Took the first step towards building my shop

[Frank S]

Well I have finally set column #10 in the ground Time to set up the rest of the scaffolding come up with more scaffold boards Laser line the tops for trimming set some trusses at least 2 so I can add in some wind bracing then set the rest of the trusses and bridge them all together. Plus I need to go to my mine site and excavate another 100 yards of flex base select fill clay to level out the inside floor area then another 4 to 500 yards raise the outside grade on the south side some sloping slightly away from the building so I will be able to have a hard packed area at least 50 feet wide around the side and back of the building Trucks don't do well in the sandy loam unless it is right after a really hard rain.
What I really need is to come up with a small tracked loader or tracked skid steer for a while. My old 755 backhoe is just too old too slow and too cumbersome at times when just moving material.



I have all 5 trusses completed the 3 center trusses are doubled for the possible later addition of a light weight bridge crane the West end truss will be stiffened by x bracing Tabernacle style to truss #2 and will have a I beams welded to the bottom of it for a tri fold rolling door set to allow access to the whole west end of the building depending on which way the doors are rolled, Haven't decided about the East end yet I may opt to only have a 30ft single rolling door or a pair of 15 foot doors to give a 30 ft opening. I may add an 8ft wide 53 ft long mezzanine attached to the top of the container then build a 12 by 40 ft office on top. Or just place my school bus on top and make my office out of it but still add the mezzanine.

[Frank S]

3 days of climbing scaffolding dozens of times, hanging off the rungs of the scaffolding while welding is just about to get old for this old man. However I can see the light in the tunnel growing nearer with each passing day I think it may the a search light on a UFO or a train but the shop is coming along.
now have 4 of the 5 trusses in place and some temporary x bracing welded in place just encase things have to go into slow motion for a while I don't want the wind to wreck what I've already done.



that's me playing monkey while welding



Just after sundown yesterday