Took the first step towards building my shop

[Frank S]

Well I finally got both trailers I had been working on out of the shop so I can get back to laying down some more fill between 6 to 10 inches needs to be laid down in some areas to bring the floor up to 6 to 8 inches below finished floor level
so the way I have been adding fill is to add a few yards at a time then drive back and forth hundreds of times then add more. I plan to build it up above where I want it then build a 2 or 3 blade scraper to drag all over the floor to make it level then I will probably till it to a depth of 6 to 8 inches while mixing in an enzyme and lime stabilizer with water, level it again then convert my scraper to 2000 lb. double roller mount my plate packer on it and slowly roll that over it until the clay sand fill is packed to 125% compaction then try not to use the shop for anything for a month while the enzyme reacts in the soil. what this will do will be make the surface hard and nearly dust free similar to creating 6 to 8inch layer of caliche then later once I can afford to lay in the rebar and pour concrete I'll put down a layer of sand pour the concrete and have a lasting floor

[Frank S]

It has been a busy week around the shop in getting the floor prepared.
After breaking it up with the backhoe like we did, we decided rather than me buying a 1950's era seaman pulvermixer, (To do so I would have had to hedge against some future truck and trailer repairs then most likely have to spend some time making sure it ran IE batteries possibly tires, hydraulic hoses and what ever else may or may not be wrong with the tractor like I really need another tractor that needs repaired right now anyway.)
That's not saying that I may not think about getting it in the future or going in with Bob to get it so we could use it as a very large rototiller as well as a means to clearing out and grinding up a forest of small saplings of china berry and dwarf scrub oak so several acres could be seeded in native grasses for possible future grazing. Or possibly even renting it out or selling it to recoup funds once it would no longer be needed. Heck it would make a great garden tiller as long as it were a big garden.




Eddy figured and I agreed that time and effort would be better spent by hiring a guy with a tractor tiller to come in and turn the floor into flour would be cheaper than if we rented one and did the job ourselves. Turns out it was probably the best decision. Knowing now what just renting a roller to pack things back down after he tilled it up for us and we spread the stabilizing mixture using my pickup with 600 gallons of water on board and the spray bar we made to distribute the mix . If we would have had to rent a tractor tiller the roller and hauled them it would have cost way more in money time and transportation. Plus we got to stand and watch the horribly long boring job of trying to turn the nearly concrete like clay sand fill I had put packed in the shop into the consistency of flour.
after the guy had been grinding away for over half the day
6 hours of tilling

after spraying

After many hours of driving a vibratory roller and many miles of driving a pickup back and forth
the floor is not perfectly flat or smooth but way better than some old slab floors I have had to work on

[77metalguy]

O M G great shop! I would love to have something better than 1 1/2 car garage but have to do with what I have.

[Crusty]

Likely they didn't have a reduction drive because DC motors exert maximum torque at zero rpm. That's why they're used to propel locomotives.

[Frank S]

When you want to put up a wall that eventually will need to become a window so the brick crane can operate around and through it what better way yo build a wall then use a side tarp off of a Conestoga trailer kit.

Almost an instant wall, well it did take an hour to hoist the 200lb tarp in position and screw in in place

[Crusty]

You found time by putting off other little things that needed doing, like throwing together a work shed.

I tell you what I've learned about it - I was born to be retired and wish I had done it years ago because it suits me just right. Every day is Saturday now.

[Frank S]

This is now how the East side of the shop looks

[Crusty]

I've seen concrete floors too that weren't near that good. Maybe when it packs down hard again you can roll things on it with metal wheels.

[Frank S]

I closed in the East side of the shop yesterday with a section of new billboard tarp.
First off I needed to serve off the cut end of the tarp to strengthen and provide a means of hanging I, I started a few days ago by painting a 6 inch wide swath with a special vinyl tarp adhesive.
folded that over and pressed the surfaces together then once the glue had set I stretched a 3/16" braided nylon cord from end to end at the center point of the now 3" wide strip brushed this with the glue again and folded that over and pressed that together left it over night. this would become the top of the door. I repeated this process for the 2 sides once those had each cured over night I added a series of #3 sized stainless steel grommets to both sides .
I predrilled some strips of 3/16 by 3/4" flat bar on 12" spacings then hung the tarp on the flange of the header beam by clamping it between the flange and the flat bar then drilled each hole through the flange and bolted it in place using 1/4 20 bolts and nuts. Then secured the sides to the wall by the grommets with rubber tarp straps. Then used 4" nylon load straps inside and outside attached one end to the wall and welded strap winches to an angle iron on the purlins on the other side
it only takes a few minutes to release everything to open the tarp to allow passing through the door and later I will add a pipe in the pocket in the bottom of the tarp and a couple of pulleys to roll it up.
These lightweight billboard tarps are supposed to be rated for some fairly high wind loads, so I guess time will tell at any rate it makes for a simple cheap way of closing off a wide open hole in the wall for now at least.

[DIYSwede]

-I'm just curious, Frank - what "enzyme"/ chemical are you using to stabilize the floor?
A name, link to a supplier/ MSDS would be much appreciated.

ATB

Johan