she was following me. We were at the time moving and needed to get the second car moved. I drove my truck with a trailer full of tools and she followed in a SUV. It was a 4 or 4.5 hour drive and although I planned to get to VT before dark stops slowed the trip and we had to drive over the last mountain after sunset. I was tracking her in the mirror and was quite sure she was with me although perhaps a 1/4 mile behind. (She was not doing well at speed control but I though we would be ok.) When I got to the last town, only about 3 miles from destination the car that had been following me was illuminated by streetlights and it was not her. I waited about 15 minutes but she did not catch-up. Called the state police and they started four cars that were about 20 miles away in each of four directions driving toward me. I drove the truck and trailer to a parking lot at the destination unhitched the trailer (I'm not able to back up trailer well so I can't search with it attached.) then drove back to where I had discovered her missing. It was just around the corner from a grocery store and drove through the parking lot looking for the car she was driving. I found it and she was in the grocery store trying to explain to the service counter that they needed to call me. Her phone had my number but she did not think to use it or to tell the store clerk about it.

One time since then I had to go in for an unplanned MRI and to reduce the pain to where I could lie in the machine they gave me lots of narcotics. I did not think I should drive so I let Nancy drive while I sat in the front seat. She drove slow then fast then wandered left and right to the point where I knew we would be safer if I drove even if impaired. I drove home and she did not think that was unusual. Basically both situations were scary as all get out and I've not let her drive hardly ever since. This note is a bit lengthy but I've found the situation you describe to be way to serious not to convey the full background story.

[SteveHGraham]

A decision is not far off.

[SteveHGraham]

Just submitted an offer on another house. The shop is a little over 30 by 30, and there is also a great garage. I think we will be able to come to an understanding with the sellers. If not, there is the other place, with 700 square feet in the garage and 3000+ in the shop.

I'm not sure I even want the house. A big shop with a little air conditioned bedroom would be fine with me.

If this deal goes through, I will have a little bit of acreage to wander around on. That will be nice.

[Ironman1]

I think your points of having the mill not boxed into a corner is good. I find that I have placed my machines in close proximity so I can share the measuring equipment on both of them with little trudging back and forth.
I would add that in a small shop if you put the machines at an angle to the door, that allows the use of long stock in a press, or bandsaw, etc and allows you to access and clean both sides of a machine as the lathe(for example) would have the headstock near a wall and be at a 120 degree angle to the door so a heavy object could be carried to be placed in the lathe by 2 people.
Small industrial shops I have seen all use that herringbone pattern for machine placement.
On a lathe I find that very seldom do I access the back of the headstock for long hanging out pieces. A long piece useually goes in from the chuck end. I hate stock flailing around the rear of a headstock.

[SteveHGraham]

Looks like I'm out of here. I finally have a contract on a house. I can't wait to leave Miami forever.

The shop is about 32 x 32 with concrete walls and a big garage door at each end. That's all I know about it at the moment. I'm sure I'm in for some pricey wiring work. I keep trying to decide whether I should put the metal machines or the wood machines in the shop. The more I think about it, the more I think I should put everything in one building. With garage doors at each end, blowing dust and crap out of the building should be pretty easy.

[NP317]

Congrats! Lots of work approaching for you, but hopefully you will be satisfied with the coming changes.
We'll hear about them, I trust.
~RN

[SteveHGraham]

Thanks. Yes, I will plague the board with endless updates and questions. Nothing new there.

I have to make some wiring decisions this month (3-phase in the new shop or what), and before too long, I will need to think about an alternative structure to shelter the tractor I will eventually buy. The current shed is full of farm machinery, but as a true hobby machinist, I would not dream of wasting a good detached garage on mere vehicles.

Right now I'm trying to figure out what to do about drywall and insulation. I am going to put AC in the shop, so bare trusses won't cut it. I don't know whether I should foam the roof and leave the trusses bare or put in a drywall ceiling. I can see how access to the trusses could be useful in some circumstances, and for all I know I may need to put tall stuff between them from time to time.

Foam would certainly make things easier, but I don't know if it will insulate well enough.

I will attach the only interior photo I have.

[SteveHGraham]

Maybe this is an opportunity to create a "bonus room" upstairs. No idea how big a job that is.

[Harold_V]

Right now I'm trying to figure out what to do about drywall and insulation. I am going to put AC in the shop, so bare trusses won't cut it. I don't know whether I should foam the roof and leave the trusses bare or put in a drywall ceiling. I can see how access to the trusses could be useful in some circumstances, and for all I know I may need to put tall stuff between them from time to time.

I expect that local code will answer that question for you, but if it doesn't, I fully expect your insurance company will.

If you wish to limit the ability for fire, the ceiling will benefit greatly from installing 5/8" firecode drywall. My entire house and shop as so finished, including walls. Once installed, you can insulate the attic to any degree you desire, by blowing in glass or rock wool. Even cellulose (treated).

Foam would certainly make things easier, but I don't know if it will insulate well enough.

Depends on the foam type, I'm sure, but much of it is an invitation for a fire. It is generally applied where it is not exposed, although that may not be true in all instances.

Congratulations on your new digs.

H