Converting a pig shed into something useful+ various bodges

[curtisrider]

Hopefully this will be interesting to some, it's not a full build but quite a lot of work all the same!

I have been longing to do something with my workshop for quite a few years now but not had the time or money to do anything about it as well as living 150miles away from it. I'm moving back to the farm where my parents live and therefore I can now get the workshop sorted the way I would like it.

Predominately I am into restoring vehicles but I also really like the wood side of things too. I'm fortunate enough that I can have 2 large seperate spaces in the same building for me to have 2 workshops in one.

This is the current space:

This is the area I will be extending into:

As you can see, a total tip, no proper storage solutions, poor lighting and no wall/floor coatings to reflect the light. The plan is to fit out the extension, then move everything out of the old workshop and refit that before deciding on the overall layout. I hope 5k will cover getting a basic shell ready, inc paint and electric. I need to find somewhere to chuck the camper, tractor and truck whilst I do all this! I am going to remove the support beams (new stronger ones will be put in beside the current ones) to allow for the ramps to be fitted and make use of the full height of the place, this will require some engineering to ensure it's strong enough, I am seeking advice on this.

I think splitting it into two sections, one for metal work and one for woodwork is the best way with this place, also an office and a kitchen/shower/toilet block if I want.

I have been collecting and making my own tools since I was young, so I already have quite a collection of kit. I am also making and buying bits and bobs so I will include my finds as I update the thread!

 

[curtisrider]

I also meant to mention I am a tightwad and like my bargains

My recent acquisitions for the workshop are:

Bandsaw and engine stand for £40

Makita 2704 for £10, just needs a motor rebuild (parts come to £140 so that's pretty good!), it's currently in pieces hence why it looks quite bare.



Plymovent duct for £13.50, I already have the extractor fans to suit



A budget rolling cabinet substitute, for £20 i'm not grumbling! A nice thick gauge steel, 75mm castors and ball bearing drawers. The fold up surface is kind of handy, but both bits of surface will be replaced with something fresh, along with a bit of paint on the cabinet and it should be good to go.





I also picked up this SIP trolley for £40, it was new but needed the draw fixing which took about 10mins. It probably wasn't really worth buying at that price but looked handy with the slimmer draws for smaller tools.





I got this red cabinet for a tenner, it has ball bearing runners which is a bonus. I will equip it with wheels and a quick coat of paint, I have a new sealey top box that fits nicely on it (not that knackered one as per the photo!)




The following I got for for free which I was really chuffed about:

Gabro Sheet metal folder

Floor standing polisher that I have converted to single phase

Metal lathe that I have converted to single phase (just need to make a panel for the switch, came with loooooads of accessories)

Axminster mortiser

Flat steel bender (can do up to 10mm)

Record tube bender

Axminster Roller/brake press

Theres more tools, as well as loads of hardwoods and steel. I got very lucky!

 

[deema]

Unbelievable luck!! I'm soooooo envious

 

[curtisrider]

Thanks Deema, I know i'm very fortunate to be in this position.

I was going through a shed full of grain equipment dad no longer wanted and found a few gems that were about to find themselves on the scrap pile.

A Big Brute vacuum, 3 motors for vacuuming grain stores. This thing was very effective when I last used it so should be pretty happy on something like a planer/thicknesser.



A oil drum and a galvanised cyclone, a pretty awesome combo when combined with a powerful enough extractor! I need to find a removable lid for it but i'm not sure where to get one unless I go to Big Brute for one of theirs but I fear they will be quite pricey. There was also LOADs of galvanised ducting including bends that should be enough to fit my wood workshop area.

 

[curtisrider]

After a bit of a delayed start some progress is happening on my workshop. The 'new' section was a total tip and the original workshop wasn't much better!

Quick tidy up, so much stuff in there it is really hard to keep organised! I also need to finish collecting the rest of my stuff from the garage at my house as that's ram packed 





The rubbish tip needed sorting, several bucket loads of rubbish and rubble in the JCB and some floor was exposed









You will notice the roof has been chopped about and that the top is sagging, turns out those mahooosive railway sleepers are totally rotten at the bottom. I have lots of wood and stuff on order so progress should happen (and stop when harvest starts, joy). I managed to get a load of free fluorescent light fittings so once the beams go in I can get those up ready for wiring in. I can't wait to get studding the walls and get a sealed area sorted, the floor can wait til after that.

Bonus deathtrap branch cutter that I found in an old mans shed down the road whilst looking through his tools he was selling, a 9" grinder on a 6foot pole with a saw blade is just wonderful...

 

[adidat]

Coming on nicely! I'm just going through the process of sorting out my workshop, every so often I find a clear workstation! Not for long though!

That grinder makes me feel a bit sick! Did you buy it?

Adidat

 

[curtisrider]

Hopefully once this section is sorted and the tools are spread out it'll be a bit more manageable! I'm now looking into windows for it as I realised i'm going to need them very soon!

I want to buy the grinder, not to use but just to put on my wall. He built some pretty cool tools, I bought his home made table saw with sliding table which works well however I have a few decent table saws already so this will become a parts donor for a drum sander eventually.

 

[Claymore]

This is a massive project and I'm looking forward to seeing it progress....... you have a LOT of work to do but once sorted it will be great. What are you going to make once your up and running? maybe combine your two hobbies and build pickups with lovely wooden beds or Morris Travellers etc?

 

[Harbo]

Crikey that looks like a massive task you are embarking on - good luck - you seem to have the right attitude.


