Reorganizing the Garage....
One of the advantages to my recent move is I 'gained' from a single bay garage to a deep doublewide garage but I lost my connected workshop. The new place has lots of space for a workshop but I have to descend a set of stairs which access from the back of the garage. The workshop is currently an empty room (t-bar acoustic ceiling and carpet) but I'll fix all that! I might even install a fridge.... :cheers:
[Modified by Mac, 11:34 PM 10/28/2001]
I only have one car in the garage right now and there isn't any room, last year I had 3 in there and was working.
Tom
Then along the side I'm wiring up for my new air compressor. I'll likely mount it close to the breaker panel, and plumb in some metal lines to route the air supply through the working area. May as well do it while I have the cars out of the garage and I have the time. Plus, when we move back in I plan to pull the motor and tranny in the '69, rebuild the front suspension, and detail out the engine compartment.
Shannon
For painting, try putting some eye-bolts in the ceiling and use some cheap swing chain and some "home-made" clothes hanger "hooks" to hang the parts. If you hang the parts about shoulder high, you will have good vision and full 360 degree access, and if desired, you can hang them in the right position to get your runs correct. The only frustrating annoyance is that the slight force of the spray will start the parts to moving and swinging like a wind chime; you'll have to use one latex gloved finger to hold them steady. Touch up your finger print with the last little puff.
Hey, what's that on the shelf there?...I think...OH MY GOSH, it's a GATOR-GRIP!!!! You need to get you a rollaway tool box to hide all those imported and TV tools!
Happy Monday, all you working stiffs. :D :D :jester
My previous compressor was one of those little 110V Sears portables which used about 15 amps of current. Since most garages are wired with a 15 amp circuit for one single lamp fixture, I found I could run the compressor, or I could have lighting, but not both. :D
As for location, you may want to consider locating the compressor as far away from your work area as possible; it makes for more complications in running the wire, but if you have a bead blast cabinet, it separates the compressor inlet filter away from the particulates and mininizes the noise level in your work area.
[Modified by Chuck Sangerhausen, 7:46 AM 10/29/2001]
Shannon
Here's the bench area at the front, with 100-amp 220V service separate from the house for the compressor and welder, and the "step" poured 60" deep instead of the usual 36" so you can move around in front of the bench without constantly stepping up and down:

Here's the main work area and lift (best money I ever spent - should have bought it years ago - nothing like working under your car while standing up):

Outside the shop/office - restored Sunoco pump was a surprise birthday present from my wife - but she forgot the 10,000-gallon underground tank full of 260 to go with it:

And the adjacent shop/office - gotta have a place to hang out, clean up, and tip a few :cheers:
[Modified by JohnZ, 12:39 PM 10/29/2001]
I'm alright, I'm alright........my wife heard a THUD on the floor in my ofice and had to come pick me up and set me back in my chair.
Nice garage and office! Of course my wife would never let me build smething like that. NO WAY, NO HOW. She already thinks I spend too much time in my office and the garage :yesnod:
:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
[Modified by topless68, 12:18 PM 10/29/2001]
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
These garages weren't practical like yours, where actual work goes on, but were strictly for display of toys. One had a circular vaulted ceiling with indirect lighting over the "show floor" and a glass wall that retracted to open the "show floor" onto the outside terrace and pool...You know a place to entertain guests and allow them to enjoy your old classic Jaguars, etc. Besides the "show floor", I believe it also had ordinary garage space for additional cars. That same garage also had an attached apartment, but I didn't see any tools anywhere in the place. :D :D
Nice garage you got there, John. I had heard the stories about your garage. Hey, I didn't see any fire extinguishers...should always have one close to the entry door. :)
Hey Patrick...check out John's furnace hanging from the ceiling. Now that's industrial strength heating for those cold Michigan winters. :D
Tom
Very nice
They should be filming dream car garage from your house.
All it took was a "bargain" with my better half - when we gave up looking for something that met both of our needs (she's an artist/designer and needs studio space) and decided to build instead, I said "You design the house, whatever you want, and I'll design the garage, whatever I want" - she said "Sounds like a plan to me", so that's what we did. Now we're both happy, and we have the essential "balance" :D
1. At 220 the current is half that of 110.
2. The way the power meter or wattmeter works is like a motor and on 110 runs at the speed of the line pulling the most current so 110 volt drawing 10 amps will spin the meter twice as fast as 5 amps at 220.
3. When you design the electrical distribution you want to balance the loads in the 110 circuits each side of the neutral so the meter spins slower!
Actually the KWH meter will spin exactly the same speed in your example..
Remember the old formula...
Volts X Amps...
Assuming unity power factor...
Voltage is actually 120 volts not 110
120 X 10= 1200 watts
240 X 5 = 1200 watts
The meter actually measures both phase currents at 240 volts through 1/2 current coils..
Meter doesn't care if the load is balanced
You are corrct that a load (Motor) fed with 240 will draw half the current of the same size motor on 120..
Wire size can be smaller and runs have less loss.
Watts however will be the same
240 volt loads are connected phase to phase
120 volt loads are connected phase to ground (neutral)
I know... Who cares :lol: :sleep: :sleep:
Tony
[Modified by pittsaj, 6:20 PM 10/29/2001]
On a somewhat related note, a guy I know added a storage cannister to his air system so when he's doing a big job, he throws the valve and lets his compressor fill both it's own tank and the storage cannister, more than doubling the capacity of air storage. I'm thinking of replicating this when I run sloping galvanized pipe around my garage, but instead of a storage tank, I was thinking of using a large diametre pipe hidden in the attic. Has anyone tried this (or similar) and how did it work?
I miss the garage I had in Arkansas. Nothing elaborate, but still 30X30. Over here the garages are so small that the 24' race car trailer I have in the States is much bigger. I wonder with the low interest rates if anyone is going to do some "home improvements" and build a dream garage?
Later,
Alex :chevy






















