Garage/Shop build

[bigjohnsd]

Yes to the magnifying light, all you need to do is drill a few 3/8 holes and you can move it from place to place.

Nate,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .^^^ This.

Screw and glue a short section (4" ~ 10cm) of lumber under the worktop, where the holes will be drilled for the lamp mounting pin. This hole replaces that silly table clamp that only fits at the edges of thin tables. Make a few more mounting holes than you think you will need, in the worktops. You might want to add a few horizontal mounting holes around the edges of the worktop for the magnifying lamp(s), for working on items on the floor.

.

I've done this on my downstairs workroom where I refinish Gun Stocks and clean my own weapons etc., really convenient and useful.

[bigjohnsd]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Panolam-4-f ... 00400-_-N
My neighbor used this stuff on the inside of his garage, very reflective, requires zero maintenance, you can't screw into it though, Powerwashes well. But it ain't cheap.

[FJRoss]

I also have this setup. The lenses of different strength snap on/off. The lenses can be flipped up and out of the way when you need to see the real view.

Where did you get that and was it expensive? The older I get, the more need something like that. I always use a headlamp working on the bike but this with the flip in-out lenses would be perfect. Can use a stronger magnifier for close detail stuff. My progressives just don't cut it for this kind of work.

[Red]

Where did you get that and was it expensive? The older I get, the more need something like that. I always use a headlamp working on the bike but this with the flip in-out lenses would be perfect. Can use a stronger magnifier for close detail stuff. My progressives just don't cut it for this kind of work.

FJRoss,

Amazon has lots of:

illuminated headband magnifiers

. . . starting around ~US$20. Some have multiple extra lenses or double LED lamps. Two lenses that you can flip into place in a headband will give you three levels of magnification (A, B, or A+B).

Happy hunting.
.

[ionbeam]

I also have this setup. The lenses of different strength snap on/off. The lenses can be flipped up and out of the way when you need to see the real view.

Where did you get that and was it expensive? The older I get, the more need something like that. I always use a headlamp working on the bike but this with the flip in-out lenses would be perfect. Can use a stronger magnifier for close detail stuff. My progressives just don't cut it for this kind of work.

I bought these for my wife to use for her fine (tiny detail) botanical arts paintings. It didn't take long for me to start borrowing them. My company bought me the set to use for surface mount PCB troubleshooting and assembly.

You can get them at WalMart, Home Depot, Amazon and a number of other places. Price spread of $26 to $55 USD.

Carson Optical Pro Series MagniVisor Deluxe Head-Worn LED Lighted Magnifier with 4 Different Lenses (1.5X, 2X, 2.5X, 3X)

The removable LED lamp can be used as a free standing light source.

The pixs are a clickable link to Carson for the specs and users guide.

[Ogopogo]

Where did you get that and was it expensive? The older I get, the more need something like that. I always use a headlamp working on the bike but this with the flip in-out lenses would be perfect. Can use a stronger magnifier for close detail stuff. My progressives just don't cut it for this kind of work.

One of a zillion on AliExpress, $17 CA delivered. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000416 ... hweb201603_

[ionbeam]

...One of a zillion on AliExpress...

DANGER personal opinion ahead. This post is opinionated. If you aren't open to individual opinions please bypass this post and move on to a topic more to your liking.

AliExpress = Alibaba Group = based in China. I prefer not to support this seller if I have choice.

[/opinion]

[Ogopogo]

...One of a zillion on AliExpress...

DANGER personal opinion ahead. This post is opinionated. If you aren't open to individual opinions please bypass this post and move on to a topic more to your liking.

AliExpress = Alibaba Group = based in China. I prefer not to support this seller if I have choice.

[/opinion]

One should be able to find a non-Chinese illuminated magnifier for about a hundred bucks. Good luck guaranteeing it still wasn't made or partly made in China though. Same with pretty much everything.

[ionbeam]

One should be able to find a non-Chinese illuminated magnifier for about a hundred bucks. Good luck guaranteeing it still wasn't made or partly made in China though...

Just about everything has some part of it made in China, starting at the raw ingredient level up to 100% materials and labor. Even items made in the US can have Chinese materials used to fabricate the end product. If I can, I'd just prefer that the supplier isn't directly Chinese. Given a choice I also try to keep my $$$ in my local to me economy if possible. Indeed, buying domestic products often cost more and often has better quality.

In the electronics industry the raw circuit boards are almost all made in China and quite frequently they are also assembled in China. The assembled PCB purchased from China gets shipped to Haverhill Ma (for example) where it gets put into a chassis or case made in China. Someone living in the US assembles the final product using Chinese parts. The finished item then gets a Made In USA tag stuck on and off it goes.