Rod

 

[curtisrider]

Cheers chaps, hopefully the updates over the next few days should be more interesting as the timber arrives and it's raining so I won't be doing any harvesting!

I have a T25 Doka so wooden sides are actually a likelihood judging by how bad these ones are! It's going to be one of my first projects as I need it on the road for transporting stuff, my Astra and 924 don't cut it!

I love making stuff, I know that's vague but that's because my interests are very widespread due to being rather fickle and not wanting to do the same sort of thing over and over day in day out. I love challenges that push me and my abilities so it's important to have a mixture of easy tasks to feel like I've achieved along with harder tasks that may take a while to solve.

I aim to cater for my fickleness by firstly creating a workshop that gives me the room for multiple projects and my ever increasing tool collection and secondly by doing a job that embraces a good deal of my interests and skills. I am largely self taught, I did work for a builder for a year and that gave me confidence in myself and to progress my skill set. I taught Design and Technology for 3 years at secondary school, it was great but I didn't spend much time making!

I taught myself how to fix cars, having them in pieces doesn't faze me and i'm happy to work on modern vehicles too even with dreaded electrical problems! I'm also handy with a melty stick and love fabricating out of steel. Finally my love for woodworking has recently grown since investing in some half decent kit which has made it a pleasure. Lastly I hate paying people to do a job that I think I can, so I always like to have a go and

Restoring campervans and cars is something I have done previously and would like to offer again. Glamping is very popular right now and so I would like to get involved in creating retreats with my own twist on things as I have been less than impressed with what I have visited/stayed in, I'm also fortunate enough to have some land that could be a potential camping/glamping spot along with some barns which are potential holiday homes, this is something I will be researching further once i'm on my feet and my workshop is ready to go.

As you can see there's no real business plan yet, just ideas. I want to experiment with what I enjoy for a little bit and see what is the best combination of happiness and earning before I dedicate myself. I'd sooner be happy with less money than rich and unhappy.

 

[curtisrider]

Today we were rained off from harvest so that meant I could crack on! The wood arrived which meant I could finally start constructing something. I have studded out the toilet/shower/kitchenette area and that felt pretty good as it looked like progress and the roof is finally supported properly in that area! The septic tank for the house isn't far away so next time we have a digger in i'll get that excavated and then I can plumb it all in (the building already has a water supply).

Firstly I cleared the rubbish from the right hand side, there's still stuff there but it is easy to move and at least it's things I want to keep.



I then got on with taking down the rotten beam and stud walling, a few knocks with a sledge hammer and it fell apart!



As you can see I took out the RSJ, this will be welded to another one I have to make a length to support the big doors, I hate to waste!



The left corner hasn't had the stud finished yet, I'm waiting on installing the new beam before I do so so it all ties in.





I got given a load of Celotex offcuts several years ago and always thought they would come in handy for something. They were all a bit wonky so it was a mission trying to get them to fit together nicely so I'll get some expanding foam in the gaps, although insulating this area isn't totally necessary I figured it would be a good way to use old stuff up. I have some larger sheets I will use on the roof although that isn't foil backed but every little helps.



Tomorrow I hope to rip out the stud work above the block wall and renew that, I won't be able to do loads to it as I am waiting for the new beams to arrive but at least I can make some progress. After that it's the same thing with the larger stud wall on the other side.

 

[curtisrider]

Not much progress today as I only had a few hours available until I had to harvest. The weird horizontal beam is gone and in its place is some new uprights and studding, this should prove to be a bit stronger than before as everything is tied in properly. Eventually there will be windows put in but I can't seem to find any for the right price so I'll just whack shiplap over the lot until some turn up.

Old chipboard and plastic mesh removed, rotten beam revealed and removed





Fresh timber going in along with suddenly massive amounts of daylight!



Tomorrow I will try to do a few more sections and then that wall is nearly complete (apart from new beams going in when they arrive). After that it is the tall wall which will be a bit more of a mission!

 

[MattRoberts]

I wish I could see your photos. Stupid tapatalk

 

[curtisrider]

Just imagine lots of mess, then lots of green timber. That sums it up!

 

[buzzworx]

cracking space you have there chap i'm envious
just a thought on your extractor barrel lid conundrum couldn't you chop top off around halfway in the top rib section and add some toggle clamps and add some neoprene strips to the cut edges to crate a seal

 

[curtisrider]

That's not a bad idea, I might give that a try as we have a few barrels knocking about anyway! It'll be a while before i'm ready to do that anyway.

Air filtration has been one of my worries since thinking about the inside of the workshop area as I quite like having functioning lungs and dislike having to wear a mask all the time (I know I will need to when i'm making lots of mess), I was going to buy a small unit from Axminster but then found this Jet AFS 2000 which is far more suitable for £100!



It makes my little car look even smaller! Very chuffed.

 

[SammyQ]

A roof rack on a Porsche... :shock:

Sam

 

[Harbo]

Jet powered!!

Photos are fine on my phone using Tapatalk

Rod

 

[curtisrider]

That Porsche is one of the best cars I've owned for hauling stuff about, the boot space is huge considering how small the car is and the roof rack means I can whack bikes on top (or giant air filtration units!). It's getting a tow bar at some point to drag a teardrop caravan. Cheap, useful and most importantly fun motoring at it's best I think, I've had it four years now and it only breaks down once a year... last night being its fourth break down, I'm sure it'll be an easy fix.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

924 or 944? I can't quite see. You'll be lucky to get a towbar for it now they have to be tested and CE marked.