The Carson magnifier has a US patent under the America Invents Act. The actual magnifier has no country of origin marked on it that I can see. With a bit of shopping it can be found for under $30 USD.

It isn't really a big deal, but as I warned in my post, I have a personal opinion and it may differ from yours. It isn't a case of right or wrong, it's just different.

Waiting to see what kind of finish natehawk750's garage floor ends up with.

[natehawk750]

Wow Ion! Is that your garage floor? Mine is nothing like that. It's just a plain run of the mill gray floor paint that I left the surface rough.

[natehawk750]

I did however finish up my work bench (for now that is.) Once I start messing around I'll make changes.

I was going to wait to post pics til I got my tools and stuff organized but you guys get the idea.

Its 12' of work bench total. I plan on adding a shelf above the pegboard and one on the underside at some point. This will get me going though.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[ionbeam]

Wow Ion! Is that your garage floor?...

Only in my dreams. The picture was hijacked from a Canadian flooring company. It saved me 4,000 words trying to describe it. My garage floor is plain concrete and well worn. The only thing that can make it better is a jackhammer. The right side of my garage has a mechanics workbench, tool roll around, air compressor and peg boards for mechanics and metal working. The left side of the garage is a wood rack, wood working bench and a couple of big wood working power tools. The back of the garage has a metal cabinet for chemical storage, rolling racks for storage and my lawn tractor. I have an outdoor shed for the lawn and garden tools and overflow items like 8 mounted tires for our cars winter/summer tire changeovers.

My car sits so low to the ground that it severely drags going in & out of the garage due to the slope of the driveway where it meets the garage so it lives outside and my FJR proudly sits in the middle of one side of the garage all by itself.

We have lived in this house for ~30 years. We will check back with you in 30 years and see how your garage is organized and the condition of the floor

[FJRoss]

If you dropped a small part on that garage floor, the only way you could possible find it is to sweep the floor and sift through the sweepings.

[Ogopogo]

We will check back with you in 30 years and see how your garage is organized and the condition of the floor

I used the previous 30 yrs experience to make 2 rules for organization in my latest garage.

1. If it ain't got wheels, it can't come in.
2. 42" X 96" freight elevator to basement. Leverages rule 1.

[Hppants]

We will check back with you in 30 years and see how your garage is organized and the condition of the floor

I used the previous 30 yrs experience to make 2 rules for organization in my latest garage.

1. If it ain't got wheels, it can't come in.
2. 42" X 96" freight elevator to basement. Leverages rule 1.

Now hold on a minute.....

....... uh......

..... Oh wait - beer coolers HAVE wheels.

Ok - carry one!!

[danh600]

Wow Ion! Is that your garage floor? Mine is nothing like that. It's just a plain run of the mill gray floor paint that I left the surface rough.

For some reason they polished my garage floor to a mirror like finish. Just a little water and it's crazy slick. Makes no sense why they did it that way.

[natehawk750]

Wow Ion! Is that your garage floor? Mine is nothing like that. It's just a plain run of the mill gray floor paint that I left the surface rough.

For some reason they polished my garage floor to a mirror like finish. Just a little water and it's crazy slick. Makes no sense why they did it that way.

It does make oil cleanup nice...that's about it.

[ice_station_zebra]

Wow Ion! Is that your garage floor? Mine is nothing like that. It's just a plain run of the mill gray floor paint that I left the surface rough.

For some reason they polished my garage floor to a mirror like finish. Just a little water and it's crazy slick. Makes no sense why they did it that way.

Mine too...try porch paint mixed with a cup of artists sand for non-slip.

[raYzerman]

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I covered a significant area with 4'x6'x3/4" thick horse mats, one entire bay and right up to the workbenches. They are smooth black rubber, edges tightly butted, and if you drop something you can usually find it. The big benefit is they are far easier to walk on than concrete and that means a lot after long stretches in the shop, they are firm enough to hold up yer motorcycle, car, lift with very little indentations of the steel rollers on the lift, side stands barely sink in. Get one or two for sure where you stand the most.
I prefer not to put a finish like the above on a shop floor... slippery when wet, can't find stuff, looks impressive though.

[Bounce]

Wow Ion! Is that your garage floor? Mine is nothing like that. It's just a plain run of the mill gray floor paint that I left the surface rough.

Looks like what I did with my shop floor. The chips are very coarse when new (put down a shop rag or towel if getting down on your hands and knees because it might cut your hands). It smooths out a little with use.